EXTREMELY spoilery interview with DC's Dan Didio about the upcoming Infinite Crisis, and what changes it's going to bring: [link] .
I'm going to whitefont some stuff here, because I just have to talk about it.
The biggie, for me, is this big chunk:
As a result of the events in Infinite Crisis, all DC Universe books will jump ahead by one year in their respective timeline.
The larger name for where and when things pick up as a result of Crisis is, specifically, "One Year Later…"
The series will pick up with the new direction already in progress and the heroes established in their new status quo. "One Year After…" sounds like you are dealing with the direct repercussions of Crisis, which is not the case.
As for how things will play out, publishing-wise, all DCU books will make note of the Crisis in their February issues, corresponding with Infinite Crisis #5. Then, in March, all DCU books will be set "One Year Later…" relative to what was seen in their February issues.
Got that? Good, 'cause that’s just the tip of the iceberg. "There will be big scale changes," Didio said. "New characters, perhaps new series, new alliances, friendships, relationships, changing locations, and we might not even have some of the same people under the masks one year later."
Sooooo....WTF? This sounds so major (and yet, Didio insists it isn't a continuity reboot) that it really can only go 2 ways -- be really fucking good, or suck beyond the telling of it and put DC in dire straits.
Knowing that Winick, Johns, and Rucka masterminded the Infinite Crisis makes me feel a little better, at least in terms of the concept, because, in general, I like their stuff, I like their view of the DCU and the characters -- they seem to really get it. But I'm still a little skeered about how it'll all play out in the individual titles.
But -- jumping ahead one year? And just picking up mid-narrative, basically? Unless you do that really well, it's a cheap narrative gimmick, and I'm uneasy about it.
More from the interview:
Reminded of comments he made to Wizard about Nightwing and Blue Beetle playing integral roles in the coming Crisis, Didio reiterated that Nightwing plays a very important role in everything going on and coming up.
Meep. I'm dying to know how it'll tie in with Brainiac!Babs, because it *has* to.
More:
Speaking of OMAC, in issues #3 and #4, what happens between Superman and Wonder Woman is a major key to everything that has been happening and will happen in the DCU.
I've read this elsewhere (not about which specific title/issue it occurs in, but the general idea. And I'm intrigued.