So now there are two different comics called Flash: Rebirth to go with the two different Flashpoint series.
So this is the first Flash comic I’ve bought in…six years, I guess? Since the previous Flash: Rebirth and a couple of issues of the follow-up regular series, at least. I just decided, at that point, that I’ve read enough Flash comics, and was a bit put off that franchise anyway due to starting/relaunching/returning to the old numbering at about that time. Plus, having discarded Wally West (the previous Kid Flash, who had taken over his mentor’s mantle) and going back to Barry Allen as the Flash seemed very…retrograde, particularly after a couple of decades of Wally as the Flash and the then-deceased Barry as the ideal Wally always tried to live up to – a scenario that worked very well, I thought. Of course, all those botched re-relaunches killed whatever sales momentum the Flash franchise had, necessitating some desperate measures…in this case, bringing back the character who was one of the two big deaths from Crisis on Infinite Earths.
That said, there were a couple things here that at least got me to try out this new Flash: Rebirth #1. First, there was DC Universe: Rebirth, which brought back the old, pre-New 52 Wally West, stuck in the Speed Force and trying to find some touchstone to bring him back to Earth. The touching scene between him and his uncle Barry was quite effective, I thought, and I wanted to see more of that relationship, as well as where things were going to lead with the larger metaplot of “Just What Is The Deal with This New 52 Universe, Anyway?” And yes, we do get a little bit of both, though it doesn’t go much farther than what we’ve already seen in that Rebirth one-shot from a couple of weeks ago, but it is, at least partially, from Barry’s perspective. I don’t know if we’ll see much of said metaplot when the Flash series proper starts up, but it looks like it might continue over in a Teen Titans, based on what happens here.
Now I don’t know if my interest in the series will continue outside of this larger picture subplot stuff, but it at least got me to pick up an issue of The Flash again for the first time in forever. I see that the book, at least in part, reflects the TV show (or perhaps the other way around…again, haven’t read it in a while) in that Barry’s father is present in an advisory/support position, and that his situation (framed for the death of Barry’s mom) is also similar. Now, some of the groundwork for this way be in the original 2010 Rebirth mini, but man, I don’t remember now. Regardless, it’s a nice familiar touchstone for anyone coming to this title new who may only know the TV show, especially given the larger DC Universe Event hoohar that’s also thrown in.
Other new books:
Action Comics #957 – the old numbering is back, which is nice. But speaking of DC Universe Event Hoohar, the background to everything going on in this Superman book is a lot to take in. The New 52 Superman died, with the Superman from the pre-New 52 universe, who has been hiding out in the New 52 universe for years raising his son Jonathan with his wife Lois, taking his place, and I’m assuming the eventual payoff to this, once the other shoe from this Rebirth event drops, is some kind of “streamlining” of the DC Universe reality so that there’s always been just one Superman. In the meantime, as odd a set-up as that sounds, it actually all works in context, and it’s quite the interesting hook for Superman adventures, at least for the time being. It helps that Dan Jurgens, one of the main contributors to Superman over the last couple of decades, is on board as the writer. It feels like the old Superman (well, okay, the post-1986 John Byrne reboot Superman) versus the New 52 Universe, which is going to be the recurring theme as this all plays out, I guess.
Popeye #47 – still reprinting Bud Sagendorf comics from the 1950s. No idea how this reprint project has lasted so long, but I’m so glad it did.
Daredevil #8 – okay, I’m no Daredevil historian, but I’m pretty sure this issue does things (or rather, doesn’t do things) with his powers that haven’t been seen in a Daredevil comic before. Very clever.
Wacky Raceland #1 – you got me, I haven’t read this yet, but I’ve enjoyed the Hanna Barbera revamps so far, so I’m willing to give this one a shot. A quick glance through the book shows a somewhat more extreme take than either Future Quest or Scooby Apocalypse, so I’m not entirely sure how this is going to go, but you certainly can’t fault that terrific Tommy Lee Edwards “Penelope Pitstop” cover, which the variant I decided to take:
Anyway, I have a feeling this comic is going to be the hardest sell of the new HB lot, but we’ll see.
I’m assuming the eventual payoff to this, once the other shoe from this Rebirth event drops, is some kind of “streamlining” of the DC Universe reality so that there’s always been just one Superman.
THEN WHY DON’T THEY JUST DO THE STREAMLINING NOW AND TELL SOME DARN STORIES IN IT?
This is my perpetual irritation with DC. They see that something is broken. They proceed to “fix” it with some convoluted story that breaks a hundred other things and “fixes” the one thing in such an utterly unsatisfying way that a few years later they’re fixing it again.
If they’re going back to the well and must do an event, what I would have done is go back to the “52” well. Jump all of the books into the new “fixed” continuity immediately like they did with “One Year Later”. Run a weekly book in the background called “52: Rebirth” or something. Put the explanations for the updated status quo into that book and a few spinoffs that you can pop out periodically through the year.
The benefit of this approach is that it gets you to the new status quo immediately in your books so you don’t spend a whole lot of time writing continuity patches instead of stories. It also allows everyone to have the feeling that “everything will be explained eventually” and just move on. (And also if it turns out that the reboot story is unsatisfying – more Zero Hour than Crisis – everyone can ignore it. Much like how folks mostly ignore Zero Hour unless you’re a Legion fan).
Why do we need a multi-issue Superman story that involves previous continuity Superman becoming mainline continuity Superman? Why not just start the book with your new Superman status quo (which looks like it’s going to just be the pre-Flashpoint status quo) and a footnote? It’s ridiculous – they’re going to spend months or possibly even years writing continuity plugs and making the continuity of one of their major characters look like Hawkman’s continuity. It’s stupid and doesn’t make any sense at all.
“This is my perpetual irritation with DC. They see that something is broken. They proceed to “fix” it with some convoluted story that breaks a hundred other things and “fixes” the one thing in such an utterly unsatisfying way that a few years later they’re fixing it again.”
It’s not just that – it’s that it’s the same people doing it over and over and over again. After three or four tries, you’d think someone would say, you know, maybe Geoff Johns is just not very good at recreating the DC universe.
In the spirit of “jumping on points being perfect jumping off points” I bailed on pretty much every DC book somewhere between Flashpoint and New 52. Kind of started to feel like they were illustrating their editorial meeting notes and not telling good stories. I’m a little curious now with Rebirth to see if they will regain their footing but I will probably give it a year before I go back in. Or I will just continue to read other comics and my OLD DC comics and then get on with the rest of my life.
“THEN WHY DON’T THEY JUST DO THE STREAMLINING NOW AND TELL SOME DARN STORIES IN IT?”
I have the same question. I’m actually interested in some of the Rebirth-ed series because of their creative teams, but I’m staying away because I don’t care about finding out why time was derailed or stolen or whatever. Just re-rail it and get on with telling actual stories.
For example: I loved Greg Rucka’s first big Wonder Woman run, and I would like to read his take on her again, but not in another “who am I?” story. I know who Wonder Woman is. And if her powers and origin and supporting cast change every now and then, no big deal. Why do we have to have a big in-continuity story that explains all those changes?
It used to be that writers automatically changed that stuff when they started writing a book. It was par for the course. But now it’s all got to be explained in-story. And worse, it’s happening to every DC character at the same time in what’s basically a permanent line-wide crossover. No thank you.
I largely gave up on the DCU after Flashpoint, and I’m not inclined to get back on board with a new story from the same creators whose premise is “yeah, Flashpoint sucked, but it wasn’t our fault, it was, uh, Alan Moore! Yeah, that’s the ticket! Cha-ching!”
At this point, the only thing that could make me care about DC Comics again is a change in leadership.