I'd love to see something like this. Reminds me a bit of John Byrne's Generations but it's also quite different. I know it would never happen, but this would also be a great basis for a movie or TV universe.
The closest they've come is Convergence and DC Retroactive, both of which had their own problems. It boggles the mind that they don't see the potential in doing more separate projects set in different continuities or eras. Waid's TWF feels a lot like it's a continuation of pre-COIE Earth One. I'd be thrilled to learn that this is the intent.
Excellent idea! The Multiversity Guidebook and series came close but those ideas were never used again in a lasting way. Decide on the core universes, publish a guidebook, and then label books with their respective designations. It's so easy, yet so impossible for DC.
Love these ideas!
The idea of "redundant characters" is interesting. As a kid, I would sneak peaks at my brother's comics (he didn't allow me to touch them, much less look inside) and he collected a lot of DC. This was the early 80s, so he had lots of the JLA/JSA/All-Star Squadron crossovers. As a kid, I didn't see multiple versions of characters as redundant, but instead, exciting. Years later, I came to see that alternate versions allowed for limitless story potential. Earth-One and Earth-Two Superman seemed similar but were quite different in a lot of ways. This was reflected in their crossovers and is something that could still be done today.
As for mantles, I'd like to see an Earth not unlike the late post-COIE era: heroes have either aged out of their roles or died or moved on and others have taken up their mantles. This could be DC's version of Marvel's "MC2" and also serve as an "Ultimate DC" that targets young readers with new versions of characters they know about but perhaps aren't interested in. I'm all for the legacy approach as long as it can coexist with the original characters continuing their adventures.
Changes I would like to make have already been suggested here.
No more crisis events.
No more repetitive characters. There is no need for all of the Green Lanterns and Batman characters we have.
If there are different Earths, no cross-over events.
Not sure if this has been said, but no character (unless they belong to a team) deserves or needs to have more than three books. Example: Batman could have "Batman", "Brave & The Bold" (Batman and a non-Batman character team up) and "Batman Family" (stories that center around Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin). Of course, he would still be able to be used in JLA.
One book would be created that would be consistently used as a "whoever" book to tell stories using characters that are not getting a spotlight anywhere else. Example: Title the book "Tales of Justice". The first three issues would be a 3 story arc that stars Vixen. The next two issues contain a 2 issue arc focused on Hawkman and Hawkgirl. Next issue features a team up of Naomi and the Wonder Twins, and keep the rotation going to feature other characters.
When I was a kid I was reading Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-girl/Mayday Parker and the mainline Spidey books all at the same time. I understood that this was the same character but in universes and different points in the timeline. The problem isn't so much as too many characters with shared mantles, it's that we have too many characters and not enough books to place them in. There are like 8(?) human Lanterns but only one GL book. Of course fans of [insert GL here] is upset that their guys isn't the lead. DC spinning off 'John Stewart & The Emerald Knights' book is a good sign.
Personally, I think some characters work better if they existed in the period that they were created in. I don't think concepts like Challengers of the Unknown, Metal Men or the Blackhawk need to be revamped for the current zeitgeist. Their stories should always exist in the time period it happened in. At best you can have characters like Lady Blackhawk/Zinda Blake who time traveled to modern day as team members.
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I peeked at the old More Fun and Adventure Comics. While More Fun has Superboy as a high schooler, Adventure had him as a ten year old. That's even better. Now the age gap can be larger (I prefer taking as close to canon as possible) and both adventures range from his not yet named hometown at the time to Metropolis. He's known to the press.
Superboy Clark age 10 - Jay Garrick college student age 21-22 becomes Flash
Superboy age 14 - Jay The Flash age 25-26 JSA World War II era
Superman and Batman age 25 debuted - Jay Flash age 36-37
Trinity age 26-27 JSA junior/honorary members - Jay Garrick age 37-38 JSA senior
Then the Trinity created the Justice League, followed by Robin creating Teen Titans, as the JSA members hit 40+
You're serious? The DCU has been broken since COIE wreaked havoc in 1986. As a fictional construct, the pre-COIE DCU wasn't broken at all. As a publishing construct, it needed considerable revamping and revitalization. There is a distinct difference between the two. If the DCU wasn't broken, we wouldn't be talking about any of this and there wouldn't have been seven (counting Rebirth and Doomsday Clock as separate events and including Dark Crisis) events attempting to fix continuity.
Sorry, "The World's Finest."
Ah, got ya. I agree. Marvel started the trend in recent years with Miles Morales and it's ridiculous there now with multiple versions in one universe. DC has sadly followed suit. I'm hoping whatever follows Dark Crisis will involve a streamlining of the DCU. Only one Batman, Superman, etc.
DC's in such bad shape editorially and financially that it can't (or won't) take the risk of creating additional titles for these characters. They've put all their eggs in the Bat-basket and keep expecting that to somehow work out.
Nice! I'd love to see this in some form, either a new Earth-Two or an Earth designed to focus on the next generation in the present day.
Marvel didn't start the trend but they're the ones most popular and successful for it.
