Don't we need alternate Earths now?

[Timber Wolf-By-Night]

Countdown featured an Earth on which the next generation of heroes took over for the old guard...which was then blown up and completely destroyed by Superboy/man-Prime because he found the idea of a world in which the next generation took over for the A-list heroes to be that offensive.

Multiversity: The Just featured an Earth in which the old guard had retired and featured pretty much every character that either first appeared or rose to some level of prominence during the post-Crisis '90s, from the big names like Nightwing (Dick), Flash (Wally), Green Lantern (Kyle), and Superboy (Kon-El), to B-listers like Dr. Mid-Nite (Pieter Cross), all the way down to Z-listers like various New Bloods, members of the Conglomerate, and Alpha Centurion and nearly every one in-between...only the old guard had left a bunch of Superman robots in charge of defending the Earth and what-not, so the post-Crisis characters were depicted as either pointlessly training for the day they're needed that will never come, or as becoming shallow, directionless, social-media obsessed celebrities. Who needs actual heroes when you just have some Superman robots?

Anybody who thinks that the current regime at DC would ever earnestly and sincerely pursue 'an "Earth-2" treatment' to allow the Teen Titans and other characters to "stand in the sun" is being overly generous to said regime, IMO.

[DrNewGod]

Countdown featured an Earth on which the next generation of heroes took over for the old guard...which was then blown up and completely destroyed by Superboy/man-Prime because he found the idea of a world in which the next generation took over for the A-list heroes to be that offensive.

Multiversity: The Just featured an Earth in which the old guard had retired and featured pretty much every character that either first appeared or rose to some level of prominence during the post-Crisis '90s, from the big names like Nightwing (Dick), Flash (Wally), Green Lantern (Kyle), and Superboy (Kon-El), to B-listers like Dr. Mid-Nite (Pieter Cross), all the way down to Z-listers like various New Bloods, members of the Conglomerate, and Alpha Centurion and nearly every one in-between...only the old guard had left a bunch of Superman robots in charge of defending the Earth and what-not, so the post-Crisis characters were depicted as either pointlessly training for the day they're needed that will never come, or as becoming shallow, directionless, social-media obsessed celebrities. Who needs actual heroes when you just have some Superman robots?

Anybody who thinks that the current regime at DC would ever earnestly and sincerely pursue 'an "Earth-2" treatment' to allow the Teen Titans and other characters to "stand in the sun" is being overly generous to said regime, IMO.

I didn't say that they would. I said that it could work.

[scary harpy]

In Zero Hour, there was an alternate Earth where Joker shot & killed Jim Gordon (Killing Joke style) and tormented Barbara with pictures of her deceased father.

Harvey Dent (never Two-Face) became the new commissioner and outlawed vigilantes.

Barbara (never injured) was still Batgirl.

I don’t know what other differences there were but I would have loved to read about that Earth.

[Thor-Ul]

The Teen Titans won't be allowed enter the A-List of Earth-0 without some kind of multi-media, line-wide calamity. As long as Batman and his contemporaries are the most valuable IP (and I mean among the world beyond the long-tenure comics fans), "the justice little league" are not going to be allowed to upstage their elders. That's not a slam on the Titans, it's simply the way the publishers and their masters are going to see it.

If we'd like to see properties like The Teen Titans stand in the sun, an "Earth-2" treatment is about the only hope. DC has run multiple lines before (i.e. Vertigo, Pre-Crisis All-Star Squadron, and Infinity, Inc.), long before Marvel's "Ultimates" experiment. It wouldn't be a huge seller, but it might work.

The multiple editorial lines has existed because they were different from the main published line at editorial level: Vertigo was oriented to another kind of public and touched other kind of stories as terror and gothic fantasy, but in the beggining all the stories were located in the main earth; Most recently, Young Animal ad wonder Comics are different lines too, but with a "showrunner" as central figure (Gerard way and BM Bendis). And even if they are different lines, the stories are set in the mainstream earth/line.
In the case of the Pre-Crisis Infinity Inc. and All Star Squadron, they were titles than ocurred in earth-two, but they still were part of the same editorial line and subjects as the rest of the superhero titles and tropes of the DC of those years. They were superheroes from another universe, same as the Legion of Super-Heroes is a team of superheroes from the future.

Also, when I talked about the Titans shine I was talking about them starring a book with good stories and a stable artistic team. I don't think that is necessary to them to become the most famous, popular and mightest heroes of their world, in the context of their fictional narrative. I want to see them in an ongoing series and not hanging in comic book limbo.

As characters, the Titans wouldn't need to exist in another universe to work. They exist in the same universe because they are "offsprings" of the Justice League. What they have now is a lack of direction because they are not teens anymore and in many reinventions DC has tried to put them as the "Justice League Next Generation". And that hasn't worked. A different scope is what the franchise need, but not to move them to another earth. That kind of change doesn't work. Even Marvel moved its more popular Ultimate characters to their main universe.
But don't fear. I suspect than with the existence of the TITANS live-action series, a new book must be in the works, more close to that era. And set in the prime/new/mainstream earth.

[Dred]

The only reason people like characters like Wally and Dick is because of how they interact with and are connected to the main DC universe. If you stick them in another universe then they're not the same characters anymore. You're also just shunting them off to die because no one wants to read an entire other universe where nothing important ever happens.

