DC Comics Anniversary Plans Revealed?

Futures End has brought with it an immense surprise. Yet it is not only Futures End that brings this revelation, but also the very recently finished Superman: Doomed crossover. And what would this shock be? The possible return of several universes and/or hypertime.  

  Yes, in the lead-up to the 30th Anniversary of the biggest, and most revered, event in the annals of DC Comics: Crisis on Infinite Earths. Seeds are being planted for a blow-out. What better way to celebrate the deaths of infinite universes than by bringing them back for another showcase? It’s an almost ingenious idea, both in that it’s a nice tribute but also in that it is a good way to satiate fanboys.   Especially the ones who are still immensely bitter about the last reboot. This is a good way to trot out the old favorites and maybe gain a bit of positive connotations back. This is not to say that the “New 52” is bad, as it has taken a very noticeable upswing in quality, thus this is a turn of events that definitely cannot hurt. Now people who gave up, or decided to not even bother, can maybe take a peek.  

  Now, as a readership, there is really no actual clue to what is transpiring. All that we know is that there is some “version” of Brainiac that has breached the Bleed, where the multiverse resides, for who knows how long as has been seemingly “bottling” universes/timelines. For a weekly series and a crossover that have both been varying shades of bland, this is a development that no one saw coming.   Yet, maybe that is how it should be. Readers, loyal readers that is, aren’t dumb. They like to connect, concoct, and draw lines between events in books that are published. Ties like this which showcase but do not spell out are golden. It gets the creative and “hype” juices flowing. It also inspires glowingly excited features such as this one. DC Comics has lobbed a very alluring ball into the court here, so there should be a pressure not to drop it or fumble.  

  Juggling the fanboy’s understandable desire to return to the past with the obvious conclusion of just staying the course is a big wrench in this. Just shoving the “New 52” aside would be a big mistake and something that shouldn’t be hoped for. At best what could happen is a new Infinite Crisis-style resolution. Where parts are re-integrated as a result of this whole kerfuffle.   Just blazing past the idea of the new multiverse, infinite or not, would be one way that they could have a misstep with this. People want to see them have some real fun with this set-up. It affords a great luxury of concept. Much like Forever Evil’s “CSA vs. Legion of Doom”, it’s something that gets the fires really burning. People have accused DC Comics of “not being fun” lately, well this is their shot to prove them wrong.  

  Personally, I hope that this is a nice blow-out come COIE anniversary time. I want to see where the “New 52” will go in the future, but for a birthday it’s something nice to stop by. But what does everyone out there think? What old universes/timelines do they want to see spotlighted? Do they thing DC should pull the plug on the “New 52” if they could? Comments and thoughts would be appreciated below.