This is topic Random DCnU Revue in forum Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities at Legion World.


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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
This thread is for you to share your reviews of the various DC titles launching or relaunching in September!

Does it rock? Does it suck? Was it just kinda "meh"? Share as many of your thoughts as you care to, but if it's good, bad or in-between, please share your thoughts as to why.

Ideally, this thread is for those titles not currently having their own threads. So keep that in mind, but no hands will be slapped (or shins kicked!) if you share a Superman, Batman, etc. review here.

The main rules are: 1) Stick to DCnU books here, and 2) if you want to talk about the DCnU and its trends more generally, there are other topics for that.

Thanks, and let's hope it doesn't suck!
 

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Posted by Chaim Mattis Keller on :
 
Well, I'll kick off here.

I don't know if you'd count Flashpoint # 5 as DCnU, but: the ending was a great tearjerker, and if it were not overshadowed by the universal reboot (which I'm guessing was tacked on after the fact to a story that was meant to be more personal than cosmic) it would have had people saying that Flashpoint was one of the greatest crossover series ever.

I flipped through JLA. Very nice art, but very little story to accompany it. I didn't bother buying it.
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Overall, some pretty positive reviews on this week's initial batch of thirteen from Bleeding Cool.
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
I was prepared to loathe OMAC, but it actually sounds quite interesting based on that review.

People have commented on the mysterious woman in the DCnU but I seem to be seeing Dan DiDio look-alikes in a lot of the previews.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
This may have convinced me to buy Men at War! Even Static Shock has me a little curious.
 

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Posted by stuorstew on :
 
OMAC was a complete jape that I enjoyed a great deal. Giffens Kirby impression has come on leaps and bounds even since the LSH Annual and the book looks absolutely wonderful. Didio's words were not painful and helped get the plot (what there was) across clearly.

I mention there was not a lot of plot in this issue because there wasn't as it was basically just an OMAC rampage through Cadmus; what this left though was a nice introduction to the likely major players for the series (Simyan, Mokkari, Dubbilex!) and the main characters supporting cast including his girlfriend and boss(?)

The best bit for me though was right at the beginning with a little section of dialogue between the girlfriend and the boss(?) which could have easily come from The Heckler which everyone surely agrees can only be a good thing?
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Wow, between Stuorstew and Bleeding Cool, I may just get Omac! Giffen humor addiction...overpowering Didio loathing...
 

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Posted by Maltshop von Sockhop on :
 
BAH! Anyone who deosn't get OMAC should have their heads checked!!

DiDio is NOT the devil, people!

But Giffen just might be an angel
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
I will give Didio this, he allowed Giffen to have a lot of fun at his expense in the latest Ambush Bug mini.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
Dude ... My CBS sold out of all the dc titles today. I went at seven pm !
 

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Posted by superboymddjr on :
 
well I ll have to wait til next month to get all 50 books! I will get this month's JLA and Flashpoint #5 and that s it next week from Westfield order. that's it. :ermm:
 

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Posted by Maltshop von Sockhop on :
 
I have read my first post-JL new 52 title!

MEN OF WAR # 1


Here we meet the Sgt Rock of the DCnU, though he isn't quite a Sgt yet.


Both the lead story and the backup are engaging stories with very nice artwork. There's even a mysterious superhero element in the lead story that has me somewhat curious to continue the book.

I think comics need a book like this; I think there is going to be a set of fans who enjoy this very much.

Unfortunately, war book are just not my thing... as I previously stated, the superhero element was what I was clinging to... the war stuff itself, especially in the backup tale, is just too "real-world" for me, I think.

I guess the truth is, I go to comics for escapism... for villains with borderline silly plots and big ol' ridonkulous heroes. MEN OF WAR is just too real world for me.

But it wasn't a bad comic and I hope to see it do well without me.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Interesting. I am a big fan of war comics and was worried this would be too superheroey, and not enough war-y. So your comments Lash are a nice endorsement!

It helps that yours is the second review I read that says this is a well-written comic book! I think that synches it: I'm grabbing it.

Also thrilled there is a pure war story back-up.
 

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Posted by Maltshop von Sockhop on :
 
STATIC SHOCK # 1

I generally like Scott McDaniels' art and do here as well.

There's some interesting stuff going on in this comic. The pace is FAST, there's no lollygagging, you meet the hero, his family and what he's all about as well as the villains and the hero's main associate PLUS there's a zappy little battle *AND* a --SHOCKER-- (pun intended) ending!

I was very very surprised by this!!


Fans of the Milestone 'verse (which I have just a small knowledge of) will not be disappointed... Dakota (the city) is still around, as is Hardware (in a fairly prominent role in Static's life).

This comic book was FAR better than Justice League # 1 in many ways!

Now, the question becomes, will I be onboard for # 2? I am leaning toward YES.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Wow, another great endorsement! I'm hearing Static has a definite Spider-Man feel (agree?).
 

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Posted by Maltshop von Sockhop on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
Wow, another great endorsement! I'm hearing Static has a definite Spider-Man feel (agree?).

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quote:

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Originally posted by Maltshop von Sockhop:
SWAMP THING # 1

I have read my very first Swamp Thing comic aside from a reprint of his first appearance, and... I think I am HOOKED.

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Please turn off your computer and go rob a bank if you have to, and then buy all of the Alan Moore TPBs and read them. Do this now. Don't hesitate. You will thank me.


I enjoyed the new #1, but like Jerry said, when you are following the absolute best run on a comic ever, it's impossible to compare favourably (and unfair to try, but it is what it is). That said, I did enjoy it and I am on board for Snyder's run. I think I probably liked Animal Man and Action better.
 

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Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
 
So far my report card is not good. Very average, little interest...not worth the change.

Justice League #1. Great art. Love the new costumes. Besides the reveal of the villain...was not interested. This is the kick off to the new 52?!?! A Batman/GL teamup story? I needed more members.

JLI#1 Ugh. do not like these new costumes. I like the idea...but these characters just don't work without their history. Very average.

Batgirl#1. Eh.

Detective Comics #1 Also very average but the last two pages made it interesting.

Action Comics #1. Eh. I hate scenes with the bad guys talking alot. Luthor and the general. The rest was ok. Didn't love it...but it was ok.

Stormwatch#1 has me the most interested.

Overall, I am really let down by DC. I preferred they keep the latest incarnation of their universe.
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
Okay...I caved and picked up four titles today.

Action Comics - The art is great, and the story is strong. A great throwback to the Golden Age.

Swamp Thing - Again, great artwork and a strong story that throws out everything you really need to know.

Animal Man - My favorite of the bunch. Art is different for various parts of the story and it's all good. Gives you everything you need to know to understand Animal man in one book.

OMAC - Giffen! and the story ain't too bad either. A good fun read. Interesting enough story to bring me back next month.
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
I pre-ordered 5 of the DCnU #1s for this week, and after looking at the others in the store, I didn't pick up any more.

Action Comics was my Number One favorite. Despite being no great fan of Superman, I liked just about everything about this book, and should it stay at this level, I expect to keep reading it for a while.

Batwing was favorite Number Two. The art and the colors are the first thing I'd praise; they're perfect for this book. We get a solid and compelling introduction to Batwing's formidable character and power, and we meet a frightening terrorist opponent. (I must be a Judd Winick fan; I may have more of his Exiles in my collection than any series group other than Legion.) I'm surprised that some images at the end of the book didn't earn this issue a more mature rating.

Swamp Thing is my Number Three. As with Lash, this is my first Swamp Thing book. I don't know squat about this character, but I've always heard interesting things. The art was kind of hit or miss, I thought, but the concept and the story is all good enough that I foresee hanging with it for a while.

Stormwatch is my Number Four. I was disappointed in this one. I didn't measure up in story or art to my memories of these characters in Authority. I do like Martian Manhunter with this group, giving him the opportunity to be a warrior rather than a "hero."

Justice League International was my least favorite of the five. I never read JLI before, so I don't know how it compares to its predecessor. I'm not a Booster Gold fan nor a Guy Gardner fan (although Guy seems the most "real" character here). Batman seems out of place. I tend to like diverse teams like this one, but there's too much caricature and stereotyping for my taste. And the whole premise about how this team is formed, and why, is unappealing.

I've pre-ordered only two DCnU for next week. Come on, Legion Lost!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
So I hit up my CBS today and broke down and bought most of the first 2 weeks worth of DC titles. With all the reviews I'm just too curious! Will be reading and reviewing shortly!
 

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Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
 
I also liked Action #1 a lot. One thing I don't get is Click Here For A Spoilerhow did Superman know that there would be a problem with the train? I get how Glenmorgan must have told him about the shoddy construction, but that doesn't mean an immediate danger. And it seemed like Superman wasn't going to stop the train until he found out that Lois & Jimmy were on it.

But despite this, I liked the story. I liked him saving the people in the condemned building. I liked Luthor and his reasoning.

I also liked Batgirl. A great new villain for her to fight too.

Justice League International was good. I will definitely continue with that title.

Rounding out what I got are Animal Man, Hawk & Dove, and Static Shock. All good stories. I may pick up the next issue of Animal Man and maybe Hawk & Dove.

So for time of story: it seems like Action is 5 years in the past because in Justice League, Superman was dressed like he is now and we know he later gets the armor costume. With Batgirl, I wasn't able to pinpoint wether it was present day or that 5 years in the past. With Justice League International, it seems like they are contemporary. Within the story we have an established Justice League and heroes that are known. Animal Man also looks contemporary because of the established heroes aspect of the story.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Upon completion of reading Men of War #1, my initial thought was “I can’t believe I almost didn’t try this incredible comic book!” What a damn good war comic!

In DC’s initial interviews and solicitations they made it seem like Men of War was going to be more along the lines of a group of mercenaries involved in the superhero politics of the DCU; this did not appeal to me. What I really like are true-grit war comics that are actually about war and soldiers. It was a very positive review at Bleeding Cool followed by another at CBR, and then lastly an excellent review by Lash where he says it was a great story, but in all honesty, just not his cup of tea, that pushed me to buy this issue. I’m glad I did because this is a ‘true grit war comic’.

Writer Ivan Brandon and artist Tom Derenick do an excellent job introducing Corporal Rock—the grandson of the legendary Sgt. Rock of WWII—to readers, as well as giving us insight as to what this series will be. It is a tightly written, action-packed and intelligently presented story. Rock and some of the other major characters are introduced; more importantly, Brandon gets across his point that the DCU with superheroes is a very scary and overwhelming place for the common man. A quick cameo of Superman subtly underlines this point well. And that overwhelming feeling begins to shed some light on the premise of this title.

There is a lot of military jargon and themes being tossed around and if you like that sort of thing, you’ll really enjoy this. They must have made a point to do this, since I know it was so heavily done in the 1950’s and that was a selling point for readers then. I hope it works. (To be honest, I don’t mind them but don’t really need them). But what I like is that they help further refine the distinct personality this comic already has.

It also walks the line nicely of not being overly jingoistic but also not being preachy and anti-military. It should be interesting to watch them walk this line.

All I can say is this is probably the best written new DC comic I’ve read besides Action Comics #1 so far; if you like war comics you’ll love this! If not, I still recommend you give it a try. Its firmly placed in the DCU so there is sure to be some crossover at some point.

Meanwhile, there is a Navy Seals back-up story by Jonathan Vankin and Phil Winslade that is a true war story; there are no superhero cameos here. For people not into war comics, this will be harder to get into. What I really like is two things: (A) Phil Winslade lends his gritty style that he did so well on Jonah Hex here and it really works for a war story; and (B) this is probably the best modern era war story I’ve seen so far dealing with soldiers in the Middle East. For some reason most war stories either fail to capture the Middle East theater of war or can’t resist the temptation to add in superhero or horror elements. Vankin introduces two soldiers more thoroughly than the rest, Ice & Tracker, and with the confines of 8 pages gives us enough about them to differentiate them from just “American Soldier X”.

I really love strong back-ups stories and I’m glad Men of War will have them. This is a big bonus for me as a reader.

Cobie Comparison: Did I enjoy it more than Justice League #1? Big time! Of the five titles I’ve read so far, this is the second best, and its head and shoulders above everything except Action Comics so far. I’m not only getting #2, I’m immediately adding it to my pull list hereafter.
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
Son of a...great. Another one to try.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Lash’s positive review of Static Shock, compiled with multiple similar reviews online, convinced me to pick this one up as well. I’ve been a huge Scott McDaniel fan since his first run on Nightwing (he’s also one of the best Batman artists in the last 20 years), and so having him at the helm as co-writer and penciler is a big positive. Add in inker Jonathan Glapion, who I feel is one of the superstar inkers in comics, and it had all the right ingredients.

The story starts off a bit run of the mill with Static chasing a ‘problem’ in NY, and I suddenly felt a little put-off. Yet after a few pages, I found myself more and more drawn in to the story. By mid-issue, I was really enjoying it and then I quickly found myself rushing to turn the pages! What I was feeling was pure ENERGY, as the pacing, plot and artwork just propelled me through the issue. I no longer was a reader, I was just being taken along for the ride! I really liked that feeling, and think the creative team really nailed it in terms of giving the series its kinetic pace. That was well done.

I’m a casual fan of Static but this issue gave me some insight in why people find him so likable. The setting in NYC is fantastic (a very under-utilized city in DC unlike Marvel), and McDaniel really does a great job hitting the various backgrounds of the city. His rendition of the loft where Static’s family live is spot-on in terms of how cramped it would be. I also really like the usage of Static’s family being against type and rather traditional and supportive; that being said, I hope there is some cool subplot with his sisters which was hinted at.

The addition of Hardware as a long-distance partner is a welcome one as that was always one of my favorite of the Milestone characters. It also sets up the status quo for Dakota as a city even though Static doesn’t live there.

The ending of the issue was in my mind equally as surprising as the ending to Detective Comics. It was as if the comic picked up speed throughout and then suddenly hit a brick wall in a “OH SHIT!” moment and I really thought it was effective.

Cobie Comparison: Did I enjoy it more than Justice League #1? While not the best title I read so far, it was ahead of Justice League certainly. I definitely will give the second issue a try.
 

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Posted by Debbie T. Tastic on :
 
I'm very glad you enjoyed Men of War, Cobes! While war comics aren't for me, I *knew* fans of the genre would probably be really into it!
 

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Posted by lil'rhino on :
 
I'm in total shock over how much I enjoyed Men Of War #1.
 

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Posted by Debbie T. Tastic on :
 
DCnU WEEK ONE IN REVIEW

MOST BLOWN AWAY BY

ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING, two titles I have never read before and am now looking very much forward to issue 2!

BIG SURPRISE

How much I enjoyed both DETECTIVE COMICS (which I am continuing) and MEN OF WAR (which I am not continuing).

Me being into STORMWATCH at all!

LEAST SURPRISED BY

HAWK & DOVE... it was pretty much exactly what I figured it was going to be.

BIGGEST HOPES FOR

JL INTERNATIONAL... the potential is there for a great book!

OMAC... I am getting nothing but good vibes from this!

GOOD STUFF

There's not much to complain about when it comes to STATIC SHOCK and ACTION COMICS.

DIDN'T GET YET

BATWING... my CBS was shorted on this and I will get it next week.

NO STRONG OPINION

GREEN ARROW... I will just have to wait and see how I feel when # 2 is released... I have no great urge to either continue OR drop it.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

How thin the story in JUSTICE LEAGUE was.

How irritated the last page of BATGIRL made me.


Overall, a VERY interesting week of DCnU... FULL of surprises!!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I was actually surprised that Swamp Thing didn't have it's own thread here on LW! So I gladly will review it here though I'm confident it will spin into it's own thread subsequently. Getting right to the point: I enjoyed this opening issue immensely!

I've really only ever read Moore's run on Swamp Thing and them bits and pieces of others. Here, I feel like the creators do a great job tuning into the spirit of Swamp Thing, the series while at the same time not dwelling on nostalgia so they can tell their own stories. It's going to be complex and it's going to be weird--as it should be. And damn if it doesn't look like it's going to be fascinating.

I know Yanick Paquette from Batman recently and here I'm once again blown away by his artwork. This was one of the best drawn comics of the week! At times beautiful, at times scary and often a combination of them both. He's a great fit for Swamp Thing.

Writer Scott Snyder is one of my favorite writers in comics these days with his phenomenal American Vampire and fantastic run on Detectice Comics (which continues now with Batman). That high level of quality I've come to expect from him is evident throughout the issue. With the addition of this title and his new series Severed, which he co-writes, he's a busy guy these days! And each one IMO is high quality!

The issue set up some suspense over who or what is the Alec Holland we're seeing and I'm curious to how it plays out. Like many DC comics of the relaunch, the first issue felt like a genuine full issue worth of story which I liked.

So, did I enjoy it more than Justice League #1? Big time!

[ September 13, 2011, 05:41 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
...and done.

I keep feeling that I starting too many threads...oh well. Lots of good stuff out there by a slew of companies.
 

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Posted by Future on :
 
These reviews are making me want to read Animal Man and Swamp Thing, both of which I was putting off and was possibly going to skip! Shall rectify this tonight.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Even though I still have 2 comics to go in my review (and maybe also Batgirl if I feel like trying to find it) I have to say that I'm clearly impressed by DC so far. I had pretty low expectations and so I've been thoroughly surprised by the quality of the week 1 round of new comics.

Granted, it's way to early to tell if the Didio / John's habits of crossovers, sales gimmicks with no heart & soul, continuity porn, gruesome murder and rape will become paramount once again after the 'newness' wears off. Hopefully the simplified M.O. of just telling good stories continues.

But so far, from a quality standpoint it's been largely successful. Should be interesting to see if weeks 2-4 match up (now we'll compare weeks against each other! Just can't help myself! )
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
Even though I still have 2 comics to go in my review (and maybe also Batgirl if I feel like trying to find it) I have to say that I'm clearly impressed by DC so far. I had pretty low expectations and so I've been thoroughly surprised by the quality of the week 1 round of new comics.

Granted, it's way to early to tell if the Didio / John's habits ...continuity porn... become paramount once again after the 'newness' wears off. Hopefully the simplified M.O. of just telling good stories continues.

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Hey, nothin' wrong with some continuity porn, durnit!
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
Truly, week one has been a massive, pleasant surprise!

After the weak sauce that was JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1, I was totally prepared for week 1 to be equally as full of 2-page splashes, two-page spreads with 3 panels on them and watered-down simplified storytelling. And, OH!! Was I ever prepared to rip these books a new one?!!?

Instead, I found myself STRUGGLING to find things to bitch about!

Well played, DC... well played indeed...
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I fully expect fans and critics to not even bother trying to give Hawk and Dove a chance, despite the series already being one of the first to sell out. Rob Liefield is (unfairly) an easy target, after all. But the truth is, Sterling Gates is a fantastic writer who did the best Supergirl stories since probably Jim Mooney’s days, and Liefield apparently is making a true effort to shed his ridiculed reputation and produce as many truly great, fun comic books as he can (Rob is apparently working on #5 of H&D, and #6 of Infinite—two series at the same time!).

My impression of Hawk & Dove is that it’s actually exactly what it sets out to be: a pedal to the metal action-adventure series with two fully defined lead characters. Much like Jim Lee’s JL, the art is loud, colorful and dynamic, albeit completely in Liefield’s over the top style. In #1 you get zombies on a plane, the Washington Monument in peril, problems between the partners, secrets and mysteries hinted at and the introduction of two new enemies, one with brains (and money) and the other with brawn. While the issue sometimes felt thin on dialogue, it certainly wasn’t thin on plot.

If you hate Liefield already, it’ll be impossible to sell you on it. I’m not his biggest fan but I don’t hate his artwork. In his other series, the Infinite with Robert Kirkman, I’m actively trying to soak it in and enjoy it as I sit back and enjoy Kirkman’s script. Here I’ve tried the same and sometimes I can. I don’t mind his composition at all. The biggest pet peeve I have is the lack of details in the backgrounds, which is my own personal most annoying thing that artists do. In that regard, Liefield falls short of his Image founder brethren, Jim Lee. Beyond that, the two are pretty similar in their uses of splash pages, or 3-4 panel pages, and overly large figures in the panels.

The writing from Gates is looser than his previous work but he’s clearly trying to appeal to action fans, and I suspect, a younger teen audience (the kind that once caused X-Force #1 to be the second highest selling comic in the history of comic books). I do like his inclusion of Deadman and the hinted connection between Dove and the Don Hall, the original Dove.

Cobie Comparison: Did I enjoy it as much as Justice League #1? In all honesty, it was about the same for me. Perhaps its because I had high expectations for JL #1 and low ones for H&D #1, which is unfair (but hey, like I said, who cares what fair when you’re paying for it?). I certainly can’t guaranty I’ll be collecting this title regularly, but I will say I’m at least buying #2.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer:
Truly, week one has been a massive, pleasant surprise!

After the weak sauce that was JUSTICE LEAGUE # 1, I was totally prepared for week 1 to be equally as full of 2-page splashes, two-page spreads with 3 panels on them and watered-down simplified storytelling. And, OH!! Was I ever prepared to rip these books a new one?!!?

Instead, I found myself STRUGGLING to find things to bitch about!

Well played, DC... well played indeed...

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quote:

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Originally posted by Future:
It was a good introduction to the main characters...

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I should correct myself and say it was a good introduction to HALF the characters. We get some backstory/rationale for the presence of only Deadshot, Harley, and El Diablo.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
FINALLY ... was able to read a Batwoman story after hearing so much about this title.

Batwoman #1 is definitely not a book you flip through. Each page is intricately embellished.

That said, I think the issue did an awesome job of introducing characters and the world Batwoman operates in. And in fact, I think it made simple sense of her place in the new DC or irrespective of it.

Not sure how I feel about Bette being her protege ... seems a bit like tearing bette down to build up Batwoman.

The art is really all over the place, we've got Batwoman painted in costume ... A dark traditionalism for the majority of the book (ala Sandman, Manhunter, or Starman) .. and some Alred-esque flashback panels.

I think the art is a hugely ambitious ... and some minor things fail in the details ... but overall I'm *loving* how much is on the page.

The story was a whopping intro but ... not a story in of itself IMO. The La LLorona villain comes off IMO as a *setting* for the interesting bits of Kate and her cop love interest, dad, and Bette ... which strike me as trade length stories rather than a single issue concept.

Overall, there is a rich atmosphere created by the partnership of art and text.

My summary:

Batwoman is poised to be my new Manhunter or Starman book.

[ September 15, 2011, 05:45 PM: Message edited by: Power Boy ]
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
One: Batwoman was AMAZING. I'm actually glad they pushed it to the reboot, otherwise, think about it, the series would probably have ended permanently once the other books were rebooted, or they would restart at number one.

Two: What the HELL did they do to the Wall?
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
Flipping through this weeks' books covers (plus BATWING)... the only title that interests me is LEGION LOST, which explains why I haven't started reading and reviewing... Grifter? Deathstroke? Red Lanterns? *shudder*

I hope this weeks' books offer as many surprises as last week's did.

