The media blitz from DC Comics has been so intense the last few weeks that you don't have to be a comic book fan to know something big is happening. However, if you have been living in a Bat-cave, I will tell you that on Wednesday, August 31, with the release of Justice League #1, every one of DC's current titles will be cancelled and 52 new titles with #1 issues will begin rolling out.
This is significant for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that for the first time in its history, DC will at the same time release digital versions of every one of these comics. Readers will now have a choice every Wednesday: make the regular trip to their favorite comic shop to pick up their comics or download them to their computers or mobile devices. I am declaring this event the advent of the "Digital Age of Comics".
And I'm using this event to launch the Comic Books tab on my blog. I'm starting out with a history of comic book publishing as seen through my eyes as a lifelong reader of DC comics. In this history, you will read about the eras of comic book publishing from the Golden Age of Comics through the Modern Age of Comics… and beyond. I'm also providing a link to the public inventory of my comic book collection, courtesy of Stash My Comics (so you'll always know what's in my long box) as well as my Wish List. I don' t know the practical purpose of doing this right now, but perhaps in the future it will become a forum for buying, selling and/or trading.
As potentially exciting as all this may be, the hype for the "New 52" has overshadowed what is going on right now, and that's some terrific storytelling within the pages of DC's current miniseries event, Flashpoint. This is one of those "alternative timeline" tales that are tremendously entertaining, while simultaneously head-scratching. Barry Allen (aka The Flash) awakens to find the world has changed… and he is the only one who remembers how things are supposed to be.
This is a world where the lives of our favorite superheroes have been dramatically altered:
· When Superman crashed to Earth as a baby, he was taken to a research facility where he grew up without exposure to the yellow sunlight to gave him powers. Therefore, he is currently a scrawny specimen, locked up and unknown to the rest of the world.
· When the Wayne family was held-up in a back alley of Gotham City, it was not Thomas and Martha who were killed; rather, it was their child, Bruce. The parents reacted in two different, extreme ways: Thomas became Batman and Martha became… I can't spoil it; it's too delicious!
· When Abin Sur crashed to Earth, he did not die and remained Green Lantern. Therefore, Hal Jordan never inherited his ring. Can an ordinary man still become a hero?
· Aquaman and Wonder Woman were to be married in a political maneuver to unite their kingdoms of Atlantis and Themyscaria. However, traitors on both sides sabotaged the proceedings and started a war, the results of which have the world in chaos and ruin.
It's not clear yet if the conclusion of Flashpoint will specifically set up DCs "New 52", but it has nevertheless provided a rollicking ride and acted as the last hurrah at the end of an era. Writer Geoff Johns is a genius, taking familiar characters and not just showing them in a different light, but completely turning inside-out the entire concept of "superhero".
Flashpoint, and its obligatory spin-off miniseries, have been both thought-provoking and exciting to read. It concludes on August 31, the same day as the new Justice League begins.
DC warned us about Flashpoint, and it wasn't just talk:
Everything you know has changed in a flash. The history of the DC Universe was altered due to the events of Flashpoint, and nothing is exactly the same.
Therefore, I have no reason to doubt DC now when its co-publishers, Jim Lee and Dan DiDio say:
This September, DC Comics explodes with 52 new #1 issues! The entire line of comic books is being renumbered, with new, innovative storylines featuring our most iconic characters helmed by some of the most creative minds in the industry.
Not only will this initiative be compelling for existing readers, it will give new readers a precise entry point into our universe.
I must admit that one person's entry point might be considered another's exit. I've always claimed I can't stop collecting comic books because I'm too invested in the ongoing storylines with characters for whom I care. So, is this the perfect opportunity to quit comics? I bet you know the answer to that one! No way; I've got to see what happens next.
