Ahead of the controversial and game-changing "DC Comics - The New 52" initiative, DC has unveiled a full onslaught of preview images and fifty-two teasers for its fifty-two relaunched titles. The Daily Zombies take one final plunge at the biggest relaunch in Comic Book History before embarking on this bold new age of DC Comics later today. 
And here we are, some twenty-five years removed from the game-changing Summer of 1986, arguably the greatest year in comic book history. We saw the debuts of epic works that went on to inspire generations like Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's "Watchmen", Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", and Art Spiegelman's "Maus". The debut of Dark Horse Comics as a publisher with the anthology "Dark Horse Presents #1". Alan Moore's epic swan-song to Superman in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?". Marvel publishing the classic "Born Again" story arc by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli. And interestingly, the end of "Crisis on Infinite Earths", DC Comics's effort to streamline its then 50-year-old continuity; and from its ashes, The Man of Steel, a six-issue limited by John Byrne designed to redefine the new DC Universe.
Sounds familiar, isn't it?
Indeed. DC Comics has traditionally been much more bolder in its publication scheme. From the game-changing events like the aforementioned Crisis on Infinite Earths to the introduction of Vertigo, a critically acclaimed mature-reader imprint in 1993. Come next Wednesday, August 31st, 2011, DC Comics is at it again. Only two titles will be published on the day: The final issue of Flashpoint will served as the final swan-song to the post-Crisis DC Universe that we have come to loved; while Justice League #1, with a new superstar creative team comprising writer Geoff Johns and artist Jim Lee, will be the first point in ushering in the "new and improved" DC Comics. (Marvel, on the other hand, had never rebooted their
Earth-616, and have only attempted to do something similar to the effect with projects like 1996's
"Heroes Reborn", and the introduction of the Ultimate Comics imprint in 2000. Oh, and their peculiar fixation on alternate universes like the 1995's
Age of Apocalypse and 2005's
House of M.)
And here we are, back where we were in 1986, with a newly relaunched DC Universe, seemingly familiar yet strange. Change is always inevitable. It all come down to the point on whether the quality of the change. The online community, as ever, has been forthcoming on their stance towards the relaunch. From the weaker efforts like fans gathering to boycott DC Comics at June's Dan Diego Comic-Con (a miserable few actually turned up) to more constructive ones like the previous mentioned
DC Fifty-TOO! blog, we can definitely felt the concerns from the fans. With the current slate of creators at work, we here at The Daily Zombies remain relatively positive over the prospects of the rejuvenated DC Comics despite our misgiving over the
disruption on Grant Morrison's Batman, Inc. and the
new look (sans red trunks) of Superman.
Till now, the market has responded warmly to the relaunch with initial reports that Justice League #1 have garnered pre-orders of more than 200,000 copies (incidentally, the bestselling direct-market comic of 2011)), while Action Comics, Batman, Detective Comics, The Flash, Green Lantern and Superman have have pre-orders higher than 100,000 copies.
For those who would like to check out all fifty-two titles but finding fifty-two copies of comics too much to handle in a roll, DC will be releasing
DC COMICS: THE NEW 52 in December. A massive hardcover collection that collects every single one of these debut issues, the 1,216-page compilation is priced at $150.00.
Ahead of the big day, DC’s The Source blog has released
fifty-two teases with each teases being pulled from the first issue of every title in the relaunch.
Accordingly, "these one-liners set up the themes of their corresponding series, hint at the unexpected return of fan-favorite characters and allude to significant changes". A die-hard DCU fans up for a challenge? Try this on for size. The answers will be reveal
The Source blog daily, and those in bold below have been answered.
“If you’re not moving, you’re not living.”
“If we stop looking to the present and the past, and instead we look to the future…if we ask ourselves what can be–what it will be tomorrow… then we’re asking the right question. Because to hope, to dream, to predict is to shape the city yourself, rather than to be shaped by it.”
“Maybe this is all connected to that guy in Metropolis.” — Green Lantern in JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1.
“You think you and your ‘army’ stand a chance against Superman and a half dozen Green Lanterns and Wonder Woman?”
“They ended the revolution and freed our country. Then they disappeared.”
“Do we look like ‘super-heroes’? We’re the professionals.”