Because this lot of titles looks... well, pretty crappy based on titles alone.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I also feel a little of that but some of what I've read may change my mind a bit. Grifter especially looks good and I even heard Superboy exceeds expectations.

I just keep thinking: Men of War, Static Shock, OMAC and Batwing all blew you away! Who knows what gems lurk among this pack?
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
True, Cobie! Plus I was told tonight by someone on FB whose opinions ususally are close to mine that this week's books ROCK for the most part.

So now I'm gonna start reading them
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
Well I have read 8 of the books so far...

By far the one that has interested me the most has been FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE. I know, I'm as surprised as you are.

Essentially it's a new CREATURE COMMANDOS. Lots of tech-talk while we learn about SHADE's new HQ and then we have a major slugfest, and then a cliffhanger ending that knocked my socks off, insuring I'll be around for # 2.

Also reeling me in so far for number 2 issues:

GREEN LANTERN and DEMON KNIGHTS.

In DK, is Shining Knight a woman or a very VERY feminine man? I honestly wasn't sure. Mordru being the villain is enough to keep me around for at least a few issues, but I'm also intrigued by Etrigan's romance with Xanadu.

GL as Sinestro has hooked me for the first arc, unless the whole thing just goes tits up before it ends.

LOSING me for the # 2 issues:

BATWING... It was a fine comic, but I'm just not so interested in Bat-stuff. Also, it was a smidge too bloody for my taste.

GRIFTER... he's handsome and all, but I'm just not vested in this character.

RED LANTERNS... they *almost* had me with the Cat-Lantern... that was pretty cool... and Milligan is writng... but again, I'm just not vested and cuts must be made. And, uh... again with the bloody, even if this time it was grody aliens who deserved it (yes I'm bringing "grody" back)!

DEATHSTROKE... Good art, story fine for what it was... but I just don't like the title character, so this is an easy cut.

BATMAN AND ROBIN... that Damian kid is BEYOND annoying. Easy cut.

SO, thus far I am NOT as impressed with week 2... but am still glad I'm trying everything otherwise I probably would have missed FRANKENSTEIN...
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
I read 3 more last night...

BATWOMAN was beautiful... I'm onboard!

RESURRECTION MAN... with the artwork that reminded me so much of Butch Guice, this was like it hadn't even been 10-plus years since the first series. I like Mitch, I'm onboard here too.

MISTER TERRIFIC... Not as into this one. This character belongs on Earth-2 with the JSA (and maybe this book is set there for all we know, for now)... this is a cut for me; maybe I'll check back in later if reviews for future issues are good...
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer:

In DK, is Shining Knight a woman or a very VERY feminine man?

---

Shining Knight is definitely a woman (more a teenaged girl actually), masquerading as a male knight. She was my favourite character from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers mega-series.

Basically, Ystina is from the original Camelot, tens of thousands of years in the past. Camelot has since "repeated" itself throughout the ages, almost as an echo of the original.

Ystina's Camleot was destroyed by the Sheeda, a time-traveling race of "history parasites" who attack and gobble up dying cultures, leaving little or no trace. In pursuit of their Queen, Ystina was thrown through time, ending up, last we saw, in modern times.

Not sure how she got to the Dark Ages, but I'm just happy she's back in comics again.
 

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Posted by Blacula on :
 
Though I *LOVED* the Seven Soldiers series, Ystina was definitely my least favourite of the characters it gave us. To me, she just seemed a weird retcon to replace Sir Justin as the Shining Knight.

I never realised her Camelot was meant to have occurred centuries before his though. I totally mustn't have been reading closely enough at that point.

It's a cool idea though and makes me like her a bit more. My problem though, is that even if her Camelot was meant to have occurred before his, for all intents and purposes her existence just serves to push Justin off the DC map. Demon Knights seems like the perfect place to see him get some attention, but instead it sounds like Ystina is the star.

As a Sir Justin fan that saddens me.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
One of the first DCnU comics I read this week is Grifter #1, which I was actually excited about. Now, I don’t know anything at all about Grifter, WildCATs and really the Wildstorm universe in general. I have no prior experience with them, and have always just assumed Grifter was the Gambit / Wolverine mash-up character Jim Lee inserted into his premiere franchise. However, what this series has is an excellent pedigree from a creative standpoint: its got Nathan Edmondson, who blew me away with his awesome creator-owned miniseries Who is Jake Ellis?. And its also got CAFU, the hugely talented artist of the first arc of Thunder Agents, which quickly put him on my top artists in comics list.

So, with that in mind I came in with an open mind and by issue’s end I was suitably impressed. After one issue, Grifter has differentiated itself from the rest of DC’s line so far by being equal parts weird and mysterious, with a tightly written first issue leaving me curious about what will happen next. Of all the #1’s so far, this one had the best ‘Lost’ vibe that the aforementioned Who is Jake Ellis? and the awesome Morning Glories do so well. You get larger hints about what is going on, but its all contained in a very realistic and down to Earth level.

Grifter himself seems pretty interesting to me, and I like the con man element of the character (which I’ve read was not a part of his personality pre-DCnU). But you get a solid starting point of who he is while leaving a great deal of mystery to his back story. Plus he’s got that cool mask thingy.

One sequence I really enjoyed was the plane sequence. Being a person that flies for business quite a lot, I can appreciate the eeriness of seeing someone flip the f*ck out on a plane like that. It would be beyond panic-inducing, and so that worked for me—probably a scarier sequence than tons of other limb-cutting and blood-splattering pages I’ve seen from dozens of other comics in recent weeks.

In addition to Edmondson’s tight script and dialogue was the beautiful art by CAFU who did not let me down. It’s a very exciting, clean style that makes it obvious this guy will eventually be drawing JLA or Avengers or something.

Cobie Comparison: Did I enjoy it more than Justice League #1? Big time! While not my absolute favorite, this is already up there among my the better comics of the DCnU catalogue.
 

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Posted by Portfolio Boy on :
 
I'll try and post longer reviews ASAP, but, for now, here are the quick hits of what I sampled in Wave 1 of DC's New 52

DETECTIVE COMICS (A):
Just a really solid book all the way around, from the moody, evocative art to the compelling take on this new, less clownish Joker. I’m not quite sure what’s up with Compu-Alfred, but Batman really sounded right – driven, determined, but not a dick. I had only planned on getting #1 because, after all, it is Detective Comics #1, but after that shocker of a last page, on top of the overall quality of this book, I’m all in.

ACTION COMICS #1 (A-)
I really loved the artwork in this issue, which was not only a joy to look at, but also serviced the story particularly well, IMHO. I’m not quite sure what to think of the meterosexual fop that is the DCnU Lex Luthor, but I got a huge thrill from the crusading champion of the oppressed that is, or maybe more correctly, was, the new Superman. I liked the additional Golden Age nods, such as editor Taylor and mighty leaps, and almost hope Action will stick to the early years of the DCnU for longer than an initial story arc. I expect to stick with this title for a while.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 (B)
My biggest problem with this book was the read time (7.5 minutes), which seems kind of a gyp at $4 for an issue, and the usual glacial pacing of Johns, which almost guarantees I’ll have shelled out $30 or more if and when we get to the end of this story. A lot of things in this issue were oversold, such as Vic’s unfeeling dad and GL’s cocksure attitude, leaving little room from much to happen outside of chasing Darkseid’s minion to no effect. Lee's art was nice though, even if I tend to prefer a cleaner, less cross-hatched style. I'll be in through the initial arc, at least.

MEN OF WAR #1 (B-)
I’m probably giving this book a higher grade than I should, just because I *wanted* to like it so much. The scripts were a little heavy on action-movie clichés in the first story, and explanatory exposition in the second (these guys who trained and toured together are just now explaining their nicknames to each other??). Still, the art was nice, particularly in the second story, although a tad confusing story-wise, in both. But, at $4 a pop, I’ll need a serious jump in quality to stick it out much past issue #3.

GREEN ARROW #1 (C+)
It looks like the DCnU Ollie is something much closer to his Van Dyke-less, pre-bankruptcy self, probably inspired, at least in part, by the character’s depiction on Smallville. This given his apparent origin and Watchtower-esque back office support. Personally, I'd have made the new GA a Native American eco-warrior, thus a real "Green" Arrow. The Jurgens/Perez combo was much more inspired than anything either artist has put out individually in recent years, IMHO. I like how Ollie was depicted as a genuine hero, but both the villains and the supporting cast fell flat for me, as if everyone came straight from central casting. I’ll try issue #2, but may drop the book after that.

O.M.A.C. #1 (C)
Although only a C, this book ended up being a LOT better than I expected it to be. Some of the dialogue form the villain was on the clunky side, but I got a huge kick out of Giffin’s Kirby-esque art and, particularly, his character designs. My biggest problem, however, is the relative paucity of plot. Really, this issue should have been compressed into the first eight pages of a longer story. I read this book in about seven minutes, and will dump it soon if I don’t start to get some value-for-money.

BATGIRL #1 (C-)
I did not love this book, and probably will not bother with #2. The artwork had nice drawings here and there, but the storytelling got confusing in the action scenes. Worse, so much just didn’t make sense. A bat-a-rang stab to the hand is enough to hospitalize a dude? Babs is so broke she needs an annoying 2-D roommate, but can still afford that super-cycle? How long will she get away with storing it in her van where, apparently, nobody can see it behind her old wheelchair-lift? Plus, while I don’t mind Babs being up on her feat, I would have preferred some explanation beyond, “Miracles do happen, Yay!”
 

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Posted by Portfolio Boy on :
 
Books I sampled in Week 2 were BATWOMAN (A-), FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. (A), GREEN LANTERN (C+), LEGION LOST (C), MR. TERRIFIC (C) and, SUPERBOY (B-)
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Yes! LW needs more reviews from Pofo!

Duke, you always bring some insight I hadn't considered to your reviews so please keep 'em coming (and do those more detailed ones you mentioned!).
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
Pofo's back??? AWSEOMETITSAUCE!!!!
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer:
Pofo's back??? AWSEOMETITSAUCE!!!!

---

YES! Despite the misspelling, Lash used my mash-up of his trademark exclamations! :swoon:
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
And, uh, another YES for Pofo!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Another surprise for me this week is how much I enjoyed Demon Knights #1. It wasn't a perfect comic by far, but there was enough there to make me glad I bought it and want to get #2.

I love Madame Xanadu, love Etrigan and really enjoyed the S7 Shining Knight, ^So seeing them together is enjoyable. I'm interested in the newcomers too. My only worry is I don't know how much I'll like Vandal Savage in this role. 

An element I really like is the sense of history Paul Cornell is building. It took me a minute to realize the prologue / fall of Camelot *was* in the proper time period and the 'modern era' was the very ambiguous term 'Dark Ages'. Cornel is also working to establish Stormwatch's origin here, as well as Mordu's history.

The writing itself had both high and low points. It felt very choppy and rushed; yet it certainly had a lot of forward moving every which was fun. Cornell was trying to get most of the team in #1 (unlike JL which is one of the biggest complaints there) but in doing so it felt a little info-dump-ish.

Not perfect, but I liked it.

Cobie Comparison: did I like more than JL #1? about the same.
 

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Posted by SharkLad on :
 
Without getting too in depth, but introducing my own new rating system...

Batwoman #1 - the art is simply beautiful; love Bette Kane getting some 'screen time' - 3 fins up

Superboy #1 - intriguing, very intriguing; not thrilled about a new origin for Superboy, but I like what they've got going on so far - 3 fins up

Batman & Robin #1 - here they go making Damien all dislikable again - 2 1/2 fins up

Legion Lost #1 - what can I say, I loved it, flaws and all... and there were quite a few flaws... 3 fins up

Deathstroke #1 - not worth the paper it was printed on; utter garbage - 0 fins up

Grifter #1 - didn't love it, didn't hate it; pretty art but that's about it - 1 fin up

Frankenstein #1 - a nice little surprise; kinda fun and funny; worth a second look - 2 1/2 fins up

Demon Knights #1 - I defer to the most legendary Cobalt Kid's review above; again, a nice little surprise; definitely worth another look - 2 1/2 fins up

Resurrection Man #1 - can't remember what it was about; pass - 1 fin up

Red Lanterns #1 - seems awfully unnecessary - 1/2 fin up

Green Lantern #1 - surprised how dull I found this; though I'm not a GL fan, I expected something of interest; this was not the case - 1/2 fin up

Suicide Squad #1 - I wanted to like this, I really did, but the art did nothing for me and the story was kinda revolting at best; did love King Shark though ("MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!"); may get issue #2 just to see if it picks up - 1 fin up

Mister Terrific #1 - not so terrific it turns out; art was hit or miss; story kinda bland - 1/2 fin up

[ September 17, 2011, 10:06 PM: Message edited by: SharkLad ]
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Your above mention of Deathstroke #1 makes me glad I didn't get it. So far I've yet to see a positive review of it on LW.
 

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Posted by Risky Barton, boy adventurer on :
 
DCnU WEEK TWO IN REVIEW


Definitely NOT as strong for me as week 1!

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and BATWOMAN

KEEPING ME AROUND FOR # 2

I'll be revisiting DEMON KNIGHTS, RESURRECTION MAN, LEGION LOST, GREEN LANTERN, SUPERBOY, and SUICIDE SQUAD next month.

DROPPING THE AXE

it's farewell to BAT-WING, GRIFTER, BATMAN & ROBIN, RED LANTERNS, DEATHSTROKE, MISTER TERRIFIC

So this week 5 titles did not make my cut for # 2 (BATWING being a holdover from last week).

Week one only has two definite non-returnees for # 2 for me: MEN OF WAR and BATWING and one possible non-returnee in GREEN ARROW.

Still, that's quite a few titles DC has roped me into so far.
 

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Posted by Future on :
 
Interesting week in reviews, everyone! Along Lash's lines, I want to rattle off what I'm keeping ... so far.

WEEK 1 KEEPS
Action Comics, Animal Man, Batgirl, Batwing, Detective Comics, Hawk & Dove (iffy), JLI, Stormwatch, Swamp Thing

WEEK 2 KEEPS
Demon Knights, Green Lantern, Grifter, Legion Lost, Mr. Terrific, Red Lanterns, Resurrection Man, Superboy, and Suicide Squad

Nine each week! Though I must say I can see myself dropping more titles from week 2 in the months to come than week 1, depending on how the stories go.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I like a solid dose of 'the weird' in my comics sometimes. And no one does it better than Grant Morrison; case in point: his ressurection of DC's Frankenstein franchise during Seven Soldiers, which was simply brilliant. And now Jeff Lemire, who also excels in the weird, is recapturing that brilliance with Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE.

Lemire just goes for it in #1, embracing the off the wall nature of Morrison's revamp. Each page makes things weirder and weirder and at the same time more and more fun. Artist Alberto Ponticelli seems well-suited to this with a gritty, working man's style of art that keeps it anchored as possible.

This issue was packed with goodies! You not only get the awesomeness of Frank, you get SHADE; Father Time in the body of a prepubescint girl; Ray Palmer doing his scientist thing; the Bride of Frankenstein; and the Creature Commandoes! The latter includes an awesome Living Mummy whose story already looks like it will be awesome.

I'm especially happy to see Ray Palmer in action here. Clearly, his role as the first Atom is in continuity. If Ryan Choi is the Atom as rumored, I'm glad Ray has a home, and under the watch of Jeff Lemire to boot (who did a great job on the Atom back-ups in Adventure).

Cobie comparison: did I enjoy more than JL #1? YES! honestly, how can you *not* like this issue? It was pure awesometitsauce.
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
It was pure awesometitsauce.

---

YES!
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
Egad! Too many I want to keep. Must go through the list again, since there's another two weeks yet worth of books. Overall, the books are better than I expected. My high hopes for a decent Aquaman book may be realized after all.
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
After reading reviews here I went back and picked up two books from Week One -- ANIMAL MAN and STATIC SHOCK. Scores for the Number Ones I've read so far:

ACTION (A)
BATWING (A-)
ANIMAL MAN (B+)
JUSTICE LEAGUE (B)
LEGION LOST (B)
SWAMP THING (B)
STATIC SHOCK (B-)
MISTER TERRIFIC (C)
STORMWATCH (C)
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL (C-)

From the Week Two books I didn't get, I'll take another glance at BATWOMAN, DEMON KNIGHTS, FRANKENSTEIN, and RESURRECTION MAN. None of them are books I would usually consider, but reviews have caught my interest.

For Week Three I've pre-ordered only two--CAPTAIN ATOM and LEGION--but RED HOOD has me curious.
 

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Posted by lil'rhino on :
 
I loved BATWOMAN, but I knew I would.
I loved DEMON KNIGHTS, but I didn't think I would.
I hated DEATHSTROKE, but I knew I would.
I hated BATMAN & ROBIN, but I didn't think I would.
Now on to the rest.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Red Lanterns was a book I didn't know what to expect from. After having read it, I still don't. Peter Milligan is one of my favourite writers but other than the "Rage of the Red Lanterns" one-shot, I knew nothing about the characters here.

It was an uneven book, with the violent introduction giving way to the meditative musings of the protagonist, Atrocious. I knew from interviews, that Milligan was going to explore the nature of Rage as a driving force, but I felt instead what we got was some ennui and existential angst. It made an interesting contrast that with the seemingly mindless vessels of anger who are about to rebel against him, but I want a more in depth look at what makes these guys tick.

I think the potential is there to make this series interesting, but it needs something to push it over the edge.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE - I was a little disappointed in this one, probably because my expectations were so high. The Seven Soldiers introduction to this character was amazing, and the Flashpoint mini was a good little story, but this didn't grab me. Part of it was the humorous aspects I think. Part of the charm of previous outing with Frankenstein, was that he stoically plowed through these amazingly absurd and outlandish scenarios, but he centred it all. Here he's more like a straight man to all the wackiness going on around him. Lemire seems to be too caught up in making crazy ideas to give Frank his due. I'm all for having the Commandos backing him up, but I was expecting Frankenstein to be more of an anchor than a reactive participant. That said, the book wasn't "bad" per se, just unexpected.

I was also not a huge fan of the art.
 

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Posted by Bicycle Repair Man on :
 
I've posted comments on Justice League 1 and Legion Lost 1 in the topics devoted to those books. I also bought:

Justice League International 1: I liked the art; the series premise has interesting possibilities; the story was good: not great, but at least it felt like a full issue's worth of story.

Action Comics 1: I was far less impressed by the art than some of the previous posters who commented on this book. I enjoyed the story overall, but it did feel like it had a few holes in it (how did Clark know the train was in danger?!). And, I don't think they ever actually mentioned that the story was set in the past.

Mister Terrific 1: The story was decent, but I thought the art was weak. The issue included an origin recap/revamp (Michael Holt is still a widower; no Spectre; we don't find out if there was still a previous Mr. Terrific in the DCnU) and also included Karen Starr as a supporting character (without mentioning Power Girl). I ordered this after reading an online interview with the writer that intruiged me (particularly when he talked about writing Mr. Terrific as a hero who uses his intellect to defeat his foes), but I'm afraid the artwork is going to sink this book before the writer really has a chance to make an impression on the readership.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Demon Knights was a lot of fun. I liked the D&D homage aspect (everyone meets at an Inn), and I liked having Vandal Savage shown in a different light (surely being alive for all that time he wasn't always in world conquering mode, he must have had periods of downtime, where he tried different things).

As I mentioned earlier, I love the new Shining Knight and look forward to seeing more.

I did have a few quibbles though.

We just had an excellent telling of Madame Xanadu's origins (and also Etrigan's) in her own series, and I don't see the need to wipe it all out for this one, given that Cornell could have easily fit it all in without difficulty. I'm also am not a fan of "plain talking" Xanadu. Having her exchange Whedoneque banter with Blood is not only anachronistic, it doesn't suit her character.

That said, I'm interested in the new characters, I like the villains, and I really want to see more.

Best pick of an anemic week for me.
 

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Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 
Uggh, this week is a bit too Bat-heavy for my tastes... Batman... Nightwing... Catwoman... fortunately, Birds of Prey and Red Hood & the Outlaws will feature some non-Bat characters.

Blue Beetle and Captain Atom don't excite me much (though I like them both as members of teams). Green Lantern Corps? Maybe in, like, 1990, but now? No excitement for me.

I'm interested to see how Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Deadman fare.

By far, LSH is the most interesting title for me this week at cover-glance...
 

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Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 
CAPTAIN ATOM # 1

Apparently Captain Atom now has Firestorm's powers. Feh... a serviceable story and okay art but I was just not into it and I don't care for the re-design of Captain Atom.

Even with meltdowns, mutant rats and volcano eruptions, I found myself bored.

I shan't be getting # 2. Cut!
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dr. Tot Rocket:
CAPTAIN ATOM # 1

Apparently Captain Atom now has Firestorm's powers. Feh... a serviceable story and okay art but I was just not into it and I don't care for the re-design of Captain Atom.

Even with meltdowns, mutant rats and volcano eruptions, I found myself bored.

I shan't be getting # 2. Cut!

---

Ditto. This is the only new DC comic I got this week.

In addition to what the Super Tot says ... Capt. Atom looks a lot like Dr. Manhattan and with his power upgrade seems poised to more than look like Dr. Manhattan.

I was intrigued but what I really found annoying about his new found and detrimental (to himself) abilities is the plot that (weakly) forced him to use his new unstable powers to solve the problem at the end of the issue.


Click Here For A Spoilersaying that he couldn't just absorb the volcano in New York's energy .. he needed to neutralize it ... and he chooses to do so by using his newfound transmutation abilities. But wouldn't you rather use the ability you know ... even if only partially sufficient ... instead of the transmutation powers you just developed a few pages earlier and were told they might kill you? ... How would his new transmutation powers that he is untrained in and dosn't know the extent of ... be up to a task that his tried, true, and well practiced energy absorption powers aren't up to? He had no idea if they were ... he only tansmuted a truck size object earlier by accident ... what would make Nate Adams think he could transmute a volcano's furnace ??

thumbs down.
 

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Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 
GASP! Peebs, you didn't get LSH # 1? Space-heresy!
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
Indeed, I did not, I hope I don't get kicked out of here.
 

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Posted by Quislet, Esq on :
 
I was more impressed with the books I got this week than last week's.

I liked Red Hood & the Outlaws. I like the teaming of Roy & Jason. And it looks like there is something going on beyond just a shoot 'em up. That said the one thing I really hated about the book was how Starfire Click Here For A Spoiler now has some sort of amnesia regarding people. Cripes, it was a reboot and you could have had it that either Starfire never had a relationship with Dick or Jason never tried to kill Dick, or both. It seems like they made this part of her solely to explain why she would have hooked up (sexually and non-sexually) with Jason. But the amnesia thing just makes Starfire into a dumb blonde. Seeing how humans are supposed to be forgettable to her, how is she going to remember the villains that she has fought? Hopefully they will drop this aspect of her.

And supposedly Starfire wasin the Teen Titans, yet the guy in Chicago just now realizes that there is a Tameranian on Earth????

