2021 DC Comics Omnibus Thread

[The Natural]

Some preliminary drawings for Superman '78 from Torres':

[Kang]

If all goes well DC could jump to creating a book about axed 90's show Flash and and any other media adaptation from 90's to up someday. And maybe undoing some seasons of Arrow around 4 or 5 and start from there.

Anyway most of the current line of regular series and books are about A and B list characters and properties and some characters and properties they want to elevate to A and B list.

Edited February 16, 2021 by D.Z

[The Natural]

5 hours ago, D.Z said:

If all goes well DC could jump to creating a book about axed 90's show Flash and and any other media adaptation from 90's to up someday. And maybe undoing some seasons of Arrow around 4 or 5 and start from there.

Anyway most of the current line of regular series and books are about A and B list characters and properties and some characters and properties they want to elevate to A and B list.

I think they'll sell well, providing their good and with a fan base who has affects for one or both Batman '89 and Superman '78. I like Superman compared where I started off at 0 but I do like Death/World Without/Return of Superman comic books, Kingdom Come Superman, The Justice League animated series, All Star Superman, Superman/Kingdom Come Superman from the CWVerse and especially Christopher Reeve excellent portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman.

[The Natural]

Just spotted Prince in his Joker getup. Nice touch, that. Looks like the Dee Dee Twins from Batman of the Future.

Edited February 17, 2021 by The Natural

[Matt D]

I'd be way more into Batman '78 and Superman '89.

[odessasteps]

Apparently, DC released a Richard Dragon collection this week. 

[The Natural]

The red, black and white make this artwork stand out.

[The Natural]

 

[Matt D]

I know we've said it before, but it's amazing to see all of these CBR articles, one after the other, that basically says "DC reveals the dark/tragic fate of...." or "This DC hero became a monster..." in regards to Future State. I stopped reading after Flash in the first week but I feel like we get three or four of these every week as new issues are released. It's hard to put into words how creatively bankrupt the vision for this seems to be, after a long, long line of horrible/tragic/dark events. You can, and should, blame Didio to a degree, but it's just maddening.

[Eoae]

4 hours ago, Matt D said:

I know we've said it before, but it's amazing to see all of these CBR articles, one after the other, that basically says "DC reveals the dark/tragic fate of...." or "This DC hero became a monster..." in regards to Future State. 

There's not a lot of variety in Future State.  Most every book paints a bleak, dystopian future of bitter, jaded heroes.  I guess the event is selling well enough.  I'm surprised.  i didn't think there'd be an audience and, having read a fair number of the books, really don't want there to be an audience for this,

Future State; Shazam was a kick in the nuts coming so close on the heels of John's very fun take on the character.

Spoiler

Marvel/Shazam cuts a deal with Nekron to separate him from Billy Batson (for a good reason), then loses his humanity and becomes a Judge Dredd-type vigilante who straight-up murders villains and heroes who get close to learning his secrets.  I m

Supergirl going sorta the same direction was equally dismal.

[odessasteps]

Wouldn't it be nice if they occasionally tried a nice future and see how stuff sold? 

Every year, my decision to mostly cut ties with nu52 seems better and better. 

[ohtani's jacket]

I finished up the Dark Ages storyline in Astro City. The Silver Agent special was really moving. Not ashamed to say I got a bit teary-eyed at the end. The next series was really jarring, though. That Broken Man character and the manga chibi character that I can't say I really appreciated (felt like a stereotypical representation of manga/anime to me, though I'm sure it wasn't meant as a swipe at the culture.) For all the talk of Dark Ages being difficult to get through, the new series is the one that has caught me off guard. 

Still going strong with Starman. It drifts from time to time with crossovers and flashbacks, but when it focuses on the core relationships between the characters and doesn't try to be too hip, it's as solid a superhero title as I've read in a mighty long time. It's interesting because I'm still not sure if I like the lead character or not, but I love the world around him. 

Jonah Hex has been enjoyable. When Michael Fleisher came on board, he fleshed out Hex's backstory a bit, but the title is still largely episodic. I can accept that, though it does become repetitious if you binge read it. I try not to read too much of it at a time.

I began reading All-Star Squadron again, sort of inspired by the use of Golden Age characters in Starman. I know it's a loving tribute to Golden Age characters, but I can only read a little bit at a time because of the tone. I guess I cut my teeth on grim superheroes and have never really warmed to more wholesome stuff.

I've been slowly making my way through Mark Waid's run on Flash. So far I've really enjoyed the arc where Barry Allen returned and I also liked the storyline where Wally had a meltdown over not being able to save that woman from horrific injuries, but aside from that I don't really see what's so special about Waid's run. I enjoyed the Baron and William Messner-Loebs' runs far more. That is partly due to nostalgia as I used to hunt for those runs in secondhand bookstores when I was a kid (my primary means of tracking down back issues before I discovered that comic book stores existed, which incidentally was a glorious day in my life.) Waid's run feels generic in comparison and the art has become really cartoony. 

