The Rise and Fall of The New 52 - What Went Wrong?

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In 2011, DC Comics embarked on their biggest company-wide reset since the release of Crisis on Infinite Earths back in 1985, as the comic giants set about scrapping their long-established status quo and continuity, and starting completely afresh. The DC Universe would be rebooted. Much like Crisis did back in ‘85, DC hoped that this new initiative would revitalise the company in a mainstream standpoint, giving non-comic readers a perfect time to begin reading DC Comics, and start fresh, free from decades of continuity and (at times) confusing storytelling. The end result was The New 52. Beginning with the conclusion of the company’s crossover mini-series, Flashpoint, The New 52 saw all the various titles and series’ set within the DC Universe be cancelled, relaunched with new #1 issues; wiping the slate clean for an all new and exciting, rebooted DC Universe. But… did it work? We’re now close to a decade after the launch of The New 52, so it feels an appropriate time to go back and analyse the success of this initiative. So in this video, we’re going to discuss the factors that led up to The New 52’s creation, the ways in how it aimed to shake up the long-established DC status quo, the factors that led to its slow dissolvement over the past number of years, and the modern day rebirth of DC Comics.
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#TheNew52 #DC #DCComics

[@OwenLikesComics]

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[@RedAce0]

New 52 is when DC went, "Oh the readers seem to really like Batman. Let's make every character like Batman!". So in effect, Batman stayed relatively untouched and everyone else became dark and brooding.

[@damc8415]

No surprise that Grant Morrison was a huge factor in destroying the New 52, and that abandoning the project was blamed on Dr. Manhattan, a character popularized by Alan Moore. Moore (an openly avowed Satanist) and Morrison (an equally fanatical occultist) are major reasons that DC Comics and movies have been on a misguided quest to be "dark," "edgy" and "morally ambiguous" (euphemisms for "depressingly antisocial," "immoral" and "evil"). Characters can be realistic and still have inspiring, unselfish virtues that promote happiness, love, hope, courage and moral decency.

[@DonkeyBoyVids]

@@damc8415 you seem a little biased in the matter lol

[@alexisislas-gonzalez5991]

@@damc8415 even tho the dude was the one responsible for the masterpiece known as All star Superman

[@enigma____1395]

@@alexisislas-gonzalez5991 also JLA earth 2

[@maxloval775]

@@damc8415 You're not a real DC fan

[@justanotherrandomcrit8115]

Nothing went wrong if you ignore everything that isn’t Batman.

[@jaceprince5385]

well i only focus on batman so im good

[@miy1925hassun]

StrangeStan Productions Agreed. Just finished that yesterday and will start the the Rebirth Lantern runs tomorrow. Venditti’s run started off a bit rocky and I don’t like that he broke up Hal and Carol but it improved significantly towards issue #20 or so and is just downright awesome after that point, the Durlan storyline especially.

[@SiriusTennant]

idk being a tim drake fan, new 52 is pretty dogshit the boy lost everything that made him special

[@tobiasdrake8126]

Well nearly everything with batman. I hated what they did with mr freeze.

[@inessant1559]

@@tobiasdrake8126 ugh I forgot that they made him a stalker and a creep,definitely the worst thing that happened in n52

[@gageansman295]

I feel like the New 52 would've worked better if it was an alternate universe from the main continuity, kind of like the marvel ultimates imprint.

[@ChadBenjamin]

Isn't that basically the Earth One imprint?

[@justingensel157]

@@ChadBenjamin Basically, but Earth One never really took off the way the company wanted to, not to mention HUGE delays between releases. It would have been better to just fold the ideas of E-1 into the genesis of the N52 and use the best of both to create an alternate continuity that didn't alienate fans of the current continuity of the time

[@danielcarloshidalgotang4843]

but everyone would have prefered the old continuity lmao

[@Pikashades]

Well, now after Doomsday Clock it is it's own alternate universe.

[@jakublapinski3633]

@@danielcarloshidalgotang4843 just like the Ultimate universe outside of Spider-Man, but ideally it would've been a place for writers to create unique and interesting stories that might not be told in the main universe.

[@Zelielz1]

Batman was 30 years old but had 20 years of experience. Great for a job interview.

[@JonGorga]

Haha! Brilliant! Ha!

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

not in the DCAMU.

[@ethanlaborde]

"We're now close to a decade after the launch of the New 52..." Has it been almost ten years already? Wow, I feel old...

[@OwenLikesComics]

Honestly I couldn't believe it myself, wow.

[@ethanlaborde]

@@alfredpennyworth9853 I'm twenty.

[@Tyler_W]

8 years, but still.

[@Lanier2369]

@Oliver Twist just going to comment on this as well.... If one feels old thinking about being around the amount of time that the nu52 had been out what does that make the people who were around for the crisis feel? Lol.

[@vaughnturner]

"I feel old." Me too man, me too! LOL

[@scarecrow99999]

i think we all know the main thing they did wrong in the new 52....taking away green arrows goatee beard i mean how dare they

[@mysteryneophyte]

Right... and lets Not forget to mention all the horrible, stupid fucking things they did to RUIN Lobo around the same time basically!" I mean It was as if someone was like.... " Hey I've just had an awesome idea"! " Let's fucking ruin Lobo"! "We'll change everything about him that is most beloved by his fans."! "Hmmmmm , It just might work... "? ★NOT ! !★ Oh... and just for good measure they changed his appearance also. He became the exact opposite of who The Main Man was? (but then they changed everything back within only a couple of really lame issues?) Azarath metrion zynthos

[@stormyalice]

And making Aquaman look badass. He was a butt of everyone's jokes before.

[@superspectacularstubby]

@@stormyalice Aquaman was always badass, until Super Friends came around.

[@ianbyrne465]

@@superspectacularstubby "wonder woman! My power to talk to fish is useless here!"

[@lol349]

Bruh true

[@AdamTPersonette]

The New 52 is treated like the fourth season of Community, also known as the "Gas Leak Year" where everyone was acting weird and not like themselves. "Well there was that hopeless continuity last year"

[@KonEl-BlackZero]

They destroyed the Teen Titans and my favorite Superboy. And erased the Justice Society from continuity

[@dctribute9865]

Dont get me started on teen titans

[@teamsickomode5437]

@@dctribute9865 the teen titans we’re the only group i enjoyed from the 52 tho. They were actually entertaining and some of the members were very likable

[@joeytemplin1667]

The Superman is so dark you have to read his stories wearing night vision goggles

[@mursaleensaleem1806]

Lol

[@dionlackey798]

Lmao 😂 that was funny af

[@henriquebitencourt4280]

Same thing with new 52 WW, I hope that her Rebirth stories are better than the bland,gritty reboot that the 52 was

[@projekttaku1]

this superman is so dark he needs a new type of vision just too see!

[@ShinbrigTV]

I admit I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with The NEW 52. That was the time period where I was getting into comics, but at the same time when I read the older stories of say Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, etc. I think Owen hit the nail on the head when he brought up George Perez and him writing Superman. There was no clear direction with the New 52. It's like that one scene in Finding Nemo when all the fishes made it into the ocean but they're still stuck in the water bags with their only response being..."now what??".

[@somerandolad]

That's a brilliant analogy!

[@mattfolmer7481]

My thoughts on the New 52 could be described as love/hate. I love that it's over because I hated everything about it. I started reading in the early 90s and the New 52 removed everything, *absolutely everything*, that kept my interest and made me a fan. Characters like Superman were reduced to bad parodies of their classic selves.

[@asher8754]

You do know the 90’s literal almost killed the whole Industry

[@mattfolmer7481]

@@asher8754 yeah, and Dan Didio put some of the worst from the 90s in terms of what nearly turned the whole industry into garbage in the spotlight in the New 52. He gave Rob Liefeld a job. He put Jim Lee in a position of authority. Jim Lee's garbage designs were used for almost ALL of the New 52, at least at first. It was crap.

