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UPDATE: Jim Lee Redesigns Every Major DC Character in Mass Reboot

Geoff Johns and Jim Lee finally team up for Justice League of America #1, just one of 51 new #1 titles from DC this September.

The majority of comic fans would probably agree that this has been a long time coming. Chief Creative Officer of DC comics Geoff Johns and DC's Co-Publisher Jim Lee will finally be teaming up for a relaunch of an all new Justice League of America book this September--the first of 50 new issues that will relaunch and re-number every title in the entire DC Universe.

No Caption Provided

Yes, you read that correctly; DC is revamping all of their characters--re-numbering all their titles and giving everyone a brand new costume. DC's very own co-publisher will not only be penciling the all new Justice League of America; but he will also be overseeing all of the costume re-designs at DC Comics. The hope is that the costumes will reflect new, modernized versions of these classic DC characters. It seems DC is not only looking to boot Marvel from the coveted #1 spot, but also to garner a wider, younger audience. According to DC's Co-Publisher Dan Didio, DC's characters will be changing with the times.

== TEASER ==

"We looked at what was going on in the marketplace and felt we really want to inject new life in our characters and line...This was a chance to start, not at the beginning, but at a point where our characters are younger and the stories are being told for today's audience."

The decision to change the appearance of all their major characters comes at a rather convenient time, too. Between the bad press Wonder Woman's costume received from her series reboot as well as her failed television pilot to the current law-suit threatening to split Superman in two. The image released by DC indicates some big changes to the costume designs of their most classic characters. Superman's chest insignia, for example has been re-vamped, and notice that in the image he isn't wearing the red briefs over his blue tights. Wonder Woman's costume also appears to be more streamlined, losing the jacket and gaining a smaller logo.

The big question on everyone's mind is, just how much will they change? The change will obviously be coming after Flashpoint, so what will it mean for the history of all these classic characters? Will we see new interpretations of all characters across the board? Will this bold move help DC increase their fanbase, or alienate comic readers? What do you think of the new costumes?
 

UPDATE

Here is the first image of Jim Lee and Geoff John's  all new Justice League.

No Caption Provided

Also, the latest rumor cites that post Flashpoint, things will change- which might include the relationship status of two of DC's most iconic characters. The latest post Flashpoint rumor cites Superman and Wonder Woman getting together- at least that's what they're claiming at Bleeding Cool. What would happen to Lois Lane? Do you think DC would pull a stunt like this? Is this something you would like to see written into continuity?

P.S.- We sort of called it on the reboot thing.
 

via USA Today

872 Comments

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haydenclaireheroes

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I am excited but only if they do this revamp correctly. I can't believe they are revamping all the characters even the newer chracters like Batgirl 

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TheCheeseStabber

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Edited By TheCheeseStabber

Batman reboot ;o

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Crono11

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Edited By Crono11

Wow you guys did call it. 

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SUPER-MAN 23

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Edited By SUPER-MAN 23

Wow, just think, Batman and Superman are in 700, they are going to have to restart to #1. Nice.

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DefaultProphet

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Edited By DefaultProphet

A DC reboot?  Color my surprised. 

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davidkenneth

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Edited By davidkenneth

Posted Mines first granted it's not aslong but I think the message comes across.
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carnivalofsins00

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Edited By carnivalofsins00
@TheCheeseStabber: Feels like a kick to the nuts for Grant Morrison. Still, I'm excited. :)
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batman_is_god

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Edited By batman_is_god

God no, if there is a god, Geoff Johns won't write for Batman. 
 
A reboot would be great though.
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Primmaster64

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Edited By Primmaster64

Superman LOOKS F****** GREAT!

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Mercy_

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Edited By Mercy_

OH DEAR GOD YES. Love me some Jim Lee. 

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Jslab425

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Edited By Jslab425

Stoked for this!!! 
 
 DC has needed this for years, and a Johns/Lee Justice League team is a dream come true.

