How the New 52 Changed Batman & DC

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Believe it or not, American comics have been around for well over a century. With such a long run of stories and characters, modern writers and publishers are faced with an eternal struggle. How do we consolidate these age-old sequential narratives? How do we bring in new readers? And how do we give characters new plots while keeping them familiar and beloved?

In the case of current “Big 2” publishing, this sometimes involves creating imprints such as Vertigo and DC Black Label, which allow authors and artists to tell a non-canon story. Or we get one-shots, alternate universes, et cetera. Or we get entire relaunches of canon as we know it. This happened with the New 52, which marked a major shift for the modern era of DC.

But what is the New 52? When did it start, and what did it mean for our favorite heroes like Batman? Read about this major modern comics initiative below.

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What Is the New 52?

The New 52 was a 2011 comics initiative which relaunched all of DC’s main titles at #1. The light revamp happened after the conclusion of the Flashpoint storyline. Following Flashpoint, DC cancelled all existing titles. Then, the publisher debuted 52 new series. Ultimately, the New 52 was meant to clarify and canonize DC’s main heroes and villains, making them more accessible and relatable for modern audiences. Additionally, the main DC universe incorporated characters and narratives from the Vertigo and Wildstorm Productions imprints — such as The Authority.

Most importantly, the New 52 built the most organized Multiverse for DC. With the 52 brand-new titles, it was also revealed that 52 parallel realities existed within continuity. These were introduced through the first wave of #1s. These issues included the most popular characters like Aquaman, but also lesser-known super heroes like Firestorm and Deadman.

New 52 Thematic Alterations

In this new universe, the public had only known about super heroes for 5 years. They were treated with suspicion and hostility. The U.N. and the U.S. government exploited and controlled vigilantes, especially super powerful groups such as the Justice League of America and Justice League International. It was a subtle but well-explored twist. After all, audiences at this point were comfortable with super heroes, and so were the fictional civilians of their worlds. What if DC turned that on its head?

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The New 52 Batman Started in September 2011

Batman was of course among the impacted characters and stories. As one of the main characters of the DCU (alongside fellow Justice League members Superman and Wonder Woman), Batman got three new titles under his name. Batman #1, Batman: The Dark Knight #1, and Batman and Robin #1 all featured the Caped Crusader. Detective Comics #1 also focused on the contentious, double-edged sword dynamic between Batman and his eternal enemy The Joker. Of course, these four titles were well received and immediately hailed as standouts among the new canon continuity. The Court of Owls, Knight Terrors, and Born to Kill are still referenced today as paragon Batman plots.

So, was it a complete reset? Not really. New 52 didn’t want to overhaul everything that fans knew. Long-established lore was simplified or slightly rewritten for Batman and many other heroes and villains. It was a “soft reboot” that struck some stories from canon while preserving others. Naturally, Batman: A Death in the Family and Batman: The Killing Joke remained part of the new continuity. DC editorial ensured they fit within the freshly constructed timeline. And also, everyone got new costumes — because everyone is always due for a redesign.

Changes to the Bat-Family

Who is Batman without his merry band of misfits? The New 52 sought to clean up some Bat-Family stories and origins, though New 52 retained large portions of their pasts. However, Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain’s histories as Batgirl were scrubbed. All Robins, including the previously non-canon Carrie Kelley, existed in New 52. Stephanie Brown debuted as Spoiler, and Barbara Gordon recovered from the injuries inflicted upon her in Batman: The Killing Joke.

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Zero Month & More

In 2012, DC announced an anniversary event, giving all New 52 titles a zero issue. “Zero issues” typically act as a prologue or prequel to an established or upcoming #1. They also often serve as specialty releases during events like Free Comic Book Day, though not always.

In addition, DC also introduced new titles to the New 52 line, canceling an equivalent amount. As the year went on, DC continued to add and drop various titles in order to reconstruct the Multiverse.

Villains Month

The next year, in 2013, DC “relaunched” existing titles at #1. Following the Trinity War crossover, Villains Month emphasized the inclusion of major DC villains. Numbering and titles were altered to reflect the villain in the issue rather than the hero.

Forever Evil

Subsequently, DC released the limited series Forever Evil. Forever Evil featured the Crime Syndicate, or an alternate, evil version of the Justice League. This limited series got numerous tie-ins from other titles like Teen Titans and Suicide Squad.

Zero Year

Batman: Zero Year was also announced in June 2013. Initially intended to tell Batman’s New 52 origin story, it actually spun off into different titles and outside issues. Among those were Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and more. Each book explored their protagonists’ first encounter and relationship with Batman, as well as their activity in Batman’s hometown of Gotham City.

The Multiversity and DCYou

The Multiversity, launched in 2014, picked up on storylines left over from 52 and Final Crisis. Plus, DCYou, launched in 2015, was a way to put the emphasis on characters with less focus as well as spotlight new creators. Meanwhile, DC’s variants were all getting Batman 75th Anniversary branding and themes. Over 12 new titles were announced, with new series branching out from the initial tightly held 52 books. Once again, the universe was expanding and getting more complicated.

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The New 52: Future’s End

After the Convergence storyline concluded, New 52 branding stopped. But New 52 itself didn’t. Although, the nature of the timeline did change. Hypertime, as it became known as, was the result of Brainiac placing cities from Pre- and Post-Crisis as well as Post-Flashpoint together on a planet in another reality. Technically, that gave DC access to every single character that ever existed, regardless if they’d been brought into the New 52 at the beginning or not.

Then, in September 2014, all current DC series jumped forward five years. The issues followed potential futures for DC’s heroes and villains. The Future’s End event focused on Terry McGinnis, AKA Batman Beyond, and his exploits against Brother Eye. Also, Prime Earth was recovering from war across the Multiverse. Terry traveled back to help them stop an impending apocalypse that would transcend space and time.

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DC Rebirth

 

All Multiverses must end one way or another, though. And what better way to do it than with the time-skipping Scarlet Speedster? In February 2016, DC announced its Rebirth initiative. The Flash: Rebirth miniseries was the basis and blueprint for this initiative, alongside Green Lantern: Rebirth. Both series helped reintroduce concepts and characters from pre-Flashpoint continuity.

Additionally, some numbering reverted back to #1, while Action Comics and Detective Comics went back to legacy numbering. Once again, this was billed as an “ideal jumping-on point” for fans who otherwise were unable to follow all of the New 52 continuity from the beginning.

Most notably, it also introduced the Watchmen to official DC continuity, using the Comedian’s signature yellow button as a massive plot point leading up to the Doomsday Clock crossover event.

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How did you feel about the New 52 when it happened? Have your feelings changed since Rebirth? Discuss comics and more at side.show/geekgroup or in the Sideshow Social Network. And as always, don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!