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After a few weeks of buzz and speculation — or merely simple detective work based on the very final sounding August DC solicits — it’s been announced:DC is revamping its entire line this September with new versions of classic characters and 50 new #1 titles, USA Today reports.

JLA #1 by Geoff Johns will be the first book out, with art by Jim Lee, and reuntiing the original all star lineup of Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman.

In September, more than 50 more first issues will debut, introducing readers to stories that are grounded in each character’s specific legend but also reflect today’s real-world themes and events. Lee spearheaded the redesign of more than 50 costumes to make characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old.

“We looked at what was going on in the marketplace and felt we really want to inject new life in our characters and line,” says Dan DiDio, who co-publishes DC with Lee. “This was a chance to start, not at the beginning, but at a point where our characters are younger and the stories are being told for today’s audience.”


The new titles will all be available day and date on DC’s various online apps.

According to Lee, “We’re allowing people who have never bought a comic book in their lives to download them on portable media devices and take a look. Having the ability to give people access to these comics with one button click means we’re going to get a lot of new readers. We’re trying to set the table for the DC Universe’s future success and health.”

Well. Wow. The USA Today piece includes a bit of artwork that looks like the old characters…but you know what, that’s good!

More in a bit.

Here’s the Source post from David Hyde:
On Wednesday, August 31st, DC Comics will launch a historic renumbering of the entire DC Universe line of comic books with 52 first issues, including the release of JUSTICE LEAGUE by NEW YORK TIMES bestselling writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and bestselling artist and DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee.

The publication of JUSTICE LEAGUE issue 1 will launch day-and-date digital publishing for all these ongoing titles, making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print. DC Comics will only publish two comic books on August 31st: the final issue of this summer’s comic book mini-series FLASHPOINT and the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE by Johns and Lee, two of the most distinguished and popular contemporary comic book creators, who will be collaborating for the first time.

Together they will offer a contemporary take on the origin of the comic book industry’s premier superhero team. In the hours, days and weeks to come, we’ll have more news about the other titles. Tomorrow, we’ll hear from Co-Publishers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee about this momentous occasion.

Keep checking THE SOURCE for updates about the other first issues. This year, make history with us.

41 COMMENTS

  1. “Well. Wow. The USA Today piece including a bit of artwork that looks like the old characters…but you know what, that’s good!”

    Look again, Superman now has no red pants, a V-shaped belt and a high-collar and the S seems to be slightly different, Wonder Wonder has yet another new outfit – the other two look the same.

    The bigger news is day and date – surely Marvel has to follow and once they follow, surely everyone else comes in?

  2. “Well. Wow. The USA Today piece including a bit of artwork that looks like the old characters…but you know what, that’s good!”

    Look again, Superman now has no red pants, a V-shaped belt and a high-collar and the S seems to be slightly different, Wonder Wonder has yet another new outfit – the other two look the same.

    The bigger news is day and date – surely Marvel has to follow and once they follow, surely everyone else comes in?

  3. Awesome! Heh, and I’d been hoping I would have a good post for my own blog today – this news is pretty much custom-made for HWC.

    (It’s also good news for me, personally. I’d been wanting to get more into the DC universe, and having this many special jumping-on points suits me just fine!)

    Now here’s hoping that this re-launch sticks around long enough to let new readers get a feel for the stories.

  4. Awesome! Heh, and I’d been hoping I would have a good post for my own blog today – this news is pretty much custom-made for HWC.

    (It’s also good news for me, personally. I’d been wanting to get more into the DC universe, and having this many special jumping-on points suits me just fine!)

    Now here’s hoping that this re-launch sticks around long enough to let new readers get a feel for the stories.

  5. Thoughts:

    1) I didn’t know DC had 50 titles to relaunch.
    2) What will happen to the stories that are currently ongoing in all of those titles? Will they cease to have any meaning?
    3) Does DC really think that new readers will pick up these titles? This is a deluge of new product.
    5) Jim Lee drawing the new Justice League book probably means he’s given up on illustrating that Batman book he was doing with Frank Miller once upon a time. I wonder if he can maintain a consistent schedule anymore.

    Some of these questions will be answered once solicitations are released. I suspect that this will serve as a jumping off point for old readers more than a jumping on point for new ones. We won’t know that effect until a few months into the relaunch.

    These sorts of goofy gimmicks are why I stopped reading superhero comics entirely. It doesn’t make sense to me as an adult to read stories about characters who never change–only get rebooted–when there’s so many great comics being put out by independent publishers. I just hope DC leaves Vertigo alone.

  6. Thoughts:

    1) I didn’t know DC had 50 titles to relaunch.
    2) What will happen to the stories that are currently ongoing in all of those titles? Will they cease to have any meaning?
    3) Does DC really think that new readers will pick up these titles? This is a deluge of new product.
    5) Jim Lee drawing the new Justice League book probably means he’s given up on illustrating that Batman book he was doing with Frank Miller once upon a time. I wonder if he can maintain a consistent schedule anymore.

