The DC Comics "Revamp"

DC Comics announced today that their line will be revamped! I'm sure Dan DiDio, Geoff Johns, and Jim Lee will need bodyguards for a while....and middle-aged and older comic book fans will sit teary-eyed gazing at their huge collections of Golden, Silver, Bronze, kinda-modern, semi-modern, modern, and present day era comic books. The nostalgia of years of wasted money, effort, and time all for not....since all of that ink-blotted paper may become irrelevant in September when 52 comic book titles will be re-vamped, re-numbered (restarted at #1....including the Industry's two longest running comic books, Action Comics and Detective Comics), and re-tooled to attract younger audiences, compete with Marvel Comics (who has consistently kicked their ass over the last decade), and beg at the feet of movie producers.


Also, DC will be offering same-day digital downloads (the same day as the book hits comic book shops).

Perusing the various comic book news sites, blogs, & forums.....you would think the world was ending. Not so....all that is really happening is that DC Comics doesn't want to be "stuck" at #2 behind Marvel Comics for eternity, just for the sake of some whimpering, obsessive fan boys crying about continuity and Wonder Woman's legs. It's not like Batman will be carrying a gun, Superman will start killing, and Green Arrow will be throwing a spear.....simply, the company is trying to secure their future in an ever changing market. As much as we may love the DC Universe, it is FICTIONAL! DC Comics has to be around for the DC Universe to exist! They are doing what they need to do.

So what about the droves of fans who are swearing-off, boycotting, or any other description of no longer collecting DC Comics? I'll bet 80-90% are just mad at the moment and will continue collecting when they see that Green Lantern isn't wearing a necklace and Hawkman's wings still have feathers. No one likes change, but it is inevitable. As for the 10-20% who may actually be serious about dropping DC Comics off of their monthly pull lists....I would question your love of the Industry's greatest characters. Who do you love, Batman?....or the 400 comics sitting in your basement that have the word "Batman" inked on them? Do you love Superman or Wonder Woman?....their sales have been tanking for years and they need revamped desperately! If you are TRULY so concerned about continuity and staying "true" to the characters, THEN SUPERMAN DOESN'T FLY! Or have you forgotten that important little factoid from the earliest of Superman comic strips? (You know, "...leaps tall buildings in a single BOUND...") Do you want DC Comics to be #1 again? Do you want the best writers and artists flocking to the DC banner? Do you want our beloved heroes to stay relevant and attract new fans to join us at conventions and in forums across the globe? OR....do you really believe the universe revolves around JUST you?

Characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Hawkman, The Justice Society of America, etc....let us just say that every title except the Batman & Green Lantern franchises....have been struggling to find direction and consistent sales over the last few years....and nothing they have done seems to be working. Are our beloved heroes from a bygone era? Have they become irrelevant to today? That is why they need REVAMPED, so that they stay relevant! Will Final Crisis be rendered moot? Will there be any more Crisis? If they don't do something, yeah....Sales Crisis!

Grow up Comic Book Geeks! The world is NOT ending! Wednesday is still "comic book day"! Embrace Change! Give our Heroes a chance!....more importantly, give the creators and artists a chance to write and draw good stories without having to reference the exhaustive DC Encyclopedia every couple of pages to stay within the continuity that outdates 99% of comic book readers today! You saw what happened with Green Lantern when Geoff Johns thought outside the box, give all the creators a chance to do that! It's like old Batman films compared to new Batman films! The old ones were great, but the new ones are so much better! Start a new collection of our heroes from #1!!!!