“He’s the worst kind of killer. One with no true pattern.” - Batman in DETECTIVE COMICS #1
“Hee…That’s so cute. You think you’re scary. But mister, I’ve seen scary. And you ain’t got his smile.”
“What I do, I do for the good of the universe. Something you lost sight of thousands of years ago.”
“I’m losing control.”
“We don’t… We don’t call it that. It could be the key to all human knowledge. Black holes. Time travel. Physics, on another level.”
“What I want is your complete attention and for you to understand that your life is now mine.” – Brother Eye in O.M.A.C. #1
“You are not the first doctor I’ve known that tried to play god.” – Frankenstein in FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #1
“Flashpoint effect has definitely closed off time travel.”
“I’ve always enjoyed your sense of humor, Booster.” — The Batman in JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1.
“He makes a sound like a supersonic bomber. And then it looks like his shadow itself turns against him.”
“How’s it feel to be nobody’s favorite super-hero?”
“I remember a time when you would have begged me to stop playing superhero!”
“Maybe I was never a good guy, and maybe I was never the really big fish. But if there’s one thing I do know from living other’s people’s lives, it’s that I’ve changed.”
“How long have I been here? How long have I been frozen like this?”
“I always thought you could change the world, Michael.”
“Some people don’t like having their secrets exposed.”
“The only reason I’m here is ’cause if anything happens to you–that would make me the worst former sidekick ever.”
“You think I need a ‘team?’”
“You could do so much good! WE could do so much good!”
“Good to see you, Barbara.”
“Nature sounds its own warning bell.”
“Welcome to Cellblock D of the Central Asian Supermax Meta-Human Facility.”
“I thought I’d left that world behind me. That maybe I could do more good working from the shadows. Apparently, I was wrong. I’m going to need help.”
“You’re Welcome, my friend. And New York City, you’re welcome too!”
“If that scarab pops back up, I want any Green Lanterns within five parsecs to know it.”
“You’ve been partners with this guy for a couple of years, and you still haven’t told him where you really came from?”
“A bunch of Lanterns have just died in sector 3599.”
“We are too late.”
“Because the entire time THEY have been studying ME? I have been studying THEM.”
“This time it spells trouble.”
“I swear to God I don’t know nothin’ about the Gotham Butcher.”
“You’re just in time for your destiny.” – Merlin in DEMON KNIGHTS #1
“Miles? Why, my beautiful girls…. You can see forever.”
“People are goin’ nuts. Wait ‘til they watch us kill him.” – Rush in GREEN ARROW #1
“Oh, God. Oh, God. I just murdered someone!”
“You are the parent of your own fear.”
“Kyle Rayner of Earth, you have been chosen.”
“You’re not my partner, you’re my son.”
“Find out who is under that mask.”
“For this great mission I will need help. I will need followers who are prepared to follow me into the jaws of death, and worse…”
“You’ll have my undivided attention… And I’m pretty sure I’ll have yours.”
“Just when I’ve set up my new life, my old one comes back. Well played, Gotham.”
“I didn’t even know how much I missed it.”
“The dream isn’t over.”
“The future is being re-made.”
“Life isn’t without risk. You hear that bon mot a lot. But mostly around business. Or dating. Or eating fried food from street vendors. But we take risks all the time, every day, in a thousand ways. Driving a car. Talking to a stranger. Jay walking. Those are the little ones we don’t even think about. It’s the big ones that make it interesting. At least for me, it is.”We have earlier had a
big blow-out preview covering all fifty-two titles of the relaunch, and a
special eight-page preview for Justice League #1. Here, we take a look at the massive onslaught of art from DC's
#52splash hash tag on Twitter.
From the sketchbook displayed in DC Comics's "Designing the New DCU 52" panel at Comic-Con.
Courtesy of
Newsarama, here's a look at the logos for each and every (all 52) of the fifty-two 52 titles. While some iconic images are relatively unchanged, several are modified with some experiencing major makeovers.
And you can check out the reactions to these new logos from numerous creators at
Comics Alliance.
In an effort to raise further awareness to the non-comic readers out there, DC released a 30-second trailer of the event on television and in theaters. For those who missed out the clip, it's embedded right below.
Over at the "Covered blog", we are frequently treated to a delicious variety of artists having their take on classic comic book covers in their own style. As a result, we are occasionally astounded by the incredibly creativity by some of the illustrators trying their hands on the classic comic covers.
The covered.
