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Post by oblique on Oct 6, 2016 21:58:55 GMT -5
Hullo!
New member who stumbled upon this site today - this is amazing. I've been brainstorming various ideas for stories set in the DCU and this is exactly what I was interested in, a clean and controlled take on the continuity that integrates the various characters at their best. I would love to start exploring this universe, particularly (but not exclusively) the Justice League, Superman, Supergirl, and the Bats. I've been poking around the site for the past hour and while I've found a few helpful hints and collected editions I was wondering if there was a "Reader's Guide" that lists issues/series by internal continuity? In other words, where to begin?
Cheers,
Oblique
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Post by Admin on Oct 7, 2016 13:59:49 GMT -5
Sadly there's no reader's guide as yet, and with all the titles here, I can only offer some hints on where to start if you really wish to begin at the beginning (although hopefully Charlie will come along soon and provide a far better answer). Most of the initial DC2 series all started at roughly the same time, and can be found in the Earth-1 Library (apart from those that are still ongoing which can be reached directly from the main page). These series were (and apologies if I miss some out): Action Comics Aquaman Batman Detective Comics Flash Tales of the Green Lantern Corps New Outsiders Nightwing Suicide Squad Superman Teen Titans Weird Western Quarterly Wonder Woman When the monthly titles reached issue 10 we had our first big crossover The Apokolips Imperative and the Justice League title spun off from that, and then things start to get complicated and I can see why you'd want a guide. Hopefully the titles will still work if you just jump in and explore, so please don't feel the need to read everything here chronologically, although there's lots of great stuff to be found in there. |
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Post by oblique on Oct 7, 2016 15:28:20 GMT -5
Ah! That's why; I started with "Justice League" as I saw someone mention it was the "flagship title" and I was slightly confused! I'll take a look at a few of these titles to start.
On another note, I'm a writer who would love to try my hand at a few titles in the future; unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit swamped at the moment with a brand-spanking-new job taking up most of my time. For now, I'll read some of your ongoing titles and revel in an unexpected new way to feed my love for comics. I've started reading comics consistently over the past couple years - I was introduced to the characters through the cartoons ("Teen Titans," "Justice League," and "The Batman") and started collecting when "The New 52" provided a way to jump into the mainstream continuity. Now I collect far too many weeklies, and this seems like a fun way to explore some characters I might not otherwise investigate. No one in my daily life collects or reads comic books, so now I'll head on over to the community forum. Thanks!
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Post by HoM on Oct 8, 2016 1:47:47 GMT -5
Hullo! New member who stumbled upon this site today - this is amazing. I've been brainstorming various ideas for stories set in the DCU and this is exactly what I was interested in, a clean and controlled take on the continuity that integrates the various characters at their best. I would love to start exploring this universe, particularly (but not exclusively) the Justice League, Superman, Supergirl, and the Bats. I've been poking around the site for the past hour and while I've found a few helpful hints and collected editions I was wondering if there was a "Reader's Guide" that lists issues/series by internal continuity? In other words, where to begin? Cheers, Oblique Welcome to the DC2! I'm Charlie, and I write the Green Lantern Corps and Justice League ongoings. I'm also spearheading our ongoing tenth (now eleventh) anniversary event, which involves stories set ten years into the future featuring Kara Zor-El in Superwoman: For Tomorrow, the final adventure of Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Final Knight, and a selection of others, including the flagship event OMEGA CRISIS. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment! I think a "starting point" really depends on what you're interested in! We have the Collected Editions over here which features nearly every single Bat-title in chronological order, namely Batman and Detective Comics (apart from Nightwing, which I'm still working through updating). Our approach with the twin Bat-titles mirrors DC's own use of the books since the 2000s, in my opinion. Batman is the superhero book while Detective Comics is the crime-related one. I know that after our first big, site-wide event, The Apokolips Imperative, we really did double down on that with some stellar work by Brian Burchette on the latter title that highlighted the Gotham Police Department and the fall of Harvey Dent. In addition, originally Batman started as an "origins" title, set in the early days of Bruce's crusade, while Detective Comics was set approximately six years later, bringing it into line with the rest of our ongoings in the "present day". If you check the Earth-1 Library, that's where all the titles are stored that aren't currently running, split into two boards. I've been trying to make the site as accessible as possible to new readers, so maybe a "primer" would be a good idea. Perhaps you'd be interested in helping me arrange that? Until then though, I can happily point you in the right direction for whatever might interest. If you have any questions send them over! I'm happy to help! |
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Post by HoM on Oct 8, 2016 8:02:45 GMT -5
Ah! That's why; I started with "Justice League" as I saw someone mention it was the "flagship title" and I was slightly confused! I'll take a look at a few of these titles to start. That was me! I write Justice League with the thought process that it's the "spine" of the DC2, because it features all the main characters that currently don't have their own ongoings. So the book features Batman, Wonder Woman, etc, and this is where you will see the most of their lives. That said, I would say that this only pertains to the run since the Justice League #38, when I took the reins of the title during a time when there was little to no site activity. Because up until that point most character did have their own titles, you really could see a lot more in-depth exploration of characters' lives in their own books. I break down the arcs of the title over in this Collected Edition thread, so you can check it out there if Justice League is of interest. On another note, I'm a writer who would love to try my hand at a few titles in the future; unfortunately, I'm feeling a bit swamped at the moment with a brand-spanking-new job taking up most of my time. What title are you thinking? As you can see, there's plenty of opportunity here! For now, I'll read some of your ongoing titles and revel in an unexpected new way to feed my love for comics. I've started reading comics consistently over the past couple years - I was introduced to the characters through the cartoons ("Teen Titans," "Justice League," and "The Batman") and started collecting when "The New 52" provided a way to jump into the mainstream continuity. Now I collect far too many weeklies, and this seems like a fun way to explore some characters I might not otherwise investigate. No one in my daily life collects or reads comic books, so now I'll head on over to the community forum. Thanks! Back in the beginning, we used a lot of what was out on television as inspiration. Superman was inspired by Smallville, so Chloe Sullivan became a major player in the DC2niverse; Cyborg's origin on the DC2 was inspired by Teen Titans Go!'s version, etc. Nowadays I'm taking nods from the television shows we have on right now. I've always been a Rip Hunter fan, so she's kicking about, Superwoman: For Tomorrow is running and our fourth issue will be out next year, and Harrison Wells is appearing in Justice League on an d off...with plans for The Flash to eventually get a new ongoing at some point in the future that will take it's lead from the TV show. Lots going on! |
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Post by oblique on Oct 8, 2016 8:59:41 GMT -5
Sure is! Thanks for the feedback, Charlie. I'll probably be reading some of the older titles to start with and working my way towards the more recent works. I'm glad to hear you guys have taken some cues from the television series, not only did they often have a streamlined and concise take on the characters, they often added useful new additions like Chloe Sullivan (I love "Smallville" and it should have been listed as one of the shows that brought me into comics, specifically Superman).
In terms of writing, I've been tossing ideas around for stories with Supergirl, Teen Titans, and Batman. However, I'd love to doodle about pretty much any of the Justice League! In the future (I wish I could be sure when I will have time to take up new projects) I would be very interested in penning a story for this site, once I've gotten a better grasp of the characters and continuity, as needed.
As for a "Primer" or "Reader's Guide," I would be more than happy to help in whatever way I can. In my opinion it would be very useful for people landing on the site for the first time. Many people won't go through the trouble of registering and introducing themselves, leaving them rather lost. Something that is pinned to the front page, or even to the top menu bar listed as "START HERE," for example... Far be it from me to suggest how you run your site, there is a host of amazing material here and the Collected Editions with Editor's Notes are a perfect example of how to explain to new reader's what's going on! Thank you for all the help!