Back in the 00's, DC introduced Blue Beetle and Ryan Choi. In the 90's, they had Connor Hawk as Green Arrow, Steel got an ongoing, Birds of Prey launched, characters like Robin, Catwoman, Batgirl (Cass Cain) got ongoings for the first time, there was the Milestone initiative, Sandman and the Vertigo stuff which introduced more diverse character, Linda Park and Pied Piper were regulars in Flash, if all these initiatives were happening today, there would be outrage videos on YT and social media posts with folks bemoaning all this 'SJW' stuff. But because some of concepts have become so normalized, we don't even notice it. If DC keeps up their current pace, in a few years nobody is going to bat an eye at Jon Kent having a boyfriend, Nubia getting solo stories or Jo Mullein being a GL.
Going even further back, you had Infinity Inc where Obsidian who was gay, Yolanda Montez as Wildcat's successor and in All Star Squadron they introduced Amazing Man whose origin was tied to being attacked by KKK mob.
Point is, DC has always done this. The difference between then and now is how convoluted continuity has become. Though that's not a problem with diverse characters but because of a reboot that never should have happened, DC bottlenecking itself for almost a decade trying to erase the NTT generation then suddenly introducing a whole new slate of legacy characters. It's an all round mismanagement of both established characters and legacy characters. Now they're stuck having to fix every generation of heroes.
For now.DC's in such bad shape editorially and financially that it can't (or won't) take the risk of creating additional titles for these characters. They've put all their eggs in the Bat-basket and keep expecting that to somehow work out.
I think they're in a slow re building phase. The overall shared universe is dead but there are good standalone titles. I think they're just taking their time slowly re establishing characters and building up new ones. John Stewart is getting his own ongoing spinning off his appearance in the main GL title and there is going to be a YJ title coming out of Dark Crisis. Lets see where it goes. I think they will slowly widen their horizons over time.
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Obsidian was portrayed as straight in Infinity, Inc. The possibility that he wasn't straight was first raised by Gerard Jones during his time writing Justice League America in the mid-90s, but it wasn't made canon until the Manhunter book starring Kate Spenser.
Hmmm, I could have sworn there was a page or panel from Infinity Inc days that hinted that Obsidian was gay but it has been a while since I last saw it.
I think newer characters symptomatic of a confusing continuity in that it's easier to create new characters and gain residual income from when they are adapted than work through a confusing and contradictory back log.
Of the new characters, I like Gold Beetle, fun, intriguing and doesn't take away spot light from the main character of the book.
Adding new human GL's when long time existing GL's can barely get any spotlight for themselves is counter productive.
But Steve Orlando just dropping in a character like the female Aztec during WW run just raises more questions. What about the previous Aztek? Is he still around? What's the backstory of this new one? I thought the bad guy that Aztec was fated to fight was done with in Morrison's JLA, is Maggedon back again? What? If the story is not even about this new character in the first place and she just disappears afterwards then what's the point of introducing her in the first place?
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I don't think so. He had kind of a wierd relationship with his long lost twin sister, Jade, and was a bit abrassive with all his other teammates, but I don't think they suggested in any way him being gay in Infinity Inc. Even in Gerard's JLA, I found that Fire and Ice Maiden's relationship was much more suggestive of a lesbian envolvement (openly from Ice Maiden's part I think). I think there were a couple of lines that showed that Todd's felling towards Al went beyond simple friendship, but, mostly, what I remember was that I found both of them annoying and didn't think they belonged in that book (even though I was a big Infinity Inc fan). Honestly, be it, gay, lesbian or straight, what I remember most about that run was that I found most of the interpersonal relationships in that book (Al and Bea, Al and Todd, Bea and Ingrid, Rex and Constance, or was it Vivian? etc...) VERY "unhealthy".
Peace
I read more and the youngest Clark Superboy have been was apparently 8 years old, and that's the night after he's been photographed by the press and became worldwide famous. Though only Smallville people have seen him live thus far.
Current possible timeline based on Superman's life in multiple continuities:
Edit: Adding Bruce (same age) and Dick
Clark age 1 - Super Strength activated
Bruce age 3 - Death of Thomas Wayne Jr.
Clark age 4 - Super Jump activated
Bruce age 5 - Alfred's arrival
Bruce age 6 - Headmaster Whisper
Bruce age 7 - Best friend Tommy Elliot
Clark 8 Jay 21 - Superboy + The Flash
Bruce age 9 - Therapy alongside Harvey Dent
Clark age 10 - Super Hearing activated
Bruce age 11 - Childhood with Uncle Phillip Wayne
Clark 12 Jay 25 - JSA?
Bruce age 13 - Left the home of Phillip Wayne
Clark age 15 - Heat and X-Ray Vision activated
Clark age 16 - How Luthor lost everything?
Clark age 17 - Prom date with Lana
Clark age 18 - The Navy?
Bruce age 19 - How Batman learned to drive
Clark age 20 - Daily Star reporter
Clark age 21 - The Anti Superman Army
Bruce age 23 - Minkhoa Khan rivalry
Clark age 24 - Daily Planet internship
Clark 25 Jay 38 - JSA honorary member?
Clark age 26 - World's Finest
Clark 27 Jay 40 - JLA formation
Dick age 14 - Teen Titans Year One
Last edited by Restingvoice; 06-28-2022 at 10:03 AM.