DC's "new" timeline revealed at NYCC

[Frontier]

I really would want Diana to get her own book instead of being in a shared book.

Me too. But I don't think they're going to double up with 5G that much.

[DragonPiece]

This is how I guess the multiple Generations thing would work for Superman, as an example:

Superman: Gen 5. The flagship title with grown-up Jon Kent as Superman.

Action Comics: Gen 2. Golden Age and Silver Age inspired 'classic' Superman adventures starring young, single Clark Kent in the relatively early days of his career as Superman.

Adventures of Superman: Gen 3. Modern Age adventures with a married Lois and Clark, possibly also with an infant Jon.

Superboy: I can see this as an anthology series spanning generations - Gen 1 (Clark Kent's youth in Smallville, with possible guest appearances by the JSA), Gen 3 (Conner Kent as Superboy), Gen 4 (pre-teen Jon Kent as Superboy).

One thing about the 'Generations' labels is that you kinda have to wonder how much creative freedom writers will have with the earlier generations. For instance, could a writer on a Gen 2 Batman book set up Dick Grayson as taking over the mantle of Batman when we know that he's destined to become Nightwing in Gen 3? I'm guessing we'll have mostly self-contained stories that more or less stick to the status quo of the respective generations. Which I suppose could work as well...

I just don't see them doing something like that long term, Didio and the rest like crossovers too much. Plus people would get confused at so many different types of storylines happening across generations. I think it'll mainly be gen 5 and a seperate line called generations with just a few titles showcasing important moments that impact generation 5. Everything will tie together mainly, it won't just be stories set in gen 2 or 3 because writers prerfer those eras than the current era.

[Sacred Knight]

bat's idea is really the only thing that could make me consider staying around. But I tend to agree with DragonPiece that it won't be the plan. I don't think its too confusing by any stretch, but it would definitely hurt their line-wide crossover potentials and I don't see them ditching those for anything. His idea sounds more plausible, sadly. I don't see them parceling out major monthly titles in this way for that reason, its more within their state of minds to cram all previous generation stuff into some sort of singular anthology book or something. I'm anticipating by far the most effort across the board to be on the Gen5 interlopers whom will dominant the main line if not be completely exclusive.

[kurenai24]

I just don't see them doing something like that long term, Didio and the rest like crossovers too much. Plus people would get confused at so many different types of storylines happening across generations.I think it'll mainly be gen 5 and a seperate line called generations with just a few titles showcasing important moments that impact generation 5. Everything will tie together mainly, it won't just be stories set in gen 2 or 3 because writers prerfer those eras than the current era.

I mean what is there is to be confused about, any book not set in generations 5 would be considered the past, there's nothing to really keep up on, they're just stories to enjoy in whatever generation they're set in.

And even if Didio and company like crossovers, it won't be any less confusing than usual.

Now them creating a Generations line is something I can totally see, DC comics seem to be into imprints and I can see it filled with minis and maxis since DC seems to be doing those more, so I can totally see them doing just that for most of the books that are G1-G4 related.

[Zaresh]

Weren't they trying to cut the number of regular books they were releasing each month? Getting a book for each fam and for each gen seems a bit like doing the opposite, I think.

[MRP]

Everyone is operating on the assumption that every generation would be represented through serialized periodicals in the direct market. That may not be the case. The growth market is in standalone OGN aimed at young readers in the book trade. So while 5G may be the focus of the publication slate, will it be through new periodicals or through more books like the Ink/Zoom titles aimed at readers outside the direct market? If they do other generations will those be targeted at the direct market through periodicals, or will they be standalone books targeted at the book trade and the mass audience who is more familiar with those iterations of the characters.

DC has been diversifying the type of product they have been putting out and shifting their focus so it is not only on the direct market. Walmart Giants, Ink/Zoom books, curated imprints, the restructuring of their imprints, etc. have all been part of the process, and the timeline generations approach COULD BE another step in that process. Streamline the periodical line and focus on one generation there, but continue to tell stories from other generations in other types of products targeted at other markets. Pure speculation on my part, but this could signal a change not just in content, but in approach to the market as a whole. It could be a bit of a paradigm switch and an acknowledgement that the market has shifted and more comics are now sold outside the direct market than within it, and that the serialized periodical is no longer a mass market product, but a niche product with a limited audience. Or maybe they expand the Giant lines they are doing and those will feature a story of each generation, some original, some reprints, so a Superman Giant might have the 5G Superman as a lead, a new story for the 3G and 4G Superman, and some Golden Age or Silver Age Superboy reprints to represent earlier Generations, etc. It doesn't all have to be done through serialized periodicals, especially since that is a shrinking market with little to no growth potential in the 21st century marketplace.

