DC Comics has been around for almost 90 years, and there are times when it definitely feels that way. DC continuity is something else, and the publisher has had to fix things multiple times over the years, starting with 1985’s blockbuster Crisis on Infinite Earths and continuing to basically the present day. After Crisis, DC published The History of the DC Universe, a book that gave readers the history of the new universe. However, we’ve gotten to a point where we’ve had several reboots of DC since then, and that means no one knows the history of the multiverse yet again. So, the publisher has put out a new guide called New History of the DC Universe, a four issue miniseries bookended by Barry Allen telling the story of the multiverse, something that he’s intimately familiar with.
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DC picked the perfect creators for the story — DC’s biggest cheerleader and loremaster Mark Waid, the man who redefined Earth-Two Jerry Ordway, DC’s master of teen hero art Todd Nauck, and letterer extraordinaire Todd Klein — all assisted by researcher David Wielgosz. New History of the DC Universe #1 begins at the beginning of the time and runs til the destruction of Krypton, and longtime DC fans will see a lot of familiar faces, some of them they haven’t seen in a long time. DC has one of the greatest D-list benches in comics, and New History brings many of the best of them back into canon.
New History of the DC Universe #1 Shows Off Some of DC’s Weirdest Characters
One of the things that people forget about the history of the comic industry is that superheroes used to be just one part of the equation. While Marvel and DC are mostly known for superheroes, both publishers put out way more than just people in tights whomping on each other. New History of the DC Universe #1 digs into this history. The issue begins by laying out the creation of the Multiverse, combining ideas from multiple stories. Once the Earth enters the equation, readers are introduced to Anthro, the first homo sapien who had a short-lived series and appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths and Final Crisis. Anthro is just the tip of the iceberg, though, as we get introduced to many different from characters. Waid decided to use ideas from the New 52 — the Demon Knights of Demon Knights fame is canon — and the two Shining Knights are both canon. Arion, one of the most powerful magic users from the ancient continent of Atlantis, has been brought back into existence as well. The Viking Prince is back in continuity, as is Arak, Son of Thunder, a Native American who was found by Vikings and taken on adventures. The pirate characters of DC are back — the Black Pirate and his son Jon and Captain Fear — as is Andrew Bennet, the star of the various I, Vampire series. The Revolutionary War heroes —Tomahawk, Dan Walker, Miss Liberty, and the other Tomahawk’s Raiders — are all back. One of the biggest surprises is that Icon, the Superman analogue of the Milestone line of comics, is canon to the mainline universe, meaning that there’s a good chance that more Milestone comics will be printed.
The Western heroes are back in continuity, with Jonah Hex joined by Bat Lash, Johnny Thunder I, El Diablo, Jack Woods, the Wyoming Kid, Pow-Wow Smith, Golden Arrow, Ke-Woh-No-Tay, and Nighthawk and Cinnamon (who were reincarnations of Hawkman and Hawkwoman). The WWI German pilot Enemy Ace is back, as are all of the WWII war heroes beyond Sgt. Rock, like Ghost Tank and Unknown Soldier. Characters like Amazing Man, introduced in All-Star Squadron for Earth-Two, are back, along with T.N.T. and Dan the Dyna-Mite. The original Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Earth-Two All-Star Squadron are back, meaning much of the history Earth-Two is back. Waid took an interesting approach of the whole thing, fitting as much as possible into the history of DC. It’s cliche to say, but nearly everything is canon again. All of these characters open up a whole new world for readers and creators, and could lead in some great directions in the future.
New History of the DC Universe #1 Shows the Breadth of the DC Multiverse
Over the years, DC has changed its entire history many times, and this has definitely made things confusing. So much pre-Crisis history was wiped away, but New History of the DC Universe #1 brings so much of it back. The book is amazing for old fans, but is honestly perfect for new readers. DC has always kind of confusing and hard to get into, and this book streamlines all of that. This book is going to make that excuse invalid, and it shows just how exciting the history of DC can be.
The DC Multiverse has always been more than just superheroes, and this book shows that. This book is going to get readers interested in these characters, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. The writing and art combine to create a coherent history of everything in DC in the most exciting way. DC should seriously take advantage of this, reprinting a lot of these classic stories and characters. Everything old is new again for DC Comics, and this book makes things more accessible than ever.
New History of the DC Universe #1 is on sale now.
