There is some speculation among comic book websites that the solicits for DC’s New 52 September issues might be pointing towards one of two things: renumbering AGAIN or a re-reboot.  I’d like to comment on both of these concepts and add what I think is actually going on.

First of all: renumbering.  I have heard a theory that comics, since they like to release #1 issues so often, should work more like “seasons” rather than just straight numbering.  So, for example, Superman should be Superman #1-12, then can REDO the #1-12 issues by labeling them “Season 2.”  Well, Season 2, Series 2, Volume 2, etc, etc, etc… then, you can have your #1 issue every year (or maybe go to 24 or 25… or hell, maybe even 50!)… then, when you want to “restart” or refresh your universe, you just start things over with #1 Season 1.  If the idea is just to arbitrarily renumber everything back to #1, I will be disappointed in DC’s marketing department… or DC as a whole.

Second: re-reboot.  To reboot your universe and, after some fan complaints and whining about whether or not Superman is wearing his underwear on the outside, reboot your universe again (or return to the original one)… that’s just asinine.  Ridiculous.  DC needs to be concentrating on building this world they spent so much time developing… or do what Marvel did and just make an “Ultimate” line… something more realistic.

Side note: DC’s universe, compared to Marvel’s, is far less realistic… yet, their stories are interesting enough to get me involved in them.  Conversely, the Ultimate Comics imprint is more realistic than Marvel’s 616 (well, sorta) and they’ve got me super interested, too… so, what I’d suggest, to DC, is to start angling at least some form of DC universe towards more realistic… because I think that would REALLY get be dropping some coin on them.

What do I think is happening?  I think the #0 issues are just the “place holder” for an anniversary of the reboot.  I think that there may be something interesting happening in them but I think that the whole point is just to draw attention to the fact that we’ve made it through a whole year and nobody died, despite the cries of whiners and curmudgeons.

We’ll see what happens after September, though…

I have been collecting the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (version 2, or more poignantly, the Miles Morales version), Ultimate Comics X-Men (started at the same time as the previously mentioned comic), and Ultimate Comics Ultimates (again, same release time)… and I’ve been enjoying the hell out of them.  I’m LOST, but I’m enjoying the hell out of them.

When Ultimate Spider-Man first came out, I bought the first 3 or 4 issues and was too into the mainstream Marvel universe at the time, so I stopped collecting it… ironically, only the first issue ever got read.

I have recently come into the entire run of Ultimate Marvel/Ultimate Comics… and I’ve painstakingly figured out the proper “reading order” in which to read them… basically, I’m reading them in the order they were released.  Simple, yet efficient.

I will be reading the ENTIRE RUN of Ultimate Marvel and Ultimate Comics to catch up to where I’m currently at (Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #11, Ultimate Comics Ultimates #10, and Ultimate Comics X-Men #12).  I’ll probably stop reading before the current run of books starts (so I don’t re-read them), or maybe I’ll want to keep going.  The Ultimate Comics line from Marvel has really captivated me and I’m honestly not very interested in what’s going on in the 616.

How did Marvel get me back into comics?  Ultimate Comics Spider-Man… Miles Morales.  How did DC get me back into comics?  The new DC 52… though only a few of the comics from that line have survived my interest.

I wanted to do a podcast about comics but I don’t have anyone that I can coordinate with often enough to make it work.  I also notice that no one is really interested in the same things I am… comic-wise, that is.  My current “pull list” is as follows:

• Justice League (DC)
• Action Comics (DC)
• Aquaman (DC)
• Batman (DC)
• Batwing (DC)
• Green Lantern: New Guardians (DC)
• Superman (DC)
• Superboy (DC)
• Teen Titans (DC)
• Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (Marvel)
• Ultimate Comics Ultimates (Marvel)
• Ultimate Comics X-Men (Marvel)

Not an overwhelming list.  I dropped Detective TWICE because I figured I’d get detective based Batman stories… I’m just getting more Batman.  Action or Superman will probably be dropped next, I’m not remembering which one of the two is irritating me, but I know of them is… and Teen Titans is on a short leash, too.  Of the DC group, BATWING is far and away the BEST DC COMIC at present.  Spider-Man rules the Marvel side (the Ultimate Comics version).

Oh, crap… I didn’t include Invincible!  I get it, but I don’t get it regularly… I usually skip a couple of months and catch up in one big leap.  That’s the ONLY Image book I’m getting right now.  I know I hear about how great Walking Dead is, but I’m so far behind, I want to catch up on Ultimate Marvel before I head in that direction… plus, I’m not into zombies like everyone else is.

Anyone else like what I’m reading?