Uh, nothing. It was a family guy reference. Zhurrie used the phrase in his last post and it struck me funny. And now I feel dumb explaining i now so I'm going to stop talking...
Sorry. I am largely out of touch with what's on TV, except a few series I watch on DVD. Pop Culture references less than 10 years old tend to go right over my head.
Uh, nothing. It was a family guy reference. Zhurrie used the phrase in his last post and it struck me funny. And now I feel dumb explaining i now so I'm going to stop talking...
"stop talking" You say your posts aloud as you type them? ;)
Uh, nothing. It was a family guy reference. Zhurrie used the phrase in his last post and it struck me funny. And now I feel dumb explaining i now so I'm going to stop talking...
"stop talking" You say your posts aloud as you type them? ;)
@random73;) That was why I used it, glad the reference didn't go unnoticed... I'm such a terrible boogey man negative nancy that I still try to slip in a FG reference in a teh internets fight.
And BTW, a DC comic ended up in my pull box because they put out a He-Man #1 and my LCS gave me a copy since I'm a He-Man fan. So I think I'm allowed to have an opinion again!
@random73;) That was why I used it, glad the reference didn't go unnoticed... I'm such a terrible boogey man negative nancy that I still try to slip in a FG reference in a teh internets fight.
And BTW, a DC comic ended up in my pull box because they put out a He-Man #1 and my LCS gave me a copy since I'm a He-Man fan. So I think I'm allowed to have an opinion again!
hey, how was that He-man and the MOTU comic? it looked interesting. my buddy kevin is a huge collector and i was thinking about picking it up for him just for shits and grins. any good?
I would encourage those interested to read it for yourself, but for me the main takeaways are that it is made very clear that this is not a reboot, as per this quote from Alonso:
"Marvel NOW! is a line-spanning initiative, so there'll be titles involved in it that will stem from just about every editorial office, and that will be handled by the full breadth of our editorial staff, including Steve Wacker and Mark Paniccia, as well as Lauren Sankovitch, Jeanine Schaefer, Jordan White, Sana Amanat, Daniel Ketchum, and Bill Rosemann," Brevoort said. "Pretty much the full staff is involved with Marvel NOW! in some respect, but the first three books we're talking about here are being edited either by Nick Lowe or myself."
A large number of titles will be part of the Marvel NOW! initiative, but that doesn't mean that every book Marvel publishes will be restarted with a new #1 issue. "Anything that has a story hook tied into this initiative will be branded Marvel NOW!" Alonso explained. "So there will be a lot of new #1 issues including 'Thor' #1, an 'Iron Man' #1, and a 'Captain America' #1, but there might be some other titles, like 'Daredevil' for instance, which won't go through a creative change or have a new #1. Mark Waid is doing a fantastic job on that book and his run is still very new. So we have no interest in interrupting that book. Of course, if Mark and Steve Wacker come up with a great hook that legitimizes things the book would become part of the Marvel NOW! line up."
There is more in the article about how they discussed the possibility of a reboot, that they are not promising they will never go that way, but that this is NOT one. Nor is it even a line-wide relaunch of #1s (though there will be a lot of those).
Another thing made clear is that there is not a plan to change pricing (so this is not them retreating from $3.99, as some speculated they might do, nor does it mean that everything is going to $3.99, as there are still plenty of $2.99 books).
And it sounds like there is not going to be some big phase out of books going on. Now, of course, there are two reactions to that-- if you think Marvel publishes too many books, well, now they are publishing more.
But, if there is a mid-charting book you really love, like an Avengers Academy or a New Mutants, it sounds like it is safe.
It also sounds like they are moving away from mini-series in favor of ongoings.
Honestly, the more I hear about this, the more it sounds like what it sounded to me in the first place: another heavily promoted piece of trade dress, with some associated new titles and #1s, a la Dark Reign or Age of Heroes. Are they trying to get everyone buzzing about it at San Diego? Of course. But this is not, nor does it seem like it was ever intended to be, them doing what DC did.
(Though I am sure they would be excited to sell like DC sold. We'll see whether it helps.)
"So there will be a lot of new #1 issues including 'Thor' #1, an 'Iron Man' #1, and a 'Captain America' #1,
ANOTHER Cap #1?? geez! Is Cap in the lead among Marvel characters?? What is this? The 5th? 6th? and another Thor #1??
As I said when I originally saw the news: Marvel is making it harder and harder to be a Marvel fan! That being said, the bottom line remains: are the comics good. To the extent they are, I guess numbering, trade dress, whatever, aren't really important. Still, can't they see how confusing they are making things??