[@asher8754]

Yeah rob has no business drawing ever the hawkman he wrote to me was ok not great haven’t read hawk and dove so can’t say but nope never let that man draw again. As for Jim lee I’m sorry idk if it’s the fact I love the old x man cartoon which is based on his run or that his justice league was the first one I read(grew up on the cartoon but did have my first comic till college) but I’ll always have a soft spot for him is he perfect no but I feel he’s at least improved somewhat compared to the rest of that crew.

[@jockeyfield1954]

new 52 comics: you new 52 movies: the guy she tells you not to worry about

[@yourfatboy5359]

W h e e z e

[@GigaChadh976]

No those suck too

[@ultimateslinger9857]

@@GigaChadh976 Except, Death of Superman. The intensity of that fight was just as well executed as the comics version

[@diamond_dude1063]

@@GigaChadh976 nah those are great, better than the dceu.

[@lojika1majik]

New 52 movies kinda sort of keep the overall feel of the characters with the updated looks. I like that

[@johnhernandez5938]

I agree with the closing remark so much. Even though the New 52 clearly had no long term roadmap, it was an amazingly executed idea initially. I can still remember how excited the New 52 releases made me back when I was 11 years old. It was like all of a sudden I could become a comicbook reader without being GateKept by the decades of convoluted DC universe context that I’d have to physically seek out, buy, and read to understand. I’m a fan of comics till this day because of New 52

[@ethanh5217]

@@ahabduennschitz7670 let him appreciate something in the moment. Yes he can use the internet, but you are undermining the new 52's significance to this person's love of comics. Which should be valued in and of itself.

[@Br-kc2jy]

Same

[@walteraiue5850]

I think it would be better if was a separated universe from the beginning

[@derekgreen7319]

I agree. The new 52 is underrated overall. While not all of it great , there is a lot of great stuff in it. Some really great runs like the manupal flash, Lemire animal man and green arrow , John's aquaman and justice league and the Peter j Tomasi batman and robin. There were certainly problems but I wish comics were still this good overall.

[@vkingcaesar]

@@ethanh5217 also please realize at the time of new 52 being released there weren’t any apps or websites for comics lol online books weren’t even popular

[@MrMpa31]

The saddest part is that DC still has the same people mismanaging them today. No vision, no control and a focus on the wrong creators and priorities.

[@doomstadt2371]

Because they're still owned by a parent company that sees them as nothing but a cash cow, but never realize that they'll make more money by showing a bit of respect.

[@damc8415]

No surprise that Grant Morrison was a huge factor in destroying the New 52, and that abandoning the project was blamed on Dr. Manhattan, a character popularized by Alan Moore. Moore (an openly avowed Satanist) and Morrison (an equally fanatical occultist) are major reasons that DC Comics and movies have been on a misguided quest to be "dark," "edgy" and "morally ambiguous" (euphemisms for "depressingly antisocial," "immoral" and "evil"). Characters can be realistic and still have inspiring, unselfish virtues that promote happiness, love, hope, courage and moral decency.

[@samgilmartin4380]

@@damc8415 bro stop the cap. Moore and Morrison are both brilliant. (Also stop copying and pasting your same lame comment everywhere)

[@anonymous1556]

Fax cuz now it’s like we need to make superman black and we should make every main character family member or close person gay like Superman’s son and robin🤦‍♂️

[@MrMpa31]

@@anonymous1556 2 years since the original post and things have only gotten worse.

[@nunouno001]

To quote Linkara, DC’s biggest problem is that they wanted to reboot but did not want to commit to that idea. They wanted a blank slate of continuity but kept so many elements and characters from the former continuity that it didn’t really mean anything. So many things things were also so poorly thought out from the 5 year time period, the Teen Titans, and Batman’s many Robins. Because DC didn’t really reboot. They just wanted to toss away all the filler storylines and keep the big stuff. Completely misunderstanding the whole idea of what a reboot was to begin with. So in the end, DC brought back the old continuity in convergence and admitted the whole thing was a failure. Abusing creator and artists didn’t help either.

[@silverdays2909]

What if they started with the golden age heroes aroubd 1940s Sandman, Hourman, The Specter the first Flash and Green Lathernand and then they add the Justice League around modern time

[@felipefarias3285]

Starting from beginning would have been great. A true reboot

[@SuperSilver316]

I would have liked that!

[@angeldye4282]

Silver @@silverdays2909

[@silverdays2909]

@@angeldye4282 that would be the Doom Patrol and other werid heroes

[@nikomiller]

The best thing to come out of New 52 is Jeff Lemire's Animal Man run.

[@MegaGooback]

The Swamp Thing book was also great, the joint story they had was awesome.

[@Scandal262]

Aquaman tho

[@invisiblemusic5729]

Swampthing was great, Green lantern stayed good and same with Batman. Wonder Woman was good as well. Other than that the majority of it wasn't for me.

[@nicholasdickens2801]

Can’t argue with that.

[@thewhitewolf7886]

Green arrow improved significantly when Jeff took over.

[@spyrosandrianos2931]

They wanted a new generation of readers but they lost the old ones in the process...

[@masterofdragons82]

So gen y?

[@greggriffin8020]

They lost me. I had been buying and collecting since the 80s.

[@punctuationman334]

catsintexas whatever you say buddy.

[@mustang8206]

Nothing wrong with that

[@mustang8206]

@catsintexas You're saying the new generation will abandon you or get bored meanwhile you're the one not being able to accept the reboot

[@Christ2010Grad]

FIRST ONE HERE!!!! What disliked about the New 52 is how they removed Mr. Freeze’s iconic backstory and made him into a psychopath obsessed with a Nora he never knew. Making the characters dark and edgy? Sound like what Snyder would do with Superman. The New 52 is like Ultimate Marvel, a cautionary tale. Great video.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

Agreed I hate that he made Superman into Batman

[@jorgeburgos4509]

@@dcmarvelcomicfans9458 liar Superman is Superman. Bullshit

[@propheci]

Ultimate marvel wasn't all that bad. The nihilism made it unique during parts 1 and 2(kind of like the authority), they just mistook it for generic edgelord BS during the part 3 era with jeph loeb...

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

@@propheci yep

[@UltraX34]

Nah except Ultimate Marvel was great at first and got worse over time, while the New 52 was the opposite.

[@charlesman8722]

Why it failed miserably was the pathetic attempt to rope in people who don’t read comics past one issue and “ow ow the edge the edge.”

[@blocktopic]

Did it fail? I know many people who read comics now that got into comics during the mew 52

[@charlesman8722]

blocktopic aside from the people that said comics are hard to get into cause of continuity (they were never going to get into comics to begin with), there was a slight burst of readership due to people being curious but then it dropped off when storylines started up. And then you had the old readership that just wanted DC comics to be DC comics and marvel 2.0.

[@charlesman8722]

Mcheetah yeah but then the dropped the Rebirth run which is what everyone liked. Hell that run was the first time I ever heard anyone recommend Superman comics

[@yanndylan2239]

@@charlesman8722 you're wrong tho, I'm one of those cases. As a person who fell in love with comic books thanks to many of the 2000s DC cartoons, i found it always hard to try and jump into the main continuity and start reading. Dspite being interested in the entire universe i could only really one series and it had to be one that was self contained, hence why i read many of the elseworld stories instead and also watched KZbin videos to keep me up to date. While i acknowledge the flaws of new 52, i love it because it actually did allow me to fully jump into the DC universe that i had always wanted to get into. That's why despite how unpopular they are, i loved the new 52 superman and almost everything surrounding him and was genuinely sad when he died and genuinely angry when his existence was somewhat wiped especially with the relationship he had with wonder woman, her acting as if it was just a phase although the past number of years told me otherwise proper annoyed me. But back to topic, there are many current readers that were able to jump into DC because of new 52, and the notion that we would never have picked up a comic is pretty insulting

[@charlesman8722]

Yann Dylan you may like it but the new 52 is everything wrong with modern comics. The characters in the DCU are meant to be larger that life goods and do the right thing not because cause it’s easy, but because it’s not heroes do. Everyone FUCKING HATED “I’m dark a moody and throw people off roofs” Superman. Everyone FUCKING HATED “I have sex on the roof with catwoman”, Batman. And everyone FUCKING HATED “Me and my sisters rape men” Wonder Woman. The nu 52: FAILED: just like when dc replace Superman with the eradicatior, and Batman with the Azreal. Now everyone thinks Batman needs to be violent and kill the Joker because of the new 52 and it’s bullshit, cause real heroes kill yo!!!! And again: if you want to read comics: pick up a damn comic book and read it. Continuity isn’t as intimidating as everyone likes it to be, you don’t have to read action comics number 1 to get into Superman just pick up a book start reading and look through some back issues if you’re interested.

