Back-Issues to the Future

Is 2012 the new 1986? DC seems to think so.

1986 is indisputably one of the biggest years in DC Comics’ expansive history. The stories DC published that year have gone down in comic history as some of the greatest ever told, and continue to be a major source of influence for creators over a quarter of a century later. Perhaps more coincidentally than by design, DC itself appears to be attempting to replicate the success they had in ’86 with a series of parallel releases in 2011 and 2012.

DC rocked the boat and ushered in a new era for continuity with Crisis on Infinite Earths, which famously altered and updated characters and streamlined the company’s many years of backstories for a new generation of readers. Though it’s not hard to find pre-Crisis purists lurking the message boards, the changes brought on in Crisis were generally well received and went on to become the iconic Silver-Age designs and characters that modern creators recall fondly.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past nine months you are aware that DC launched it’s “don’t call it a reboot” reboot, the New 52, last September. The New 52 similarly set the new status quo and offered a jumping on point for new creative teams, new characters, and new readers. Whether the New 52 will remain a cornerstone of the company’s history like Crisis on Infinite Earths or fizzle out like the innumerable other attempts at a line-wide starting point remains to be seen. Only time, and readership, will tell.

DC is hoping to recapture the Watchmen magic by enlisting some of its very best A-list talent for Before Watchmen

Alan Moore’s Watchmen utilized analogues of iconic Charlton Comics characters to deconstruct the superhero genre at its very heart. Not only is Watchmen one of the best selling graphic novels of all time, the book transcends its medium entirely, earning widespread media attention and critical acclaim as a modern literary masterpiece. Watchmen’s analogous heroes have gone on to become comic book icons in their own right, and now DC is hoping to recapture the Watchmen magic by enlisting some of its very best A-list talent for Before Watchmen, an umbrella of Watchmen prequel mini-series. The mere announcement of the titles ignited a media frenzy, and DC is certainly taking a gamble by adding to the Watchmen lore after allowing it to remain dormant for so long. Initial reviews for the Before Watchmen titles have been positive, so perhaps DC has been able to catch lightning twice.

In 1986, just a year before penning the now classic Batman: Year One storyline, Frank Miller made a name for himself as arguably one of the most important creators to handle the caped crusader with The Dark Knight Returns. The story, which turned the spotlight on an aging Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham as Batman after a long hiatus, ushered in an edgier, more mature tone for stories starring the world’s greatest detective, a trend which continues to this day. The darker, grittier style of Batman storytelling was eventually brought to life in Christopher Nolan’s award-winning film trilogy, and in the final act, Nolan has drawn a lot of influence from Miller’s classic. The Dark Knight Rises also stars an older Bruce Wayne who dons the cape and cowl after years away. The full extent of the homage will be made clear when The Dark Knight Rises hits theaters on July 20.

DC Comics’ newly recaptured success is healthy for both the company and the industry as a whole, but should they be moving in a more groundbreaking direction? Will it come back to bite DC if their most successful ventures are retreading ground from twenty-seven years ago? Or will we see modern classics honored in the same way in 2039? Only time, and readership, will tell.