Hey guys, it's Scott.
It is Wednesday, July 17th, and I can't believe this day is finally here. It's a huge one for us. We're announcing DC All In, our big 2024 into 2025 initiative.
And it's something that's been over two years, three years even, in the making. And I can't believe it's actually here. I'm terrified and incredibly excited and honored and thrilled and all of it to be a part of this huge thing that DC is doing. And I wanted to do a post here where I could talk a little bit more at length, a little bit more openly, a little bit more directly to you about what it is, why we're doing it, how it came to be, all of that stuff. I want your feedback. I want to interact with you about it. DC put out a great video that has me and Josh Williamson talking about the bones of it how it came about, what it is and its kind of sensibility and its mission statement. That’s over on their channel, go check that out if you can:
It was wonderful of them to give us the opportunity, I'm really excited about it. But I wanted to do something here where I could get a little bit more into it with you. So what is All In? To understand what it is, I feel like I’ve got to explain where it came from. But at core, before that, All In is an initiative. It's not an event, an event is a story that gives a lot of new spaces for story. But an initiative is something when the whole company comes together, everybody from top to bottom, and decides they're going to reaffirm what they're about and do something that is a seismic or a collective moment. This is what we think about comics at this moment. And so that's what this always was.
So when I left DC back in 2020, there was a lot of talk about doing a little bit more there. Josh Williamson and I had some plans for a couple stories. We talked about the possibility of creating an initiative down the line. But I really at that point wanted to get out and do some creator-owned stuff. I just felt like I had been doing superheroes for 10 years. And I gave myself a 10 year line and said, when I'm done with this event. I really want to take a break and do the stories that have been in my head for a long time.
And so I did. And during that period, during the last four or five years, something happened where It freed me up not being in superhero comics to read superhero comics a lot more joyfully. And what I realized was that there was this big cultural conversation going on. And you guys have seen it. The New York Times did a big podcast. The Wall Street Journal did one. There were pieces in magazines everywhere. Everyone was talking about how superheroes were over. That with the finale of the big Avengers storyline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and with there being a wait period before some of the DCU stuff got going with James Gunn, which is going to be awesome, that there was this kind of lull and there was this feeling that maybe superheroes have run their course for now, at least.
And it was really infuriating, honestly. That's where it came from. It pissed us off. Because I honestly believe that reading superhero comics during that period, some of the best work ever was coming out from Immortal Hulk over at Marvel. World's Finest, Nightwing, Superman at DC. I mean, on and on and on.
There were just great superhero comics happening. There was amazing creator-owned, don't get me wrong, too. But it was frustrating to see all of this great storytelling happening and the cultural conversation being about superheroes being in decline. And so I started talking to Josh again about, “maybe we revisit this idea about doing a big initiative.” And to be fair, DC was always extremely kind to me. Marie Javins, the editor-in-chief, is one of my dearest friends in the world. I have great friendships with a lot of the editors there at this point after 15 years. And everyone was always really sweet about different opportunities that were available at DC for me to come back and do things. And they ranged from doing a Black Label universe, the way Sean Murphy did his Murphyverse, to doing a book, doing an event, doing something small.
And the truth is, I thought about a lot of it and a lot of options during that period because I wanted to get back in there and be a part of superhero comics and celebrate the stuff happening. and to be invested in that way at a moment when I felt like superhero storytelling was getting maligned. And it didn't really feel right. I didn't want to do a single book. I didn't want to do something that was about me or my return to comics or that. What I really felt good about was maybe I could be a small part or a guiding part, along with Josh, of an initiative that would celebrate superhero storytelling in all of its different facets. So we started talking about the best initiatives that we had been a part of or seen happen at DC during our tenure. And I've been at DC now from 2009 to 2020. During that period, we did the New 52. We did Rebirth. And it felt like the biggest initiatives tried one of two things. And sometimes culturally at that time at DC, those things seem to be at odds.
But that said, the two forces that I think initiatives kind of coalesced around were the new—reinventing the characters in bold, daring new ways, the New 52, or celebrating big, elevated, epic legacy storytelling, reminding people that the greatest tapestry of story is happening here and giving them jumping on points like Rebirth. And so Josh and I started talking about what if we could do a big initiative that did both things at the same time, didn't pit them against each other, but celebrated both kinds of storytelling all at once? And so this phrase kept coming back to us—All In. What if we go All In? What if we put it All In the books? What if we make this whole initiative about going back to the stores every week? So everybody, all of us, are in the stores. We're All In the stores. What if it was about the whole company being all in from top to bottom? Everybody—marketing, editorial, creative, we all are part. We're all giving our input.
And so it got really exciting. It was like, “well, what we need is a story. If we're going to do that, we need a story.” And the story has to be about that thing. And so enter this one-shot coming out, this big launch issue, huge oversized flip book of an issue. Josh and I co-wrote coming in October called DC Universe All In #1. Amazing art by Danny Sampere, Wes Craig, other people to surprise you with.
