DC Relaunching AGAIN

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

It gives DC time to scrap the 5G unwanted direction as it was already missing in the June solicits.

That'd sure be a worthy silver lining.

[ZariusTwo]

So Bendis declared Jon is destined to be the "one true Superman" in today's issue of Legion. Yikes.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

That'd sure be a worthy silver lining.

I went by my LCS and talked a little shop. DC is the only one to shut its printer down of the comic companies. Diamond advised all companies to with the distributing house having to close up for at least three weeks and only DC followed suit at this point. I guess they had less direction and obliged the time to override Dan's plans. The Deadpool was officially canned at my comic shop due to the hiatus and Dan's dismissal. Everyone who put in gest a free comic( so TMNT/MMPR#5 will be it for me). So if this non-essential shutdown due to the Cornavirus puts DC in a better position and no force feed 5G well it is indeed a welcome silver lining.

I also buy five monthlies and one mini series ( currently TMNT/MMPR) so I went ahead and bought my monthlies for April by buying a $20 gift certificate. My shop will remain open until Sunday because of the new comics out and with this being the last week will shutdown for two weeks. I ask for everyone who has a small LCS to support their respective shop by doing something similar. Mile High Comics sounded the alarm in its newsletter and irked a lot of comic book owners with the bleak message which is not necessarily true. Still support your LCSs and buy your comics in advance if you are able.

[MikeandRaph87]

https://www.cbr.com/batman-knightfall-nightwing/

This article is for you,Leo. It discusses Dick Grayson return to the Bat books with Knightfall. Its similar to what we discussed not long ago.

[Autbot_Benz]

https://comicbook.com/dc/2020/03/26/...irus-response/

"To Our DC Talent Community,

Everyone here at DC is thinking of you and the challenges that you’re all facing in this current crisis. I want to stress that DC is fully open for business. Our editorial teams and support staff are working remotely for the foreseeable future but that will not interfere with our day-to-day operations.

Our main concern, of course, is your well-being and that of your families. No matter where you are in the world, take care and don’t hesitate to reach out. We realize that there may be unexpected challenges ahead and I want you to know that we are here to help.

No one knows, of course, how long this current situation may last. For now, this is our new normal. And as we transition to a company working from home, we gain the flexibility to overcome any challenge. Most importantly, we remain incredibly excited about the stories we will create together.

Best,
Bob"

[ZariusTwo]

Some titles will be available digitally next week, including Batman

https://bleedingcool.com/2020/03/28/...day-april-1st/

[MikeandRaph87]

People have been hyped for anti-Harley Quinn so I am not too surprised. Justice League#44 is on my pull list. April 1st books are digital only. correct? Perhaps comic industry goes this way for April and then hiatus? Going between this and IDW putting book shipments on pause.

So I just learned that #40 onward in Justice League happened before #1? How is that possible? The team forms in the firs three issues because John was in deep space and suggested Hal for the GL spot. Poor planning. Can we accept the fact they prevailed in the Dark Knights Metal sequel? Continuity is screwing up already. It reads that way.

[Autbot_Benz]

=MikeandRaph87;1841363 April 1st books are digital only. correct?

I don't think so unless someone makes a formal announcement. As someone who is pro Physical media on everything. I would not support any digital comics.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by Autbot_Benz

I don't think so unless someone makes a formal announcement. As someone who is pro Physical media on everything. I would not support any digital comics.

There will be some digital releases on April 1st, but only the ones that are exclusive to DC Digital (i.e, the continuation of Batman: TAS)

DC were going to release this week's mainline comics digitally tomorrow, but have since changed their minds.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

There will be some digital releases on April 1st, but only the ones that are exclusive to DC Digital (i.e, the continuation of Batman: TAS)

DC were going to release this week's mainline comics digitally tomorrow, but have since changed their minds.

I am a physical copy purist myself. Do DC will withhold all comics meant for April 1st release until further notice and this goes for the industry as a whole?

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I am a physical copy purist myself. Do DC will withhold all comics meant for April 1st release until further notice and this goes for the industry as a whole?

It's industry-wide, at least for this week. Marvel haven't released anything either, despite it being a major week for them as today would have seen their Empyre event launch.