Despite the above, I think I will give this one a go.
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1

A very strong first issue. It seems like too many of the new number ones are missing the opportunity to give the reader the background information needed to get their bearings with the title characters. That's not the case here. Deadman gets a very clear origin story. It's close enough to the original to satisfy longtime fans, like me, but has enough new twists to make things interesting. It also appears that the stories are going to focus as much on the people that he possesses, as on Boston Brand himself. That's an approach that is full of storytelling possibilities.

[ September 22, 2011, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
 

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Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 
BLUE BEETLE # 1

*yawn* I like Jamie as a Teen Titan and even in the JLI, but I simply have no interest in his solo adventures. Plus Bedard's R.E.B.E.L.S. never clicked with me (and I gave it 15 issues to do so).

Not even the Brotherhood of Evil can get me to buy # 2. Cut!


BATMAN # 1

Oh look, there's that bratty kid again. And also Dick and Tim, so that's a little better. And cool, Batman now has the same distorter tech as the Legion. Is there nothing that rich playboy can't do?

Art by the guy who drew Spawn for like, 10 years... his style is pleasing though less flashy (or McFarlane-esque) than I remember.

But I think I can only stomach one Batman book a month and I liked the gory mystery in Detective better. Cut!


GREEN LANTERN CORPS # 1

This actually surprised me; I was *almost* into it... I really liked the art a lot but I'm not sure it was wise to start the book off with a Green Lantern killing serial murderer. Guy was fun here, not annoying fun but FUN fun, and looked very handsome.

I'm on the fence for # 2; at this point I could fall either way... which is probably a sign I should just cut it.
 

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Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 
NIGHTWING # 1

Eddy Barrows draws a super-cute Dick, and I got an LOL moment from the circus clown's line about being in Gotham... funny! Still, I'm on the fence here... how long will a NIGHTWING title keep me entertained? And, gawd the CROSSOVERS that are sure to be coming... I just don't know.

I'm on the fence for # 2, leaning toward getting it.


CATWOMAN # 1

HOLY FREAKING CRAP. THAT ENDING SEQUENCE WAS ***HAWT***.

You better believe I'm getting # 2. DAY-um!!!! I actually can't believe this saw print!!!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
That's enough to get me to buy it!
 

---

Posted by Dr. Tot Rocket on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
That's enough to get me to buy it!

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dr. Tot Rocket:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
That's enough to get me to buy it!

---

To put it mildly, the end sequence of CATWOMAN # 1 was unlike anything I have ever seen in a DCU-proper Bat-book before (not that I have read a ton of them though)...

I have 3 words for it: "Cat scratch fever"...

---

oh yes!!! that last page....whoooaaaaaa!!! HOT!!! whoa!!! I was like oh my god.its so like soft porn..... oh...

but the most horrible last page I ever saw was the Joker's face being tacked on the wall like Silence of the Lamb. brrrrrrrrrrrr.
 

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Posted by Future on :
 
I don't know if it was the titles themselves or the fact we're three weeks into the DCNu, but I was a lot less excited going in for these books than I was the last two weeks. I have to admit a lot of these were quick reads on my part, which probably isn't a fair shake to them.

BATMAN #1
You know, I actually liked this better than Detective and Batman & Robin. This felt like a Batman book, with a lot of the traditional mysteries and glimpses into Bruce's life. I liked the balance here, as well as the "family reunion" of sorts with the Robins. Damian was actually bearable here in his limited appearance and I liked the subtle touch that although his insults to Drake still exist, he was allowing Tim to help him with his tie instead of stab him for touching him. Progress! Good look at the usual Bat rogue's gallery here and great to see Harvey as well as Jim and Alfred. I actually WANT to keep reading this book. Pretty cool! As a somewhat knowledgeable but super casual Batman reader, this was right up my alley.

BIRDS OF PREY #1
I liked that the Birds still exist and I like that Babs was around and the backstory there hinted at - despite that, I'm not feeling the title like I was the last one. I miss Oracle. I miss Huntress. I don't much like Canary's new outfit and while I'm okay enough with Katana and Starling, it's not as the book's other main players. The sequence against the invisible assassins was interesting, but overall? I'm iffy about continuing the title.

BLUE BEETLE #1
I'm really glad Jaime is getting a second shot at a title and this issue feels like a much stronger introduction to the character, his support, and the El Paso culture. Still, it does seem silly to completely reboot the character and I'm not sure how I feel about the scarab's set-up. I'll have to wait and see. Despite my praise for the issue, I've never been super invested in the character (Ted fan) and it's always hard for me to stay committed to this book. I'll try again like I did with the previous series - let's hope this one hooks me where the last one failed to.

CAPTAIN ATOM #1
The redesign of Captain Atom is interesting enough, but the art style makes it seem way too Firestorm. I like that Cap looks to be getting a set supporting cast and base of operations for his title, but I just couldn't get into this issue OR the character. Not likely to get #2.

CATWOMAN #1
The issue itself was fun enough. I liked the look we're already getting into Catwoman's life and antics. It's nice to see she has a friend (a genuine real life person without a cape!) to turn to. I never read the previous Catwoman series but I think I'm going to stick around for this one. As for the end of the issue - VERY interesting. I don't think this is completely out of character for Bruce and I kind of like this awkward dynamic it gives the two of them.

DC COMICS PRESENTS #1
I like that Deadman is getting some focus and I like his set-up and introduction to his past and powers here. The issue had an interesting enough cliffhanger - the problem is that I don't feel completely compelled to actively collect this title even though I like the character well enough. I'm not sure what wasn't hitting it for me, because it was a great introduction with good creative work. I think I'll give the second issue a shot but if I feel this same apathy, it may be my last one.

RED HOOD and the OUTLAWS #1
God, was this book ... interesting. I suppose I like Roy's set-up here a lot better than him being back on drugs and being the crazy Arsenal. Still though, I'd have rather him see a return to more heroic roots. At least his dynamic with Jason already looks to be interesting and a good read. I like Starfire's inclusion here to an extent - at least, I did before I saw how she's actually being written. A sex-driven warrior girl who's completely obedient to Jason yet can't seem to remember the names of any of the Titans she fought with for years because "all humans look the same"? Coming from a race that all has the same skin color, that one doesn't make as much sense to me. I don't mind Kory being a bit more forceful and a little aloof as an alien, but not in these regards if she's just going to be the literal sex object.

NIGHTWING #1
A strong enough tale about Dick's initial time back in his own title and in his own suit. I like Nightwing and it's nice to see Dick's perspective about how it was great to get away from the cowl before it completely changed him as rationalization. I liked the circus reunion well enough. A cute tale and a strong start, but much like Lash I never stay hooked and entertained on a lot of Bat solo titles. May pick up #2.

WONDER WOMAN #1
Never really read a Diana book before but even I can tell this is a far departure from traditional Wonder Woman fare. I can see the "horror" book aspect here well and I'm intrigued by how they're trying to give some darker visuals to all the Gods who'll be appearing. Curious about #2, but didn't really get a great hook or handle for Wonder Woman's new status quo.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
“Um Ar- Roy, I actually never call him Arsenal in the uh- I never call him Arsenal and I never call him Speedy and I never call him uh, Red Arrow uh, I just call him Roy because uh my feeling is he’s kinda moved on from that? Um, he doesn’t have a daughter partially because he’s uh much younger than he’s uh been portrayed in the past, he’s about 19 years old now and um other than, you know, MTV which uh glorifies uh teen pregnancy a lot um *chuckles* (hey kids!) uh I- I just didn’t think it was uh- uh I think the notion of Roy either um leaving his daughter at home to fight crime uh or taking his daughter with him to fight crime- either way I just felt it was, you know, I- I just think the character uh is better off uh not having a daughter and uh… But I know people got very very very attached to her uh when she was around so I feel badly for them but I don’t feel badly for Roy. I think it was the right, uh decision.” – Scott Lobdell

If supporting Red Hood and the Outlaws means I'm supporting this, then no sale. Ever. Why did I think things might be different with Lobdell?
 

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Posted by Candlelight on :
 
sigh
I didn't think that Kori's outfit could get any skimpier.
I wasn't taking into account fanboy imaginations.


Or, that she could be portrayed as any stupider or more wanton, but, again, I misjugded DC's disregard for women, in general.
Yes, I'm bummed.

(Loved Essense, though. She's a new character to me.)

Supergirl: She thought she was dreaming in part of the threeboot Legion stories, too.
I know that there's nothing new under the sun, but, geez.

I find that I don't much care for the DCnU xenophobia, either. That was done before in the threeboot, too.
gads

[ September 23, 2011, 01:28 AM: Message edited by: Candlelight ]
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
Week Three in the DCnU. I've read 18 of the Number Ones so far. Here's my ranking and their grades, based mostly on my enjoyment level, with a little commentary on the newer ones:

ACTION (A)

BATWING (A-)

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS (A-) - This book surprised me in a good way. I've never read anything with Jason Todd in it, but I like the fun back-and-forth he has with Roy. The adolescent boy in my head likes Kori, to be honest, but the grownup me doesn't care for her portrayal here at all.

ANIMAL MAN (B+)

NIGHTWING (B+) - I'm not a Bat-world fan, so I never expected that three Bat-books would be in my top (so far) six favorites. I am a fan of Dick Grayson via Teen Titans, though, and I like what's happening here.

RESURRECTION MAN (B+) - It's an interesting concept and well-introduced for a first issue. It's the kind of story that will either lock me in or lose my interest quickly. We'll see how #2 moves along.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. (B) - I don't much care for monster stuff, but Frank and Father Time are interesting characters. I'll try the next issue of this one.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS (B) - I haven't been a Lantern follower either, but I like how this story begins. Like the art!

JUSTICE LEAGUE (B)

LEGION LOST (B) -

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (B) - For a long-time Legion fan it was a nice chapter. There are some good character portrayals, sleek art, nicely-continued threads linking us to previous storylines, and a story that feels like it has somewhere to go. I wish more time had been spent telling the Lost Legionnaires' story, but maybe that will come soon.

SWAMP THING (B)

STATIC SHOCK (B-)

CAPTAIN ATOM (C) - Eh, it was okay. I don't feel compelled to follow this story.

DEMON KNIGHTS (C) - I don't know these characters. I read it twice and kept feeling that I wanted to like it more than I did.

MISTER TERRIFIC (C)

STORMWATCH (C)

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL (C-)

I didn't expect to like my Top Six as much as I do; I had only pre-ordered two of them. Some of the titles, like Demon Knights and Stormwatch, didn't give me enough clarity into the multiple characters or the storyline to compel me to follow them. (LSH may be like that for new readers.) And I'm dismayed by the gore present in many of the books, including some of my favorites. Overall, I'm enjoying the opportunity to try out some books I wouldn't normally pick up, and I'm enjoying them more than I expected. It may actually be hard to make decisions about cutting some of them.

Pre-orders for Week Four -- GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS and TEEN TITANS.
 

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Posted by Portfolio Boy on :
 
Thanks SO much for the warm welcome back, guys. I'm still working on the long-form reviews - experimenting with just how detailed they should be and deciding if they should be written for primary posting here, Blogger, Facebook, Google+ or other.

Anyway, here are my quick hits on DCnU Week 3.

BLUE BEETLE #1 (A)
Apart from Frankenstein, this may have been the most pleasant surprise of the DCnU for me. I tried a few issues of Jamie's previous title, but the character never really connected with me. This time, it clicked. I think that may be because this issue gave a much more compelling depiction of Hispanic culture, whereas, in the previous title, knowing the characters are hispanic was mostly a matter of taking it on faith, because the creators told us so. But, more than seeming genuinely Hispanic, the characters also read as real, with dialogue and actions that worked as believable reactions and not just things said to service the plot. Art wasn't bad, either. Loved seeing the Brotherhood of Evil, and very interested in these new villains.

BATMAN #1 (A-)
Like Detective Comics, this Bat-book surprised me. Also, as will 'Tec, I had only planned to sample the first issue, but now expect to be around for a while. I did not love the art, not because it was bad, just because it was overly expressionistic for my tatses in mainstream super-hero far. I actually would have preferred this style on Wonder Woman, I think, as it would have lended a fantasy tone to that book. Otherwise, the story was good, as appropriately CSI as a Bat comic should be, along with plenty of action and a nice mix mystery social action and political drama. I didn't even mind Damian's blissfully brief appearance. Overall, I'm pleased with the DCnU reboot if only because it seems to have excised the super-powered Batman, whose special ability was being a mutant-sized dick. PS, while I didn't love the impossible tech used by Nightwing, we at least have confirmation, I think, that Alfred has not been rebooted to a computer algorithm, as seemed the case in 'Tec.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1 (B+)
As a hardcore Legion fan, I'm fairly well satisfied with this book. I'm a little disappointed Paul Levitz didn't avail himself of the chance to clean house on continuity, and most of my complaints are A/R quibbles in that regard, i.e. frosh Academy kids getting not the team over the just-graduated class. However, what is actually here on the page is done well, and the artwork is quite nice. All told, I'm as happy with this issue as any Legion comic in recent memory.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1 (B+)
I think it's official. Deadman's origin has now overtaken that of the Ranzz siblings as the most-told-origin-in-comics. I am glad, however, that writer Paul Jenkins chose to violate the usual show-don't-tell rule in establishing Boston Brand as unheroic in life, and got right to his better nature. That said, what really worked for me was Jenkin's subtle portrayal of Deadman as having evolved little. Despite his good works, he's clearly yet to become the change he's effected in the lives of others. I would have liked if we had seen a bit more of "Albatross" if only to have something introduced, completely explored and resolved in one issue, in what it otherwise largely a set-up to a longer arc.

WONDER WOMAN #1 (B-)
Well, there's no question this is a horror comic. In fact, this is perhaps best described as the Vertigo version of Wonder Woman, with typically flat Vertigo-style art. My biggest problem with this issue is that, draw on a different outfit, and the lead character could have been almost anyone, There was really nothing other than being called by name that made this character stand out as Wonder Woman. Still, I'm intrigued enough to stick around for a couple of issues, at least.

SUPERGIRL #1 (D)
The worst of all the DCnU books I've sampled thus far. I read this book in about three minutes. In other words, phone sex costs less per minute. I complained that O.M.A.C #1 could have been compressed into about eight pages. This entire book should have have taken up more than eight panels. The layout may not have been so bad if there had been more script - something to go along with the pictures to fill out this Kara's character, her backround and her Kryptonian culture. As presented however, this issue was a total waste of money. I won't be pack.

[ September 23, 2011, 09:25 PM: Message edited by: Portfolio Boy ]
 

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Posted by Dr. Gwen Roil: Girl Psychiatrist on :
 
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS DEADMAN # 1

Whoa. This has hands-down been the biggest surprise for me so far on week 3... I was completely into this book!

I *loved* the snippets of all the previous lives Deadman has lived and I was ENTHRALLED by pages 2-3, especially the layout on page 3... THAT was how you do a splash page.

And I think the last page was a bit of a red herring... but I can't wait to find out what that's all about.

So yeah, I'm onboard this book for the nonce. I'm assuming as long as DEADMAN sells, DCUP won't be changing stars anytime soon, but who knows?
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
^So far I've read multiple reviews saying Deadman has been excellent! I'm def looking forward to it!

Smart money says Presents gets a new star with #7 and Deadman gets a new #1. I wonder if Presents will stay to 6 issue arcs? I'd prefer 5 if they're doing it for trades and every 6th issue a random one-off for the really far out stuff (and them collect all those together).
 

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Posted by Dr. Gwen Roil: Girl Psychiatrist on :
 
SUPERGIRL # 1

I was prepared to hate this book, but I didn't hate it. Thin on story, yeah, but I still think I liked it better than Justice League # 1. I want to like Supergirl's book; I'll get # 2 and hope they can bring the fun instead of the pain for Kara next time. (I *hate* her skimpy panties... I miss the miniskirt already)

WONDER WOMAN # 1

Weird and unlike any Wonder Woman comic I have ever read. To be honest, I am not sure WHAT I thought of it. I like the idea of the mythological beings running loose on Earth. Of course I'm into the art by Chiang. This one will be a wait-and-see how I feel for # 2.

RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS # 1

LOVED the art. LOVED the rapport between Roy and Jason. Intrigued by Essence. HATED WITH A PASSION the portrayal of Starfire. If I wanna see a chick passed around between guys there are sites for that. HATED it here, and hated it with her, especially considering the 'toon version of her. Any female fans who bought this title looking for THAT Starfire... oh dear. I'm not sure what to do with this book either... I'm not sure I can get past this new portrayal of Kori.
 

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Posted by Starbucks Kid on :
 
Finally went to pick some stuff up and my store was already sold out of some titles like Action, WW, GA, and a few others.

Justice League
Great art (of course). Interesting beginning. Will definitely pick up #2. Honestly, I read it a week or two back so I don't remember the whole plot up front, but it seemed good enough.

Red Hood & The Outlaws
At first I was mad that there would be no Secret Six in the reboots and I had lost the Floyd / Thomas thing. Thankfully, we now have this series. Definite potential with Jason and Roy and it looks like Lobdell will feature this.

I don't agree with all the over-reaction about Starfire. For all we know, her eyes might sense infra-red or something and she can't really visualize faces, only heat patterns (of course, I'm grasping for straws, here). Plus, she's an alien - different cultures and all that stuff and I'm sure we'll learn about why she acts the way she does. It's been a while since I looked at my old Perez issues, but I seem to recall Starfire being very open with her sexuality to begin with. I mean, she kissed people to learn their languages! SHOCKING 80's stuff, here.

What interests me about this story is that the characters seem to do things for a reason, which doesn't always happen in many stories. Definitely flawed, but as this is a redemption story, there is probably a bit of good in them, too.

Demon Knights
This first issue felt like a Hercules / Xena adventure, though that's not necessarily a bad thing.

I can see the story concept meeting right now, "Ok, Jason Blood, Xanadu, and Vandal Savage walk into a bar..."

Was decent. I'll check out a few more issues before I pass final judgement.

Resurrection Man
I refuse to touch this series due to my pure disgust with DnA and what they did to the Legion.

Suicide Squad
For me, some things are sacrosanct and Floyd's 'stache was one of them. Quickly perused it and wasn't impressed enough to drop $3 on it.

Overall, I'd definitely say that DC succeeded a bit in shaking things up. Some things good. Others not-so-good, head-scratching, or downright off-putting - such as costumes.

Still, this does not change the fact that I want Dido out of management.
 

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Posted by Invisible Brainiac on :
 
Little late to the party, but...

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL 1

Interesting enough start, though I think they're overplaying the Godiva = conflict card. Batman telling her to "be more involved" didn't really make sense, since she was fighting the rock creatures too.

Friction between Rocket Red and August General in Iron made more sense.

Fire's not so fiery; her personality didn't really shine. Vixen and Ice are okay.

Booster's showing potential as a leader, though. Guy and Batman are also written well.

Good enough for a first issue. Like the idea of the UN ties again - promises more drama, and more international exposure.

Wonder who the other candidates are? And why in hell would the UN team consider Plastic Man, when they wanted someone easy to control?

Still hoping Doctor Light will get an invite.
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
Here's some DC-behind-the-scenes commentary on the Starfire situation in RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/09/22/behind-the-scenes-on-starfire-and-red-hood-and-the-outlaws-1/
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Justice League Dark was a good introductory issue. You get a good look at all the characters, the premise is set up and some suitably creepy stuff happens.

I liked the parallel uses of the title "Imaginary Women" as related to Kathy and June(s).

I'm glad Milligan's brought Shade back and he's obviously still unhinged. It looks like the magic reset at the end of the Vertigo series is out (though we knew that from other appearances), and Shade's still obsessed over poor Kathy. The bit where she questions her own reality was chilling, given the results.

Not sure what to make of the younger Constantine yet, but at least he's better than the awful portrayal in the Search for Swamp Thing.

Zatanna was Zatanna and Madame X was like her old self.

The June/Enchantress split was one of the more interesting things about Ostrander's Suicide Squad that was never adequately followed up on, so I'm glad it's getting pulled out in the open here.

Who's real? What's real? What does "real" even mean? I think there's a lot of potential for Milligan to go for broke here. I really, really hope he does.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Love how quick you get a review, up Dave! I did for the second time this month something I never do, which is go get the comics on the actual day they came out. So reviews of last week and this week will be coming soon! (after I review a few more independents).
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
Justice League Dark #1

It's so good to see that Peter Milligan is still absolutely nuts. I love the line up. The art was solid. This is going to be a crazy and bumpy ride. I'm in for as long as this one runs.
 

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Posted by old-sk00l MLLASH on :
 
BLACKHAWKS # 1

I had absolutely NO interest in this. In fact, after the first 3 or so pages, I merely flipped through and skimmed the rest. This comic along with BLUE BEETLE share the dubious honor of being the NEW 52 titles I was so uniterested in, I could not even finish reading them.


VOODOO # 1

Another title I expected to have no interest in... boy was I wrong. I was *ENTHRALLED* from page 1. Absolutely LOVED it.

The art and colors worked for me. It was no 5-minute read... everybody was infused with personality, even the throwaway stripper characters.

And even though our title character spends most of the issue removing her top, not one scene ever seemed to a cross a weird line like Starfire's scenes in RED HOOD did.

Again: was REALLY into VOODOO. It's got major hoodoo, man. I might even go so far as to say this is one of my favorites of the NEW 52.

I am certainly onboard to see what she/it does next...
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
Love how quick you get a review, up Dave! I did for the second time this month something I never do, which is go get the comics on the actual day they came out. So reviews of last week and this week will be coming soon! (after I review a few more independents).

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Well, my shop opens at 8:00 (it's a multi-purpose book/comic/coffee/newstand place), so I'm able to pick up my books on the way to work. And since I'm in the Atlantic Time zone, I get them before everyone except the UK and Newfoundland. On a good day it's slow enough in the morning that I've read my books before work's even started (and most of you are even awake)!
 

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Posted by Portfolio Boy on :
 
The final all-#1 week of the DCnU brought both the best and the worst titles of the entire relaunch, at least among the books I sampled:

SUPERMAN #1 (A+)
While the usual DC comics reads in less than 10 minutes, I spent 27 on this one! That alone makes it worthy of an A, but the faboo, clear, compelling artwork and the detailed script kept me enthralled. I'm okay with most of the changes. Lois works as the Holly Hunter character from Broadcast News, IMHO. I'm less enthralled with Perry White's new look, however. I work as a reporter. No editor I have ever met is as buff as 'ol Perry, here. But there's more that this curious about his look. Throw a headband on him and he'd be a dead ringer for Jor-El, had he lived. I suspect Morrison asked for the design, and has something up his sleeve.

AQUAMAN #1 (A-)
Like most Geoff Johns efforts, a lot thin on plot. However, this book is redeemed by great art and the pure, visceral thrill of seeing Aquaman be a total bad-ass. Of course, Johns deftly makes him such without also making him a dick - he is clearly a hero to be idolized, just the way I like my heroes. I don't get why Aquaman would go to a restaurant in full regalia, but I love the way his shirt shimmies and shines in the sun like actual scales.