[@catsofsherman1316]

The New 52 was for me the beginning of the biggest period of new comic buying and reading of my life. When it started I was only reading Daredevil on a monthly basis and mostly collected silver age comics. My previous attempts to jump into other ongoing series had been frustrated with huge crossovers and being lost in the middle of long convoluted stories that I had no context for. I subscribed to a bunch of the New 52 titles and really rediscovered the joy of reading comics as opposed to buying for the purpose of collecting. I got into many Marvel, Image, and other indie title all as a result of New 52 getting me invested in new comics again. For this reason the New 52 will always hold a special place in my heart even if it may not have been the best period of DC ever.

[@walteraiue5850]

For me it was the Rebirth era

[@seabookfarno8656]

@@walteraiue5850 **Tim Drake: ROBIN (for rebirth) Yea..... I am not buying anymore... they ruined him. Ruined ruined ruined him. Sexuality should not be the main main focus on any of our ORIGINAL MAIN CHARACTERS.** (Sticks to just Pre 52 and New 52 and that's it)

[@damc8415]

I often think that DC's frequent reboots have less to do with attracting new fans and more to do with lazy writers, artists and editors who don't want to do the research necessary to maintain continuity with their predecessors. Marvel Comics didn't have to deal with that for many decades because most of their big characters had a single co-creator, Stan Lee, whom new writers could consult with questions about backstories, timelines, character motives, etc. By comparison, DC drove off and screwed over most of their early creators, except maybe Bob Kane. (Yes, Marvel should have treated co-creator/artist Jack Kirby better, but that's a separate discussion from maintaining continuity, which writer/editor Lee usually managed meticulously.)

[@roxylindholm5179]

Reboot after reboot just p*ssed me of. So I keep going on with old silver age DC universe. EDIT: To bad, I got something wrong here. So I actually did not mean the silver age years, but the bronze years, with guys like Neal Adams, Jim Aparo or Curt Swan. sorry for confusion.

[@Heru_Iluvatar]

What "frequent reboots"? Also where's the sense in comparing modern DC with classic Marvel? Rather compare it to modern Marvel where they reboot everything after every 5 issues.

[@aguywithalotofopinions412]

As someone who started getting into comics in the late 2000s, the stories of some characters I really liked were a bit of a chore to have catch up on (mostly Nightwing, Red Robin, Green Lantern and Flash) so I appreciated the Reboot in theory

[@kylerohan3841]

To me it’s also a way that the writers can put their own spin on characters that didn’t need one. Trying to frank millarize characters who were fine as they were if that makes sense

[@damc8415]

@@Heru_Iluvatar Marvel's first reboots didn't start 'til around 2000, after Stan Lee had left the Marvel bullpen. Even then, Marvel only allowed Jim Lee to do a partial reboot of some of their universe, including Fantastic Four and a few other titles. But by that time, DC had already rebooted its entire universe at least three times, and was gearing up to reboot again. I've lost count of DC's reboots now.

[@somerandolad]

Scott Snyder's run on Batman was the best!

[@ANIpJs]

Agreed, and it made me seek out his non-Batman stuff and I've loved that too.

[@MrRodrigues520]

But even that had its problems, some events were very dependent of detective comics. The whole joker face off thing happened in detective, when it came to the regular series it did not made sense. I remember stop reading it because of that.

[@Ravathiel]

I mean kind of, but like it's been 10 years and I still haven't seen a Scarecrow or a MR.Freeze story at all. I know theirs Detective Comics but.. yeah.

[@haroldwhite945]

Not to mention the decision to make everything that happened prior to the New 52 still in Canon that was just stupid

[@Ravathiel]

@@haroldwhite945 I see Barbs is Batgirl again, did Killing Joke happen? "Yes!. but no! she healed!" what about Bane breaking the Bat "...yes?" and 4-5 Robins? "No! the female is gone!" Jason Todd? "Red Hood! new Outlook, he's not the Crazy character you saw at the end of the Pre-Flashpoint!" ...all this in 5 years? "why of course!" but Damien is here... and is Robin... Dick was Robin for what a year? ".....Yes, but no! you fill in the blanks! Also you fill in the Timeline for this New 52, because we now have Gordon as Batman, and Superman is powerless! but they are never introduced in Justice Leagues Run- also the JL are Currently GODS now! but you'll never see and hear anything about that in any other stories!. other than Supermen having mentioned he's DYING because of Losing Powers, being a God, and Etc all in a small timeframe!" ......NEW 52 Continuity was non existent

[@L-eye-t]

I hated what the New 52 did to Darkseid above all else.

[@L-eye-t]

@Cataclysmic Dildoser And his new origin in the comics destroys the magic of Jack Kirby's magnum opus.

[@michaelthethird702]

Agreed. The new origin of Darkseid and Highfather was the worst thing that DC has done to the New Gods. And they've done alot of bad stuff with the New Gods

[@wessidioussmoke5773]

You would hate what they done with a villain.

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@michaelthethird702 i agree that origin for datkside was really stupid and highfather was really stupid and garbage

[@closegripbenchpress489]

@@TevyaSmolka can you tell me what changed

[@ThoughtWord]

After putting comics down after the early 2000's (Yeah, I was a 90's kid) the New 52, specifically Snyder's Batman run, got me back in. Court of Owls is still tops for me.

[@ultimateslinger9857]

That’s my favorite Batman story. Batman Hush is my number 2

[@VAULT-TEC_INC.]

I’ll tell you what went wrong with the New 52, they got rid of “underwear on the outside.”

[@juanreynaldo1041]

Underwear on the outside has been ridiculous since the 2000's. Time to move on

[@notspider-man7777]

@@juanreynaldo1041 I will never move on.

[@unknownuser8967]

@@juanreynaldo1041 I know its ridiculous and everyone made fun of them, but when its gone.... It just looks really weird you know? Its so absurd that it becomes a part of the costume and ironically miss them.

[@kap1618]

@@juanreynaldo1041 Yeah it was ridiculous but so is a rich guy dressing up as a bat to cope with his parents death. These stories are really dumb when you think about them so why not embrace the sillier stuff and play it completely straight?

[@mmhoss]

Unknown User The visible underpants is a reference that hasn't been relevant in 90 years. It's a cultural artifact that frankly has zero purpose anymore. It's a reference to strongmen, it was meant to show that Superman was strong. The character has eclipsed the need to make this reference decades ago. "Superman" is the defacto way to refer to somebody who's unnaturally strong. Get rid of the underpants already they look as dumb as anything you could think of imo

[@GoldenfoxxPrime]

I've never understood this fascination with rebooting comics under the guise of helping new readers get into things. When I started reading comics in '84, my main heroes (Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four) were all already twenty years old, and it never even _occurred_ to me that it might be too hard to settle into. Because it's an absurd notion. I think most people get into comics _because_ of the established traits built up over time. I dove into the older stuff, learning as much as I could about the history of my heroes, and those deep dives are what, I think, ultimately build us into real fans. Watching a series I've followed for years go from approaching issue #500 to #1 had exactly the opposite of the intended effect. The New 52 launched right at the same time that I was going to try and dive into DC comics for the first time in my life, and suddenly, just like that, the interest was gone because it wasn't the same heroes and their histories were effectively erased.

[@LightningFromHeaven]

Couldnt of made it anymore clearer

[@marvelfannumber1]

I've also never understood this false paradigm. When I started reading comics, most of the series I read were long running, but this was never really an issue for me. Infact the whole legacy aspect was something I found immensely appealing, not intimidating. The idea that for example, there have been multiple Robins that have gone their separate paths, that there were retired superheroes who had been active since World War 2 etc. was something that added so much to my investment in the universe. The idea that this might be overwhelming might have held some weight before the internet. But today, if there's a character you're confused about, or a situation you don't understand, it's all literally a Google search away. For me, the best approach has always been using the multiverse for these kinds of reboots. Such as Marvel's Ultimate line. You get to keep the old continuity that people are attatched to, but you can also tell new stories in a separate continuity. These massive, continuity retconning reboots rarely work well imo.

