Posted in: Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: 5g, dan didio, first 5g rumours, The 5G Files, timeline, Warner Bros

AT&T and Warner Bros – The Real Driving Force Behind DC Comics' 5G

Some people have decided, it seems, that Dan DiDio was fired as Publisher at Warner Bros because of the 5G/Generation Five relaunch he instigated within the company over the last nine months. This is not true – and yesterday, Bleeding Cool reported, after talking to creators, that 5G was very much still on the books, and worried creators who read the news about Dan DiDio have been reassured  – it's all systems go for launch in October.

But there is some link between 5G and Dan's departure, it's just far more nuanced than some reactionary commentators might prefer. As it stands, the 5G plans look to be largely intact. Editors and creators are still excited  – and so is AT&T/Warner Bros, the big pushers of this initiative. Some things might get re-evaluated to make it a more natural launch, rather than replace everyone at once. There may be a growing a consensus that it was becoming "too much, too fast" – something Axel Alonso suffered from at Marvel with his All-New Marvel Now Now Now Now.

So we may be looking at a gradual relaunch over a number of months rather than all-at-once. Bleeding Cool has also been looking at the role that Generation One: Gods Among Us, free on Free Comic Book Day will play, and it seems that this comic will give all sorts of cover for two, three, four versions of reality existing side-by-side in DC shared universe comics – as if it was intended all along (which it wasn't). But it makes issues with Leviathan Dawn and Justice League simply melt away.

So what about Dan DiDio and 5G? Well, I am told that at the beginning stages of 5G, Dan seemed to be less hands-on and everyone involved was convinced it wasn't going to become another New 52, where Dan had final say on everything (which is how it's been since then). When Dan leaked the unfinished timeline at NYCC, people started to get worried internally, and the last month especially has seen Dan returning to his trademark levels of micromanagement that's caused some to freak out. And that may have been the final straw regarding the charge of 'fostering a poor work environment' which led to his dismissal.

Because AT&T/Warner Bros are very, very serious about this 5G thing – not just for the comics, but this is also where they see the future of Warner Bros films and TV going as currently-established actors age up.

Generation One: Gods Among Us is published, free, on May 6th.

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