DC is suffering a Crisis…again. On the completion of the limited series “Flashpoint”, DC is relaunching titles with first issue comics including Action Comics which just celebrated its 900th issue and Detective Comics also nearing #900. This would be significant if they didn’t do it ever ten years or so (though until this point both titles plus Batman had been untouched). In 1986, Crisis on Infinite Earth relaunched much of the DC Universe, then in 1994, Zero Hour did the same for many of the titles. At this point, Flashpoint just seems like more of the same.
Superman loses his trademark red undies.
The argument is that it becomes a “jumping on point” for readers who have slowly been leaving. It actually ends up more of a marketing ploy…first issues just generally sell more. Marvel has relaunched series over and over again but the numbers always seem to float back to original numbering (especially when a “historic” issue number is close to surfacing). I know that some comic book vendors are seeing it as a dangerous “jumping off point” for some loyal readers frustrated with big crossovers and changes to their favorite characters.
There is also some questionable titles, writers, and artist combinations. A lot of it seems a throwback to Image (which in my opinion ruined early ’90s comics). Putting the flashy art before quality writing was the issue with most of their titles. I hope they release all the DC #1s with multiple foil covers and polybagged with collectible cards. On the technical side, DC also intends to do same day releases of digital comics with current titles. A comic reader can wake up on the normal Wednesday “comic book day” and find his issues already on his computer, tablet, or even his phone. This does take the collector out of collecting comics. There is no value to files. If I missed Justice League #3, I can just download it. Part of the fun of collecting is the hunt. Personally, I’m not a big fan of digital books, but digital comic books, because they are visual, make a little more sense.
Comics are constantly changing and reinventing themselves. It is a must to survive and keep readers interested. I hope the medium never dies because the excitement of checking out the racks and seeing what’s new is something that can never be replaced, but through events like “Flashpoint”, comic book manufacturers seem to be continuously trying.
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