So this is in response to G-Man's article on Earth 2 being a bad idea. I respectfully disagree and think it could work wonderfully.

Alternate reality's are not a new idea within American fiction (or human fiction for that matter) and have been a part of several sci fi/fantasy franchises which are the primary audiences for superhero fiction. As several commenters have pointed out, Marvel has never had a problem with the concept and that never seemed to stop them from gaining readers. The new Star Trek movie used the concept and as far as I've been able to see that has never been a complaint or detracting factor of the film. In fact, Fringe is a show that has taken full advantage of the alternate reality idea for a 'mainstream' audience. LOST, another JJ Abrams production, even used it in the sixth season. Every Star Trek show has used the concept at least once. Hell, The Wizard of OZ is probably the most widely recognized films that uses the concept and one of the most well known films in America and the world. Any film or TV show that uses time travel paradoxes has dealt with the concept. Doctor Who anyone? There are numerous other mass media examples outside of comics that deal with the idea, so I think I can move on past the point of its not new and people are used to the idea even if its not used that often.

I think DC should do this, I think they should take a page from Marvel, and then do them one better. So DC should make this their "Ultimate" world minus the part with overlapping characters. Keep the number of titles limited (4 or 5), have the team book (JSA) be the driving narrative of the world as a whole, and then have the most popular of the characters in this world have their own on-goings. Don't let there be a Superman or Batman in this world. Pick someone else because those guys have enough of their own books as it is. Let Captain Marvel have his own title and let Stargirl have her own title. Have the leads be characters who aren't in the DCnU.

Then do the Ultimate titles one production element better. Do the titles weekly. DC has proven in the past that they are quite capable of doing such a production with 52, Countdown, and Trinity. But lets keep things simpler, tighter, and better by doing them in seasons. Have a team of two or three artists per book and have them create 20-25 issue seasons with two or three months in between. People will wait and return. TV has proven that. The season structures will allow for everything we get a in normal comic book with but with a sense of an impending end to each season will retch it up the tension and excitement because we know an end is coming. Have each season of each title in start in the break periods of other titles. So, if titles A and B are printing simultaneously and ending then titles C and D should start when they end.

People may complain about how DC has too many worlds and that's fine. I have a solution for that too. Let the Earth 2 titles be printed by a new 'company'. DC should create a new imprint and not even put their logo on it. Let people think that these comics are by a different company. Who cares if people don't know if its an imprint and not a different company all together because DC will still be putting out quality comics and making money. How many people know that Disney actually owns Touchstone Pictures, ABC, or ESPN? Disney still makes money and no one thinks twice about it as long as their entertainment is still good.

Should they do crossovers between the DCnU and this new Earth 2? Maybe. If the story is good and accessible, who cares if they do? People want to be entertained and if a crossover will do that in a quality manner then I don't see why not. Personally I would love a crossover to happen and have it matter to both worlds.

These are my thoughts on the matter. What do you think?

So a lot of people have been talking about the mystery woman from Flashpoint and who has been spotted in numerous books of the New 52. A lot of people think that she is a 'trapdoor', a way for DC to go back to the way things were. I think that is flat out wrong and kind of silly thinking in terms of what she could mean.

She's clearly foreshadowing DC's next big event, whenever that will be. I hope it doesn't happen till late 2013 at the earliest. She mentioned that some sort of mystery threat split the DC, Vertigo, and Wildstorm universes a part in order to weaken them. So now that they're back together we're probably going to see the next Crisis (Hyper-Crisis anyone?). My guess is that its the Time Trapper who was trying to destroy them completely, but that's the best he/it could do.

And since when has DC ever gone back to the way things were after a continuity changing event? The answer is never. Sure they've brought elements of older material back, but always with a contemporary twist. A fresh update to breath new life into a concept. From a creative and financial standpoint, it doesn't make any sense to have a whoops! this was a bad idea lets go back button. I know Marvel did it with the whole Heroes Reborn thing, but DC hasn't and I highly doubt DC will. In fact, because of the uniqueness of the industry and its history, Marvel was lucky to survive that. I'm glad they did, but that just as easily could have been the end of them as it was them falling into a safety net.

They have some of the most profitable non-technological intellectual properties in their control, and each time they've changed things it was so that they could make them better creatively and monetarily. It would be incredibly confusing to the x number of hypothetical (and hopefully real) new fans who start reading the latest version of the DC universe, and then suddenly get tossed back into an old continuity which would be incredibly confusing for them. Sure it might make a number of current hardcore fans happy and maybe a number of new hardcore fans who joined because of the DCnU, but it would deter the more mainstream audience and piss off the fans who are happy with the current status quo. The whole going back to the way things were could be a disastrous move for them while maintaining things as they are in the newest iteration of the DCU would be a more sound plan overall. Yes, it did work out for Marvel, but whose to say that it will work for DC? Especially if they create a more mainstream audience. In the end if we've learned anything from DC's history as a company and creative force its that in ten or fifteen years will get yet another version of the DCU, and in the meantime they'll be pumping out a number of excellent stories regardless of what continuity they're using.

Besides, people who always complain about reboots seem to think that just because there is a new version of a story they liked means that the old stories aren't good or matter. A reboot doesn't diminish a story, but rather means a story has an altered clone standing next to it. The story you fell in love with will always be there even if it doesn't count as canon anymore. Alan Moore, Gardner Fox, or Dennis O'Niel's stuff will always be as good as you think it is even if DC decides not to count it as in-universe history. Just enjoy the old stories for the greatness they are and give the new titles a chance rather than getting pissed. Who know's you might like it more than you thought.

So I got to pick up my comics today and here's what I got: Action Comics, Detective Comics, Stormwatch, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Justice League International, Batwing, and ultimate comics hawkeye. All numbers ones, issue that is. I have to say that I will definitely be rereading all of them, but the standout comic for me was not Action Comics.