The DC Universe Takes Flight, Again

When the latest issue of Justice League is released on Wednesday by DC Comics, it will be scrutinized like no other installment in the 76-year history of that publisher of superhero adventures.

Some readers may be drawn in by its cover depicting revised incarnations of Superman and Batman, or a story line that tells of a tense first meeting between these costumed characters before they became allies.

But DC is betting that more potential customers will be attracted by an insignia that boldly declares this to be issue No. 1 of Justice League; never mind the hundreds of chapters that came before it.

Starting on Wednesday, the publisher is resetting all 52 of its continuing series, including venerable titles like Action Comics and Detective Comics that introduced Superman and Batman in the 1930s,at issue No. 1, and using the opportunity to revise or jettison decades of continuity in the heroes' fictional lives.

Within the DC universe, this new status quo is the result of efforts by the fleet-footed Flash to alter the course of history. But in the real world it is a last-ditch plan to counteract years of declining sales throughout the comics business.

The success or failure of this plan will have far-reaching implications: it could alienate longtime fans for the sake of new readers. And it could portend a more widespread exhaustion with film and television projects that are adapted from comic books and that are constantly starting over from scratch.

In an entertainment industry that is perpetually looking to breathe new life into old properties, and that has planned several years of movies and multimedia projects about back-to-basics superheroes, this revisionist strategy could determine "whether or not DC Comics, as a comic-book publishing company, will continue in the future," said Rich Johnston, a blogger who covers the comics business for the Web site Bleeding Cool. "There's an awful lot at stake here, and that's why they've thrown everything and the kitchen sink at this."

DC, which is owned by Time Warner, has long lagged behind its rival Marvel Comics, the Disney-owned publisher of Spider-Man and Captain America, in market share if not audience enthusiasm. Its latest company-wide overhaul has been almost a year in the making, devised in October at an editorial retreat where staff members were trying to create a love triangle for Superman, who wed Lois Lane in 1996.

Once the team decided it did not have to be bound by this marital detail, "we started talking about a lot of crazy, what-if situations, and out of that openness came the idea of renumbering the entire line," said Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics and an illustrator of the new Justice League series.

The publisher says its streamlined storytelling efforts are aimed at its existing readership as well as at new or lapsed comics buyers, but acknowledged that an issue labeled "No. 1" was particularly inviting to first-timers.

"I certainly wouldn't buy a DVD series of a hit show and start at Season 7," Mr. Lee said. "I would want to go back and start from the beginning."

The process of restarting a long-running narrative at Page 1 - known in industry parlance, and with growing derision, as a reboot - is nothing new to comics: in the 1980s DC dismantled its narrative architecture in the venerated mini-series "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and has sought to recapture its anything-could-happen spirit in story lines with titles like "Infinite Crisis" and "Final Crisis." DC and Marvel have been revising their World War II-era characters since at least the 1950s,and Marvel has an entire publishing line, Ultimate Comics, that features contemporary takes on its traditional heroes (like a Spider-Man who is of black and Hispanic descent).

In Hollywood the reboot impulse has yielded hit films like "Batman Begins" (and its billion-dollar-grossing sequel, "The Dark Knight") and noncomics properties like this summer's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

The DC reboot arrives at a crucial moment for the comics business, which, like the publishing industry as a whole, is experiencing continued erosion in sales.

Recent reports by ICv2, a research company that tracks pop-cultural products, said that in July dollar sales of periodical comics were down 4.27 percent from the same month last year, down 4.6 percent in June and down 6.3 percent for the second quarter over all. Sales of graphic novels at traditional bookstores were up, though this was partly because of the liquidation of the Borders bookstore chain.

The success of superhero movies like "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" did not entirely rub off on the comics that inspired them, with individual titles struggling to sell more than 100,000 copies at $2.99 or $3.99 a copy. One possible bright spot: DC says preorders for Justice League No. 1 have exceeded 200,000 copies.

Meanwhile, the increasing number of entertainment franchises that apply a back-to-basics approach to comics characters is suggesting a paucity of original ideas. Next summer Sony Pictures Entertainment will release "The Amazing Spider-Man," a 3-D retelling of the origin story seen in the 2002 hit "Spider-Man." Warner Brothers has a new Superman movie, "Man of Steel," coming in 2013, following an unsuccessful reboot, "Superman Returns," in 2006, and is contemplating a new Batman series to follow the 2012 sequel, "The Dark Knight Rises."