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davidkenneth

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Edited By davidkenneth

Still hate Wonder Woman's costume

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Mercy_

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Edited By Mercy_
@batman_is_god: Johns is a great writer. People take issue with the retcons that he's done and I understand that, but if they're rebooting the entire DCU, then continuity shouldn't be an issue and Geoffcons shouldn't be a worry. 
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Chane

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Edited By Chane

Too early to say if this is a good thing or not.

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johnny_spam

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Edited By johnny_spam

For the love of God leave Grant Morrison's Batman and the Batbooks alone. I am not sure it is a new continuity I think DC will keep that.

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Primmaster64

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Edited By Primmaster64

What gets me angry is that we just reached Action Comics 900...and now they are renumbering it...

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Baddamdog

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Edited By Baddamdog

UPDATED: The following letter was sent to retailers by Bob Wayne, SVP of Sales for DC Entertainment. - Source CBR 

 
 
To our comics retail partners,

In the time I've worked at DC Comics, I've witnessed any number of industry defining moments. But today, I bring you what is perhaps the biggest news to date.

Many of you have heard rumors that DC Comics has been working on a big publishing initiative for later this year. This is indeed an historic time for us as, come this September, we are relaunching the entire DC Universe line of comic books with all new first issues. 52 of them to be exact.

In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age. All stories will be grounded in each character's legend - but will relate to real world situations, interactions, tragedy and triumph.

This epic event will kick off on Wednesday, August 31st with the debut of a brand new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1, which pairs Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, together for the first time. (Yes, this is the same week as FLASHPOINT #5.)

We think our current fans will be excited by this evolution, and that it will make jumping into the story extremely accessible to first-time readers - giving them a chance to discover DC's characters and stories.

We are positioning ourselves to tell the most innovative stories with our characters to allow fans to see them from a new angle. We have taken great care in maintaining continuity where most important, but fans will see a new approach to our storytelling.

Some of the characters will have new origins, while others will undergo minor changes. Our characters are always being updated; however, this is the first time all of our characters will be presented in a new way all at once.

Dan DiDio, Bob Harras and Eddie Berganza have been working diligently to pull together some of the best creative teams in the industry. Over 50 new costumes will debut in September, many updated and designed by artist Jim Lee, ensuring that the updated images appeal to the current generation of readers.

The publication of JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 will also launch digital day-and-date for all ongoing superhero comic book titles - an industry first.

On Wednesday, June 1st, this initiative is expected to be announced in a nationwide feature article, and we're hopeful the news will be picked up by media outlets around the world. Throughout the month we'll reveal more details of our plans with articles in both the mainstream and comics press and on June 13th the Diamond catalog solicitations for all of the September titles will be released, followed by the June 29th street date of the print version of Previews.

DC Comics will support this initiative with an innovative mix of publicity, promotional efforts and retailer incentives designed to maximize your opportunity to increase your DC sales. We will discuss additional details of these incentives when we get closer to solicitation later in June.

We'll be updating you more through email as September nears. But today, I hope your share our enthusiasm for this historic news!

Sincerely,

Bob Wayne
SVP, Sales
DC Entertainment

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Paragon

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Edited By Paragon

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this... I like the way things are going, and it feels like a real kick in the crotch to people who have been reading stuff for a long time. It would kind of render the back catalogue useless, I think...

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FruityPebbles

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Edited By FruityPebbles

Hurray...!?

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adoggez1

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Edited By adoggez1

is this going to change their origins??? 

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Bestostero

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Edited By Bestostero

You guys totally called it lol

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SirSparkington

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Edited By SirSparkington

Kinda split on this news. 
 
Add straps to WW's top and I'll stop complaining.

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Mercy_

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Edited By Mercy_

From the DC Women Kicking Ass tumblr: 
 


Wonder Woman looses the straps. Again. Superman gets a new symbol. And the guys get collars. Oh, Jim Lee. Maybe they’ll all get belly windows?

