DC Comics Armageddon! ....sort of.

[Mitchified]

DC Comics is rebooting every single character and franchise. (http://comics.ign.com/articles/117/1171671p1.html)

In order to make their comics more accessible to new readers, DC has announced that at the culmination of Flash Point, the summer Flash comic event, it will be rebooting every character. In some cases the changes will be minor, but in others DC will be changing everything from the origin to the overall look.

I think it's safe to say that the three highest selling individual characters (Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern) will receive minor tweaks. However, this could be the opportunity that DC has been waiting for to cut down the Batman mythology and streamline the books. Do I think that should happen? Hell no. Do I think it will? Probably. I can definitely see Dick Grayson being removed as Batman and making Bruce Wayne the sole wearer of the cowl (most likely turning Dick back into Nightwing in the process).

So, for those of you that read comics or are simply fans of the characters, what do you think?

[Danny]

going digital had to happen, the rest of it? making all the big heros back in their early 20's? this shit didnt go so hot with one more day with spiderman, it wont go too well here- with johns behind it at least.
Personally it puts me off buying them- but the only one i did was green lantern and since rebirth its been a nice contained story, shame thats just poof gone and ignored, or so it sounds to be at least

as a business move its sound, just like the ultimates launching after the first big wave of marvel films. as storytellers its kind of a dick move. but its no shock sales take precedent over plot with dc.

[Mitchified]

I guess the part that bothers me the most is that a total reboot is basically the antithesis of what DC has always been about. While I tend to like Marvel more as a whole, the major events in the DC universe have always seemed to mattered more.

This is especially true in the Batman mythology, which is what I'm most concerned about them changing. Jason Todd being beaten to death by the Joker has affected the books for over twenty years. Barbara Gordon being shot by the Joker led to her becoming Oracle, which is now arguably the most important character in the entire DC universe. Dick Grayson started out as Robin, the classic sidekick, then actually grew up throughout the series and became his own man as Nightwing, before taking over as Batman, a role that was inarguably his right with Bruce Wayne out of commission. A similar sort of evolution is currently going on with Tim Drake going from being Robin to Red Robin. None of this happens if Batman is rebooted back to being in his twenties. Out of all the characters in the DC universe, his rebooting has the widest effect out of anyone.

Which is why I'm hoping that it doesn't happen.

Green Lantern is the other one that I'm a tad worried about. Say that they reboot Hal Jordan back to his twenties and kind of given him the "clean slate" approach. No murderous rampage while possessed by Parallax. No Kyle Rayner, Guy Gardener, or John Stewart. With Blackest Night and Brightest Day already being the supposed status quo changer for Green Lantern, what was the point if they're just going to nuke it from orbit anyway?

[Danny]

well we know what the point is dont we? we read the likes of blackest night and bought it, they got the money adn thats all that matters, with new movies coming out new readers will be incited to read and there money is all that matters now. Can't really complain if it gets more kids reading i suppose but GL was this nice little contained space series that i looked forward to each week or two. Now- especially with the current mess vertigos in im at a loss to what dc books i still want to read.

[Mitchified]

Some details have begun to trickle in about what happens to the Batman comics when the reboot occurs.

-Detective Comics, Batman, Batman: The Dark Knight, and Batman and Robin are all being renumbered back to number one.

-Bruce Wayne is back as the only Batman; plans for Dick Grayson now that he no longer has the mantle haven't been made known yet.

-Damien Wayne remains as Robin.

-Grant Morrison is staying on despite the complete reboot of the series.

-The first story arch in Detective Comics will involve a new villain known as the Gotham Ripper.

-An update as to the future of Batman Inc. is coming later today, but speculation is that it will be canceled. After all, with Bruce Wayne as the only Batman and him being tied once again to Gotham City, there's pretty much no way to continue the series.

So it doesn't appear that Batman will be affected as heavily by the reboot as some of the other series. With Damien still being Robin, that implies that characters like Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing/Batman), Tim Drake (Robin/Red Robin), and Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) will still be in place. It also implies that Bruce Wayne won't be a part of the "de-aging" that a lot of characters are going to undertake.

Personally, I like the changes. There are a lot of upset fans at the moment, but I like the back to basics approach that's being taken and the simplifying of the mythology. Over the past three years, Grant Morrison has made Batman one of the most convoluted characters in the industry; it got to the point where even longtime fans were having a hard time understanding just what the hell was going on. Both Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis were needlessly complicated and confusing.