Thoughts on the "new" DC? Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman?

[gf78]

I used to be a big comic book collector.  At one point, I had a collection that numbered in the 10's of thousands.  I had great stuff like Amazing Fantasy #15, Silver Surfer Vol. 1 #1, Uncanny X-Men #14 and tons of others.  Even though I love the characters, the universe they inhabit, etc. I decided to stop collecting back around 2008.  There were numerous reasons including not liking the direction they were taking the characters, giant every-year relaunch castastrophic epidemic events, mini series running for 52 issues and crossovers that bounced back and forth into titles you had no interest in...but felt forced into buying to follow the story.   

I've seen a lot of stupid stuff get pulled.  Killing characters has become a time-honored tradition.  Well, actually it's a milk-the-$hit out of fans for a big, glossy, one-shot special for $9.99.  But now I see what DC is doing with their "big three" and I sit here scratching my head.

Superman.  The man of steel.  His "S" symbol as iconic as his red & blue uniform complete with flowing cape.  DC's big idea to "update" the character?  Let's put him in tight hipster jeans and a t-shirt. 

Wonder Woman.  Not as big a problem with her and in all honesty, running around in a bikini was kinda ludicrous.  But what is with the Assassin's Creed gauntlet blades?

Batman.  Oh, poor, poor Batman.  More than any other DC hero, this guy has been put through the ringer.  It was all good until they decided to break his back and introduce Azrael as the new Batman in a giant, foil-embossed Joe Quesada covered special issue that lured you in with it's beautiful cover and left you weeping with ass art inside.  Batman has continued from that point to be DC's whipping boy.  Darkseid even blasted his face off, killing him.  But...did he really die?  No...he was thrust back through time in an atrocious, money-grab storyline that I refused to read.  Caveman Batman anyone???

Now...we have Chappie Batman on the way.  As if hipster jeans and Assassin Creed blades weren't bad enough, we are getting Batman in an armored suit with little ear wingie-dingie things that looks like it's straight out of Blomkamp's new film. 

Thoughts?

[gartcat]

He looks like a Gundam.  I never got into collecting comics because I was too into CDs, Toys, Video Games, etc.  I've been hooked on reading Moore's Saga of the Swamp Thing recently though, that has really interesting crossovers, but it's hardly new I guess.

[foxhack]

Barf.

First they alienated long time fans like myself, and now they're wiping the slate again.

[grimhope]

See's topic on new DC.  Thinks sega is making a new dreamcast. Giggles like a little school girl.  Opens thread and see you're talking about comics.  Goes into fetal position and cry myself to sleep.     

[kamikazekeeg]

I don't have a problem with costume changes, they are always temporary or ongoing, and with what Superman is going through, it's apparently for this part of the story, I don't know exactly, I'm not reading it, but I didn't mind Wonder Woman's.  Actually looked cooler than her usual look.  I even like the gauntlet blades.  Seems like a logical extension of her normal fighting style.

Is that all for the Batman though? What's the story behind it? I agree the ears look awful, like giant gardening spades than Chappie antennae, but I'm more curious how it plays into the story.  Has he been turned into a robot or something?  Is he Mecha Sonic? lol

[MJMaranan]

See's topic on new DC.  Thinks sega is making a new dreamcast. Giggles like a little school girl.  Opens thread and see you're talking about comics.  Goes into fetal position and cry myself to sleep.     

This made my day.  Thanks, grimhope!

I didn't mind Wonder Woman's new armband feature.  Deflects bullets, assuming that it still does, and also usable as a weapon.  I've lost interest in Superman a long time ago.  Bruce Wayne possibly not donning the mantle of Batman anymore and an expanded team of Robins...  I guess I'll wait for more details or another reboot.

[dashv]

I've always thought Batman was the only decent one among all of them.

But that made me a hater.

I did like the WB's Smallville but by season 5 the Clark, Lana, Lex angst fest got really old.

I think the reason it made me like Superman was it was the first time I saw superman stories that humanized him and not having all his powers made him actually possible to be bested now and then.

I also like that there were personal and moral battles he had to fight that his powers were useless in.

[kamikazekeeg]

I've always thought Batman was the only decent one among all of them.

But that made me a hater.

I did like the WB's Smallville but by season 5 the Clark, Lana, Lex angst fest got really old.