[@timothylewis2527]

You're right. If anything, it was fun trying to track down stories about things I missed or filling in the blanks with my imagination. Continuity never bothered me.

[@TheRockerX]

You should've just jumped into the older storylines. I got into DC around the same time but I hated the New 52 so I went back and read all the iconic storylines for the DC characters I was actually interested in.

[@ilmanu2275]

Same here. you can easily read the 1938 Superman as well the 1980's reboot by John Byrne and the 2002 version of him with ease. It's not like you need the original Action Comics #1 to experience it in full, you have TP, omnibuses and so on. Said assumption or presentation is as stupid as it can get.

[@timothylau3316]

Dang, I wish they could keep the Court of Owls storyline at least, that was so so so so good. The Court of Owls literally became my favorite Batman villain, it kept to the same back story and the psychological element it had on Batman was just amazing. It felt like there were real stakes and got me back into comics, the story worked so well and so exciting. Night of the Owls, simply just amazing.

[@phabiorules]

Fun fact, that was originally supposed to be a Grayson storyline. Snyder got his start in batman on detective comics while Grayson was batman. It's also why Grayson was marked to be a Talon.

[@abdullahzubair8338]

The whole Snyder run is included in Rebirth and is even referenced in the Batman Rebirth comics.. Rebirth is basically just the old continuity + the New 52 continuity fitted in wherever they could.. For batman, the old continuity is followed by the New 52 comics and then directly goes into the Rebirth comics..

[@gannielukks1811]

The new Batman game (without Batman) Gotham Knights will be about the Court of Owls.

[@JonGorga]

The Court of Owls are absolutely a ‘salvaged’ element of the New52 continuity. They are too popular to lose; they’re here to stay!

[@MrGabluc]

So nobody is gonna even mention some other key atrocities such as what the New 52 did to the main man - LOBO *shudder* no shame...

[@phabiorules]

Honestly, I dont think their Lobo was a BAD idea, just poorly executed. The original Lobo was supposed to be a parody of 90's comic book characters who had huge muscles and super aggressive. The new Lobo came across as a parody of DC's current practices as they wanted more young and beautiful characters, as well as focusing more on weapons instead of fists. I think it would have worked if they made it Lobo's brother, or one from an alternate universe. I find it funny how the original Lobo was supposed to be a parody, but people unironically loved him, but the new 52 Lobo was also a parody, yet people loathed it.

[@dctribute9865]

@@phabiorules lobo was a beloved charcter And trying to fuck him up to a new idea was a tragedy

[@phabiorules]

@@dctribute9865 which is why I said it should have been his brother, or from an alternate universe.

[@ifuckingdespisethis]

Huh, my phone hit 52% when I watched this video.

[@terreanlofton7627]

Omg same

[@andrewvillatoro4605]

This video ended with only 52% left

[@mohammedazam6562]

Mine too

[@Coolsomeone234]

Lol

[@kino_vel]

Bruh the minute I read this, my battery is at 52%.... Wtff

[@daviddyster4145]

Never read any of the new 52. I got in to DC through the DCAU.

[@mirandagoldstine8548]

Me too.

[@SuperSilver316]

I think thats where most people started, makes sense that universe was pretty great.

[@daviddyster4145]

Jessie Christian thanks 🙏

[@daviddyster4145]

Mayo Tango131 why, I was part of my childhood.

[@langleymneely]

DCAU is honestly THE best interpretation of the DC characters and universe in ANY medium! It continues to surpass the comics, live action TV, & most definitely the live action film universe (I refuse to say DCEU as its not a real moniker lol)! From BTAS all the way to the recent JL vs Fatal 5, the “Timm-verse” has the best most fleshed out versions of the characters we love! The only thing close is the exceptional Young Justice show & a handful of some straight to video films, which are not in the same canon universe as the myriad Bruce Timm created animated shows: BTAS, STAS, JL, JL UNLIMITED, Zeta, B BEYOND, etc! If anyone reading this is intrigued check out The Watchtower Database channel on youtube, the guys there are DIE HARD DCAU fans! The entire channel is devoted to researching every little thing you never knew you wanted to know about the DCAU! Cheers! 🥂

[@wladimir.Quiroz]

One of te biggest difference between marvel and DC it's that dc has a legacy. We grew reading Barry Allen stories, we suffered when he died , we hated and then loved Wally west. And suddenly, all that is erased. That's the reason new 52 failed for me

[@gonk4509]

Marvel could have a legacy put they treat there Timley Comics material like trash. They should revive their 40s characters.

[@uneazypolarb7691]

My thoughts exactly, and even in rebirth Tom King made Wally a murderer which just pissed me off.

[@agtl3168]

But that's not what happened? Wally wasn't selling to begin with, hence the reboot

[@TopsyKrett88]

I personally loved the new 52 but completely understand why many don't. It always felt like Marvel's Ultimate universe but for DC and is why I didn't mind why they were trying to go dark. The part that they messed up on was trying to make it the official main timeline rather than another universe.

[@franklsuarez]

The problem seems to be the fictography of the characters is not consistent. One person wants this, another that. One person should be the head writer for each character. The writers want to create their own characters, but they latch onto the existing one since they are the moneymakers.

[@anonrickfail1]

Right now DC is repeating the Nu52 continuity mishaps and it seems like they're just splitting it into 4 sections that only barely connect Rebirth was such a positive change and now they're pissing it away

[@joedee9811]

HoddTodd agreed. Amazing how it took them barely 2 years to destroy the goodwill generated by Rebirth

[@anonrickfail1]

@@joedee9811 good at DC but the problem is that none of it meshes together well and it just creates a mess in continuity. Schneider King and bendis are all doing their own thing with John's sitting in a corner just kind of scribbling and doing his thing and then and the rest is just a mishmash of editors and writers trying to make a semblance of a continuity with what they're working with in the main books if you get what I mean

[@joedee9811]

@@anonrickfail1 yeah, I feel like New 52 was forced on Johns, but he is a company man so he made the best of it. Rebirth seems to have been John's baby, and DC was all the better for it, it seemed like it was thought out in advance, everybody was on the same page and it was building to something (the end of Doomsday Clock specifically) Now that John's is no longer the Chief Creative Officer anymore, and what with the delays for 'Clock, it seems all those plans have gone out the window, and like you said with Bendis coming in and getting to do whatever he wants basically along with King and Snyder, it really feels even more like a train going off a cliff and noone at the switch.

[@dn22pkkdd476]

This. People were all for Rebirth. It seemed like most of it's initiatives and intentions were to honor the past but also push forward into the future. Sales and critical praise seemed to follow most of the rebirth titles. But the people in charge saw it's succes and have litteraly done everything in their power to reverse course and get rid of everything that worked, to spite themselves. Almost like they want to return to the grimdark 90's and not in a fun or interesting way like the 90's could be. But in a way to keep fans angry and jaded and really push the annoying soap opera style tropes that turn a great run into a shambling mess of bad clichés. Something weird is going on at DC. I mean Superman went from a beloved family man and husband, with a son who was learning and growing, and all of a sudden, barely on a whim, he just lets both his son and wife fly off alone with his evil supervillian father because "eh whatever". I repeat, Super Fucking Man let his 10 year old son and non-superpowered, regular human wife go off with his NewlyEvil Superpowered Kryptonian Father into Deep Space and just shrugged and said "oh well. Hope they are safe". And did not question at all when his son Never came back and his wife wanted to live in a separate house from him. What? Tom King's Batman run started very strong with storylines centering on trauma and redemption (and a fun detour with Hugo Strange and Kaiju in Gotham, fuck yeah) and slowly went on a huge downturn. But still the run had the whole dangling carrot of the "marriage to Catwoman" thing to keep people invested in all it's miserable dialogue and growing mischaracterizations (Booster Gold getting the absolute worst of it). And then issue 50, when everyone was beyond hyped, they did what they do, and pulled the rug out from everyone. Not for an interesting story twist, oh no. I'm sure many people would have forgiven the swerve if the story was any good. But it was all so that Bane (whose storyline in Tom King's saga felt completely concluded and finished) could convince Catwoman to leave Batman hanging at the altar and make Batman so sad so he could "break the bat". Like the motherfucking Batman was some highschool teen who got stood up on promnight and would spend the rest of his days listening to Simpleplan ballads and telling Alfred how "he doesn't understand his pain." But this is Batman, who has litteraly been through hell, Apokolips and back again, has suffered trauma and loss over and over again, has lost his beloved sons (both biological and adopted) while being powerless to save them, has seen friends die, has had to fight his friends, has had to push all his needs aside to protect his precious city. And a known jewel thief, who he does love but she has been known to be flighty and indecisive before, leaves him hanging like she has done many times, and this time it broke him? It wasn't even written like this was a breaking point for him, or the final straw. It was somehow all apart of Bane's masterplan that also involved the Flashpoint Thomas Wayne version of Batman somehow. Fucking What? I could go on forever with the horrid execution of DC's post Rebirth plans.