[byrd156]

The only reason people like characters like Wally and Dick is because of how they interact with and are connected to the main DC universe. If you stick them in another universe then they're not the same characters anymore. You're also just shunting them off to die because no one wants to read an entire other universe where nothing important ever happens.

No people like these characters for their character. Who they are, what they are and represent. Their connections are a factor but you can carry that over to whatever Earth the writer wants to make up.

[Dred]

No people like these characters for their character. Who they are, what they are and represent. Their connections are a factor but you can carry that over to whatever Earth the writer wants to make up.

Wally West certainly doesn't work in an alternate universe with no Barry Allen and not, like, rest of the DCU to interact with. That's the substance of his character. Just making another planet to throw the Titans onto to be ignored like they always are when they're just the Titans is insane. They don't even get respect and support when they're in the main universe. Does anyone really think DC would give them any love in some alternate universe?

[Thor-Ul]

No people like these characters for their character. Who they are, what they are and represent. Their connections are a factor but you can carry that over to whatever Earth the writer wants to make up.

But the most interesting storieas about the alternate characters is how they interact with the characters of the mainstream earth. In most parallel universe series eventually this happens.

[SiegePerilous02]

Dick, Wally and the Titans would not work in a separate universe the way other properties like the JSA and Marvel family can (and have) work/worked. Because their history was ALWAYS tied to the main line, even before COIE. Cutting them off from it will do them no favors.

They are honestly kind screwed either way. In the current market, Billy Batson and his world might not survive if he was placed back on Earth-S, and he started out that way before retcons and reboots took hold. The Titans would have no chance

[byrd156]

Wally West certainly doesn't work in an alternate universe with no Barry Allen and not, like, rest of the DCU to interact with. That's the substance of his character. Just making another planet to throw the Titans onto to be ignored like they always are when they're just the Titans is insane. They don't even get respect and support when they're in the main universe. Does anyone really think DC would give them any love in some alternate universe?

Man if only there was a proven concept like an animated show on an alternate Earth where Wally was the main Flash.

[byrd156]

But the most interesting storieas about the alternate characters is how they interact with the characters of the mainstream earth. In most parallel universe series eventually this happens.

Okay, that's your opinion. I think stuff like the Earth One book or Red Son are more enjoyable then the Crime Syndicate coming over to the main DCU for millionth time.

[caj]

I think some of you are discounting the possibilities. Think of an alternate Earth where that world's Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow have been destroyed in some major battle.

That would leave Dick, Wally, Donna, Roy, and Garth as the most experienced heroes left. They recruit Lilith, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and whoever else to form a massive Titans team.

Meanwhile, Conner as that Earth's Superboy not only is the inspiration of the Legion of Super Heroes, he helps build the group that could also include Tim, Cassie, and Bart as well as the traditional Legionnaires.

I think it could be great.

[MajorHoy]

I think some of you are discounting the possibilities. Think of an alternate Earth where that world's Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow have been destroyed in some major battle.

That would leave Dick, Wally, Donna, Roy, and Garth as the most experienced heroes left. They recruit Lilith, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and whoever else to form a massive Titans team.

Meanwhile, Conner as that Earth's Superboy not only is the inspiration of the Legion of Super Heroes, he helps build the group that could also include Tim, Cassie, and Bart as well as the traditional Legionnaires.

I think it could be great.

But how long would it last before that Earth is destroyed or it crosses over with the main DC Earth where Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Green Arrow are still well and active? Who do you think DC is more likely to have come out on top?

[WonderScott]

It might be because I'm reading the All-Star Squadron right now on DC Universe, but lately I've been more interested in having titles across different Earths than a single Earth. I think several concepts could "work" if they had strong creative teams and thematic vision. Also, it probably helps that I'm a sucker for the doppelgänger trope and I like characters that are the same, in a way, but different in that they developed under different circumstances.

I could be into the JSA being on Earth 2 again and allowing writers to develop the original Infinity Inc. team again as a juxtaposition to the Teen Titans/Titans. It'd also be a way to develop other Golden Age villains into something formidable and amazing.

Someone mentioned the Freedom Fighters going to Earth 10 on the boards and I think that's a very interesting idea, given today's prevalent questions arising about politics, extremism, heroism, patrioticness, etc. I'd like the Freedom Fighters to be from Earth 2 and have ties to the JSA and A-SS and then migrate to Earth 10 and inspire/create new heroes on that Earth.

I've spent a lot of time developing an Earth 3/Crime Syndicate title, that's more in line with the animated Crisis on Two Earths than the usual "Crime Syndicate has destroyed all other superheroes and supervillains on their Earth" motif. Pockets of resistance would rise and fall and occasionally triumph and the drama and relationships and backstabbing amongst the Crime Syndicate members and their hierarchies of "teammates" could play out as full-tilt soap opera. I also like the idea of thematically exploring different types and degrees of evil in relation to one another.

Also, we've read about the Squadron Supreme for decades. Turnabout is fairplay, so I'd love to see a title tackle Earth 8 and the Champions of Angor and Retaliators, even if only for a 12-issue maxiseries.

[jetengine]

The issue has never been 'This is a bad idea', the issue is "The buisness side of DC will not like it".

I mean all of this is assuming this theoretical new line gets great writers and artists to do a good enough job to warrant interest and then that DC doesn't immediately haul them off the Alt universe book to put them on Batman.