Aside from that, I have been re-reading 60s Doom Patrol, which is one of my favorite titles from the Silver Age, and I am making my way through the 5 Year Later run of Legion of Super-Heroes, though I still don't understand what's going on. That book used to intrigue me whenever I'd go to the comic book store and pick up that free Direct Currents newsletter. It was a book I also wanted to get into, but it was one of the expensive titles. I cannot understand what is going on from one issue to the next. The last time I read it, it was after going through the famous Legion runs, and I don't remember being this confused. 

[odessasteps]

I think in the beginning, Jack is supposed to be not totally likable or at least heroic. He didn't want the Cosmic Rod after all or to be a cape. I'd say one of the main themes of the book is him growing into it, especially given certain things that happen later. 

[Kang]

From Generations

https://www.gamesradar.com/dc-introducing-a-new-wrinkle-to-classic-continuity/

 Another universe...Linearverse. People age slower in this universe and most stories that happened before fits in this universe.

[Eoae]

Show of hands... how many people think this is actually going to streamline continuity?  I feel like it's going to do the opposite.

[Kang]

16 minutes ago, Eoae said:

Show of hands... how many people think this is actually going to streamline continuity?  I feel like it's going to do the opposite.

Its not meant to, it's another universe co existing along with the one post Future State. 

[twiztor]

so, i thought Future State was just a 2 month "event", but now i see there's a number of ongoings happening. this really feels like the New52 launch, but with even less clarity. what's "real"? what's "canon"? what connects?

i haven't read any FS titles, so correct me if i'm wrong, but even the limited FS titles weren't all set in the same time? so it's a bunch of minis that either lead somewhere or don't, that may or may not connect to other minis/ongoings, that may or may not replace the standard series, and that may or may not mean anything.

either do another relaunch, or don't. but this half-assed shit just seems like a mess.

[Kang]

Ongoing plot point is to stop the Future State timeline, and they most likely will. Both Armageddon 2001 Monarch timeline and Lord Chaos timeline were both stopped in the end so expect the same for the Future State's DC future.

Future State is one long future until it's heat death end. The actual DC universe won't become future state and isn't also the new universe I posted above. 

Very simple.

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by D.Z

[Eoae]

1 hour ago, D.Z said:

Its not meant to, it's another universe co existing along with the one post Future State. 

I understand how the multiverses are being set up, though I wonder if someone's who's a new reader or not following Death Metal and Future State and Bleeding Cool or CBR would.  The part I think is going to get messy is how this all fits together.  When this soft reboot began, DC said they wanted to give writers the freedom to tell stories without editorial interference or worrying that certain characters have to be used or certain events have to be written in.  

It sounded like writers were going to be free to tell past stories, future stories, stories out of continuity, etc.  And they now have a way to set those stories in the DC universe by setting them in the Linearverse or Elseworlds or wherever.  If they really do that, though, it's going to get confusing fast unless you're reading every book every month.  It at least sounded like a Superman title could be set in the main universe (forget what they're calling it now), but that I could get hired as writer and come in and tell an elseworlds story in the same book.

I mean. that's great if that's where they're going.  But it seems like it will get messy a year down the road when you're switching up creative teams and they all have different ideas about the stories they want to tell.  And, if you're not doing, it's just a New 52 reboot less well-defined.

 

49 minutes ago, twiztor said:

so, i thought Future State was just a 2 month "event", but now i see there's a number of ongoings happening. this really feels like the New52 launch, but with even less clarity. what's "real"? what's "canon"? what connects?

i haven't read any FS titles, so correct me if i'm wrong, but even the limited FS titles weren't all set in the same time? so it's a bunch of minis that either lead somewhere or don't, that may or may not connect to other minis/ongoings, that may or may not replace the standard series, and that may or may not mean anything.

either do another relaunch, or don't. but this half-assed shit just seems like a mess.

See above.  Twitzor is making my point for me.  I understand where they are going with Future State, but I also have read many of the books (more than usual) + follow Bleeding Cool and CBR on Twitter so I see what's being written about the books instead of just in the books.  I'm not sure I'd be following all of this if I followed my usual pattern and was reading a Joshua Williamson book and the King Batman books and maybe checking out one or two other titles every couple months.

It may turn out to be very simple, but I'm not convinced it's not going to be another DC conundrum that will confuse or turn off a lot of fans and be undone in five years by yet another reboot.

Edited February 23, 2021 by Eoae

[Kang]

Most of the monthly regular series books are set on the same Earth 0 except Crime Syndicate and Future State Gotham and Batman/Superman and the Chip universe. Earth 0 isn't the Linearverse. Bleeding Cool over exaggerated the new ominverse approach for clickbait and outrage porn.

Marvel has ran separate worlds running at the same time before. Exiles, Mutant X, 2099, MC2, Ultimate etc, the new approach is just more of that in individual few books.

