DC's answer to Ultimate Marvel;

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

From the latest Wizard(due out Wednesday)

 

 

DC ALL STARS

An exclusive preview of DC's exciting answer to Marvel's Ultimate line

-----------------------------------

 

It looks like an Ultimate line. It smells like an Ultimate line. But when you actually get a taste of what DC Comics has in store this year, you might start craving the All-Star alternative.

 

Spearheaded by VP Executive Editor Dan DiDio, DC shakes up the industry yet again by unleashing DC All-Stars -- a brand-new line of books separate from their main line and dedicated to, in DiDio's words "All-star writer and all-star artists working on all-star characters to tell an all-star comic story"

 

Fill in those blanks, and you'll get the first major ongoing launch from the line this June. Jim Lee, the superstar artist behind Batman's record breaking "Hush" storyline, returns to Gotham City on All-Star Batman & Robin (DC remained secretive about the book's writer at press time.) Later in 2005, look up in the sky for All-Star Superman #1, created by critically acclaimed collaborators Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely of New X-Men and JLA:Earth 2.

 

According to DC, these books define what All-Stars is all about: giving the best creators in the business access to the biggest characters in the DCU -- and then watching the titles fly off the rack.

 

I CAN'T BELIEVE ITS NOT ULTIMATE

 

For years, fans have anxiously awaited DC's version of Marvel's successful Ultimate line of books launched in 2000, while Marvel consistently crowds the top10 sellers list with titles like Ultimate Spider-Man.

 

All-Stars takes aim at Marvel by twisting the idea of an "Ultimate" story into something that preserves the long history of the DC Universe and also presents brand-new, not re-interpreted, tales.

 

And, contrary to speculation, the All-Stars books will not create a new or alternate continuity like the "Ultimate" books do, but will instead contain stories told in present day but utilizing what could be described as timeless, iconic, Pre-Crisis versions of the DCU's top characters. Just don't expect any dated, cornball flavor associated with the Silver Age of comics.

 

"These are the versions of characters that everyone who is a civilian would know and recognize immediately," says Jim Lee. "I think Marvel's Ultimate line goes a little further in terms of changing things. We're not going to do a new origin of Batman where he's got two brothers. It's not that. There should be some other creative hook, and I think this is really a cool one."

 

Still, All-Star books won't neccesarily worry themselves by beginning with drawn-out origin sagas either -- the modus operandi starts and ends with telling a good story.

 

To really grasp the concept of DC All-Stars, DiDio points to Alan Moore's 1986 Superman two-parter "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" - contained in Superman $423 and Action Comics #583 - a Silver Age-style long considered to be one of the greatest Superman stories of all time. DC states that Moore's story is the model for what its trying to accomplish with All-Stars, and cites the way the fabel takes nearly 50 years of Superman lore and gives it a fresh and contemporary spin exciting for both first-time and long-time readers.

 

The idea is to present a line of comics that's instantly accessible using the core concepts that made the characters successful.

 

"It's funny, when I first came onto these books, Batman and Superman, they had already changed a lot of the status quo," says Lee. "Things I really associated with the characters were no longer there - like the Fortress of Solitude and the giant penny in the Batcave. And yes, it seems hokey, but I still think you can pull it off today. It's all in the presentation. I think the more you get away from that stuff, the less interesting [the characters] become."

 

BEST OF THE BEST

 

The caliber of characters and creators attached to this line gives All-Stars and amazing potential for success, but DiDio makes it clear that, as tempting as it may be, he nevere intends to flood the market with All-Star titles. The company plans to take its time and get the stories right while actively pursuing the best talent to make it happen.

 

"I think DC is doing it smart by not doing eight books at once," says Lee. "But obviously, it always comes down to the stories and how well you tell them. If people love the idea and pick up the book and say 'Ugh, this doesnt do anything for me' then you're sunk."

 

In many ways the new line will replace DC's "Prestige Format", as All-Stars will strive to become and exclusive club of sorts where only DC's most well-known characters (sorry, Gentleman Ghost), and comic's most talented writers and artists need apply.

 

"All-Stars is all about delivering on the expectations of the characters," says DiDio. "These will be versions of the characters that people expect to read if they havent read a Superman or Batman comic in a while. These are the things they'll want to see, and this is us delivering to the fans exactly what they want in a great format with great talent so they can truly enjoy the characters they know and love. Simple as that."

