This notion that the reboot was unnecessary, I believe, was more than evident after the first year.
And I disagree. Sorry, but you are coming at this from the standpoint of the DC fan. The same group of DC fans that allowed the sales to dip so poorly on 99% of DC titles, that they had to pull out this to try and obtain a "shock". Now true, it was DC and their lack of obtaining quality writers which resulted in the lack of quality stories that originated the fans leaving, but the end solution was a sound one.
The purpose of the relaunch was to try and get MORE readers to the DC universe. It worked. What failed was the execution.
The ONLY reason I picked up the 25 or 28 books I did from DC was due to my hope that I could come into this universe from the beginning and if the stories were good, not only would all the DC fans that moan about the relaunch be singing different tunes, but DC wuld have had more people buying their books. People like me that JUMPED at the chance of this reset.
Morrison was still doing his revolutionary take on Superman (which, hardly seems to matter any more, since they just tell 'current' tales, as if we have already explored all that it was during the 5 years in which he first appeared).
Now why can't you understand that point in the Action thread I posted? (EDIT - I now see why. I din't really say shit in that thread I started
Sorry about that
... anyway ... let's continue ...) That is exactly why I was confused as to why DC is telling that story. Where is the 2 year Superman stories?
... "could this all have been served just as well pre-Flashpoint?" The answer turns out to be a resounding yes. However, you wouldn't have been able to make Superman 'accessible' to newer generations until you put him in high collared battle armor and a Bieber hair cut, and oh yeah,REVERSING HIS MARRIAGE STATUS.
Well "A", doing this PreFlashpoint would have not brought any of the new buyers they were trying to obtain inside the fold, so ... why would they. And "B", The misuse of their own properties is one of the reasons why this relaunch did fail, no doubt about it, but it was also the horrible damn stories that made people run away. At the onset buyers came. DC had them. DC had a ton of new buyers and they lost them.
It's because of DC that I started to read Spider-man again.
Why would DC have anything to do with that? Regardless of what one company is doing or not doing you should read stories that you want, that interest you. You always seem to have this DC OR Marvel thought about comics. Read what you like, man. Does it really matter who publishes it?
Heck, you want another conversation that feeds into comics only involving the here and now? Lets look at Marvel slapping a #1 on a title every 11 months.
Yes, as they should be. Why wouldn't a company restart at number one every time a new team comes on? It is a new storyline and more importantly it pulls in a lot of money for a company who's sole reason to exist is to make money ... as EVERY companys purpose is.
In fact, why are comics not numbered 1-6, 1-12 or 1-11, however long the writers arc will be, and then reset to number 1 again? I am not nor ever have been a number whore. Who gives a rat turd if my comic box goes from :
FF V1 1-89
FF V2 1-23
FF V3 113-300
to
FF V4 1-25
Who cares? Would the stories be ANY different if the issues were numbered 1-326? Really? Any difference? No.
Anyway ... getting way off topic ...
Still no reason for DC to tell these stories without first involving the characters in stories that would take place early in the characters lives. All I'm saying.
And EDIT 2 (Edit 1 is in the comments
) - Not saying that every DC comic is crap. I want that to be clear. I have nothing against DC other than the way this relaunch was handled and they way some of their editors ... anyway.
Dc does indeed have some good books out there, like Jimmy mentioned. Like WONDER WOMAN and GREEN ARROW and I am sure there are others that I am just not familiar with. But as a whole, they really let me and tons of other new and old fans down with this relaunch, just for totally different reasons.