Absolute DC Proves Now Is the Time For an Arrowverse Comeback

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It has only been a few weeks since Superman & Lois ended on The CW, bringing over 20 years of DC superheroes on the network to a close, and reminding fans of their love for the greater Arrowverse. Indeed, in the context of the critical and commercial success of both Marvel’s Ultimate universe and DC’s Absolute titles, there’s never been a better time for the Arrowverse to be reborn for a new era, told first and foremost in comic form.

DC has a long history of telling comic stories set in the universes created for their movies and TV shows. In the last decade or so, there have been hit comics expanding projects like Smallville, the 1966 Batman show, 1978’s Superman: The Movie, and 1989’s Batman, including the realization of plans including Marlon Wayans’ Robin and Madonna’s Harley Quinn.

That tradition speaks to DC’s long roots in outside media, stretching back to the 1930s and 1940s. And while the Arrowverse has already made a couple of appearances in the pages of DC’s comics, the nostalgia that fans are already feeling just shortly after The Flash and Superman & Lois finally wrapped up is palpable, creating a window for a new era of ongoing Arrowverse comics.

What Is DC’s Arrowverse?

Over a Decade of Superhero TV, Comics and More

The Arrowverse – also sometimes called the Berlantiverse, the CWverse, or the Beeboverse – is a shared universe of superhero stories, primarily TV shows, based on characters appearing in DC comics and brought to television by executive producer Greg Berlanti. The main Arrowverse shows are Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. Black Lightning, Stargirl, and Superman & Lois exist on the periphery of the main Arrowverse, and crossovers and cameos confirmed that (via the mulitverse) almost every DC TV show and movie ever produced is tied to Arroverse canon, with many crossing over in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The Arrowverse lasted longer than DC’s film universe (which, yes, is also part of the Arrow-multiverse) and, thanks to the sheer number of episodes, it is the live-action shared universe with the most actual runtime – yes, even more than the MCU. While it never had the same audience penetration that a multi-billion-dollar movie series did, the reality is, for many casual fans, the Arrowverse is the way they became introduced to a number of DC superheroes, from A-listers like the Flash and Martian Manhunter to C-listers like Vibe and Wild Dog. Continuing to connect with those fans is just good business.

The Arrowverse at DC Comics and Beyond

DC Already Established a Firm Tradition of Exploring the Arrowverse in Comics

The Arrowverse exists primarily as a series of TV shows, but it’s far from only that. In addition to the series, there have been numerous comic book tie-ins, novels for both kids and adults, and webseries spinoffs. Two animated series – Vixen and Freedom Fighters Presents The Ray – were released in short form on CW Seed and eventually edited together into feature films for home video releases. Combine all of that with t-shirts, Fortnite and Mortal Kombat DLC, toys, statues, and other merchandise and the Arrowverse was a pretty big deal for a pretty long time.

In 2019 and 2020, the Arrowverse shows had a mega-event, Crisis on Infinite Earths, which spun off a hardcover comic book one-shot. In it, the characters of the Arrowverse even got a glimpse of the original Crisis from the comics, featuring the ’80s DC comic book characters in battle against a more comics-accurate version of the Anti-Monitor. Not long after, the last big crossover event in the Arrowverse took place in the pages of the comics, as Superman & Lois, Batwoman, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and The Flash teamed up in Earth-Prime. The crossover took place during pandemic restrictions that prevented actors from easily crossing over. DC therefore has history of turning to the comics when live-action difficulties rear their head.

There Are Still Arrowverse Stories Left to be Told

Not Every Arrowverse Show Got the Finale It Deserved

While the Arrowverse went on for more than a decade, and most of its shows got over 100 episodes and a planned finale, that isn’t true for them all. Fans have been waiting to hear more from DC’s Legends of Tomorrowever since the series ended, flying airplanes over Warner Bros.’ studio lot and feeding picketers at the Writers Guild of America strike in 2023. Legends is the most obvious show to continue, since it was canceled on a cliffhanger and was never given a “final season” warning to wrap things up. Of course, it’s not the only one that didn’t finish its story. Speaking to ComicBook.com, series star Bitsie Tulloch said:

We all kind of went into this thinking… we were literally told that it would probably be at least seven seasons, and so we were all literally getting settled into Vancouver, but life happens, just like it does to Lois and Clark.

Superman & Lois, which wrapped up its four-season run in December, had originally been planned as a seven-season series, with the showrunners repeatedly saying during interviews and panel appearances that they had a lot of bigger ideas that they never got around to. With a little more time, Superman & Lois could have explored a lot more about the pair’s Super-Sons – something fans of the show certainly would have loved after that intriguing finale shot. Lastly, Black Lightning was a show that felt like it ran out of time before it ran out of stories to tell. In short, DC’s Arrowverse has proved itself as a fan obsession, has already crossed over into comics, and has stories that would benefit from new chapters.

The Absolute Universe Proves a Reborn Arrowverse Can Thrive

Not Every Comic Needs to Take Place in the Main Timeline

Right now, Marvel’s Ultimate line and DC’s Absolute Universe are selling in staggering numbers. These totally new continuities show that fans are comfortable with ongoing series set in realities outside the usual mainstream comics, especially when whole worlds are on the table to play around with. Each series in the Absolute line also starts in medias res, back-filling information like hero origins as it comes up organically – Arrowverse comics could take a similar approach to make sure new readers feel equally welcome.

Arrowverse’s end on the small screen shouldn’t mean the entire franchise is over – comics can continue to serve fans of the Arrowverse’s shows, while also bringing in new readers. Now more than ever, DC knows fans will show up to check out a well made alt-reality take. Comic projects have been greenlint on way less, and even a single Arrowverse comic covering the entire continuity would be a gift to fans (and could also do very well, as proved by similar projects like Injusticeand DCeased.)

Yes, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow had “only” about a million viewers – far less than the average Marvel movie. Still, that’s a significant base of existing interest to chase with even one new series. Beginning a new era of the Arrowverse in the comics could give DC yet another sturdy continuity to try out, this time with the knowledge that many, many fans are already interested in these characters. Hopefully, DC understands that Arrowverse‘s live-action end doesn’t have to mean oblivion for characters and franchises so many people want to see more of.

Source: ComicBook.com

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