Oh, my LCS says one thing about returning all books to issue one, is
that it will make things easier with new readers. When new readers
come into the story; they simply cannot get how Action 956 is part one
of a story (or a whole story). They see the higher number and unless
someone explains things, they walk away from it.

(Makes a little sense if readers come from a manga background where
you cannot start on book 50, it is all "to be continues" and you need
the old books to follow the new ones.)

Oh, my LCS says one thing about returning all books to issue one, is
that it will make things easier with new readers. When new readers
come into the story; they simply cannot get how Action 956 is part one
of a story (or a whole story). They see the higher number and unless
someone explains things, they may walk away from it.

(Makes a little sense if readers come from a manga background where
you cannot start on book 50, it is all "to be continues" and you need
the old books to follow the new ones.)

(And even though M/DC don't care, it would make the back issue
market very difficult.)

I think Power Girl, the JSA, and the Marvel Family will be relegated to
their own earths, as I believe the multiverse is still intact and they have
already been shown as having their own earths. Makes sense, when
DC went to one earth, they worked hard to have everybody on it.
When they went back to a multiverse and reestablished Earth-2,
Earth-4, and Earth-5, I think they realized they didn't need two
versions of each. I agree. Captain Marvel should either be on his own
earth or on a shared earth, but not on both. Hopefully, this means
Ted Kord is alive and well on Earth-4. I could handle that. I want my
Blue Beetle back, but I don't need two more Teds.

I guess First Wave gets their own eart too, or maybe they exist in the
past sans Batman...

Adam Hutchinson - "While planning the September relaunch, DC's editorial team constructed a timeline that details the universe's history. Everything from the past that editors thought was integral and important was kept."

Reading that interview made my head hurt.  I honestly don't understand what they're hoping to achieve or how they're hoping to get it.  They keep various old stories in continuity but reboot several of the characters involved? 

So there's a reference to Identity Crisis in the latest issue of whatever, and the New Reader (who, mind you, requires a ground floor opening to even consider reading the books, hence all the number ones, right?) decides to buy the book.  BUT he reads it and there's Firestorm tragically dying, except that the same guy has just started superheroing in a series that takes place after Identity Crisis?  Huh?  This is a program designed to make things more accessible for everyone? 

And don't even get me started on the silliness of keeping Jason Todd around.  "He died, but then an alternate reality Superboy punched a wall, which recreated reality and brought him back to life."  And that's part of the Red Hood's origin story!  How do you ignore that?

So... basically the idea is to use FlashPoint to undo some of the stuff they didn't like in prior years in the name of being more "accessible?"  Trying to break into a new market with a new ground floor continuity I can kind of understand.  But this?  Ugh.

The other interesting(?) thing is how top down some of these books are.  Fabian Nicieza says the 7 Lost Legion characters were picked for him (hopefully Levitz had some say in it), Gail mentions that Barbara as Batgirl was a done deal before she was approached with the series, etc.