Diana to be replaced ... again?

[Vaffrey]

Over in this thread, we've all been theorizing and reacting to the possibilities of the new timeline for Diana. But ...

... now the gossip coming out from Bleeding Cool has all the major characters being replaced as part of a "5G" initiative.

The big picture is spelled out here: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/10...dc-comics-5gt/

with some follow-up speculation? gossip? that Wonder Woman will be the first to be replaced: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/10...-dc-comics-5g/

The 90s are calling, they want their ideas back.

[Tzigone]

Over in this thread, we've all been theorizing and reacting to the possibilities of the new timeline for Diana. But ...

... now the gossip coming out from Bleeding Cool has all the major characters being replaced as part of a "5G" initiative.

The big picture is spelled out here: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/10...dc-comics-5gt/

with some follow-up speculation? gossip? that Wonder Woman will be the first to be replaced: https://www.bleedingcool.com/2019/10...-dc-comics-5g/

The 90s are calling, they want their ideas back.

Bruce, Clark and Diana all replaced - either it's a spin-off universe, or it's very temporary (leading up to yet another reboot of universe?). I'm not really interested, either way. Except that if it was real and in-real-universe-present-day in an actual new-status-quo way I know it'd be erased and maybe, just maybe, I'd get back the kid Jon I liked. But as "real universe" thing in anything but one-storyline with a firm conclusion that puts Diana, Bruce, and Clark back in the costumes - seems unlikely.

[Vaffrey]

But as "real universe" thing in anything but one-storyline with a firm conclusion that puts Diana, Bruce, and Clark back in the costumes - seems unlikely.

As with Artemis ... Azrael ... and the post-Doomsday replacement Supermen ....

(And Kyle Rainer ... Wally West ... Tim Drake ... Stephanie Brown ... Cassandra Cain ... Connor Hawke ... Ryan Choi ....)

[kjn]

My thoughts:

First, this will go down like a lead balloon once it happens.

Second, DC has caught the same marketing disease that runs rampant in many tech companies: instead of talking up the great thing they are about to launch right now and focusing only on that, they start talking about the next great thing, stealing all the thunder for the current great thing.

(I think it was Seanan McGuire who had a great example for this from when she was a GoH at a con: upon arrival in the hotel lobby she was greeted by a big sign that next year they would have GRR Martin as their GoH. Same principle applies.)

Third, at least DC has consistently created a buying demographic focused on continuity: the stories which are out of continuity are less valuable and can be skipped over. This means that everything published between now and the relaunch will be out of the future continuity, and can be safely skipped.

So I see literally no upsides. Except that the current management at DC will view a Wonder Woman totally devoid of feminism, queerness, and kinkyness as a win.

[Frontier]

I'm not sure if I'm ready for another slew of replacement stories.

I'm not sure if I'm even all that interested in it as a separate line from the main books.

[Tzigone]

As with Artemis ... Azrael ... and the post-Doomsday replacement Supermen ....

(And Kyle Rainer ... Wally West ... Tim Drake ... Stephanie Brown ... Cassandra Cain ... Connor Hawke ... Ryan Choi ....)

Yes, but those didn't all happen at once like this - one, I could easily buy, but not all of them.

I don't really see how Tim or Steph or Cass count, so you will have to explain those (Steph as Batgirl, maybe, but still confused on the others, since they took empty roles that had been empty a while). And I think Azrael was always intended to be temporary. My impression was Artemis was too, but I didn't read that one. And I specifically said it could happen as one storyline with a set end-point.

Second, DC has caught the same marketing disease that runs rampant in many tech companies: instead of talking up the great thing they are about to launch right now and focusing only on that, they start talking about the next great thing, stealing all the thunder for the current great thing.

Too true. And I have event-fatigue. Everything is always an event. No regular stories. I guess events just sell more comics, and that's what DC is focused on, understandably, but for me, it's just annoying.

[KangMiRae]

Meh. If Diana's not Wonder Woman I'm not interested and won't buy it. As for the overall All New All Different DC initiative...I'm a patient person. I'll just stop buying comics from DC until they go back the original characters, lol.

[Psy-lock]

Not interested. Though if it's Donna with a fixed origin story I guess I wouldn't mind too much.

[Sacred Knight]

Not even the 90s was this bad. The 90s still had the sense to know who the untouchables were. This would be a trainwreck of epic proportions.

[KangMiRae]

Will be interesting to see the sales for all of these books as time goes on.

[KangMiRae]

Not even the 90s was this bad. The 90s still had the sense to know who the untouchables were. This would be a trainwreck of epic proportions.

Agreed. But that's what desperation will lead you to—committing a sin.

[Frank]

"And not the obvious replacement either, this is not about sidekicks of legacies getting a promotion but the new generation of DC Comics superheroes getting their shot."

If it's not the obvious choices Donna & Cassie - and I'd argue that Artemis, having already been WW, is too obvious, too - I'm having trouble imagining who it would be. Maybe Grace Choi, who I think was revealed to be part-amazon? Is she even around in the oft-rebooted DCU?

[Sacred Knight]

Agreed. But that's what desperation will lead you to—committing a sin.

Unless there's something in another verse readily available to consume as this crap goes down, I don't know if I can wait around again for this stupidity to die off. Its exhausting. If there's truth to this it might be a sign that my first hobby is coming to an end.

[Jackalope89]

Normally, I wouldn't mind the Trinity taking a step back and letting others step in for them. But the way its being spelled out in the link, its about as wrong of way you can do it as you can.

Luke Fox, a guy that hasn't even been in the Bat Books for years, is suddenly becoming Batman over the likes of Dick (screw "Ric"), Jason (he's been Batman on other Earths), and Tim?
Jon Kent, stupidly aged up and already being stripped of his former life, is further being made into a clone of Clark?
And we don't even have a clue as to who would step in for Diana, as the three best suited are probably not even being considered.

[sifighter]

I've said this in the Superman thread but I just feel nothing for this. Like I've read comics long enough that I've have seen pretty much every character get replaced by someone new. I don't feel rage or hype because honestly I know that it will end eventually and revert back, which at this point is not cynicism but instead an identifiable pattern.

However I'm not leaving, I've sat through stuff like this before and can do so again. To be honest replacement characters are nothing to me compared to stories or events that can just flat out ruin characters for years to come (looking at you HIC). So bring on the replacements, I'll just hope that we can get some good to decent writers who have some story ideas and do well with the characters. If were lucky we might get a few stand out character who I will be willing to follow should they get their own ongoing or mini-series.