New 52: Holy Comic Book Heroes!

Are you ready to fall in love with comic book heroes, perhaps for the first time? 

Beginning this Wednesday and continuing every Wednesday in September, DC Entertainment renumbers its entire comic line with an unprecedented 52 new No. 1 issues -- a full-scale relaunch that promises all-new stories and the dynamic creative teams behind the adventures of Superman, Wonder Woman and many more DC denizens in and out of spandex.

Lionel Ruland, owner of in Livingston is excited.  “DC is taking 75 years of history and while not throwing it in garbage, is taking off the locks that would prevent the average person from getting into the DC’s comics. The relaunch will be the starting point for all of the comics. This is a great jumping on point for new readers,” he says.    

"Obviously it gives us the opportunity to reinvent and re-envision the DC Universe in a way that speaks of the older material but is also fresh and new at the same time," says Jim Lee, DC Entertainment co-publisher and superstar comic artist. "So we're really kind of having our cake and eating it, too."

You can get your first look at this bold initiative, called the New 52, on Wednesday at New World Manga on Mount Pleasant Avenue with Justice League No. 1, drawn by Lee and written by DC Entertainment chief creative officer Geoff Johns.  

Justice League offers a more modern origin of the classic super team with heroes such as Batman and Green Lantern in new, but familiar costumes with a renewed sense of purpose. That purpose soars beyond the fight for truth, justice and the American way. It's also a fight for the many consumers who usually just enjoy these characters on the big screen or in video games instead of reading their source material.

DC has a dynamic commercial that showcases New 52 comic arts animated in a style that recalls View-Master reels. The ad hits TV and movie theaters via National CineMedia's "FirstLook" pre-feature program.

As for plugging into the download crowd, DC will offer digital releases of its comics the very same day print copies go on sale, starting with this week's issue of Justice League, perfect for readers who like their splash pages splashed on an iPad.  

"It's really about using digital as a way of getting comics into the hands of people that don't even know that comics are being printed or aren't near a comic shop," Lee says.

DC sets that stage Wednesday with just two new comic-book releases. Besides Justice League No. 1, DC also offers Flashpoint No. 5, the finale of a miniseries that leads into the New 52. Flashpoint is also written by Johns with art by Andy Kubert. Lee won't reveal how the Flashpoint ending begets the New 52 beginning, but it does give DC carte blanche to make its comic universe more inviting, especially to those who don't know Captain Atom from Adam or would rather skip any convoluted character back-stories.

So what does all this mean for diehards who hit the comic shop every Wednesday for new books? Lionel Ruland says most of his regular customers are excited. They look forward to being able to get in on a new series without needing to consult Wikipedia to find out what's happened before. "This is going to make getting into comics really accessible for a new generation," Ruland says.

Lee says the New 52 won't estrange DC's core audience and adds that classic stories such as the Dark Knight's rookie season in Batman: Year One and other tales readers have invested in over DC's 70-plus years remain part of canon and continuity. 

"But we're saying that a lot of the other stuff that was less important, less critically well-received, did not happen," he says.  "So we're really kind of getting to pick and choose the best elements of each character and establishing that as the true canon for each premise."

Take the Man of Steel. Superman now wears ceremonial blue armor from his home world of Krypton that keeps the "S" symbol but loses the red trunks.  As for his secret identity as Clark Kent, the mild-mannered Daily Planet reporter no longer calls Lois Lane his wife. Lee says it's back to the classic super love triangle: Lois pines for Superman, Clark pines for Lois, and Lois doesn't know Clark and Superman are one and the same.

"It's time for these iconic characters that some of us have known all our lives to evolve, to take the next logical step and to become relevant to a new generation," says Chris Petitto, co-owner of New World Manga.

The New 52 isn't all about superheroes either. Readers can also lose themselves in horror, science fiction and war titles that include Swamp Thing, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and Blackhawks.  And while the New 52 should add up to a whole new experience for DC and comic readers alike, just don't call it a reboot. That's one Joker card DC doesn't have up its sleeve. 

"Because reboot basically signifies that everything that's happened before did not happen and we're starting over completely from scratch," Lee says. "And that's not what we're doing."

New World Manga opens at 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning and is located at 93 E. Mount Pleasant Avenue. Learn more of their website @ www.newworldmanga.com.