Is Marvel about to match DC with its own company-wide relaunch?

By Dan Roth, Source Blastr.com

While DC’s relaunch has suffered from week after week of controversy, there’s no arguing with the numbers. With several of the new 52 breaking 200,000 copies sold, it seemed like Marvel would inevitably follow suit with a relaunch of its own. Today, it looks like we’re getting the first glimpse of that happening.

Marvel has just announced a one-shot titled Point One that will “set the stage for the biggest stories coming in 2012. Here’s the language the press release uses:

“Point One is a massive one-shot of 64 all-new pages of story by the top creators in the business, setting the stage for the biggest stories coming in 2012. It is the starting point to what’s in store for the world’s most iconic characters and startling events. Point One serves as the launch pad for dynamic new series, the return of fan-demanded characters, and a shocking teaser that will have everyone talking. See how all it comes together in one gigantic epic!”

Point One? Flashpoint? No, those aren’t similar at all.

Marvel’s offering retailers free comics … to not sell DC’s comics!

By Dan Roth, Blastr.com

Not satisfied with absolutely killing DC at the box office this summer, Marvel has decided to strike at the DCU where it really hurts—the local comic book shop.

Both Marvel and DC are midway through their summer event series. For the uninitiated, both major comic book publishers do a huge story arc each year that traverses multiple characters and multiple books, thus forcing readers to buy more titles than they normally would to guarantee that they don’t miss out on a key part of the story. It’s a money-making scheme but, depending on the story and the writers, it can be a worthwhile one. Marvel’s event series is called Fear Itself, and DC’s is called Flashpoint. Got it? Good.

DC Announces Post-”Flashpoint” Details, Relaunches All Titles

In the wake of its summer “Flashpoint” event, DC Comics will re-number its entire superhero line, debuting more than 50 first issues in September while introducing “a more modern, diverse DC Universe.”

The sweeping line-wide change debuts on Aug. 31, when the pubisher releases just two comics — the final issue of “Flashpoint,” and the first issue of “Justice League,” under the new creative team of Geoff Johns and Jim Lee. According to DC’s Source blog, the premiere of “Justice League” will also mark the beginning of same-day digital release for all of the ongoing titles, “making DC Comics the first of the two major American publishers to release all of its superhero comic book titles digitally the same day as in print.”

USA Today announced that the changes include costume redesigns for more than 50 superheroes, sprearheaded by Lee, intended “to make characters more identifiable and accessible to comic fans new and old.”

“We looked at what was going on in the marketplace and felt we really want to inject new life in our characters and line,” Co-Publisher Dan DiDio told the newspaper. “This was a chance to start, not at the beginning, but at a point where our characters are younger and the stories are being told for today’s audience.”

John Constantine To Return To The DCU

It looks like everyone’s favorite Scouse Occultist will be returning to the main DC Universe as part of their Flashpoint event. Click for the details..

John Constantine debuted in the pages of Swamp Thing, which was then a part of the main DCU. However when he got his own spin off title(Hellblazer) DC had being making moves to create a more adult imprint for some of its more edgy or occult themed characters. So Constantine, along with Swamp Thing, Sandman and others reformed under the Vertigo imprint.