__________________

[starvenger 0]

All-Stars in two words: Hypertime stories.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

The headaches continue to grow....

[Steviekick 0]

I fotgot which column mentioned this on Comic Book Resources, but I really do believe that DC is intentionally trying to fuck up as much stuff as possible in order to make the big relaunch seem all the more logical.

[tbondrage99 0]

So whats the point of this again?

[Vyce 0]

So whats the point of this again?

Just the latest comic gimmick devised to take money out of the pockets of the consumers.

 

And I'm not sure how much longer they can get away with this shit.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

So whats the point of this again?

So DC can do another crappy rip off of something Marvel actually did right?

[TheBigSwigg 0]

So whats the point of this again?

So DC can do another crappy rip off of something Marvel actually did right?

But what's so good about the Ultimates? Though they update the characters, those that aren't that into comics could easily get confused about continuity.

 

And seriously, if I keep seeing promotions where Ultimate X-Men get pushed likes it's the original X-Men, I'm going to get very constipated as a result.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Spider-Man and X-Men have been successful for Marvel. I've enjoyed those books and not having to deal with the continuity disasters of either book.

[Guest JMA]

All-Stars in two words: Hypertime stories.

That seems like a good way of describing this. I think it'll work as long as they don't have crossovers with the core titles.

[Mecha Mummy 0]

Wow. Grant Morrison writes Superman and people complain. Good show.

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

Here is an interview with Grant Morrison discussing All-Star Superman. Looks like he has some crazy stuff up his sleeve.

 

http://www.newsarama.com/DC/AS/AllStarSuperman_Morrison.htm

[Guest JMA]

Wow. Grant Morrison writes Superman and people complain. Good show.

Personally, I'm very happy he's writing Superman. I don't think you could find a better candidate to write Superman than Grant Morrison. The other teams sound very good as well.

[converge241 0]

im sure it will be great (morrison on Supes in particular)..im just not jazzed about another reality's setting..i could never get on boaud with any ultimate series for the same reason

[starvenger 0]

Wow. Grant Morrison writes Superman and people complain. Good show.

Personally, I'm very happy he's writing Superman. I don't think you could find a better candidate to write Superman than Grant Morrison. The other teams sound very good as well.

Sure you could: Anybody besides Morrison (provided it's not Mark Millar). But that's besides the point, because ASS will allow Morrison to do things that he loves to do, like ignore continuity.

[Guest JMA]

Wow. Grant Morrison writes Superman and people complain. Good show.

Personally, I'm very happy he's writing Superman. I don't think you could find a better candidate to write Superman than Grant Morrison. The other teams sound very good as well.

Sure you could: Anybody besides Morrison (provided it's not Mark Millar). But that's besides the point, because ASS will allow Morrison to do things that he loves to do, like ignore continuity.

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

[starvenger 0]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

[Guest JMA]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

[Vyce 0]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

And I would have to disagree.

 

Morrison's run on X-Men was the best that book has been in YEARS.

 

The recent X-runs of Chuck Austen and Chris Claremont only make that fact even more evident.

[tbondrage99 0]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

And I would have to disagree.

 

Morrison's run on X-Men was the best that book has been in YEARS.

 

The recent X-runs of Chuck Austen and Chris Claremont only make that fact even more evident.

I agree. Granted I didnt read any of it and I havent read X-Men since the mid to late 90s now but then I didnt think it was all that great and have had no intention on picking it up again but Morrisons run intrested me quite a bit and I plan on buying the Graphic Novels for it where as the rest of the X-Books I could care less about again since.

[Guest JMA]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

And I would have to disagree.

 

Morrison's run on X-Men was the best that book has been in YEARS.

 

The recent X-runs of Chuck Austen and Chris Claremont only make that fact even more evident.

I think I may have read only one TPB of Morrison's X-Men run. Is he the one who had Xavier regain his mobility and created his evil twin sister? I never really read the follow-up to that story, but it certainly seemed interesting. I haven't checked out the main X-Men titles in a while, I prefer Ultimate X-Men.

 

I HAVE liked all the DC stuff I've read that Morrison wrote. I still think he's perfect for this project and the character of Superman.

[starvenger 0]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

And I would have to disagree.

 

Morrison's run on X-Men was the best that book has been in YEARS.