[@naquangreen354]

@@dn22pkkdd476 it gets worse he's planning to reveal his secret identity to the world which I'm sure will not have any unfortunate consequences to his friends and family (notice the sarcasm and God help us)

[@SuperSilver316]

The biggest problem with the New 52, was the erasure of Wally West, one of the greatest Legacy characters in comics. Also the idiot in this comment section who said Johns is a fraud and a corporate Hack is Dan Didio supporter and think Identity Crisis is a good story.

[@maxp.c1330]

Dc just destroyed the flash lineage in general for no fucking reason. like it started with them making bart the flash for like 2-3 issues then dying after wally disappeared for like a week

[@maxp.c1330]

It makes me so damn angry

[@SuperSilver316]

Turning Johns Flashpoint into a reboot was a mistake. They should have let him continue his run into that Speed Force book Owen talked about. Also even when they brought Wally back, the only writer that did anything good with him was Williamson, who I’m pretty sure would rather be writing for Wally than writing for Barry. And then fucking Heroes in Crisis happened. Fuck that event, literally Identity crisis 2.0.

[@maxp.c1330]

@@SuperSilver316 it was awful im so pissed

[@SuperSilver316]

Are you reading Flash Forward? Supposedly this book is supposed to Lead into the next Crisis event where Wally redeems himself. But who knows what that company’s plan is anymore. They’ve let Ric Grayson go on for 17 months.

[@LukeSpidey]

The New 52 was the moment I stopped reading comic-books and I haven't returned from there yet.

[@evangrim37]

Didio walked over to me that con (cuz he wasn’t the spotlight that year) & struck up a conversation with me about the New52. He said I was gonna be really excited for what they were doing with Teen Titans when I told him I was a young justice fan. We talked for like 10 minutes. I was so happy. …never meet your heroes kids.

[@galaxystudios4089]

The writer of Crisis on Infinite Earths was Marv Wolfman George Perez was the artist.

[@MVFev]

I came here to coment just that.

[@andrebrynkus2055]

George Perez is such a powerful force in his art that he usually gets co-plotting credits due to him doing those gigantic spreads with hundreds of characters even when not asked. He improves on pretty much every script he touches.

[@sirperybLakeney]

I was pretty astonished to hear this huge error was actually repeated in the video! Seriously. Nice of George's fan club to show up and try to make out that it's totally okay to say that George wrote it though!

[@comicbookreviewer4856]

even when reviewing crisis on infinite earths would they should of done was restart everything once the universe was remade as superman wonder woman and batman got rebooted origins and new tales and even Infinite crisis kinda implied everything was reset showing Geoff johes knew what to do with earth two superman flashback

[@matthewrepyneck2777]

This story and the fracturing of the DCU into self contained stories is scarily similar to WB's DCEU

[@defactoboomer8275]

Captain Cold having "ice powers" instead of his cold gun was where I called it quits for new Shitty-two.

[@jamieandreassen6720]

I agree that Aquaman and Batwoman were two of the better titles from the New 52 Era, however, I would argue that the only really successful titles were ones that would have worked perfectly without a reboot, the aforementioned Aquaman and Batwoman, plus Green Lantern, Swamp Thing and Batman. But the New 52 seems to have permanently damaged the Captain Marvel Family and I think my beloved Teen Titans and Titans are going to be fairly tarnished by how they were treated during the New 52. The DC Universe is my favorite fictional universe, but the New 52 broke me after about 6 months and I quit comics for nearly two years. I only started buying DC books again when Rebirth began. I don't think the damage of the New 52 will ever be completely undone.

[@rwg6357]

what went wrong... simple THEY DID NOT COMMIT TO THE IDEA THAT THIS WAS A REBOOT Half the books felt like they were just continuations of previous series or were referencing things that shouldn't have been referenced

[@bradhansen8506]

You nailed it. If you’re gonna do a reboot, then do a REBOOT - don’t reference crap that’s not supposed to happen. Create the new stories as if you’re creating a new character

[@arx3516]

The New 52 has done something it removed the undies from Superman and Batman's costumes!

[@G-LukeJA]

Gimmie the trunks

[@jonathanbhatty8592]

For Superman it makes NO sense for Batman he needs those undies it makes it easier for him to carry his belt.

[@dionlackey798]

@@jonathanbhatty8592 that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard

[@jonathanbhatty8592]

@@dionlackey798 My bad bro didn't realize it was a typo I meant to say NO for Supes.

[@TrollCapAmerica]

and I will never forgive them for it

[@poroto67]

Dude, several new 52series were so much better than what it is being published today (June 2020). A lot of series were magnificent or got good eventually.

[@bloodcottoncandy1514]

I was so heart broken when the Harley Quinn solo comic wasn't Harley who starred in the comic but a new Bizzaro version of Harley that left nothing of what I loved of old Harley.

[@krispalermo8133]

I started following " Harley Quinn " comics in the 1990's. I kept up with comics base on how good the art work was and what cash I had in pocket. My rule of thumb regarding H.Q. If it fits into other character comics as in passing reference event, it happen. Other wise what ever happens in her comic is all in her mind. Remember, Harley is insane. Also I just love the " Rebirth " story line of H.Q. apartment building and the character Big Tony .

[@haileyparsons3844]

Nah they fixed her. The relationship she has with the joker is toxic and should have never been a thing. Harley Quinn is a villain we’re supposed to sympathize, and yet it’s hard to when they keep putting her back into Joker arms. Making her the damsel in destress which isn’t what we need.

[@bloodcottoncandy1514]

@@haileyparsons3844 I enjoy many of her comics that had her going solo or with a gang that doesn't treat her like Mistah J before the New 52 universe. And I find it very rude that somehow another interpretation of Harley Quinn that is nothing like her personality wise is somehow "fixing" her when it's the original creators who brought this character that you enjoy the "fixed" version of so much to life and fame.

[@RobertWilkinsonJKekMaloy]

This is why i wished instead of killing superman, they could have retired him (like batman did on the batman beyond cartoon). Simply retire characters off if you don’t want to kill them, and bring in new blood. New writers have new characters have new followers. But NNNNNNOOOOOOOOO, can’t have new things, just rebooted prequels.

[@mechajay3358]

Problem with the New 52 is that got rid of characters we loved and change the existing established characters way too much

[@rebel-by-design]

This is my stance.

[@ImTheMan0fSteel]

None of them were established though. They changed throughout the years a hell of a lot. Theres been several reboots and versions of these characters. Superman 10 years ago was totally different than the superman that was initially released. Batman is nothing like when he was first released at all. The golden age and silver age had totally different version of those characters. Even if it was still "cannon" their personalities and powers changed dramatically. Comics has ALWAYS been about different takes on the same characters. It's so boring to keep the characters identical over decades and decades. You run out of stories and things become incredibly bland with zero character development at all.