To me it still just seems to be a half-measure attempt to gain some attention and sales. DC at least went for it pretty much full-on, this is more "let's reboot the lesser selling titles and not mess with the better stuff." It comes off as a fence-sitter's approach to New 52.
That said, I hope some of the rebooted titles are done really well because I think a lot of kids and new readers want to jump in but find it pretty impenetrable. I can't tell you how many kids with parents or parents or even younger kids/teens coming from some of the new movies pop in the LCS (Which is near a theater) and ask precisely that, and there isn't always a good answer. Now a shop owner can say here is whatever #1 and hopefully not have to mention the 37 versions and events and tie-ins needed to even know what is happening which is when they glaze over and just give up. Most often the best answer is a really good trade, but that isn't what they want.
I much prefer what Marvel's doing to DC's reboot. Every time DC reboots its "reality" it weakens the fabric of its entire line. There's at least 3 or 4 versions, now - and in a few years there's no way anyone but the loyalest (and most anal!) fans will be able to know exactly what "counts" and what doesn't. At least for (almost) all of Marvel's numbering shananigans, they're (pretty much) kept their continuity intact.* You don't need a scorecard to tell what's in and what's out. I'm hoping they never take the step that DC did and change all that.
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*Brand New Day being the most obvious change in continuity. But Marvel has also quietly retweaked several origin stories, moving Iron Man from Viet Nam to Iraq, and rejiggering the FF space launch a bit, as well.
To me it still just seems to be a half-measure attempt to gain some attention and sales. DC at least went for it pretty much full-on, this is more "let's reboot the lesser selling titles and not mess with the better stuff." It comes off as a fence-sitter's approach to New 52.
That said, I hope some of the rebooted titles are done really well because I think a lot of kids and new readers want to jump in but find it pretty impenetrable. I can't tell you how many kids with parents or parents or even younger kids/teens coming from some of the new movies pop in the LCS (Which is near a theater) and ask precisely that, and there isn't always a good answer. Now a shop owner can say here is whatever #1 and hopefully not have to mention the 37 versions and events and tie-ins needed to even know what is happening which is when they glaze over and just give up. Most often the best answer is a really good trade, but that isn't what they want.
i agree that it is a diet reboot, regardless of the non-reboot language being used. This is the return salvo after the initial attack. still i also agree in that i also hope some of these new titles are done really well. although i hardly qualify as a new reader there is a lot of marvel stuff i avoid for the very reasons you describe. there is just too much baggage to just jump in and roll with it. im looking forward to the possibility of picking up some more regular marvel titles right now im only collecting 4 (2 of which ive not seen issues 1 of yet. Hawkeye & Captain Marvel)
To me it still just seems to be a half-measure attempt to gain some attention and sales. DC at least went for it pretty much full-on, this is more "let's reboot the lesser selling titles and not mess with the better stuff." It comes off as a fence-sitter's approach to New 52.
That said, I hope some of the rebooted titles are done really well because I think a lot of kids and new readers want to jump in but find it pretty impenetrable. I can't tell you how many kids with parents or parents or even younger kids/teens coming from some of the new movies pop in the LCS (Which is near a theater) and ask precisely that, and there isn't always a good answer. Now a shop owner can say here is whatever #1 and hopefully not have to mention the 37 versions and events and tie-ins needed to even know what is happening which is when they glaze over and just give up. Most often the best answer is a really good trade, but that isn't what they want.
I definitely agree that DC went bigger and bolder, and I think they have earned the success for taking those risks. What Marvel is doing doesn't compare, though I agree it seems an effort is being made to invite in readers that may be intrigued post-Avengers movie.
But, on the flip side, there were those that loved some of the things that got lost in the DC reboot. For example, fans of the Stephanie Brown Batgirl title probably wish that DC would have allowed more of the titles it had which had found a following to not be interrupted.
So I would say there are pluses and minuses to each approach.
No doubt, my LCS is actually not the average demographic with a lot of guys that are very old and have been reading some titles since they began and I actually felt bad for them when the New 52 hit and they dropped the really long running ones like Detective and Action which they all just dropped as a result. The numbering actually meant something to them, but I get they are the very small minority. However, I think that could have been held a bit sacred and that numbering continued and then just reboot the individual titles which don't have that kind of history. With Marvel it has just become such a convoluted mess to me that I don't care to even try any more. With the New 52 I really hoped for a real new start and beginning and I was enticed enough to buy into it, with this because it isn't bold or unique or dramatic I'm barely interested by any of the press so far. I'll see what actually comes of it though and if any books dare to be different or really do something right, I'd consider caring if only to show support for that specifically. My hopes aren't up though.
