Reinventing the Franchise

The big news in the geek world this week: Superman and Batman are starting over. Again.

DC Comics announced it will release new, modern versions of its iconic heroes in 201o, contained in single, graphic-novel formats aimed at the booksellers' market. This is the latest attempt to bring Batman and Superman into the current century and expand their audience.

With this announcement, DC is taking the same tack that Marvel did a decade ago with its Ultimate line: rebooting its big-name characters...