"That whole attitude of, 'Oh, go ahead, start over, reboot,' people get tired of that and it worries me," said Jim Shooter, a former editor in chief of Marvel Comics who now holds that title at the comics publisher Illustrated Media. "As storytellers, I don't know where we wandered off to."

Henry Jenkins, the provost's professor of communication, journalism and cinematic arts at the University of Southern California, said the idea of returning classic heroes to their origins long predated comic books.

"Part of the nature of culture is that we retell stories that are meaningful to us, again and again, in different ways," Mr. Jenkins said, pointing to Homer's "Iliad," Virgil's "Aeneid" and Dante's "Inferno" as "continual reboots of Greek mythology."

But Mr. Jenkins said that he - like other fans -has come to question the motives behind many of the pop-culture reboots. "We can see revamps that have no clear purpose, endless numbers of '80s TV shows being brought to the screen with no innovation to speak of," he said. "Or we can talk about revamps that actually go someplace," like the recent revival of "Battlestar Galactica," which "is much deeper than the original 'Battlestar Galactica.' "

DC Comics executives were nonetheless enthusiastic about their chances for success and said there was no undo button for the changes about to be put in place.

"We're not looking for a way of going back to what we did before," said the DC editor in chief Bob Harras,who was Marvel's top editor in the mid-1990s. "We like to say here, 'No trap doors.' This is what we're doing."

But others are contemplating the possible outcomes if DC's latest clearing of the table does not increase sales over the long run.

Laura Hudson, the editor in chief of the Web site Comics Alliance, said the business was eventually headed for a reckoning in which "this very specific ritual of going to the comic-book shop once a week to get your new 22-page comic" becomes obsolete.

"It's hard to see it persisting into the future in exactly the way it's existed before," Ms. Hudson said. "It's going to stop as soon as it stops becoming profitable."

Though DC seems to be laying the groundwork for such a transition by selling digital versions of its new comics on applications for tablet devices, Mr. Harras said he hoped to see the traditional sales model endure. "I love print, I love going to the comics shop, I've done it for more years than we can count," he said.

One colleague who does not seem to share Mr. Harras's optimism is the prolific comics writer Grant Morrison, who in a recent interview with Rolling Stone said there was "a real feeling of things just going off the rails" in his industry, and that the superhero narrative had perhaps outgrown the printed page and "found a better medium through which to replicate" in movies or video games.

Among the various assignments currently on Mr. Morrison's plate, he is the writer of DC's newly rebooted Action Comics.

This Is What Happens When You Steal Another Man's Girl, Steve.

Captain America #2 Review

Lay your worries to rest, Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven don't let us down with Captain America #2. But honestly, did you really expect them to? Captain America #2 features the same great characterization that Ed Brubaker is known for, coupled with another fantastic showcase of Steve McNiven's talents as an artist. Much like the first issue in this new series, Captain America #2 is full of win.

Captain America #2 peels back a few layers to reveal why Codename Bravo is so adamant about securing Jimmy Jankovicz for his plot to take down Captain America. Jimmy's background as a boy who has the ability to open up portals to dimensions of his own design takes this new Captain America series in an intriguing, unpredictable direction. While the book remains grounded in reality, the inclusion of portals, two-headed dogs, flying elephants and dinosaurs (yes!) is definitely a step out of the typical wheelhouse for Brubaker. But he approaches the unbelievable in a way that doesn't come off as hokey or asinine. And again, a Captain America comic that has dinosaurs in it. My inner child is screaming with glee.

Where artwork is concerned, as I mentioned previously, Steve McNiven is firing on all cylinders with this book. Much like with the first issue, issue #2 of Captain America features plenty of great action sequences and splash panels that beg to be posterized. But Captain America #2 isn't all about Hydra face punching, and McNiven shows off a touch of subtlety in his pencils during these quieter moments.

I'll admit that the cliffhanger to Captain America #2 is a little bit out there. However, I have faith in Brubaker that he won't turn this series into a Saturday morning kid cartoon full of nonsensical action. Brubaker is far too good of a writer to take that turn with this new series. But cliffhanger aside, Captain America #2 is another great pick-up from the dynamic duo of Brubaker and McNiven.

For Antoine Davis, Rwanda Was Only The Beginning...

