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The big news in the world of comic books is that Dc Comics is planning to reboot its entire universe in the fall. every comic will begin with a new 1st issue regardless of how long the comic has been running. Some new titles will be added, as well. The comics will be handed over to some of the hottest artists and writers to update characters for a younger, hipper audience. This is not the first time DC Comics has done such a thing. The project sounds much like the Crisis on Infinite Earths reboot from the mid-’80’s. I am skeptical of how well the new reboot will work.

Like the recent bruhaha over Superman renouncing his American citizenship, this is a big stunt in order to earn some immediate attention. Comic book have been on a downward spiral for well over a decade now as older fans got burned speculating on collector’s items with far more supply than demand, while potential young fans have discovered Pokemon and Harry Potter instead. DC Comics probably feels safe regrouping because there are not a whole lot of people around to care anymore. As an old school panelolgist, I have two trepidations. I cannot see well enough to read comic books anymore, but what the heck. I can still gripe over them.

First, the money. DC Comics is planning to launch a new, shared universe with 52 titles. Back when Crisis on Infinite Earths brought about the first reboot, you could read every comic book you wanted for $20-25 a month, and that meant buying a few new titles every now and then to see if you would like them. Today, comic books have increased their cover prices far beyond the inflation rate. You should be able to buy a comic book for about a $1.25 or so, but one will run you at least $ 3 these days. Even at $1.25 per issues, $ 65 per month is a ridiculous expectation, but $156 per month is out of the question. No one is going to follow the shared universe like they did back in my younger days of collecting comics. It is too darn expensive.

Second, marvel Comics rebooted its numbering system back in 1998 after an event not unlike what SC Comics is planning. All their major characters started over with 1st issues. Fans hated it, so within a few years, Marvel Comics switched the numbering back to what it should have been. While that sounds trivial, collectors, who are, let us face it--weird, were irritated about how to organize their collections with all the number changes. DC Comics fans are going to be even worse. Action Comics and Detective Comics, just to name two, have been published regularly since the 1930’s. They are closing in on a thousand issues. Fans want that issue #1,000. They do not want a new #1. They will be anal about this, I guarantee. Comics fans are my brethren. I know them.

I will concede that the older comics fans felt the same way when Crisis on Infinite Earths was announced 26 years ago. They did not want a younger, hipper DC universe created by artists and writers they never heard of before. Maybe it is because I was not much of a DC Comics fan before, or my young age, but I developed a taste for the post-Crisis reboot that I did not have for the pre-Crisis. In that sense, maybe I am being an old fart about all this. Young fans may like it as much as I did way back then. But I am thinking the dwindling popularity of comics books, combined with their high costs, and alienation of older fans will make this reboot a failure. Probably one that will hasten the death of comic books as much as the faux gold rush in the early ’90’s.