THE FLASH #1 (B+)
Manapul's art is absolutely charming and, as it turns out, he's no slouch as a writer, either. My only gripe is I'm a tad tired of exploring Barry's childhood. Seems that's all we've done since he returned to life, and, in the DCnU, he never died. I do like the Iris/Barry dynamic, although I would have used the reboot to make her less of a Lois Lane clone. I'd have remade her as a hard-nosed, by-the-book, extremely punctual police detective, which would force her and Barry to work together while give them a bit of a Dave-and-Maddie Moonlighting relationship.

All-Star Western #1 (B)
This would have been a decent book at $3. At $4, however, I'm unlikely to stick for very long. Sending Hex to 19th century Gotham was inspired and the book successfully captures the tone of classic Western movies. My only quibble is that Arkham spends the first part of the book tailing how Hex has absolutely no morals, and the second half waxing poetic over his unique moral code. I can't tell if the segue was intentional, or due to a lack of editorial attention.

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1 (C)
I had such high hopes for this book, but that was when James Robinson was attached as writer. Tan's art is fun, though a little unclear in the action sequences, and making Hawkman's wings and costume something he internalizes works, but why not start there? We had an opportunity to start completely fresh, but we're already saddled with backstory. Worse, the script does not read as an natural chain of events, but, rather, a set-up followed by a series of dictated plot posts.

BLACKHAWKS #1 (D)
Horrible book. I had high hopes, if only based on lingering good-will from the Evanier/Spiegel run, but after three pages I had to literally force myself to keep reading. There was a real disconnect between story and art - the chick complains about being bitten, but isn't shown being bitten until two panels later, a guy breaks ribs and an arm, but is only depicted lurching forward in his seat. I did not like the art work at all, and found both large-panel reveals of Blackhawks HQ utterly underwhelming. As with Men of War, we get a wastes page of people explaining their nicknames. As in Legion Lost we get balloon pointers that seem to go to the wrong person. Folks, this was just not a good book.
 

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Posted by old-sk00l MLLASH on :
 
Pofo, I gave up after page 3 of BLACKHAWKS! I admire you for slogging through that crap quagmire!
 

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Posted by Doctor One on :
 
OK, so I bought quite a lot of the DCnU titles. Won´t review too much, but here is where I´m at (if it's not in the list, I didn´t buy it):

So, from worst to best....


DROP:

-Justice League International: I don't know why I keep giving this comic a chance, I just hate these sort-of-humorous-but-sort-of-not kinds of comics. Simply not my thing, although I realize that others may like them.

-Suicide Squad: Hated it.

-I, Vampire: I think I may not have understood this one properly. And don't feel the need to re-read it to see what I missed.

-Red Lanterns: I really wanted to like this one, but really didn't. So no sell.

-Supergirl: Too fast a read, nothing happened.

-Resurrection Man: Another one in the not-my-cup-of-tea category.

-Catwoman: I'm afraid that the character just doesn't interest me that much.

-Green Lantern Corps: I'm surprised that I'm dropping this one, because I used to buy it before the relaunch. But I'm tired of it. The stories seem too similar to each other and I don't particularly like Guy Gardner or John.

-Birds of Prey: Not actually a bad comic, but I don't think I'm interested.

-Batman: Again, not that it was bad, it wasn't. It just reminded me of why I don't buy Batman titles.


WILL BUY SECOND ISSUE, BUT THEY BETTER CATCH ME THEN

-Demon Knights: Would have never thought that this would be in this category (I was expecting to hate it). But the premise is faintly intriguing. We'll see.

-Frankenstein: Like above. I'm finding that the art is being a problem for me in this one.

-Voodoo: Gorgeous art. The story....well, they managed to intrigue me enough that I will buy the second issue.

-Wonder Woman: This is my first WW comic ever. And I didn't like it. I really wanted to, so much that I will still buy the second issue, but sheesh, the art... I also liked the re-vamped costume better than the classic one, to me this feels like a step backwards.

-Detective Comics: I really just don't like the Batman that much, I think. But the cliffhanger in this issue did its job, and I will be back for issue two. Having said that, if I wanted to stick with one Batman title, which I don't, I would go with Batman, not Detective, because I am mildly interested in Bruce Wayne's personal life.

-Nightwing: I'm surprised that it is in this category, I wouldn't have expected that I'd be interested in a second issue. But the whole circus setup is interesting and I want to see more.

-Justice League Dark: Never been a fan of magic comic books, but this was quite well done. I hope I get interested in these characters soon, though.

-Superman: I've never been a Superman fan, but this was very well done; I really like my comics to be 'meaty'. Still, I just don't get that excited with Superman. We'll see.

-Batwoman: This one was a huge surprise, the art was utterly amazing. The premise is also faintly intriguing, so I'll be there for the second issue.


LOOKING GOOD, BUT MAY OR MAY NOT GEL:

-Flash: I don't know... I'm intrigued, but not sold 100%...

-Green Arrow: I think I like the premise, and I'm willing to give the comic a chance. For a few issues.

-Hawkman: Hm. Intriguing....

-Teen Titans: That was a slow start, wasn't it? Still, there is potential.

-Batgirl: I've always liked Babs, and so I think that I'm on board for this one. I hope it picks up a bit, though.

-Superboy: Bought it on a whim, and ended up really liking it. So I'm on board for now.

-Aquaman: Oh, yes, that was fun. Have never bought any Aquaman comics, but it looks that that will change with this relaunch.

-Action Comics: I'm quite surprised to have liked this one this much. I really like the idea of exploring Superman's early years in Metropolis. Looks like I'm on board for a while.

-Deadman: What a cool comic! Love the premise, and will keep reading it for now.


KEEP:

-Firestorm: I used to be a fan of the original Firestorm, so I'm thrilled with having Ronnie back. And Jason looks like an interesting character as well. I also like this idea of 2 Firestorms that can fuse. Strange, but cool.

-Swamp Thing: That was quite fun. I'm intrigued as to where this comic book is heading...

-Legion Lost: I'm a bit iffy on the concept of this one, but hey, I won't stop buying my Legion comics. Gates and Yera will be back, I have no doubt about that.

-Green Lantern: Very intrigued with this Siniestro business. I'm on board.

-Green Lantern New Gardians: Is Kyle going to end up being able to use ANY color of ring? Interesting...

-Legion of Super-Heroes: Portela's art is really, really amazing. And although I've been a bit underwhelmed with Levitz's writing this time around, I still can see glimmers of greatness. So of course I'm on board.

-Red Hood and the Outlaws: Wow, what a surprise. Love that the new Jason is not fixed on Batman, and actually like the new Starfire a lot. You know, she is an alien, and that certainly shows in the way she behaves here.

-Justice League: Number one on the list? Well, I really like Lee's art, and really enjoyed Batman and Green Lantern's interaction. All in all, the pace was a bit slow, but I'm certain that once this comic hits its pace it will be very good. All right, I concede that saying that this is the best comic of the DCnU is a bit much, but I don't feel like rearranging my list...

And in case anybody is wondering, I missed Animal Man and have to wait for the reprints in order to be able to read it.

Before the relaunch I was buying the following DCs: LSH, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Batman and Robin and Brightest Day. Looking at the list above I'm going to say that DCs relaunch, at least in relationship to this one customer, was a resounding success. Let's see how long I keep at it...
 

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Posted by doublechinner on :
 
I have really gotten into the new 52, more than I expected, and now I have serious work to do to come up with a subscription list for my CBS.

Action and Superman. Thinking of these 2 together. I am most thrilled that ther is a lot we don't know about Superman. Kind of like reading him formthe first time. I have total confidence in Morrison and Perez to make the right choices. I've seen complaints about Superman 1, but I thought it as a great book, intentionally showing us Superman through the eyes of others, a great way to introduce the cast, not the least of which is Clark Kent, and the attitude toward Superman. All good stuff. And I really liked how the story reveals only at the end, that Clark and Supes are one and the same.

Flash. The most visually compelling depiction of the Flash since Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier, matched with good story telling and characterization to match. I am so proud and happy for Francis Manapul! His Barry Allen is way more interesting than Johns's ever was. I know it's easy to be angry about the change in Barry's status. But honestly, I'm curious to see if there are other interesting things about Barry besides the Iris and Speed Force stuff. This book alone justifies the new 52.

Wonder Woman. A revelation. Azzarello is a contrary guy, and I think his "horror" description is good marketing, but I don't think it's any more gruesome Gail's run. What it does is make the Gods godly, scary because they are beyond human, and archetypes of emotion and ambition, much the way Gaiman's Endless were. That's all to the good. Diana herself is mostly a mystery still, but compelling enough to keep me reading. Artwork is stunning. It's like sacred woodcuts.

Batman and Detective. I'm definitely on board for Snyder's Batman, and Daniel's Detective was better than I expected. The crowded Bat family of Lost Boys is kinda excessive, but I look forward to the stories, which seem to be embracing all these characters.

Batgirl. I'm onboard for this. Gail is writing her heart out. But I imagine my preference is influenced by the fact that I wasn't fond of the Oracle character.

Hawkman. I really liked the way this story is starting, with Carter trying to leave Hawkman behind. It's a delightfully meta approach to the ridiculous history of the character. The good thing about that history was that it gave Carter Hall a tragic dimension that fits the Hawkman somehow. The downside was that the history/curse/convolutions were stifling. Here, we have a Carter who is enriched by a difficult past, but not overwhelmed. Beautiful art, too.

Frankenstein, Stormwatch, Demon Knights, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, DC Presents Deadman, JL Dark. Boy, I am LOVING all of these! I really wanted to not like them, because it's a lot of books and money, but I don't think I can resist the collective assault of twisted, quirky fun. I think all of these books capture the spirit of the Moore, Morrison and Gaiman era, pre Vertigo, where we had a new perspective on the heroic, iconic DCU.

Aquaman. I so want to write off Johns as a hack sell out, and then he goes and does this. He deftly, perfectly distills a complementary set of Aquaman's overwrought backstory to deliver an Aquaman with just the right amount of pathos to make Arthur compelling, but not so much that he is a whiny, pathetic sad sack. The scene in the Boston clam shack was sheer brilliance. I thought Green Lantern was pretty good, too, and I had sworn off after Sinestro Wars because the book seemed bloated and event driven and had abandoned the characters.

Firestorm. OK. I'm on the fence. The character NEVER thrilled me, and the torture and racially charged melodrama came close to being too much, but I thought the emotions were honest, and the portrayal of racial tension realistic, and the Firestorms themselves were pretty awesome, and Fury even moreso. Haven't read Teen Titans, but I thought Firestorm felt more like real teens than some of the other teen books.

Speaking of which...Blue Beetle. This was hard. I have every issue of the previous book, and I loved Jaime, Paco, Brenda, the scarab, and the Reach, and now, they are all different. And I'm not sure they are better. But the Hispanic voice and culture are authentic. I'll stick with for a bit.

Birds of Prey. Unlike Blue Beetle, I wasnt a frequent Birds reader, probably because I didn't like Babs as Oracle. It doesn't really make sense, though, because I have loved Dinah Lance since I was a wee lad, and have loved her in JSA and JLA. This Birds seems promising. I liked the mystery, sass and tone of Swierczynski's script, and I liked Starling a lot.

Mister Terrific. Huge fan of him in JSA, and his backstory and abilities should be distinctive enough to carry a solo book. I quite enjoyed the first issue, with the mix of super science, politics and a villain whose power seems to be to make people feel bad about themselves.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
I, VAMPIRE #1

I think this may be my favorite of the new DCU. The art is spectacular and moody, and I find it hard to believe it's not Jae Lee. The story does a great job of building suspense by flashing between a conversation and some more action/impending doom events. I may wait for this to be collected in trade, not because the story is light but, because it's so good I want to immerse myself in it all at once. The issue ends with lots of cliff hangers.

Two big thumbs up, can't wait to read the rest.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1

I have to say i'm disappointed, I was expecting THIS to be my favorite of the new DCU. Everything was pretty good, but just pretty good to me. Sassy Zatanna is cool, Shade and Madame Xanadu seem the same, Enchantress is a threat. I'd rather the threat be a new story line. And I'd really rather this not be titled anything Justice League and that the Justice League was out of this book. I don't think the concept fits and my favorites in Justice League Dark like Madame Xanadu may be playing second fiddle to Justice League members when they should be manipulating from the sidelines. I'm also curious about where/how John Constantine fits in this book. The other characters seem more powerful.

VOODOO #1

I think my feelings about this book may be the opposite of Justice League Dark, everything was pretty nonexistent story wise (art was pretty good actually) BUT I really liked it and am intrigued for #2. Not much happens, Not much is revealed, it's a really simple story ... and we don't even know if Voodoo is good or bad or intelligent. hmm ? I will get number 2 but, I'm not sure how many times this type of story trick is going to keep me engaged.

STORMWATCH 1

A bit better than pretty good all around. I especially like the intro of Midnighter and Apollo, there's some good story bones there I think. We'll see how it plays out. I usually like Miguel Sepulveda's art better than this, the breakdowns and story telling is good but the polished final images are a bit wonky, like faces are a bit ... unattractive. I like the big villain set ups, but at this point these mega villain 'wide screen' storylines aren't anything new. I picked up Ultimates#1 recently because I thought it would be a pale imitation of Stormwatch and the Authority (an imitation is still fun) but Ultimates #1 and Stormwatch #1 aren't so far apart in quality after all. I hope Storwatch gets a bit fresher in ideas, maybe it will become more interesting as they interact/conflict with the super hero world. (Which I think would be a big point of interest for me with Justice League Dark but they seem to be in the employ of the Justice League.)

Ultimates eeks ahead in action and suspense and Stormwatch eeks ahead in character and art. But just barely.


I wanted Stormwatch to be knock your socks off good! It turned out to be good but uninspired.

BATGIRL #1

Oh man, So many of these I thought would be awesome ... just turned out to be 'pretty good'. Interior art does not compare to the cover. In fact the interior art on a lot of these DC titles have a similar 'style'. And I think it's not ground breaking. I think Bab's former life as Oracle was totally glossed over, 'I've got upper arm strength like a mother at this point'. And she's got a roommate? She didn't make tons of money on the side with her Oracle intellect yet ? With her red hair and costume, Batgirl looks a lot like Batwoman. and I'm surprisingly trending toward Batwoman! Overall, another 'pretty good'. This might get number 2 outta me but at this point number 3 would be a shock because there's so much other great Vertigo stuff to spend my money on.
 

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Posted by Portfolio Boy on :
 
Inspired by Doctor One, here's what I'm thinking going into DCnU, Month Two, also from worst to first.

DEAD ON ARRIVAL (DID NOT BUY #1)(With why I skipped it)
ANIMAL MAN - Never clicked with Vertigo version.
BATMAN AND ROBIN - I HATE Damian. And how does he even fit into the new Bats timeline, anyway? Had to have been conceived before Bruce donned the cowl, non?
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT - Too many Bat-books.
BATWING - Not a fan of The Judd.
BIRDS OF PREY - Can't afford everything.
CAPTAIN ATOM - If I wanted Dr. Manhattan, I'd buy Dr. Manhattan.
CATWOMAN - Not a fan of The Judd.
DEATHSTROKE - Not a fan of the character as a lead.
DEMON KNIGHTS - Just assumed the worst.
FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN - Character has never worked for me outside the original five-issue series, I'm afraid.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS - Too many Lanterns.
GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS - Too many Lanterns. Also, the last book with "New Guardians" in the title sucked ass!
GRIFTER - Not a fan of grim 'n' gritty.
HAWK AND DOVE - Not a fan of Liefeld.
I, VAMPIRE - Can't afford everything.
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK - Can't afford everything.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL - Can't afford everything, and assume the worst of any JLI title not created by Mssrs. Giffin & Maguire.
NIGHTWING - I've never loved Dick out of shortpants (wish I had a nickel for every time I've said that BWA-HA-HA!)
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS - The premise just sounded awful. Also, I've hated Jason Todd since the Crisis reboot.
RED LANTERNS - Too many good Lanterns, I've no use at all for the bad ones.
RESURRECTION MAN - Total meh.
STATIC SHOCK - I can't get past the feeling that the whole purpose of this character is to be black. You ain't gotta prove anything to me pal.
STORMWATCH - I never grooved on the Authority, outside of the first few issues.
SUICIDE SQUAD - Hated the Harley overhaul.
SWAMP THING - Can't afford everything.
TEEN TITANS - Hated the concept. We're rebooting the first S.A. generation of heroes to younger selves, largely losing the second, but keeping the third. Apart from trademark protection, that works how?
VOODOO - Can't afford everything.


STAY OF EXECUTION (MAY BUY #1, IN PLACE OF ANY #2s I SKIP)(In order they'll be added to the buy list)
VOODOO - Best reviewed of the books I skipped.
CATWOMAN - Just to see what all the hubbub was about.
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS - Just to see what all the hubbub was about, plus some people seem to have liked it.
DEMON KNIGHTS - Seemed to get some decent reviews.
I, VAMPIRE - Just to try something different.
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK - Seemed to get decent reviews, and I like Zatanna.
STORMWATCH - Seems to connect to larger underpinnings of the DCnU, I'm told.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL - Seems a place to catch current status quo of many characters.
SWAMP THING - Seemed to get good reviews, tho I've never loved this book in previous incarnations.
TEEN TITANS - Just because I need something over which I know I can write a snarky review.


THROWING THE SWITCH (WILL NOT BUY #2)
BATGIRL - Sorry, Babs' time has passed. I'm all about Batwoman now.
BLACKHAWKS - Bad concept for reboot, badly executed.
SUPERGIRL - Waste of money. NOTHING happened.


DEAD BOOK WALKING (BUYING #2, BUT THAT'S PROBABLY IT)
GREEN ARROW - Was kinda meh, reminded me of a lot of the mid-'80s/early '90s books. No voice, no style, not worth my while.
GREEN LANTERN - Didn't love the art, or John's glacial plot.
MEN OF WAR - Too much money for too little plot.
MISTER TERRIFIC - I want to like the character, so much potential there. But it'll take someone at least two standard deviations out on the I.Q. scale to successfully write the third-smartest man on the planet.
O.M.A.C. - I actually liked this book, just need the pace to pick up a bit.
SAVAGE HAWKMAN - Was really underwhelmed. Hawkman needed a complete rethink and a version completely unlike any previous iteration. Also, anyone notice both GL & Hawkman were facing eviction this month?
SUPERBOY - I've seen The Truman Show.
WONDER WOMAN - I actually like the "horror" concept. It works for these mythological characters. It just wasn't executed terribly well is all.


ON PAROLE (BUYING #2, WE'LL SEE HOW IT GOES FROM THERE)
ALL-STAR WESTERN - Decent book, just not decent enough for $4 a pop. May drop after first arc.
AQUAMAN - I liked #1 quite a bit. I just fear I'll soon get frustrated if Johns can't get his plots out of 2nd gear.
BLUE BEETLE - Another one I liked quite a bit. I can see how this could go south in a hurry though, so I'm not quite ready to commit.
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS - I'm in for the complete Deadman arc. We'll see what happens after that.
JLA - I'm on for the first arc. Depending on how Johns drags it out will dictate what happens after that. I do like Lee's art, but he'd not known for long tenures on titles, so he may bail after that as well.
SUPERMAN - If you'd asked me two hours ago, I'd have proclaimed everlasting love for this book. But word that Perez is off with issue #7 means I might be as well.


FREE AT LAST!! (ON BOARD ALL THE WAY)
ACTION COMICS - Great book. More please.
BATMAN - Was only expecting to sample #1. Pleasantly surprised.
BATWOMAN - So faboo.
DETECTIVE COMICS - See: Batman.
THE FLASH - Utterly charming.
FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. - Reminds me of books from my '70s heyday. Hooray!
LEGION LOST - This'd be in the dropping after #2 of it wasn't Legion.
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES - I still think Levitz should have rebooted, but it is what it is and what it is, is Legion.


That's my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

[ September 30, 2011, 06:24 PM: Message edited by: Portfolio Boy ]
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
I've bought and read 28 of the New Number Ones. My grades, from worst to best:

C-
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
It just seemed so very ordinary and lackluster, and as a Number One it should have been at least above average. For that, I added the minus.

C
CAPTAIN ATOM
DEMON KNIGHTS
MISTER TERRIFIC
STORMWATCH
I had pre-ordered three of these, and was disappointed they weren't better. DEMON KNIGHTS and STORMWATCH are interesting as concepts, but for a reader who doesn't know many of these characters, neither their introduction nor the stories themselves were interesting enough to draw me back. CAPTAIN ATOM and MISTER TERRIFIC don't seem to be going anywhere I care to know about.

B-
STATIC SHOCK
TEEN TITANS
The Static character is new to me. I enjoyed the story, but I think this book is one I can live without. As a long-time TEEN TITANS fan I was hoping for much better than we got here. I liked the intro of Red Robin, but didn't care for Kid Flash or Cassie "Don't-call-me-Wonder-Girl." The art is not my favorite style.

B
AQUAMAN
FLASH
FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS
GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS
JUSTICE LEAGUE
LEGION LOST
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
SUPERBOY
SWAMP THING
WONDER WOMAN
I liked all of these well enough. I can't see the LEGION as a new reader would, of course, but I liked these stories better than what we've had for the past several years. The GREEN LANTERN books were fun and pretty, and while I've never been a GL reader, I'll probably give these a try for a while. Same for AQUAMAN and FLASH. JUSTICE LEAGUE was good enough to follow for a while out of curiosity. WONDER WOMAN was an enigma; I don't know what the heck was going on, but I'll buy #2 to find out. I'm more likely to keep checking on SWAMP THING than on FRANKENSTEIN.

B+
ANIMAL MAN
BATWOMAN
NIGHTWING
RESURRECTION MAN
SUPERBOY
For all my years reading comics, I've only cared to know Nightwing and Superboy through their stories in Legion or Teen Titans. These new books have my attention, though. I'm not very familiar with the other three books' main characters, although the concept/art/characters/stories are very good. BATWOMAN especially was beautifully rendered and well-told. I'll have to see if a second issue of these three still holds my interest.

A-
BATMAN
BATWING
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
BATMAN did well in showing both the depravity and the glory of Batman/Bruce Wayne's world. I think BATWING has the perfect pairing of writer and artist. I really want to see where this story goes. My enjoyment of RED HOOD was a great surprise. I'll have to do some more thinking about what makes me like this book (so far) so much.

A
ACTION
SUPERMAN
In 40+ years of reading comics I can't remember any Superman story I'd rate this high (partly because I never cared to read many of them). I don't know if forthcoming issues will maintain the depth and quality of these two, but they're off to a superb start.


Some books get off to a slower start than others, and I'm hoping my B and B+ books will develop into stronger works in the next few months.

[ October 31, 2011, 06:12 PM: Message edited by: Legion Tracker ]
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Love the mass of reviews everyone and lists of what you'll continue!


My last straggler from week 2 is now read as I checked out Mr. Terrific. I've always loved the character since Ostrander created him in the Spectre years back; he definitely has everything needed to be the lead in a solo series.