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Post by HoM on Oct 10, 2016 5:57:25 GMT -5
Sure is! Thanks for the feedback, Charlie. I'll probably be reading some of the older titles to start with and working my way towards the more recent works. If you're looking for something to read that might tick some boxes you've mentioned, Superwoman: For Tomorrow is a miniseries launched for the tenth anniversary event that stars Kara Zor-El in the title role, Power Girl and Lena Luthor. All you need to dive right in is to know that it's set after Superman leaves Earth, leaving the world without a hero. Who's gonna step up? Who else... We put out this anthology before the event kicked off...  And here are the first three issues of the Superwoman mini:   
And if you're wanting to see another side of it, here's the first issue of Superman: Lost Son, the as yet incomplete story of what Kal is up to and why he left Earth...  |
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Post by oblique on Oct 11, 2016 21:12:04 GMT -5
Thank you, Charlie, I've taken a look at "Ten Years Later" and I'm excited to read "Superwoman." Supergirl is one of my favorite characters and I've always considered her to be underutilized in mainstream comics. Not only is Kara a young woman with the powers of Superman, but she has such a haunting and compelling story. A true immigrant, rather than an adoptive son, Kara is a woman who lost her entire world to disaster and was forced to start over. The Last Daughter of Krypton, she is Superman's truest successor if and when he should fall - as is, in one way, the case in your story. I never understood why this concept never explored in greater detail in the comics (even when there were opportunities for them to do so) and I look forward to reading your version of "Superwoman."
On an unrelated note, I was wondering what the status was for several of the other timelines in this site's impressive library. For instance, both Earth 5 and Earth A seemed like impressive "reboots" of the established continuity. Not that I'm lacking material, at that moment, but I'm curious if these projects on hold or were ever completed. Thanks!
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Post by HoM on Oct 15, 2016 3:59:50 GMT -5
Thank you, Charlie, I've taken a look at "Ten Years Later" and I'm excited to read "Superwoman." Supergirl is one of my favorite characters and I've always considered her to be underutilized in mainstream comics. Not only is Kara a young woman with the powers of Superman, but she has such a haunting and compelling story. A true immigrant, rather than an adoptive son, Kara is a woman who lost her entire world to disaster and was forced to start over. Interestingly, the DC2 version of Kara Zor-El has an even sadder story than her DC counterpart. When Roy Flinchum was writing our ongoing Action Comics title, he introduced Kara to the masses in a different way as seen before-- instead of landing on Earth, she crashed on a jungle planet under a red sun, so she had to learn to survive in a place completely at odds with Krypton's sterile environment. When Kal found her, she was completely different to what you might expect the character to be, but a survivor none the less. I won't ruin the twist (though you will see it alluded to in Superwoman) but I'll try and put together a Collected Edition of that run when I have a day off work. It's a corker. The Last Daughter of Krypton, she is Superman's truest successor if and when he should fall - as is, in one way, the case in your story. I never understood why this concept never explored in greater detail in the comics (even when there were opportunities for them to do so) and I look forward to reading your version of "Superwoman." I think we're in a creative environment right now where female characters are really being given the chance to be explored. You see the Big Two companies try and fail to make their titles accessible to a wider, more varied audience, but they keep tripping over their feet and back tracking to a "safer" context. Look at the recent DC Rebirth launch. How many titles were cancelled to make way for the nostalgic titles that will draw in the old guard of readers? The problem is, it works. Greg Rucka is taking Wonder Woman back to her roots, Superman is the one we all grew up reading from the 80s onwards, and we're getting some stellar Batman work, but where's my Black Lightning book? Where are chances being taken? Just because we don't think the audience is there for it doesn't mean we shouldn't try! Look at how critically acclaimed Midnighter was! Quite an obscure concept, but an out and proud gay character who was also badass in every sense of the word. My issue of Midnighter & Apollo is waiting for me at my local, and I can't wait to see what's going on