Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Infinite Reboot: DC Comics Renumbering Every Title To #1
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 1, 2011
Modified Jun 1, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jun 1, 2011
Modified Jun 1, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
DC Comics, the 70+ year old comic book company, has been trying everything it can to make itself more inviting to potential younger comic fans; in recent days, they've announced that they will release all of their superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print. And even more drastically, they've announced that as of August 31st, they will be resetting all 52 of their comics book titles back to #1.
Rebooting titles is a common occurrence in the comic book industry (X-Men has done it several times with its secondary titles over the years), but this is first time one of the two major companies has completely updated their whole line at once. Even so, don't expect all new origin stories for heroes such as Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Commander Glenn Merritt: "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," " Dan DiDio, co-publisher of DC with Jim Lee, told USA Today. Maybe they're just trying to mimic/line-up the new comics with their movie series, which will be resetting in a few years as well.
Back in 1985, DC made its first major multiverse clean-up with their "Crisis on Infinite Earths" miniseries, in which they tried to reconcile 50 years worth of alternative universes and dense backstories into something more approachable for new readers. It didn't quite work, and they've had several attempts to further improve it over the years ("Infinite Crisis," "Zero Hour"). Longtime DC comics fan Alan Sepinwall sounded cautiously optimistic about a new start—if " these new #1 issues mean actual starting-over points for the characters"—but cautioned on all the ill-will that could be caused by half-measures. As long as nobody decides to have a Batman Clone Wars, or reveal that Bruce Wayne was a Vuldarian all along, we'll go with it for now.
Tagged
batman
comic books
d.c.
reboot
renumber
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .