How would you do an "Ultimate" DC Universe?

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I'd probably do more with Bruce Timm's Gods and Monster-verse or pick on one of the 52 earths to flesh out more off.

Ascended's posts are probably the way to go.

There isn't really a need for an Ultimate DC because the adaptations tend to be that or we have Earth one/Zoom/Ink/Black label to pick up the slack so you have to be more specific than just "DC but modern-day".

[Sacred Knight]

I certainly wouldn't be surprised if the Black Label/Miller Superman is expanded upon later, unless the imprint were to tank before then.

[Minerboh]

I do remember the All-Star line. But were those ever intended to be long running? Or were they intended to just be 12-issues? The primary appeal, to me anyway, would be seeing the long-term destinations of these alternate universes. All Stars seemed a lot more limited in scope. (Which isn't bad. Just not exactly what I was thinking of.)




This is really cool, actually. Explore the concept of DC's "legacy" in a way they can't really do otherwise. I especially like the idea of the hundred year-old Superman. Having that kind of experience in the modern superhero world would make him a very interesting character whenever he shows up.




It could have been if it didn't override the post-crisis continuity. ^_^;

From what i could gather, they were definitely planning to run All Star Batman for more than 12 issues (if they could manage to detach Lee's butt from the chair and do it that is) and they were planning a follow up series for All Star Supes as well as that All Star WW series.
It is possible that the negative reception of All Star Batman and it's troubled production history was the primary reason to scrap the imprint all together.
Wizard did called it as DC's answer to Ultimate Marvel.

[Vakanai]

There isn't really a need for an Ultimate DC because the adaptations tend to be that or we have Earth one/Zoom/Ink/Black label to pick up the slack so you have to be more specific than just "DC but modern-day".

I haven't heard of Zoom, Ink, or Black Label, where might I found out about them?

On topic:

I have been thinking a lot about what I would like to see from a new Batman animated series, and I think a lot of that could work. Basically a sort of melding of every continuity, taking bits and pieces and stories from the Golden Age to the modern age, from the comics to the various animated television series and live action movies. Imagine combining Batman Year One, Zero Year, and portions of Earth One and Mask of the Phantasm with flashbacks from the Killing Joke (so you get Two Red Hoods and you're not sure which if either becomes the Joker) all leading up to takes of Prey, Monster Men, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Robin Year One and Batgirl Year One, along with other stories from single issues to big events, with the benefit of taking the good bits, trimming out the bad, changing parts to more naturally lead into the next story, to make a more definitive and quintessential origin and beyond, with plenty of original stories sprinkled in, everything plotted out at least a couple years in advance.

[Raijin]

-Superman would be someone who was active since the 30s. I'd take inspiration from KC where he absorbed so much solar radiation over the years that he was no longer weak to kryptonite. But of course he'd have other weaknesses. He'll still be that wholesome farm boy but not naive as he's normally portrayed. He'll have a stern and gruff attitude.

Batman: I'll probably take him back to his golden age days. Someone who uses his fists and wits. No more pulling a bunch of deus ex machinas out of his belt or mastering over a billion fighting styles. I'd revert him to a brawler.

I'd probably post more later.

[BatmanJones]

Batman: Gloss over his origin, start his ultimate continuity with the introduction of Dick Grayson's Robin. Bring back the original Dynamic Duo, with a focus on how they grow each other and their father/son-esque relationship, and the differences in their outlook on life as orphans. Keep Dick Grayson Robin for at least 10 years before upgrading him to Nightwing. Really want to mjlk this team.

I am crazy about this one. Dick Grayson Robin has been gone SO long and he really got short shrift from New 52. And he has never been in any movie except Batman '66. (No, Chris O'Donnell doesn't count.) So many years of Batman movies since then, from 1989-present, and the most we've seen of Robin was that costume in BvS.

Robin the Boy Wonder has always been tied with Batman for my favorite character. And all characters benefit from contemporary storytelling, which is so much more sophisticated than the comics for kids we read through the 70s. I would love to see a great writer play with the true, original Dynamic Duo. I wouldn't mind having Superman around for that either. World's Finest, anyone? Those were some damn fine comics to grow up on.

I'd prefer Tom King do this since he's my favorite but there are so many writers that would be great for it.

The inclusion of Dick Grayson as Robin in the Titans series is the one thing that has me most excited to subscribe to DC's streaming service.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I haven't heard of Zoom, Ink, or Black Label, where might I found out about them?

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/02...dc-ink-titles/

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/02...oom-dc-ink-ya/

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/0...dc-black-label

[scary harpy]

My personal ideas:

Superman: Personally, I'm a huge fan of Grant Morrison's Action Comics run, and Action Comics #1 is one of my favorite single issues. I love the idea of a more pro-active, bold Superman with golden-age power levels. Well out of everyone else's league, but something like a bullet train can stun him. So the Superman book would follow that formula for as long as possible.

Blue Beetle: Because whats a major line launch or relaunch without yet another attempt at a Blue Beetle solo? This would follow the often overlooked Dan Garret, action archeologist. Itd be a globe-trotting, mystical adventure, with an emphasis on ancient civilizations and history. Like Brendan Fraser's Mummy meets Legends of the Hidden Temple.

Batman: Gloss over his origin, start his ultimate continuity with the introduction of Dick Grayson's Robin. Bring back the original Dynamic Duo, with a focus on how they grow each other and their father/son-esque relationship, and the differences in their outlook on life as orphans. Keep Dick Grayson Robin for at least 10 years before upgrading him to Nightwing. Really want to mjlk this team.

I like it!

I enjoy Superman at his golden age power levels. The Fleischer cartoons were the best. I'd also like Dan Garret to be the focus once again.

First, I would definitely do a slow build. But not a snail's pace, either.

One thing that modern comics misses out on is that era where super-heroes (and super-villains) aren't around every corner.
But going too slow can also be bad, as readers may not be interested in the few heroes offered.

And I would impose a few limitations-
No more than three heroes per city. After a year, this may be increased at one more per year, provided they don't overpopulate the city.
At least one non-costumed/non-powered villain should be seen each year.
Every featured hero (the star of the title) must have at least three non-costumed (and non-powered) supporting characters.
Each featured hero needs to be seen at least once per story outside of their costume and interacting with the world they live in.

I love your ideas for rules. They would bring a balance to the stories.

My idea revolves around the technologically advanced Earth with a Golden Age aesthetic. The divergent point being WWII in which the Amazons reveal themselves via their ambassador Princess Diana, and helps the Allies defeat the Axis without the use of nuclear weapons. Man's World is gifted with advanced tech from Paradise Island in the era that follows, leading to a static aesthetic style mixed with tech (like Fallout). This presents a visual unto itself, mixing futuristic with the original era of comic book superheroes. I haven't really thought much about the history between then and the present day but that would be part of the fun, working that stuff out. Meanwhile Diana goes back home and there are no supernatural or otherwise elements to the world whatsoever until the Kal-El debuts as Superman. This debut begins a wave, a partly inspiring a Gotham vigilante to go public, a physically handicapped forensics expert in Central City to try and do his part, and the news of an extraterrestrial on Earth spurs Wonder Woman back out into Man's World to investigate. Among others. But it starts small with a core. There is no "legacy" whatsoever. This starts at the beginning and stays there (in the sense of no quick time jumps). The only exception would be, in terms of a rather early addition, a young Dick Grayson.

I actually think the idea is more viable now than its ever been before. Not only with fandom, but maybe more importantly within DC's offices itself.

This has an Art Deco feel and I think it would work. Earth 2 had WW debut before Superman and I liked it then.

[Vakanai]

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/02...dc-ink-titles/

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2018/02...oom-dc-ink-ya/

https://www.dccomics.com/blog/2018/0...dc-black-label

Thank you very much!