I thought the introductory issue was pretty good but not without some bumps in the road. Eric Wallace provides a solid set-up plot-wise and pacing wise. However, his dialogue feels very bumpy and cliche at times. Meanwhile, the art was a little scratchy for me in places, and made me wish it had cleaner lines.

Mr. Terrific himself is a fantastic character and that still comes across here. There does feel like some danger of him crossing into arrogant though. What I really like is the tech-savy businessman / philanthropist aspect--almost like they're making him like DC's Tony Stark.

I didn't like Power Girl here at all though. And the 'white girl / black woman' comments felt forced and very 1990's.

So a mixed bag. Did I like as much as JL #1? no.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Since I absolutely hate the idea of Jason Todd still alive in the DCU, I had planned to skip Red Hood & the Outlaws. But all that juicy controversy had me just too curious to pass it up. Imagine my surprise when Jason Todd was the least annoying thing in this comic. And btw, he still sucks.

Getting right to it: yes, the depiction of Starfire is pretty damn offensive and gratuitous! Sure, they can say she's an alien and this underscores that all they want but let's get real. She's a glorified sex doll in this thing. And with added bonus: no memory of who she has sex with, so dude, you'd totally be in the clear. Honestly it was pretty over the top! Well beyond farce. And the art only enhanced the whole thing with shot after shot of breast or ass.

That pretty much killed it for me since I'm a fan of Kori and feel this is a major disservice. Some reviewers spoke about enjoying the camaraderie of Roy and Jason but in light of Kori's depiction, it felt like two frat boys looking forward to their next date rape. I just couldn't get past it.

Catwoman still managed to seem fun and with attitude; Voodoo was moody and suspenseful. This felt juvenile and cruel. And it sold out like crazy in my area.

Of all the 52 I've bought and read (which will soon be almost all) this was the worst of the worst.
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
The biggest disappointment of the relaunch, for me, is that Simon Dark wasn't included in Justice League Dark.
 

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Posted by Future on :
 
Tossing in my own State of the DCNu Titles, now that the month is over:

Keeping & Loving
- ACTION COMICS
- BATWING
- BATWOMAN
- SUPERMAN
- SWAMP THING
What I love about this collection of titles is that almost all of them are books I never would have read if not for this DCNu initiative. I consider it a success in that regard, even if my overall DC buying numbers will likely level to what they used to be in three months. Hopefully all of these titles will continue to impress.

Keeping
- ANIMAL MAN
- AQUAMAN
- BATMAN
- BATGIRL
- CATWOMAN
- GREEN LANTERN
- GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS
- GRIFTER
- JUSTICE LEAGUE
- JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
- LEGION LOST
- LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
- MISTER TERRIFIC
- RESURRECTION MAN
- SUPERMAN
- VOODOO
These are books I like and will stay with, though they may not be at the top of my read list at the moment. Some of these are pleasant surprises for me and I'm hopeful my interest will still be there once the novelty of the first issue wears off.

On the Line
- BLUE BEETLE
- DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS
- DEMON KNIGHTS
- DETECTIVE COMICS
- FURY OF FIRESTORM
- FLASH
- GREEN LANTERN CORPS
- HAWK AND DOVE
- JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
- NIGHTWING
- RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
- RED LANTERNS
- SAVAGE HAWKMAN
- STATIC SHOCK
- STORMWATCH
- SUICIDE SQUAD
- SUPERBOY
- SUPERGIRL
- TEEN TITANS
- WONDER WOMAN
A good portion of these are books that had concepts I loved, but was bummed with the end product. Others are titles that I liked or had good cliffhangers, but I have little history with them and they didn't stand out over a lot of others. If the books don't pick up, I can see myself dropping all of these in another two months.

Not Continuing With
- BATMAN AND ROBIN
- BIRDS OF PREY
- CAPTAIN ATOM
- DEATHSTROKE
- FRANKENSTEIN: AGENT OF SHADE
- GREEN ARROW
Gave these books a fair shot, but they didn't pull me in - let alone convert me as a fan. A lot of these titles feature characters or concepts I wasn't big on to begin with, so it's a lot easier to not return to them. The one exception is Birds of Prey, which was too much of a departure from the cast I loved while the new cast didn't keep my attention.

Skimmed or Never Finished
- ALL-STAR WESTERN
- BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT
- BLACKHAWKS
- I, VAMPIRE
- MEN OF WAR
- OMAC
Despite my promise to myself to give all the new titles a fair shot, there were some I just couldn't finish or read entirely. Most of these are simply due to a lack of interest in the character(s) or subject matter - a few probably would have gotten a better shot if I hadn't read them last of 10-some titles. I was most surprised OMAC lost me so quickly, what with reviews from people with similar tastes, but it did for whatever reason. DARK KNIGHT blended in with all the other Batman books I sampled this month and I was skimming by page two. MEN OF WAR looked great and I'm glad there's a title like that out there, but for me the subject matter made me uncomfortable. The others likewise represented specific genres I had no interest in.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Pofo--great insight in Perry White's visual resembling Jor-El. Morrison & co. must be trying to reestablish Perry as a father figure for Clark, which is the role he always played in the 50's. I like it!
 

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Posted by Doctor One on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
Since I absolutely hate the idea of Jason Todd still alive in the DCU, I had planned to skip Red Hood & the Outlaws. But all that juicy controversy had me just too curious to pass it up. Imagine my surprise when Jason Todd was the least annoying thing in this comic. And btw, he still sucks.

Getting right to it: yes, the depiction of Starfire is pretty damn offensive and gratuitous! Sure, they can say she's an alien and this underscores that all they want but let's get real. She's a glorified sex doll in this thing. And with added bonus: no memory of who she has sex with, so dude, you'd totally be in the clear. Honestly it was pretty over the top! Well beyond farce. And the art only enhanced the whole thing with shot after shot of breast or ass.

That pretty much killed it for me since I'm a fan of Kori and feel this is a major disservice. Some reviewers spoke about enjoying the camaraderie of Roy and Jason but in light of Kori's depiction, it felt like two frat boys looking forward to their next date rape. I just couldn't get past it.

Catwoman still managed to seem fun and with attitude; Voodoo was moody and suspenseful. This felt juvenile and cruel. And it sold out like crazy in my area.

Of all the 52 I've bought and read (which will soon be almost all) this was the worst of the worst.

---

Funny how tastes differ. I was one of the ones who commented on Starfire's alien nature, although I meant it more in regards to her inability to remember human faces than in regards to her promiscuity. To me it would be like trying to remember the face of a specific chimpanzee out of a herd. It's hard when you are not dealing with members of your own species!

Regarding her promiscuity, well, I was not bothered mostly because this is not a new development, Starfire has always been both beautiful and promiscuous. It's part of what makes her unique. This aspect of her personality puts us in a position of having to judge moral characters of alien beings using our own standards. Very uncomfortable, and for that reason very interesting....
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it Juan. It sold like crazy so I think my opinions are the one in the minority.

Part of the fun of LW is seeing how tastes differ. So far I dont think there's been a comic universally loved or hated here.

Definitely can see your viewpoint! While I won't be continuing, I'd be interested in seeing how you and others feel about the series as it progresses.
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
[QB]Getting right to it: yes, the depiction of Starfire is pretty damn offensive and gratuitous! Sure, they can say she's an alien and this underscores that all they want but let's get real. She's a glorified sex doll in this thing. And with added bonus: no memory of who she has sex with, so dude, you'd totally be in the clear. Honestly it was pretty over the top! Well beyond farce. And the art only enhanced the whole thing with shot after shot of breast or ass.

That pretty much killed it for me since I'm a fan of Kori and feel this is a major disservice. Some reviewers spoke about enjoying the camaraderie of Roy and Jason but in light of Kori's depiction, it felt like two frat boys looking forward to their next date rape. I just couldn't get past it.

---

I agree with Cobie on one level, and this is part of my confusion about why I liked this book so much. In the sense that this book plays to women-as-sex-objects fantasies of young men, I find it offensive.(I have a college-age friend I'm trying to introduce to comics, and I would not recommend this one to him for that reason.) But to me all the other parts of the story and art worked at a higher level.

I feel like I should be like Cobie and say that I can't get past Starfire's depiction, but somehow I do for this issue. But there better be more to Kori as well as the boys real quick, or it will become a problem for me.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Okay, hold the phone! I just read one that I think is a candidate for best of the best! Like Action Comics and a handful of others, DC Presents: Deadman absolutely blew me away! Just truly fantastic!

Paul Jenkins has impressed me before but that was always followed by a disappointment on his next project. Well, throw all that away--the writing here is absolutely top notch in every way possible. Plot, characterization, tone & atmosphere, pacing...it all just clicks perfectly from the first page to the last! Jenkins delivers a story packed with depth and even abstract questions yet keeps it totally grounded in the very human story of Boston Brand.

Meanwhile artist Bernard Chang is equally excellent! His pages are crisp and thought-provoking and he's able to play with the composition and layouts every so subtly to enhance the story and add another layer of 'interesting' to it.

I have always liked Deadman and the premise of the character, and have read most of his appearances. This is probably the best issue of a Deadman series since Strange Adventures in 1968-70!

Really great stuff and the best part is the series is so rife with possibilities. I put it down hoping that every month hereafter I read another Deadman story.

I rank this among the best of the DCnU!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Captain Atom is a series getting mixed reviews and I can see why. I thought it started very well with a lot of potential and good elements, but then fizzled at issue's end. In that respect, it was definitely a mixed bag.

I'll back up: Captain Atom is a series I'll be collecting regardless. The character is among my father's favorites, on par with Iron Man and Giant Man and he began buying Captain Atom comics when Steve Ditko relaunched the character in the mid-60's at Charlton following his departure of Spider-Man. My Dad was really disappointed with the Cary Bates series of the 80's (and the 'new' costume, which is the one most know him to have nowadays) but maintains that same love of the character. Long story short: my Dad and I will review this series very carefully.

The relaunch here started off good and I was surprised at how much I was digging J.T. Krul's dialogue and science-focus, since I've been very cautious with him as a writer. I liked Captain Atom having that very epic / grandiose power and presence, and therefore an equally abstract and complex outlook. Sure, it's obviously a nod to making Cap more like Dr. Manhattan but I've been waiting for that to happen for years. Thats a better option than Dr. Manhattan ever being in print again, and it helps differentiate Cap from 'Superman with other powers' that some writers see him as.

I also liked some subtle things: the look and costume are changed and it makes for a smoother, more energetic feel, crackling with power. Freddie Williams III does a great job there and is really aided greatly by the very detailed coloring of Jose Villarrubia. Plus, it's a bit of a combo of the silvery Cap costume and the late Silver Age Ditko costume I've always liked.

Sidenote: Captain Atom could always do the things Firestorm could in the Silver Age. So again not really a change.

The Stephen Hawking analogue is a bit on the nose but I could overlook that--as long as he doesn't become a major villain. Then it's just too cliche.

Where the issue goes wrong is the second half. A crazy wide-screen disturbance erupts - literally - as a volcano emerges in the middle of Manhattan. Here, Krul could have used this to his advantage but instead spends too many pages having Cap just really flying around talking about how hard and scary it is to use his powers. Uh...yeah, that's kind of boring to read. From there, the issue just kind of fizzles out with a cliffhanger that has me nowhere near the edge of my seat. The pacing and plotting got very weak and sloppy there and for a series likely looking for an audience, this might have just been a death sentence.

So, a mixed bag. Great set-up with very weak follow through. It was enough to get us curious about the lead but ultimately not really care about him. 

It did look very good though artwise.

Cobie Comparion: did I like it as much as JL #1? No.
 

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Posted by lil'rhino on :
 
BLACKHAWKS #1 was painful to get thru! I don't blame Lashie for stopping after 3 pages. Every cliche from every brainless Hollywood action flick was just flung in there. FEH!!

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 was right up my alley. Dark, clever, offbeat with a dollop of the absurd. It helped that Rac, Zatanna & Nimue are faves of mine. Loved the art too.

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1 was a complete waste of ink & paper. A run of the mill, by-the-numbers story that's been done a million times. I knew what was gonna happen next before turning to the next page. BAH!

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1 was a bit of a letdown. While I loved Yildiray inking his pencils & employing his markers & washes, I'm not vested in the characters enough to care what was happening to them. I'll give #2 a shot before dropping or not.
 

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Posted by old-sk00l MLLASH on :
 
Doctor One:

"Regarding her promiscuity, well, I was not bothered mostly because this is not a new development, Starfire has always been both beautiful and promiscuous."

Strongly disagree with this statement.

While always beautiful and always without body-issue hangups, Kori has NEVER been portrayed as bed-hopping.

She had that one boyfriend early in Titans and then she was with Robin for years (with a forced marriage-thing speed bump along the way).

Her current portrayal in RED HOOD is wretched and Lobdell should issue an apology to Starfire fans.
 

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Posted by old-sk00l MLLASH on :
 
That said, I am going to return for issue # 2 like Legion Tracker.

Roy is a favorite of mine I like to keep an eye on, but if they continue making Starfire the Sasha Grey gangbang girl of space (and believe me, once DC catches wind of the reviews, they will NOT)... then I will drop this at issue 6, Roy or no Roy.
 

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Posted by Ultra Jorge on :
 
I liked Blackhawks for some reason. Can't figure out why. Had an GI Joe feel maybe?

Superman #1. Horrible. Hey I hate reading a comic in 3 minutes..but I hate reading one in 35 minutes more. First issue...jumping on point? Seriously. You know who hates reading comics for 35 mins more than I do? Anyone under 30.

Another "what were they thinking" of the DC reboot. I didn't like Action Comics either but I didn't hate it. And I could understand other people liking it.

Superman finally has a cool costume...and attitude. Perez just gave us too much. Unfortunately this is a Bendis type world now and less is more.
 

---

Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
My Dad was really disappointed with the Cary Bates [Captain Atom] series of the 80's (and the 'new' costume, which is the one most know him to have nowadays) but maintains that same love of the character. Long story short: my Dad and I will review this series very carefully.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:
You said "arc", I see. GrayPal did almost nothing but one-offs on Hex, so they're changing that up, now? How do you feel about that, Cobie?

---

Well, I wish they were doing one-off stories as with Hex personallly. But I don't mind too much if they are doing continuing 'arcs', (though perhaps only for the first 6?). They did a two-parter and a 6-parter in Hex and it was great; this one already looks like it'll be better.

At the end of the day I wish Hex had continued unimpeded by this relaunch, but I'm really just glad the character & creative team could continue with very limited change.
 

---

Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Following up with what some others did, here is where I currently stand with the DCnU 52 at the close of the first month #1's and whether I will continue or not:

A+, Best of the Best
Action Comics
Batman
Batwoman
Flash

A, Absolutely Fantastic no brainers
Men of War
Animal Man
Wonder Woman
All-Star Western
Superman
DC Comics Presents: Deadman

A-, Still Incredible, really enjoyed
Justice League Dark
Swamp Thing
Grifter
Detective Comics
Batwing
Birds of Prey
Superboy
Green Lantern
Nightwing
Legion of Superheroes
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE
Aquaman

B, Certainly good enough to keep buying
Justice League
Legion Lost
Fury of Firestorm
Voodoo
Justice League International
Hawk & Dove
Stormwatch
Demon Knights
Batman & Robin
Green Lantern Corps
OMAC
Static Shock

B- to C, On the Bubble
Teen Titans
Captain Atom
Blue Beetle
Savage Hawkman
New Guardians
The Dark Knight
Batgirl
Catwoman
Supergirl
Green Arrow
Mr. Terrific

C to F, Will not continue
Red Lanterns
Suicide Squad
I, Vampire
Blackhawks
Red Hood & the Outlaws

Never Tried
Resurrection Man - I may sample since I basically tried all the others.
Deathstroke
 

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Posted by Mystery Lad on :
 
In it for the long haul: Love the characters and the execution.

AQUAMAN
LEGION LOST
LEGION OF SUPER HEROES
NIGHTWING

Pretty Definite buys: Enough to like to keep me coming back- pending Starfire-sized screw-ups.

ACTION COMICS
BATWOMAN
FLASH
JUSTICE LEAGUE
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
SUPERBOY
SUPERMAN
WONDER WOMAN

At least through conclusion of first storyline: on the bubble, but the bubble's pretty strong.

ANIMAL MAN
BATGIRL
BIRDS OF PREY
GREEN LANTERN
GREEN LANTERN CORPS
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS
SAVAGE HAWKMAN
STORMWATCH
SWAMP THING

I want to see more, but wasn't really thrilled with the first issue: this bubble's much weaker.

MISTER TERRIFIC
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
RESURRECTION MAN
SUPERGIRL
TEEN TITANS

Missed the first issue, but will try:

DEMON KNIGHTS
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE
 

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Posted by Set on :
 
So far, I've only picked up Legion of Super-Heroes, Legion Lost, Teen Titans and Justice League International.

I've looked at others in the store, but I'm between seasonal jobs, so my comic-book spending money is pretty thin.

The tiny dregs of story in Teen Titans turned me off, although Booth's art is as pretty as I remember from the Kindred/Wildcore days.

I may quibble about the direction Paul has taken the Legion, and the many mistakes over the last year or so, but holy crap, can that man write a hell of a lot more story in a single issue than most of his peers...

If I continue to get Teen Titans, it will be for the art, since it's slogging along super-slow out of the gate. I was really hoping for a new Wolfman / Perez sort of deal, with four established characters and three newbies, all introduced and used in the first issue. Instead, we saw, like, a tiny glimpse of the newbies on a monitor screen, and a single picture of Superboy. Seriously, is *issue 1* the time to be padding things out like this?

Justice League International is moving faster, but focusing more on characters I care nothing for (too much Batman and Guy Gardner, not enough Vixen and Ice), and the art isn't my cup of tea. (Too much of Godiva *talking* about people looking good, or robots looking scary-impressively, that, artistically, don't.) I get that not everyone likes Ed Benes and his exploitive anatomically improbable poses, but, gosh, at least his pictures of Ice, Vixen and Fire look beautiful! Fire, in particular, looks like a green blobby thing, and not a hot Brazilian super-model.

The two Legion titles will remain on my pull-list, out of sheer cussedness.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
There week 1-3 books have made the cut for # 2s for me (I still have only read BLACKHAWKS and VOODOO from week 4!!)


JUTICE LEAGUE
ACTION COMICS
ANIMAL MAN
BATGIRL
DETECTIVE COMICS
GREEN ARROW
HAWK AND DOVE*
JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL
OMAC
STORMWATCH
SWAMP THING

BATWOMAN
DEMON KNIGHTS*
FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE
GREEN LANTERN*
LEGION LOST
RESURRECTION MAN
SUICIDE SQUAD*
SUPERBOY*

BIRDS OF PREY
CATWOMAN*
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
RED HOOD & THE OUTLAWS
SUPERGIRL*
WONDER WOMAN*

VOODOO

Titles with asteriks mean # 2 will be my last issue if interest doesn't pick up for me.

Note: The announcement that Giffen is taking over GREEN ARROW was the factor that decided I was keeping it, just as the same news means I am very likely to continue with SUPERMAN wether or not I like it. The writer exiting STATIC SHOCK made me decide to drop it, issue 2 sight unseen.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
I'm slightly pissed at my CBS. I sent them the above list last week, and considering myself covered, I did not venture forth until today to get the first week of # 2s. I had to pull SWAMP THING, GREEN ARROW and ACTON COMICS off the shelf for myself.

And looking over the list, I forgot BATGIRL and DETECTIVE. Those 2 may have been sold out.

Therefore I shall not continue with BATGIRL and DETECTIVE.

I will voice my displeasure silently with lost sales, but if this happens next week, I will need to get vocal.

I understand things are probably crazy there these days, but now's NOT the time to be effing up your customers' pull lists.
 

---

Posted by Power Boy on :
 
ooooooooooo ... don't mess with Lash's comic books (or Peebz' either for that matter)


 

---

Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
Now I feel a little guilty, this has rarely happened to me before. These guys are usually MONEY on the ball.

Still, I am taking the excuse to drop the 2 books. I'm getting too many anyway.
 

---

Posted by Power Boy on :
 
my CBS pulled books from the shelves over the course of the month so they could have a wrap party at the end of the month and sell the books there.

I overheard the owner saying something akin to this in August ... and I then I was doubly annoyed when they had so few copies on the shelves during the release week.

my CBS is usually on the ball too .. but not having enough books for the loyal Wednesday shopper really burned my butt.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
The new 52 causes CHAOS!!!
 

---

Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by LASHbrain:

And looking over the list, I forgot BATGIRL and DETECTIVE. Those 2 may have been sold out.

Therefore I shall not continue with BATGIRL and DETECTIVE.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:

quote:

---

Originally posted by LASHbrain:

And looking over the list, I forgot BATGIRL and DETECTIVE. Those 2 may have been sold out.

Therefore I shall not continue with BATGIRL and DETECTIVE.

---

Batgirl didn't ship last week, Lash.

---

Really? Do we know why?

Sneaky Jim Lee gave himself 7 entire weeks before JL #2. Did they do the same on this?

Is it wrong I take these tricky tactics as a personal affront done with the purpose of offending me?
 

---

Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
My CBS guy says he was told that the third week is JL's "regular" week post-launch and that they were told this upfront. I assume Batgirl was similarly planned as a second week book?

On the other hand, Red Lanterns shipped last week, which was a week earlier than last month, so it and Batgirl apparently 'swapped'.
 

---

Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Speaking of Batgirl, Cobie, what did you think of my review? I know it wouldn't change your opinion, but I half-expected you to chime in with a counterpoint or something. (You've been fairly quiet over the last week, so maybe SD's kept ya occupied!)
 

---

Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Justice League International #1 was kind of a by-the-numbers affair. It didn't suck but also didn't really thrill a whole lot.

I think the strength of the issue resided in the concept if it's executed well. For example, I found myself interested in the new (?) character of Andre Briggs. He's kind of the replacement for Maxwell Lord as the founder and facilitator of this new version of the JLI. The really close tie to the U.N. makes this version feel somewhat different from the old one. Hopefully, the tension introduced in this isse will continue to play out in an interesting manner.

The other conflicts of the issue were less interesting. The militant protesters could have been a lot more refreshing, but at the moment their motives are kind of "huh?" I think we were given insufficient background as to why they would be so opposed to the JLI and their use of the Hall of Justice, especially to justify the action they end up taking.

The mission in South America didn't exactly ring my bell, either. For a minute there I was expecting Marvel's Mole Man to pop up! Instead we have a last page of a giant robot thingy reminiscent of a Sentinel or a Celestial from Marvel. Kind of underwhelming.

Oddly, enough, I kind of missed Judd Winick here. He did a good job on the Generation Lost series that featured many of these characters. I couldn't help but think that the character interaction would have been a little more entertaining. There was some potential here but nothing really "wowed" me that Jurgens wrote. I know it's been a while since Jurgens wrote a team book, however, so maybe he'll hit his stride soon. Can't help but think this would be an ideal book for another Giffen/Jurgens joint.

Aaron Lopresti was my favorite of the artists on Gen Lost, so I was pleased to see him on this book. I was a little underwhelmed by the interiors, though. I don't know if Matt Ryan was his inker on Gen Lost, but I would suspect not. The lines just didn't seem as crisp and memorable as they were before. There was nothing bad here, but I feel Lopresti's work has looked much better.

