"Ultimate" DC

[Badou]

I sure would have preferred DC to create an "ultimate" line and keep the old universe than this reboot they made.

But well, what would be the point now to create a new line ?

They could have waited a year or so to allow the New 52 and its universe its time in the spotlight then launched a couple books set in the old universe for those readers who were missing it and not really sold on the new one. Although I guess that wouldn't have really worked for the Batman and GL stories since they continued those in the new universe anyway. :/

[jackdaw53]

I like super hero yarns. But I also prefer stories with a beginning, middle, and ending rather than a never ending soap opera. (Indeed mainstream super hero comics are more limited than most soap operas, because same main characters keep going forever. )

In mainstream DC or Marvel nowadays you only get a story where main character may die or retire (or even age realistically!) by following a "minor" character.... which is why I usually read stuff like Hard Time, Hitman or Starman in mainstream DC.

But Ultimate Marvel opens up using main Marvel characters to a completed story: you can read birth, rise and death of Peter Parker, with some expectation that there is not going to be yet another bullshit resurrection.

For me, that's a significant story telling gain. One that DC ought to be interested in.

[Deviates]

I like super hero yarns. But I also prefer stories with a beginning, middle, and ending rather than a never ending soap opera. (Indeed mainstream super hero comics are more limited than most soap operas, because same main characters keep going forever. )

In mainstream DC or Marvel nowadays you only get a story where main character may die or retire (or even age realistically!) by following a "minor" character.... which is why I usually read stuff like Hard Time, Hitman or Starman in mainstream DC.

But Ultimate Marvel opens up using main Marvel characters to a completed story: you can read birth, rise and death of Peter Parker, with some expectation that there is not going to be yet another bullshit resurrection.

For me, that's a significant story telling gain. One that DC ought to be interested in.

But the example you used has only been given an ending because they killed him, right? Ultimate Spiderman continues on like any other on-going series. So in essence any super hero that dies (let's go with Ted Kord for funsies) could be considered to have that same 'completed story', though I wouldn't agree as the soap opera continues. I don't see the difference. If I want stories with an end I'll go elsewhere, that soap-opera style is the nature of the beast when it comes to Marvel and DC.

[Goggindowner]

I'm really interested in Hickman's Ultimates, and need to get around to ordering the first trade. Beyond that, I don't know. I'm not really that against Miles Morales and Peter Parker's death, but I'm not terribly interested either. I heard Nick Spencer's Ultimate X-Men is really bad.

Spencer's X-Men was a mess, it was just random things happening every issue with no sign of anything coming full circle and he left a lot for Brian Wood to have to clean up.

Spencer's Ultimate X-Men is actuall really awsome! It ain't traditional X-Men, and that's what makes it great. Brian Wood then takes over with issue 13. Wood's Ultimate X-Men starts to resemble the start of a more familiar X-Men. But Wood's Ultimate X-Men is also an entirely different take on the X-Men.

For me, I felt like the setup was head and shoulders above the execution (or X-ecution ). It was basically a chance to see Days of Future Past play out, but not be an alternate possible future, and instead just the way things are. As for how it actually turned out, well.....I kinda stopped reading after 4 issues.

[Sandor Clegane]

This illustrates that there's been some overlap between DC's various attempts to dice up its "universes" into lines. You have the main DCU, the multiverse, the abandoned All-Star line and now Earth One.

My hope is that they expand the Earth One line beyond Supes/Bats, and aim for a higher level of content than the monthly grind that spits out padded 6-issue arcs, crossovers and multiple fill-in artists per issue.

[shingi70]

Earth-2

10 chars

[T.M. Anthony]

They could have waited a year or so to allow the New 52 and its universe its time in the spotlight then launched a couple books set in the old universe for those readers who were missing it and not really sold on the new one. Although I guess that wouldn't have really worked for the Batman and GL stories since they continued those in the new universe anyway. :/

I think DC still could and should do this if only to appease those dissatisfied readers. there should only be one book like this, it'd be unwise to undercut the impact of the relaunch, but if they made a book like this (lets call it DC classic) I'm sure it would sell well. We must let this change get a chance to mature, but that doesn't mean the old has to go completely. It would be a goodwill move to older fans, and could easily replace a struggling new 52 title that was making them less money anyway.

I'd make DC classic a series of one and done's featuring a new popular post crisis character in a different era in their career every issue. This has the benefit of allowing writers to pick a fan favorite hero run and make a story about it for nostalgias sake, and it doesn't let the title continue continuity thus having it undercut the new 52. The first would be Wally West, since he appears to be the most sought after character of the old DCU. I don't think a full return should be done, i think we should let this new DCU meld for the time being, unless creativity with its version of the DCU just becomes impossible. But this might be a smart move on DC's behalf since people might be glad to have anything from the DCU of old.

As for a DC version of the ultimate line, theres already earth 2 which does things that the main DC universe can'y really do, like kill of Superman and wonder woman permanently . Thats pretty much what Marvel's Ultimate U is used for these days,the whole idea of it being used as a fresh starting point has been abandoned in favor of it being a world where things happen that couldn't in the mainstream MU. So mission accomplished I guess.

[Kurosawa]

The thing is DC reboots their continuity every 5 years or so, making an Ultimate DC kinda redundant. Marvel has had the same continuity since the 60s, so an alternate continuity that changes and updates things makes sense. DC has been revamping their continuity since the 80s, they have been changing and updating their characters through reboots, so an Ultimate DC universe would make far less of an impact.

This.

DC has no status quo, they don't even have a history. They don't need an Ultimate Universe like Marvel does. They've had one since 1985.

[Hulk_Is]

Earth-2

10 chars

But, doesn't Earth-2 matter in some way to DCU proper? Marvel's Ultimate U doesn't - except to those who buy those books.

[jade_nova]

Wasn't that the point of the All-Star line?