Reaction to DC’s big news seems very mixed so far and with a poll on CBR currently showing that more people see it as a jumping off point than wish to buy all 52 new books, it may be a costly and time consuming move to retcon.
Personally, I think they’re taking the wrong approach to attracting new readers. After 70 years it’s not the characters that need tweaking but the dead weight of an ongoing, universal continuity. In my ideal world I’d be able to go to a comic shop and pick up a collection by my favourite creators that is an entire story, told from start to finish. Whether that’s in one volume or 5 I don’t really mind; I just fulfilled a childhood dream and bought a complete Tintin library.
At the moment though, buying a superhero comic is like reading the second book in a trilogy. You feel like you’ve missed important things that have come before and then when you finish, there are still things left to be resolved (only that task may be left to an entirely different creative team.) How much nicer would it be to be able to find a Superman book by a successful creative pairing which stands alone on its own merit? A Superman story that is that team’s vision of the classic character and doesn’t have to tie-in to ‘current continuity.’ Surely after all this time the characters and their world are established enough to no longer need a ‘canon’ continuity to support them.
One of DC’s successes from last year was the Earth One Superman graphic novel. Was the appeal simply another reboot of Superman or was it the knowledge amongst readers that they were getting a self contained Superman story in one whole, by a popular creative team?The beauty of Tintin is that I can read any Tintin book without having to read the others (ok a few do share a storyline but they can still stand alone). By reading all the Tintin books I get a richer and fuller picture of his world and the characters but not having that in no way spoils the one book I might pick up wherever it comes in the sequence. To me, that’s what comics should be supplying to the customer.
The first Tintin strip debuted in 1929, nearly a decade before Superman and yet the original Tintin stories still maintain their appeal and still sell without ever needing a ‘reboot.’ It can hardly be argued that Tintin is more universal or less of his time than the characters DC are trying to rebrand for their audience, nor is the core idea more appealing surely? In Tintin however, we find an all ages book which can be enjoyed by both adults and children. A book which parents enjoyed as a child and are happy to share with their children as they grow older. Tintin’s world is open to successive generations because its not tied down by continuity and each book can stand alone or be read as part of his series of adventures.
Perhaps if DC and other publishers of superhero comics wanted to nurture and attract new readers then the European model of books like Tintin and Asterix may be one to follow or at least give some serious consideration to?