The funny thing is how the films don't jump sales of the associated titles. A friend of mine owns a comic shop that has been around a very long time and a customer was just asking him last week if the movies boost his sales and he flat out said no. What was interesting was that movies like Sin City and Hellboy *did* see big jumps in sales directly because of the films but he attributes it more to the fact that people weren't even aware of them being comics until seeing the films. Everyone knows Spiderman/Avengers/Hulk/etc. were and are comics though and the past 4+ films didn't make them buy comics so one more doesn't either. Kids/parents though do respond a bit because often the parent remembers reading comics and the kid has some interest in the film and they pop into the shop, but outside of some of the kiddie versions which are accessible there isn't an easy go-to comic for each film which is a lost opportunity IMO and not only that but they should actually trumpet the comic aspect of the film before in a trailer or something to really put it out there. Hopefully this is a move in that direction of a go-to book for each title, but like I said I'll reserve judgement until this all plays out.
oh, and @random73 He-Man was terrible I thought... even free I kinda felt cheated. The art is strange at best with a mixture of fail on penciler, inker, and colorist all throughout (and it is a miss-mash of people on it even) and the writing I thought was even worse which I had hoped better for being James Robinson. It just seems like a disjointed mess all around.
oh, and @random73 He-Man was terrible I thought... even free I kinda felt cheated. The art is strange at best with a mixture of fail on penciler, inker, and colorist all throughout (and it is a miss-mash of people on it even) and the writing I thought was even worse which I had hoped better for being James Robinson. It just seems like a disjointed mess all around.
darn i was hoping robinson would pull some really cool stuff out of his hat. :(
The funny thing is how the films don't jump sales of the associated titles. A friend of mine owns a comic shop that has been around a very long time and a customer was just asking him last week if the movies boost his sales and he flat out said no. What was interesting was that movies like Sin City and Hellboy *did* see big jumps in sales directly because of the films but he attributes it more to the fact that people weren't even aware of them being comics until seeing the films. Everyone knows Spiderman/Avengers/Hulk/etc. were and are comics though and the past 4+ films didn't make them buy comics so one more doesn't either. Kids/parents though do respond a bit because often the parent remembers reading comics and the kid has some interest in the film and they pop into the shop, but outside of some of the kiddie versions which are accessible there isn't an easy go-to comic for each film which is a lost opportunity IMO and not only that but they should actually trumpet the comic aspect of the film before in a trailer or something to really put it out there. Hopefully this is a move in that direction of a go-to book for each title, but like I said I'll reserve judgement until this all plays out.
It's hard to say. Certainly there is a proven correlation between a movie and a distinct work (e.g. Watchmen and Watchmen, V for Vendetta and V for Vendetta, I would guess that volumes of 300 bumped the year of that movie, etc.) But that is partly because it is so easy to make the direct film to book connection for an interested reader... but it is also a lot easier to track. Because if you are blown away by this or that movie and want to see the original work, then you will buy exactly that. The interest that, say, a Batman, Iron Man, or Avengers movie might also recruit, but the effect of that is going to be more spread out over a lot of different product. Or might take longer to be acted upon--
The needle might not move in a significant, direct market way on, say, Iron Man when the Iron Man movie came out. The same may prove true about Avengers. But here's the thing: How many times have we heard from readers who were kids in the 90s that the X-Men cartoon was the thing that started them reading comics in the first place? Back when there would be threads about what got you started reading comics, that was the answer (as well as other TV shows and movies) in many cases. So it may be that a bump-sized number doesn't come to any one single Batman, Spider-Man, Thor, or Avengers comic. But it may be that these titles, and perhaps promoted jumping-on points, might recruit the next generation of readers. And that those readers who jumped on may buy sporadically at first, or it may be that their love of the movies get them to start reading years down the line via trades at a bookstore on on a tablet... but may be now on board when they might not have otherwise given comics a try.
It is one of those things hard to track by the overall numbers (or by the anecdotes of any one shop) but it may be the case. But it may not be clear until years later, when the committed comic fans of the 2020s are looking back on all those big tentpole superhero movies they grew up with.
So while it may be that there is not the immediate cause and effect of, say, The Avengers movie immediately bumping sales of Avengers Assemble it may still have an overall effect.
