Tag: Earth One

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I was going to post to ask if anybody thought that DC had gone quiet on the news front, but its seems like they were holding back for a big tease about next year’s stories. This week their blog is going to be running a series of posts called “DC in 2010″ and the first one is a doozy. Their first announcement is about a new line of original graphic novels set within a new universe called Earth-One. The concept looks rather a lot like Marvel’s Ultimate Universe – take the existing characters and retell their stories beginning with updated origins. The first two original graphics novels will be Batman: Earth-One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank and Superman: Earth-One by J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis.

There is an accompanying interview at AICN with Geoff Johns and JMS. Johns commented on the approach to Earth-One:

It’s Gary Frank and I joining together to be a part of the first line of ongoing graphic novel series ever from the big two.

BATMAN: EARTH ONE is more in line with the European idea of releasing chapters of an ongoing series in graphic novel form. We’re planning on doing two novels a year and set in this new universe, we’re getting unlimited creative freedom that we couldn’t have in current continuity.

When Dan Didio asked if Gary and I would be interested in something like this we were onboard immediately. We’re taking on Batman, and the world around him, and rebuilding it from the ground up.

I think the disadvantage of the Sueprman project is that Geoff Johns is currently retelling Superman’s origin with Gary Frank in Superman: Secret Origin and it seems that JMS will be making some of the same creative choices (e.g. a Daily Planet on “downward slide” before Superman’s appearance).

There are several things that are important about this announcement, but the biggest one could simply be the format they’ve chosen. Original graphic novels play to the book store crowd and not the comic book store. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t buy trades or graphic novels at my local comics shop – they’ve just too expensive when compared to somewhere like Amazon or Borders. I’m sure we’ll hear worries from the shop owners.

On a purely story telling side, its been noticable that DC have avoided using the phase Earth-One since the introduction of the new Multiverse. The main universe has been called New Earth (post-Infinite Crisis) or Universe Designate Zero (Final Crisis). Any instances of it being called Earth-One have generally been explained as mistakes. The Justice Society visited Earth-Two, but an actual Earth-One was missing. It’s an important name because it was the title of the main DC Earth from the 1960s to 1986. However, this new Earth isn’t that Earth and the name seems to be purely branding.

This new set-up side steps the All-Star approach of using high profile talent to launch self-contained series. As brilliant as All-Star Superman was, All-Star Batman has been something of a car crash. I really wouldn’t be too surprised if we see All-Star Wonder Woman re-emerge as Wonder Woman: Earth One. For that matter, I really wouldn’t be surprised if the rumoured Geoff Johns / Jim Lee take on the Justice League emerges as Justice League: Earth One.

Few things say Earth-One Batman more than a yellow oval behind the bat symbol