DC Comics has been on a tear lately, becoming more popular with general comic fans than they’ve been in years. However, one problem with DC Comics and new readers is that DC’s history is confusing, which is honestly the nicest way to say it. DC has had so many reboots over the years that it’s hard to know what is canon. Well, that’s where New History of the DC Universe comes in. So far, the book has laid out the new history for the DC Multiverse, bringing readers some surprises on what is and isn’t canon. New History of the DC Universe #3 brings readers into the late ’80s and up to 2011, and it fixes one of the weirdest retcons in Batman history.
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Jason Todd’s death at the hands of the Joker is one of the most important moments in Batman history, but in comics, no one stays dead. Todd slept the sleep of the dead for years, but came back in the mid-2000s as the Red Hood. It would take time before we found out how, and it was honestly pretty ridiculous. However, New History of the DC Universe #3 changes all of that, taking away this terrible retcon.
Jason Todd’s Resurrection Was Pure DC Cheese
DC continuity has always been weird, and it got a whole lot weirder because of Infinite Crisis. Infinite Crisis was the sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it introduced the idea that the old DC Multiverse had still happened, and that brought big changes to the idea of DC continuity. It was revealed that Superman and Lois Lane of Earth-Two, Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three, and Superboy-Prime watched the events of DC history, with Luthor and Prime both being affected by how dark everything was. Add loneliness to that, and Superboy-Prime went mad, eventually punching the walls of reality.
These punches had effects on the DC Universe somehow, changing the history of characters. Infinite Crisis brought loads of changes, and this was a good way to explain how weird DC continuity got at times. The walls of reality punching was established in Infinite Crisis Secret Files and Origins #1, and it would be expanded upon in Batman Annual #26, which told the story of how Jason Todd was resurrected. Superboy-Prime’s reality-altering punches made it so that a living Jason Todd woke up in his coffin, broke out, and was eventually found by Talia al Ghul.
Fans at the time found this frankly ridiculous, but a lot of people were so happy to have Jason Todd back as Red Hood. “Under the Red Hood” was great, and it made people really excited for the future of the character. Other than making fun of it, no one hated it. However, the changes wrought by the New 52 meant that Infinite Crisis never happened in that universe, so Red Hood’s resurrection was revealed to have been facilitated by Talia al Ghul, who dug up Jason and put him in a Lazarus Pit. This honestly made more sense than Prime punching the walls of reality.
New History of the DC Universe #3 canonizes the New 52 resurrection of Jason. However, the interesting thing is that the issue also establishes that Superboy-Prime still wrought changes on the universe by punching the walls of reality. So, while we got the Lazarus Pit resurrection as the actual resurrection of Jason, if you like the Prime punching the walls idea, you can still believe that was the catalyst for the resurrection of Jason Todd.
This Latest Change Better Fits Batman’s World
One of the things about Batman comics that makes them unique is that creators try to make them as grounded as possible. While wild things are going on in Gotham City, there’s a more realistic feeling. Even the Lazarus Pits have this feeling to them; sure, they’re a way out of death, but they make sense. This is why the original resurrection of Jason Todd felt so wrong. It made more sense for him to be put in a Lazarus Pit instead of being brought back because the walls of reality got punched.
Canonizing the New 52 resurrection of Jason Todd just makes more sense than Superboy-Prime punching the walls of reality so hard that an alternate universe version of Jason Todd wakes up in the coffin. It uses ideas that we already had from the New 52 to retcon out one of the strangest resurrections ever. New History of the DC Universe #3 has been fixing the various snarls of DC history, and this retcon is another example of why it’s so good.
New History of the DC Universe #3 is on sale now.
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