[@naquangreen354]

@@ImTheMan0fSteel please don't remind everyone about the Golden age version of Batman the one that used a gun and kill people that version of Batman will not and will never be Canon I am so glad the comics code authority was created and that the DC editors and executives told Bob Kane (never have Batman use a gun again or kill people) The comics code of authority #1 killing heroes should never kill the villain regardless of the depth of the villainy the villain if he is to die should do so as a result of his own evil machinations

[@TheShockVox]

Aaron silly to say *none* of them established. And it’s especially silly when you consider the years of friendships and established relationships between characters that were simply wiped away. Tim Drake and Conner Kent, Cyborg and Beast Boy, Green Arrow and Hal Jordan, Dick Grayson and no Wally or other Titans he grew up with, Superman and Batman for goodness sake. The closest it got was a scene in JL where they just say oh yeah me and Batman work together and we trust each other more than we trust the rest of the league. But it means nothing. It’s told not shown ever, and they all feel like work acquaintances

[@JaelinBezel]

I mean it turned the amazons into a people who have normalized rape and slaughter. That was the only red flag i ever needed.

[@JJSogaard]

I really like that you edit in a little pause for the commercial breaks in your videos. That way the commercial does not interrupt the video as much ant they are less jarring and annoying. It’s a really good idea. I wish more channels did that.

[@OwenLikesComics]

Glad you appreciate that, I use the ad breaks to split the different sections of the video up without disrupting the flow.

[@JJSogaard]

@@OwenLikesComics Exactly. It's even written in. Of cause commercials are annoying. They will be no matter what you do. But I understand and respect that they are necessary to fund a channel and a great creator. I also like that you put more KZbin ads into the middle of the videos instead of doing ad reads yourself. Some creator's transitions to the ad reads often seems weird and I prefer proper ad *breaks* with a clear line between content and commercial.

[@stormhawk31]

New 52 was a Heroes Reborn that stuck around WAY too long. DC has never recovered.

[@langleymneely]

Great job as usual but I am shocked you ended this at Rebirth, as if that has been the end of the New 52 BTS drama!? Rebirth itself started wonderfully but once Geoff Johns left his editor post Rebirth was essentially torn down line wide as Doomsday Clock, the so called cap to the Rebirth fix, has continued to languish with massive delays to the point where it seems like its events, Dr Manhattan changing everything, don’t matter to the DC universe at large anymore! None of the books continuities make sense as writers are pulling from New 52 & Post Crisis events for backstory! I really would appreciate a video on the rift, perceived or real, between Dan Didio, Geoff Johns & Jim Lee! From the hasty vomiting of New 52 all the way to Bendis now having carte blanche to wreck & destroy so much quality Rebirth era storytelling (Tomasi’s Superman for instance), DC frankly feels worse off than even the New 52/DC You (be editor on this shite) era ever could be! So many promises, so many intriguing announcements now either gone or morphed into a watered down version of what was intended, from DC Black Label, to The 3 Jokers (anyone remember how that lil gem was coming out about 4 yrs ago?), oh well! lol Cheers!

[@kamenballer]

LOL Dan Dildo

[@langleymneely]

Orga777 At least Quesada is no longer editor at Marvel! Though I was nervous & highly dubious of him, especially after faking a Japanese identity to write Marvel Manga, CB Cebulski has pleasantly surprised the hell out of me! His strength seems to be trusting his talent to deliver quality material with out major editorial BS. He’s made the most out of losing Bendis imo, where Didio has tripled down on the flashy “big headline grabbing writers demolishing anything that happened to be working before” gambit! Lol “Look out for the Bendi di-dildo King! He, Rick Grayson & THE DRAKE will rogol-zar your holes REAL good!” Lmao 😜

[@Nexion3653]

Why do I feel like this is happening with Rebirth

[@StephenAnderson98403]

The best part of Nu52 is that each/every issue and collection were all very clearly labelled as such so we can all skip past those in the future.

[@jessemxgangl]

The New 52 was my major break from DC. I used to be heavily invested in the whole universe and continuity. Then, they took all those stories away from the characters. I didn't feel like I knew them anymore--like they were some vaguely familiar people I was supposed to recognize and relate to but couldn't with all that shared history gone. Tim Drake is my best example. He was the coming-of-age character I grew up with and alongside. I'd read every story he was in. So then the N52 comes along and they give me this complete stranger--the "same character," just **completely different** without any of the history. What a farce. The New 52 never gave back nearly so much as it destroyed.

[@VogtTD]

What exactly did you expect from a reboot? You didn't have a problem with Crisis?

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

lol what? It's a REBOOT, you have to expect them to be the same but a bit different, that's how reboots work.

[@edward2962]

"Editorial Mis-managemnet" was it in a nutshell. They sprung the idea on the staff at the last minute and had no real concept of what they wanted to do other than reboot for the sake of reboot cuz they knew the sales would go up. There was no coherent direction for the universe and constant miscommunication between the creators and editors.

[@Makoto03]

Thank you so much. I remember the launch of the New 52 and the hype. That was when i first started reading some of DC comics. Before then my knowledge was strictly through movies, cartoons, and just pop culture. I liked the idea of the New 52 giving characters a fresh start for new comers like me.

[@charlesman8722]

Sailor Mercury really there are only two ways to introduce people to comics properly: 1. Release a number one as a greatest hits kinda story with recommendations for further reading. 2. Pick up a comic.

[@suarezguy]

I think what basically went wrong is that there wasn't much really wrong with the previous continuity and a lot of fans wanted to pretty much keep it and have more of it, a lot of the writers weren't ready or willing to dump too much of it.

[@davinci3478]

Biggest problem was them making nightwings suit god damn red WHHHHYYYY

[@Coolsomeone234]

Agreed

[@sageanimations2463]

that was a stupid decision i mean he looks like a villain now

[@lonesomewolf5300]

I preferred the red suit over his traditional blue

[@benjaminkellog7311]

The only thing going through my mind right now is a variation of Peter Quill's closing line from the first "Guardians of the Galaxy," adjusted a little to summarize the New 52's legacy: "So, what's our universe in for? Something good, something bad? A little bit of both." I think that's true for any era of comics, but the New 52 might be the first era in which the negatives got way more press than the positives (the 90s notwithstanding, but now that people can actually afford decently-priced collections of stuff like the Clone Saga and Knightfall, those excesses don't seem so bad). I'm discovering a good chunk of the first year or so of the better New 52 material through the Walmart Giants. It disappoints me to know that, shortly after the stories I'm enjoying so much at the moment, everything started going off the rails. Thanks for the info on all the editorial infighting; kind of ironic that the company known for stalwart defenders of fair play and down-to-earth decency and camaraderie spent most of the past decade behaving just the opposite of that.

[@justinriley]

I would love to see a similar video covering Marvel Fresh Start. Great work as always!

[@Levyaton]

Why would you consider fresh start a failure? Like, the only shitty event to come out of it seems to be Infinity Warps, and even that has it's fans. Idk, there are so many great books out there from fresh start and honestly I haven't found one I hated 😀

[@justinriley]

@@Levyaton It's not a failure at all. It's incredible.

[@LuisaAlejandra]

Fresh Start > ANAD

[@Traph]

It's almost like Flash is DC's go-to reboot tool! Awesome documentary.

[@VogtTD]

Uh... no? Crisis used Anti-Monitor. Zero Hour used Paralax. Flashpoint used Flash. Rebirth used Dr Manhatten. Convergence used Brainiac.

[@projekttaku1]

@@VogtTD the fact that the new 52 was proceeded by rebirth 5 years after it started while post crisis was proceed by the new 25 years after it started really shows how much of a failure it was.

[@xexy7849]

The new 52 was so interesting but it ultimately killed everything that wasn't batman related after 2013 pretty much. I will be always thankful that the new 52 did help lots of new readers like myself at the time or mainly marvel people get into dc better. they also made my favorite character red hood into who he is today (use to be straight up just a villain before new 52) but man anything that wasn't that batman family they ruined it or it was very inconsistent also just started reading earth one and its upsetting that the new 52 killed the purpose of earth one right when it began because now dc at the time just went modern and did new takes on characters and now people weren't really interested in earth one (if anyone sees this i recommend on reading batman earth one volumes 1 and 2 so as green lantern earth one volume 1!)

