DC's "new" timeline revealed at NYCC

[kurenai24]

I mean whether or not Diana has the sales for it, I still want her to have at least one solo and not just be in a team book.

As for this 85 years compressed into 60 years and why the heroes look how they do and are the ages that they are, I feel like we'll get a vague explanation for it, maybe simple in that it blames crisises but I don't think it'll be satisfactory for most.

[Tzigone]

[quote] I mean whether or not Diana has the sales for it, I still want her to have at least one solo and not just be in a team book.[/quteo]Solo and team is great. But I just don't think multiple solo books (ones in two different eras) are justified, in a business sense, at this time. If sales could go up enough to justify it, that'd be great. A book that gets canceled because it doesn't bring in the dough - not so much. Obviously, my priority is stories I'll enjoy. But I don't expect a business to say WW should get it just because Batman does, when she doesn't bring in the same amount of money. I don't think it's unfair or discriminatory or poor treatment. Not giving a character a chance isn't good, but she's had chances, even if many have been fumbled, IMO. Giving more books to the characters who can sell more is just the smart move, and there are finite number than they can produce.

As for this 85 years compressed into 60 years and why the heroes look how they do and are the ages that they are, I feel like we'll get a vague explanation for it, maybe simple in that it blames crisises but I don't think it'll be satisfactory for most.

I'm still not 100% positive they will look how they do and be the ages they are now in Gen 5. I think DC might actually have many of them old and retired there. Diana's in better luck than many heroes in that regard, since she may well not be aging.

[Frostbite883]

I think we are being overly concerned with a timeline that hasn’t been revealed in full. Plus, what is here is NOT fully legible. I think waiting for the full and final reveal would be a good idea.

Agreed. Hope some other posters here have done the same.

[Frostbite883]

I'm actually getting really excited by this lol.

I'm going to stay positive on the whole "Gen/Timeline" thing as it could benefit well for DC's obscure characters in the short and long run.

[Tzigone]

I think we are being overly concerned with a timeline that hasn’t been revealed in full. Plus, what is here is NOT fully legible. I think waiting for the full and final reveal would be a good idea.

Agreed. Hope some other posters here have done the same.

I think if they released it, they want it discussed. I think this is a discussion board and an entirely appropriate place to discuss it. Are we working with only partial information - of course. Because we have only partial information to work with. Because that's what they gave us. Honestly, if they gave the entire thing with explanation immediately, we'd end up discussion it less, which isn't what DC wants, but I'd be happy.

But the idea that we aren't allowed to say anything because we don't know everything is silly to me when DC is deliberately drip-feeding us. Even more so because people usually only say that in regards to negative opinions based on partial information and not to positive ones, so it seems rather one-sided and unfair.

[kurenai24]

I mean whether or not Diana has the sales for it, I still want her to have at least one solo and not just be in a team book.

Solo and team is great. But I just don't think multiple solo books (ones in two different eras) are justified, in a business sense, at this time. If sales could go up enough to justify it, that'd be great. A book that gets canceled because it doesn't bring in the dough - not so much. Obviously, my priority is stories I'll enjoy. But I don't expect a business to say WW should get it just because Batman does, when she doesn't bring in the same amount of money. I don't think it's unfair or discriminatory or poor treatment. Not giving a character a chance isn't good, but she's had chances, even if many have been fumbled, IMO. Giving more books to the characters who can sell more is just the smart move, and there are finite number than they can produce.

I mean I'm not advocating for Diana to have more than one solo, I'm advocating her to have at least one solo. If DC comics is printing books from different generations I don't want her only appearances to be just in a team book for JSA and guest appearing every now and then in the Wonder Woman book for 5G.

It's why I brought up Bruce b/c there would no doubt he would still get at least one solo led comic, with Diana there is doubt b/c of some of the things you have stated.

I'm still not 100% positive they will look how they do and be the ages they are now in Gen 5. I think DC might actually have many of them old and retired there. Diana's in better luck than many heroes in that regard, since she may well not be aging.

You think they're getting aged for 5G...

I've wondered that as well b/c we don't know if there is gonna be a timeskip somewhere or how this new crisis is gonna effect the dc universe but I just assumed that their respective solos would lead up to why Bruce is not Batman, Clark is not Superman, or Diana is not Wonder Woman and after this new crisis, we use the rest of the year of 2020 to transition to 5G.

That's what I assumed b/c I don't think it's necessary to age them, I think there could be reasons why they're retired even if fans won't like that reason. Maybe Bruce decided to take a step back from being Batman and wants to build a life with Selina, maybe being president of earth is a full time job for Clark, maybe Arthur wants to be a full time king for his people instead of dividing his responsibilities between being a hero for humans and a king for atlanteans, maybe there is no reason when it comes to Hal Jordan b/c they just wanted to focus on another Green Lantern character like they've done before and it goes on and on for the other characters who are retiring.