there. But to get back on track, in the shadow of ongoing Superman book, where he's at the forefront of the company line (along with the other big three), is there space for a "legacy" character named after him? Ten Years Later... as an anniversary concept was perfect, because when David Charlton-- who had plans for Superman in the event that took him off the board-- made his intentions known, I think positing what a world would do without a Superman, I thought... well, his cousin would step up in a big way. And out of that came a miniseries I'm really proud of. On an unrelated note, I was wondering what the status was for several of the other timelines in this site's impressive library. For instance, both Earth 5 and Earth A seemed like impressive "reboots" of the established continuity. Not that I'm lacking material, at that moment, but I'm curious if these projects on hold or were ever completed. Thanks! The Earth-A concept stalled somewhat, so what's there right now is all we have, and Earth-5 was a transplant from one of the sites that joined up with our own after our first year or so, which allowed a massive influx of really cool talent and titles to join our own. Mightiest Mortals is a timeless Captain Marvel book written by the imitable Don, which has never been bested in terms of honouring the Fawcett Comics legacy on this site, while Gotham Girls is a spin on the web series of the same name, along with a regular helping of Birds of Prey written by the immensely talented Samantha. There's also a Supergirl title that positioned the character as the Last Daughter of Krypton on a world that never saw Kal-El escape from Krypton. James led that title, and even did a story that glimpsed into the history of the universe, and what happened on Krypton in that universe that prevented the universe meeting Superman. Really, I don't think there should be a conversation about Supergirl on this site without including Earth-5's contribution to 'the cause', so that's always worth checking out! Do you have a world concept you're interested in developing? Or an Elseworlds title? As ever, lots of space if you've got the time. |
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Post by HoM on Oct 15, 2016 4:00:20 GMT -5
Oblique, I meant to ask, how did you stumble onto the site? Was it from Reddit or somewhere else?
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Post by oblique on Oct 31, 2016 21:10:05 GMT -5
I think we're in a creative environment right now where female characters are really being given the chance to be explored. You see the Big Two companies try and fail to make their titles accessible to a wider, more varied audience, but they keep tripping over their feet and back tracking to a "safer" context. Look at the recent DC Rebirth launch. How many titles were cancelled to make way for the nostalgic titles that will draw in the old guard of readers? The problem is, it works. Greg Rucka is taking Wonder Woman back to her roots, Superman is the one we all grew up reading from the 80s onwards, and we're getting some stellar Batman work, but where's my Black Lightning book? Where are chances being taken? Just because we don't think the audience is there for it doesn't mean we shouldn't try! ... But to get back on track, in the shadow of ongoing Superman book, where he's at the forefront of the company line (along with the other big three), is there space for a "legacy" character named after him? Ten Years Later... as an anniversary concept was perfect, because when David Charlton-- who had plans for Superman in the event that took him off the board-- made his intentions known, I think positing what a world would do without a Superman, I thought... well, his cousin would step up in a big way. And out of that came a miniseries I'm really proud of. We're definitely in an amazing creative environment. As a young(er) fan and someone who is incredibly happy to see an increasingly diverse range of characters being explored in traditional comics, there has never been a better time to be reading new releases. "Rebirth" was, in that sense, an unfortunate step backwards from some of the concepts that anchored the Nu52 and then DCYou. Some of the new runs have been great, but some of them have, like you said, replaced or supplanted material that could have been great. I really wish that they hadn't just switched Nu52 Superman with the "vintage model." On the one hand, Superdad has been a surprisingly good run - but they could have just had the Superman I've grown to enjoy reading mature and change. It devalued Nu52 Superman and Nu52 Supergirl, who has been conspicuously absent from the "Action Comics," despite the presence of the Nu52 Justice League and Lex Luthor. It's still early to tell, but I had faint hopes that they would give Kara the spotlight like she deserved - and like you've done in 10YL. I look forward to reading you arc immensely. I shouldn't complain too much - comics being comics, this will all change in a few years. I'm enjoying many of the new comics immensely. Save |
