Civilization continues to crumble

Recalibrating DC Heroes for a Grittier Century - New York Times: "If there was ever a job for Superman, this is it.

DC Comics is in the midst of a major effort to revitalize the company's fabled superheroes for the 21st century and better connect with today's readers. The undertaking, which began in 2002, has involved a critical look at DC's characters - from Aquaman and Batman to Zatanna - and developing story lines that sometimes have heroes engage in decidedly unheroic deeds.

One of the goals, DC executives say, is to hold on to a more sophisticated readership.

'Our characters were created in the 1940's and 50's and 60's,' Dan DiDio, the DC Comics vice president for editorial, said. 'There's a lot of elements where we've had a disconnect with the reader base of today.'

Readers now, Mr. DiDio said, 'are more savvy, and they're looking for more complexity and more depth for them to be following the stories on a monthly basis.' A crucial phase of the campaign starts today with the release of 'Infinite Crisis,' the first of a seven-part monthly series that will bring together all the story threads - and the superheroes - that have been evolving in separate series over the past three years."