Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: 5g, dan didio, dc comics, timeline

Post-Dan DiDio Changes, Already Happening at DC Comics?

Published Fri, 28 Feb 2020 11:00:08 -0600

I understand that it is too late to affect Flash #750, out at C2E2today and in comic stores on Wednesday. But it appears that a number of writers who have been working on upcoming comic books in line with the new DC Timeline, as of yesterday are being asked to make significant changes.

The original plan, as outlined by Dan DiDio at NYCC last year, was to rewrite the chronology of the DC Universe, with Wonder Woman first emerging in World War II rather than five years ago, and then live through the twentieth century, inspiring all other DC superheroes.

As revealed by Bleeding Cool analysis, this would also see Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent born around this time and so age them significantly, as well as spread what had been a truncated timeline in the New 52, out across the decades. One example of the changes this would make would be giving each Robin a decade or more with Batman, before moving on. This is part of the 'everything happened, everything matters' mantra that was going to put everything published into DC Comics history, somewhere, rather than previous Crises and reboots which were more likely to cut things out. And, spread out across four generations- with a new Fifth Generation looking at what happened when the big names stepped down and their legacy continues with other characters – would allow creators to tell stories across their entire lives, as one can do with the likes of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes or Robin Hood. The opportunity to do both Year One and Old Man stories. And then to go further beyond…

But now I am told that major changes are coming in. First, the dates, the specified years' timespans laid out in the DC Timeline are no longer being as tied down. Creators are rewriting and redrawing as a result. The 5G books are all still happening, as are the Generation one-shots – but they may now be placed in a different context.

For some, this will be welcome. For others, this may be abandoning what seemed as a very exciting idea. Bleeding Cool will keep an eye on how this rolls out, as we have for the entirety of our reporting on 5G and the DC Timeline.

But at what point will people start calling for The DiDio Cuts?