this is not the character i signed up for

[liwanag]

anyone here feels that the character that they used to follow before has undergone change so much that said character is barely recognizable. don't get me wrong, i have nothing against change, just as long as it means progression or improvement for the character. but change for change sake is off
putting for me. most often the shock value of change leaves a bad aftertaste.

that being said, i feel green arrow is getting there. i still follow arrow at cw, but he and the oliver i read before seem like entirely different people. oh well, such is life...

[Jadeb]

Yeah, Tim Drake is unrecognizable, as is Superboy, as is Bart. I get the need for change and progression, but I'd like to see some benefit from that change. At least open up some new storytelling possibilities. It's like destroying Superman's supporting cast when you don't have a plan for a new status quo that is at least equally interesting. Good for a short-term sales spike, bad for storytelling and long-term sales.

See also: the JSA. DC clearly thinks the IP still has value (and I'd argue the Earth-2 titles survived being terrible for so long because of it). So why treat the property as DC has?

[C_Miller]

Green Arrow is a good example. He has gone through a lot of changes in his career. The original Golden Age, the Jack Kirby version, the O'Neill/Adams version, the Grell version, the Smith/Meltzer/Winnick version which was more in line with the O'Neill/Adams version and then whatever they were trying to make him be right before the New 52. I prefer the O'Neil/Adams version, so this current version really doesn't have much going for me.

The Earth 2 characters are big ones for me. The only link that Jay Garrick has to Jay Garrick is that he can run fast and he used to date a woman named Joan. Alan Scott also doesn't really feel like Alan Scott (not just because he's gay, I'm actually on board for that change). It's like DC feels like my fandom of the Justice Society characters begins and ends with their names.

I have no issue with change, but I prefer the changes to evolve over time rather than have a hard fast change after a reboot.

[liwanag]

I feel the titans got the short end of the stick with nu 52. A lot of development got thrown out the window. I sm hoping that this rebirth event would help fix the franchise.

[byrd156]

I think every character in the New 52 universe is unrecognizable. Some seem a little bit similar to what came before like Dick, Batman, and.......... I'm drawing a blank. Those two are only sorta familiar but are still not my favorite characters that they should be.

[ERON]

I feel this way about Kyle Rayner in Omega Men. I support the series because I am a Kyle fan and I'm happy to see him starring in a series and not dead or in limbo, but the Kyle appearing in Omega Men is not the Kyle I've come to know and love over the years, to the point that it affects my enjoyment of the series.

[Darthkostis]

Probably Deathstroke. He's "younger". brasher, speaks like a 30 year old "John Machissimo" type and doesn't really resemble the classic Slade. I'm hoping Rebirth gives us a more classic Deathstroke and a writer who's more concerned with stories rather than "BOO-BOOMPOW!"...

Not DC, but with Marvel, I can't recognize Doctor Strange, at all. I won't go over it as it's off-topic, but I'm not a big fan of the current ongoing, which is a shame considering how much I love the character.

[Panfoot]

Batgirl, loved Gail Simone's stuff, can't stand the current stuff.

[Stanlos]

anyone here feels that the character that they used to follow before has undergone change so much that said character is barely recognizable. don't get me wrong, i have nothing against change, just as long as it means progression or improvement for the character. but change for change sake is off
putting for me. most often the shock value of change leaves a bad aftertaste.

that being said, i feel green arrow is getting there. i still follow arrow at cw, but he and the oliver i read before seem like entirely different people. oh well, such is life...

Oh yes. I absolutely feel that way about the Wonder Woman (generally MIA since vol. 2 #226). And it is starting to bleed over to Superman as well.

[JBatmanFan05]

Yea, New 52 has made plenty of great characters unrecognizable. And not even interesting or good changes. Just bad all around. Green Arrow, Wally, Tim, Superboy, Wonder Woman, Alan Scott, etc. Just destroyed.

[Doctor Know]

Exhibit A

This is Raven




Exhibit B

This is Raven's crazy twin, Pigeon.

[hotroddii]

Black Canary - a long-time, well respected member of the Justice League and member of the super hero community.

Now - she only knows Batgirl.

[Lee Stone]

Exhibit A

This is Raven




Exhibit B

This is Raven's crazy twin, Pigeon.

Meanwhile... that would've been a killer revamp of Magpie.

[Doctor Know]

Meanwhile... that would've been a killer revamp of Magpie.

ROFL
That's a brilliant idea.

[Lee Stone]

I think the longer a writer and a reader build a rapport through a character, the harder it is for the reader to accept another writer's voice or vision.

For instance, Dan Jurgens created Booster Gold and wrote his original series. I only read a handful of issues of it.
But I read every issue of Giffen & DeMatteis' Justice League and their Booster became my Booster.
So when Jurgens took over with #61, with a character he even created and wrote, I still felt like Booster was empty or missing something.