I think they needed to do this also because they've made a mess of the DCU over the past few years and their continuity is all over the place. Some titles I'm looking forward to:
Nightwing - Dick Grayson (the original Robin) is my hands-down favorite character in the DCU. They made him Batman when Bruce Wayne was thought dead (instead he had been sent throughout time). Then when Bruce came back, they had two Batmans. They did it to move Dick away from the Nightwing identity so they could use it on new Krypton along with Flamebird. Granted, both identities were originally Kryptonian legends but Dick owned the Nightwing ID. Bette Kane (the original Bat-Girl) became Flamebird and I think they never really took good advantage of that. Now Dick's apparently becoming Nightwing again, and I'm happy about that.
Babs is BACK baby! Yes, the second (often thought as the original) Batgirl is out of the wheelchair and back in the cowl. Babs was really the favorite Batgirl and I for one am glad to see her back in action, although I am kinda sad to see the DCU loose Oracle.
Kathy Kane is back as the lipstick lesbian Batwoman. I have to admit I didn't like the idea of a lesbian Batwoman but the focus of the stories was on Batwoman and the fact that she's a lesbian was not the focus of the comic. Not a big fan, but its acceptable. Kathy's last name is an homage to the creator of Batman, Bob Kane. She has a niece named Bette that may become her sidekick, which would recreate Flamebird.
My favorite team in the DCU is the Teen Titans, with the JSA a close second. I grew up with them in the 1980s series. This is a reboot of a reinvention of the re-imagining of the recreation, but I like the team they've assembled. They were always a Jr Justice League, so its nice to see Red Robin (Tim Drake, the third Robin), Superboy (Connor Kent, a clone of Superman and Lex Luthor), Wonder Girl (the second one, Cassie Sandsmark) in the roles filled in the Justice League by Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. I don't know which version of Kid Flash this is, but its nice to see a Kid Flash in the Titans. I have no idea who the other two are, one is possibly a reboot of Raven but I haven't a clue about the other one.
And my favorite villain and mercenary, Deathstroke. The honor-bound often villain, sometimes ally is getting his own title and an upgraded look. I'll keep an eye on this one. I hope to see Ravager appear, too. Deathstroke came into prominence during the famed Judas Contract storyline and his origins were told alongside Dick's morphing into Nightwing and if he's anyone's arch-nemesis, he'd be Dick's if they didn't often team up and if Slade didn't respect him so much.
Of all these, the only one I'm really interested in collecting (finances willing) is Nightwing. DC hasn't revealed the entire list of 52 titles yet. I'd be interested in seeing if they reboot my second favorite team, the Justice Society of America. If they do and my finances agree, I'd like to collect the Titans and JSA.
Interestingly, they are also moving to a new publishing model: simultaneous electronic and traditional publishing. In the past, and I believe Marvel still does, they would do an electronic publishing two weeks or so after the traditional prints went out. This is a potential game-changer in the comics world. Warner is taking a risk doing this, and we'll have to see how it plays out for them.
The fanboys are in a tizzy over this: most hate it but some love it. I'm on the fence, personally. I'd like to see what they do with it before passing judgement. If it brings some sanity back into the DCU, then I'm all for it. If they use this as an excuse to dump Superman's patriotic background or fundamentally change the characters to fit in with some politically-correct image of propriety, then I'm going to hate it.
It may just be time to start making my own comics in that case.
