A few years back when DC Comics was about to relaunch their entire line with just 52 titles some friends and I on another forum asked how we would do it ourselves. What characters would we get behind, who would we change, and who would get left to collect dust? Can't remember if it's fifty-two ideas for a new DCU or if there's more but I'd love to hear some critiques and challenge any DC fans out there to try and come up with something similar. Even if you can't think of 52, hell just a handful. With as many DC themed RP's I've created and been part of, I know there are a few more fanboys and fangirls out there. Any names on my list you don't recognize? Any other B and C listers you'd wanna see in a universe like this?
6 Superman [Action, Superman, Man of Steel, Man of Tomorrow, Superboy, Supergirl]
8 Batman [Detective, B & R, Batman, Shadows of the Bat, Robin, Grayson, Birds of Prey, Batgirl]
3 Green Lantern [GL, GLC, Power of Ion]
2 Titans [Teen Titans, Lost Titans]
* Superman books that will be slightly altered include Man of Tomorrow which is set in the Beyond Universe more people are accustomed to. It will be the definitive future setting rather than another botched attempt at Batman Beyond. Superboy and Supergirl will go through an arc or two where their histories and appearances are slightly swapped and only the two of them realize what’s going on. Superboy will be blond and Superman’s cousin, Kara will be dark haired and a clone with TK based powers.
* Batman is all trimmed down as far as a franchise. The only big difference here is Shadows of the Bat is where new vigilantes in Gotham will pop up. This is where Red Hood will show up, any of the Robins still remaining after Robin War, possibly Azreal, etc.
* GL’s line will be streamlined with Hal in GL, Guy and John in GLC, and Kyle in Ion. Still getting rid of the emotional spectrum for the most part.
* Lost Titans will continue with the lost histories and altered pasts of connecting that middle generation of heroes to the younger heroes appearing in TT and across the board.
33 titles left
5 cosmic [Starman, Lobo, Sinestro, Adam Strange, the Rebels]
* Starman will be something of a mix of the classic Starman and his son that took over after Zero Hour.
* Lobo will bounce around from his own title into others with a space setting being the badass he is. I’d go back to biker Lobo and make one of his first bounties to kill any remaining Red Lanterns.
* Sinestro would open up with a war between he and the Weaponer and other agents of Qward over control of the Sinestro Corps. This will not be included in the GL group of titles for the sake of avoiding every other crossover and be handled by a different Editor.
* Adam Strange will open up with him quitting the JLU to return to Rann, where he’ll be shocked to find his girlfriend/wife has become the newest Star Sapphire.
* Rebels will not be like every other incarnation including Lobo and Brainiac II with a bunch of jobbers. Tigorr from Omega Men I could see in this, maybe a new twist on Brainiac, etc. This will be a concept loosely based on Marvel’s GotG. Take a handful of cosmic characters who’ve probably never even met in the new universe and make a team out of them. Martian Manhunter or even Miss Martian could be in this. An updated Capt. Comet/Comet would also get a shot here.
5 magic [Swamp Thing, Zatanna, Fate, Deadman, Hellblazer]
* Swamp Thing would set up a new status quo as far as his backstory and being Alec Holland, and he wouldn’t have a daughter that’s fully grown. The Un-Men would make a return as well as a couple characters from the movies and cartoons perhaps.
* Zatanna would be exactly what you want it to be, a little noir, a little stage presence and a lot of backwards speaking sorcery.
* Fate would have the helmet once again getting passed down. IDK what the series is like right now, but it’d probably be similar just with a bigger name attached to it.
* Deadman would come into contact with somebody in his first arc and gain the ability to become alive for an hour of each day providing he doesn’t go intangible or possess a body during the hour. But will the new power be a blessing or just another curse?
* Hellblazer would push the envelope and be as close to it’s Vertigo counterpart as possible while still fitting in with the darker side of the mainstream DCU.
2 LoSH [Legion of Super Heroes, Legion Academy]
* Legion of Super Heroes would get a make-over and while some of the alien races would be the same, the characters themselves would not be. This would tie into whatever sort of ending they wanna write for JL 3000, and their Superman clone could make an appearance.
* Legion Academy would be where the youngest aliens and metahumans train to become full time LoSH members where the full timers have already had their training. Both books would have teams no larger than 8 members with Academy having a few more in the background to be established later on and to add to the effect.
2 Wonder Woman [WW, Sensational Comics]
* WW would tie her to the superhero side of her character.
* Sensational would tie her to her roots with Greek mythology and the like. Atlas would become a central character and get a slight reimagining as an ally of the princess.
5 ‘other’ teams [Outsiders, Rogues, Hall of Heroes [Multiversity stuff], Justice Society [WWII], Suicide Squad]
* Outsiders would be Batman’s other team and use characters like Katanna, Metamorpho, Ragman [cause he’s based in Gotham], the Creeper, Grace, and Savage [an immortal Vandal Savage who’s still a mystery in my new universe]
* Rogues would be a slightly grittier take on the Flash’s enemies with them getting away with a lot more than the scarlet speedster realizes. Would you believe they’ve already killed two other heroes who’ve tried making Central their home? Now they’re targeting a third, blind hero Argus!
