DC Universe relaunch in September 2011

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:20 am

torchsong wrote: Still concerned we've seen nothing about Captain Marvel/Thunder/Shazam, and only a few titles left to list.

Tom wrote:I'm concerned that we've heard nothing about the JSA or Zatanna. Zatanna has been one of my favorite books, and I just can't imagine they wouldn't have one JSA book. Fingers crossed, but it's looking bleak at this point.

Only 6 titles to go at this point, they'll mostly be Superman Family (I'm guessing):
Action Comics
Superman
Supergirl
Superboy (Maybe......maybe he'll just be in Robin)

We'll find out tomorrow.....

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:29 am

46 of 52 announced so far. All have been added (with pics) here:
http://www.comicbookpage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1384

Today's offerings:

Stormwatch:

Stormwatch is a dangerous super human strike force whose existence is kept secret from the world. Jack Hawksmoor and the rest of the crew look to recruit two of the deadliest super humans on the planet: Midnighter and Apollo. And if they say no? Perhaps the Martian Manhunter can change their minds. Featuring a surprising new roster, STORMWATCH #1 will be written by the critically-acclaimed Paul Cornell (Superman: The Black Ring, “Dr. Who”) and illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda.

Blackhawks:

Blackhawk is an elite group of mercenaries made up of brave men from around the world equipped with the latest in cutting-edge hardware and vehicles. Their mission: Kill the bad guys before they kill us. A set of contemporary tales that battle the world’s gravest threats, BLACKHAWKS #1 will be written by Mike Costa and illustrated by Ken Lashley.

Sgt. Rock & the Men of War:

The grandson of the original Sgt. Rock assumes the command of Easy Company, a team of crack ex-military men financed by a covert military contractor, as they brave the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DC Universe’s super-villains. SGT. ROCK AND THE MEN OF WAR #1 is contemporary military story fighting under modern conditions, and will be written by Ivan Brandon and illustrated by Tom Derenick.

All-Star Western:

Even when Gotham City was just a one-horse town, crime was rampant – and things only get worse when bounty hunter Jonah Hex comes to town. Can Amadeus Arkham, a pioneer in criminal psychology, enlist Hex’s special brand of justice to help the Gotham Police Department track down a vicious serial killer? Featuring back-up stories starring DC’s other western heroes, ALL-STAR WESTERN #1 will be written by the fan-favorite Jonah Hex team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Moritat.

Deathstroke:

A metahuman mercenary who made a living taking out the toughest targets, Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary in DEATHSTROKE #1, a new series from rising star Kyle Higgins (Batman: Gates of Gotham) and artists Joe Bennett and Art Thibert.

Grifter:

Ex-black ops agent Cole Cash is a charming grifter that few can resist. And yet he’s about to be branded a serial killer when he begins hunting and exterminating inhuman creatures hidden in human form – creatures only he can see. Can the biggest sweet talker of all time talk his way out of this one when even his brother thinks he’s gone over the edge? Find out in GRIFTER #1, written by Nathan Edmondson with art by CAFU and BIT (the team behind T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS).

OMAC:

A man loses control of his life as the omnipresent Brother Eye transforms him against his will into a powerful killing machine OMAC #1, written by DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and co-written and illustrated by Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish.

I guessing THUNDER Agents is going bye-bye. Same for Zatanna, Xombi, Titans, & Secret Six.

I would not be surprised to find that they have 6-8 "DC 2.1" titles sitting in the wings as mid-season replacements. Whichever of the initial 52 are weakest will get cut after #6 and replaced with another contender.

stardog · Post by **stardog** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:38 am

Tom wrote:I'm concerned that we've heard nothing about the JSA or Zatanna. Zatanna has been one of my favorite books, and I just can't imagine they wouldn't have one JSA book. Fingers crossed, but it's looking bleak at this point.

Apparently Zatanna is in Justice League Dark.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/files/2011 ... 8q2j3a.jpg

That's her to the left in front of Deadman. For whatever reason DC hasn't identified all of the characters on the covers of some of these team books. It is a bummer that she won't have her own book anymore. And yeah, DC without a JSA will be strange (if that is the case). And what about Power Girl? I guess she could be involved in the Superman books.

Going by Bob's count, the remaining books could be the 4 Superman titles and Batman and Justice League Beyond (which they all but announced in a recent letters page of Batman Beyond).

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:00 am

stardog wrote: Going by Bob's count, the remaining books could be the 4 Superman titles and Batman and Justice League Beyond (which they all but announced in a recent letters page of Batman Beyond).