Comichub appear to be offering some Digital First solution...buy a digital copy and use that as a receipt in the comic stores, attaining a free printed copy.

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/toda...ket-was-saved/

[ZariusTwo]

James Tynion is staying on as Batman writer through to 2021 according to his latest newsletter.

Bendis in the meantime revealed on Instagram he was supposed to have left Superman by now, but has been persuaded to stay on for now.

[ZariusTwo]

[ZariusTwo]

Tom King had a Q&A on DCUniverse yesterday, he finally confirmed Bat/Cat is intended to stand apart from the current continuity, but hopes it will leave an impact similar to Dark Knight Returns as one of the definitive Batman stories. He also says 5G is in an eternal state of flux and they're trying to get it 'just right'

[MikeandRaph87]

What is coming out this Wednesday? Do we have a list and is DC only? I get The Green Lantern, Detective Comics, Justice League, and Batgirl. I wanted to know if I needed to swing by after work.

[ZariusTwo]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

What is coming out this Wednesday? Do we have a list and is DC only?

DC will release their books on Tuesdays now, this all starts next week apparently (I thought it was this week for some reason, but all that came out were more DC Digital books)

[MikeandRaph87]

https://www.cbr.com/justice-league-d...oriest-deaths/

It is slightly off-topic, but I thought Apokolips Warwas basically the book end of a line that started in the same book that no one really wanted. It just had the diverse Green Lantern get the ring from Earth-3's evil opposite, Batman take to the Mobius chair and learn something about Joker that was not important and Darkseid was defeated. End of the story. Now Dick Grayson, Aquaman, and Captain Marvel/Shazam get brutally murdered in animation? Is this DC's way of sticking up its middle finger at the fanbase who preferred Rebirth and further did not like the continuity based film series that the oddly named Justice League War started? If you are a fan of any of those who get killed DO NOT BUY this film. Let's just move on and know its over and they will be seen in other animated projects to come.

[Leo656]

Without having seen it, that definitely sounds pretty rough, but at the same time, "If you're gonna go out, go out with a bang" and all that.

I mean, frankly, if you're going to propose "All-out war against Darkseid" and your story is anything less than high-stakes, and nothing bad happens, then you kinda lied. I frankly can't think of any other time or place in which such extreme measures would make sense within the framework of a DC story, but it doesn't actually sound very much out of place given what the proposal was. It's kinda like what Final Crisis might've been if they hadn't gotten cold feet halfway through and decided that nothing too bad was gonna happen and nobody was gonna stay dead.

Ah well, it is what it is. Context is everything and that stuff fits the kind of story they set out to tell. And at the end of the day, it's the last story within that version of the DCU so it's not like any of it matters. They'll all be alive again and just fine in the next, unrelated film.

To me, less like, "If you're a fan of ____, stay away," and more like, "If you only like comic book characters within the realm of PG-level childrens' entertainment, stay away." I mean, I love Guy Gardner but I've watched him get murdered so many times by now that it's like half of his story function. I'm over it.

Not sure when I'll get around to seeing it, though. I'm a little bit resentful that they pooched "Reign of the Supermen" and totally neutered Hank Henshaw just to turn that movie into a cocktease for THIS one. So my urgency is low, but nothing I read in that article was specifically eye-rolling from my perspective.

[MikeandRaph87]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Without having seen it, that definitely sounds pretty rough, but at the same time, "If you're gonna go out, go out with a bang" and all that.

I mean, frankly, if you're going to propose "All-out war against Darkseid" and your story is anything less than high-stakes, and nothing bad happens, then you kinda lied. I frankly can't think of any other time or place in which such extreme measures would make sense within the framework of a DC story, but it doesn't actually sound very much out of place given what the proposal was. It's kinda like what Final Crisis might've been if they hadn't gotten cold feet halfway through and decided that nothing too bad was gonna happen and nobody was gonna stay dead.

Ah well, it is what it is. Context is everything and that stuff fits the kind of story they set out to tell. And at the end of the day, it's the last story within that version of the DCU so it's not like any of it matters. They'll all be alive again and just fine in the next, unrelated film.

To me, less like, "If you're a fan of ____, stay away," and more like, "If you only like comic book characters within the realm of PG-level childrens' entertainment, stay away." I mean, I love Guy Gardner but I've watched him get murdered so many times by now that it's like half of his story function. I'm over it.

