Would you be interested in an Earth-8 book?

[Choppa]

Assuming that Earth-8 really is the earth where all the 90's heroes live, would you guys be interested in seeing a book set on this earth? It think it's a good way to appease the fans who don't like the new direction of the DC universe which is destroying them because they no longer fit.

It could be pretty cool if it goes in an interesting direction. Like Kyle could be GL, Azrael could be Az or Batman. Cassie could be Batgirl. We'd have the Matrix Supergirl, Superboy, etc.

[NotSuper]

It might be an interesting book--provided it had the right writer. I'd consider buying it.

[stealthwise]

I mentioned this probably ten times since they mentioned it during IC. Hell yeah, I'd support it, with the right creative team (ie, no Bruce Jones or Winick).

[BoosterBronze]

I'd totally check it out. Sounds fun. It also should have Breach in it.

[Choppa]

I mentioned this probably ten times since they mentioned it during IC. Hell yeah, I'd support it, with the right creative team (ie, no Bruce Jones or Winick).

Sorry, I didn't see that.

[stealthwise]

Sorry, I didn't see that.

Hehe, no big deal man, I'm sure that there are a ton of people who'd love to see this kind of series, I'm actually glad to see someone Else bring it up for once. :)

I'd love to see a Conner Superman series, a Kyle GL series, AzBats, etc, IF they were to start from scratch and show HOW these guys became heroes without having to tie into the DCU. My favourite idea would be having Kyle as the one who gets shanked and Alex Dewitt taking over as Green Lantern. :)

[Babylon23]

It would depend on the characters involved, and the creative team. It could make for a good Elseworlds book, if nothing else.

[Choppa]

How about if it took a "Heroes Reborn" approach, where instead of it being an alternate universe where things developed differently, it becomes an Earth where those characters get transfered to? That way they still have their original histories, but must now deal with a world without a Batman, Superman, Hal Jordan, etc. Given the lack of details of this world, it seems possible to happen.

[DarthAstuart]

i would enjoy a book like this only if it somehow lambasted some of the horrific storytelling that led to some of the nineties' worst comics. it could almost be a parody book.

[BoosterBronze]

How about if it took a "Heroes Reborn" approach, where instead of it being an alternate universe where things developed differently, it becomes an Earth where those characters get transfered to? That way they still have their original histories, but must now deal with a world without a Batman, Superman, Hal Jordan, etc. Given the lack of details of this world, it seems possible to happen.

If that was the case, we'd still have Kyle whining all the time about how he wasn't as good as Hal. :)

[Kid Monster]

This would make a very cool one-shot or mini. I like the idea of a universe where no supers existed prior to, say, 1992 or 1994... that has an interesting sort of Wild Cards vibe. Also, characters like Kyle, Connor Hawk, and the Matrix Supergirl (ditch the "Supergirl", just have her be "Matrix", it's very 90's.) could get some lovin' without the burdens of continuity and being "legacy" heroes.

Idle Musings:

Superman: The death of Superman was one of the major defining moments of this dark period of DC history. Was Connor Kent was first "Super-", or was there a Kal-El Superman before him? Perhaps a mullet-wearing, black costumed Superman was Earth's only superhero throughout the 1980's, and it was his death at the hands of Doomsday that started "The Heroic Age". Or maybe the whole idea is stronger without the shadow of Superman looming over it, I don't know.

Gotham City: Never rebuilt after No-Man's Land. Remains an extra-national prision-city for super-criminals, surrounded by landmines and U.N. troops, with the grim and imposing Justice Force: America watchtower looming out of it's ruined center. The prison's warden, the brilliant and beautiful parapelgic Barbara Gordon, struggles to keep the freaks and monsters under control, secretly aided by the insane former monk, Azrael...The Batman.

[Agentum]

Sounds fun, especialy with DC that had some good things in the 90s (imho).
But they all need to have long hair:D


I remember a Guy Gardner issue when he has started a superhero club and Aquaman shows up with his new hook like hand, and Gardner look at him long (Aquaman is ready to be angry because everyone is asking about the hook) and asks "whats with the long hair on everyone?" :D

[Choppa]

^Haha.

Here's another idea. We learn in IC that the first time that history was altered by SPB was when Superman was brought back from the dead. How about a one-shot or mini about a world in which Superman didn't come back from the dead?

