DiDio & Lee Say Early "Rebirth" Response is 'Uncharted Territory' for DC Comics

[CBR News]

DC Comics Co-Publishers Dan DiDio & Jim Lee discuss the fan reaction to the "Rebirth" era, and shifting philosophies over the years.


Full article here.

[AcesX1X]

i'm just going to say this: dc's rebirth has brought me back into the fold 100%. i walked away from dc but i have seen a true commitment to the audience, characters, and the story from all involved so far.

so thanks to dc for bringing this wayward fan back home.

[Vinsanity]

I'm gonna say this. I'm still iffy on Rebirth since I came back comics via New 52. However I've enjoyed Red Hood, Nightwing (even if Preferred Grayson), The Flash, and while I was never a fan of Wally West, I'm kind of glad to see him back.

So far people are enjoying it.

[David Walton]

i'm just going to say this: dc's rebirth has brought me back into the fold 100%. i walked away from dc but i have seen a true commitment to the audience, characters, and the story from all involved so far.

so thanks to dc for bringing this wayward fan back home.

Totally agreed.

[Vanguard-01]

I'm loving Rebirth, and I really hope that DC takes all this positivity to heart and recognizes that THIS is what they should've been doing decades ago.

With Marvel currently on a mission to piss off their fans like never before, this could be DC's chance to claw their way to the top of the pyramid for the first time in......I honestly don't know when the last time was that DC was truly on top. If they can just commit to this direction and keep up the high quality, then they just might be able to make it happen at long last.

I'm hoping that Geoff Johns' promotion has something to do with this great success. If he now has the power to make sure DC stays the course, then this could bode very well indeed.

[Brave Sir Robin]

Rebirth and New 52 are just doing the same thing, relaunch events trying to get attention. On both of them, some fans win and some fans lose. There is nothing wrong with hit and it is probably necessary to keep DC fresh.

I know a lot of people get angry at New 52 but there were some great titles that came out of that and they have since died. But the way I see it, the titles really stem from the authors, not continuity fetish or some idiot editor's curb stomping of originality. In any launch or title, the good author, for me, will make something interesting.

For instance, the moment Azzarello left Wonder Woman, the title changed and became unreadable. I know he changed a lot of things that have since been sort of changed or placed in doubt, but for me, that title was amazing and now its gone. The same things happened with Aquaman and Johns and Batgirl with Simone. But for me, those writers' runs were fantastic. Other people will disagree but I like that DC is throwing up the deck of cards to reshuffle them. I would like it if they did all every three or four years. Then, if they gave the authors freedom to put their own take on some characters like they did with Wonder Woman, you will keep things exciting. If DC did that and created the amazing range in style that Marvel has, they would be better off. e.g. Avengers and X Men versus Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

[GreenLanternRanger]

I am glad that Rebirth has been successful so far. Its a much better more well thought out initiative then the new52 ever was imo. I look forward to what the future brings!

[BruceWayneJr.]

Rebirth and New 52 are just doing the same thing, relaunch events trying to get attention.

That's exactly what I came to say. Not only is the launch very reminiscent of New 52, but I think the longterm follow-thru will be roughly the same as well. I'm seeing a lot of the same mistakes that were made last time, a good chunk of these books already have a "fluffy" feel, and I'm certain that a lot of these titles will be ignored and quietly cancelled. I love DC and I want them to succeed, but the method behind this "volume" looks exactly like the last one.

[titanfan]

If DC did that and created the amazing range in style that Marvel has, they would be better off. e.g. Avengers and X Men versus Squirrel Girl and Ms. Marvel.

Every time they do one of those books like that it's cancelled. (See: New 52)

So the strategy this time out is to concentrate on core titles that sell well first.

[RobinFan4880]

I'm loving Rebirth, and I really hope that DC takes all this positivity to heart and recognizes that THIS is what they should've been doing decades ago.

With Marvel currently on a mission to piss off their fans like never before, this could be DC's chance to claw their way to the top of the pyramid for the first time in......I honestly don't know when the last time was that DC was truly on top. If they can just commit to this direction and keep up the high quality, then they just might be able to make it happen at long last.

Marvel will always be ahead of DC long term. That is the nature of the business. Marvel is one Rebirth style event away from trouncing DC.

DC's goal should not be to beat Marvel long term but to work diligently to close the gap between them in a meaningful way.

[Vanguard-01]

Marvel will always be ahead of DC long term. That is the nature of the business. Marvel is one Rebirth style event away from trouncing DC.

DC's goal should not be to beat Marvel long term but to work diligently to close the gap between them in a meaningful way.

That doesn't seem like a good attitude for a business to have. "Yeah, these guys are always going to be better than us, so let's not even try to fix that." Every business should strive to be the best in their areas.

And I really don't see what's so special and unique about Marvel that makes them impossible for DC to surpass.

[LGBoex]

"signals a new paradigm for us in how we do our business; doing books twice monthly."

Dan and Jim do understand that the positive response to Rebirth isn't a result of books now being twice-monthly, right?
Its because we have been promised to have characters and relationships we care for, restored.
That should be your conceit
if you don't deliver on that promise, many of us will walk away again

[Atlanta96]

I don't think Rebirth and New 52 are the same thing. They're both relaunches. But New 52 was about completely changing and reimagining the DCU in an attempt to modernize it, and ended up alienating most DC fans and destroyed many things people liked about the universe. Rebirth is about fixing the universe, and restoring all the stuff they lost or changed with the New 52. It's an attempt to recapture the feel of the old DCU while still trying to feel new and modern. Which is why Supermans red trunks are still absent.

[cray_ws]

"Uncharted" I had to laugh. Are these guys living in a bubble? So instead of editorially fixing (retcon) each problem with flagging titles they decide to scrap them all and reboot the whole thing under the "rebirth" banner. This was nothing more than promotional push saying..."look at us! We reverted some stuff back to pre-52! lets all celebrate it with line wide reboot and jack the prices up with variants!"

The days when editors actually did their jobs editing the book are long gone. Instead a good editor is all about promoting the book and coming up with ways to market the next big thing. It's truly evident by the constant stream of "event" storylines.

Really sad that people are convinced that this whole rebirth promotion is good thing.

[Ulysses]

"Uncharted" I had to laugh. Are these guys living in a bubble? So instead of editorially fixing (retcon) each problem with flagging titles they decide to scrap them all and reboot the whole thing under the "rebirth" banner. This was nothing more than promotional push saying..."look at us! We reverted some stuff back to pre-52! lets all celebrate it with line wide reboot and jack the prices up with variants!"

The days when editors actually did their jobs editing the book are long gone. Instead a good editor is all about promoting the book and coming up with ways to market the next big thing. It's truly evident by the constant stream of "event" storylines.

Really sad that people are convinced that this whole rebirth promotion is good thing.

I read that comment as a bit of self-deprecating humour. The question was asking how it feels to have an event sell well and be well received by fans. Dan says it's uncharted territory. I think he's poking fun at himself, which is awesome.