Every time DC reboots its "reality" it weakens the fabric of its entire line. There's at least 3 or 4 versions, now - and in a few years there's no way anyone but the loyalest (and most anal!) fans will be able to know exactly what "counts" and what doesn't.
This concern/issue I just do not get at all. Whatever is mentioned or referenced going forward has happened in the new continuity. If it isn't referenced, it never happened. Seems very simple to me, and I like it. What I know about the DCU comes in handy, but nothing is certain.
I read almost entirely Marvel books back in the eighties (high school). For the X-Men to be dragging that same continuity behind them all this time later is absurd and a huge disincentive to my jumping back into Marvel again. The characters should be 150 years old.
I buy runs of certain Marvel books here and there, and I have to read a Spider-Man arc every couple of years. I skipped the Ultimate line way back when because it wasn't the primary ("real") continuity. But if they started their books over again from scratch? I'd on board for the long haul with a few, I'm sure.
never thought i'd say this, but i do have a bad feeling about this... which is good for my wallet, actually. been trimming down my list drastically, and if some of my books don't survive THIS, it'd take a really good creative team and a really new and interesting spin on a book/concept to get me to pick up a new book.
Any word on whether Marvel is going to also use this as an opportunity to change their digital pricing? Because everytime I get excited about a chance to dive back into what used to be my favorite publisher, the reality of paying 3.99 for a comic sets in. I just don't think they're worth that much, and it's amazing how much my comics budget goes down when I eliminate them.
That aside, though, I think many of their titles could use at least a soft reboot. I also think they need room to grow without the intrusion of another event, but I won't hold my breath for that. And I do find it odd that this is all happening just a few months after the X-titles were relaunched. I feel like a bit of a sucker for jumping on board for that.
The only difference between what they are doing with Marvel Now! and what they have done for the last five years is branding. Outside of that this is no different from what Marvel has tried to do every couple of years.
Every time DC reboots its "reality" it weakens the fabric of its entire line. There's at least 3 or 4 versions, now - and in a few years there's no way anyone but the loyalest (and most anal!) fans will be able to know exactly what "counts" and what doesn't.
This concern/issue I just do not get at all. Whatever is mentioned or referenced going forward has happened in the new continuity. If it isn't referenced, it never happened. Seems very simple to me, and I like it. What I know about the DCU comes in handy, but nothing is certain.
I read almost entirely Marvel books back in the eighties (high school). For the X-Men to be dragging that same continuity behind them all this time later is absurd and a huge disincentive to my jumping back into Marvel again. The characters should be 150 years old.
I buy runs of certain Marvel books here and there, and I have to read a Spider-Man arc every couple of years. I skipped the Ultimate line way back when because it wasn't the primary ("real") continuity. But if they started their books over again from scratch? I'd on board for the long haul with a few, I'm sure.
The rule is simple in theory, difficult in application. Sure, now, with only 11 issues undder the belt, its simple to know what "counts." But in 8 years from now? Did Joe Chill kill Batman's parents? Is he alive? Dead? Is Barry Allen's mother alive? Dead? His father? It will all start to blur. You'll have a piece of the character's history in your head, and you won't be sure if you got it from before or after the reboot. Or perhaps you got a twist on it after the reboot. And every time you read an older story (and you're not going to just stop reading those older stories, are you? Some of the greatest comics ever created were created before nu52). this will compound the problem. Multiple histories for each character just floating around.
The Ultimates run was no different than the nu52. It was a whole new universe where nothing that came before counted. You didn't need to read the 616 universe to enjoy it. The only difference between nu52 and Ultimates is that Marvel ran both at the same time. To the extent it didn't feel real, I guess you can analogize buying Ultimate comics now to buying pre-nu52 comics now. Both are self-contained universes that don't affect the "real" world.
Yes, Marvel has more baggage - but the point is, you don't NEED to know it all. If you know it, fine, but any good writer starting a run will bring up those elements of the vast history that he wants to use in the current run. You didn't need to know the entirety of Matt & Foggy's history between each other to appreciate Bendis' DD run, or the ins and out of Sharon Carter being alive or dead to appreciate Brubaker's Cap run. Those writers gave you what you needed. But the one thing you didn't have to worry about was whether something you read before was still part of the history. It was.