[@fletchershepherd7039]

I loved what the New 52 did with Aquaman. They took him seriously and treated him with respect and affection but they didn't have to make him edgy and grim or gimmicky ( like with the cybernetic atlantean arm or the water hand or a harpoon in place of his hand ). And in Rebirth they further developed not just Aquaman but his supporting cast and the kingdom of Atlantis.

[@lockitty7263]

2 years later, and I couldn’t agree more, I love the New 52 Aquaman run, my father recently purchased the entire New 52 Aquaman omnibus for me and it’s amazing, I had only read a couple issues of it prior, and since I’ve started reading through it, it’s been a blast

[@danielramirez3212]

I also really enjoyed Scott Snyder's new 52 run on Swamp Thing. Very strong reimagining of the character and his history. Plus introduced a new threat for the mythology

[@MutantsInDisguise]

I prefered Scott Snyder's run on Swamp Thing to his Batman work.

[@usernotfound1191]

New 52 had some pretty cool looking designs

[@KonEl-BlackZero]

Only in the mainstream comics, did you saw the art of Justice League after the Darkseid attack? Terrible

[@Elementa2006]

Nice to see Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics get some positive lookback here, though I personally think Greg Pak's run wasn't bad but the problem his run was always being run over by having major events or mandates forced upon it by DC editorial. Speak of DC editorial, the main reason why New52 Superman failed was because they didn't provide a consistent characterization for Superman, some stories had him still act like Superman only younger with a different suit while others tried to push the whole "this is isn't your daddy's Superman" idea hard. There were elements for the New52 I liked, Superman and Batman being on more friendly terms like a balance between the Pre-Crisis superfriends and Post Crisis' friendship which began as a grudging respect with strong disagreements to actual friendship

[@drewneedsmoresleep6680]

In 2011 I was 35, had been reading comics my whole life, and the new 52 was like an off ramp, or the end of a TV show. Instead of getting me excited it left me felling like it was over I don’t need to read comics anymore. Saved a lot of money. Thanks DC

[@tbowne05]

George Perez didn't write Crisis. Marv Wolfman did. That's a big factual error.

[@SA80TAGE]

Perez is a writer as well as artist, it's safe to say he had some writing input given his working relationship with Wolfman... and Wolfman isn't the type to do a Bob Kane and not give someone the credit they deserve. The only real error is that Wolfman wasn't mentioned.

[@Obi-Wan_Kenobi]

I will say this, it took a lot of guts for DC to literally admit they had miswritten their characters and to declare that hope and optimism were stolen from from the the DC universe within the actual canon itself. The first step to solving any problem is admitting you have one and then apologizing for it. It's admirable how DC went about correcting their mistakes. I can only wish other companies did the same when they blatant mischaracterized and destroyed the canon of their franchises. Like if Disney does to the Star Wars sequels what DC did with the New 52, they will gain back a great deal of trust from me. I might actually consider watching a new movie from them instead of automatically writing it off.

[@zephaniahharrison5171]

that would be awesome. but as long a disney plays hardball with the property things won’t change.

[@Hugo_Tate]

That image of cyborg opening his jacket like Superman is dumb cause it’s not like he can hide who he is considering his face is half robotic lmao

[@TevyaSmolka]

Another thing i didn't like about the new 52 was removal of legacy and hope within the universe and everybody was a complete and utter jerk within this universe which sucked because not only you made a timeline that made no sense they made a universe not fun to read but really stupid and teen titans got damaged the most within this awful reboot and removing wally west my flash and getting rid of all there history was a terrible idea in my opinion.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

I agree with everything you just said although to be fair I only read the Comics that I knew with the Justice League members and then some batfamily once so I didn't fall into that trap of reading every single New 52 reboot with every issue one like most people did so I may have avoided that and didn't notice until it was too late

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@dcmarvelcomicfans9458 i can understand that and in fact i maintained there were two books from the new 52 i thought were really good and those were swamp thing and animal man because both series were really good but besides those titles everything else not so much, and you were probably lucky you didn't fall into that trap of reading every single new 52 title like most people fell into that trap and probably avoided it and like you said didn't notice the cracks within this reboot until it was too late.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

@@TevyaSmolka here are the list of books that I read Green Lantern I read The Flash Batman my favorite run I read Aquaman I read Wonder Woman The Suicide Squad I read the Red Hood and the Outlaws I read Batgirl Gail Simone I read Batman and Robin I read the Justice League I think I read one Constantine book about his origin then I think I read justice league dark the first issue it was pretty good I don't think I finished reading that one yet anyway that's my list how about you

[@TevyaSmolka]

@@dcmarvelcomicfans9458 honestly the only books i did read was probably aquaman Justice league dark teen titans only for tim drake but that book was really bad that i abandoned ship and superman but dear god the new 52 superman book was really not that great but really bad in my opinion, and that's about it, also batman and robin i agree was really good and that's about it.

[@dcmarvelcomicfans9458]

@@TevyaSmolka interesting lists yeah I didn't like does Superman until they start depowering him and the truth storyline to his eventual death that's the only storylines that I liked with this honestly I preferred action comics the story where he was sent in the past I thought that was better ask for Titans it was garbagehow could they mess it up I heard when Geoff Johns teen Titans run was being rebooted they were thinking of continuing it similar to how they did back with the new teen Titans run but Dan fucking didio no and scrapped it she's the reason why Superman was so cold and gritty and cynical and we got that garbage New 52 teen Titans switch was garbage dog shit

[@Goldmanvision]

At least they acknowledged Kal-El is actually twenty thousand years old. Also, I stopped watching this comic videos a couple of years ago because they no longer had presentations like yours. Chill, informative, and exhaustive (in a good, research-y way).

[@cody87323]

I really liked the design of Batman it reminded me of his Arkham knight suit which is personally my favorite and some people didn’t like the voice actor of Batman but I thought he was pretty good

[@cody87323]

Ur in this comment section more then a year later what a beast dedication to fan base over a million% living legend😁

[@LelekPLN]

The problem with it was that it wasn't really a reboot. It kept so many elements from the old continuity that any new readers that started picking up DC comics again (e.g. me) were soon last within an overly complicated continuity ties. It kept some relationships that are well known to everybody like Batman and his Robins but also rebooted other ones like Clark and Lois by making WW Clark's partner. I would rather them do a serious hard reboot, and bring on fresh perspectives on Batman, Superman, WW, Flash, etc. Make them young again, no sidekicks, start the universe small. Make the main heroes the only ones in the world. That would be interesting, more grounded. And then you could start adding more. Slowly. I fear they're going to do the same with the film universe as well. Because Batman and Superman were so horrible on film, they needed to reboot them, but because Aquaman and WW became a huge success they probably won't and already we have a big mess, with Birds of Prey being a continuation of SS, but the new SS will be a reboot but keeping some of the original actors. Plus batfleck and Snyder are gone (thank god) and Reeves and Battinson are in and it's a complete reboot as well anf as happy as I am with that change it still makes no sense.

[@davidmilesviers]

being a marvel fan, I really enjoyed the new 52. It was a great jumping on point and a new take on all the characters DC has. They did a great job of tying into all the different characters from different genres and time periods into new and fresh ideas. I really miss the new 52

[@Hardmanferdead]

Same, it was the reason I started reading DC. I really liked how they depicted Superboy’s tactile telekinesis.

[@bendewalt5560]

A lack of understanding of what made readers fall in love with the dc universe to begin with...now thats an interesting notion...

[@ClarenceDass]

My biggest issue with the New 52 makes sense now. It's because I wasn't a new reader. The new take on the characters felt like empty shells of the heroes I love. I bought Batman and Green Lantern comics religiously before New 52. Since then, I read Court of Owl and enjoyed the new Animal Man, but otherwise all I read from DC now days is Back Issues.

[@eladiocofresi5202]

For me, it was Superboy. In spite of giving up comic books in the late nineties, I had a soft spot (buried at the time) for Superboy. His death brought me back into comics, and I came to discover many good titles. While I did not hate the New 52 incarnation, he lacked the same personality that I loved from Conner.

