DC to relaunch with 52 #1's

[Colin YNWA]

With apologies for the double post, cos I should have seen this before posting the last one. Bleeding Cool are reporting that George Perez will be doing 'Superman 1'. Nowt official to back this up. Love me some George Perez, admired what he did with Wonder Woman (unlike so many other artists that turn their hand to writing) but don't have any massive affection for Superman.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-george-perez-to-write-and-draw-superman-1/

Another one for the maybe pile. After a good start getting a little worried by a trend of putting the creators I really like with characters, or other creators, I'm not so fussed about. Still long way to go and this could easily turn around.

[Greg M.]

Love George Perez's art, don't really know much about his writing skills. DC seem to be doing a lot of this whole 'artists as writers' thing. Lack of Grant Morrison-related info is disturbing. Sounds increasingly like Batman Inc. has just been flushed - although if Damian remains as Robin, it can't be a complete reboot.

So far though, the overwhelming impression I'm getting (particularly with the Bat-books and the GL books) is that it's largely the same people doing the same stuff but with a new #1 attached.

[Emperor]

No Morrison news, which is a big pity but I suspect they'll be keeping their powder dry on that one.

Other interesting news - a new Swamp Thing series (some claims to have heard rumours that this will be written by Morrison, anything less than that would be a big disappointment now):
www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-swamp-thing-1/

Jeff Lemire on Animal Man, which sounds like an inspired move:
www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-animal-man-1/

I'm still dying to find out how good his Frankenstein & the Creatures of the Unknown will be (I had high hopes but the preview suggests it is a twist on Creature Commandos set in WWII, which has been done before. But then again this is only the start).
www.newsarama.com/comics/flashpoint-jeff-lemire-frankenstein-110531.html
www.ifanboy.com/content/articles/EXCLUSIVE_PREVIEW__Flashpoint_-_Frankenstein_and_the_Creatures_of_the_Unknown__1

[Greg M.]

Jeff Lemire on Animal Man, which sounds like an inspired move:
www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-animal-man-1/

At last, one that I'll buy sight unseen. Lemire's great and I am very fond of Animal Man as a character. Sold.

[Ignatzmonster]

My brother was just groaning to me via text about the disappearance of Batman Inc and the fact that a great many of the new books will be written by Scott Lobell(a superhero hack from the 90s, for those who have the pleasure not to to be cognoscenti about such matters.) I sent back, "Good day to be a squaxx." Thank Tharg I don't have my favorite stories endlessly fucked with when I crack open the Tooth.

I like superheros fine, I'm an American after all: we can't really help ourselves, but I stick to trades so I know what I'm getting. 

[Colin YNWA]

Jeff Lemire on Animal Man, which sounds like an inspired move:
www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-animal-man-1/

Fuck-a-doodle-doo that one has made my day. That's fuckin' amazingly good news. So good I'm using terms like fuck-a-doodle-doo for christs sake!

That and Gail Simone on a Barbara Gordon Bat Girl and I'm right back on side.

Bloomin' heck its an emotional roller-coaster this being a DC fan at the moment...

... or maybe I just need to get my perspective back... either way...

[Greg M.]

That and Gail Simone on a Barbara Gordon Bat Girl and I'm right back on side.

Oracle no more? Barbara Gordon is no longer wheelchair-bound? I'm betting that's going to cause a Marmite reaction in fans.

[Emperor]

Batman Inc is going on hiatus while GM works on something that is soon to be announced:

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-2012-batman-inc-1-next-year/

That and Gail Simone on a Barbara Gordon Bat Girl and I'm right back on side.

Simone and EVS co-writing Firestorm could be a surprise hit too - to work it not only needs great action but also a strong focus on character interaction, which Simone does very well indeed:

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/02/dc-relaunch-the-look-of-firestorm/

[The Adventurer]

Batman Inc is going on hiatus while GM works on something that is soon to be announced:

Look like Morrison and George Perez will be doing Superman together come the big relaunch. Or at least that's the rumor I head.

[Colin YNWA]

Bleeding Cool is running it as George Perez writing as well as drawing Superman. There's still Action Comics and if they are going to have a new Action Comics 1, as seems likely after Detective having gone the way of the renumber, putting a big name like Morrison on it will set that one on fire. We'll see. Personally I'd love to see a new Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane comic something along that vein and after the critical success of Nick Spencer's Jimmy Olsen back-up who knows. Oh and Lois Lane having a series in Flashpoint double who knows.

