What is DC Comics "Rebirth"?
Reading time: 2 minutes
DC Comics is releasing a slew of new issues starting back with #1 from June, and its main DC Universe line of comic books will be shipping twice a month, at the price of $2.99 an issue.
DC's description of the event and line-wide relaunch is a return of the characters to their core under the direction of DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, in a way that readers have seen from the writer before.
"At DC we believe in superheroes, and what makes them great," DC Entertainment Co-Publisher Dan DiDio said in a statement. "And, we also believe in the direct market and the core comics fan. 'Rebirth' is designed to bring back the best of DC's past, embrace the stories we currently love and move the entire epic universe into the future. We are returning to the essence of the DCU. With 'Rebirth' we are putting the highest priority on the direct market and we will continue to create and cultivate new opportunities for retailers to thrive and prosper, grow readers, fans and customers."
Kicking off with a series of "Rebirth Specials" then spilling into the new #1 issues and new series, the relaunch appears to be returning some of the characters to a status similar to their pre-"New 52" concepts, while also introducing new ideas (if Wally West doesn't come back as the character I loved for years then I'll remain unhappy).
So are the events of Flashpoint being reversed? Maybe fixed, but things do seem to be going back to what long term fans know and love, with the most telling sign of this being Action Comics and Detective Comics. The two comic series will return to their original, pre-Flashpoint-numbering: Action Comics #957 and Detective Comics #954.
The general plan is "to provide fans with more story, and more often". Whether that's a good plan or not remains to be seen as two comics a month for a lot of stories means more money spent by fans - with some fans already stating that they'll have to drop some comics as they'd essentially be doubling their comic intake for the month which they can't afford. On a positive note though, fan response to the New 52 was largely negative, though individual titles have won praise. If DC Rebirth isn't a wholesale reboot as Johns insists then this is a clever move. It allows the publisher to bring back the best of its past, without losing face by completely backtracking on its 2011 change of direction - a potential "win-win" for publisher and fans alike.
Support Us
Enjoyed this article?
Supporting us on Ko-fi helps keep Comic Book News UK running and lets us continue championing indie comic creators across the UK. Every contribution makes a real difference.
100% goes towards supporting indie creators
