The Current Version of the DC Universe - Is it still the New 52

[king81992]

At this point no one knows. I assume that writers pick and choose what they want.

[Sacred Knight]

I’m curious to hear an answer to this but hate bringing New 52 up because it can be very divisive:

Would New 52 Fans accept getting “Their Superman” and their DCU back in a Similar Form as Earth One, Graphic Novels every so often set in that Universe

God yes. My absolute preference would be an actual separate albeit smaller line of monthlies of a young, start-over Earth, but if GN's were all I could get I'd jump on that too. I'm not at all concerned if that Superman were to be "main continuity" or not. That used to matter to me when I was younger but I grew out of it a long time ago.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

It's definitely true for some characters, but last I knew not the world. Which is weird, but aren't cases like Clark and Wally supposed to be mostly isolated incidents; signs of reality snapping, or have we moved past that towards a fuller reconciliation and I didn't notice (I am way behind on a lot of books these days)?

As Digifiend said, Priest's Justice League run states that the League was founded 15 years ago in current continuity. So, the Age of Heroes definitely started up more than 5 years ago.

[Ascended]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

I wonder just how much "restored" history has become since 2016?

[superduperman]

God yes. My absolute preference would be an actual separate albeit smaller line of monthlies of a young, start-over Earth, but if GN's were all I could get I'd jump on that too. I'm not at all concerned if that Superman were to be "main continuity" or not. That used to matter to me when I was younger but I grew out of it a long time ago.

As long as we got SOMETHING on a regular basis, I'd be happy.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Pretty sure that is way too scary.

I'd love to see it though. But I'd want it to be less....blunt.....than the Authority. I don't need Superman flying through Giganta's skull. That book was great because it always went over the line but the logic behind their actions was limited and adolescent (which was the guilty fun of the series). I'd want a Ultimate JLA to have a smarter, better game plan for the long term. I'd want less "Miller" and more "Morrison at his sanest and smartest."

Since this theoretical series would be starring a trinity created mostly by Morrison, he'd be the logical choice, and he doesn't do gratuitous over the top violence unless he's trying to make a point about it. Unlike Ellis, Morrison actually has affection for these characters and would want them treated with love and respect.

[BohemiaDrinker]

It is exactly the New 52, and at the same time it isn't.

It's also exactly the post-Crisis Universe, but also isn't.

It's also a merger of these two, while also (you guessed it) not being it.

It's also all of the above, and none of it.

But "how is this possible", you ask?

By not giving a f@#k about continuity, that's how.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

I wonder just how much "restored" history has become since 2016?

Pretty much all of it, although with a few notable exceptions like Wonder Woman's history, which continues to be a blank slate that nobody has filled in yet even though her New 52 history has been explained away as an illusion created by the Gods. Green Arrow and Black Canary were still based upon their New 52 history, but their last series ended with Dinah starting to remember her old life.

Aside from that, pretty much everything is back. Some stuff isn't being emphasized because a lot of pieces don't fit, like Cyborg's history with the New Teen Titans and the Justice League. Memories are still conveniently hazy for certain characters. Black Lightning and Katana are back to acting like old friends, but haven't explicitly mentioned the original Outsiders yet.

[DevilBat66]

Thankyew.

please read my fully illustrated history of the DCU. I think it's awesome.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

This is awesome. Did you do one for the Bronze\Modern Age as well?

[Rod G]

Who knows at this point?

That’s all I can say about that.

[Montressor]

The New 52 could be a separate earth. I think people might appreciate a "fresh start" line of comics with its own canon

Even when it was fresh and new I always considered the New 52 timeline to be DC's answer to Marvel's Ultimate Universe. It will always be that to me.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

This is awesome. Did you do one for the Bronze\Modern Age as well?

Here you go, this covers the Bronze Age to the distant future.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

[exile001]

I no longer care about continuity, and that's a good thing.

I'd stopped reading a lot of DC around 2008 (basically everything except Green lantern), but came back for the fresh start of The New 52. It was a real mixed bag, but something immediately evident was that the editors and writers had no idea what the continuity was, to the point that there were only two Superman titles and they were contradicting each other. Fans had no answers, other than if you see it in a New 52 comic, it is New 52 canon. Otherwise, assume it isn't.

It was infuriating, and I just stopped caring. Because it doesn't matter if a New 52 issue of Batman means that Knightfall no longer happened (or happened differently), because Knightfall did happen. I've read the whole thing, like 10 times. I own all the comics. I've bought it in various trades about 5 times. And I was only pissing myself off by thinking it mattered.