Anyway, the bottom line for me (and I assume most people here) is good comics. In my view, the nu52 is most valuable because it upped the number of good DC comics, IMHO. I was reading 2 or 3 DC titles, now I'm reading around 10. So that's good. I just think they didn't need to reboot DC reality, and that by doing so, in the long run they hurt themselves (and us readers) by weakening our sense of the comics universe. I'm happy Marvel doesn't appear to be doing the same thing, but am hopeful that more good Marvel comics will emerge from this initiative (although, to be honest, the previews for it look kinda shaky to me!).
funny you mention reading more DC titles than before. in my neck of the woods Marvel is, or was, vastly more popular than DC and I was certainly in the minority by being a DC fan.
One thing I think has clearly happened in this shake up is that people who previously avoideded DC because of what I think was the (faulty) perception that DC tended to be more "bright and shiney" than the Marvel U. I would frequently get the impression that DC was considered "kids" comics and Marvel was for the "grown ups".
I think that if nothing else people that didn't ordinarily read DC books found themselves giving it a go and as a result reading more books because the stories were pretty good. I think most non-comic fans have a perception of what comics are that is about 40 years out of date and i think to a lesser degree non-dc readers have a similar blindfold on. and if nothing else the DCnU got people reading more DC books.
Im not saying this was the circumstance with you your post just got me thinking about it.
Comments
Square bread and round bologna?
That you can never find the droids you're looking for?
Best parts of the movie.
which one is more "zero-y" ?
and dont even get me thinking about the zero theory in mathematics...
I like ya Greg!
And BTW, a DC comic ended up in my pull box because they put out a He-Man #1 and my LCS gave me a copy since I'm a He-Man fan. So I think I'm allowed to have an opinion again!
I would encourage those interested to read it for yourself, but for me the main takeaways are that it is made very clear that this is not a reboot, as per this quote from Alonso: There is more in the article about how they discussed the possibility of a reboot, that they are not promising they will never go that way, but that this is NOT one. Nor is it even a line-wide relaunch of #1s (though there will be a lot of those).
Another thing made clear is that there is not a plan to change pricing (so this is not them retreating from $3.99, as some speculated they might do, nor does it mean that everything is going to $3.99, as there are still plenty of $2.99 books).
And it sounds like there is not going to be some big phase out of books going on. Now, of course, there are two reactions to that-- if you think Marvel publishes too many books, well, now they are publishing more.
But, if there is a mid-charting book you really love, like an Avengers Academy or a New Mutants, it sounds like it is safe.
It also sounds like they are moving away from mini-series in favor of ongoings.
Honestly, the more I hear about this, the more it sounds like what it sounded to me in the first place: another heavily promoted piece of trade dress, with some associated new titles and #1s, a la Dark Reign or Age of Heroes. Are they trying to get everyone buzzing about it at San Diego? Of course. But this is not, nor does it seem like it was ever intended to be, them doing what DC did.
(Though I am sure they would be excited to sell like DC sold. We'll see whether it helps.)
As I said when I originally saw the news: Marvel is making it harder and harder to be a Marvel fan! That being said, the bottom line remains: are the comics good. To the extent they are, I guess numbering, trade dress, whatever, aren't really important. Still, can't they see how confusing they are making things??
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L nny
That said, I hope some of the rebooted titles are done really well because I think a lot of kids and new readers want to jump in but find it pretty impenetrable. I can't tell you how many kids with parents or parents or even younger kids/teens coming from some of the new movies pop in the LCS (Which is near a theater) and ask precisely that, and there isn't always a good answer. Now a shop owner can say here is whatever #1 and hopefully not have to mention the 37 versions and events and tie-ins needed to even know what is happening which is when they glaze over and just give up. Most often the best answer is a really good trade, but that isn't what they want.
e
L nny
*Brand New Day being the most obvious change in continuity. But Marvel has also quietly retweaked several origin stories, moving Iron Man from Viet Nam to Iraq, and rejiggering the FF space launch a bit, as well.
But, on the flip side, there were those that loved some of the things that got lost in the DC reboot. For example, fans of the Stephanie Brown Batgirl title probably wish that DC would have allowed more of the titles it had which had found a following to not be interrupted.
So I would say there are pluses and minuses to each approach.
The funny thing is how the films don't jump sales of the associated titles. A friend of mine owns a comic shop that has been around a very long time and a customer was just asking him last week if the movies boost his sales and he flat out said no. What was interesting was that movies like Sin City and Hellboy *did* see big jumps in sales directly because of the films but he attributes it more to the fact that people weren't even aware of them being comics until seeing the films. Everyone knows Spiderman/Avengers/Hulk/etc. were and are comics though and the past 4+ films didn't make them buy comics so one more doesn't either. Kids/parents though do respond a bit because often the parent remembers reading comics and the kid has some interest in the film and they pop into the shop, but outside of some of the kiddie versions which are accessible there isn't an easy go-to comic for each film which is a lost opportunity IMO and not only that but they should actually trumpet the comic aspect of the film before in a trailer or something to really put it out there. Hopefully this is a move in that direction of a go-to book for each title, but like I said I'll reserve judgement until this all plays out.
