There’s a classic episode of The Simpsons, in which Lisa buys a talking Malibu Stacy doll (an obvious Barbie parody), and is repulsed by the anachronistic female stereotypes it says. In response, Lisa teams with the original creator of Malibu Stacy and makes her own modern, more positive, doll. The Malibu Stacy company fires back with a revamped Malibu Stacy- the exact same doll with a new hat. And as we end the second month of the DCnU, the comparison between the two revamps, while not definitive, is beginning to gain weight.
The Breakdown
Last month, the DCnU could be classified as unknown, as several comics were beginning long-term storylines that could not be judged on the first entry. Many of the books still fall under that classification, as Justice League, Action Comics, and Teen Titans are showing us their stories piece by piece. However, the stories that have been shown, along with those in other titles, add another term to the equation- repeating. Despite the new look and changed stories, the feel of the DCnU is still not all that different from the original DCU, which is a major problem for this relaunch.
The Good
Now, this is not to say that the titles under this banner are all terrible. Many titles are still solid, and DC has managed to make improvements to many of the problems from last month. Grant Morrison’s Superman spent time carefully building a story with action, drama, and some good sci-fi, rather then shoving the relaunch down readers’ throats. The Man of Steel did well in his early adventures in Action Comics as well. And Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws which were both critiqued for sexualizing their female characters, both managed to tone it down this month, and in Catwoman’s case, cause her to be sexual to steal from someone, which is far more akin to the character’s history. And Aquaman is doing very well under the watchful hands of Geoff Johns, who continues to balance the human and mythic elements of the character.
The unchanged titles of Batman and Green Lantern are still major highlights, as they take their characters in new directions. Batman now worries about being a good father to his son Damian, while Hal Jordan deals with his new enthrallment to Sinestro. The other books under the two banners continue to excite, with Batwing giving a heroic portrayal of an African Batman, while New Guardians divulges into the repercussions of the darker actions of the Guardians of the Universe.
The Bad
So what’s wrong with the DCnU if they have such impressive titles? The fact that, despite the new looks and backstory, they simply don’t offer a lot of new ideas. The Superman books are still setting up his classic rivalry with Lex Luthor and his exploration of his Kryptonian heritage, while Morrison’s work has reminded many of the early Superman comics, which will not help to revitalize the seventy year old Man of Steel. Neither will his new friendly relationship with Lois Lane, which stinks of Marvel’s hated One More Day story that broke up Spider-Man and Mary Jane. And that isn’t the only familiar element in the new universe. The tone of the books is largely the same as their previous incarnations, which DC tried to hide by having new teams form from previously established characters with barely altered character origins. It makes this whole relaunch feel more a like a marketing scheme by DC to boost sales by simply creating new looks and changing a few details.
Many of the books themselves give the feel of a “trial and error” method. In the first Justice League, Batman acted more like the aggressive Batman of Frank Miller’s reviled All-Star Batman and Robin. Now, he is more akin to his traditional portrayal, as if the writers realized their mistake and fixed it. The same approach can be seen in Catwoman and Red Hood - both books were criticized for turning their heroines into male fanservice, and in their second issues, Catwoman shrugs off her sex scene with the Batman, while Starfire is now in a woman’s business suit (the character is still imperfect, as she retains her cold, robotic personality). And there are indications that DC hasn’t figured out how the new continuity works yet: Arsenal makes reference to the classic New Titans lineup, yet Cyborg is a founding member of the Justice League. These are things DC needs to have in place, but so far they seem to just presenting the same universe with a new look, some plot changes, and a desire to revamp anything that could threaten their sales.
Final Thoughts
DC grabbed the attention of the industry with their relaunch, but it doesn’t seem like they know what to do with it. Even with the good titles being produced, and the mistakes that have been erased by the relaunch, there simply isn’t much of a cohesive or epic feel to this relaunch. The books simply feel the same, which is a critical failing no matter how well written or drawn they may be. Granted, there may still be something down the line to shake things up, such as the planned reemergence of Earth-2 and the Justice Society. But even that is something that DC has done before. If they really want this relaunch to work, DC may need to sit down and ask themselves - How many new hats will people buy?
Eric Nierstedt - Mr. Nierstedt studied English at Kean University. He's written at the Leader newspaper of Westfield NJ for five years.
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