Born Yesterday?

So it looks like DC put a “Who’s Who” page in the back of this month’s Zero issues, as a way to re-introduce the rebooted characters to readers. Seems a bit of a foolish idea, since the creators should be introducing the characters in the regular issues, and if they can’t do that effectively, there are some bigger problems ahead.

The biographies for Power Girl and the Huntress in the back of this week’s Worlds’ Finest #0 (I hope to get to a review of that sometime next week, but I will say I thought it was a good comic) were… acceptable. Again, I think not really needed, since the title has only had four issues prior to this one. But it was mostly… acceptable.

But one thing really, really bugged me — something that I suspect is replicated across all of the “Who’s Who” features in the Zero issues:

No, DC Comics, I don’t care how much you want us to love the Reboot and accept that as ALL THERE EVER HAS BEEN, it just ain’t so. Power Girl’s first appearance was in All Star Comics #58 in 1976, and Huntress debuted in DC Super Stars #17 in 1977.

On one hand, I want to consider this a minor issue, but it does point up a certain tendency in the Nelson/DiDio/Johns/Lee era for the company to exhibit a lack of pride in their own long history, as well as a belief that the current leadership team is going to “fix” its comics by getting rid of the things the bigwigs are, for some reason, embarrassed about.

So please take some notes, Diane, Dan, Geoff, and Jim:

• Your company’s previous 74 years of history are really not anything you need to retcon away.
• Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Wally West, Lian Harper, Donna Troy, Misfit, and the original Justice Society were actually excellent characters who don’t deserve to be ashcanned.
• Splitting up Clark Kent and Lois Lane is just plain stupid.
• You should really stop treating Alan Moore like crap.
• Barbara Gordon was a better character as Oracle.
• Secret Six was better than nearly every comic you’re printing now.
• Vertigo and Wildstorm characters really do not fit in the DC Universe.
• Jim Lee’s costume design skills ain’t all that.
• It genuinely will not make you look less manly if you hire more women to create your comics.
• Beast Boy is actually green, not red…
• …and nearly all of your characters were actually created prior to 2011.

Grow up, DC. You’re embarrassing us.