Edited February 23, 2021 by D.Z

[twiztor]

2 hours ago, D.Z said:

Future State is one long future until it's heat death end. The actual DC universe won't become future state and isn't also the new universe I posted above. 

Very simple.

this makes sense. Either it was explained poorly or I misunderstood the premise. I'd believe either. or both.

1 hour ago, D.Z said:

Marvel has ran separate worlds running at the same time before. Exiles, Mutant X, 2099, MC2, Ultimate etc, the new approach is just more of that in individual few books.

this perspective helps quite a bit. thank you.

[The Natural]

I’m a big fan of the American Vampire series. I posted my reviews of the books out at the time, three on the previous version of the board before this one came to be in 2013. I posted four on this. I’ve gone back to redo them all to go with the new one because as noted, I’m a big American Vampire fan and it’s a series I strongly recommend to you. As would my friend, @WholeFnMachine. I’ll do two a time.

American Vampire (Vol. 1) caught my eye as I was about to leave the library yesterday because of the title and recognizing Stephen King’s name so I borrowed it and finished it today. This book collects American Vampire #1-5. The first story in each issue written by Scott Snyder is set in 1925’s Los Angeles as Pearl Jones is killed by vampires but rises as Skinner Sweet turns her into what he is, a vampire like him – a big difference. The second story in each issue written by Stephen King begins in the 1880s Colorado going to 1925 Los Angles. It’s about Wild West Outlaw Skinner Sweet, his rivalry with Lawman James Book who brings him in, how Sweet becomes the American Vampire and the fallout from it. Rafael Albuquerque is the artist. This was fantastic for the story told, the artwork, the interesting characters, the different settings and how characters react to getting turned into vampires. Some embrace the change whereas one doesn’t. A must read.

American Vampire (Vol. 2). Having enjoyed American Vampire Vol. 1 like I did, I went on the online library catalogue same day to see if they had this and they did. This volume collects American Vampire #6-11 written by Scott Snyder. In issues #6-9 Devil in the Sand with artist Rafael Albuquerque, Las Vegas Police Chief Cashel McCogan attempts to clean up Las Vegas in 1936 joined by Jack Straw/Felicia Book. The former learns vampires exist which is why Straw/Book are there. These issues also reveal what Pearl Jones, her partner Henry Preston and Skinner Sweet have done since the first volume. We get more of the Pearl Jones/Henry Preston couple in #10-11’s The Way Out drawn by Mateus Santdauco and find a character believed dead survived wanting vengeance on Pearl. We’re now in 1936 California. A terrific book for the story, surprises and seeing old characters with new ones including different species of vampires.

[The Natural]

Two more for today:

American Vampire (Vol. 3). This book borrowed from the library collects American Vampire #12-18 and American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest #1-5. All are written by Scott Snyder. American Vampire #12’s Strange Frontier, Danijel Zezelj artist looks at Skinner Sweet in 1919’s Idaho as he watches a Wild West show involving the actual historical figures he knows way back but unlike Sweet, aged. Ghost War, American Vampire #13-18 with regular artist Rafael Albuquerque takes place in World War II as Henry Preston joins a small team from The Vassals of the Morning Star. An organization made up of vampire hunters to investigate reports of a vampire infestation on Taipan Island.  American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest is a mini-series, the story is called Survival of the Fittest and the artist is Sean Murphy. Its set in 1941 as The Vassals of the Morning Star Agents Felicia Book and Cashel McCoogan are out to rescue a scientist who may have developed a cure for vampirism. This was another brilliant book for story, artwork, surprises and character developments. We get a  fight between Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones in Ghost War notable for their long history and how Sweet turned Pearl into a fellow American Vampire. I’m a big fan of the series and in turn made me big fans of Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Sean Murphy and Dustin Nguyen who I was introduced to.

American Vampire (Vol. 4). This book collects American Vampire #19-27 written by Scott Snyder and artists Jordi Bernet, Rafael Albuquerque, Roger Cruz and Riccardo Burchielli. #19-21 The Beast in the Cave looks at James Book and Skinner Sweet in the US Army battling the Indians in 1871 and there’s an Apache belief which is a vampire. Only thing going for it is the Book/Sweet tandem because of later developments we’d read in American Vampire (Vol. 1). I didn’t like the retroactive continuity change that Mimiteh was actually the first American Vampire. Death Race from #22-25 sees a vampire hunter in 1954, Travis Kidd out to avenge his parents killed by vampires as a child and how it led to him having shock treatment for his beliefs that vampires exist. I liked it more second time round and how it refers to something from Devil in the Sand. #27-29 The Nocturnes takes place in 1954 as well. We see how Calvin Poole is getting on both as an American Vampire and a black man in Alabama. A Christmas 2013 present from my parents.

[Kang]

New Supergirl monthly coming soon.

[Kang]

The JSA and Infinity Inc are restored in history, however don't expect everything to be the same. Stargirl is a member of the JSA, Alan Scott will be joining the multiversal Justice Incarnate along with Barry.

Edited March 1, 2021 by D.Z