Well, we got some news yesterday. CBR had the most coverage including a special video by Geoff Johns explaining his thoughts. Here is that link:
http://www.comicbookresources.
That's right. In the fall there will be a Supergirl Rebirth special!
And that means later we'll get a new Supergirl monthly!!
Finally! Finally, we will get a Supergirl monthly, only a year after the show premiered! Hurray for Kara fans for bringing the noise, asking for a book, and convincing DC that it should be done.
http://www.comicbookresources.
Johns acknowledges the cynicism that came with the announcement, something I was glad he did. He faced the music a bit.
But he does a good job playing up the success of Green Lantern Rebirth and Flash Rebirth. In particular, he does a good job pointing out how the Lantern books before Rebirth had sort of lost their way. No Hal. No Kilowog. Guy as the weapon shape-changer. That book had lost its legacy, its history.
But he does a good job playing up the success of Green Lantern Rebirth and Flash Rebirth. In particular, he does a good job pointing out how the Lantern books before Rebirth had sort of lost their way. No Hal. No Kilowog. Guy as the weapon shape-changer. That book had lost its legacy, its history.
Frankly, I feel that is true about the DC Universe as a whole right now. What is this place? Because it isn't the DCU I have read for decades. Things seem off. Diana is a daughter of Zeus. Clark is powerless and a brute. Bruce isn't Batman. Alfred has no hand. So much insanity ad nauseum.
So the idea of bringing back some legacy, some sanity to the universe makes perfect sense to me. Hitting a lower price point of $2.99 makes sense too, allowing me to try more books. Maybe it isn't a reboot. It sounds more like a reset. And I'm okay with that.
Later we got a list of all the books, starting out with a Rebirth special (maybe like a zero issue?) following new monthlies. Here is that link:
Take a gander at this.
That's right. In the fall there will be a Supergirl Rebirth special!
Finally! Finally, we will get a Supergirl monthly, only a year after the show premiered! Hurray for Kara fans for bringing the noise, asking for a book, and convincing DC that it should be done.
Heck, she is even one of the mysterious shadows in the new Rebirth image!
Now details are scarce about creators and so much of my optimism will be based on who is attached to the book and what their approach to Kara will be. Please no 'hell on wheels', no 'dark loner', no 'bull-headed pessimist'. So let the speculation begin! Who would you want?
Seriously, I am thrilled that Supergirl is going to return.
I am surprised there is no Doom Patrol and no Legion.
And this means I have to bid a fond farewell to the books that came out of the DCYou initiative and worked. I will especially miss JL3001 and that Supergirl. But I'll also miss Black Canary, Martian Manhunter, and Starfire as well. Kudos to those creators for giving me hope.
So this fall, Supergirl #1 ... it's about time!
Its confusing. Legion was in the announcement video but no Legion announcement was made. Maybe that will be later or a signifocant part of one of the title already presented?
ReplyDelete"Now details are scarce about creators and so much of my optimism will be based on who is attached to the book and what their approach to Kara will be. Please no 'hell on wheels', no 'dark loner', no 'bull-headed pessimist'. So let the speculation begin! Who would you want?"
ReplyDeleteI think SG's rebirth should try to line up with her TV show's aesthetics as much as possible. Not saying that we should get the exact same semantics, but the settings should be contemporary in scope, and reflective of the enterprising spirit of young women today. The new series should follow the 'girl power' aspects and sense of optimism that has always stood the test of time with Supergirl's character. If that's somehow regarded as 'classic', then so be it. God knows that today's SG fans won't have much use for yet another purely retro retread, or yet another set of tired 'wild and out of control teenager' tropes.
Of course, DC Comics is still run by the same guys who have repeatedly run things into the ground over the years....so I'm not holding my breath in major anticipation until I see some hard evidence of change. The suits always like to talk a big game, but rarely follow through.
