By now you have all been made aware that DC: Rebirth launches this week – Wednesday May 18th 2016 – in comic book shops across the globe. The DC line is being reborn in to a new era that is both new and old, fresh and yet familiar. For example, the Teen Titans will receive a new look for this old (but young!) team as seen above. Up until this weekend, the lid has been kept tight on the plot devices central to the creation of DC Rebirth. Both Jim Lee and Geoff Johns have carried tightly sealed lips about it all, no one more than Geoff Johns who is the writer for DC: Rebirth Special #1, the book that launches it all, the book to carry the new logo first and the book which will send Geoff Johns away from comic books and in to the DC movie universe for a time.
Despite all these best efforts, some major spoilers managed to leak out – as these things tend to do these days – and the revelations were eye-opening and rather surprising. The spoilers sent people in to a frenzy and scrambling to pick up the issues referenced; what was a dollar bin book now fetches many, many times more than that. I will not include those spoilers here, however I will give you a reference from DC Comics regarding the book if you click here . Again, what was a dollar bin book last week, can be found on Amazon – for example for $90. The news originated from a Reddit post and quickly spread to the outlets who did not receive the sneak preview that came along with a non-disclosure mandate from the DC C-suite.
In an apparent attempt to steer the ship back towards positivity, DC Comics and Geoff Johns have released an exclusive preview and a few more pages that include some spoilers. The exclusive went to USA Today and can be found here.
When addressing concerns that the DC Universe has grown dark and cold, Johns said in the exclusive; “It felt like there were things that had gone missing — not the characters but an overall feeling of hope and optimism,” He went on to state “There’s a sense of warmth and emotion to this universe beyond the big epic threats and continuity stuff.”
WARNING – SPOILERS:
Johns essentially made the previous rumor and spoiler official when he went on to state; “The culprit: Doctor Manhattan, the atomically powered, almost god-like figure in Watchmen who’s more an antagonist than villain in Rebirth, Johns says. “If you’re going to have a conflict between optimism and pessimism, you need to have someone who represents a cynical view of life and also has the ability to affect this. I know it’s crazy but he felt like the right character to use.”
But exactly how and to what extent the Watchmen will be involved in and affect the main DC Universe remains to be seen and will no doubt take many story arcs, titles and crossovers to reveal the full truth in its entirety.
DC Rebirth will be available in 2 covers on May 25 2016:
DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by GARY FRANK, IVAN REIS, ETHAN VAN SCIVER, PHIL JIMENEZ and others
Cover by GARY FRANK
It all begins here. Do not skip to the last page. Do not let a friend or message board ruin this comic for you. The future (and past) of the DC Universe starts here. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
THEY SAID IT: “Rebirth is about focusing in on the core of the character and their respective universe,” says writer and DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns. “It brings back what has been lost, the legacy of the characters, the love and the hope of the DCU!”
One-shot • On sale MAY 25 • 80 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Same here, Jeff! I am both excited and intrigued