Anyhow, JLI was a lot more lukewarm a book for me than I suspected it would be. But I'm certainly willing to stick with it for a while to turn things upward. There's too much talent on this book for it not to!
 

---

Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:
Speaking of Batgirl, Cobie, what did you think of my review? I know it wouldn't change your opinion, but I half-expected you to chime in with a counterpoint or something. (You've been fairly quiet over the last week, so maybe SD's kept ya occupied!)

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by doublechinner:
A thought on JLI -- I'm treating this as an "all ages" book. I gave it to my 9-year old and suggested he read it. It has characters he knows AND likes from JLU and B:BATB -- Batman, Booster Gold, Guy Gardner. The female characters are cool, too (although vastly underused so far). The geopolitics is a little confusing for the 9-year old, but I think he gets that the UN (whatever that is) wants a Justice League it can control. Best of all, there is no decapitation, evisceration, BD/SM sex, or other naked murder victims in the book after 2 issues, and you figure, if you WERE gonna do that $h!#, you would do it right away. So, a good all ages book with humorous characters and decent super-hero action. What's not to like?

I would totally say the same thing about Supergirl, BTW. This is a GREAT jumping on book for a younger boy or girl, so far, with a likeable girl discovering she's on an alien world and has super powers. Maybe issue 3 will have rape and sodomy. Who knows?

<Disclaimer: I have absolutely NO objection to mainstream comics with any/all of the following: decapitation, evisceration, BD/SM sex, naked murder victims, rape or sodomy. I just question a business model that makes a big splash for new readers and then puts out a BUNCH of books that parents of kids younger than 17 would not want those kids to read.>

---

DC, you make a really excellent point about Justice League International. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Jurgens run on JLI the first time around, which was occurring just as I was getting into comics full time, around age 12 or so. It had the same sort of accessible for younger readers my age as did MOST comics of that era. I enjoyed #2 a good deal (more than #1) and I can see how any reader age 7 or up might enjoy it.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
So I didn't get this week's comics (Week 9, or the final week of Month 2 if you're keeping count), but I'm making my way through the others. What I'm finding so far is that all the comics I really enjoyed, which are the ones I read first, are maintaining that level of enjoyment in a big way for me in month #2. Some are even improving. I had hoped to eliminate a few stragglers this month but thus far haven't found one I'm willing to drop; Catwoman was a contender but #2 was actually strong enough to convince me to keep buying it. Look out Batgirl & Mr. Terrific, when I get to you.

Grifter was again a solid outing with #2 and I'm curious where this is going. I do hope we'll get *somewhere* by #3 though or I might start to lose my patience.

The Deadman story in DC Comics Presents continues to be excellent. It's less metaphysical and more 'versus magical bad guys' but it works as a nice change of pace from the opener. I'm really enjoying it still.

I finally picked up Ressurection Man #1 since I felt bad that it and Deathstroke were the only ones I didn't buy in month #1. Why in the world did I feel bad? Who knows, I'm weird like that. Anyway, it was really just "okay" and I'm collecting like 45 DCnU comics in month #2, so it wasn't enough to add it to my pull. Sorry DnA, just not my bag.

That also makes Deathstroke #1 the only series I did not sample.

I also grabbed the Shade #1 and totally loved it. Best James Robinson story since the last issue of Starman to be precise. I can easily forget about all the badly written comics in between and Robinson gives us the story he was meant to do when he came back to DC. Killer ending too.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
THE HUNTRESS # 1

A perfectly serviceable story full of action and nice artwork, but I am just not in a place where I enjoy reading about bad men shooting their failing henchmen in the head all willy-nilly and selling girls into prostitution by the boatfulls. I seriously doubt I've ever been in that place come to think of it. I will pass on the remainder of this miniseries.

ACTION # 2

**FINALLY** I have broken into the # 2s from the relaunch... gads, I'm behind.

I have a major crush on jeans and t-shirt "take no bullcrap" Superman... I wish I could watch him kick ass in this style for many many months to come.
 

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Posted by Doctor One on :
 
MONTH 2

Here is the status quo of where I stand regarding the DCnU after the second month. There have been some dramatic shifts...

1. Never tried and never will:
Batwing, Hawk and Dove, Men of War, Omac, Static Shock, Batman and Robin, Deathstroke, Grifter, Mister Terrific, Captain Atom, Dark Knight, Blackhawks

2. Dropped after one issue
-I Vampire: Did not understand it, and was not inclined to re-read it to find out what I missed.
-Resurrection Man: Nah. Just not interested.
-Suicide Squad: I just hated the whole thing.

3. Dropped after two issues
-Stormwatch: Only decided to try it out in the second month, thus the two issues. I wish I hadn't bothered.
-JLI: I bought a second issue, but never again. I hate this team.

4. Will buy the third issue, but I'm very likely to drop the title afterwards
-Supergirl: Two issues and hardly any story. If nothing happens in the next issue, again, the title is gone.
-Green Arrow: Not very impressed with the whole thing, will probably forget that the comic exists the minute I drop it, which will be soon. Mildly intrigued with Black Canary next issue, that is the reason I haven't dropped it yet.
-Red Lanterns: Boring. Will get #3 to check out Bleez's spotlight, but then I'm gone

5. Will probably finish the first storyline, but will drop afterwards
-Hawkman: I'm very disappointed with this title, this was one of the ones I thought I might end up buying regularly. The art is good, but I hate the whole concept of fighting the alien of the month. I also find Carter really boring as a character.
-Frankenstein: The first major shift in my new list. This comic was much further up in my first review, but I have decided that I don't like the art and don't care for the characters. I will finish this story, I guess, but then it's gone.
-Detective Comics: I am just not that much into Batman. I will probably finish this storyline, though.
-Swamp Thing: Not that it is a bad comic, but I am not into horror and this is definitely that. Will finish the first storyline, though.
-Animal Man: See above. Nevertheless the storyline here is very innovative, and I do want to see where all of this goes.
-Red Hood and the Outlaws: Major drop this month, not because of Starfire but because of where the storyline is going. I have decided that I hate Jason and don't care at all about Ducra or his life in the Tibetan monastery. Maybe the interactions between the three main characters will save this title for me, but at the moment it really doesn't look like that.
-Superboy: Another major drop this month. Superboy-agent-of-the government? Don't think so.
-Green Lantern Corps: I have collected this title for a while now and I guess I am just bored. I don't really care about any of the characters, and that makes the comic easy to drop. Good art, though
-Superman: Meh. I guess I am just not a fan. Superman stories bore me.
-Batwoman: I'm having conflicting feelings about this one. The art is exceptionally good, but unfortunately I don't seem to be able to connect with the main character. This one is teetering on the edge of a major drop...
-Batman: Not really a big Batman fan. But this one is the best of the Batman titles that I've sampled, and I'm willing to give it a little more time.

6. Intrigued. Let's see how things develop.
-Catwoman: Never been a fan, but I'm finding that I want to know where all this goes. Could easily fall into the first-arc-only category, though. We'll see.
-Huntress: Lovely art. Will probably get the whole miniseries.
-Blue Beetle: Got this one on a whim, and I think I quite like it. Detest the use of pseudoSpanglish in the comic, though. That isn't Spanglish, that is English sprinkled with Spanish words. If the comic was written in real Spanglish, English-speaking readers would have trouble understanding it.
-Teen Titans: Another big drop this month. They better make me care about all these new characters, and soon.
-Nightwing: Big surprise: I like this. The mystery of the circus has me hooked. Never been a fan of the character, though.
-Wonder Woman: Oh, so that's where we are going... I like the concept of having the gods involved in human affairs, and of Diana being Zeus' daughter. OK, I'll bite. But am not into the art, at all.
-New Guardians: Now, this is interesting. Much more interested in these characters than in the Green Lantern Corps.
-Flash: This may be the first time I buy a Flash comic, but I am intrigued enough to stay on board for the foreseeable future.
-Deadman: Less interested after the second month than I was after the first one. Still am willing to stick with it.
-Justice League Dark: Major jump up this month, probably because I am starting to find out more about the different characters. Not really a fan of magic comic books, but we'll see where this one goes.
-Firestorm: I'm quite intrigued by the two forms of Firestorm and by the mystery of Prof Stein. I'll keep at it for now.
-All Star Western: Like the main story a lot. Don't like the fact that we are apparently going to be getting short second stories a lot of the time. Still, this is much better placed than I would have predicted.

7. On board for the foreseeable future

-Voodoo: Oh, I'm liking this. Everything is so mysterious... And now we find out that Voodoo is firmly entrenched in the DCU...
-Demon Knights: Well, this was surprising. I'm liking this!
-Green Lantern: Very interested in where this business with Siniestro is going to lead.
-Birds of Prey: The largest jump up ever! Love BC and Katana, and am very intrigued with the possibility of having Poison Ivy in the team. If they want to be really groundbreaking, they should add one token male to the team :-)
-Batgirl: I've been a fan of Barbara since I was a child, and am finding that this story, for better or for worse, reminds me of that time. Mirror is an incredibly interesting villain, and the roommate is also intriguing.
-Aquaman: This is the Aquaman comic that I've always wanted to read. Loving Mera.
-Justice League: I am just loving this comic, especially the interactions between the characters. Looking forward to WW.
-Action: Number one spot this month. Love reading about Superman's early stories.

I'm not really going to include the Legion titles in this because, well, it would take a catastrophe of Legion on the Run proportions to make me stop buying the titles. I'll just say that I loved the Origins book, am still waiting for Paul to hit his stride in the main title but have hope (denser writing might help, I feel that the comic is a bit light), and am worried about Legion Lost. Are we getting a villain-of-the-month kind of comic? That wouldn't be good.

These are a lot more comics than I have bought for many years. At least with respect to me, their gamble worked big time.

[ October 30, 2011, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: Doctor One ]
 

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Posted by SharkLad on :
 
Justice League Dark #2 left me, well, kind of in the dark... I really wanted to like this book, if only because it's my only dose of Zatanna, but the interplay (and how long it went on) between Dove and Deadman was kinda bizarre (if not totally realistic from a guy's point of view) and I didn't really care about any one else... I'll give it one more issue than I'll probably jump ship...

1 1/2 fins up
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
So I picked up My Greatest Adventure, which is kind of a continuation of the last anthology series DC did but with a slight twist. I’ve always loved the old series titles DC used in the 1950’s, and so seeing “My Greatest Adventure” as a title is a nice little treat. I also really would love it for DC could have a successful anthology title with ongoing success for more than one year.

My initial impressions are that it’s a mixed bag, and that’s always the downfall of anthologies. But more than even that is that while none of the stories are that bad, none of them are “must read” / “edge of my seat” stories that have me demanding to see more. All in all, two of the three are slightly above average and the third is just mediocre.

Robotman, the character I have the most attachment to, had a good intro by Matt Kindt, who if you don’t know, is a true comic book genius. His Vertigo graphic novel Revolver is one of the best things I’ve ever read in any medium. He’s a fantastic story teller, both writer and artist, and I’m thrilled he’s taken the reigns of a fantastic character like Cliff. Plus, I love the idea of Robotman having his own ongoing feature again (as in the Golden Age and early 50’s) but even more, I love that its Cliff-Robotman having the lead feature, instead of the Golden Age Robotman. The setting outside Las Vegas is rife with plot potential and I’m surprised there aren’t more Vegas-centered comic book series. I’d love it if Super-Hip showed up as he did in Giff’s Doom Patrol series. This was my favorite of the three, as it was quirky and fun with a nice introduction that didn’t drag out at all.

Up next was Ariel Olivetti’s Garbageman, which started in Weird Worlds last year. Clearly, the best part of this feature is the incredible artwork by Olivetti—he’s putting everything he’s got into this story and it shows. The story is something that hasn’t quite interested me totally yet and if this were a solo series, I would not be returning. The Swamp Thing similarity is too noticeable not to mention and while you can kind of see Olivetti trying to clearly demonstrate this is something different, I’m just not believing it yet.

The last feature was Kevin McGuire’s Tanga, which was also begun last year in Weird Worlds. Of the three, this was the weakest of the features. While McGuire’s artwork is simply stunning—and I’ve been a huge fan throughout his career from his Justice League stuff to Captain America mini to other things—the basic storyline isn’t really grabbing me. There’s a lot of talking heads and while the dialogue is somewhat amusing its just not laugh-out-loud funny. I was losing interest midway through and its only an 8 page story.

The real issue here is this series is $3.99; American comic books seem unwilling to squeeze their margins in any shape or form and that’s a shame. If it was $2.99 I might give it more of a go, but at that price and the level of enjoyment I have, I probably won’t continue. Plus, I’m simply buying too many DC’s already with real trouble figuring out if any are going to be cut at all. This isn’t quite on the level of the massive list of DC comics that I’ve kept.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
As I've said a few times, month #2 had me trying to see which of the DCnU I could cut from a far too large pull list. Some, like Catwoman, secured a place on my while others, like Batgirl, are dropped. The other one I fully expected to drop was Mr. Terrific. And after #2, I'm pulling the trigger on the cut.

As I've said before, Mr. Terrific is a big favorite among the new JSA characters introduced in the last 15 years. So this was a tough call. It was made easier though by a slight change in how Michael is written: namely he's coming off way too arrogant and uber-cocksure. That's not the Michael I know from JSA and rather much more like Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark.

But honestly that's not too big a deal. Nor is the usage of Karen Starr which is more distracting and annoying than anything else. Simply put, there's simply too many better comic books out there by DC, Marvel and independents. This isn't a bad book by any means; it's actually not bad. But it isn't *great* and too many others are.
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
Cobie, like you I was hoping for better from MR. TERRIFIC. In addition to the things you mentioned, I also think the art was particularly weak in some places. That said, I liked #2 better than #1, but still not enough to keep buying the book.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
I put thoughts on Animal Man, Action, Swamp Thing and Red Lanterns in their respective threads. Overall still a strong week, though some titles are faltering a little.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
GREEN ARROW # 2

I kinda liked all the digital/internet stuff going on... made it more interesting to me. Art continues to be very good. With Giffen coming, I ain't leaving.

HAWK & DOVE # 2

Could not read completely... skimmed stuff in the middle... I have bought my final issue of this lukewarm mess.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
Totes plowing through some # 2s now! Some on the bubble titles have made the cut, some have not.

WONDER WOMAN... # 2 has made me a fan of this odd incarnation. I'm onboard.

CATWOMAN # 2 was really really good...

I'm still on the fence with BATGIRL. It has 1 more month to convince me I want to keep it, or it gets dropped. Not Gail's strongest work, for certain. In the boat with Babs is SUICIDE SQUAD... 1 more issue will tell the tale.

I'm pretty sure I'm onboard BIRDS OF PREY and RESURRECTION MAN after the # 2 issues.

However, joining HAWK & DOVE on the AXED list following the # 2 issue is DEMON KNIGHTS. It just isn't grabbing me, not even semi-grabbing like BATGIRL or SUICIDE SQUAD. It's gone.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
Another title joins the axe pile with its second issue: FIRESTORM. That was just NO fun at all.

meanwhile, JL DARK & JLI were great!
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Frankenstein #3 - I think this is a book where the concepts outpace the execution to a large degree. "Frankenstein and the Commandos take on an entire planet of monsters", sounds crazy cool and fun, but its so far been a little underwhelming. The art is still a bot of a turn-off for me as well. This is slowly drifting to the bottom of my reading list.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Demon Knights #3 This was the most I've enjoyed this book since it launched (and I enjoyed the first two issues). The "team" is stuck int eh village under siege by the Horde. Madame Xanadu sacrifices her youth to buy them some time and the various players use it to prepare for the bloody conflict to come.

We finally get some better character pieces, more Shinning Knight (hooray!), Etrigan proving he's no hero, and Vandal Savage shines again. This book is really hitting its stride and my nitpicks about pacing and voice in previous issues have melted away. Book of the week for me.
 

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Posted by Pov on :
 
Good to hear, Dave... this has been one of my favorite Nu52 books.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Really excited to hear Challengers of the Unknown is going to be the second story arc in DC Comics Presents (#6-10)! It's always been one of my favorite concepts!

And with Jerry Ordway as artist and co-writer, it actually should be quite good! Dan Didio is also co-writer but his teaming with an excellent creator is working on OMAC, so I'm okay with it. It really looks like they're going to make this work in the same spirit of Kirby's original with modern sensibilities.

I also expect Deadman will spin into his own ongoing, which I'll definitely get as it's well-deserved: it's been an utterly fantastic series so far!
 

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Posted by Future on :
 
Looking back on my 'State of the DCNu' list a few months back, I realized I had a lot of titles I was on the fence about. I can safely say now that the third issues are rolling out that I've finally made an opinion on almost all of them.

- WONDER WOMAN - I've fallen into like with this title as of the second issue. I knew it had the potential to, but seeing more of Diana, the Gods, and how the 'horror genre' element is used to compliment all these existing WW concepts is very intriguing. Keeping.

- FLASH - I've decided to keep it for a bit. It's still a pretty book and once I admit that Barry bores me a little, I realize the story and ensemble cast aren't bad and help carry things. Will definitely finish the first arc.

- FURY OF FIRESTORM - Interestingly, I felt the story progressed in this title yet every step killed my interest. I don't know if Jason vs Ronnie is unappealing or if it's too much drama too suddenly for characters I'm only familiar with via stereotypes. Dropped.

- TEEN TITANS - The title actually picked up for a me a lot in the second issue. It's nice to see everyone so far a bit more human or reflective of their old selves in little moments. Kind of excited to see Solstice instead of a brand new character and I have to admit to being intrigued about Bunker and Bugg (I forget her new name already - whoops) now; moreso than I am with Superboy or Kid Flash. Keeping.

- JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL, NIGHTWING, SUPERGIRL - These are the titles that vex me a little. I keep them but they don't always click for me. I like Supergirl a lot, but the pacing is slow. JLI is a great concept and I love a lot of the characters, but this isn't even doing the Generation Lost storyline/cast justice. Nightwing is a good enough book with nice art and story, yet, like always, Mr. Grayson's solo tales only hold my interest for so long. These titles will outlast the ones below for me, but I can see them being cut next.

- GREEN LANTERN CORPS, HAWK AND DOVE, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS, RED LANTERNS, SUICIDE SQUAD - These books weren't exceptional, but the subject matter or characters are intriguing enough for me to want to take a peek at least one more issue. These are the titles I still haven't made a final decision about.

- SUPERBOY - Despite the fact I really liked the story solely for Superboy in the first issue, my interest has waned on him, Ravager, and the lab setting. I actually was going to drop the book at #3, having only stayed on for Fairchild, until her cliffhanger revelation. Dang them. They'll get another two issues out of me now probably.

- BLUE BEETLE, DEMON KNIGHTS, STATIC SHOCK, STORMWATCH - Somewhere in reading the second (BB, DK, SS) or third (SW) issues of these titles I had the epiphany that they weren't doing it for me. Most of these I was expecting for that to be the case. A few were disappointing revelations as I liked the concepts, but the book had yet to connect with me.

- DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS, DETECTIVE COMICS, SAVAGE HAWKMAN - The scary thing about these books is that I told myself I'd give them all a fair shake or were surprised by the first issue. Yet when it came time to pick up the second issue, I just ... never did. Normally I'd find it weird and go back for them, but when I'm juggling so many titles sometimes you just have to take it as a sign and trust your impulses. Perhaps I'll re-visit these books in the future, but not right now.
 

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Posted by LASHbrain on :
 
I decided to pick up NEW GUARDIANS # 2 instead of GL CORPS.

I am surprised how much I'm enjoying Kyle! I guess I missed him more than I knew. I'll stay with this for a bit longer.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I made a big run to the CBS during lunch and got (4) weeks of comics in one sitting. Which, btw, is never a fun thing to do your checking account. But even though I haven’t read week #4 of the 2nd month I think I have a pretty firm idea of which comics I’ll be collecting going forward with only a handful up in the air for month 3 & beyond.

A+
Action Comics
Batman
Batwoman
Flash
Men of War
Animal Man
Wonder Woman
All-Star Western
Superman – haven’t read #2 yet
DC Comics Presents: Deadman

Very Good, no question will continue to buy
Justice League
Justice League Dark
Swamp Thing
Detective Comics
Batwing
Birds of Prey
Green Lantern
Nightwing
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE
Aquaman
Catwoman
The Shade
OMAC
Static Shock
Grifter
Stormwatch
Legion of Superheroes
*Legion: Origins – haven’t actually read it yet but I’m 99.9% sure I’ll buy it no matter what
Superboy

B- Range, Certainly good enough to keep buying
Legion Lost
Supergirl
Justice League International
Demon Knights
Batman & Robin
Green Lantern Corps
Green Arrow

On the Bubble
Voodoo – haven’t read #2 yet but hearing Ron Marz is off gives me cause to re-evaluate once new creative team is here.
Hawk & Dove – like it well enough to continue but I may grow tired of no-backgrounds on Liefield’s art.
Fury of Firestorm – in all likelihood I’ll continue buying but it’s got serious issues.
Teen Titans – need to read #2
Captain Atom – kind of “blah”, but one of my Dad’s favorite characters
Blue Beetle
Savage Hawkman – need to read #2
New Guardians – need to read #2
The Dark Knight – need to read #

Dropped
Red Lanterns
Suicide Squad
I, Vampire
Blackhawks
Red Hood & the Outlaws
Batgirl
Mr. Terrific
Resurrection Man
My Greatest Adventure

Never Tried
Deathstroke – the only series I did not sample from the original DCnU
Huntress miniseries
Penguin miniseries

Plan on sampling
THUNDER Agents – loved last series, plan on continuing
The Ray
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
^ FYI, I read Legion: Secret Origin and it's by far the best of the 3 Legion series. Maybe close to the best of the best range.

All-Star Western has a back up featuring El Diablo where he battles a town full of zombies. By Jordi Bernet! C'mon! How could you not pick this up and love it? Fantastic main story and fantastic back-up. Don't buy into the nonsense that a western title isn't for you. It *is* for you and you just don't know it yet!
 

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Posted by the Hermit on :
 
So far, only five of the new books have me eagerly awaiting the next issue:

Action Comics (This is what John Byrne was trying to do back in the 80s, but wasn't quite able to pull off. Superman actually seems fresh here.)

All-Star Western (I don't follow the Batman books and have never been particularly fond of Jonah Hex, yet somehow this Hex in 19th century Gotham City storyline works for me.)

DC Comics Presents (I was given a copy of Strange Adventures #209 while in the hospital for pneumonia during my freshman year of high school. Deadman, by Jack Miller and Neal Adams, made me realize that I hadn't outgrown comics after all. I've been waiting for a decent Deadman series ever since SA was cancelled. It looks like I may finally get my wish.)

Justice League Dark (the Shade intro in #1 was one of the creepiest things I've read in years. Ditto the things the Enchantress was tossing at people. I get the same vibe from this book as I got when I read my first Alan Moore Swamp Thing.)