    Some of these questions will be answered once solicitations are released. I suspect that this will serve as a jumping off point for old readers more than a jumping on point for new ones. We won’t know that effect until a few months into the relaunch.

    These sorts of goofy gimmicks are why I stopped reading superhero comics entirely. It doesn’t make sense to me as an adult to read stories about characters who never change–only get rebooted–when there’s so many great comics being put out by independent publishers. I just hope DC leaves Vertigo alone.

  7. day and date digital is HUGE! I was sitting in the living room the other night reading a 4 Star Studios book on my ipad and thinking it would be great to pull up anything new there. Also in the middle of culling my collection in preparation for SDCC. New books in digital, esp. at 99 cents or so AND a good way to organize them and take them with me on my ipad? sold.

    I love old books and physical copies are a huge part of my collection, but the majority of what I buy new? don’t nec. need it to be physical.

    really looking forward to this, having read the the first Flashpoint issue.

    Only question I have is what this means for the previously announced JLI project. Was really looking forward to that.

  8. day and date digital is HUGE! I was sitting in the living room the other night reading a 4 Star Studios book on my ipad and thinking it would be great to pull up anything new there. Also in the middle of culling my collection in preparation for SDCC. New books in digital, esp. at 99 cents or so AND a good way to organize them and take them with me on my ipad? sold.

    I love old books and physical copies are a huge part of my collection, but the majority of what I buy new? don’t nec. need it to be physical.

    really looking forward to this, having read the the first Flashpoint issue.

    Only question I have is what this means for the previously announced JLI project. Was really looking forward to that.

  9. To be fair, simultaneous digital release is big news. That kind of distribution is what’s going to bring in new readers more than a line-wide relaunch. I wonder if they’ll start releasing Vertigo on the same day digitally too; those titles would probably look better digital than they do on the lower-quality paper they’re printed on.

    How digital comics are released is going to affect both readers and creators in interesting ways. I’m only partly interested in that story, though, since I’m not one to have a tablet.

  10. To be fair, simultaneous digital release is big news. That kind of distribution is what’s going to bring in new readers more than a line-wide relaunch. I wonder if they’ll start releasing Vertigo on the same day digitally too; those titles would probably look better digital than they do on the lower-quality paper they’re printed on.

    How digital comics are released is going to affect both readers and creators in interesting ways. I’m only partly interested in that story, though, since I’m not one to have a tablet.

  11. Is there going to be a tougher order form for a retailer to fill out than the one for September?

    New #1 issues– Check

    Relaunches– Check

    Reader bleed to Day & Date Digital Release– Check

    Good luck with that.

  12. Is there going to be a tougher order form for a retailer to fill out than the one for September?

    New #1 issues– Check

    Relaunches– Check

    Reader bleed to Day & Date Digital Release– Check

    Good luck with that.

  13. Sorry to disappoint Mr. Lee but “one button click” is not how these things work.

    People have to download the apps. And it still costs money which means entering credit card info, etc.

  14. Sorry to disappoint Mr. Lee but “one button click” is not how these things work.

    People have to download the apps. And it still costs money which means entering credit card info, etc.

  15. I’m thinking the 50+ new titles are not all ongoing, but perhaps some minis to give background information so that the ongoings can hit the ground and just move forward.

    All of the ongoing series are pretty much being wrapped up and at a “stopping place” in August.

    I do agree that DC probably could have doled these new series out over a longer period, but I guess they aren’t all coming out the same week or anything.

  16. 1. Is this going to be a complete reboot? If they’re doing this it should be completely self contained. There should be absolutely no reference to anything pre-reboot (even to flashpoint itself cause then your just tying everything back into the previous 80 years of history).

    2. God knows what this means for Finch’s Batman book as it was the only book that doesn’t finish it’s storyline in August (due to lateness).

  17. Well, it has been 25 years since Crisis, and given all the other recent parallels from DC, it was to be expected. There’s also about five years of 75th anniversaries approaching (next up, Detective Comics in March).

    Of course, my inner fanboy wonders if this will be a reboot like COIE, or just a renumbering.

    Of course, every jumping-on issue is an opportunity to jump-off. I expect it will be successful, with $2.99 comics and the curiosity factor driving sales.

    52 titles… 13 a week…
    There are about 30 current DCU titles. One wonders what the other 20 would be… we could see a “new diversity” in the DCU, replicating the “new direction” of the mid-1980s. Although there might be the occasional “Silverblade”…

    Marvel publishes 18-36 issues a week, so DC is not flooding the market.

  18. Whoa… Just as “New Teen Titans” encouraged DC to relaunch the DC Universe in 1985, did J. Michael Straczynski’s “Superman: Earth One” encourage DC to relaunch the DCU in 2010? These new titles sure sound like the Earth One sales pitch…

  19. Yay to the reboot. Bah to the superman costume change. To put underpants over tights maye seem weird, but without it and still with a belt, it looks weirder.

  20. If this is indeed a proper reboot, with no reference to previous continuity, then it could be an excellent way to attract new readers and reignite interest from people such as myself who abandoned DC because the continuity had become impenetrable.

    It could also be a good way to market foreign editions. I can see Titan (who have the UK licence to reprint DC books) packaging a few few comics out of this.