Vertigo Crime: 99 Days Review

99 Days marks the latest entry in the Vertigo Crime line of original graphic novels. While I haven't read every single entry thus far, I can say that the line has been pretty hit or miss. We've been blessed with some classics, such as Area 10, and some real stinkers, like The Chill. While Matteo Casali and Kristian Donaldson's 99 Days doesn't reach the brilliance of titles like Area 10, it thankfully doesn't hit rock bottom either. 99 Days rests comfortably somewhere in between. There are moments when 99 Days really picks up and you'll be flipping through pages at breakneck speed as you rocket towards the conclusion, but there are other segments that are a downright chore to get through. This makes the book an oftentimes uneven read, although one that does manage to entertain more than bore.

99 Days follows L.A.P.D. detective Antoine Davis who, along with his partner Valeria, is investigating a recent string of brutal murders that point to gang violence erupting between the Crips and Bloods. Of course, the book is more layered than what you get at face value, and that's where the plot of 99 Days carries the most weight. Specifically, writer Matteo Casali draws parallels between this present day gang war and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Casali links these two events through lead protagonist Antoine, who is a Rwandan survivor that was adopted by a kind couple in America and given a second chance at life after committing sickening atrocities as a member of the Hutu militia.

Casali's decision to incorporate actual events from the Rwandan Genocide definitely gives the book an added sense of gravitas and grounds it in oftentimes heartbreaking reality. The dual narratives of 99 Days complement one another well, giving the reader a backstage pass to the mindset of Antoine and his nagging past without resorting to monologue boxes. But with that said, Casali fumbles pulling the pieces together at the book's conclusion, leaving 99 Days with a less-than-satisfying ending.

Honestly, I get what Casali was going for with the book's ending. He was putting a face to terror, not unlike what Americans did with Osama bin Laden -- giving us someone specific to target and blame for crimes against humanity so it's easier for us to cope once we get him. But the ending to 99 Days feels rushed at best, and out of character at worst. Some might find this turn of events believable and justifiable by the time they reach the book's last page, but I couldn't buy into it. Every ounce of subtlety that Casali used to get to the book's climax is thrown out the window for the book's final 26 pages. You're pretty much left with a "Oh, well that was unexpected" feeling, but not in a good way.

The only other major complaint I have against 99 Days is that it uses exposition-heavy radio broadcasts to catch readers up on the events outside Antoine's personal story that are taking Los Angeles by storm. These radio exposition blasts remind me of Senor Love Daddy's radio snippets from the classic film Do The Right Thing, cluing readers into a grander narrative at foot, but they also undermine some of the story's bigger plot developments. Casali could have found a better way to progress the plot forward without grinding it to a halt to explain the grander situation at hand.

But now it's time to get back to the positives, namely Kristian Donaldson's artwork. Donaldson's style is very expressive and does a fantastic job relying the emotion of Casali's script. His use of shadows is also a large reason why I loved the artwork of 99 Days. This is especially true during the book's climax, which is heavily draped in shadow to insinuate a bogeyman with a machete, not unlike Jason Voorhees, who is actually mentioned earlier in the story. Coincidence, I think not.

It's really a shame that the ending of 99 Days drops the ball. Outside the boring radio broadcasts, 99 Days flies by due to great character work and a gripping narrative that smartly ties together the real world horrors of 1994 Rwanda and present day gang violence in America. Not to mention the art by Kristian Donaldson is a really great showcase of what's possible with the gray tone scale of the Vertigo Crime imprint. If you brace yourself for a divisive ending, there's a lot to like about 99 Days. And when all is said and done, we've seen a lot worse.

The Origin Of The Red Skull Continues

Red Skull: Incarnate #2 Review

Red Skull: Incarnate #2 takes us further down the road of Johann Schmidt's descent into darkness. It's a true testament to Greg Pak's skills as a writer that he can manage to gradually pepper the bread crumbs that lead to the eventual rise of the Red Skull. Just as it would be in real life, a transformation of this magnitude would not be instantaneous, which Pak is able to successfully convey once again with issue #2.

Issue #2 of Red Skull: Incarnate may be even more tragic than last issue, and that's saying a lot. While the killing of dogs is definitely not cool, the conclusion of issue #2 really hits like a punch to the stomach. You wind up feeling sorry for just about every character involved, including the issue's antagonist, by the time you reach the issue's final page.

