So, I’m reading some recapped news from this past weekend’s New York Comic Convention. Johns is going to screw up Captain Marvel again. But it’ll be okay because Gary Frank will draw it. No Secret Six because a so-so Suicide Squad book is filling that role. Sigh. But then I cam across this head-scratcher.
Not only are these character meeting each other for the first time, Chase said, in the New 52, this is the first incarnation of Teen Titans, ever.
We’ve been trying to piece together DC’s supposed timeline for this relaunch for a few weeks now. I threw up my hands in disgust when they recently announced that none of the crisis stories (which had been referenced in some of the #1 issues of the relaunch) were still in continuity.
But now they are cutting loose every Teen Titans story ever written? Hey, I have no problem with that per se. I’m on record as saying DC should have started with a completely clean slate. But, um, do they realize they have already referenced those stories pretty heavily?
It’s no secret the new DC continuity is a complete cluster fuck at this point. No one is on the same page. Lobdell, writer of the Teen Titans who really should know these things, has said in interviews that there were other Titans before his team. Obviously, DC is just making thi shit up as they go along.
Personally, I could care less about the old Titans continuity. I’ve been telling Starfire fans for the last several weeks to calm the hell down. But come on, DC! How long did you spend thinking the relaunch through? Did you crib the supposed time line on a napkin? Cause really, you can’t keep your story straight in month 2!
This is just sad. Expect the first crisis event of the new DCU any day now.
DCnU Timeline 2.1 – with a rant/look at opposing views of the Crisis issue in the relaunch
This is why I think erasing Titans continuity matters even to fans who don’t care about it.
http://tamaranorbust.deviantart.com/journal/45143236/
Nice article. Thanks for the link!
I’ll try to remember to read that link Tam posted up when I’m more awake. Hope you don’t mind Lebeau, but I snuck a link to Timeline 2.1 at the end as you reference both the timeline and the Crisis issue that I address in it.
Anyways… this is really WTF. I was sad, but generally okay with the last Titan team being erased – and Superboy #1 really helped calm me on that issue (someday I do plan to finish that Retrospective too for Volume 3). Erasing all of it really messes with things, but then it does at least help clear up other things…
Things it clears up: Well, first it is a quick fix on people upset over Starfire for her being different than her old self. Also, having Cyborg start with the Justice League in this seems a bit easier (though I think they could have made it work pretty easily).
Things it F’s up: Well as you mentioned, #1s already referenced it. Top of the mind Red Hood and the Outlaws, though I think there were other comics that referenced it too. This also GREATLY goes against the idea that Batman and his various Robins’ past history is mostly intact. I’m mostly looking at Dick, for being a Titan was a strong leadership step for him, and is the main reason he knows nearly the entire superhero community and is so respected (not to mention friends) by most of them. He was better at rallying up the troops than Batman after all because of this! Plus, when he first quit as Robin (or got fired…) he ran with the Titans for a long time – really the Titans was a huge part of his life and helped him grow in various ways. Also, I’d need to search for them but I thought I saw a Lobdell interview that made it seem he at least thought that Dick’s Titan history was at least partially intact.
Really though DC, get your act together here or people may just start camping out on your lawn!
That is a fitting picture though, for this news made me really feel like DC just punched me in the face.
Yeah, this isn’t surprising from the perspective that the relaunch seems to be a total seat-of-the-pants effort.
The previewed artwork of Batman – Leviathan Strikes that showed Stephanie Brown in her Batgirl costume shows that a lot of decisions have been made hastily in the New 52.
They have genuinely botched the opportunity to actually create a new DCU that can be sustained well into the future. Instead, they took some continuity that was a little messed up and made it much, much, much worse.
They should have made it a hard reboot and just rode it out.
As it stands, all they are going to get out of the New 52 is a short-lived sales spike. They will all pat each other on the backs for a job well done and then wonder why things are back to the way they used to be less than a year from now.
DC is lucky that a few creators are doing good work on their current books, otherwise the backlash would be much more severe.
Lobdell, Snyder, and a few others (sadly Simone isn’t quite on that list right now) are basically the reason I’m not dropping DC right now due to these announcements.
Sadly I think you are right. Heck, from one response I read on that Didio gave in response to that OMAC may be shut down, it already seemed he was patting himself on the back and counting this a success. From there they will either try to ignore when things go back to normal (or even worse than before) or blame it on something else.
It is a success if your measuring stick is a short-term sales bump. They’re not thinking long term. They are just half-assing it. They should have built a solid foundation. But instead they are on shakier ground than ever before. This can’t help but crumble sooner rather than later.
As long as some of the books are good, I’ll stick with them. But you know some characters are going to be trashed in all this.
100% spot on comments.
“One fan asked if Tim Drake was still an orphan, Chase said she wouldn’t answer, but said he was still part of the Bat-family, something that would be reflected upon soon. When asked about Wally West, Chase responded, “who?”
A fan asked who the smoky girl on the cover of the first issue was, and Chase said it was Solstice. Chase also confirmed that there were plans for both Beast Boy and Raven.”
Read up a bit more on some the Comic Con stuff. I’m not really familiar with Chase but even so, what sort of horrible response is that?! And Solstice is… That is… Wow if that is Solstice either she got new powers or really changed. Would it have been wrong to have kept her looking like she was? And I’m sorry but I’m a bit tired of Beast Boy and Raven from Volume 3.
On Beast Boy and Raven – You and me both!
I’ve been working on a timeline myself and it is a pain because the “New 52″ is full of contradictions. They can’t keep all/most of Green Lantern and Bat continuity and reset everything else.
It’s like removing Robert E. Lee from the Civil War but saying everything still happened the same.
lol – great analogy!
If you have your timeline online, I’d love to look over to see what you have.
I’m planning on posting it next week after all the #2s are out.
itsjosiahdavid reblogged this on At My Own Resolute Desk and commented: Echoes a lot of my feelings about the Reboot, relaunch, whatever its called. I admit I’ve only read Static Shock and the Blue Beetle pilot (waste of money). I just don’t know about DC anymore.