taffer

http://www.newsarama.com/23456-dc-re...book-line.html

DC's Post-Convergence plans are revealed at last.

25 titles from before Convergence will still be published. They will no longer be called the New 52 however.

24 new titles will begin. These titles are said to de-emphasize continuity. (I know continuity gets extremely messy in comics, but I'm still a whore for continuity.)

Two new titles are Bat-Mite and Bizarro. I never would have imagined they would get their own titles. I can't see them lasting more than 12 issues though before they get canceled due to low sales.

So really what it sounds like is that the New 52 continuity will still exist, but it just won't be called the New 52 anymore and there is less emphasis on continuity now. I guess it does make sense to drop the New 52 name since it's no longer new. It's 4 years old now.

Maxflier

So from the lists I have seen it looks like no more Supergirl?
I find it strange they would cease that title with a TV show for the character on the horizon. They are really gonna waste a monthly title on fucking Cyborg, but take Supergirl away?

taffer

Sales were probably just too low to keep in publication. Superboy was canceled last year. So there really isn't a "Superman family" of titles anymore.

There also isn't a Green Lantern family of titles anymore either. All of them have been canceled except for the main GL title. I knew sales dropped after Geoff Johns' run ended, but I didn't think they dropped that low.

The Valeyard

I'm sure there'll be a new Supergirl title if the show is picked up. The title just isn't selling well.

As for Cyborg, it's about time. Four years ago, DC was saying it was Cyborg's time to shine but never gave him a fucking title. His rise through the ranks seemed more like quota filling than anything else. At least with a title to call his own, we'll see if the fans feel the same way DC does about him. Ironically, the character he replaced (Martian Manhunter) is also getting a series. Green Lantern is getting one new series now that most of them dropped so back down to 2 GL books.

I'm glad they're finally moving away from The New 52. Seems odd to keep pushing that 4 years after the fact. Bat-Mite is a mini-series so it definitely won't last to 12 issues. Not sure about Bizarro tho. The new edict at DC is "Batgirl-ing" books (meaning, "Change that shit up like Batgirl did. Be hip!"). So expect to see a lot more change in how DC books look.

Mike86

It makes sense to drop the New 52 from the titles at this point. Other than that it doesn't sound like much is changing.

fujishig

On the one hand this is absolutely what they need to do to keep comics alive: attract a new audience and not just pander to the existing comic book fans. On the other hand, as an existing comic book fan,well, there's little reason for me to go back to monthly collecting. At least, free from the confines of continuity, I'm hoping we can have a few more projects like All Star Superman and such which can stand alone, instead of a never ending series of crossovers that lead from one to the other endlessly.

stingermck

Dido's quote has me hopeful

fujishig

The thing that worries me is that for a while now editorial interference has seemingly been the norm at DC. Characters seemed to trump creators. But we'll see.

The Valeyard

They should have went the Marvel route and re-branded as the "All-New52."

taffer

I wonder what branding Marvel is going to use after Secret Wars. All-New 2.0 Marvel?

PhantomStranger

I suspect continuity will come back at some point. This is a sales gimmick like everything else promoted in the past two decades by Marvel and DC, probably a temporary move. I guess we'll see more Elseworlds-type comics getting published on a monthly basis, with creators jumping on and off their own arcs.

I think a writer like Morrison would have a lot of fun with the concept. We'll see if the other writers are up to the task.

PhantomStranger

Marvel needs to move to firmware revisions like Windows 8.24.

Lord Zarak

Continuity is overrated. WWE seems to do just fine without it.

Super X

hanshotfirst1138

You were saying ?

They keep saying that they want to do this for new readers. Then they bring it back a year later.

I've still never forgiven him for cancelling ReBoot.

taffer

The New 52 isn't going anywhere, so I'm not sure what you're trying to say there. The actual "New 52" name is being dropped, but the comics are still set in that universe. It's not reverting back to the pre-Flashpoint universe or anything.

robin2099

That's just it though. It already has been picked up.

fujishig

I'm sure by the time it airs we'll get a Supergirl book. The new 52 supergirl is pretty different anyway.

MOOOH

good book (y)

resinrats

Isn't ignoring continuity going to drive readers away.

madcougar

I think the theory is that NEW readers won't shy away as they don't have to know 50 years of continuity to pick up books.

And older readers are nerds who couldn't stop reading comic books if you laced them with anthrax.

stingermck

Just read this on the CGC message board. Kinda funny in how things are today with all the reboots/#1's.

resinrats

I always felt the high issue #'s were a source of pride. Look, Action Comics is so good it has lasted for 800+ issues. Now a series is lucky if it lasts into the 30's before getting reset to #1.

This might be all and good for people buying them now. Imagine someone in a few years trying to purchase back issues. They are looking for issue #5 but holy shit, there are 4 #5s. Which is the right one?

Would it kill DC & Marvel to put the year on the cover as well? Put the month & year under the issue #. Well Billy wants the #5 that was released in 2016. Look at that, he can easily find it and not ended up looking like a dumbass for buying 2014's #5. Stupid Billy. Putting the month/year on also helps people read the right issue when it comes to crossover titles. Read all May's issues of that year before June's issues.

fujishig

Who's gonna want to purchase recent backissues? Even if it wasn't dead stock for most stores, what of significance has happened lately (ie: new character that mattered, or a major storyline change that stuck) where someone would actually go back and look for an individual issue rather than go look for a collection or something?

Anyway, we can blame the comic book companies all we want, but we should really blame the consumers who buy number one issues in greater quantities because it's number one. Just like the whole variant cover stuff.

taffer

Yeah, the back issue market is dead. Everything is collected in trades nowadays. If someone doesn't buy the floppy on release date, they will just wait and get the trade later.

And yeah, the consumer is really to blame for the constant #1 relaunches. It's simple supply and demand at work. It is proven that a new #1 issues sell like hotcakes. Marvel and DC are just simply supplying the demand. If the consumer would refuse to buy, then the companies would stop doing them. It's also why there are so many character deaths and resurrections and events-after-endless-events is because those things always sell very well. People complain that stuff sucks and they are tired of it, but the sales charts say otherwise.