I've really been enjoying the out of continuity stuff from Earth One to Injustice to some of the animated stuff (hope we get more like Batman Unlimited or Batman Ninja, maybe with other characters) and those Lois Lane books (really need to finish Triple Threat).

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I wanted to redo Superman but with his Superman Blue powerset from the start. Superman red's would be incorporated into Kara.

[Ascended]

I'd probably do more with Bruce Timm's Gods and Monster-verse or pick on one of the 52 earths to flesh out more off

I think there's a lot of potential in earth-16.

Wait, that's the "legacy" earth right? The one where Chris Kent and Damien are Superman and Batman now, and everything is just parties because the original heroes "fixed" the world?

I'd like to see more of that place.

Ascended's posts are probably the way to go.

Ha! Aren't they always? ;p Kidding, I'm just an idiot who spends too much time thinking about fiction. But I'm glad some folks like some of my ideas.

There isn't really a need for an Ultimate DC because the adaptations tend to be that or we have Earth one/Zoom/Ink/Black label to pick up the slack so you have to be more specific than just "DC but modern-day".

I really agree with this. I think the increase in imprints we're seeing (like DC Superhero Girls), and the slow shift into more alt-continuity stuff (like Batman 66 and other digital firsts and Elseworlds like Nightwing: The New Order or Batman's White Knight) makes an Ultimate line superfluous if all it's going to do is retell stories we've already seen, just in a modern context.

I do think there's an audience out there for something like that; there's plenty of younger kids who've never read (for example) the Sand Superman saga and who wouldn't care for the story's dated execution but would still like the concepts. But an Ultimate line would have to do more than rehash established story beats if it wanted to stand out and be successful.

I think Marvel realized this with their Ultimate line, and that's what lead to things like Miles Morales and Ultimatum. But Marvel made a mistake in throwing out big changes for the sake of shock value, instead of advancing the narrative in a organic and natural (but new!) way. I mean, obviously Miles turned out great (I'm a fan) but most of the other things they pulled? Not so much.

[Sacred Knight]

This has an Art Deco feel and I think it would work. Earth 2 had WW debut before Superman and I liked it then.

I do too. I really liked how Batman: TAS played it, that it had those old time Art Deco themes, yet it wasn't necessarily set in the past. Then I played the Fallout games, and it all came together for me and I was like "this would be an awesome setting for an alternate DC Earth". I've been in love with the idea ever since. As for WW, I was trying in the beginning to work the idea of a divergent point somehow around Superman, but Wonder Woman's mythos to me just fit the general idea so much better.

[Digifiend]

I actually think the idea is more viable now than its ever been before. Not only with fandom, but maybe more importantly within DC's offices itself.

Agreed - because who created Ultimate Marvel? Bendis.

[Yohei72]

I'd just like to see more non-continuity, free-standing, ongoing books that aren't shackled to a massive, shared universe, allowing more scope for individual creators to take established characters where they want without worrying about how it affects other characters or books, or how it matches up with decades of past storytelling. This is why the Injustice comic is one of my favorite recent things out of DC. But as Ascended points out just above, we're getting more of that kind of stuff now, so maybe we don't need an official "line" in order to do that. More, I say.

[Jokerz79]

Anybody remember these from when Wizard asked the question about how to do an Ultimate DC?

Superman https://static3.comicvine.com/upload...1691-tumbl.jpg

Batman https://static1.comicvine.com/upload...5980-tumbl.jpg

Wonder Woman https://static1.comicvine.com/upload...4567-tumbl.jpg

Green Lantern https://static.comicvine.com/uploads...7894-tumbl.jpg

Justice League https://static.comicvine.com/uploads...3583-tumbl.jpg

Teen Titans https://static.comicvine.com/uploads...1983-tumbl.jpg

Flash only the design http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/...1669-tumbl.jpg