The biggest problem comic book publishers have is getting new business. For someone to truly get into comic books they must face the daunting task of learning decades of history.
Superman is well known for being the last son of Krypton, but newcomers will have to learn about his marriage, his childhood friend from the planet next to Krypton, the Legion of Super Heroes, his death, his resurrection, his time as two separate energy beings, the difference between him and Earth 2 Superman, Ultraman, Red Son Superman and Bizarro and the recent return and re-destruction of Krypton.
And they wonder why they don’t get new readers.
DC Comics recently announced that starting in August they will be completely restarting their entire line of super hero titles from issue one. Each character will start at the beginning of their careers, being young fresh and ready for action. The looks and personalities of the characters will even be given a modern spin so that new readers can easily start into this exciting world without having to read a single Wikipedia page.
Reaction to this announcement is across the board among comic lovers. The debate rages across the valley in comic book shops like Dr. Volts Comic Connection (2040 E. 3300 S. Salt Lake City, Utah), where the usual topic is who can win in a fight, She-Hulk or Wonder Woman.
While many of us remember Marvel’s attempt at this in 2000 with the creation of the Ultimates comic book line, a world where all their super heroes restarted in the year 2000, many are still skeptical as to whether or not DC can pull this latest stunt off. Other fans are suspecting that it’s just another publicity stunt like the supposed death of Batman a few years ago, or the endless string of world altering mini-series the company has produced.
Honestly, it’s about time DC made this move. Being a comic book reader myself, sometimes reading the things is like skipping in and out of Lost and wondering why you can’t keep up. It’s flat out impossible without a bank account resembling Lady Gaga to keep up with every little change and every subtle storyline. A restart from the ground up wouldn’t just help new readers fall in love with these characters, but give old fans a chance to catch up, not to mention help make the stories make a lot more sense.
Probably the worst part of this whole thing is what DC is telling us, which is next to nothing. The clever minds at DC knew that all they had to do was release a couple sentences of information and nerds like me would be talking about it for months in anticipation of the new releases. This cleverness will translate into clever storylines in their comic books as it always has.
For more information on comic book events and a good start to become a reader, visit www.drvolts.com.