The needle might not move in a significant, direct market way on, say, Iron Man when the Iron Man movie came out. The same may prove true about Avengers. But here's the thing: How many times have we heard from readers who were kids in the 90s that the X-Men cartoon was the thing that started them reading comics in the first place? Back when there would be threads about what got you started reading comics, that was the answer (as well as other TV shows and movies) in many cases. So it may be that a bump-sized number doesn't come to any one single Batman, Spider-Man, Thor, or Avengers comic. But it may be that these titles, and perhaps promoted jumping-on points, might recruit the next generation of readers. And that those readers who jumped on may buy sporadically at first, or it may be that their love of the movies get them to start reading years down the line via trades at a bookstore on on a tablet... but may be now on board when they might not have otherwise given comics a try.
It is one of those things hard to track by the overall numbers (or by the anecdotes of any one shop) but it may be the case. But it may not be clear until years later, when the committed comic fans of the 2020s are looking back on all those big tentpole superhero movies they grew up with.
So while it may be that there is not the immediate cause and effect of, say, The Avengers movie immediately bumping sales of Avengers Assemble it may still have an overall effect.
I read almost entirely Marvel books back in the eighties (high school). For the X-Men to be dragging that same continuity behind them all this time later is absurd and a huge disincentive to my jumping back into Marvel again. The characters should be 150 years old.
I buy runs of certain Marvel books here and there, and I have to read a Spider-Man arc every couple of years. I skipped the Ultimate line way back when because it wasn't the primary ("real") continuity. But if they started their books over again from scratch? I'd on board for the long haul with a few, I'm sure.
Between the red costume and the shape of his new X-visor, Cyclops is looking pretty Magneto-like.
That aside, though, I think many of their titles could use at least a soft reboot. I also think they need room to grow without the intrusion of another event, but I won't hold my breath for that. And I do find it odd that this is all happening just a few months after the X-titles were relaunched. I feel like a bit of a sucker for jumping on board for that.
The Ultimates run was no different than the nu52. It was a whole new universe where nothing that came before counted. You didn't need to read the 616 universe to enjoy it. The only difference between nu52 and Ultimates is that Marvel ran both at the same time. To the extent it didn't feel real, I guess you can analogize buying Ultimate comics now to buying pre-nu52 comics now. Both are self-contained universes that don't affect the "real" world.
Yes, Marvel has more baggage - but the point is, you don't NEED to know it all. If you know it, fine, but any good writer starting a run will bring up those elements of the vast history that he wants to use in the current run. You didn't need to know the entirety of Matt & Foggy's history between each other to appreciate Bendis' DD run, or the ins and out of Sharon Carter being alive or dead to appreciate Brubaker's Cap run. Those writers gave you what you needed. But the one thing you didn't have to worry about was whether something you read before was still part of the history. It was.
Anyway, the bottom line for me (and I assume most people here) is good comics. In my view, the nu52 is most valuable because it upped the number of good DC comics, IMHO. I was reading 2 or 3 DC titles, now I'm reading around 10. So that's good. I just think they didn't need to reboot DC reality, and that by doing so, in the long run they hurt themselves (and us readers) by weakening our sense of the comics universe. I'm happy Marvel doesn't appear to be doing the same thing, but am hopeful that more good Marvel comics will emerge from this initiative (although, to be honest, the previews for it look kinda shaky to me!).
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L nny
funny you mention reading more DC titles than before. in my neck of the woods Marvel is, or was, vastly more popular than DC and I was certainly in the minority by being a DC fan.
One thing I think has clearly happened in this shake up is that people who previously avoideded DC because of what I think was the (faulty) perception that DC tended to be more "bright and shiney" than the Marvel U. I would frequently get the impression that DC was considered "kids" comics and Marvel was for the "grown ups".
I think that if nothing else people that didn't ordinarily read DC books found themselves giving it a go and as a result reading more books because the stories were pretty good. I think most non-comic fans have a perception of what comics are that is about 40 years out of date and i think to a lesser degree non-dc readers have a similar blindfold on. and if nothing else the DCnU got people reading more DC books.
Im not saying this was the circumstance with you your post just got me thinking about it.