And if it is all periodicals for the direct market, different generations would not preclude line wide crossover events, they just would need a time travel aspect to it, which is not out of the norm for comic book science.

-M

[kurenai24]

You know there was no reason for this timeline thing to even mention/categorize parts of itself into generations. This timeline would have been fine with just showing the beginning of everything to the present with brackets showing us the start and end of Dawn of the Heroic Age or The Space Age or whatever else.

There isn't a need for something that puts a name as to why new characters are taking up mantles when this stuff happens all the time either all at once or one at a time, especially after a significant event which is why I thought there was some importance to this whole generation thing.

And I guess there still could be some importance, Snyder's JSA could still be labeled as a G1 comic, and other comics for specific generations could be labeled wherever they take place as well but with BC's new rumor:

As 5G rolls out, DC Comics will also launch a number of new oversized-titles, starring Bruce Wayne as Batman, Clark Kent as Superman, Diana as Wonder Woman, Arthur Curry as Aquaman, Hal Jordan as Green Lantern and Barry Allen and/or Wally West as The Flash, at $7.99 each.

Somewhere between what they have been trialling with the Giant books and the current Black Label line. Aimed at the older reader and ongoing.

Source

There doesn't seem to be a reason why generations is a thing, in any case if this rumor is correct I'm glad that Bruce, Clark, and especially Diana, along with the rest of the main heroes are getting their own ongoings like speculated.

[Tzigone]

With Diana apparently active in WW I now, I don't know what's going on. Have we ever gotten firm info on how much of these different gens are supposed to be in the same continuity? Certain things definitely seem to time out that way (as does the general layout), but others seem to be a mess. I know the original look we got wasn't finalized, but still...

[Mr.B]

Gen 0 with Wonder Woman as the only powered hero until Gen 1.

[king81992]

With Diana apparently active in WW I now, I don't know what's going on. Have we ever gotten firm info on how much of these different gens are supposed to be in the same continuity? Certain things definitely seem to time out that way (as does the general layout), but others seem to be a mess. I know the original look we got wasn't finalized, but still...

I THINK that DC wants everything to be in the same continuity, but that seems almost impossible based on all the contradictions we saw on the preliminary chart. I don't think DC knows what's going on either.

[Digifiend]

God, I could just imagine Dan DiDio's breakdown animation as Phoenix Wright points out all those contradictions. Someone should mock that up.

[Mr.B]

What contradictions?

[RachelGrey]

With Diana apparently active in WW I now, I don't know what's going on. Have we ever gotten firm info on how much of these different gens are supposed to be in the same continuity? Certain things definitely seem to time out that way (as does the general layout), but others seem to be a mess. I know the original look we got wasn't finalized, but still...

Are they actually planning to do books in different time periods and just put G1 through G5 on the covers? That seems a bit silly and complicated.

It was almost simpler to just keep it the way it was in the 70's and 80's, Golden Age is a Earth, Silver Age is a Earth, Bronze Age is an Earth. Then you can do crossovers between the Earths like they used to do with the JLA of Earth 2 and the JLA of Earth 1 crossing over with each other occasionally.

I guess the only problem is it means they have to commit fully to aging batman in current continuity up. At least with Superman and Wonder Woman they can do anything they want in any time period. But Batman will definitely get older along with several other heroes.

It's not like Marvel doesn't tweak their sliding time scale with definitive resets. I think Magneto's age has been reset twice so far, one time he was reverted to being a baby in the 70's X-Men!

[Lee]

It's not like Marvel doesn't tweak their sliding time scale with definitive resets. I think Magneto's age has been reset twice so far, one time he was reverted to being a baby in the 70's X-Men!

Unless they've inserted a de-aging prior to Magneto's first encounter with the X-Men, the World War 2 history will become a bigger and bigger issue.

[Mr.B]

Doesn't seem so far that they are aging characters look wise, from looking at solicitations for Flash or Wonderwoman in april.