It would kind of be the opposite of JLA:The Nail, except instead of Superman showing up at the end to lead the heroes, he would already have existed, but then died and left the world to fend for themselves.

[Kid Monster]

^Haha.

Here's another idea. We learn in IC that the first time that history was altered by SPB was when Superman was brought back from the dead. How about a one-shot or mini about a world in which Superman didn't come back from the dead?

It would kind of be the opposite of JLA:The Nail, except instead of Superman showing up at the end to lead the heroes, he would already have existed, but then died and left the world to fend for themselves.

Awesome. But let's be really nasty and take it a step further: Every resurection, retcon, and tacked-on happy ending to the "Grim 90's" storylinesnever happened. Superman died, and never came back. Bruce Wayne is still in a wheelchair. Oliver Queen is dead. Hal Jordan is dead, and still thought of as one of history's monsters. Aquaman is dead (he was dead for about fifteen minutes during Our Worlds at War, remember). Black Canary never got her powers back. All those heroes who died in that one issue of Eclipso? Still dead. Metamorpho is dead/"inert"/whatever (JLA #1). Gotham is still No Man's Land.

Steel. Azrael/Batman. Kyle Raynor. Artemis. Connor Hawk. Impulse. Huntress... The Justice Leauge of America.

[Shellhead]

What I would like to see in an Earth-8 project:

1. A first-rate creative team, especially with a really creative writer.
2. A serious commitment by DC to the project, comparable to their current support for 52, in terms of retailers being allowed to return product and no reprints or quick tpbs in the near future.
3. A very serious attempt at a new DCU, comparable to what DC did at the start of the Silver Age. Instead of re-booting Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, they gave us new and interesting characters named Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. Not that there's anything wrong with Alan and Jay, but the Silver Age start was neat because there was a new and distinct focus on science-fiction elements like alien races, chemical/radiation accidents, and advanced technology.

If all went well, we would get a new and exciting DC universe, just as a single monthly title at first. But if any of the characters really caught on with the fans, DC could build on it from there. There could be an annual cross-over with the JLA and/or JSA, or maybe a monthly title featuring a particularly popular Earth-8 character.

And while this may never happen, a spectacularly successful Earth-8 could become the new baseline DCU, allowing them to finally escape decades of increasingly tangled continuity. I know that sounds insane, but it already happened once with Silver Age DCU. And while this is somewhat lesser in scale, few could have ever dreamed that the X-men would go from a bi-monthly reprint title to a sales juggernaut that took over about half of Marvel's product line.

[Shellhead]

Seven Soldiers could have been the set-up for an Earth-8 or something similar. I love Morrison's creativity, and he crammed so many exciting ideas into this series that it would have been a suitable platform for a whole new independent setting.

[Choppa]

These are all great ideas. Now how do we get DC to implement them? Perhaps a petition or something?

[Bedlam66]

i'd buy a mini or a maxi series.

[Rylon]

These are all great ideas. Now how do we get DC to implement them? Perhaps a petition or something?You don't get DC to do anything, you just wait for them to come around to your way of thinking for a few months. Trust me, eventualy DC will do every story you can imagine.

The way I look at it, this will eventualy give AOL-Time-Warrner a copyright on everything that isn't owned by Disney. ;)

[phantom1592]

What I would like to see in an Earth-8 project:

1. A first-rate creative team, especially with a really creative writer.
2. A serious commitment by DC to the project, comparable to their current support for 52, in terms of retailers being allowed to return product and no reprints or quick tpbs in the near future.
3. A very serious attempt at a new DCU, comparable to what DC did at the start of the Silver Age. Instead of re-booting Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, they gave us new and interesting characters named Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. Not that there's anything wrong with Alan and Jay, but the Silver Age start was neat because there was a new and distinct focus on science-fiction elements like alien races, chemical/radiation accidents, and advanced technology.

If all went well, we would get a new and exciting DC universe, just as a single monthly title at first. But if any of the characters really caught on with the fans, DC could build on it from there. There could be an annual cross-over with the JLA and/or JSA, or maybe a monthly title featuring a particularly popular Earth-8 character.
.

