Three Decades Ago in Comics
Part Two
I was heading to some errands the other day after work and listening to NPR. The conversation during our Arts segment was about DC Comic's release of a new Comic universe re-alignment. Every few years the major companies streamline their titles in an attempt to draw attention and fix continuity. Comic-book universe-based movies are big business in these parts, so NPR goes to the story.
But Rebirth on NPR? What is happening?
But Rebirth on NPR? What is happening?
DC, and it's parent Warner Brothers, has been playing underdog and catch-up to Marvel and its comics and their Disney-funded movie universe. Back in 2011, the comics section of DC started a new initiative, "The New 52", after a Flash-sponsored reshuffling that changed many of the normal continuities.
Dating back to 1986's Crisis on Infinity Earths, Flash always seems to be at the center of various reshufflings. In my own experience in 1994 the reshuffling was called Zero Hour. This year, it's being called Rebirth.
The company man was saying the idea was to go back to the basics, go back to the heritage. I don't really know what that means because I don't read the books enough to know how far from those basics they've gone.
Far enough, apparently.
Anyway, the buzz about this Rebirth comic has been about the ending..."Don't skip to the last page," the warnings said, "don't read a spoiler."
Well, here's the SPOILER:
The company man was saying the idea was to go back to the basics, go back to the heritage. I don't really know what that means because I don't read the books enough to know how far from those basics they've gone.
Far enough, apparently.
Anyway, the buzz about this Rebirth comic has been about the ending..."Don't skip to the last page," the warnings said, "don't read a spoiler."
Well, here's the SPOILER:
The story is ending here, after 70 + pages yet, and the visuals have shifted to Batman scraping some shit in the Batcave. The narration remains a conversation between Flashes Barry Allen and Wally West. Batman discovers, as the narration announces "We're being watched," the Comedian's blood-spattered badge somehow in the caverock, This is one of the enduring symbols of the Watchmen.
The characters from the Watchmen were not part of the DC universe before that above image. The Watchmen is a story about superheroes, not exactly a story of them.
This connection is meant to pull Dr. Manhattan, the blue god-powered character from the Watchmen, and his all powerful-ness into the greater DCU,
It was also a pretty good shock. I was reading the book and was genuinely surprised at the reveal. It helped I didn't really care enough about it all to have made any guess as to what Batman was up to, so when it's the Comedian's button appears I was bemused.
One thing about the entire "comic event" is that Alan Moore has remained cranky about these characters, this universe, DC's use of the material, DC's use of his other material, as well as the direction of superhero comics in general...and yet here we are.
Moore may have become too cranky and reliant on sexual assault as a trope, and may have eroded just enough public support to make this move possible.
The conversation on NPR was about a lot of things, much of it the desire by this (DC) and all companies these days to employ a wide swath of the American experience. Good for them. Nerds are everywhere.
The last 23 or so words of the epilogue after the Batcave we get a verbatim rendition of the following scene:
We call that "driving it home".
The Prestige of a Savior, thirty years in the making.
Validated by NPR.
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