But ultimately, it tells a story about how Darkseid, our greatest villain, becomes that figure that says “it's time for superheroes to end. I'm going to become the new thing, the thing that they have not seen coming but has been prophesied as their end. And I will transform myself or I will make myself into this thing that can finally put these stories to rest. I am Omega. I am the end of all things.”
What All In also does is it gives us a new universe, a universe where we can do the kinds of things that we tried to do with the New 52 where we can reinvent the characters in really daring ways that are personal to us. And above all, what it gives us is a guiding story. It gives us a story that will shape the DCU for the next few years in different ways. But it's about this big battle where superheroes have to embrace all aspects of their universe, the bold and the new, and the kind of legacy storytelling that's been going on for almost a century in the best way, all of it to come together to defeat this threat. So we're really excited. What All In is really is a rallying cry. It's saying superhero comics are fucking awesome. They've been awesome. They are awesome. They will be awesome. And it's a celebration and expansion of DC at this moment to incorporate all the kinds of amazing superhero storytelling facets that go with superhero comics. So it means you will go to DC Comics in October and you can pick from the Absolute Universe to get brand new number ones, new takes on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman (and more to come):
You can go to DC and you can open up an issue of Batman in October and you will be welcomed in a new story arc. In Superman, new story arc. Wonder Woman, new story. Everything will be jumping on points for story. But you have every kind of superhero storytelling you could want all at once. It's All In the books. So whatever kind of superhero book you want, it's at DC starting in October. And there's a guiding story for it with Darkseid.
And by the way, just to be clear, that story does not infiltrate the books themselves right now. It might be a part of one book I can't talk about yet or whatever it is. But the point is, it's not something where every story is tying into Darkseid. What I mean is that it provides a roadmap for events for the next year plus. And it gives us a design and a plan that everyone knows is in place so that they can go out and do their own awesome thing. That's the goal of All In. How do we create a meta story that allows everyone that wants to tell a superhero story in the best way, whether it's continuing legacy storytelling, whether it's a brand new take on a character that they think needs some reinvention in a fun way, in a personal and passionate way? How do we provide a meta story that gives everybody a space to do those things? That's the question. That's what Josh and I tried to put together for this.
So again, I know there were a lot of rumors and leaks and things. It was never about me coming in and show running a separate universe. It was always about getting together in a room with Josh, editors, creators, marketing, sales, everybody at DC from top to bottom and saying, “how do we take one big collective swing? How do we make sure that everybody feels comfortable in the dc universe starting new story arcs or elevating the story arcs they're on and how do we create some new books shift some creative teams do everything that makes everybody at the company excited and happy and then go out to fans and say welcome to the party?” And so that took a long time. We first met about it like, two New Yorks ago, so almost three years ago. We decided we were going to do it two San Diegos ago and Ty can provide photo evidence of these meetings where it was like, “see this is what this was about.”
So we've been planning it forever to give everybody plenty of time to feel welcomed, to feel like they could do the stories they wanted, to understand the plan, to get on board, to make the most of it. And I'm just thrilled, I really am. I'm scared, like, I'm nervous coming back to superhero comics. But I feel great about this initiative. I really feel like it's something that is from the heart. It's sincere and I mean it. There are a lot of opportunities to do different kinds of things in superhero comics for me, but this is what I was proudest of, to be a part of to get to build something that says “we as a company are taking a swing to show you why superhero comics is awesome and why we have every kind of storytelling you could imagine. And it's all here in the books.” And we're doing it all at once so that we have kind of a tectonic shift where we're like, welcome to DC Comics. Welcome back to DC Comics. Thank you for being at DC Comics. If you've been here for a while, we appreciate it. And there's going to be all kinds of incentives for retailers. We’re meeting with them at San Diego. Can't wait for that. There's going to be really cool stuff for you guys.
And the goal of it is to get you back in the stores or to get you to continue to go to the stores every single week. No monthly buying. We want you to feel like every week you have got to go to the store because there is something there. There were a lot of ways we could organize the release. We had a lot of talks about it. We could have done all the Absolute books on one week, but the goal was to integrate everything so that every single week you have a selection of books that you're like “I have to pick this up, I have to go to the store,” because there's something cool of every stripe every single week from October on. Everything is new story arcs, everything is jumping on points. We want you to go celebrate comics.
And look, if you go to the store, please buy the DC Comics. There will be rewards for you, which we'll announce really soon that are fun. But go buy comics, man! Go buy superhero comics. Go buy Marvel. Go buy IDW. Go buy creator owned, of course. But this particular initiative is about superhero comics. It's about telling you, “look, superheroes are here to stay. They're amazing. They've been amazing and they will be amazing. And it's our goal to try and make them the most amazing at this moment.” That's what All In is. That's why we're doing it. That's why I'm so excited and proud of it. Again, it's not about me coming back to DC Comics. It's not solely about an Absolute Universe. It's about every single book at DC Comics being exciting at once. That's what it is. Providing you with every kind of storytelling. Brand new takes that'll blow your mind. Story arcs in continuing books that will blow your mind. Everything. Anything you can want, it's here in October. It's All In the books, All In the stores, and we are All In on it. So I hope you really enjoy it.
