Y7

Observation: the cartoon series Batman: The Brave And The Bold (just about the bestest thing ever) revels in DC's back catalog. They lovingly wallow in it.

They're not afraid, for example, of having an episode that has more than one Atom appearing. There's no fear of confusing the younger Cartoon Network audience, no concern that they should feature only "the most iconic" version of the hero.

They're not concerned that an episode featuring three different Flashes will lose viewers. They're not worried that setting stories in alternate dimensions, or different historical periods, will prove a detrimental viewing experience. "Older" heroes and villains, older than the viewers grandparents? No problem.

And they don't feel the need to provide "convenient jumping on points," because even the most obscure guest-star can be properly introduced with one or two lines of dialogue, without interrupting the fun.

That's DC Animation, though.

DC Comics? We can't have legacy characters, or experienced heroes with complex histories, because readers will throw up their hands in despair and walk away (even though none of us ever did that). Multiple Flashes or Atoms or anyone else? Verboten. Too tough to understand (even though thousands of Green Lanterns are apparently OK).

Nope, for DC Comics, their greatest strength, that enormous back catalog and mind-numbingly rich cache of characters available to them isn't a strength. They see it as a weakness, something that will drive readers away.

In other words, DC Comics thinks readers, current and potential, are less intelligent and less able to enter a fictional universe in media res than DC Animation believes that its viewers are.

In other other words, DC Comics thinks their readers are stupider than 7-year olds.