DC plans super gimmick: start all titles over again
Starting Aug. 31, DC Comics will begin a sweeping re-launch all 52 of its titles, the company said on its official blog and the first title to get a reboot is “Justice League,” whose issue No. 1 will present a contemporary take on the origin of superhero team-up of Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and other beloved DC characters.
“This year, change is in the air at DC Comics,” wrote publicity director David Hyde in a bit of an understatement.
“Justice League” is the sole title to roll out on Aug. 31, but DC’s other 51 franchises will start afresh beginning with their September issues.
This means that every title in the DC universe will be polished off and receive tweaks in the design of character costumes and book logos. The stories will be re-imagined with a 21st century mindset.
The first batch of series includes “Green Arrow,” written by JT Krul and drawn by Dan Jurgens; “Justice League International,” which Jurgens will write and Aaron Lopresti will draw; “Mister Terrific,” from writer Eric Wallace and artist Roger Robinson; “The Fury of Firestorm” by Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone with artist Yildiray Cinar; and “Captain Atom,” by Krul and artist Freddie Williams II.
DC’s chief creative officer, Geoff Johns, will write the new “Aquaman” series, reuniting with artist Ivan Reis. Both worked together on titles about Green Lantern and the epic story arc “Brightest Day.”
Brian Azzarello will write the new “Wonder Woman” with art by Cliff Chiang, and Tony Daniel will handle writing chores for “The Savage Hawkman” with art by Philip Tan.
Francis Manapul will share scripting and illustration duties with Brian Buccellato on the relaunch of “The Flash,” a character Manapul is familiar with having drawn the speedster’s recent 12-issue series. The new series marks Manapul’s debut as a writer.
The anthology title “DC Universe Presents,” with Deadman in the first issue, will focus on multi-issue story arcs featuring different heroes. The first issue starts with a story by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang.
“Not only will this initiative be compelling for existing readers,” wrote Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, the co-publishers of DC Comics, on Wednesday, “it’ll give new readers a precise entry point into our titles.”
The company also announced that it will launch day-and-date digital publishing to coincide with the “Justice League” rollout.
The move comes after the conclusion of the company’s epic “Flashpoint” mini-series, also penned by Johns, that has changed the face of the DC Universe and made some well-known characters into different versions of their normal, and entrenched, personalities.
