Okay we just had a Crisis not too long ago.

Your thoughts, people?

So, they are rebooting their entire lineup and starting from the start with issue 1? I suppose given how many reboots and alternate universes comics go through this isn't as shocking.

Not all of it, apparently Batman and Green Lantern are likely to be mostly untouched.

And yeah, they do this kind of shit all the time and nothing really changes. If DC wants to be relevant, they need to stop doing the same shit over and over and change their business model. I reckon they need to go back to anthologies, it gets people interested in titles outside of their favourites and would probably be more value for money- I can read through 90% of comics on shelves today in literally 5 minutes.

Fragg'n bastiches.

But yeah, as Jeff said, this ain't a surprise. Even small companies like Wildstorm have had their own reboots. Just another annoying western habit that helped pave the way for Manga.

When I first heard of these reboots I thought it was something they did once or twice cause the 60's/70's era backstory and plot made it impossible to move on with that as canon, thus the reboot.

Now I see its happened dozens of times, in alternate universes, parallel Earths. Earth 2, Retcons, Prequels. You're right, no wonder I went to manga first.

People still read manga?

This can be a good thing if DC does it right, that is as a reason to get rid of all the crap that's built up and doesn't work, and a reboot of their low-selling titles.

Apparently there's costume redesigns and most of them suck.

I think they need to sort something out with Green Lantern- they already have multiple human Lanterns with not that much to tell them apart, why not have one of them hang with the Justice League full-time while the others do their own thing?

Hey, I didn't start reading manga 'til 2009, five years after I started seriously reading comics. Meanie.

Does it concern A) Atomic Robo or B) Hellboy and associated spin-offs (BPRD, Lobster Johnson, Witchfinder)? No? Then I'm afraid to say I don't even begin to give a cursory fuck.

I've given up on comics a lot recently-I mainly buy smaller titles (The Boys) Older titles (Transmet collection is a growing) or Singular well done stories (Killing Joke, Kingdom Come)

I find DC to be becoming more obsessed with it's past and wanking over it and Marvel to be inconsistent and too keen on over exposing certain folks.

Come back when rabid fanboys aren't in charge.

Trades or floppies?

Trades. I did read it at a mates (all in one night) But I like owning things like that.
Next-Tracking down a Copy of NEXTWAVE: Agents of H.A.T.E that doesn't cost £25+

Good luck. I was lucky to read most (Sadly not all) of Transmetropolitan via the library four or five years ago.

Good luck on NEXTWAVE, though. It's worth it - Funniest comic I've ever read.

I'd like to read all of Planetary at some point (Managed the first few volumes, again, via the library) but it seems the earlier volumes are out of print entirely. Might have to hit the comic shops.

The only good comic books are the EC Comics line -- _Tales from the Crypt_; _Weird Science_; etc. For further discussion, see my .sig. :)

Transmetropolitan and planetary are two of my favourite series of all time. definitely reccomend them. I finished collecting the transmet trades *just* as they started to go out of print. i had to search high and low for the first trade paperback. totally worth it though :D
Planetary is almost worth it just for the fucking fantastic john cassaday artwork. my god can that man pull off a splash panel.

as for the reboot? eeeeh. I'm damn certain its not going to be a permanent stick. I've seen way too many 'omg this will change things FOREVER' press releases. my bet is that as soon as the 'rebooted' series reach a significant number in the old counting they'll switch back.

what, another one?

So I did. Sadly, they have the last three volumes, so I settled on Volume 2. Hopefully he'll be able to get in Volume 1 at some point, so I can finally read the full series.

I ignore any comic book that doesn't have Deadpool in it.

Psst, check the last date of the post. If it's past two weeks, it's dead. Word to the wise.

Ah, pee.

Well since this has already been bumped may I add something?

Word of this very same reboot came to the Sunday Morning Show much to my surprise. And I hear them say that Batwoman is now a lesbian. I have two things to say about this:

1. I think its pretty ironic, since as I recall, batgirl and Batwoman were invented so Batman and Robin wouldn't look gay.

2. I'm not sure why the people on the show acted like this was something new. There's a great big history of gays in comics, and I don't know why everyone's feigning ignorance over it.

Now?

Um, no. The Batwoman Katherine Kane who was introduced in 52 (not the one made in the golden and silver ages though the name was still the same, going by Kathy as opposed to Kate) was always a lesbian. In fact, when she came in 52, she was introduced to us by her ex-girlfriend Renée Montoya.

Granted, the irony is still there but as far as I know, this version of Batwoman was always into girls.

I believe she was invented in '56, and a response to Seduction of the Innocent from '54. Years later she's retired, but becomes a Jewish Lesbian in 2005. Or so I've read.

Essentially, yes, the original Batwoman/Batgirl were invented to make Batman and Robin not appear gay. And yes, there is a bit of delicious irony in the fact that when Batwoman was resurrected as a character about five years back, her sexual orientation is homosexual.

But the introduction of the lesbian Batwoman has nothing to do with the new DC Reboot.

Ah DC Comics. Your timelines make Marvel's look sensible.

Huh. Well the show made it sound like it was... Dammit, I'm limited to what's rentable at the library. I'll never be the hard core expert I wish I was :(

Pfft. You mean you don't have Google and Wikipedia?