A lot of the book's emotional resonance stems from its artwork and coloring provided by Mirko Colak and Matthew Wilson, respectively. Colak's pencils nail the right emotional chords, while Wilson's colors almost turn the book's panels into painted real-life stills. I think it's also a nice artistic touch to give Schmidt's rage-filled moments a stark red background to foreshadow the monster he eventually becomes.

So far Greg Pak and company have not disappointed with Red Skull: Incarnate. This is a brutal book that not only pays respect to history, but also delivers a believable origin story for one of the Marvel Universe's biggest villains. If you haven't bought into this series yet, I recommend you do so.

The man pulling Major Sharp's strings is revealed

Batman: Arkham City #4 Review

Batman: Arkham City is a prime example of how to do a video game tie-in comic right. Between Paul Dini's wonderful script and Carlos D'Anda's eye-grabbing art, Batman: Arkham City is a comic that acts as a perfect hype tool for Rocksteady Studios' upcoming bat-sequel game. But what's maybe most impressive is that this series can also be enjoyed by those not interested in the upcoming video game, but are instead just looking for a quality, standalone Batman tale.

Issue #4 of Arkham City picks up with Batman attempting to hightail it out of the titular prison after his cover gets blown to bits. The majority of this issue features Batman on the run with a mysterious man whispering in his ear that surprisingly knows a lot about him. But just when you think you have his patterns pegged, Batman pulls a new surprise out of the ol' utility belt. This issue also features a fantastic interlude with the Joker where Paul Dini once again proves that he's a master of handling the character. I can almost hear Mark Hamill's eerie delivery of the lines explode from the pages.

Ever since I first saw Carlos D'Anda's artwork in this series I've been in love. He's got a great style and is really skilled at blocking out action sequences. D'Anda is also an ace at facial expressions to get across the mindsets of our characters.

As I said previously, Batman: Arkham City is a series that can be enjoyed by both comic fans and those just dabbling in the book because they're excited about the upcoming video game. Issue #4 is another worthwhile installment in this series and I can't wait to see how it all wraps up next month.

10 • 18 • 11

Enter the Joker

Detective Comics #880 Review

Let's get the obvious out of the way. Detective Comics #880 is not only a contender for the best cover of 2011, but also for the creepiest splash page of the year.

With that said, what's left? Another impossibly solid issue of Detective from Scott Snyder and Jock. Opening on a narration by Gordon about Gotham City's true architect being the one and only Joker and concluding with another chill-inducing cliffhanger, everything in between is a gripping, tight read. With the Joker escaped from Arkham, he seemingly beelines for the Gordons while the Bat-team reevaluate the threat and learn about their own relationship to Gotham City. Snyder concocts another chilling entry into his ongoing saga that successfully harkens back to the Black Mirror through-line that he's been building since his very first issue. Here's the thing: if you've been reading Snyder's run since the get-go, I'm almost positive that I don't have to sell you on it. But if you haven't been reading in a while and were drawn in by Jock's amazing cover, then maybe I do.

Everyone loves the Joker. But we've seen him escape from Arkham a hundred times over. However, Snyder's Joker isn't like a Joker we've seen before. He feels less blissfully demented and more tragically insane, almost child-like. Letterer Jared K. Fletcher gives him a lowercase font that separates him even more succinctly from the rest of the characters. But the true stroke of genius on Snyder's part is that, at least as he suggests in this issue, that Joker might not be the bad guy of this story after all. Despite Joker being off his rocker, his recognition of Dick as a different Batman displays his sheer genius. Snyder plays up the eternal feud that will forever rage between the Dark Knight and the Joker, using that idea to send the minds of readers (and Batman himself) in a different direction.

I mentioned the splash page earlier, but Jock's work on this issue is as phenomenal as everything that's come before it. This issue lets him play up all aspects of the run thus far, from the gritty street level investigation to the laboratory scenes to the downright horrifying. In many ways, Detective Comics #880, artistically, is the perfect cocktail of everything that's made this run such an enormous success. Something I particularly enjoyed is that a key sequence with the Joker –one of the most disturbing in the entire book –is colored predominately with whites by colorist Dave Baron, a juxtaposition that makes the scene all the more successful and a perfect complement to Snyder's overall usage of the Joker.

There isn't much time left on this run, but I have absolutely no qualms about saying that this will go down as one of the greatest runs on a Batman book ever. I doubt many of you will disagree.