The DC Omniverse – Continuity Changes In 2021

[Restingvoice]

I'm in my late teens and with my whole life being involved in technology. Assignments, Social Media, movies and TV. It's nice to be able to come home, read physically and take a break from technology for a bit. As a cost issue, I read current issues through the company streaming service each week and then get trades and Omnis for back issues pre rebirth.

Makes sense. Some of my friends are used to Kindle/iPad reading, others just can't, and we're the same age.

Late teens... that's when first got used to reading on the screen... that was the rise of manga scan and multiplayer online games. We already use computers for all assignments but no smartphones yet, so there was a lot of break time.

As I got my smartphone I got more and more used to it... bought and read some books on the phone... had to adjust the screen brightness a lot so it resembles a real page but even then I can't read as long as I read physical books. Instead of finishing a chapter, I can only finish a page or two, then do something else.

Then I took a long break and not reading on phones for years, and I can't get back to it. Tried it on my laptop, same... it'ss just tiring already. So that Game of Thrones bundle I bought at discount a few years before I quit will just have to sit unread XD

[Morgoth]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/what...verse-special/

What can we expect from March's DC Omniverse Special? For a start, it won't be called the DC Omniverse Special unless I am a genuine soothseer. That's just the name I'm using for what is coming – just was what we called The Band-Aid became Convergence. But we know a little about it.

In the manner of DC Rebirth, it will be a one-shot to relaunch the DC Universe in March, following Future State in January and February. Like Rebirth it will be a relaunch, not a reboot, but will include some dalliance with continuity. Unlike the DC Rebirth Special it will not be by one creative team. Instead, it will be closer to Marvel Comics' equivalent volumes, Marvel Now and Incoming, a narrative structure holding lead-ins to all manner of books that will be relaunching from March onwards. As before, some titles will keep their numbering, others will not, others will be entirely new books. But there will be fewer than before.

Expect the big writer names, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Brian Bendis, Geoff Johns and Josh Williamson. I'd also want to look out for the likes of Tom Taylor, Ram V, Si Spencer, Joelle Jones, Bryan Hill, John Ridley, Mariko Tamaki, Sean Gordon Murphy but that is more educated guesswork. Tom King? We'll see.

As we stated, the plan is to introduce a looser continuity to the DC Universe, as a DC Omniverse, as recently teased in Death Metal: Rise Of A New God. But that's only going forward. The intent is that everything that happened, happened. An eighty-year shared universe of continuity. But by reintroducing an infinite multiverse, it loosens the strings for storytelling going forward. The idea that now, post-Death Metal, all 80 plus years of the mainline DC history is set inside continuity, every story remembered by the characters, but going forward, the worlds out there and possibilities are infinite.

However, it will have structure, it will have rules, there will be a framing system for stories at DC Comics going forward, whatever reality, if any, they take place in. And the DC Omniverse Special whatever it will be called in March will play it out over eighty pages. I don't know what else to expect at this point. But possibly less Watchmen than last time.

[Sacred Knight]

Well, still sounding intriguing. There's still a main line it sounds like, more than likely to house the current status quos at least similar to as we will leave them in December, but the idea of a framing system that allows for stories outside that reality are what really interest me. The only question is if they fully follow through, and then actually publish said stories. Because we've heard similar lines from DC in the past whether its bringing back the Multiverse, bringing back Hypertime or whatever, but it never actually led to utilizing anything outside of main canon. At least not even close to a manner of even touching on its potential.

[Frontier]

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/what...verse-special/

So Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain can get their Batgirl histories back but you can still tell stories where Barbara Gordon is the only Batgirl...?

Or Wally West's time as The Flash is completely restored but in another story he can still be a crazed murderer because HiC still happened?

[Sacred Knight]

That's kinda how I'm taking it. It just sounds like a situation where the question is, do they commit and capitalize on the set up? Its easy just to say "infinite possibilities" yet still only publish 95% within the main continuity. That's how the Didio era worked ever since IC brought back the multiverse.

[Frontier]

That's kinda how I'm taking it. It just sounds like a situation where the question is, do they commit and capitalize on the set up? Its easy just to say "infinite possibilities" yet still only publish 95% within the main continuity. That's how the Didio era worked ever since IC brought back the multiverse.

My question is how much they're willing to utilize and commit to this as far as characters they've been screwing with since the New 52 reboot.

[Morgoth]

I personally get the impression that for them this is just a way to get away from talking about inconsistencies in continuity, and so, nothing will change, well, except that they will have titles that will happen at a different time, for example JSA.
At least the Superman and Batman titles will definitely continue to be in one, main continuity, I assume.

[LordUltimus]

My question is how much they're willing to utilize and commit to this as far as characters they've been screwing with since the New 52 reboot.

Also, how LONG are they actually going to commit to this, or if it's just another "we keep to this for two years before trying something else" thing.