I think they'll keep Batman Beyond & Superman Beyond (and the rumored Justice League Beyond) around in a "special category" that does not count against the 52.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:33 am

Bleeding Cool has some "leaks" on covers for Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/09/ ... -superboy/

It's interesting that the Superboy here looks completely different from the one on the Teen Titans cover. It a Cyborg-Superboy......Maybe it's Hank Henshaw wanting to look more youthful.

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:49 am

I was afraid that Xombi wouldn't make it. I guess that is what I get for getting into a non-mainstream title from DC. Hopefully you are right Bob and it will be a "mid-season" replacement title.

And I really don't like that Supergirl, I really hope that isn't the final redesign.

GABE! · Post by **GABE!** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:54 am

Jonah Hex in early Gotham? Interesting, but really don't think that was needed. I'll still give it a fair shot, like I will most of these titles, mainly because the great writing team is still intact.

Grifter looks and sound very cool. I like the whole "he kills people who are demons, but only he can see their true form" angle.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:23 am

Danscomics wrote:I was afraid that Xombi wouldn't make it. I guess that is what I get for getting into a non-mainstream title from DC. Hopefully you are right Bob and it will be a "mid-season" replacement title.

I don't think Xombi had strong enough sales to earn a seat at the table in the "new 52".

This is typical of many comics from both Marvel & DC that are not big recognizable characters. They can be the coolest stories ever with solid writing & art and most comics-shop customers are totally uninterested.

I think the success of DC 2.0 is going to hinge on tapping into some other audience besides the jaded LCS customers we have today. Either getting some new people to go to a shop that are interested in something a bit different OR getting those new people to get the stuff digitally.

DC 2.0 will live or die on DC Marketing's ability to create demand and drive those new customers to the product. THEN, once they are there, the books themselves are going to need to capture their interest & keep them coming back for more.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:26 am

GABE! wrote:Jonah Hex in early Gotham? Interesting, but really don't think that was needed. I'll still give it a fair shot, like I will most of these titles, mainly because the great writing team is still intact.

By naming this title All-Star Western, I think we'll be able to see more characters & stories beyond just Jonah Hex.

I'm hoping to see Bat Lash, Scalphunter, El Diablo, and maybe even some new stuff.

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:36 am

Interesting look for Supergirl. How she got a pass on the "trousers" rule I don't know. Naturally I'll be putting her on the list, but that's definitely a different look for her...almost a throwback to the 70s...

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:42 am

BTW, did anyone notice the Martian Manhunter on that Stormwatch cover??

spid · Post by **spid** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:05 pm

BobBretall wrote:BTW, did anyone notice the Martian Manhunter on that Stormwatch cover??

I did, and I am not that interested in an integrated Wildstorm/DC Universe. I will still buy the title. It does make me wonder how long this thing will stick. This sort of have all the makings of a six month to a year thing.

So far I am up to the three Wildstorm books, and two possible DC relaunch books.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:10 pm

BobBretall wrote:Bleeding Cool has some "leaks" on covers for Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/09/ ... -superboy/

It's interesting that the Superboy here looks completely different from the one on the Teen Titans cover. It a Cyborg-Superboy......Maybe it's Hank Henshaw wanting to look more youthful.

Wow, what a radical redesign of Superman's costume. They added some lines and "armor" boots. Why bother? Seeing as how Superman was the first superhero, and his costume is known by everybody, why even change it? Or more to the point, if you're going to change it, CHANGE it.

Anyway, I'm tempted to try out Supergirl but I think I'll pass on Superboy. Never having read any of the super titles I'm not even sure I want to try anything besides Superman and Action but we'll see.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:12 pm

Btw, a comment in the bleeding cool forum about the renumbering of Action and Detective was pretty good, here it is:

I agree about the renumbering of Action and Detective. I don't see what's to be gained by that. The other titles I'm okay with. But if you're going to start those two books again at number one, why not just end them and have new titles? It's not like newbies know that Action means Superman and Detective means Batman--even though that's apparently who the renumbering is designed for. Plus, Green Lantern and Batman continuity more or less continues, so it's not really a total break with the past anyway.

Pretty good point, but at the end of the day it doesn't bother me.

jonah · Post by **jonah** » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:21 pm

Assuming DC keeps it's roll out theme the same, the remaining six titles should all be related to the superman line. So I suspect we're looking at :

Action
Superman
Supergirl
Superboy
World's Finest (or a Batman/Superman pairing of some kind)

with the last book being something from left field like a New Gods/Lois Lane/Jimmy Olsen or even one of the characters from Wildstorm or Milestone.

All told I lost 14 titles off my existing pull list from DC with only two new titles providing any kind of continuity from those 14 lost titles.

Today I'm less excited about the renumbering (don't call it a reboot) than I was yesterday. Will probably shift the other way tomorrow. I've been having more fun speculating about what they're coming out with than the actual reveals.