"DC as we know it" ends all the time - its planned obsolescence is part of the marketing strategy. Everything changes every 5 years so they can relaunch and get a big sales spike. We'll always go for that carrot...
But if you're talking about doing away with monthlies and a complete restructuring of how DC sells comics, etc.. it would take more than any creative decision like the Rebirth relaunch to instigate that large a paradigm shift, imo. I think it would have to be more about the industry as a whole or the marketplace.
Last edited by j9ac9k; 08-26-2020 at 05:54 AM.
Fair enough. While I still argue that describing it as bringing back the lost history is too loaded and only leads to people who literally wanting the pre FP continuity back latch on to false hopes, I do agree with most of the rest, particularly the Superman confusion (I never got up to the whole merging story so I still don't know what is up with him). However, even the issues with inconsistencies in Titans are partly due to readers mistakenly believing the restored memories were pre FP and partly due to people who are still trying to squeeze the whole pre FP continuity into 5 years. It really just needs to be looked at as its own story, but too many people went into looking for pre FP. Titans started out just fine. I dropped it before the LC crossover because I hate crossovers, but when I got back on it it read just fine still.
So I can see why those were problems, but those were just two stories among many relaunched books with Rebirth. Titans and Superman, no matter whether they had real or imagined problems, were not taking down the whole of the line.
I can point out more issues with Hickman's X-Men, from it not meshing with past stories to current writers not all being on the same page with
I don't know if Superman benefited from the reboot. Morrison's Action run was interesting if uninspired and certainly not to the level of All Star. The main Superman title was pretty much an unmitigated disaster due to the writers and artists of that title having no clue about the new backstory for Superman (George Perez has famously said he couldn't get an answer as to whether the Kents were still alive). Pak's run was solid (not bad is the best I can say about it), but I didn't feel like I was truly reading Superman until the New 52 Superman "perished" and Prime Superman took his place.
I don't see how Green Lantern got screwed over seeing as all that continuity remained in-tact in the New 52. Zero Year should never have replaced Year One in Batman's continuity, so I'll agree with you on that.
Yeah, New Super-Man, Green Lanterns (which stars Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz), Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps (which features Hal, John, Guy and Kyle), and The Flash would be my recommendations. Flash and New Super-Man need to be read concurrently, because Avery Ho debuts in Flash, joins New Super-Man's Justice League of China, then goes back to the Flash when New Super-Man is cancelled.
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If we're to believe interviews, then Johns had to be dragged in kicking & screaming to do the Rebirth special (that's hyperbole of course but he's stated that he initially turned it down or at the very least was extremely reluctant to do it).
My guess is he was told that they were setting up the Watchmen characters and Doctor Manhattan specifically to be responsible for The New 52, and all the nostalgia bits were completely added by Johns. In the interviews I've heard and read with Dan Didio, he was always moving forward in his head with stories and wasn't a stickler for continuity so I doubt he was keen on the stuff Johns added.
At one point in New 52 all the Latnerns (except jessica and Simon) were leading some book. Along with Lafreeze & Sinestro.
Then came the axing of the GLC mini and another one with Guy shoehorned in it.
Then Rebirth saw Simon and Jessica lead a GL book and serve in JL.
Then came Hal and TGLC-which as the former DC employed artist state was a HAL book. Which he made clear to John Stewart fans. So they were alienated before the first issue and already frustrated based on other issues during new 52 & DCYou.
Sales came out and Jessica/Simon book at various time outperformed Hal & TGLC be it floppies or trades. John fans got lectured on this forum about not supporting the book and THAT didn't end too well.
New 52 took everything from John-his wife and his family outisde of mom-he had siblings including one who might be a certain person's ex-wife. So he did not benefit. Then again they wanted him killed off anyway.
Batman, Mister Miracle, Deathstroke, Superman, Bug Forager.
Batman: Tom King run is really entertaining before the bat-cat fiasco, the first few arcs from I am Gotham until the marriage is really good and one of the best written Batman ever.
Mister Miracle: Tom King write a very unusual comic for the Fourth World, but it's really good and I can't recommend this book enough. The second-best book of 2018-2019 (the first is Slott and Allred's Silver Surfer - Is there anything that beat this book).
Deathstroke: The most consistent run of Rebirth. Not that good, but not that bad too.
New-Superman: This book is much much better than the main titles, read it.
Bug Forage: The adventure of Bug written by the Allreds. It's guaranteed to be hip and good. Really recommended.
The other thing that I recommend, but not that consistent or as good as above.
Doom Patrol, Cave Carson has Interstellar and Cybernetic Eyes, Wonder Woman (only read Rucka's arc the rest is pretty much garbage), and Doomsday Clock.
Just a side note, but Green Lantern continuity stayed the same and was unaltered by the first "Crisis" too - the story just continued without a relaunch or revised history like the Trinity. It became "The Green Lantern Corps", but they didn't miss a beat in terms of continuity. But that's neither here nor there...