    52 new #1 in one month? Maybe not so good. Launching 21 comics within a short time never did Seaboard/Atlas any favours in 1975. Then again, no one expects each reader to buy all 52 comics… do they?

    I haven’t followed DC comics regularly for several years, mainly due to their event issues and drawn out continuity, so I’ll give a few titles a go to see what develops.

  21. As someone who pretty much reads all his content through Marvel Digital Comics and Graphicly, I am SO happy for this.

    I would like to encourage anyone at DC (and Marvel, eventually) to announce mainstream marketing appropriately. In other words “day and date” will not mean anything to those already outside the industry fanbase, and they will have to choose other buzzwords like “paperless” and “digital,” “downloadable,” etc.

  22. As usual, DC is throwing out the baby with the bathwater again. Hope they have fun with their recycled “Heroes Reborn” to go with their recycled “Age of Apocalypse”.

  23. I agree with the people who write this will be a dropping off point for comics fans rather than bringing in new readers. DC will do whatever it can to F-up its characters in print, movies & TV. Time to watch the “I’m a Marvel & I’m a DC” videos again!

  24. [I]ssue 1 will launch day-and-date digital publishing for … all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.

    FINALLY! Looks like DC wanted my money more than Marvel did, and they’ll get it.

  25. The fact that there are no minorities and only one woman in the Justice League aggravates me, and if a thirty-something, white, heterosexual, male feels that way then imagine how today’s multiculturally aware kids are going to react to the book. Doesn’t seem like DC’s definition of “today’s audience” is any different than yesterday’s audience, given that they’re still desperately clinging to the same old “classic” characters.

    Also, you can just insert your own Aquaman joke here.

  26. 50 new Titles! Wow, will they relaunch everything? How about Action Comics #1…goodbye to 70+ years of history! I am a DC fan, but more and more feed up of all these reboots and crisis events etc….one every 3 months now. This surely means Marvel will also relaunch 100 new titles in Jan-12……anyhow, time to cut my pull list! Goodbye Direct Market!

  27. I am pretty sure that the 52 #1 comics all coming out will have a special first issue price of .99 cents or $1, to encourage folks to buy more than what they were going to do before. Otherwise, they will have a lot of failed titles rather quickly.

  28. It will be interesting to see what happens next now that DC has declared war on it’s retailers. If shops fold too fast, DC could find itself in a world of hurt.

  29. @Nick Jones

    Actually, the bottom half of that promotional image published in USA Today and reproduced here shows the Flash, Batman and Cyborg, meaning there’ll be at least one person of color in the Justice League.

    Of course, that also means that this isn’t the classic line-up of Silver Age Big Guns, but a very close, updated approximation.

  30. I still don’t know what to make of this. Is DC turning its back on loyal readers who have supported these books the past five, ten, forty years in favor of a new audience? What does this mean for beloved characters like Tim Drake or Cassandra Cain or the modern Superboy? That whole ‘younger’ comment has me worried about them. Kinda feels like the hammer might fall and all these years of buying DC books was a waste when it comes to buying future ones. Not to mention this seems like quite short notice.

    Not taht long ago we were told how amazing and long lasting Batman Inc was going to be. now they turn around and drop THIS. two faced much?

    I’m too shocked and mostly bitter right now to think about what’s coming.

  31. “There are about 30 current DCU titles. One wonders what the other 20 would be… we could see a “new diversity” in the DCU, replicating the “new direction” of the mid-1980s. Although there might be the occasional “Silverblade”…”

    Some of us liked Silverblade, it was a fine comic with really nice artwork. Sure it didn’t set the world on fire but they can’t all be Watchmen and it was a lot better then Sonic Disrupters.

  32. 50 new comic titles in one month is a lot. I will not preorder any of these. I will pick up a paper copy of each of them at a comic shop or newsstand and have a look before I say more. Or buy.

    I am pleased that DC is going with simultaneous digital and paper release date!

  33. “Actually, the bottom half of that promotional image published in USA Today and reproduced here shows the Flash, Batman and Cyborg, meaning there’ll be at least one person of color in the Justice League.”

    When no one was looking, Geoff Johns wrote a story with five largely interchangeable white men, one white woman, and one non-white man. He wrote a story with 2 1/2 times more generic white guys.
    That’s as many as there were in 1968.
    And that’s terrible.

  34. This reboot is nothing more than a gimmick. As a looong time DC reader, it may help me break some of my buying habits. I will look at each title and make a decision based upon writer, artist, etc, but throwing 50 books at me at once is just overload. Heck, just calculating the cost of all of the Flashpoint books had me leaving all but the prime title in the store. What about long running titles like Action, Detective, Batman and Superman? We already went through renumbering with Superman. And I am fed up with new relaunches and then retroactively reassigning numbers based on the original series–who can follow Avengers, Capt. America, Iron Man, etc? I go to the store looking for back issues and get a headache!
    In the end, it’s about the books themselves. I’ll buy the ones that look interesting and will pass on those that don’t. But it does make it easier for me to cull my buying list.

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