A review by dscheide
The Other History of the DC Universe by John Ridley

5.0

I cannot get over how good this was. I don't think I've seen any of John Ridley's films or tv shows. I read some Batman thing of his and thought it was boring, but this was phenomenal. It's a look at the DC Comics universe through the eyes of POC characters. For extreme fanboys of a certain age (mine), this really hits home. It is a close reading of Black Lightning, 1970s Teen Titans, The Outsiders, 2000s-era Batman, and it is extremely critical of the subject matter, but it takes it seriously. None of this wink at the audience, haha, isn't this ridiculous attitude you get from similar works from Alan Moore and the like. It confronts the source material on its own terms, respectfully, but pulling no punches. Not thrilled about the storybook format (presumably a nod to the late-80s History of the DC Universe where the name is taken from?) , but it worked well enough. Not sure how it would come across for folks who aren't 70s and 80s comics-obsessives, but for me it was perfect.