The Dick Problem
Tomorrow, I'll wake up in a brand-new world. The DCnU, that is. Yes siree, the entire landscape of the American comic book industry will alter overnight and, come the morning, become something entirely different. Something never-before-seen. Something fresh and innovative that will draw in new readers.
So the theory goes, anyway.
Whatever the DCnU is or isn't, whatever it will and will not be, I'm looking forward to it nonetheless. And I'm able to do that, I believe, because of the respectful way DC has handled its final month of "old" titles. Every book that's about to get a soft reboot (which means everything save the Batman and Green Lantern franchises) has dropped curtain on a bittersweet, meta-textual moment. My personal favourite? Action Comics #904. I tell ya, between this and "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", Superman gets the best finales in comics.
As oft stated, I like my stories with beginnings, middles and ends. Last issues don't phase or upset me the way they do some fans. If anything, they prove why comics need occasional restarts. As noted, the best fanservice comes right before a reboot. The Clark/Lois scene above is just as touching as the Peter/Mary Jane conversation in the final Spectacular Spider-Man annual. From the subtle jabs in Power Girl to the all-out corporate bitch-slap of Justice League, we long-time fans have been gifted with scenes we'd otherwise never see (let's face it, folks: Tim Drake wouldn't have lost his virginity in Gates of Gotham unless a new beginning loomed). They're rare glimpses into a non-sequential world, and I adore them all.
As of tomorrow, the DC Universe will have existed for five years (story-wise). The more I've thought about it, the more I like the idea. Not as much as a hard reboot, no, but I figure it'll work. For the most part.
I look at it this way. If DC enshrines their best-selling, critically-acclaimed stories as canon, then leaves the rest of the timeline nebulous for fans to fill in with their quirky favourites, this will be a fun continuity. The looser it is, the better for everyone concerned. Who cares if I slot in the Grant/Breyfogle run on Detective while the next guy hews to Englehart/Rogers? As long as we both recognise, say, The Killing Joke, all's well. And some franchises, like Green Lantern, will actually benefit from the five-year focus. Try this:
Year One: Hal gets the ring, Guy is appointed his alternate, Sinestro falls from grace.
Year Two: John replaces both Guy and Hal temporarily; all three Earth-born GLs patrol space together.
Year Three: Hal is possessed by Parallax, GLC destroyed, Kyle receives the "last" power ring.
Year Four: Everything from Rebirth through to War of the Green Lanterns.
Year Five: The DCnu's Green Lantern #1, Green Lantern Corps #1 and Green Lantern: New Guardians #1.
Busy as hell, yes, and you have to skip the whole "One Year Later" concept, but it works. Given the supposed high mortality rate of GLs, shortening the careers of all the boys makes good sense. Better still, it fixes one of my big problems with Rebirth (namely how long Sinestro waits to enact his master plan). DC can still sell its high-end trade paperbacks, and we fans can slot whatever else we like into the canon. Lovely.
Things in Gotham don't fit so easily, however. I call it the "Dick Problem" because it all comes down to one man: Richard Grayson. Put simply, he's is too old, too skilled and possessed of too much history to fit in a five-year timeline. I'll buy Jason Todd having a six-month stint, Tim Drake wearing the cape for 18 months and Damian being prematurely aged in a test tube. But Dick? Not gonna happen. Five years is not enough time for him to grow up as Robin, become Nightwing, take a turn as Batman and go back to his solo persona.
The only solution I can see is to say Batman/Bruce Wayne has been operating longer than five years. If he, like his animated counterpart, existed as an "urban legend" and only went public when Superman came on the scene. That way, the original Batman/Robin combo gets an extra year or two, and Dick leaves the cave around Year Two or so. That leaves the rest of the year to Jason, Years Three and part of Four to Tim, and the remainder to Damian. Jarring and less-than-perfect, but it's all that fits. I hope we see something like it.
(I know, I know: the guy who just asked for loose continuity wants to lock down the progression of Robins. Sue me!)
Some of it'll work, some of it inevitably won't. I think we, as a collective fandom, are just going to have to swallow that - or, better yet, ignore it. Comics are supposed to be fun and entertaining, and this reboot has the potential to be both (provided we all unclench a little). So bring on both the morning and the mushed-together continuity traffic jam that is the DCnu! And give us some damn good, unforgettable stories... because, if you do, you're not going to hear us complain one little bit.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF
So the theory goes, anyway.
Whatever the DCnU is or isn't, whatever it will and will not be, I'm looking forward to it nonetheless. And I'm able to do that, I believe, because of the respectful way DC has handled its final month of "old" titles. Every book that's about to get a soft reboot (which means everything save the Batman and Green Lantern franchises) has dropped curtain on a bittersweet, meta-textual moment. My personal favourite? Action Comics #904. I tell ya, between this and "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?", Superman gets the best finales in comics.
As oft stated, I like my stories with beginnings, middles and ends. Last issues don't phase or upset me the way they do some fans. If anything, they prove why comics need occasional restarts. As noted, the best fanservice comes right before a reboot. The Clark/Lois scene above is just as touching as the Peter/Mary Jane conversation in the final Spectacular Spider-Man annual. From the subtle jabs in Power Girl to the all-out corporate bitch-slap of Justice League, we long-time fans have been gifted with scenes we'd otherwise never see (let's face it, folks: Tim Drake wouldn't have lost his virginity in Gates of Gotham unless a new beginning loomed). They're rare glimpses into a non-sequential world, and I adore them all.
As of tomorrow, the DC Universe will have existed for five years (story-wise). The more I've thought about it, the more I like the idea. Not as much as a hard reboot, no, but I figure it'll work. For the most part.
I look at it this way. If DC enshrines their best-selling, critically-acclaimed stories as canon, then leaves the rest of the timeline nebulous for fans to fill in with their quirky favourites, this will be a fun continuity. The looser it is, the better for everyone concerned. Who cares if I slot in the Grant/Breyfogle run on Detective while the next guy hews to Englehart/Rogers? As long as we both recognise, say, The Killing Joke, all's well. And some franchises, like Green Lantern, will actually benefit from the five-year focus. Try this:
Year One: Hal gets the ring, Guy is appointed his alternate, Sinestro falls from grace.
Year Two: John replaces both Guy and Hal temporarily; all three Earth-born GLs patrol space together.
Year Three: Hal is possessed by Parallax, GLC destroyed, Kyle receives the "last" power ring.
Year Four: Everything from Rebirth through to War of the Green Lanterns.
Year Five: The DCnu's Green Lantern #1, Green Lantern Corps #1 and Green Lantern: New Guardians #1.
Busy as hell, yes, and you have to skip the whole "One Year Later" concept, but it works. Given the supposed high mortality rate of GLs, shortening the careers of all the boys makes good sense. Better still, it fixes one of my big problems with Rebirth (namely how long Sinestro waits to enact his master plan). DC can still sell its high-end trade paperbacks, and we fans can slot whatever else we like into the canon. Lovely.
Things in Gotham don't fit so easily, however. I call it the "Dick Problem" because it all comes down to one man: Richard Grayson. Put simply, he's is too old, too skilled and possessed of too much history to fit in a five-year timeline. I'll buy Jason Todd having a six-month stint, Tim Drake wearing the cape for 18 months and Damian being prematurely aged in a test tube. But Dick? Not gonna happen. Five years is not enough time for him to grow up as Robin, become Nightwing, take a turn as Batman and go back to his solo persona.
The only solution I can see is to say Batman/Bruce Wayne has been operating longer than five years. If he, like his animated counterpart, existed as an "urban legend" and only went public when Superman came on the scene. That way, the original Batman/Robin combo gets an extra year or two, and Dick leaves the cave around Year Two or so. That leaves the rest of the year to Jason, Years Three and part of Four to Tim, and the remainder to Damian. Jarring and less-than-perfect, but it's all that fits. I hope we see something like it.
(I know, I know: the guy who just asked for loose continuity wants to lock down the progression of Robins. Sue me!)
Some of it'll work, some of it inevitably won't. I think we, as a collective fandom, are just going to have to swallow that - or, better yet, ignore it. Comics are supposed to be fun and entertaining, and this reboot has the potential to be both (provided we all unclench a little). So bring on both the morning and the mushed-together continuity traffic jam that is the DCnu! And give us some damn good, unforgettable stories... because, if you do, you're not going to hear us complain one little bit.
Greet the Fire as Your Friend,
SF