Need a hero? There’s an app for that.
DC Comics will re-release 52 comic books for the first time ever on a digital platform, starting Wednesday.
The “New 52,” as DC calls the revamped comics, will have new storylines and new artwork. It will be a new beginning for the publishing company’s aged characters.
The controversial decision to release the new books on a digital platform was made amid declining book sales and an increasingly older generation of readers.
“With the launch of The New 52, we have a unique opportunity to attract new -- and lapsed -- readers,” said Hank Kanalz of SVP Digital. “They are out there, and we want to reach them in as many ways possible.”
Among the changes to the characters include a wardrobe shift for Superman, who will no longer be wearing the trademark red trunks over his leotard. In one image of the new Superman #1, the disguised Clark Kent is wearing blue jeans and work boots.
Comic Book Blog Newsarama said the New 52 also features more minorities and women.
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DC digital comics will be released the same day as their print counterparts. This decision was frustrating to comic book retailers.
“We should have had a head-start, since we’ve been selling their books for years. We’ve been helping them out. They should help us out,” said Marilyn Goodman of On Comic Ground.
Yet Goodman said she welcomes the New 52, and thinks that a fresh start will help kids get re-acquainted with superheroes.
“These are characters for the new generation,” Goodman said.
El Cajon retailer Comics-N-Stuff in has already sold over 150 copies of Justice League #1, the first release of the New 52, as of Wednesday afternoon.
