DC 5G: the Replacements

[Frontier]

So does anybody else think Young Justice was brought back for 5G and not as a result of anything else, b/c I've been thinking about how Tim's generation would benefit most out of this 5G thing as they would be direct peers to Jon and Luke when everybody gets aged.

I think Young Justice was brought back because Bendis wanted to use the characters and wanted to launch a new imprint. It might play into 5G to some degree but I don't think it was a major factor in the inception of the titles.

[sifighter]

I think they will have a part to play in 5G but I don’t think they were brought back for that reason, if anything I’d say Rebirth is why they are back. That was playing with the idea that the universe has been changed and for that reason some characters are gone or forgotten but Rebirth was playing it up that they’d be back. In multiple series they hinted at both Impulses and Conner’s return and people remembering them and then finally DC delivered on those hints by releasing the new series.

5G is just going off of rebirth a bit and saying we acknowledge that time is erased and broken, now let’s try to put it back properly where it belongs.

[transformers03]

Tell that to Green Lantern (there's nine of them, if you count Tai from that graphic novel and Jo from Far Sector, it's still seven without them), Flash (four of them: Jay, Barry, Wally and Avery), Superboy (Conner and Jon), Robin (Damian in the comics, Dick in Teen Titans Go, Jason in live action Titans and Tim in the Young Justice cartoon and the Lego games), Batgirl (currently Barbara in the main comics, but one of the graphic novels just used Cassandra) and Shazam (the six kids have no codenames at all). Face facts - shared mantles are a thing now. Marvel have multiple Spider-Mans and Hawkeyes, do they have marketing problems? Nope.

They do. It's why they tried out the name Kid Arachnid for Miles Morales. It's why Spider-Woman/Spider-Gwen is now Ghost-Spider. On the DC side of things, I just bought a Flash action figure that doesn't have the word "Flash" anywhere on the packaging.

Lee is right, that's the point I'm trying to bring up. Often or not, only one character can be labeled as Spider-Man, Green Lantern, or Flash in merchandise, and usually the classic interpretations of that character will get the name by default. That's why most of the time on packaging the Spider-Man name is used to refer to only Peter Parker, whereas Miles Morales gets another name. The same thing can be said for DC's many different Flashes and Green Lanterns.

Obviously there are ways to work around this. In more recent times, the most recognizable hero that is associated with the codename will keep the name, whereas any of the Legacy characters go by their real names in packaging. For example, Peter Parker will generally be labeled as Spider-Man in most merchandise, whereas Miles Morales will just go by Miles Morales. Barry Allen will be Flash, whereas Wally West will just be known as Wally West.

My whole thing with Wallace getting a new codename was entirely speculative on my part, but I don't think Irey or Wallace can share a codename because of the marketing. Both characters share names with pre-existing characters who also go by those exact same names. Other than the color of their skin, how can the average person tell the difference between a Wallace West toy and a Wally West toy? How can anyone tell the difference between an Iris West Kid Flash toy over an Iris West toy based on Barry Allen's girlfriend?

Who knows, maybe the marketers will figure something out. Maybe have Irey be referred to as Girl Kid Flash? I'm also confused why parentheses aren't used more often. Like, I don't understand why toys based on Wally West or Mile Morales cannot just be referred to as Flash (Wally) or Spider-Man (Miles). I feel like there is a reason, yet it is beyond me what it could be.

You're talking about how there are 7 green lanterns but after 5G there may only be 2 active ones (Jo and Keli), or 4 active ones if they bring back a Green Lantern Corps book with Jessica and Simon co-leading.

If all the characters are getting aged then it's very easy to see why Jo is the one chosen, Jessica (and Simon) are currently the ages the 5G characters will be (i.e early to mid 20's), which means once 5G hits they won't be in their 20's anymore, but unlike the other Lantern characters, they won't be as old so I can still see them being active. And outside of the trio, I have no idea what DC plans on doing with the older characters, are they gonna retire them, have them pop up occasionally, have them still be active when they're older *shrugs* cause all of that would effect Hal, John, Guy, and Kyle.

And if they're not aging our heroes like we think Jo is the character with minimal history, she's easily accessible to new readers cause all they would need to read is that Far Sector book, there's nothing about her.

I totally understand the appeal of why DC may want to pick Jo over the other Green Lanterns, she would be a fresh new spin that creators can start from scratch with her.

My issue is that I actually do really like the six Green Lantern Corps they already have, and they hardly get any attention, especially now since there is only one Green Lantern book. I don't want all the current Lanterns to retire in 5G, and it just be about Jo, that's a terrible idea. Every Earth Green Lantern is popular to a certain extent, why sideline them all?

Rebirth was able to prove that six Green Lanterns can work with Hal Jordan and Green Lantern Corps focusing on the GL Bros (my own term to refer to the OG 4 boys - Hal, John, Guy, and Kyle), and Green Lanterns centering on Simon and Jessica. I don't know how well that formula can work with seven, especially since three of the GL members will be relatively new members.

Not only that, everyone and their mothers know that 5G will be a temporary thing. You know, I know it, and DC knows it. The best thing 5G can do is give prominence to a new breed of characters to take the spotlight, and make the DC Universe a more diverse place long after 5G is over. Jo will be an active member along with the six other Earth Lantern, either during or after 5G. Jo will most likely not disappear after 5G, but Hal will return to his role as primary Lantern. So in a post 5G world, is there room for seven lanterns? While characters like Hal and John will most likely thrive past 5G, what role will Jo, Kyle, Guy, Jessica, and Simon have in this post-5G world?

[DragonPiece]

Could Tom Taylor have a 5G book on the way? https://twitter.com/TomTaylorMade/st...63751284621312

[sifighter]

I’d be down for that, he’s a great writer who has written some of the best stuff at DC in the past couple years (or at least personal favorites of mine, Injustice and DCeased) and they should capitalize on him.

[Superlad93]

Could Tom Taylor have a 5G book on the way? https://twitter.com/TomTaylorMade/st...63751284621312

I hope it's a relaunched Batman/Superman book for 5G. That would be so rad.

[Frontier]

Could Tom Taylor have a 5G book on the way? https://twitter.com/TomTaylorMade/st...63751284621312

I like Taylor, so I'd be down to see him on more DC books .

In before it's the Injustice III tie-in comic .

[Vordan]

I hope it's a relaunched Batman/Superman book for 5G. That would be so rad.

I hope not, I’m really enjoying Willamson on the book and I don’t want to see that cut short.

[Harpsikord]

As much as I'd love him on a Titans book or something similar, he's also writing the lead-in to the winter X-Men event in Marvel's FCBD X-Men issue. So he could be referring to that.

[manwhohaseverything]

I hope it's a relaunched Batman/Superman book for 5G. That would be so rad.

With luke and jon? That would be out of the blue. It mighy still have the old guard. Besides, why should the new generation have the old relationship? Build it up first.
Personally, i am done witg jon and batcharacter. He already has damian. That's enough.

[Superlad93]

I hope not, I’m really enjoying Willamson on the book and I don’t want to see that cut short.

Don't take a personal. I just find Williamson kind of inoffensively meh. Nothing really wrong with his style technically, but also nothing that makes you remember it.

Plus Taylor has so much range and knows how to dance between archetype and character in a way that I want out of a Batman/Superman book, and even more so when that book is likely going to be about the new Batman and Superman.

[Superlad93]

With luke and jon? That would be out of the blue. It mighy still have the old guard. Besides, why should the new generation have the old relationship? Build it up first.

Why would that be out of the blue? Most reports say that Jon and Luke are getting moving onto all the titles with their new namesakes, so I'd imagine that would include Batman/Superman.

And building a dynamic I real-time in the book would likely be a big draw. Seeing how they contrast from Bruce and Clark's dynamic, and seeing how the two relate over taking over the two biggest jobs in the DCU seems like a good starting point.

[manwhohaseverything]

Why would that be out of the blue? Most reports say that Jon and Luke are getting moving onto all the titles with their new namesakes, so I'd imagine that would include Batman/Superman.

And building a dynamic I real-time in the book would likely be a big draw. Seeing how they contrast from Bruce and Clark's dynamic, and seeing how the two relate over taking over the two biggest jobs in the DCU seems like a good starting point.

because jon and luke doesn't even know that each other exist. It's a forced dynamic. Why should jon and luke be friends? Because batman and superman were?That's stupid. Why batman/superman book? Why not superman/greenlanterns or batman/flash book?If two individuals who don't know each other are pairing up.This is just so uninspiring. It is the same as shoving jon in the same legion as Clark. Atleast with supersons it was built up with kidnapping, bootcamp.. Etc. Here is an idea, why not a Superman/Damian wayne book?what is luke and jon going to give me that jon and damian haven't already? Since we are talking archetype.

Personally, would have liked new gen adjusting to being in the justice league first and getting to know each other. Then, people can have a book about a dynamic they like.a test run and spin off.

[Superlad93]

Anyways, Christopher Priest will always be my first choice for a 5G New Batman/Superman book or 5G Justice League book (no matter what form the League takes). But, for me, Taylor would be just as good in his own way. Just like Priest the guy is getting me to read a book I'd normally not even look twice at (Suicide Squad).

[vasir12]

I have to agree that if they're moving with all new characters in roles, then they don't have to fall into the same tropes and relationships that their mentors did. These are new roles so let them do something new with it