And here’s some more details from Bob Wayne’s letter to the market with my initial thoughts.

What’s important:

1. Some continuity stays.

We have taken great care in maintaining continuity where most important, but fans will see a new approach to our storytelling.
Some of the characters will have new origins, while others will undergo minor changes.

What do I hope that means? I hope it means Batwoman doesn’t change.

2. It will be a more “diverse” universe.

In addition, the new #1s will introduce readers to a more modern, diverse DC Universe, with some character variations in appearance, origin and age.

What do I hope it means? I hope it means more real diversity. That JL looks pretty God damn white to me.

What do I hope it doesn’t mean? I’m going to cut to the chase - that Barbara Gordon is not Batgirl again.

3. We’ll know more on June 13th

Throughout the month we’ll reveal more details of our plans with articles in both the mainstream and comics press and on June 13th the Diamond catalog solicitations for all of the September titles will be released, followed by the June 29th street date of the print version of Previews.

And I’m still standing my guess about the status of the Kent/Lane marriage.


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ImperiousRix

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Edited By ImperiousRix

I can't say I'm not excited by the prospect of being able to pick up every DC book from a "beginning", but I also can't help but kinda hate this idea. 
 
I just have very mixed feelings about this whole thing...

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Chane

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Edited By Chane

I wonder how much history gets changed, whether it'll be minor tweeks like Zero Hour or Infinite Crisis or full scale like Crisis on Infinite Earths
 
I don't see them loosing too much, especially if the rumour of a multi-coloured corps book is true.

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Icarusflies

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Edited By Icarusflies  Moderator

I'm not happy with a reboot, but the characters look great.

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MysteriousBlack

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Edited By MysteriousBlack

Jim Lee & Geoff Johns... Should be alright.

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WilliamHenry

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Edited By WilliamHenry

Not interested.

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Baron_Emo

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Edited By Baron_Emo

This is intriguing. I haven't been as much of a DC fan partially because of the confusing reboot/crisis problems and a serious lack of either jumping on points or at least issue recaps to help someone (like me) fill in the gaps. 
 
Is this going to be a true reboot? Or like the Ultimate universe?

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GundamHeavyarms

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Edited By GundamHeavyarms

Well, looks like G-man was right, an entire reboot of the DC universe will be very interesting, hopefully by that time I will be able to buy single issues again instead of waiting for trades to come out.

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Jordanstine

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Edited By Jordanstine
Superman doesn't have the red panties no more!!!
 
O.M.G.!
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Chane

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Edited By Chane
@Baron_Emo said:
This is intriguing. I haven't been as much of a DC fan partially because of the confusing reboot/crisis problems and a serious lack of either jumping on points or at least issue recaps to help someone (like me) fill in the gaps.  Is this going to be a true reboot? Or like the Ultimate universe?
I'm not sure if the best way to get past the confusing reboots is for them to have another one.
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david4shure

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Edited By david4shure

woah I didnt see that coming..

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Final Draft85

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Edited By Final Draft85

"Winder Woman"... Ha ha ha, xD. I still think Superman looks great & Jim Lee is an amazing artist, so I'm glad he was the artist chosen for the job.

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Primmaster64

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Edited By Primmaster64
@Jordanstine said:
Superman doesn't have the red panties no more!!!  O.M.G.!
I now right?
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Darkmount1

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Edited By Darkmount1

  Oh-kay....... 
 
  

   
  
   
  
    
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
....and now, to mourn the demise of all the current numberings and storylines..... 
  
   
 
WHY???!?!??!?  WHHYYYYYYYYYY???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?? 
 
Oh god, please let this thing be their version of "Heroes Reborn/Return"......................
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johnny_spam

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Edited By johnny_spam
@Paragon: @Paragon said:
I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with this... I like the way things are going, and it feels like a real kick in the crotch to people who have been reading stuff for a long time. It would kind of render the back catalogue useless, I think...
If you like the stories, if you feel you can always go back to them then they are not useless.
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The Impersonator

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Edited By The Impersonator

They decided to do this right after Flashpoint? I don't know if I can agree with these changes. At first, I thought Flashpoint would be temporary though. Because Flash is dealing with an alternate timeline and there is a way to fix it.  Anyways, if its DC's decision to remake their characters then I'm fine with it. But I think it's unnecessary to reboot the whole thing. 