An good example is Jeff Lemire's magnificent Green Arrow run. This couldn't have happened without either the reboot, or some serious mental gymnastics continuity wise pre-Flashpoint. The garbage that came before it was almost entirely ignored, other than the basics (rich kid, island, arrow-based heroics), and one or two supporting characters, and Lemire just told a damn good Green Arrow story. When he left, I checked out the new writer (from Arrow), and decided to drop the book, something I never would have done in the days I obsessed over continuity, fearing I'd miss something.

As far as I am concerned these days, each writer now establishes their own continuity. If they reference a previous story, fine, that's canon to this particular run. If it has no bearing on their story, why worry about it? Grant Morrison's "everything happened" idea works for him. Scott Snyder tends to create his own mythos, often ignoring what came before. Geoff Johns contradicts continuity in his own runs when he has a better idea, and that's also fine.

Marvel have this great trick where they have one long narrative, no complete company-wide reboots, but their readers don't have the same dogged obsession with continuity that DC fans seem to have. Very few people think back on the unpleasant aspects of Iron Man's first appearance, or that it all worked on laughably outdated technology (or general ideas on technology, Stan Lee was no scientist), or even that it's not a very good comic. They remember the important story beats, and if something is referenced in a new story, they aren't looking to whether that contradicts something Happy hogan said in issue #107.

I think that Crisis on Infinite Earths (among others attempts to "fix" or "streamline" continuity) instilled an artificial sense of importance in continuity. DC's constantly drawing attention to its own continuity does, itself, create many of the problems they keep trying to fix.

My point is this; if you want current continuity to be a continuation of the New 52, then it is. If you want it to be pre-Flashpoint with a little Rebirth added, then so be it. Stop worrying about everything fitting into a narrow continuity and just enjoy the comic you're reading. If you're anything like me, you'll be a lot happier.

[jetengine]

I no longer care about continuity, and that's a good thing.

I'd stopped reading a lot of DC around 2008 (basically everything except Green lantern), but came back for the fresh start of The New 52. It was a real mixed bag, but something immediately evident was that the editors and writers had no idea what the continuity was, to the point that there were only two Superman titles and they were contradicting each other. Fans had no answers, other than if you see it in a New 52 comic, it is New 52 canon. Otherwise, assume it isn't.

It was infuriating, and I just stopped caring. Because it doesn't matter if a New 52 issue of Batman means that Knightfall no longer happened (or happened differently), because Knightfall did happen. I've read the whole thing, like 10 times. I own all the comics. I've bought it in various trades about 5 times. And I was only pissing myself off by thinking it mattered.

An good example is Jeff Lemire's magnificent Green Arrow run. This couldn't have happened without either the reboot, or some serious mental gymnastics continuity wise pre-Flashpoint. The garbage that came before it was almost entirely ignored, other than the basics (rich kid, island, arrow-based heroics), and one or two supporting characters, and Lemire just told a damn good Green Arrow story. When he left, I checked out the new writer (from Arrow), and decided to drop the book, something I never would have done in the days I obsessed over continuity, fearing I'd miss something.

As far as I am concerned these days, each writer now establishes their own continuity. If they reference a previous story, fine, that's canon to this particular run. If it has no bearing on their story, why worry about it? Grant Morrison's "everything happened" idea works for him. Scott Snyder tends to create his own mythos, often ignoring what came before. Geoff Johns contradicts continuity in his own runs when he has a better idea, and that's also fine.

Marvel have this great trick where they have one long narrative, no complete company-wide reboots, but their readers don't have the same dogged obsession with continuity that DC fans seem to have. Very few people think back on the unpleasant aspects of Iron Man's first appearance, or that it all worked on laughably outdated technology (or general ideas on technology, Stan Lee was no scientist), or even that it's not a very good comic. They remember the important story beats, and if something is referenced in a new story, they aren't looking to whether that contradicts something Happy hogan said in issue #107.

I think that Crisis on Infinite Earths (among others attempts to "fix" or "streamline" continuity) instilled an artificial sense of importance in continuity. DC's constantly drawing attention to its own continuity does, itself, create many of the problems they keep trying to fix.

My point is this; if you want current continuity to be a continuation of the New 52, then it is. If you want it to be pre-Flashpoint with a little Rebirth added, then so be it. Stop worrying about everything fitting into a narrow continuity and just enjoy the comic you're reading. If you're anything like me, you'll be a lot happier.

Marvels issues are worse frankly. They just retcon everything and try and shove stuff in gaps. Take Ironman.