In my dream fantasy land Grant Morrison launches a new adventures of Jimmy Olsen as a vehicle to launch the new 5th World stories... oh go on let a man dream!

Batman Inc is going on hiatus while GM works on something that is soon to be announced:

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/dc-relaunch-2012-batman-inc-1-next-year/

Shame but it might mean that its been given space so it can fit into its own continuity in the old DC when it returns. Or somehow the Batman Inc philospohy is just put on hold for the relaunch to keep things simple but bubbles up again... oh man I'm speculating wayyyyy too much!

Agree that the more I think about the Firestorm series the more it heads to the defo list.

Oracle no more? Barbara Gordon is no longer wheelchair-bound? I'm betting that's going to cause a Marmite reaction in fans.

Yeah hard to argue with that. Gail Simone may well do something very interesting rather than just remove the whole Oracle thing. This is one I'm really intrigued by I have to say.

[The Adventurer]

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane by Paul Grist


Is my dream book that will never happen. Ever.

[Colin YNWA]

I'm going to stop apologising for double posts on this thread to save us all time and energy. There's some much news out there even The Emperor can't keep up!* EDIT: Wayhey-  thanks to The Adventurer this line was necessary (but the principal still stands)

This one slipped under my radar in a hail of Morrison but strangely has really perked by interest. Ben Oliver briefly of these pastures is working with Judd Winick to produce Bat-Wing (ouch okay not keen on the name but hey) Africa's Batman. The concept alone perks my interest, Judd W can be a bit hit and miss but I'm hopefully but the setting if done well, and its something I suspect Judd W might be able to do well (?) is very interesting and makes this one a very strong contender to make the cut.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/06/ign-calls-star-of-batwing-1-african-american/

Also it may imply that the Batman Inc. philosophy will make it through the relaunch?

*Well actually I'm sure he can and I can only hope he doesn't take anger at my slight and use his internet omnniscients to crush me!

[chilipenguin]

Meh. Never been a big DC fanboy. I've loved Batman since I was a kid but I've never kept up enough to be aware of all the deaths, resurrections, Robins etc. I tend to read individual GNs that don't require the reader to be aware of every little piece of the continuity.

This might prompt me to start reading a few of the books I've never bothered with, but we'll wait and see. DC's stable has never really appealed apart from Bats, Nightwing and Green Lantern.

[The Adventurer]

I'm not a 'Big Two' Superhero fan anymore either. I was completely burned out on 'EVENT' driven sales tactics and unending guest-starings between titles years ago (its what drove me to 2000 AD. Where continuity is less... problematic. To say the least). The last DC book I read was REBELS, which was great (Tony Bedard's still got the cosmic magic). But its cancelled now, and I don't suspect we'll see it again. I'm marginally curious as to if Tony Bedard will get himself a relaunch title and what it might be. But I'm not too eager to jump into DC with all this hoopla. I predict half their relaunch titles to be cancelled within two years, numbers to revert within 3, and whatever the deal with the new and old origins and timelines and whatnot to shake itself out with another fucking EVENT next summer.

So... MEH!

[Emperor]

Here is a current list:

www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/07/an-updateable-list-of-the-52-dc-titles-for-september/

But EW have just annoucned 3 more and I could be up for all of those (when, so far the list has left me rather cold - Lemire's Animal Man and Simone/EVS on Firestorm are the only ones that capture my interest, possibly Swamp Thing depending on the creative team, jumping to the top of my list if it is GM/YP):

Other new supernatural/fantasy/horror-themed books that will be announced by DC Comics today and scheduled to publish in September include:

• Justice League Dark, what DC terms "a band of supernatural heroes" — John Constantine, Deadman, Shade the Changing Man and Madame Xanadu (wouldn't it be cool if they really were supposed to be a band?) – written by Peter Milligan.

• Demon Knights, super-heroism set in medieval times, a premise that would have me yawning except that it's being written by Paul Cornell, who did such a terrific job recently on Knight and Squire, and on Lex Luthor in Action Comics.

• Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE, which may be the most below-the-radar promising of all. The writer is again Jeff Lemire, taking the Frankenstein monster and turning him/it into an action hero alongside other fictional monsters in the service of a government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive. This giddy mish-mash has the potential for either delicious cleverness or disastrous offal. Either way, I'm in for issue #1.

Well #1 and #3, #2 has the potential to be a bit iffy but Paul Cornell can pull it off if anyone can.

http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/06/07/dc-comics-swamp-thing-frankenstein/