[@fad23]

I was glad they could find a creative space for I, Vampire.

[@wesleymanboy]

It's crazy to think its been almost a decade since The New 52 launched. The New 52 did what it set out to do with me. At the moment it launched I barely skimmed the surface of comics, and because of this almost 10 years later, I'm a huge fan of comics, mostly DC. This made me discover new characters, but also made me venture to find older stories which made these characters so iconic. It's crazy how time flew by. This was a great video!

[@nohomers100]

I'll never understand why the comics industry feels the need to do a huge epic storyliine to explain a tonal shift or give a reason as to why stories before were terrible. Just write better stories!! Why do you have to have an in universe explanation? Besides the obvious money grab what is this need?

[@tayojones9460]

The industry only cares about making money and driving away old fans. Sad but true

[@Frst2nxt]

Continuity will always matter

[@animalchandler]

“Just write better stories” ?! Is one of the most spurious pieces of advice a person can give a writer.

[@ArmandoUlloa]

Because there is continuity. You can't stop a storyline without explanations as the DC is a cohesive universe and has a loyal fanbase. We need the reasons of desicions in universe.

[@SWTobito0702]

It's called continuity

[@ANIpJs]

I had finally gotten into regular ongoing stories about 8 months before the new 52. Before that I was really only reading standalones and graphic novel. At first I tried really hard to follow everything New 52. But got burned out really quick. After that I just stuck with a few main books (mostly Batman related) and maybe an event if it seemed interesting. Oddly enough I like Rebirth except what's being done with Batman. Yeah when Bane killed ------------- that was the final straw, before that I was giving King the benefit of doubt. But after that and the good intentioned train wreck that was Heroes in Crisis. yeah I can't wait till Batman gets a new writer. I will say I discovered Scott Snyder from his New 52 Batman and am now a huge fan of all of his work. So the new 52 is a very mixed bag for me.

[@daleanderson1727]

This cleared up a lot of things for me so thank you for posting it.

[@oiawoo9168]

New 52 has a special place in my heart since I got introduced to DC at its final years (I remembered it was around when DC is releasing issue #34 or so). I just read Green Lantern (and New Guardians since the #1 cover looked interesting) and Justice League by then, but as time went on I expanded into more series.

[@rebel-by-design]

For me, the New 52 just killed my enthusiasm for reading DC because stories and characters I was invested in were made to disappear. Questionable quality of a lot of the New 52 books aside, I found it hard to care.

[@outpostalpha]

I took issue with a lot of the story, continuity, and character problems of the New 52, but I didn't know about all the behind-the-scenes editorial drama. Thanks for another interesting, informative video, Owen!

[@glinkrecords]

The new 52 has some nice bright popping colours and contrasts that make the comics look refreshed and revitalised while their characters are the complete opposite its an amazing contrast between design and character personality if it was intentional

[@Tamlinearthly]

"You don't even know what's going on in your own books?" Well that is how this mess all started.

[@timogul]

The point where they went wrong was when someone said "why don't we reboot the DCU?"

[@mcurran6505]

It's strange how The New 52 first started out as a success but later on it all crumbles to the ground due to unnecessary changes, creative differences that could have worked and key writers leaving due to clashes with the guys up top. Still I think I consider the DC rebirth as a return to form after so many flaws and mishaps. Question for Owen, Do you plan on doing a video on DC REBIRTH?

[@langleymneely]

M Curran Agreed, Rebirth was good while it lasted until Geoff Johns was ousted as editor, since then its as if Didio has purposely made sure they tear down or ruin all the great storytelling and reader good will Rebirth engendered with fans. So sad & unnecessary. You are right, we need a video on Rebirth and it’s disappointing aftermath. Cheers.

[@naquangreen354]

@@langleymneely I'm just waiting for the next inevitable reboot of the entire DC universe maybe the next reboot will be in amalgamation of post-crisis and the DCAU (minus the Batman X Batgirl thing) which could be awesome and amazing and interesting here's hoping 🤞🤞🤞

[@creativeguy1138]

DC Comics in the 90's was amazing. I loved the whole "Triangle Number" deal that helped you keep track of storylines.

[@caanan02]

being a superman fan, I actually cheered out loud when new 52 Superman died! hehe

[@weehien8985]

Same! I literally stopped reading Superman during n25. I don't miss anything much tbw besides they trying to make Clark like Batman *literally killed off the Kents* and forced relationship between him and Diana. The moment Superman Convergence happened, I know the real Superman is coming back 😭❤

[@ultimatecoola4395]

Yet his current comics aren't doing well anyway😂, rebirth worked for a while but started flopping later which made me smile🤭

[@CruderQuotient1]

I think a lot of the same things are still happening. Geoff Johns gave DC a second chance with Rebirth, but the high ups/editors seem to have reverted to their shenanigans

[@MattDraper]

Great video, Owen! I always love your deep dives into comics history.

[@caroldevaney7630]

My favorite comic run was Gail Simone's run on Batgirl, just before Batgirl of Burnside. It hooked me into DC comics in a way that nothing else had. Was sickened when it ended so abruptly.

[@thatguy-jl4ni]

The new 52 I thought was pretty good. Green lantern blackest night was an awesome story. Superman was a bit dark but it opened doors for more serious stories. The art is amazing and Jeff John's work is solid. They also beefed up Aquaman. I enjoyed what I read. Good job guys.

[@Fabulist]

New 52’s stated goal was to bring in new readers. After about a year DC owned up to the fact that 95% of the readership was old readers. Meanwhile, they lost existing audience due to the horrible execution of the “reboot but not really”. There have been many missteps in corporate history, such as New Coke and GM slapping Cadillac badges on base model Chevys (both of which I know most of you are too young to remember), but I’ve never seen a company so seemingly intent on wrecking its bottom line and alienating its customers. The weird thing is no one in management was fired over this. They not only persisted in their errors, they perpetuated them over in the cinematic side of things, porting those same mistaken patterns from the books to the movies. Only the TV shows have escaped somehow, which I suspect is due to Berlanti and company fighting for independence.

[@connorschultz380]

The DC movies and comics don't have a managment relation, different groups run both

[@marozasulaiman379]

the DCYou was more of a bad transition for me. Especially Batman's Superheavy arc. It was weird seeing that Bunny Robo Batsuit. I was not against Jim Gordon became the Batman, but seeing him literally just took the mantle out of nowhere felt like a rushed decision.

[@psyifinotic]

i’m really mad i just saw this video after 3 days even though i have the bell turned on. anyway, thank you for another great video Owen!! sending light and positivity

[@stormyalice]

I just want them all to be friends again. The relationship between Superman and Batman is literally the only reason I've been into DC for over 20 years now. DC comics tackles way too many alternate universes as it is. They went way too crazy with it the last few years. The animated movies are good but the live action were so bad that I didn't finish BvsS.

[@gabriyelmastrianna8864]

I got into comics because my dad was a huge fan, and I was always drawn to the art and colors and the characters and the worlds, which inspired me to become a writer and artist. I always kind of liked having a loose continuity because it meant I didn’t have to worry too much about stories and I could just leave the bad and pick up the good and I don’t know, even bad comics sometimes bring me to a place where I’m like a kid again and it’s just fun. But I’m glad rebirth is a thing it’s been pretty awesome.

[@itsgaimtoduel695]

The New 52 is what got me into reading comics. While it had it's flaws, I will still remember it fondly. Aquaman was always one of my favorite characters and Geoff John's Aquaman is the run that legitimized the character to many others. I loved that book (until John's left around 35) and I read Batman and Justice League. While these are the only series looked back fondly by the most part, these were the only books I was reading. So in my eyes at the time, the new 52 was batting a thousand. I got out of comics shortly after the DCYou launch and fell completely out as Rebirth hit. I'm just now coming back and trying to fill in the blanks of what i missed

[@WrestlingWithGaming]

Killer video. After staying away from DC comics for a long time I tried so hard getting into The New 52 but oddly enough the fact that so much of its history was reset made it feel shallow. Anyway, great video!