DC Comicsshocked fans when it announced at Comic-Con that it would be starting a brand-new initiative calledAll Income early October. And while the handover of creative teams does risk a lack of success, writer Scott Snyder recently appeared at Fan EXPO Canada to deliver the message thatAll Inwill see DC taking its biggest swings. Forget any other forms of media, superhero stories are more than thriving in the comics,and DC plans to let everyone know it.
DC’s new initiativeAll Inwill see all the current series' storylines come to a close and reopen with brand-new stories and creators as DC unleashesa flurry of books set in the Absolute Universeto run alongside the main universe. The new initiative will officially begin withDC All-In Special#1 on October 2 andAbsolute Batman#1 on October 9.
Scott Snyder appeared as a guest at Fan EXPO Canada, and his panel covered the initiative’s initial development as well as DC’s determination to show that superheroes aren’t going anywhere.
DC Launches a Brand New ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE, Completely Reinventing 86 Years of History
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Superheroes Stories Are At Their Peak—And DC Knows It
Superhero Comics are Doing Better Than Superhero Movies
Despite popular belief,anyone who reads comics knows that the superhero genre is not struggling.In fact, it’s the exact opposite, especially when it comes to DC Comics' publications. In prior years, DC’s various publishing initiatives have achieved different objectives:The New 52changed its heroes’ origins excitingly;Rebirthrestored a classic universe;Infinite Frontierbrought everything together again; andDawn of DCrestored classic characters and stories. DC’s upcoming initiative,All In, is aiming even higher: it’s doing everything all at once. Snyder described it as such to his panel audience:
. . . What if we did one at the same time, that was both? That showed everybody out there complaining, that doesn’t know comics, saying that, you know, superheroes are over, that not only are these heroes alive and well here and living their best storie . . . We’ll give you the New 52 in the Absolute Universe and we’ll give you Rebirth in the main universe, where you got both things, and a story — and a meta story, which was always missing back then, to shows you we have a plan for the next few years . . .
It will be hard to outdoDawn of DC, which gave many characters their overdue time in the limelight, and brought back teams like Birds of Prey and the Justice Society, but that’s exactly whatAll Inis doing. Through an explosion of storytelling, DC will keep the versions of the characters that fans have grown attached to over the past few years, while at the same time introducing new versions that can excite a new group of readers. It’s taking DC’s well-earned success from the preceding years and shooting for the stars.And it just might work.
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DC’sAll InIs The Company Taking Its Biggest Swing
Scott Snyder Will Headline the Absolute Universe withAbsolute Batman
At his panel,Snyder talked about how time away from DC allowed him to enjoy reading superhero comics again.He discussed how the initial idea ofAbsolute Batmanwas a story he was passionate about, but when it came to his return, Snyder didn’t want to do it half way. While comic book storytelling has been solid for the past few years, DC hasn’t made a big swing like it did withThe New 52in a long time, instead choosing to focus more on character growth. Snyder explained that forAll In, he knew DC needed to dosomething bigger… it needed another big swing:
. . . I went to the company, and I was like “Look, you guys are f**king DC Comics. You’re awesome. We are still the same company that we were in New York but better. We can — you’re telling great stories. You’re doing great books. But what we need is to do a big swing with all of us, like we used to do in the old days. All of us at the same time. Every single book. So go to your creators and say, in two years, you take your biggest swing. It can be on the same book, it can be on a different book . . . I am going to come in and read the pitch and be, like, are you taking your biggest swing?” And everybody did it. Everyone was like, I’m taking the biggest swing.
The idea of every creator at DC stepping up to bat with their best creative ideas is exciting.Over the course ofDawn of DC, the company has gathered a superb group of creators to interweave stories and deliver heartfelt battles packed with action that makes a reader chew their nails nervously (Dark Crisis, to name one). Kelly Thompson delivered a Birds of Prey team that could take on Amazonian warriors. Tom Taylor grewNightwing to lead the Titans in the Justice League’s place. Tom King set Wonder Woman up against the U.S. army, sparking various conversations. DC’s creators have been on fire for years, buttheir biggest swings are yet to come.
DC Is Throwing The Biggest Comic Book Party In Decades and Marvel Is Invited
DC is Giving Free Collectible Justice League Cards to Retailers
We’re going all in with our hearts. It’s all in the books, meaning every single book has a jumping on point and it’s all in the stores. Every single week a new book is starting or a new story arc is starting. We want you to go to stores every week. And look, if you buy three to four DC comics, they’re going to give you a Justice League card, a collectible, for free [… for] retailers to give out at their discretion. If you […] don’t buy any DC comics, and you buy Marvel, who cares? Go celebrate superhero comics […] indie comics are amazing — I love them, buy those too — but this is just about that. Go support superhero comics and show them that […] comics is the medium in which these characters thrive, live, are renewed, all of that. […] So, we want it to feel like the biggest effing comic book superhero party in years. And we’re gonna do everything we can to make you feel that.
DC and Marvel may be opposing companieson the comics shelves fighting for attention, but it goes without saying that both are stronger together due to being in the same genre. Thanks to the cinematic universes of both companies, superheroes are more mainstream than they’ve ever been, but comics are still neglecteddespitebeing the true home of these characters. DC’s goal is to change that, a shining aspiration.It truly will be a comic book superhero party.
Comic Books Belong In Stores
Online Comic Platforms Don’t Offer the Same Options as Comic Book Stores
While digital comics make catching up on extensive character histories easier for new and longtime readers alike, they lack the extra spark that makes collecting comics a good time. This includes variant artist covers, virgin covers, special cover elements like foil or acetate, promotional materials like theDawn of DCcollectible bookmarks, and the community formed over various titles that a screen doesn’t allow.Those things are exclusive to in-store comics.
By releasing a different Absolute Universe book alongside the current main titles that are starting new storylines, as well asdoling out collectible cards, DC is ensuring that comic book readers enter stores every week for something new.Snyder affirmed that DC’s goal isn’t to change buying habits,but to give their audiences a reason to go into stores. Superhero comics should be celebrated, and they want everyone in store to celebrate.
Every initiative comes with risks, butDC’sAll Inis coming from the best place possible when starting something new: the heart of its creators.Superhero comics are in their prime with more diversity and inclusivity than ever before, and DC doesn’t plan to slow down. With creators like Joshua Williamson andScott Snydertaking the lead,All Inwill not only alter the threshold forDC Comicsstorytelling but celebrate superheroes the way these characters deserve.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.
