Superman and Batman are Reborn in DC’s Earth One Graphic Novels
Dec 7th, 2009 | By Aaron | Category: Articles, News, Superheroes in Comicsby Aaron Einhorn
DC has announced today a major new publishing event today, with the announcement of two new graphic novels Superman: Earth One and Batman: Earth One.
The Earth One series represent a new stage in rebooted continuities for DC Comics, and it’s one that we haven’t really seen before. We’ve seen new continuities created with every new television and film incarnation of Superman or Batman, we’ve seen the entire universe rebooted after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and we’ve seen “spin-off” continuities in the form of Marvel’s Ultimate Comics, and DC’s All-Star line.
What we have that’s new with Earth One is that these books are being created not as one-shot comics, or new comic lines, or one-shot graphic novels, but instead mark an entire line of ongoing stories that will be presented as graphic novels, and which will form the basis for an entire new continuity.
And DC isn’t skimping on the talent attached to these books either. Superman: Earth One will be written by science-fiction legend J. Michael Straczynski, and illustrated by Shane Davis, while Batman: Earth One is being handled by DC’s rising superstar Geoff Johns, with art from Gary Frank.
Both graphic novels will be origin stories of a sort, exploring the first years and earliest moments from the iconic heroes, but retold with a modern touch. Superman: Earth One will take Clark Kent from Smallville to Metropolis as Earth’s most powerful adopted son becomes the world’s most famous hero, while Batman: Earth One will take a young boy whose family is cut down in tragedy and transform him into the greatest crime-fighter known to man.
Both of the creative teams attached to these books have spoken to Ain’t It Cool News about the books, and it’s refreshing to see how the writers are approaching the material. JMS explained his intentions, saying “What I’m trying to do is to dig in to the character and look at him through modern eyes. If you were to create the Superman story today, for the first time, but keep intact all that works, what would it look like?” Meanwhile, Geoff Johns cuts straight to the point, saying “Batman: Earth One allows Gary and I to break the restraints of any continuity and focus on two things: character and story.”
To read the full interviews with the creative teams, head on over to Ain’t It Cool News. Meanwhile, check out the cover to Superman: Earth One, and two character profiles from Batman: Earth One, courtesy of DC Universe: The Source.
(Source: DC Universe: The Source and Ain’t It Cool News)
I don’t want to pre-judge how this will turn out, but I am growing tired of re-boots and new continuities. How many times can they tell the same stories over and over? Even when they try and “modernize” the characters we get very few Superman All Stars and end up with a lot of Batman All Stars.
The focus needs to go back to making the regular series as good as possible. Eliminate re-boots and event comics and give us those great stories we used to read in a single issue.
Apologies to whoever I may offend.
New continuities are causing the collapse of the comics market. They create an overabundant supply of a single marketable good (a character, or a group,) to a constantly shrinking demand.
Some argue that more versions create more ‘flavors’ of characters. But when you begin to realize the motive for creating a new line, you realize that a poop popsicle and a poop popsicle with almonds really isn’t very different.
Writers like new continuities. Why?
Because writers are lazy and self-righteous. They’re overzealous with their goals. Writers don’t want to be bogged down with the choices that others have made before them… It’s a similar problem that everyone in this country (and the world) has: A lack of accepting consequences (either the results, or the fact that they exist.)
It’s not so they can put the characters into new situations. They’re going to put the characters in the same old situations… The same old conflicts… But because it’s a new line, the happy readers will simply accept that it’s different and original.
The old situations will be modernized…
I have a feeling this means mental disorders, terrorists, homosexuals, and a black president… None of which are integral to making the lives of these characters different… Unless they have a secret romance between bats and a mentally disturbed, ex-terrorist alfred who’s half brother is Orack Babama, the newly elected president of the united states… which I doubt and seriously hope against.
I don’t understand why a company, who has been in business as long as DC has would have to ‘modernize’ anything.
Did they stop publishing Superman for thirty years? Twenty? TEN? FIVE?! NO!
So, what the hell?
Talented writers would incorporate current day events into the books. You know what? I think they actually have…
DC’s sales are tanking (and don’t bring blackest night into it. Just because everyone else is falling too, doesn’t mean a title is doing well.)
With bad sales, executives and editors lose what little sense they actually have and decide to go all out.
So they get high profile writers and artists (some new, some old… that’s the only good move I see here,) and toss their fan-base two ‘new’ lines that really aren’t ‘new’ at all.
DC had it’s best years in the aftermath of all their character’s ORIGINAL origins. True, every time they rehash their characters, it does pick up sales a bit, but it’s falling to a lower and lower level each time.
This may seem like an immediate answer to an immediate problem… but this, grouped with all the other bad decisions, is going to reach back and shoot a batarang in their ass.
As a side note… Why does Alfred look like Bruce as an old man?