Only use them on series I'm already on, and then only when I'm curious enough.

You forgot to mention Wikis. Nearly every Manga / Anime that ever existed has one.

Eh, that's kinda like reading Cliff's Notes instead of Tolstoy or Shakespeare. Good for general stuff, but it'll be a second-hand view and will only get you so far.

Personally, I think DC has severely screwed themselves, especially with their female audiences. Bet they didn't think female readers existed, or they just assumes we're all lesbians.
Not only did they destroy every strong, and independant, and sexual female role model characters and turned them into trashy Sex Hos, but they are making a very near step into going into the Internet's Rule 34.
If you're wondering what I am referring to, read the newest Catwoman #1.

I also hate the fact that you don't even see Selena's face until you're a few pages in. All you get are flashes of her tits and ass as dialog goes on. They could have done something better than flash female parts to satisfy the horny teen boys out there.

Plus, Startfire was one of my most favorite comic female characters from DC. And No, it was not because to Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans" show. I read the "New Teen Titans" comics back in the 80's and 90's, and I loved her alien personality.
Now they made her nothing but a emotionaless doll, with no memory of any of her past relationships (Or HUSBAND), and they introduce her with flashing her tits and ass all over the first few pages.

And DC wonders why many readers, especially female readers, are offended, insulted and giving up on comic sales.

As a bloke, I'm insulted they think this is how they'll get me to spend money on comics.

Come on guys, DC is just trying to diversify and expand its audience. So they're targeting the untapped 'sexually repressed nerdy teenage boy' demographic, who've never been interested in comics before now! Hang on... I had the demographics chart upside down, let me just flip this aroun- Oh. Well shit.

Its so utterly insane anymore. I honestly think DC is trying to push readers away.

For some reason.

Maybe to attract more viewers to the movies which seem to care a tiny bit more about this thing. If only a tiny bit

I'll bet all the writers behind the reboot are those "sexually repressed nerdy teenage boys" from my younger years who all had their own RPG fan fictions about their favorite super heroines like this.
Now that they are in the comic industry, they are bringing those fan-fiction fantasies to life and saying "Fuck you, my fan fic is now reality!" to the rest of humanity.

That might be part of it, though I'd wager that it's largely the old entertainment industry standby of "sex sells" and the misconception that they seem to have that strong women are either slutty or angry, militant lesbians. Also, it has shock value. It's certainly got people talking and that usually translates to sales.

As for the other #1s; I've decided to give the Batman and Green Lantern families of books a try as I've long been a fan of Batman and (albeit casually) Green Lantern, but lack of a local comic shop and a daunting backlog have kept me from jumping in. This event and the convenience of the internet have remedied that for me, so job well done DC.

So far I've read Batman, Batgirl, Batwing, Detective Comics, Batman and Robin and Catwoman. So far, I've generally been enjoying them except for Catwoman for reasons stated above.

*Afixes neckbeard*

And now we come to the crux of the matter-the mainstream industry is so bereft of ideas it resorts to reboots and crude fan service. What other decade did this so well and so often, along with impossible biology and guns that would make an A-10 Warthog say "Christ, compensating much?"

That's right-the 90's! and we all know how good for comics that decade was with it's GRIMANDDARK veneer of Xtreme and tits. And lest we forget-Rob Liefeld is now working on DC titles. It's only Hawk and Dove, but still-the Antichrist of proportion is back baby.

It's time gentlemen. Gather your robes and meet at the sacred site. There, with LSD,Marijuana and virgin blood burning in a brazier we shall chant the ancient rites to deliver us:

Ia,Ia, AlanMoore F'taghan! Ia,Ia, AlanMoore F'taghan! Ia,Ia, AlanMoore F'taghan!

Rather appropriate you'd affix that name to a Lovecraftian chant -- like HPL's pantheon, Alan Moore ignores most of you; and when he does deign to pay attention to you, it's to indicate to you just how much he fucking hates your worthless fanboy ass. (Ever notice how the overiding themse of his stories is "people are idiots who need to be led every moment from conception to final disposal"?)

I'll stick with my EC Comics reprints, thank you so much.

[wanders off whistling Danny Elfman's "_Tales from the Crypt_ Theme"]

Really, it's almost impressive how badly DC has screwed the pooch on this. All they need to do is avoid grossly and indefensibly offending female readers, and they can't even do that.

I'm starting to think they're actually listening to the troglodytes in every comments section who'll defend anything DC does and accuse everyone offended of being feminazis or beta males or whatever the hell.

I know, right? Especially when the internet is rich with rule 34 sites.

Precisely.

Not to mention there's nothing sexy about a woman with a 14-pack, right Liefeld?

Yeah, I think it really shows that the writers and artists are total hacks, and as stuck in the past as ever- they must know they can't get away with trying to pander to teenagers going through puberty with cheesecake when those teenagers can access an unlimited amount of full-on porn with a couple of clicks. Porn of the very same characters, and often disturbingly good quality.

I mean this shit might have worked before when all teenagers had was Playboy, blurry VHS and whatever hobos left in the woods, but now it's just redundant and pathetic.