Well, it's been a full two days since I mentioned any PR announcements from either of the Big Two super-comics publishers, so I guess I'm due for another post on the subject, huh? This one's another one from DC, who have been announcing things like crazy all week.
Yesterday their Source blog pointed to another of the pre-arranged exclusive interviews on one of their announcements, this one on the subject of a fifth weekly series, following 52 (hooray!), Countdown (Gah!), Trinity (not bad, not bad) and Wednesday Comics (hooray!).
Strangely, this weekly is in addition to the two 26-part bi-weekly series already announced, Brightest Day and Justice League: Lost Generation.
It's going to be called DC Universe: Legends, and it's going to be based on DC Universe Online, a "massively multiplayer online action-RPG," which I know, um, next to nothing about. So basically it's a weekly series based on DC super-characters, but ones distinct somehow from the DCU versions.
Distinct how? I don't know. The IGN.com interview with Executive Editor Dan DiDio was definitely geared towards people who already knew what DC Universe Online is, exactly.
I don't know whether it will be any good or not—I'm excited in general about DC weekly series, but it will depend as always on who exactly is making it, I suppose. The only creators involved that have been announced so far are writers Dan Jurgens and Tony Bedard, the former of whom did back-ups for 52 and the latter of whom was one of the writers involved with Countdown.
In the IGN interview, DiDio mentioned that Marv Wolfman would be involved at some point, and I guess Jim Lee did initial designs for the characters in the game/community/whatever-it-is.
Anyway, here's my question. What's the difference between the DCU of the comics and the universe/continuity of DC Universe Online. Like, how different are the two, and in what ways? (From what I've seen so far, it seem mostly a matter of costuming and freedom from the month-to-month goings-on of the comics line, like Cassandra Cain being Batgirl instead of Stephanie Brown, Superman being on Earth, Batman not being dead, etc).
Are the two close enough that one will probably be able to read the comic without playing/knowing anything at all about the game? Will one want to be able to read the comic in that case?
If anyone's knowledgeable of DC Universe Online and wants to weigh in, please do!
I read something months ago about DCUO, do my information is probably out of date, that your characters in the game would be original characters who look up to the great DC heroes and struggle to reach their level. Superman, Batman, et al. act as mentors (inspirations? engines for leveling?) to the younger heroes.
ReplyDeleteIf I go by City of Heroes (the first superhero online game), there should be many many many new heroes in town, which alone makes it a different continuity (I think it may end up looking like Kingdom Come out there).
Looks like the series will be part of the game's marketing (and may be included in the price of playing, just like there was a City of Heroes game that was sent to you through the mail). I don't know what that would mean ultimately. How are the heroes mentors in the series? Will the series set up villains and storylines that occur in the game? Etc.
Cassandra Cain Batgirl? Maybe I should check this DCUO thing out.
ReplyDeleteYou got it as far as the continuity, not current with the day-to-day but something we all recognize. It's like with the Marvel Adventures line, they're just toying with certain things to make it more casual-friendly or to use the characters they want.
ReplyDeleteAs for the content of the comic, what Siskoid said: we just don't know at this point. It could be a terribly flimsy piece of marketing that doesn't stand without the game at all (and perhaps not even then), or a complete thing comics fans can enjoy on its own with the gamers getting a bit more out of it.
Hopefully the latter.
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