Demon Knights (Possibly my favorite of the whole bunch. Paul Cornell has the potential to be one of the top writers in the business, as his Lex Luthor series last year demonstrates. He seems to have the same knack as Straczynsky for writing three-dimensional characters with believable motivations. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does with a "middle-aged" Vandal Savage.)

Other than those, I'm most looking forward to the return of Earth-2 in the new Justice Society book. Maybe I'll finally get my wish for a comics universe where characters are allowed to grow and change and, yes, even retire to make way for the next generation. The first dozen issues of Infinity Inc. are still among my all-time favorite super-hero books. But like the Legion, Infinity was dealt a fatal blow by Crisis On Infinite Earths and its aftermath.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:

On the Bubble
Savage Hawkman – need to read #2
The Dark Knight – need to read #2

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Wow, I under-estimated just how bad these two comics really were! Of all the DCnU that I was still collecting in month #2, I think these were by far the worst! Seriously--THE PITS.

As much as I love Hawkman and as much as I like Finch's artwork, I can't see myself reading either series going forward.
 

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Posted by lil'rhino on :
 
The final page of Red Hood & the Outlaws #3 brought a tear to my eye.
Great issue.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
D'oh! Forgot it was Wednesday and didn't stop in at the store on my way to work. Looks like a lunch hour trip in in order.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Update for November (Month #3) comics:

Yup, the Deadman story in DC Comics Presents is still kicking ass! Best Deadman story EVER since his run in Strange Adventures ended! One of you posters should start a Deadman thread!

Yup, Men of War is still pretty damn impressive! A true war comic in the *modern* era that is actually delivering great stories each month! And here, we get one of those promised genre-crossovers into into the super-powered realm; originally I was dreading this but so far it works. And the back-up actually ended on a real high note IMO, going somewhere completely different than I expected.
 

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Posted by Doctor One on :
 
MONTH 3

You know, writing these monthly posts helps me make up my mind about things. I´m going on a three month trip to Africa in December, and I need to tell my comic book shop which books they should keep for me. So, the time to make decisions is getting closer...

The status-quo at the moment:

NEVER BOUGHT:
Batwing, Hawk and Dove, Men of War, Omac, Static Shock, Batman and Robin, Deathstroke, Grifter, Mister Terrific, Captain Atom, Dark Knight, Blackhawks

DROPPED BEFORE NOW
I Vampire, Resurrection Man, Suicide Squad, Stormwatch, JLI

DROPPING NOW
-Red Lanterns: This book is really doing absolutely nothing for me.
-Frankenstein: No interest in any of these characters at all (except in Ray Palmer, and he is not featured enough to justify buying the comic. Gone.
-Animal Man: I have decided that I am just not into this kind of horror stuff
-Swamp Thing: Ditto.
-Catwoman: Not that this is a bad comic, I just dont want to read it :-)
-Superman: My goodness, did I ever get bored with this storyline. Lovely art, but I´m done with this.
-Hawkman: Also almost a chore to read. It´s a pity, because this is a comic that I really wanted to like.
-Flash: I have never been a fan, and after reading three issues I find that Barry Allen simply bores me. Gone.
-Firestorm: Major drop this week, I have decided that I hate this storyline. I doubt that I´ll even buy next issue.

WILL BUY FOURTH ISSUE, BUT I GREATLY DOUBT THAT I WILL CONTINUE
-Green Arrow: Mildly intrigued by the upcoming Japan storyline, so I´ll keep it for now.
-All Star Western: Hm. Not a bad comic at all, just not my cup of tea. I´ll give it one or two more issues.
-Teen Titans: I´m getting less and less interested in this. Want to see the Superboy issue, but as of now I am not impressed at all.
-Supergirl: They are actually starting to pique my curiosity with this one. What is the story of this Supergirl? I also like the villain introduced this issue. On the bubble, but not as bad as it was before.
-Detective Comics: They are getting me interested in Batman! Damn them! I really want to stop buying this, but when I am the comic shop I find myself caving in. And worst of all, I end up liking the issue! Rats!
-Birds of Prey: This is one of those who may just fall prey of the numbers, I simply can´t buy this many comic books every month. I love Black Canary and am intrigued by Poison Ivy. Katana is fine, but don´t really care at all for that fourth lady whose name I cant remember. And the current storyline is not gripping me at all.
-Superboy: Really in probation. Some aspects of this intrigue me, others leave me cold.
-Green Lantern Corps: I just love the art in this comic. This is another one of the ones that I really wanted to drop, and am finding myself unwilling to...

WILL KEEP FOR NOW
-Huntress: Gorgeous art. And the fact that it is a miniseries helps in the decision to at least finish buying it.
-Deadman: Love the Deadman story, but I am treating it as a miniseries as well. May or may not keep it when the Challengers of the Unknown story comes around, I am not a fan of them.
-Wonder Woman: I am getting to like the story, but can´t stand the art. I´ll keep at it for now.
-New Guardians: Fell quite a bit this week, I´m getting bored. But I´m not ready to drop it yet.
-Batman: This is actually a very good comic book! Not planning to drop it anytime soon.
-Blue Beetle: This kind of reminds me of the first Firestorm series, way back when, a coming of age story of a young hero. I am liking it quite a bit. I passionately HATE the Spanglish in this comic, though. THEY ARE GETTING IT WRONG! Here is my pet peeve for this month. ¨Don¨ and ¨Doña¨ are extremely polite ways of addressing someone, but in spite of this you ALWAYS, ALWAYS use their first names after the particles, not the last names. In other words, it is Don Jaime or Doña María, emphatically NOT Don García or Doña González. That just sounds so extremely wrong! No Spanish (or Spanglish) speaker would ever say that! Hrrmpf.

KEEPING AND LOVING
-Justice League Dark: Getting quite interested in these characters, especially Zatanna. Hopefully won´t get too horror-driven.
-Voodoo: Wow, who knew? I would never have thought that this comic would be in this category.
-Nightwing: Another huge surprise. I love this stuff about the circus, and Dick really is a very likeable guy.
-Batgirl: This makes me relive my youth....Used to love the Batgirl second features in a lot of Spanish language comics...
-Red Hood and the Outlaws: I keep liking this title. Quite a bit, actually.
-Green Lantern: Oh, this one is also a given. Love to read about Hal´s adventures...
-Batwoman: Major, major surprise, I would have never thought that I would end up buying this. But the art is just so gorgeous! This is really a wonderful comic.
-Demon Knights: You know how I feel about this? As I did when I started buying the Legion and didn´t know the characters very well. This has awesome potential, and I see myself becoming a rabid fan of this group (and title)
-Aquaman: This is one of the best DCnU titles out there. Geoff really gets Aquaman (and Mera), and the whole setting full of legend and mystery but really grounded in reality really works. Love it.
-Justice League: My two top comics are the ones that take place a few months (years?) before the ´current` DCnU: JL and Action. I am finding that I just LOVE to see how all these characters came to know each other. WW this month was awesome, I just loved the ice cream incident.
-Action: Ditto. I am really not a Superman fan, but this feels like a coming-of-age story with characters that I have known all my life. It´s like Superman when he was Spider Man´s age...

So there you go. A few weeks left before I have to give my CB shop my final list...
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I know I love reading those posts Juan, so keep them coming!
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
The last issue of Red Hood & the Outlaws (#3) was very touching. Amid the barely-clad and violent action, we saw the most cherished memories of the three lead characters. Certainly Red Hood's was the most charming, and very sad in some respects. But all three made it apparent to me that we've got three damaged people - and perhaps they're together because what they've suffered has set them apart from others.

Of these, Roy Harper is the lightweight in terms of past suffering - Kory was a child slave under hideous conditions and Jason was killed, revived without a soul then had his soul restored (or something) - although he reached a point low enough to be suicidal. Roy is the lightweight as well in terms of character, in that he seems far less serious than the other two, the goof of the team. Whether that's a front or his actual character is not clear at this point.

The characters are interesting personalities, and the story is like a good old action movie. I think the book got off to a bad start with all the brouhaha about Starfire; there's a lot more to it than the titillation and violence for which it was initially condemned by .many reviewers.
 

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Posted by MLLASH classic on :
 
*hangs head in shame*

I tried, I really tried.

ACTION COMICS 3-4... I'd enjoyed 1-2 but the whole anti-Superman sentiment just IS NOT working for me. In fact, in issue 4 I was skimming halfway through it.

I heard a LSH appearance is coming up... I'll hang around for that but then I'm afraid I'm done.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Frankenstein #4 - Despite nothing seeming to have substantially changed since last month, I enjoyed this issue a heck of a lot more. The commandos continue to battle their way across "Monster Planet", with a little artillery support from S.H.A.D.E in the form of War Wheels and G.I. Robots. It's wild and over the top and actually a lot of fun.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Mixed feelings on Demon Knights #4, with it's new origon for Shining Knight. I loved Morrison's take on the character in Seven Soldiers and to have retconned out in favour of this new origin isn't something I'm sure I like. I understand it serves the new series better, and ties into what is probably happening in Stormwatch (which I don't read), but it's not as cool as the S7 stuff. That said, Cornell has a good grasp on Ystina's character and plays with the multiple Camelots idea very well. I like that she's now a questing knight and that the grail as an idea (or ideal?) is what will drive her now. It will be interesting to see how she and the Queen mirror each other as they are drawn closer.
 

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Posted by Mystery Lad on :
 
BATWOMAN #4: Boy, is this book beautiful to look at. Not so lovely this month for fans of Flamebird, however. Not without hope, though. The sight of Mr. Bones still leaves me shaking my head and sneering, a little bit.

DEMON KNIGHTS #4: A fine issue, examing the Shining Knight and Winged Victory (a bit). I like this character, but I want to know about Sir Justin, too. There's a last-page event that's pretty surprising, though it was hinted at in solicits. Imagine what an impact it might've had without those pesky, tempting blurbs. The Questing Queen and her roaming castle become more interesting...

FRANKENSTEIN, AGEN OF SHADE #4: All out general comic booky fun. I laughed a couple of times and had to stare a couple of times to figure out what was happening- which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Though, sometimes it is. It's related to whether the artist really knows and 'gets it', I think. I'm annoyed that Ray Palmer is like the ultimate case of 'what one thing doesn't belong', but at least he's a character that's appearing in the new DCU.

MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #3: Lord, is this Robotman powered up, or what? He mentions his old team, without specifically saying 'Doom Patrol', so I suppose the reader can choose to believe in their being around in the new DC or not. I wonder if the three characters on the cover are going to run into each other? What if this was the nucleus of the new Doom Patrol? And is the Maddie that's working for/crushing on Cliff Madame Rouge? Cliff runs into a couple of gorillas, making me wonder about Gorilla City. Is that still around?

THE RAY #1: A little comment about Happy Terrill's long-ago origin as The Ray, and the fact that the newspapars dubbed Lucien with the name goes a long way towards ameliating my initial distaste for the idea of a new Ray. What's here is an enjoyable comic- with a 'meta' sort of approach to an origin issue. Some of my fellow fans will appreciate the wrinkle that this character is *always* naked, but has learned to use light to disguise the fact. This is a guy who should be on a team-- he doesn't seem the 'loner' type.

THE SHADE #3: Why on earth isn't this selling? It's a fine book, artistically lovely and with a good story to tell that covers ground that's fairly untraveled- in either the old DC or the new. I guess that's possibly the reason for fewer readers... confusion about which continuity it takes place in. I'm not immure to that, myself. In this issue, The Shade makes an entertaining trip to Australia, remembering an earlier journey to the same destination. There, he meets a relative. Among others. And fights a humongous lizard-god. Who couldn't enjoy that? Reading about it, that is.
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
DC Universe Presents #4:

Far and away, the best comic book I've read so far this month. The dialogue during the roller coaster ride was both entertaining and throught provoking. Deadman's relationship with Rama, his purpose, and role in the DC are being redefined.

[ February 15, 2012, 08:35 PM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
Dangit! I had decided to drop Stormwatch after #2, but somehow each issue kept appearing in my box and I just kept bringing them home. And now...NOW...with issue #5 they go and get me interested. Dangit!
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #5 Max Lord and Checkmate contracts SHADE to help take out OMAC and Brother Eye. Frank is sent after OMAC while Father Time lays a trap for Brother eye in SHADENet. Frank and Shade seem to get the upper hand, though I suppose it's shown differently in the OMAC issues. I thought the art really let down what should have been a dynamic issue long brawl. Nothing really advances here, but Frankenstein does get some fun lines.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
Demon Knights #5 - the Questing Queen and Mordru attempt to tempt away individual knights, with the obvious one turning on the group (or seeming to anyway, because it could just as obviously be a set up). We get a little more about Exoristos and Horsewoman, but it's mostly just setup for letting lose the giant Triceratops at the end of the issue. Still fun stuff, but I'm ready for the mayhem to start in earnest.
 

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Posted by Set on :
 
Edit to delete, being discussed elsewhere!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
DC Comics Presents: Deadman #4 - this series has been a breakout hit or me since it launched but #4 really took it to the next level. This was an utterly fantastic issue that combined the fantastic story-telling abilities of the creative team with a welcomingly complex and existential topic. As I've said before, this is the best Deadman has been written since his original appearances in the late 1960's; I'm hoping there is a long ongoing Deadman series following the end of this arc by the creative team.
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
Just read The Shade #1 and #2. Great reads. So nice to see James Robinson back in his familiar stomping grounds of Opal City.

Cully Hamner on art is always a treat. I actually discovered both of them as a team on the Ultraverse title Firearm.

Looking forward to the rest of this series.
 

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Posted by the Hermit on :
 
I pulled out my copies of Animal Man 1-6 and Swamp Thing 1-6 but couldn't figure out what order to read them in. AM #5 ends with someone saying "only Swamp Thing can help us now", yet there doesn't seem to be any direct continuation in the ST book. Any idea how the timelines of these two books fit together?
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by the Hermit:
I pulled out my copies of Animal Man 1-6 and Swamp Thing 1-6 but couldn't figure out what order to read them in. AM #5 ends with someone saying "only Swamp Thing can help us now", yet there doesn't seem to be any direct continuation in the ST book. Any idea how the timelines of these two books fit together?

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quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
DC Comics Presents: Deadman #4 - this series has been a breakout hit or me since it launched but #4 really took it to the next level. This was an utterly fantastic issue that combined the fantastic story-telling abilities of the creative team with a welcomingly complex and existential topic. As I've said before, this is the best Deadman has been written since his original appearances in the late 1960's; I'm hoping there is a long ongoing Deadman series following the end of this arc by the creative team.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
BTW, as a moderator, I'm considering deheadlining this thread now that several months have passed since the DCnU relaunch, to make it stand on its own (living and dying on interest by the community).

What do you guys think? Let me know. Silence is acquiescence.

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quote:

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Originally posted by gone:

quote:

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Originally posted by Blacula:
I just want to remark that I find that Wonder Woman spoiler REALLY distasteful.

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Beyond distasteful. WAY beyond. The Amazons are better off dead than to be portrayed in THIS fassion.

Click Here For A SpoilerWasn't thrilled with the earlier reveal that Diana is yet nanother bastard child of Zeus... old and boring idea there. I was severely annoyed that they took away the Lasso of Truth and have made it Wonder Woman's 'intimidation'. However, the reveal that the Amazons went on 'hunting' trips 3 times a year to seduce/rape males and then KILLED them afterwards... That just disgusts me that DC thinks it is entertaining or a good backstory for Wonder Woman's family. The idea that they traded away the 'useless' males to Hephasteus for weapons is just insult added to injury. I will NEVER read another Wonder Woman story in my life nor watch ANY media that has her in it AND if I should ever meet the writers in person, I will tell them that THEY are the ones that ruined Wonder Woman forever.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Blacula:
Instead of not buying/reading/watching ANYTHING to do with Wonder Woman again, wouldn't it be better to just not buy/read/watch THIS version of Wonder Woman and then actively support the version of her that you prefer - to show DC that there's a market for it?

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quote:

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Originally posted by gone:

quote:

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Originally posted by Blacula:
Instead of not buying/reading/watching ANYTHING to do with Wonder Woman again, wouldn't it be better to just not buy/read/watch THIS version of Wonder Woman and then actively support the version of her that you prefer - to show DC that there's a market for it?

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No. They have ruined her for me Forever. Even when the next reboot returns her to something aproximating one of the earlierr versions I liked, or even Loved, I will always have THIS version in my head. The message I am sending is that it IS possible to ruin something permanently with their bad choices and for Me they HAVE. I am done with Wonder Woman in All media from here on, Forever.

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quote:

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Originally posted by MLLASH's *glare*:
just as soon as I get my pull trimmed further...

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Sorry Lash, but when you say this I can't help but take it into a whole different context.

;-)
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
^
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
I'm loving Stormwatch. Issue #7 almost broke my heart with its portrayal of the terribly ill city Pripyat tended by Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hawksmoor has always fascinated me as a concept, but this is the first time I've really enjoyed how he's being written.
 

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Posted by MLLASH's *glare* on :
 
*glares at Legion Tracker & Dev* Oh well, I guess this is what I get after years of outrageous behaviour!

Cramey, I too have thoroughly enjoyed STORMWATCH 1-6. Here's hoping 7 maintains that... I'll read it this evening!
 

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Posted by Anita Cocktail on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fat Cramer:
I'm loving Stormwatch. Issue #7 almost broke my heart with its portrayal of the terribly ill city Pripyat tended by Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hawksmoor has always fascinated me as a concept, but this is the first time I've really enjoyed how he's being written.

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Anita Cocktail:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fat Cramer:
I'm loving Stormwatch. Issue #7 almost broke my heart with its portrayal of the terribly ill city Pripyat tended by Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hawksmoor has always fascinated me as a concept, but this is the first time I've really enjoyed how he's being written.

---

I agree 100%!
That scene was simply wonderful.

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Stormwatch is turning into a winning dark horse. Its characters are complex, its storyline well thought out, and it is not spoon-fed to the reader. I commend a creative team that assumes its readers can walk and chew gum at the same time. Of course, I am anxiously awaiting more about who this J'onn J'onzz is.
Of all the DCnU, this title seems to be the best chance to see a new version of L.E.G.I.O.N., however unlikely.


 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
I'm afriad I dropped RED HOOD after # 3. I *do* think STORMWATCH is great fun though!

Let' see, what did I read last night-- oh yeah, SUPERMAN 4-6. I know this book isn't as well-liked as ACTION by I prefer it TO Action!

I like that there's a TON of panels and words and it takes a bit to get through an issue. It's an older-skool method and I approve. Plus I'm looking forward to the Giff's run. My sources deep in the house of Giff tell me that he REALLY gets to cut lose with Superman starting in issue 11!

Also caught up with BATGIRL through issue 6 and I just like it. Gail always creates unique and interesting villains, Mirror and Gretel were no exception. Plus-- BABS' MAMA?!?!?!
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
Just finished the DEADMAN arc in DCCP, and found it very enjoyable overall. No way it would have any long life outside of being shunted to VERTIGO though; sales of DCCP went straight down and a CHALLENGERS arc isn't likely to raise them.

I'm looking forward to the COTU arc though and will begin it shortly. I *so* hope it is one of the GOOD Challs arcs... there hasn't really been a good one in a LONG while.

I do think the DCU *needs* a book like DCCP though. I hope it lasts... even though I fully intend to skip the entire Vandal Savage arc coming up after the CHALLS.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
So, the DCnU is still kind of bumming me out and I think its because I'm buying too many of their titles. The next wave of cancellations may be coming soon, and on the bubble are Batwoman, Batwing, Frankenstein, GLC & New Guardians, and all three Justice League titles.

Like Lash, I like that DCCP exists, but I can't commit to every story. Deadman rocked, the Challs has been surprisingly good, but I have no interest in the Vandal Savage's daughter stuff.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
I'm buying more books than I did before, so I guess I can't decry DcNu too much (though I finally dropped Batman and Justice League). I've just been so slammed at work and life I haven't had much time for reviews here. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up at some point.
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
After having finally culled my pull-list down to more manageable levels, I am feeling less "oppressed" kinda, and more excited about reading them now. I made the official cut to Superboy, Supergirl, Resurrection Man, Wonder Woman, Voodoo, Batwoman, Green Arrow and maybe a couple more today. MANY books unbought from my pull, but it was just a must in order for me to be able to get back to enjoying comics...

[ April 04, 2012, 01:42 PM: Message edited by: MLLASH's back ]
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
That's what I'm feeling. "Oppressed" is the right word. There's a lot of comics by DC that aren't 'bad', but they're just not my cup of tea. And honestly, who the hell would want to buy 52 comics from the same company. Or even 40? 30? Each week, as I've trimmed back more and more Marvels and DC's, and then spent the money on Image, Dark Horse, Vertigo, etc., I've gotten more and more excited about comic books in general.

So much so, I even now follow the Image Comics twitter feed! (And mad props to them, they freely promote all kinds of creator-owned non-Image series too).

[ April 04, 2012, 01:41 PM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
Now that it's 8 months in, I will say that I do admire the balls it took for DC to do the whole NEW 52 thing. It proved that a struggling company can make a huge splash and still take over the top 10 comics 8 months later.

It proved Aquaman can outsell X-Men.

So yeah, it's a good thing probably, but it also showed that you can't throw 52 new number 1s out there and KEEP them successful for any length of time... RIPieces, Liefeld's Hawk and Dove.

As a comic fan I was glad to be part of the "experience", but next time: Next time, I can make choices more suitable for me...

[ April 04, 2012, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: MLLASH's back ]
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
Now that I have added SUPREME to my pull, it feels like the Image explosion all over again (THREE Image comics on my current pull!!)

The New 52 kinda was DC doing its own version of the Image Explosion, now that I think of it...
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
After reading JL DARK up through # 7, I have decided to drop it from my pull list. The crossover with I Vampire is the final nail in the coffin built by the announcement of Milligan's departure.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by MLLASH's back:
Now that I have added SUPREME to my pull, it feels like the Image explosion all over again (THREE Image comics on my current pull!!)

The New 52 kinda was DC doing its own version of the Image Explosion, now that I think of it...

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:

The Shade has been nothing short of fantastic. Having my boy Javier Pulido stop in for two issues was icing on the cake.

---

I've been meaning to ask you if you were getting this, Des... I know what an UBERfan of Darwyn Cooke you are and his art on #4's Times Past story was awesome.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
It sure was! That issue rocked my face off. Almost all the art has been superb so far--Cully Hamner and Javier Pullido also brought their A game.

Also, each new artist essentially exists as it's own arc, so it's all done in ones and 2-parters with an over-arching story.
 

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Posted by KidChaos on :
 
Ok, so for almost a year now I've kind of been in "I don't care" mode when it comes to comics. All I've been buying are occasional trades from amazon. Most of those archives, showcases, essentials etc. no monthlies whatsoever.

And then, last week, I bought on a whim DC's HUGE New 52 omnibus. It reprints all 52 first issues from last September. I've been reading, and I must say I'm impressed with much of it. I doubt I'll ever buy the "pamphlets" on a monthly basis at a CBS again, but I will be buying the trades of many of these books.