Also, as a final thing, I know it's announced, I'm doing Absolute Batman with the amazing Nick Dragotta.
I wanted to say a quick thing about it. So when we realized that the Absolute Universe would be something that we could actually do as a part of All In, me and Josh, I didn't know I was going to do a book at all in the Absolute Universe. My goal was to just help shape a universe that would give people templates to go off of, like, basic ideas about not what to do with the characters, but the spirit of the thing. The spirit of the thing was make these characters underdogs, make them relevant to now in a way that you feel personal about. But make them true to core. How do you make them the most badass versions of themselves today where a kid or an adult would open this book and be like, “holy shit, this is awesome.” That's really the goal. How do you make them awesome for yourself? And how do you make them challenge the fears you have right now? And so I didn't have designs on any character. I mean, I honestly thought maybe I would do a side character. Maybe I would do somebody like Darkseid. For a while, I played with the idea of doing a book about something off the beaten path, like, Etrigan or something like that. But as the book started to find creators and takes, it became clear that Batman was one of the few we're still having conversations about, about who could do it and so on.
And that was the one that had been the proof of concept. Like, when I was pitching what I thought the Absolute Universe could be, I pitched out a version of Batman that I thought would speak to the sensibility of the whole thing and would be a mission statement where I could say, “see, if we do Batman like this, this is what I'm talking about.” And so I had this template that I was using to say, this is what the Absolute Universe is. It's where the concept began. And it's a story I've been thinking about for Batman for a long time. And it was honestly James Tynion IV, my brother James, who called me at one point when I was stressing out about it over a year ago. It was back in March of last year. So a year and a half ago. And he was like, “look, you know who has to do the book. You have to do it.” And I was like, “no, no, no, I can't do Batman again.” And he was like, “look, this is the idea you came up with for it and you should do it.”
And it was just a basic idea. It wasn't like, a huge story or anything at that point but I really went back and forth for a long time. And then what it came down to I was like, look, if everybody's All In then I'm gonna be All In, too. Maybe I take the thing that's the scariest to me. Maybe I take the thing that I know is the biggest challenge because of the work that I've been able to be a part of with the amazing Greg Capullo and Jock and everybody else on Batman. And it's that feeling of wanting to get back into the ring. I mean, I love that feeling. Like, I was terrified of doing Death Metal after Metal. How do you go back in there? If you have an idea that you love, how do you take the risk and be like, “I'm going to step back up to the plate, even though the odds are against it of succeeding after you've done a lot of other stuff in this place?” Like, how do you do that? So for me, it was that. It was, you know what, I have this idea for Batman I love. Maybe I just try and do it.
And so then it became about finding the right partner. And luckily, when I approached Nick Dragotta, he was excited from day one. And his art is unbelievable on it. It gives exactly the vibe I'm looking for. It's like, Year One meets Dark Knight Returns, but also with a splash of like, manga influence, with punk influence. I've always loved Nick's art and I've always had a tremendous admiration for him as a creator. Starting Creators for Creators at Image and the way he's conducted himself in the industry and we've become very close. He lives across the Long Island Sound from where I do and he comes over to my studio, so he comes here and we've been working in person together which is a brand new thing. And I just can't wait for you to see this take on Batman. I'm genuinely terrified. It's really out there, but I adore it. I really do. I've been really blessed to work on Batman over the years with incredible creators that have become family to me. I mean, you guys know about how important my friendship with Greg is to me. He's my brother. He's family. Go pick up Wolverine: Revenge. It's going to be awesome. John Hickman is unbelievable as well. But this is just something different. I wanted to try a different kind of story, different kind of feel. I really hope that you love it as much as I do and Nick does. It's a big swing. So I wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't a big swing. I really hope you love it as much as we do.
And I feel really lucky, again, to be a part of All In and to be sitting here 15+ years after when I broke into comics, still getting to make these creative choices. That's the goal. When I'm teaching the class and I say, “you’ve got to write the story that you'd like to pick up most and read as one of the two golden rules. The other one being you got to stay the most exciting creator to yourself always.” This is how I do that for me. This is how I go to sleep at night feeling really proud. I'm a part of a big collective initiative at DC Comics that's about letting everybody shine. Everybody do the storytelling they want. And for me, it's a thank you to you guys again for this incredible life, this incredible career. I honestly, I wake up every day grateful. And All In is about that and i really really hope that you guys love it and enjoy it and celebrate it and have as much fun with it as we have making it, because it's going to be a blast man, let's fucking rock out. Times are stressful times are rough. We did Metal during the 2016 election we did Death Metal during the 2020 election and here we are in 2024 and times of stress telling stories that matter to you, getting to be a part of stories that carry you somewhere and mean something to you and speak to things that you care about. There's no better thing. So I hope you’ll join us—All In in October.
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P.S. more on this over the next week, but here’s what my full 2024 SDCC schedule is looking like:
Newsletter #188: DC ALL IN & ABSOLUTE BATMAN