[Sacred Knight]

I personally get the impression that for them this is just a way to get away from talking about inconsistencies in continuity, and so, nothing will change, well, except that they will have titles that will happen at a different time, for example JSA.
At least the Superman and Batman titles will definitely continue to be in one, main continuity, I assume.

That's exactly what I don't want to be the case. As that wouldn't be any different than what's going on now, and thus, pointless as its a complete non-venture outside of platitudes. That was hallmark of the Didio era, a complete illusion of anything really different, and it would be a sad case to see their first major move be in the same vein.

[Digifiend]

I personally get the impression that for them this is just a way to get away from talking about inconsistencies in continuity, and so, nothing will change, well, except that they will have titles that will happen at a different time, for example JSA.
At least the Superman and Batman titles will definitely continue to be in one, main continuity, I assume.

It's impossible for everything to have happened. Shazam dates back to the 1940s and Supergirl debuted in the 1950s. Both are still teenagers, having been rebooted in New 52. If everything is in continuity, they should be middle aged, as they'd be longer established than the Justice League of America.

[scary harpy]

It's impossible for everything to have happened. Shazam dates back to the 1940s and Supergirl debuted in the 1950s. Both are still teenagers, having been rebooted in New 52. If everything is in continuity, they should be middle aged, as they'd be longer established than the Justice League of America.

Everything is in continuity in the sense that it is all part of the Akashic records.

So, everything has happened...and it does not matter in the least.

The only story that really matters is the story that is being read right now.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

It's impossible for everything to have happened. Shazam dates back to the 1940s and Supergirl debuted in the 1950s. Both are still teenagers, having been rebooted in New 52. If everything is in continuity, they should be middle aged, as they'd be longer established than the Justice League of America.

Nothing is impossible in a world of magic, super-science, time travel, and 5th dimensional imps.

The way I look at it, Kara Zor-El was about 20ish when she died in Crisis. Years later, time shenanigans ensured and she was resurrected in a younger body with little memory of her previous life (which also happened with both Ollie & Hal, who were middle-aged when they died, but came in their physical prime according to Meltzer's JLA) With the current time re-set, they could simply restore Kara's memory of her Silver/Bronze Age history, which Bendis seems to have already done without drawing too much attention to it.

As for Billy Batson and family, the most recent Shazam book outright acknowledged the previous incarnation of Captain Marvel, just as the Post-Crisis reboot tipped its hat to the Pre-Crisis Cap. All they have to do is drop one line about how Billy & family have been stuck in a magical time-loop for decades to handwave away all the various reboots. They don't need to restore Billy's memories of his past incarnations, though. He should go through the motions of learning the ropes and growing up just like he did the previous two times until it's time to reboot the Shazam family again years from now.

[Vordan]

Poor Clark and Diana are going to have 5 different origins to remember lol. Hope this means more of New 52 Superman will get folded in to the current iteration, be nice if he remembered his t-shirt and jeans adventures. Here’s how I see this playing out: Johns can reference Secret Origin as Superman’s starting point, if Waid gets a mainline book he can use Birthright, and Morrison can use his New 52 origin if he wants. Clark will remember all of them and they will all be treated as having happened, it’s just that he will also know that Crisis shenanigans shifted his origin.

That lots of creators sounds expected but I don’t think it’s entirely correct. Bryan Hill is stepping away from comics for TV and movie gigs for the moment, can’t see him doing more ongoings. Snyder will be involved, he’s said he will be doing something in March. Johns is a bit of surprise, is he going to try another ongoing? Not really excited for that, his Shazam series took way too long to come out. Spurrier is a bit of a shock given he said recently that he was hurting for work thanks to Covid.

I do hope that some of the Future State guys end up getting books, although there will probably be a gap between FS and what books they get given DC is probably going to wait and look at sales and critical reviews.

[Frontier]

Poor Clark and Diana are going to have 5 different origins to remember lol. Hope this means more of New 52 Superman will get folded in to the current iteration, be nice if he remembered his t-shirt and jeans adventures. Here’s how I see this playing out: Johns can reference Secret Origin as Superman’s starting point, if Waid gets a mainline book he can use Birthright, and Morrison can use his New 52 origin if he wants. Clark will remember all of them and they will all be treated as having happened, it’s just that he will also know that Crisis shenanigans shifted his origin.

Am I the only one who thinks that might be messy? I mean, I guess if it's limited per writer but I don't think we need so many different origins.

[Vordan]

Am I the only one who thinks that might be messy? I mean, I guess if it's limited per writer but I don't think we need so many different origins.

If they establish it as “Superman now is the same guy as his previous incarnations going all the way back to the Golden Age Superman, he has access to all of his history and is aware of his entire publication history the same way a reader can go read those Pre-Crisis stories up to the present day” I think it’s doable. Yes it’s messy but so is the Marvel method of “everything is canon, even the stories that reference the Soviet Union and have Stark fight Communists”. Those stories couldn’t possibly have happened the way they did originally, but don’t sweat it.