KET
So now is the time to tell DC what kind of Supergirl is wanted via tweeting, email, etc. - optimistic, kind, independent -- like the TV show.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I do like about the SG 'Rebirth' is that it's happening in the fall...which likely lines up with the (still unannounced, but it's merely a formality) second season of the TV show. :)
ReplyDeleteKET
This "Superwoman" book sounds intriguing I wonder who it is....and no "Power Girl" huh? Or am I misreading?
ReplyDeleteJF
Not quite a mea culpa from Johns or DC, but I do like his comment "get back to the essence of the DC Universe."
ReplyDeleteAnd I am hopeful that DC moves past the New 52 GrimDark brush they painted everything with the last couple years.
Time will tell, but speaking from past experience, DC REALLY needs to open up more and not waffle on what they're going
to do as we move closer to this. Personally the sting of their waffling right up until the Supergirl TV premiere is
still fresh but I won't rehash it -- it's one case where more openness from DC would've been VERY welcome.
> Supergirl Rebirth #1
> Supergirl #1
:gawks: Heartily 2nd you Anj, it's been WAAAAAAY too long without a monthy for Supergirl.
> Superwoman #1
Woah, what's up with this title, I wonder. My interest is piqued!
> and so much of my optimism will be based on who is attached to the book and what their approach to Kara will be.
> Please no 'hell on wheels', no 'dark loner', no 'bull-headed pessimist'. So let the speculation begin! Who would
> you want?
That's a very good question. For sure, something seperate from the Supergirl TV comic would be welcome, just to
differentiate the two. I'd love it if they picked up immedately from where K Perkins and co. left off at issue #40
and continued down that path, perhaps addressing why Supergirl was so conspicuously absent all this time.
I think you said it best before Anj that constantly "rebooting" Kara and starting her fresh can do more harm than
good, and alittle consistency would be very welcome going forward.
Regards
I'd be madly happy if we picked up with Kara in the coffee shop, blue fingernails, fading powers and Siobhan vs Blaze, but I'm expecting a clean start, mixing in TV with New 52 Kara. One way or another, that awful costume will be gone, so hurrah!
ReplyDeleteThanks for comments!
ReplyDeleteSuperwoman being a Power Girl book is a fascinating idea. Makes sense.
I do hope it is the same Kara from Ctucible, maybe a few months older, starting out on her own. Close enough to the show for those fans too.
...speaking of Siobhan, anyone catch the release pics of Silver Banshee for the TV Series?
ReplyDeleteMy immediate impression is the costuming is alittle bargain bin, but on the other,
the pose and facial expression struck in the pic makes one believe she's really
out for your soul... EEEEERIE!!!
Regards
Four-and-a-half years ago, the New 52 began. My local comic shop reported its highest sales in decades of being in business. Then the first wave of cancellation announcements began. Then the second wave of cancellation announcements began. Then respected artists and writers left DC. Then the third and fourth wave of cancellations began, Supergirl lost her monthly book, and Superman became a mere skeleton of what he once was. Then there was Convergence, a soft reboot, that gave us the "DC You" initiative. Sadly, those books failed to sell in high enough numbers to last. Now, here comes Rebirth. THIS TIME will be different. THIS TIME the readers will pick up books and stick with them. THIS TIME short-term success will lead to long-term success. But what makes THIS TIME different from all the other times? I suspect much of the surviving or renumbered books will be retooled to fit in with the expanding DC Cinematic Universe. Hopefully, Supergirl will take on the tone and optimism of the TV show, but how will that fit in with a movie Superman who destroys Smallville and Metropolis, snaps Zod's neck, and is now in a movie fighting(!) Batman. Sorry for the rant. I have loved DC's characters for decades, and I am eager to have a long box full of a regular series that does not get cancelled after 12 issues or get bogged down in an endless crossover. Please DC, give us stories of optimism and hope, of human relationships, and world-building without resorting to the same thing that you have given us over and over again for years.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone noticed that the Supergirl silhouette in the rebirth lineup looks like she is wearing her costume from Pre-crisis with the red shoulder pads linked to her symbol? You know, the one she did/did not die in. Might that give us a clue as to which Supergirl they're going to feature?