Ok so he got wounded in Nam. Well its 2000 now and he's not 60 so we'll update it to the middle east. Neat. Except all gis communist villains are still around and reference fighting hin even though he literally hasn't been IM till long after the USSR fell.

[superduperman]

I no longer care about continuity, and that's a good thing.

I'd stopped reading a lot of DC around 2008 (basically everything except Green lantern), but came back for the fresh start of The New 52. It was a real mixed bag, but something immediately evident was that the editors and writers had no idea what the continuity was, to the point that there were only two Superman titles and they were contradicting each other. Fans had no answers, other than if you see it in a New 52 comic, it is New 52 canon. Otherwise, assume it isn't.

It was infuriating, and I just stopped caring. Because it doesn't matter if a New 52 issue of Batman means that Knightfall no longer happened (or happened differently), because Knightfall did happen. I've read the whole thing, like 10 times. I own all the comics. I've bought it in various trades about 5 times. And I was only pissing myself off by thinking it mattered.

An good example is Jeff Lemire's magnificent Green Arrow run. This couldn't have happened without either the reboot, or some serious mental gymnastics continuity wise pre-Flashpoint. The garbage that came before it was almost entirely ignored, other than the basics (rich kid, island, arrow-based heroics), and one or two supporting characters, and Lemire just told a damn good Green Arrow story. When he left, I checked out the new writer (from Arrow), and decided to drop the book, something I never would have done in the days I obsessed over continuity, fearing I'd miss something.

As far as I am concerned these days, each writer now establishes their own continuity. If they reference a previous story, fine, that's canon to this particular run. If it has no bearing on their story, why worry about it? Grant Morrison's "everything happened" idea works for him. Scott Snyder tends to create his own mythos, often ignoring what came before. Geoff Johns contradicts continuity in his own runs when he has a better idea, and that's also fine.

Marvel have this great trick where they have one long narrative, no complete company-wide reboots, but their readers don't have the same dogged obsession with continuity that DC fans seem to have. Very few people think back on the unpleasant aspects of Iron Man's first appearance, or that it all worked on laughably outdated technology (or general ideas on technology, Stan Lee was no scientist), or even that it's not a very good comic. They remember the important story beats, and if something is referenced in a new story, they aren't looking to whether that contradicts something Happy hogan said in issue #107.

I think that Crisis on Infinite Earths (among others attempts to "fix" or "streamline" continuity) instilled an artificial sense of importance in continuity. DC's constantly drawing attention to its own continuity does, itself, create many of the problems they keep trying to fix.

My point is this; if you want current continuity to be a continuation of the New 52, then it is. If you want it to be pre-Flashpoint with a little Rebirth added, then so be it. Stop worrying about everything fitting into a narrow continuity and just enjoy the comic you're reading. If you're anything like me, you'll be a lot happier.

One of the things that I've come to realize is that the older I get, the less interest I have in following an ongoing series. Maybe it's an age thing. IDK. But I find myself being more interested in stand alone stories and stuff that doesn't rely on a continuity more than I do whatever is going on in the main books. I just don't care anymore about whether or not they are going to bring back the multiverse or the JSA (much as I like them) or whatever Superman's current origin is or whatever. I find that whatever canon I make up in my head makes more sense than whatever they do. I think to some degree Rebirth was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Too many reboots. At some point, the suspension of disbelief rule gets broken to the point where it can't be fixed. And I think I might be there. There's a reason that Joker is the only movie I'm actually looking forward to this year and that's because it has no real attachment to any franchise. If I want to imagine Superman exists in that universe, I can. It's not like there is going to be a sequel to tell me otherwise.

It used to bother me when they would do stuff that I didn't like in continuity (and then remind you of it when you try to use headcanon). But that was also way back in the nineties when DC continuity was a lot more stable. It's not anymore. Most my collection isn't even canon anymore. I mostly read out of continuity stuff or stuff that doesn't have a continuity. The only books I get on a regular basis are the Wal-Mart books and even that isn't a commitment. I find it makes me happier not caring about that sort of thing. I know I'm dating myself by saying stuff like this but I remember when there was only one superhero movie a year and we liked it, dagnabbit! And I wore an onion on my belt because that was the style at the time! Now it's five movies a year and you have to watch all of them to keep up with what's going to happen in the next one. Even if you don't have any interest in that character. I wouldn't mind going back to the one movie a year model. This is also why I'm kind of disappointed that DC's Earth One line didn't pan out. A book a year sounds about right for me.