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Post by oblique on Oct 31, 2016 21:50:57 GMT -5
Do you have a world concept you're interested in developing? Or an Elseworlds title? As ever, lots of space if you've got the time. I've been doodling quite a few ideas for headcanon versions of established canon for the past while, after I really started to get into the minutiae of some of the comics and television shows I was following at the time. Whether or not it qualifies as a universe or an Elseworld is too soon to tell, I suppose. I love playing with backstories and origin stories (as do we all, it seems) adn digging into material that seems too wonkish or discursive for the visual storytelling in comics but works better in text. I'm an oddball who really enjoys highly technical and "scientific" explanations for in-universe phenomena (similar to some of the takes exhibited in Earth-A) and fitting new concepts to canon characters is a lot of fun. I would be very interested in writing material in the future. As I read some of your back issues there's also a chance (if this is a possibility) that I might "fit" something into Earth-1, at the discretion of the editors, of course. Save |
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Post by oblique on Oct 31, 2016 21:53:27 GMT -5
Oblique, I meant to ask, how did you stumble onto the site? Was it from Reddit or somewhere else? I did stumble on this site from Reddit, quite by chance. I've been searching for decent DC Comics fanfiction and forums for a while and created an account on Reddit just to join a few comics-related threads. I saw your post at that time in a fortuitous coincidence. Save |
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Post by HoM on Nov 1, 2016 6:53:42 GMT -5
I've been doodling quite a few ideas for headcanon versions of established canon for the past while, after I really started to get into the minutiae of some of the comics and television shows I was following at the time. Whether or not it qualifies as a universe or an Elseworld is too soon to tell, I suppose. If you think you have something to contribute and aren't sure where it should feature, you should contact Admin via PM. He can gauge if it deserves it's own "Earth" or if it's best suited to an Elseworlds! I love playing with backstories and origin stories (as do we all, it seems) adn digging into material that seems too wonkish or discursive for the visual storytelling in comics but works better in text. I'm an oddball who really enjoys highly technical and "scientific" explanations for in-universe phenomena (similar to some of the takes exhibited in Earth-A) and fitting new concepts to canon characters is a lot of fun. A month or so ago we launched Harvey Dent: Choices, an Elseworld take on the fall of the titular character, and the writer there intends to introduce a new take on the Bat-mythos. Looks like it's going to be through the "lens" of Dent as a character, so the Elseworlds section sounds like it's the best place for what you're talking about. There have been longform Elseworlds before, including Jay McIntyre's Titans: The Resistance and Ellen's still-ongoing Batman: Locked In The Facade series, the latest of which is running as Unrehearsable at the moment. I would be very interested in writing material in the future. As I read some of your back issues there's also a chance (if this is a possibility) that I might "fit" something into Earth-1, at the discretion of the editors, of course. If you need any help on the continuity of Earth-1, hit me up! |
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Post by HoM on Nov 1, 2016 7:12:40 GMT -5
I really wish that they hadn't just switched Nu52 Superman with the "vintage model." On the one hand, Superdad has been a surprisingly good run - but they could have just had the Superman I've grown to enjoy reading mature and change. It devalued Nu52 Superman and Nu52 Supergirl, who has been conspicuously absent from the "Action Comics," despite the presence of the Nu52 Justice League and Lex Luthor. It's still early to tell, but I had faint hopes that they would give Kara the spotlight like she deserved - and like you've done in 10YL. I look forward to reading you arc immensely. I shouldn't complain too much - comics being comics, this will all change in a few years. I'm enjoying many of the new comics immensely. After thinking longer on it, I really don't understand why they killed of Nu52 Superman and replaced him with Pre-Flashpoint Superman. The narrative hoops are ridiculous to jump through, and if anything it's made