DC Comics Co-Publishers Dan Didio and Jim Lee both tweeted a mysterious teaser image that suggests the company’s comic book lineup could be experiencing another big relaunch this year. The teaser features the word “Rebirth” projected onto a blue curtain.
Given sales attrition of their line since 2011’s “New 52” relaunch and the wholesale embracing of frequent title and line relaunches by market leader and DC’s closest rival Marvel Comics, speculation will immediately turn to some sort of large-scale relaunch on DC’s part this year.
The question is how broad the scope of this latest relaunch will be. If it’s comparable to DC You, we may see a number of books be canceled and replaced with new projects, while other ongoing series like Batman and Justice League continue on unchanged. Or “Rebirth” could be a promotion similar to the scope of All-New, All-Different Marvel, with DC canceling every current ongoing series and launching a new lineup of books with different creative teams. Or could DC be planning something similar to the New 52 relaunch from 2011? Might they be preparing another major overhaul of their continuity and a fresh starting point for their superhero universe?
Bleeding Cool, for one, suggested that this would be a complete relaunch of a continuity that would refocus the entire comic line on the burgeoning DC Cinematic Universe (or at least focus on those characters in the same way that the new film universe does). Personally, I think a full reboot is very unlikely given that it has still been less than five years since the advent of the New 52. And would DC launch Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys two months before they wiped away the New 52 universe?
Regardless of the scope, expect a major marketing push out of DC this year as they work to combat Marvel’s latest relaunch and take advantage of the growing hype surrounding Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. And expect at least some of their new comics to be geared towards fans of those movies. We’ll keep you updated as DC reveals more about this upcoming “Rebirth.”
