The New 52 Is Temporary (or, Grasping at Straws)

I have a new, ridiculous theory: the New 52 was never meant to be permanent, and we will eventually see a return to the pre-New 52 continuity, albeit with changes.

Yes, a lot of that is rationalizing, because I want the DCU I loved back.  But this rationalizing actually came about because of real things.

1) "The New 52" banner

We're almost at the 2 year mark since the big DC reboot, and all of their books still have the "New 52" banner on them.  These titles are neither new nor 52.  I can't imagine the brand holds any sway anymore.  I'm not even entirely sure why it's still there.  If anything, it only serves to draw attention to the fact that these titles are different from the decades of comics DC published before (and it's not like we saw a "Post-Crisis" banner on DCU books for two years).

So why is that banner still on every book?  To make us think they're all connected?  I suppose that might be an effort to get us to buy all 52ish, but that clearly hasn't worked beyond the first few months.  When else do you see branding like that on comics?  When each comic is supposed to be part of the same story.

The banner remains to let us know these books are a part of the New 52...what happens when the banner goes away?

2) The Outsider

Justice League of America has brought us our first alternate reality character (I think -- I could be wrong on
that point) in the New 52, and he's not just from any alternate reality.  No, the head of the Secret Society is from the Flashpoint universe, as evidenced by the fact that he knows the Martian Manhunter and that he says he's from a dead world.

Don't forget that the Flashpoint universe was just an alternate timeline of the old DCU.

So what's the point of introducing The Outsider?

You could argue that this is just a case of Geoff Johns being Geoff Johns.  He's a writer who likes to throw things like this into his work just to get a rise out of them, and I don't think there's really anything wrong with that.  But it would be possible to introduce The Outsider without giving so much meat for the conspiracy theorists.

Look at it this way: not only is The Outsider from the Flashpoint reality, he remembers it.  You know who else remembers it?

3) The Trinity War

Pandora.  The next DCU event is the Trinity War which focuses on the mysterious character who not only showed up when the 3 DC universes merged in to the New 52, but was in every single first issue of the reboot.

Now, I really doubt the Trinity War will have anything to do with my theory, but it's at least worth noting that there is another character running around who knows about the previous incarnation of the DCU.


4) Marvel

A funny thing happened pretty soon after the New 52 launched: Marvel retook the top spot in almost all categories.  You don't make a drastic move like DC did because you're okay with being in second place all the time.  You make a drastic move to change the game.

That didn't happen.

I'm a guy who prefers DC characters and a guy who can't stand Marvel's core editorial direction.  Yet when Batman, Inc. ends I won't be buying a single DC title, as opposed to the 3 I'm buying from Marvel.  Funny enough, my reasons for not really caring for any of DC's current books fall in line with my overall theory -- all of their titles have to fall in line.  While Marvel has room for free agent type books, DC does not.  Every title must be a part of the New 52.

Here's my guess: 2016 will see another Crisis and the creation of a new DCU, one that restores 75 years of history while incorporating the best elements of the New 52, as well as the characters they brought over from Wildstorm and Vertigo.  We'll even see a return to the original numbering, taking a cue from Marvel and adding up all the issues to give us milestone issues.

So...am I crazy?