The thing is I wish we got more information that was confirmed, the only things that has been confirmed is this timeline thing, we're just waiting for an official updated version on it. There is also the fact that Snyder and company have been teasing that Year of the Villain/Hell Arisen is leading to something bigger which could very well be the new crisis that's supposedly coming in the summer, but everything else is rumors, rumors that a former DC employee (who may still have connections) contributed to for Comicsbeat, but rumors nonetheless.

[Frostbite883]

Nothing like that is actually mentioned in the timeline (well, there's -one- Booster related comment about time changing, but that seems to be it), it's just people speculating. I really think it's more likely they will just add some kind of time freezing between gen 1 and 2 for entire cities/characters (like what happened with Bronze Age Captain Marvel originally). That frees them from the ties to real world events and from then on its comic book time, so aging isn't an issue.

Valid guess, Neon.

[Frostbite883]

A couple of random thoughts on all of this...

When Didio presented this, he said this was something they were working on, but I don't think any mention has been made of what they are working towards. Most are assuming it is a comprehensive reworking of all of the DCU history, but it is just that, an assumption. We don't know what the actual endgame is. We've heard the term G5 leaked but again what the actual endgame is hasn't been articulated anywhere by anyone in the know.

And second, trying to figure out what this will look like in the end is nearly impossible if it is a work in progress. It very much reads right now like a novel or research project that exists on a number of index cards the writer has filled out after brainstorming as a precursor to a full rough draft, but those cards can be reshuffled at any time, cards added as needed and others dropped as the writing process occurs if they don't fit or something better is hit upon.

While it has piqued my curiosity and all the discussion has certainly been entertaining, what this all means and what it will all look like when all is said in done are still pretty much unknowns.

-M

Right. Ultimately, while speculating is all well and good, it's also best if everyone not use their speculations as the end all be all truth there is and instead just take those as simply speculations and nothing more. And to also lean towards the "wait and see" approach on topics dealing with comic lore and such.

[bat39]

Idk how many ongoings DC currectly publishes but I would say that's probably around how many books will come out, in fact I think:

G1

- JSA
- Freedom Fighters

G5

- Batman
- Superman
- Wonder Woman
- Flash
- Aquaman
- Probably a Justice League book.
- Maybe a Green Arrow book since it's important enough to have it's own slot even if it's sharing it with GL.

G2 - G4

Are whatever the writers have pitched and they'll be categorized by when the story took place, I expect to see books where we have Clark, Bruce, Diane etc in their respective hero identies and ongoings, what those books would be called idk. I can definitely see JLA and JLI being used as a team book for those generations, same for a Corps book.

I feel like with an official timeline we'll get more stories with Clark Kent as Superboy, or a younger Batman with Dick Grayson as a Robin out of this etc.

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...

[Frontier]

I don't think DC is going to go for much redundancy, but if Bruce and Clark are going to have any books then it will probably be ancillary titles like 'Tec and Action.

Diana will get JSA.

[Mr.B]

I think most characters might stop aging. And some have adjusted life and aging. They could also have Superman dump his id earlier in the timeline.

[Frostbite883]

I think most characters might stop aging. And some have adjusted life and aging. They could also have Superman dump his id earlier in the timeline.

Mr.B, how would you feel about a Superman who was around Earth since 1938, but as a baby? And how do you feel about Superboy being around at the same time the JSA were (if the rumors are true)?

[kurenai24]

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).

Yeah, I can totally see something like this, it'll definitely start off with the first 2 at least.

I think if DC does publish books from the different generations and it's not just a one-off with Snyder's JSA, (or a once in a blue moon type of thing) then DC is gonna have to get creative with title names like they have been for the many Batman books out there.

Or have an anthology book that's not specific to any generation.

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...

The character of Dick Grayson nor the writers who wrote stories that are now a part of Gen 2 could have ever foresaw the future, so writers of today would have to write as if they don't know it even when they do ...as long as they don't contradict major things everything should be fine.

And I don't think stories have to be self-contained, since superhero comics are centered on characters who never really age and where time is never really specified, so the stories are essentially windows into the character's life/adventures that we haven't seen.

I don't think DC is going to go for much redundancy, but if Bruce and Clark are going to have any books then it will probably be ancillary titles like 'Tec and Action.

Diana will get JSA.

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

[Myskin]

I don't know if someone else noticed this, but according to the non-blurry photos we have seen, the JSA enters World War II in the 5th year. If there is any parallelism with real-life conflicts, since US entered WWII in 1941, it is entirely possible that the 1st year is 1937, not 1938. I don't know if it is important or not.

[bat39]

I don't know if someone else noticed this, but according to the non-blurry photos we have seen, the JSA enters World War II in the 5th year. If there is any parallelism with real-life conflicts, since US entered WWII in 1941, it is entirely possible that the 1st year is 1937, not 1938. I don't know if it is important or not.

But the atom bomb was dropped in Year 8 i.e. 1945. Year 1 was 7 years earlier i.e. 1938.