 

The recent X-runs of Chuck Austen and Chris Claremont only make that fact even more evident.

I don't want to get into too much of a Morrison tangent here, but what I'm saying is that it was a decent storyline, but with no real regard for what's happened previous. The fact that the X-Books have been trying to undo a lot of what he did, frankly, speaks volumes about his run in terms of continuity. Mind you, they shouldn't have had Claremont (the kind of dangling plotlines) try to undo it, but that's another thread, I think.

 

So, again, Morrison on ASS will probably be good because he can play around with characters however he wants, and not worry about any consequences because when he stops writing ASS, DC doesn't have to try to clean anything up. The new writer can just start writing whatever.

 

btw I'm writing ASS because I'm too lazy to write All-Star Superman, and because I just like writing ASS in caps...

[Vyce 0]

The fact that the X-Books have been trying to undo a lot of what he did, frankly, speaks volumes about his run in terms of continuity

 

The Morrison retconning movement is largely being spearheaded by Claremont, for predominantly personal reasons, not the least of which is that Claremont is, at this point, jealous that Morrison is a far better writer than he is and handled the X-Men far better than Claremont has done in years.

[bobobrazil1984 0]

I'm really looking forward to it. I think some people have gotten a wrong idea on what this is.

 

It's basically "iconic" any-time Superman/Batman stories, by great writers. There doesn't seem to be any sort of universes or crossovers or fuckups. The Batman story is told with Batman and Dick Grayson as Robin. The Superman book is with Olson a rookie, Lois unaware, etc... its great stuff, basically what Bryan Singer is doing. I dont know what or where this "hypertime" thing came from.

 

These are the Superman Batman stories Iv'e been waiting for, Superman and Batman comics are DEATHLY dull. and I never want to read another 'retelling" of Superman's origin again.

 

(and frankly even though I'm a bigger marvel fan than DC, the ULtimate thing isn't all that impressive. It's basically Ultimate Spidey, The ULtimates, and a bunch of very forgettable other stuff)

[starvenger 0]

The fact that the X-Books have been trying to undo a lot of what he did, frankly, speaks volumes about his run in terms of continuity

 

The Morrison retconning movement is largely being spearheaded by Claremont, for predominantly personal reasons, not the least of which is that Claremont is, at this point, jealous that Morrison is a far better writer than he is and handled the X-Men far better than Claremont has done in years.

That's pretty much what I meant by saying they shouldn't have had Claremont handle the retcon. The whole Magneto thing is a bigger mess than what Morrison left it as. Too bad they didn't let (or maybe couldn't get) Whedon do it.

 

Look, I'm not saying that Morrison is a bad writer. I'm just saying that he's better when you let him do whatever he wants, and that that decision was, in the long run, not good for the X-Books.

 

I dont know what or where this "hypertime" thing came from.

The Hypertime concept is basically allowing ANYTHING that has happened in a DC book to be a part of the DCU, but not necessarily the mainstream DCU. It's kind of like a multiverse, except it's really not. And I'm really not explaining it very well. But basically, you want an iconic World's Finest? It can exist in the DCU via Hypertime.

[Sass 0]

At this rate, comics are going to be re-doing the Ultimate line in a couple years "because we can do something new and hipper." It will never stop. Sometimes things need to be set in stone and let alone. Comics book writers and editors today are too obsessed with going back and re-writing the past for their own fan boy pleasures. It disturbs the fragile stability in continuity comics have today.

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

Here's a website that explains the whole Hypertime mess. http://users.ezwv.com/~cata79/hypertime/index2.html

[Steviekick 0]

Does anyone else find it funny that Marvel hasn't had any "hypertime" issues yet?

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

I disagree. Morrison is perfect for the kind of "larger than life" adventures a character like Superman SHOULD have. Having Morrison writing Superman without the restraints of mainstream DCU continuity is going to be great, IMO.

Should've made it clearer. I think Morrison is a great choice for ASS, but for the main books, I'd think he'd fuck it up like he did X-Men.

OH. I see. You might have a point there.

And I would have to disagree.

 

Morrison's run on X-Men was the best that book has been in YEARS.

 

The recent X-runs of Chuck Austen and Chris Claremont only make that fact even more evident.

You couldn't be more right.

 

Good show.

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

Does anyone else find it funny that Marvel hasn't had any "hypertime" issues yet?

What about those "Marvel Age" stories?