* Hall of Heroes would have adventures using random teams of heroes from the Hall from around the multiverse. Did anybody wanna see a team up between heroes featured in Multiversity? This is where to find it.
* Justice Society would go back to it’s roots and feel like a pulp comic with a little more grit where the superpowers don’t always beat the badguys. Set in the 40’s this is the book that should make the Editors kick each others asses for not doing sooner. The market for WWII Capt. America stuff never goes away. You know why? Because they never tried to retrofit his story and say he was created in the 70’s or 80’s or on another f’ing reimagined world. Say it’s set in the 40’s and if it’s a hit tie it to the modern DCU, if it sucks you can say its another alternate world.
* Suicide Squad would go back to less high profile villains like Manta and Deathstroke and keep a focus on Deadshot, Boomerang, and the like. I liked the addition of Killer Croc in the movie…
4 Young Justice [Static, Blue Beetle, Power of SHAZAM, Plastic Girl]
* Static set in the mainstream universe. The Milestone characters don’t need an alternate Earth, they need an actual attempt to be made that isn’t mediocre. Let the Teen Titans or a few members anyway show up in the first year, as well as DC’s own Black Lightning.
* Blue Beetle would feature 19 year old genius Ted Kord becoming a superhero in his spare time when not patenting another piece of technology for his father’s company.
* Power of SHAZAM would feature Shazam, Mary Marvel, and a tweaked Capt. Marvel Jr. cause I’m not calling him Lord Marvel. I would also push for DC to call Billy something like Red Marvel rather than Shazam. Otherwise calling Mary ‘Mary Marvel’ rather than something like ‘Suzy Shazam’ wouldn’t make sense.
* Plastic Girl would feature the adventures of Plastic Man’s daughter. Rather than go on what they’ve done before with Plas and his son Offspring, Plas would’ve had a daughter now instead. Her father would also be featured in a lot of the stories, and she’d be around 12 or 13 years old.
10 Justice League [JL, JLU, Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Capt. Atom, Firestorm, Booster Gold, Vixen, Black Lightning]
* Justice League would be about as it is now, with another revised roster. I’m thinking the five big guns [the trinity and GL/Flash] and somebody like a reimagined Longshadow, Black Lightning, Firestorm, and Ice.
* JL Unlimited would be something like the cartoon with Cyborg and Animal Man taking point with an extended roster of heroes including Supergirl, Booster Gold, a modernized Wonder Twins, Capt. Atom, Atlas, Aquaman, Hawkman, etc…
* The Flash and Green Arrow would take bits from the tv series as well as what’s been done in the context of this new universe and move them forward. We could see a new Mr. Terrific pop up somewhere, Atom Smasher, etc.
* Aquaman would not attempt to make him a barbarian. Give the guy a new suit if need be but keep the orange and green and the golden A belt buckle/symbol. I’d keep him away from the crown and Atlantis, maybe go the route of Sub Diego again. Within the first year a crossover would occur with WW with Amazons vs Atlantis.
* Capt. Atom would focus on the man out of time angle and modernize his origin for certain. Out with the glowing blue guy, back in with the chrome plated badass. His story would unfold with Major Force, General Eiling, and a conspiracy involving ‘Starro tech’.
* Firestorm would be a new pair of people being fused and differ in that they can’t become separated. Powered up or down, they’re completely composite. Ronnie and Jason are out the window here, Stein will still be the brains behind the matrix however. Just missing.
* Booster Gold is another man out of time but he knows of future events yet to come. This title could possibly cross over with JSA [possible past] , JLU [present], Man of Tomorrow, or LoSH [possible futures].
* Vixen would be an international supermodel and superhero and find herself in all sorts of situations. She’d also meet the occasional international hero like the Beast from B’Wana, Fire, and the Batman of Japan!
* Black Lightning would make him 20-something again with a newborn daughter. Living in the slums of Washington DC, he’d develop his metahuman powers to protect his family and neighborhood from something called Intergang. But where do those guys get their weapons?
Here's a handful of titles for any first wave cancellations:
* Batman/Superman would be the obvious new #1 just in time for the movie.
* Grifter would see him hunting Daemonites in disguise in even more familiar cities like Central and Midway and come into contact with the Rogues and Hawkman.
* Starfire would be much as it is now, with Darwyn Cooke on art.
* Showcase would feature WW teaming up with mostly other female superheroes. This could test the waters for any new female characters to get a monthly based on fan response.
* the Question would be more of a noir book as well with some kind of inspired Sin City-ish art style. I'd try and get somebody like Kevin Smith or Warren Ellis for this one.
* Adventure Comics would feature more younger heroes and also test the waters for new characters to gain monthlies. Damage, Impulse, etc...
So, who wants to critique my line of DC comics? Go ahead and take stabs, but I think I've got all the bases covered LOL
Who's ever done something nerdy and similar to this?
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