So in the first part of this article I talked about Marvel’s recent refreshing of their universe, Marvel Now. Along with the new world changing event coming in the next few months, Secret Wars. Now lets take a look at the DC’s attempt and renewing their brand. The New 52 is the closest we’ve gotten to a reboot, and I’ll even give it to fans that it was a reboot in our minds until they released the information that the Pre-52 universe still exists and is actually the universe Justice League 3000 is based in. The new 52 came about with the end of an event called Flashpoint, in which the Flash attempts to fix the timeline that has been altered by Reverse Flash. When he realizes he himself fractures the timeline, he runs back through time to stop his younger self. While doing so he witnesses three universes; Vertigo, Wildstorm and the DC universe, becoming one, forming a new alternate timeline, the New 52. For a more in depth view at this story, either read the flippin’ comic, or check out Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox, an animated film based on the comic.
With the New 52, DC, much like Marvel did with The Ultimate Universe, had a chance to tell their hero’s origins in a more modern way, while allowing characters like Swamp Thing and Constantine to participate in the DC universe. Times change and the characters change with it, this allowed DC to update some of their outdated origins and evolve them without forcing obtuse changes to the origin. They had a clean slate. Again people get upset, but those stories they love, they still exist. They will always exist, that’s no reason to not invest in a new telling of a story. If haven’t tried it, who is to say you won’t enjoy it?
Now we get to something that I’ve been avoiding for a while, explaining Convergence. The reason that this is so difficult for me is that I still don’t know if I truly understand what is going to be at place during 
Convergence, and that seems to be the common consensus for most of the comic book fans that I know. What I gather is that an ultimate version of Braniac has upgraded from collecting cities in a bottle, a la Kandor, and is now capturing cities from every alternate universe in domes in order to preserve them. When another the caretaker of these domes, a planet made sentient and in the likeness of Braniac himself, decides he must go on to become unique as his father, Braniac, has done throughout the multiverse, he becomes Telos, the villain of our wonderful event. Telos plans on making these cities and their respective heroes battle for their worlds, survival of the fittest. These battles will be what shapes the DC universe once the “New 52” banner is dropped come June.
This event has a similar goal to Secret Wars, they answer the nerd questions like; what would it be like if Old Kal met Red-Son Kal met Pre-52 Kal? Who is really the superior Superman, who gets to stake their claim, and who loses their world? These are things that fanboys play around with at the comic shop all the time and now when it comes down to it, they get upset when it may actually come to fruition, written by their favorite authors. It perplexes me truly, I just wish some people would make up their minds, or at least try something new before damning it to the deepest pits of nerd hell. Is all of this different from the hundreds of ret-cons and ret-cons of ret-cons? This is part of being a comic book fan, embracing change, embracing the new. If we didn’t, Stan Lee would still be writing over Kirby’s art, which isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t what the comic world is today. Especially with a torrent of new readers coming from watching the newest Marvel or DC film, we should embrace the future with open arms. Share our world with them, not shut them down. Foster love, don’t scold it.
With all that being said, I know there will be those who disagree with me. I’d happily talk with them for hours about it, because this is what we love and while I love what’s going on, you are allowed to have your own opinions. Just promise me you won’t let it break you down to negative comments whenever the next change is revealed. Don’t shut out other readers because you feel passionately about something. Offer reason, maybe a comic that perfectly summarizes why you think the way you do. I don’t need to hear how stupid it is, because chances are it isn’t, it’s just a change you aren’t comfortable with, but that’s life. One big uncomfortable change after another.