ReplyDeleteGerry Beritela
I'm pretty sure that Power Girl will be featured as part of the JSA in the new Earth 2 book.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty certain that pre-Flashpoint Lois and Clark will continue on in Action Comics #957 (yes, they're going back to original numbering!).
As for "Superwoman", and the silhouette of Kara with her possibly red shouldered costume... Way back when "Superman: Lois and Clark" #1 came out, Jurgens did hint that he had an idea of what happened to pre-Crisis Supergirl. Plus, she's been around since 1959. Time for a titular upgrade ;)
Since DC insists that this is not a reboot, I'm guessing that Supergirl #1 will be New-52 Supergirl. Plus Tomasi is sticking with the main Superman title, which is a pretty good indication that "Superman" is staying in the New-52.
There's even a new title called "The Super-Man", harkening back to the villainous character from "The Reign of the Super-Man" by Siegel and Shuster from 1933, before the Golden Age Superman...
I'm definitely curious and a little excited...
Yeah... I have to disagree about the success of the "Flash Rebirth," considering it put Barry Allen ahead of all the other speedsters and led into Flashpoint.
ReplyDeleteVery glad Supergirl is coming back. But I can't help but be very wary if Johns has a strong guiding hand in rebuilding Superman. Its been my opinion that he hasn't had "it" when it comes to Superman for a long time. He focuses on the wrong things IMO, like having too strong an affinity for Donner material and being a champion of that "Man over Super" model. But he is talented, and I can only hope at this point that if he does have a strong guiding hand here that he's willing to see what worked in the New 52, and more importantly what worked post-Crisis and what was so not working before Flashpoint so as not to take him back a terrible time. There's worthwhile things to take inspiration from in all eras, but post-Crisis probably has the least amount, especially the dreadful 2000s. So I'll hope for the best, and just hope he doesn't throw out the baby with the bathwater here.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Peter, Geoff Johns got rid of happy, well-adjusted Wally and brought back a Barry with suddenly tragic back story and added angst. The hero who was often accused of being boring when he was simply a nice guy suddenly became super-driven by a changed continuity murder, and I lost interest. I mean, can't a guy just join the police lab because he wants to help? The murder set the tone for the New 52 series and suddenly it's all dark super-speedsters, all the time. I've stopped reading the Flash for the first time since the Seventies.
ReplyDeleteI am actually with you guys. I'm a Wally guy.
ReplyDeleteIt's why I didn't go into too many details about FlashRebirth. I should have been more clear.
It was a success, at least financially.
My post on Comicvine sums up my thoughts on Rebirth so I'll post it here:
ReplyDeleteI don't feel the sense of dread that I did about the New 52 essentially butchering the history and grander scope of the DCU. Johns does at least admit that mistake about the DCNU in his Rebirth publicity pitches, he identifies one of the greatest flaws DC have suffered from the reboot, namely the loss of legacy. The bigger picture DCU has been gone for years and it's felt more cloistered and shut in for it. This sounds genuinely better and less disruptive than the New 52. Hopefully this deboot can be implemented in a way that will keep both new and old fans satisfied. And the media synergy problem I once had was resolved by Johns' words on it, at least for now.
On the other hand, I still hold several reservations. Bi monthly shipping is a big personal pet peeve of mine, I don't really like buying the same comic twice a month as it costs more and isn't always written as well as a monthly comic. Unless the creative teams on these bi monthly titles are killer selling material, I won't be willing to buy those comics twice a month. Also, though Johns being in charge of Rebirth is an improvement, the people in power make a lot of promises they don't keep and the New 52 was said to not be a reboot as well yet it was a reboot in every sense of the word. Moreover, DC need to get more talented creators and especially editors on titles outside the Bat Family, DC's cream of the crop can't be solely reserved for their most popular franchise.
Louis