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Crimson Eagle

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Edited By Crimson Eagle

This is very uncomfortable for me due to the fact that the characters are to appeal to younger audiences. Not that I'm against that, but I think they should create a new comic series just for that.  
 And on a side note, the characters look like teenagers.

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Mr. Dead Pool

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Edited By Mr. Dead Pool
@Jordanstine: I KNOW RIGHT!!! HA HA YEAH!!!! No more underwear on the outside! I have a feeling this means no briefs in his new movie. At least I hope they aren't their.
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Jordanstine

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Edited By Jordanstine

I'm half-heartedly excited I guess.
 
Two problems:
 
1) REBOOTS
As seen from my history of criticizing Crisis of Infinite Earths and even Brand New Day, because it basically just throws out all the years of stories ever told about that character as if it was nothing. We the fans spent years and years following these characters.  To just simply erased those stories out of thin air is not a nice feeling.  Reboots are simply the easy way out.   So what happens to everything we're reading now, and just finished reading last month!?
 
Guess it's really time for the: 
 
"Final Crisis of Infinite Flashpoint Earths - Birthright of Secret Origins 52"
 
http://www.comicvine.com/news/off-my-mind-will-the-dc-universe-be-rebooted-again-after-flashpoint/143107/

2) COLLARS 
Um... why does everyone practically have a collar?  No really?  Does Batman have a collar too?  Does Sinestro get one?  I would love to see Hawkman fit a collar in his outfit somewhere.

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StarKiller809

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Edited By StarKiller809

I'm okay with this as long as Secret Six is coming out still. And I hope they don't change the characters too much. If Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman have ner origins, I'm MAD!
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Duo_forbidden

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Edited By Duo_forbidden
@ImperiousRix said:
I can't say I'm not excited by the prospect of being able to pick up every DC book from a "beginning", but I also can't help but kinda hate this idea.  I just have very mixed feelings about this whole thing...
I feel the same way. I mean, it's great for new readers who want to get into comics, but I feel that it's sort of erasing more and more of the history of DC Universe. I like what Geoff Johns been doing with DC so far, but this seems too much. AND it's being done after Flashpoint? That seems random.
On the positive, I do like the new look of some of the characters.
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webling

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Edited By webling

Didio is always pushing the giant number thing. Yes it's a little daunting, but it shows how successful a character is as well. Hopefully they'll eventually go back to the old numbers. Costumes look great, but leave Batman Inc. alone, it's just getting good.

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The Umbra Sorcerer

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I am actually really excited for this. And with Jim Lee art Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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EnSabahNurX

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Edited By EnSabahNurX

Seems like they want to make main icons younger(shave ten years off) and I think most continuity will remain but less successful characters will get retooled. Most likely batman stuff will remain fairly much the same but maybe he will look younger O_O 
 
I don't know I'm not a fan of rebooting the whole thing continuity wise(just revamp less popular ones or dead ones), costume wise it doesn't bother me(just give Wonder Woman something to hold that top up) 
 
Well great more continuity we have in our heads that will no longer matter HOORAY!?!?!?! T_____T

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Gambit1024

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Edited By Gambit1024

YES!

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CrimsonTempest

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Edited By CrimsonTempest

I have an intense dislike for this, as I stated previously. Action Comics, Detective Comics, Batman, Superman, renumbered back to #1... This is a spit in the face of their 76 year history of comics. Bob Kane would hang his head in shame.

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Baron_Emo

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Edited By Baron_Emo
@Chane said:
I'm not sure if the best way to get past the confusing reboots is for them to have another one.
No kidding. : /