DMC Presents: After War, A Rebirth, Maybe Long-Planned

Last week DC Comics revealed plans for a Rebirth of their universe following sagging sales of the New 52 line. While few details are known about the Rebirth of the DC Universe, architects are stating it’s not a reboot or relaunch of the line. Right now all that is known is there is a Rebirth special is coming in May that will lead to the new series this summer (see the list in the Rebirth article from late last week). The Rebirth special and the Rebirth Universe launch are being spearheaded by Geoff Johns who knows a thing about bringing characters back to their roots, having written Green Lantern Rebirth and Flash Rebirth.

So what will Rebirth be if not a reboot? My thought is it will be more of a realignment of the universe. When DC launched the New 52 five years ago after Flashpoint (also written by Johns) they tossed out the majority of their history and legacy for a new continuity. The DC brass claimed the door to the past was shut but what if this was the plan all along? What if The DC New 52 was the “New Coke” of comic book stunts?

For those too young to remember, in the 1980’s Coke changed their long-time formula, dubbing it “New Coke.” People hated it and they went back to the old formula making their brand even stronger. Now I think the New 52 really was an attempt to relaunch the DC Universe for the 21st century but in the background there was a roadmap for an out if it didn’t perform as planned. A way to realign their line taking the best of yesterday, elements from the New 52 and moving everything forward — something Johns did in Green Lantern Rebirth. Since the dawn of the New 52, Johns has been writing the main Justice League title and over the past year he has tied elements from his five-year run together in the Darkseid War. In the New 52 Universe, Darkseid brought the Justice League together and in the Darkseid War he may be signaling the end of the New 52.

In the Darkseid War, Johns and artist Jason Fabok have pit DC’s biggest super villains Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor against each other. The Anti-Monitor has been destroying universes causing the members of the Crime Syndicate to flee to the Justice League’s earth. When the Anti-Monitor arrives all hell breaks loose and the combined might of the Justice League, Crime Syndicate, Green Lantern Corps and the New Gods might not be enough to save the day! Over the past eight issues and their tie-ins, the creative team have brought some huge battle scenes to the page.

With just four more issues until Rebirth, there is no doubt in my mind that the new DC Universe will be rise of the ashes of this epic battle! Justice League has been the strongest of the New 52 series and it’s nice seeing all the threads of Johns’ run come together in what will hopefully be a much stronger DC Universe!