I think the reason it made me like Superman was it was the first time I saw superman stories that humanized him and not having all his powers made him actually possible to be bested now and then.

I also like that there were personal and moral battles he had to fight that his powers were useless in.

Yeah I generally liked Smallville too and I have little interest in Superman.  Other than maybe the the animated Superman show that came after Batman, because I liked that stuff, but I generally found Superman to be a fairly boring character.  Batman was always more interesting and had better shows and movies lol

[fauxshot]

Chappie... Batman? 

Please DC, don't ruin a great movie... 

[burningdoom]

It's not permanent. They're doing a company-wide crossover called "Convergence". In the story (which hasn't started yet), all timelines and alternate universes and such are supposed to crossover. I'd bet money that these "new" versions are one of these alternate-reality versions.

[gf78]

It's not permanent. They're doing a company-wide crossover called "Convergence". In the story (which hasn't started yet), all timelines and alternate universes and such are supposed to crossover. I'd bet money that these "new" versions are one of these alternate-reality versions.

I loathe company-wide crossovers.  It usually entails forcing fans into buying  books they really don't have any interest in, because some part of the bigger story is only available there.  Company-wide crossovers are rubbish most of the time.  It has become an annual event/pissing contest between DC and Marvel to see who can "shake up" their universe the most.  All it has ended up doing is rewriting history over and over and over again.  DC should have stuck with Crisis on Infinite Earths.  I got that.  They had all these characters that they became owners of like the Justice Society characters.  Crisis was a way to integrate these disparate characters and explain how Superman could exist back in the 30's and today. 

Now these crossovers are completely pointless.  No matter what they do, they will just revert back to the old way down the road and it all ends up being meaningless.  How many times has Jean Grey died now???   

[burningdoom]

^ When a crossover is done RIGHT, they're awesome. Some of the best stories in comic history: Crisis on Infinity Earths, Age of Apocalypse, Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Wars, Civil War, etc.

But there is a point when they make them just to make them, hoping to rake in money. That's when they get bad.

[dashv]

It's not permanent. They're doing a company-wide crossover called "Convergence". In the story (which hasn't started yet), all timelines and alternate universes and such are supposed to crossover. I'd bet money that these "new" versions are one of these alternate-reality versions.

I loathe company-wide crossovers.  It usually entails forcing fans into buying  books they really don't have any interest in, because some part of the bigger story is only available there.  Company-wide crossovers are rubbish most of the time.  It has become an annual event/pissing contest between DC and Marvel to see who can "shake up" their universe the most.  All it has ended up doing is rewriting history over and over and over again.  DC should have stuck with Crisis on Infinite Earths.  I got that.  They had all these characters that they became owners of like the Justice Society characters.  Crisis was a way to integrate these disparate characters and explain how Superman could exist back in the 30's and today. 

Now these crossovers are completely pointless.  No matter what they do, they will just revert back to the old way down the road and it all ends up being meaningless.  How many times has Jean Grey died now???   

JEAN GREY DIES!?!?!?

Thanks for the spoiler!

just kidding.

[kamikazekeeg]

This is one of those things, where the idea of a huge crossover event isn't a bad thing, but because they do so many and they do so many that are supposed to have drastic consequences on the universe, they just become kinda dull.  Oh, Batman is gonna be stuck in some crazy bullshit story arc for the next 3 to 6 months where he's fighting aliens, or he's been turned inside out, or he has to teamup with every weird and ridiculous alternate version of himself...Well guess I'm not reading comics for abit!

There have been good ones, but I feel like they need to be done sparingly, like every 5 years or so you have your big huge event.  In between that you can have your teamups and such, but they are spent working on introducing new characters and plots.  Get a good buildup going before you bring in the big event and start trying to kill or transform your heroes lol

[gf78]

^ When a crossover is done RIGHT, they're awesome. Some of the best stories in comic history: Crisis on Infinity Earths, Age of Apocalypse, Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Wars, Civil War, etc.

But there is a point when they make them just to make them, hoping to rake in money. That's when they get bad.

Age of Apocalypse was great. Still to this day, one of the best. I was mainly referring to crossovers that are (for example) in the X-Men series, with one issue taking place in Alpha Flight #42 or something like that. Some random comic with ass art by somebody like Rob "gurgle...no more arrows" Liefeld where everyone has huge shoulder pads, tiny heads and their feet are always hidden behind a convenient hill.