Not sure when I'll get around to seeing it, though. I'm a little bit resentful that they pooched "Reign of the Supermen" and totally neutered Hank Henshaw just to turn that movie into a cocktease for THIS one. So my urgency is low, but nothing I read in that article was specifically eye-rolling from my perspective.

Sometimes descriptions of the product by the makers of said product is all you need to know to be informed that this product is not for you. I think of it as Didio's parting shot. There has been senseless violence for the sake of plot like Toyman's murder by the alternate Superman in the previous New 52 installment. It's just Toyman and it served a purpose. This is Dick Grayson and Aquaman. Look if it was Jason Todd I would be cheering on the villain, but these are important characters and or characters I truly enjoy. Kill off the Flash heroically to tie into Crisis lore. Let's just move on and sweep it under the rug.

[Leo656]

It's not "senseless" in this case, though, it's Darkseid. He's pretty much literally the devil. You can't have a war against Satan and not have extremely bad stuff happen. That's kind of the entire point of the story. Otherwise, you don't book the match.

Also, "I wish my personal favorite characters were immune to damage" is a slippery slope that limits storytelling potential. For one thing, EVERY character is someone's favorite, so no matter who you kill, or how violently, it won't sit right with someone. But furthermore, how does it make a viewer care if only "jobbers" get killed off? It's like that "Gotham Harbor? That's abandoned" horse sh*t during the Doomsday fight in BvS; just a way to pretend there are high stakes while also gently patting the more sensitive types on the butt and soothingly whispering to them, "Don't worry, nothing TOO bad is gonna happen." And frankly, I find that very disingenuous.

It's like "Infinite Crisis", which I liked a lot. Yes, having Superboy Prime kill off a bunch of Z-list Teen Titans that most people couldn't name if you handed them a complete copy of Who's Who In The DCU was a good start in establishing that he was a bad guy. BUT. With respect to the fans who are outliers, which I've already mentioned above, "nobody" cares about Pantha or Baby Wildebeest. So having him kill them didn't have any emotional "oomph"; they may as well have been Red Shirts. It didn't make him seem THAT evil, or like things were THAT bad. BUT THEN, you have him kill SUPERBOY... and then the original Superman... and NOW, as a reader, you completely understand just how serious this sh*t is and that Superman better step up and get this sh*t under control already.

And as a huge Superman and Superboy fan, did I enjoy seeing all of that play out? You better believe I did, because I hadn't been so emotionally invested in a comic book since I was like, ten years old. I want to FEEL things when I jump into these stories. I'm not invested when characters whose names I can't remember get killed off. I'm not invested when characters crack jokes during the third act fight scenes. I want to suspend disbelief and pretend, for a few minutes, that maybe the Good Guys don't get to win this time, before they inevitably do. I want the Bad Guys to be irredeemably evil and not just "misunderstood", and I want them to do very awful things to establish that they're terrible, and I want the stakes to be through the roof so that when the good guys inevitably DO win, it feels like an earned win and not a foregone conclusion.

I mean at the end of the day, from a storytelling point of view, if you're gonna pull out the Darkseid card, lots of people need to die or else you could easily tell the same story with Toyman or some other jamoke. The whole point of having a bad guy who's "The Ultimate Evil, Personified" is that he actually has to... y'know... BE evil. And yeah, some of those corpses do have to be Main Eventers or else you're just screwing around. It's all part of telling stories.

Frankly, if I were booking it, and I knew that this was "the end" of this universe and my job was to wipe the slate clean before the next reboot, I might've gone even farther with it. Because it ultimately doesn't matter, this book is gonna be closed; might as well go out in a blaze of glory. I'd probably have it literally come down to every one of the heroes being dead except Superman, and then he ends up fighting Darkseid in a battle so ferocious that it triggers a new Big Bang and restarts the entire DCU anew. Because then Darkseid looks like a huge piece of sh*t and Superman looks even more heroic for finally stopping him.

It's like, either a person wants "safe" stories or they're okay with taking a ride. I, personally, have always been a big fan of rollercoasters, both literally and metaphorically. And a rollercoaster without dips or loops isn't much of a ride. That's my two cents.