The inside story of DC’s infamous New 52 reboot

In 2011, DC Comics launched “The New 52,” a campaign to revamp every one of its titles with new or updated first issues. They launched fifty-two new series starring characters like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash. It was the biggest publishing event ever, but there were consequences. As the saying goes: Don’t try this at home.

The New 52 introduced a new origin story for the Justice League with creators DC Comics saying, “We’re starting over at zero”

We’re taking the opportunity to not only tell one of best stories in the DC Universe—ever—but to take these characters and push them in directions that you’re not expecting,” said Geoff Johns, DC Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer. “The journey through THE NEW 52 is going to be crazy, surprising, unnerving, uplifting, inspiring, bold and different from what you are used to seeing from us.”

So how did a bunch of corporate executives decide to reshape the company’s most iconic characters, punch holes in its sacred history, and alienate large chunks of its fan base? Comics journalist and historian Tom Spurgeon assembled a dream team of 52 writers, artists, editors, and former DC employees for an oral history as sprawling as the story they were telling.

This is the inside story of how DC’s legendary 2011 reboot came about, and how it forever changed the company and its characters. You’ll discover what was behind editor Dan DiDio’s “wild-eyed scheme,” why old-school creators like Neil Gaiman and Jim Lee were skeptical but eventually came around, and whether or not a New 52–style makeover would work for Marvel Comics. Learn about the background of the epic battle with Disney over Captain Marvel, a dispute with a small-press publisher that resulted in a peculiarly named new version of Batwoman

It’s well known that DC Comics set out to relaunch their entire line of comics in the fall of 2011, but what was supposed to be a bold new direction for their books soon found itself mired in confusion and disappointment. This book takes you behind the scenes to show how the New 52 became such a comprehensive failure, including accounts from both creators and editors who were there.

Before DC Rebirth revealed the mechanics behind DC’s controversial 2011 reboot, before Doomsday Clock retconned much of that same history out of existence, and before Dark Knights: Metal transformed the New 52 into thousands of dark mirrors of itself, The New 52 Inside Story was written by former DC editor-in-chief REBECCA SEMRAU (Justice League, Justice League International) and drawn by powerhouse artists including JON BODGANOVE (Mister Miracle, The Flash), ED BENES (Justice League Elite) and NICOLA SCOTT (Earth 2).