They did do something similar a couple of times. Stan Lee imagines... and that tangent universe. Same names different charcters. I'm not sure if they were poorly recieved, or if DC didn't give them enough push.

[stealthwise]

They did do something similar a couple of times. Stan Lee imagines... and that tangent universe. Same names different charcters. I'm not sure if they were poorly recieved, or if DC didn't give them enough push.

I wasn't reading comics at the time that either was being published, but I've yet to hear a bad thing about the Tangent line. Too bad DC won't reprint those books.

[phantom1592]

I wasn't reading comics at the time that either was being published, but I've yet to hear a bad thing about the Tangent line. Too bad DC won't reprint those books.


I didn't care for them, but that's because they had nothing to do with Hal or the Corps or anything established.... and I LIKE the GLcorps. Same name but with no conection just seemed like a rip off. Back in the 60's the JSA Superheroes had been MIA for what 10 years? The comics were all romance and westerns. Then they tried to restart the Superheroes with the silver age.

The fact that the golden age heroes were NOT there to compete, or Cast a huge shadow, over the new heroes is what allowed them to thrive. I don't think Tangent ever really stood a chance.

As for Bringing back Tangent... They did find the Green Lantern in IC7 washed up on a beach. I am curious what will come of this. You may get you TPBs yet.

[Apathy Boy]

I didn't care for them, but that's because they had nothing to do with Hal or the Corps or anything established.... and I LIKE the GLcorps. Same name but with no conection just seemed like a rip off. Back in the 60's the JSA Superheroes had been MIA for what 10 years? The comics were all romance and westerns. Then they tried to restart the Superheroes with the silver age.

The fact that the golden age heroes were NOT there to compete, or Cast a huge shadow, over the new heroes is what allowed them to thrive. I don't think Tangent ever really stood a chance.

As for Bringing back Tangent... They did find the Green Lantern in IC7 washed up on a beach. I am curious what will come of this. You may get you TPBs yet.I don't know if I'd call it a rip-off, as the Tangent books all made it clear from the start that none of these books would be affiliated in any way to the DCU.

I would consider picking up a JL8 book with Kyle Rayner, Jason Rusch, Huntress, Breach, Azrael, etc., but that would be a seriously weird line-up of characters.

[phantom1592]

I don't know if I'd call it a rip-off, as the Tangent books all made it clear from the start that none of these books would be affiliated in any way to the DCU.

I would consider picking up a JL8 book with Kyle Rayner, Jason Rusch, Huntress, Breach, Azrael, etc., but that would be a seriously weird line-up of characters.


Rip off might be a strong word. Everyone KNEW they were a completley new world, but it was still the "name recognition" that drew people in. Like elseworlds a How is do "they" imagine it. They didn't call the character "shining Light" or "Paper lantern of light" They called it "Green Lantern" in an attempt to draw in fans. But people aren't really fans of a "name". Its the whole concept that I like, and that didn't cross over.

Just not for everyone.

[Perry Holley]

What I would like to see in an Earth-8 project:

1. A first-rate creative team, especially with a really creative writer.
2. A serious commitment by DC to the project, comparable to their current support for 52, in terms of retailers being allowed to return product and no reprints or quick tpbs in the near future.
3. A very serious attempt at a new DCU, comparable to what DC did at the start of the Silver Age. Instead of re-booting Alan Scott and Jay Garrick, they gave us new and interesting characters named Hal Jordan and Barry Allen. Not that there's anything wrong with Alan and Jay, but the Silver Age start was neat because there was a new and distinct focus on science-fiction elements like alien races, chemical/radiation accidents, and advanced technology.

If all went well, we would get a new and exciting DC universe, just as a single monthly title at first. But if any of the characters really caught on with the fans, DC could build on it from there. There could be an annual cross-over with the JLA and/or JSA, or maybe a monthly title featuring a particularly popular Earth-8 character.

And while this may never happen, a spectacularly successful Earth-8 could become the new baseline DCU, allowing them to finally escape decades of increasingly tangled continuity. I know that sounds insane, but it already happened once with Silver Age DCU. And while this is somewhat lesser in scale, few could have ever dreamed that the X-men would go from a bi-monthly reprint title to a sales juggernaut that took over about half of Marvel's product line.I am intrigued by your theories, and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.