continuity even messier. I thought it was pretty straight forward to fix-- ten years have been stolen from the universe, right? That's why everything's a bit off. Nu52 Superman finds this out and endeavours to be the better man he know he can be. I love that my version of Superman is back, but it's like... this makes me want my version of the DC universe to be back as well. Other titles are getting closer to that vibe-- Batman and Detective Comics, the Green Lantern line never really strayed away, but this tease of nostalgia is wonky as all hell. They're getting back on track-- and the sales look like they agree-- but creatively, I'm just not into it as much anymore. The only DC titles I pick up look to be Wonder Woman (though I think I might have dropped it in last week's pull list cull), Midnighter and Apollo and the Young Animal titles. The Wildstorm is on my radar and I am freaking ecstatic about that, but Marvel doesn't do much better for me either. I think I might only be picking up The Ultimates? Who can even keep up... |
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Post by oblique on Nov 1, 2016 18:43:39 GMT -5
If you think you have something to contribute and aren't sure where it should feature, you should contact Admin via PM. He can gauge if it deserves it's own "Earth" or if it's best suited to an Elseworlds! Right now, this is all hypothetical. I'd love to contribute but nothing would get off the ground until Fall 2017--just too much going on for more than some pleasant doodles and very small projects. I will keep this in mind, however. Save |
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Post by oblique on Nov 1, 2016 18:49:14 GMT -5
I really wish that they hadn't just switched Nu52 Superman with the "vintage model." On the one hand, Superdad has been a surprisingly good run - but they could have just had the Superman I've grown to enjoy reading mature and change. It devalued Nu52 Superman and Nu52 Supergirl, who has been conspicuously absent from the "Action Comics," despite the presence of the Nu52 Justice League and Lex Luthor. It's still early to tell, but I had faint hopes that they would give Kara the spotlight like she deserved - and like you've done in 10YL. I look forward to reading you arc immensely. I shouldn't complain too much - comics being comics, this will all change in a few years. I'm enjoying many of the new comics immensely. After thinking longer on it, I really don't understand why they killed of Nu52 Superman and replaced him with Pre-Flashpoint Superman. The narrative hoops are ridiculous to jump through, and if anything it's made continuity even messier. I thought it was pretty straight forward to fix-- ten years have been stolen from the universe, right? That's why everything's a bit off. Nu52 Superman finds this out and endeavours to be the better man he know he can be. I love that my version of Superman is back, but it's like... this makes me want my version of the DC universe to be back as well. Other titles are getting closer to that vibe-- Batman and Detective Comics, the Green Lantern line never really strayed away, but this tease of nostalgia is wonky as all hell. They're getting back on track-- and the sales look like they agree-- but creatively, I'm just not into it as much anymore. The only DC titles I pick up look to be Wonder Woman (though I think I might have dropped it in last week's pull list cull), Midnighter and Apollo and the Young Animal titles. The Wildstorm is on my radar and I am freaking ecstatic about that, but Marvel doesn't do much better for me either. I think I might only be picking up The Ultimates? Who can even keep up... The continuity is definitely even messier! Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone thought they should have two Clark Kents and two Lois Lanes as the ideal solution to the "problem" with Nu52 Superman. I would have really enjoyed if they did a "Rebirth" of the character--showing him growing and grappling with these 'missing years' and coming to terms with "Truth"--similar to Green Arrow and others, without killing him off or replacing him with another character. I felt as if he was finally getting his feet under him, so to speak. Despite that, however, I'm still pulling "Action Comics," "Superman," and "Supergirl" to see how this all plays out. (As well as "Wonder Woman," "Justice League," "Gotham Academy," and "Trinity." Yep. Too many comics.) "WW" has been fantastic, I would still recommend it. Scott is doing an amazing job of "Year One" you could even just collect that every two issues! Speaking of 'Elseworlds,' "Trinity" almost feels like it's in another universe, but that might just be Manapul's extraordinary artwork. Truly beautiful, worth it just for his splash pages. Save |
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