I know it's stupid for me to talk about books you all read 8 months ago..... But what the hey. Here's my impressions so far:

My favorites? Hands down AQUAMAN and WONDER WOMAN. I love that aquaman is a badass, but he has the same lameass rep in the DCnU as he does in the real world.
I also love that he is *not* all animal rights-ish He eats fish and makes it clear he does *not* talk to them. He just controls them. As for Wonder Woman, love the art and the portrayal of the mythology. Love the Gaiman Endless-esque Greek gods. As far as reboots go, a Huge improvement on the mind numbingly boring and wordy Perez reboot.

Justice League International was just bland and cliché ridden. Too bad, cause I love these characters. This book also
suffered from the "some histories have been rebooted and some haven't" syndrome. Do these heroes have a shared history anymore? Was there a Global Guardians? Do Fire and Ice even know each other anymore? Meh.

I was shocked how much I enjoyed the Green Lantern family of books. A franchise I never read much. GREEN LANTERN CORPS seems to be a "buddy cop" book staring Guy
Gardner and John Stewart. It's fun. And is it just me, or is Guy Gardner pretty sexy these days? I'm not sure what's going on in NEW GUARDIANS with Kyle Ryner and all those
rings, but I want to find out.

The RED LANTERNS fascinated me when Mera was one
back during blackest night, and I'm still intrigued. But I feel like Milligan is missing an opportunity. The book is about rage as a driving force. That's cool. But everyone's becoming a
Red Lantern because their race was decimated in a intergalactic war or something. That's boring. Of *course* someone in that
situation would be enraged. Mera was a fascinating Red Lantern because her rage stemmed from long unspoken blame and resentment. I'd *love* to see a human become a Red Lantern and their motivating rage be no more than the ennui and alienation of modern life.

Certain titles are intriguing enough to make me interested in books I would normally ignore. SWAMP THING for example. I love the idea that plants are violent and vicious, only on a scale so slow we can't perceive it. But will one neat idea hold my interest in the long run? I kinda doubt it.

Still a lot more to read, but I'm looking forward to revisiting many of these titles. Kudos to DC for daring to try something drastic and following through.

[ April 18, 2012, 08:18 PM: Message edited by: KidChaos ]
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Always cool to hear fresh perspectives on comics, old or new, I say, KidChaos! Bring 'em on!
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
I agree. Great to read your thoughts, KidChaos.

RE: DC Universe Presents #8 - A solid, if not spectacular, finale. Didio and Ordway succeeded in giving us a version of the Challengers of the Unknown that has potential. I hope to see more of them.
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
LOVED reading your take on the books that excited us so much awhile back, Kid C! Legion World demands Kid Chaos' presence!!
 

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Posted by KidChaos on :
 
Thanks guys!

Reading all the # 1's in this omnibus has jazzed me up for comics again!

I don't think I'll go back to buying monthly pamphlets. There's only one CBS left in town, and the guy is kind of a creep who owns it....

If I can figure out how to download digital comics on my iPad, I would love to buy them that way. I'm working the midnight shift at the nursing home here and some nights are soooo slow. Catching up with some of the new 52 I like might make the nights go by quicker!

Anways, I still have most of the omnibus to get through at home. I was reading the Batman section tonight, my god, Bats got three times the titles as poor superman! I'm curious if the Batman titles will be well written enough to overcome my history of lack of interest in the character...
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
Good to read your review KC. I was wondering why DC would put out a collection of all their #1s in a book - and now see it would interest people who are into TPBs or just skipped the initial launch.

Batman and Detective have been pretty well received around here. I'm reading Batman for the first time in years.
 

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Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
 
If you're no longer buying pamphlets, I totes recommend checking out digital comics, kc! Comixology pretty much rocks!
 

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Posted by MLLASH's back on :
 
*glares at digital comics*

(my own don't count 'cause no one reads them )
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
So as the April 2012 sales start to come out, it's clear that a big portion of the DCnU is simply selling like crap. Obviously they kept a few going to get to #12 so they could release a second trade, but I'm surprised they even did that. Captain Atom, for instance, is selling at a dismal level.

With August we get a number of #12 issues. I have a feeling we'll get a few announcements of cancellations too. There are a lot of serious contenders: Captain Atom, Hawkman, Firestorm, Blue Bettle, Deathstroke, Grifter, Voodoo, Resurrection Man, Batwing, I Vampire, and even series I like such as Frankenstein & Demon Knights. But I have a feeling they'll only do 6 again, and replace those 6 with more series. I'd actually prefer if they just cancelled 8 or so and replaced them with 6 to get away from this crazy notion they should have 52 ongoing series.

Legion Lost is kind of on the bubble but it sells a lot better than most of those series I just listed. I also think I, Vampire has a longer shelf life because DC is hoping trade sales will pick up with the bookstore crowd.

Surprisingly, All-Star Western sells pretty good! Better than every series I've mentiond so far. At a $3.99 price point, it also makes more money. Glad its safe.

Usually, solicitations come mid-month so we'll know for sure if they're cancelling anything in August in a few days. Probably at the end of the week with the full solicits out next Monday.

September is the #0 month, and I can't see DC wasting that marketing ploy on a series like Captain Atom that sells two copies (one for J.T. Krul's mom and the other for Dan Didio). Probably the next round of DC series will begin with #0 in Sept. And *probably* 3 of those will be cancelled next June.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Pov:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:

The Shade has been nothing short of fantastic. Having my boy Javier Pulido stop in for two issues was icing on the cake.

---

I've been meaning to ask you if you were getting this, Des... I know what an UBERfan of Darwyn Cooke you are and his art on #4's Times Past story was awesome.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
It sure was! That issue rocked my face off. Almost all the art has been superb so far--Cully Hamner and Javier Pullido also brought their A game.

Also, each new artist essentially exists as it's own arc, so it's all done in ones and 2-parters with an over-arching story.

---

Jill Thompson stopped in for the latest story, and like the previous artists, rocked the hell out of it.

Fantastic Times Past story in 1902 that gets into the Shade's first encounter with a member of his own family after he's become the Shade.

This series has been a major high point of DC's output since the DCnU began.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Four new series announced this morning: Amethyst, Team Seven, Talon and Phantom Stranger. Unclear on what will be cancelled to make room, but Captain Atom *has* to be one.

I've been waiting for Amythest since we found out she'd play a big part in the DC cartoon hour (or whatever it's called). No clue on the creative team. The actual title of the series may be Sword and Sorcery.

Team Seven will be different than it's original Wildstorm incarnation, including several DC characters as referenced in their own series: Black Canary, Steve Trevor, Deathstroke and Amanda Waller. No word on creative team yet, though we'll probably learn today.
 

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Posted by Suddenly Seymour on :
 
Amethyst?!?!?! Huzzah!!!!!!!! That just made my weekend. I just hope we don't lose something good to make room.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Amethyst is a sure bet for me as well! It makes sense if they are honest about diversifying their line.

It sounds like it'll also have sword & sorcery back-ups, so probably Warlord, or Silent Knight or something.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
Guys... Amethyst is going to be written by Christy Marx.

As in the woman who wrote and helped create Jem Christy Marx.

Cue obligatory "Amethyst is Truly Outrageous" joke.
 

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Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
 
Descriptions from Newsarama:

Talon:

This new comic, which is being co-plotted by Batman writer Scott Snyder, introduces a new "anti-hero on the run" to the DCU. Calvin Rose, the only Talon to escape from the control of the Court of Owls, will be traveling all around the DCU as he is hunted by his former masters. While the story spins out of the Court of Owls storyline that is running through the first year of Snyder's Batman, the title character is a brand new one.

As the comic launches in September, Snyder will be working on plots with James Tynion IV, his co-writer on the Batman back-ups. Talon will feature art by Guillem March.

Sword of Sorcery

This new series, which DiDio described as "a new anthology book in the same vein as All-Star Western," will launch with the return of Amethyst to the New 52. Written by Christy Marx with art by Aaron Lopresti, the comic will show how Amethyst finds out she's the lost princess of Gemworld, and she's being hunted by her murderous aunt. The comic will launch with a back-up story about Beowulf and Grendel, written by Tony Bedard with art by Jesus Saiz.

The Phantom Stranger:

Written by DiDio with art by Brent Anderson, The Phantom Stranger will spin out of the character's recent appearances in Justice League and DC's Free Comic Book Day story. It promises to tell more about the mysterious origin of the character who seems to have biblical ties and his connection to the purple-hooded woman Pandora.

Team Seven:

Set in the early days of the DC Universe, Team Seven will show how the emergence of Superman touched off the formation of counter measures against superheroes. The comic, which is being written by relative newcomer Justin Jordan with art by Jesus Merino, will have a team composed of Amanda Waller, Dinah Lance, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash and Slade Wilson.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
I hope this doesn't mean Guillem March is leaving Catwoman! I was just raving about how awesome his artwork is. I'm not all that interested in Talon, despite Snyder's involvement, though I am a fan of March.

Meanwhile, the Phantom Stranger thing is kind of outrageous. Dan Didio has used his powers as a high ranking executive in the company to ensure he is the writer on a series that appears critical to the overall story of the DCnU and the next big storyline / crossover. Meaning, its guaranteed a certain amount of sales; ipso facto, he's guaranteed a certain amount of royalties. This is a violation of one of the major principles of business and the kind of thing people lose their minds over when it happens at investment banks and insurance companies.

The Team Seven series is interesting enough that I'll sample it. Jordan is an unknown but that isn't good nor bad. His "Strange Talent of Luthor Strode" is almost universally praised and is on my list of trades to buy.

[ June 08, 2012, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: Cobalt Kid ]
 

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Posted by Chaim Mattis Keller on :
 
Three launches in, there's one genre conspicuously missing from DC's admirable attempt to broaden the range of its offerings: Science Fiction/Space opera.

No, Legion doesn't count, they're still super-heroes.

No Adam Strange, Captain Comet, L.E.G.I.O.N./R.E.B.E.L.S, Omega Men, Tommy Tomorrow, Space Ranger...

Does DC the genre is just too dead? I think Marvel got some traction with the Annihilation stuff. Maybe they're taking cues from the creators, and none of them seem interested in exploring sci-fi characters?
 

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Posted by Suddenly Seymour on :
 
Well, the Amethyst team certainly sounds promising. I wasn't a Jem fan growing up, but I did like some of the music. I really like Aaron Lopresti's work, if he keeps it from being too cheesecakey.

I lament that it's an anthology, but that does open the door to Arion and Warlord in the future.

I like the mystics, so I'll probably at least try the first issue of "Phantom Stranger," despite Didio's involvement. But the others don't interest me in the least.
 

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Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
 
I was thinking the same thing about sci-fi, cmk. I was also thinking the Legion would be better off grouped with sci-fi titles than the "young heroes" genre they seem to want it to fit in.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Suddenly Seymour:
Well, the Amethyst team certainly sounds promising. I wasn't a Jem fan growing up, but I did like some of the music. I really like Aaron Lopresti's work, if he keeps it from being too cheesecakey.

I lament that it's an anthology, but that does open the door to Arion and Warlord in the future.

I like the mystics, so I'll probably at least try the first issue of "Phantom Stranger," despite Didio's involvement. But the others don't interest me in the least.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid:
Guys... Amethyst is going to be written by Christy Marx.

As in the woman who wrote and helped create Jem Christy Marx.

Cue obligatory "Amethyst is Truly Outrageous" joke.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Sarcasm Kid:
Does anyone else wonder if there'll be any Legion references in Amethyst?

---

Well, Gemworld was, IIRC*, the same world as Zerox (the Sorceror's World), wasn't it? And didn't a younger Mordru appear in the original series?

*I've never read a lick of Amethyst (except possibly a free insert preview DC ran in DCCP back in the day), so this is half-remembered stuff I mighta heard!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Yes, Zerox is Gemworld, and Mordru plays a big part. In TM (minus K), Mysa was channeling Amythest for awhile while battling Mordru during Legion of the Dead.
 

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Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
 
So, the cancelled titles are JLI, Voodoo, Resurrection Man, and Captain Atom.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
It figures Resurrection Man gets axed.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
For the sake of coherency and being a rational adult, here's a DeviantArt journal entry explaining why I do not like Red Hood and the Outlaws.

http://judedeluca.deviantart.com/journal/Another-quot-why-I-hate-Outlaws-quot-entry-307459587
 

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Posted by the Hermit on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester:
So, the cancelled titles are JLI, Voodoo, Resurrection Man, and Captain Atom.

---

Four titles I was buying, too. Guess that $12 a month will have to go toward paying off the new lawnmower I just bought.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
No surprise on the new three cancelled series. The only real surprise is DC is intent to sticking with 52 ongoing series.
 

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Posted by Fanfic Lady on :
 
A little peek behind the scenes:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/06/24/george-perez-talking-about-being-rewritten-at-dc-comics/
 

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Posted by lowercase mllash on :
 
Very interesting words from Perez. I would imagine not knowing who you could and couldn't use in a story was insanely frustrating. I rather enjoyed Perez' 6 issue stint on SUPERMAN despite all that, I enjoyed the wordiness of it. Decompressed it was NOT.

I am glad to hear he and Levitz are sympatico, I can't imagine they wouldn't be. Levitz needs an artist of Perez' calibre and talent to bring out the best in his writing.
 

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Posted by the Hermit on :
 
Sounds to me like there is an awful lot of micro-managing going on at DC these days. Generally that is never a good thing (unless the person at the top is somebody like Steve Jobs...and Didilee is no Steve Jobs).
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Full script approvals via committee? YUCK.

No wonder most of DC's comics suck so bad these days.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Gave Demon Knights the axe this week...just found it to have devolved into an aimless mess with little going on character-wise or plot-wise. Plus, the depiction of Vandal Savage as a lovable barbarian just feels wrong and distracting.

Also, though I wanted to give Matt Kindt more than just a one issue shot on Frankenstein, I realize I can't justify buying this when I hardly muster the enthusiasm to turn the pages. Morrison's original mini was a masterpiece. But DC hasn't been able to recapture the magic.
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cobalt Kid:
Gave Demon Knights the axe this week...just found it to have devolved into an aimless mess with little going on character-wise or plot-wise. Plus, the depiction of Vandal Savage as a lovable barbarian just feels wrong and distracting.

Also, though I wanted to give Matt Kindt more than just a one issue shot on Frankenstein, I realize I can't justify buying this when I hardly muster the enthusiasm to turn the pages. Morrison's original mini was a masterpiece. But DC hasn't been able to recapture the magic.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:
Yeah, DCnU has quickly lost pretty much all appeal to me. So much so that I've entertained the notion of dropping EVERY BIT of it a lot lately, so I can prospect into even more awesome indies! Even the ones I still like well enough(such as Batman, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Flash, Catwoman etc.) just don't feel like MUST-READS, y'know? At no point have I EVER felt (at least since I was 11 and went X-Men crazy) like I could drop the entire DC line, but I've felt like that since the "new"-ness of the New 52 wore off a few months ago.

Part of this, I know, is that the superhero genre has slowly been losing its appeal for me over the last few years with stories of any real consequence having their effects undone after a short while. As you realize more and more that these characters are more of a brand now than they ever were before,it just seems pointless to read about them and drop a lot of dough on them. The real action is in the indies where the creators have full control of their properties and do whatever they want to with them and do ground breaking things outside of the spandex genre.

But also, with the DCnU, I miss my damn continuity and the universe I was attached to before! I can see now how hardcore pre-Crisis fans felt when all their toys were taken away. I was still a kid when that happened, and even then, I had some misgivings. But now, as an adult fan who experienced the universe as it was since I was 15 (albeit with serious flaws within it), I find that this reboot took away most of what I loved about that 26-year continuity only to tell mostly mediocre-at-best sories with that clean slate.

I'm about to trim my DC pull list again. I'll give a handful of titles a few more months. But the possibility of my dropping ALL DCnu titles completely is there and getting realer and realer every day.Even my beloved LSH (which I've collected faithfully since the mid '80 theu relaunch after relaunch) won't be spared much longer. (I already dropped Legion Lost months ago.)

---

I'm with you 100%. It's not that I'm even disgusted or angry about the DCnU...I'm just so bored and ambivalent about it. I have no attachment at all to the DC universe anymore.

There are only a small amount of series I actually love, like All-Star Western or Aquaman. (Maybe just those two, actually).

Like you said, even the one that were "good" are now becoming kind of "meh" and "okay" for me at best: Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Flash, Catwoman. They are all kind of boring now, and for a lot of the reasons you have above. Even Earth-2 is mediocre at best.

I cancelled Batwoman and am considering putting Nightwing on the chopping block next. I find Justice League to be pretty terrible, actually.

(I do actually like Teen Titans and Superboy though).

In my mind, this is the worst DC has ever been for me. It's worse than Marvel has ever been, for that matter. You can't be taken seriously when you have 45 comics that are shit. But though the words are harsh, I'm not really mustering all that much emotion about it anymore. Saying DC sucks these days is like saying water is wet.
 

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Posted by the Hermit on :
 
Hey, maybe we can start calling it Earth-meh
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
So "Legion World" is going to become code for "let's talk about indies"? ;-)

I recently posted on another thread that I've dropped everything but the Legion books. And I don't miss the DCnU stuff at all. It's the indies and the few Marvel books that I miss.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
You konw, for me, over the last 25 years or so, its when the Legion "feels" like an indie book (TMK, DnA's run) that I've been excited by it the most.
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
Agree with that, re: the Legion. And the state of the DCnU just saddens me, it seemed to start out with such promise and now most of the books are just flat. I'm much more interested in what Image is coming out with at this point.
 

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Posted by Dev - Em on :
 
Honestly for me, it's the desire to spend what little entertainment income I have on things like movies and other things.

Finding things I can share with my kids is also a big priority...comics of today are just not really cutting it. Sure there are a few here and there...but overall, meh.
 

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Posted by Sarcasm Kid on :
 
I decided to pick up Blue Beetle today.

Any superhero with a soft spot for his grandmother is okay by me.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
Picked up the latest Batwoman because it was actually drawn by JH Williams ... tricky DC covers say his name on them but ... its the co creator or co writer credit he gets.

Anyway, got it, could jump right in because ... well ... it seems like nothing has happened since the last issue I bought. (issue 5! The last to drawn by Williams I think) Im not sure the art (even by Williams) is enough for me to pick up this book that moves at a glacial pace.


in other news: Phantom Girl and Doll Man was pretty good despite the interior art being a bit sub par.

Decided to pass on Looker ... flipped through it and got the gist at the comic store, the art is pretty good if bland in that it looks like so much else out there ... also it seems as if ... Looker is just a plain old vampire. fashion model vampire. no psychic powers besides the ones that come with being a vampire and no outsider super heroing past. great cover but she's just another vampire in a vampire saturated world.

[ August 31, 2012, 11:03 AM: Message edited by: Power Boy ]
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
I also caught up on Flash because they are culminating the Rogue's saga ... passed on the Annual that was out this week ... because despite how i've been catching up on the Flash ... I wasn't interested in picking up a story that wasn't drawn by Frances Manapaul.

That's really the only reason to get this book. The story just runs on and on in an uber serialization ... nearly every issue ends on a cliff hanger. which isn't hard with so few pages ... and some of the splash ... which to be fair, F.M. does a good job with but its still not as much story as panels.

while F.M. is good enough to make me miss carmine infantino ... I tried it but it just dosn't have enough hook for me.

[ August 31, 2012, 11:05 AM: Message edited by: Power Boy ]
 

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Posted by Dave Hackett on :
 
"0" issues for Demon Knights and Frankenstein were both horribly disappointing. Neither character's "origin" was very compelling, and actually detracted form both I would say.

Why would you need to redo Frankenstein's origin anyway, and dismiss the novel in its entirety? That's one of the more compelling parts of the character! And if you're goign to throw all of that out, why do so in favour of such a lacklustre story. They could easily have done this issue showing Frank after the events of the novel, or getting recruited by S.H.A.D.E.

Demon Knights was equally as bad, giving a pretty unremarkable backstory to Etrigan and Jason before their joining. Other than the recurring inside joke that Cornell is horrible at writing verse, this did nothing to add to the mythos of either character and was a step back.
 

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Posted by Blacula on :
 
From my admittedly not very well informed vantage point (since I haven't actually read a single DCnU issue - but I have been following the developments online) it seems to me like the DCnU is all about change for the sake of it.

I keep hearing about this or that change to a character's origin or back-story or relationship or costume or whatever and I think to myself "How is that in any way better than the way it was before?"

And more often than not, what was taken out of each charater's story was what made them interesting and unique in the first place, only to be replaced with something just because it proved popular for another character. How many other DC characters have to have now lost their parents tragically just like Batman and Superman did (for example)?

Plus - for a relaunch that was supposed to be all about moving forward, I've never seen so many 90s throwbacks in writers and artists and costumes and characters and plot points... and not even the good 90s!

Unfortunately, the anti- and pro-DCnU camps online seem to have split into pre- and post-Flashpoint camps, when the rot at DC had set in looong before Flashpoint.

What I'd really love is to see DC return to the way it was before Dan Didio took over (obviously not in continuity since that's impossible but in attitude and approach to its characters and stories).

I think the single worst thing that the DC Comics company ever did was to hire that man and believe that one can almost exactly trace the decline of the company's long-term health (since we know he's a master at the short-term spike) to his taking over.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
I've recently caught up on Justice League Dark.

I am surprisingly liking Jeff Lemire's take better than Peter Milligan's!

I don't think IMHO that Milligan's writing works in this universe, he has to play with kid's gloves and the dark and wonky weird supernatural just dosn't have enough punch ... left me a bit confused and feeling like he needed about 4 more issues to deal with each story arc to get the characters growth to point where the story would be great. I think a few parred down versions of these characters going through Milligan's story would make for a better mystery or horror story than a super hero book.

Jeff Lemire brings in more of a concise, superheros fight super villains story. Especially with the addition of the government and Black Orchid. JL Dark becomes more of an action drama than a horror mystery with pretensions of critical acclaim.

so, I will actually .... buy ... Justice League Dark ... that will keep the number of DC Comics I get to 2. (?) (World's Finest included and sadly Shade ended this month)

I would really appreciate the name being changed from Justice league Dark to just about anything else.

also, I'd like for Madame Xanadu to stop getting the short end of the stick in the plot and/or at least have us get to know what she is up to rather than just ... "oh she's tortured" "oh she made some hard choices ... everyone's going to hate her" blah blah blah stop milking the drama and tell a story! (I have missed a couple issues in my back issue catch up so I may be being unfair)

JL Dark also suffered IMO from the I Vampire tie in but now seems to have found its footing with more "super heros" on the team in pseudo magical and dark plot lines.


So Flash gets a big NO ... depsite awesome art and a Rogue's feature ... I just didn't give a crap enough even to read the conclusion of the story arc ... if they ever got there.

JL Dark will get a few more issues out of me at least. Really enjoying the supernatural superhero vibe of magic heros fight magic villains in punch outs.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
ah one more thing regarding JL Dark:

Government + Magic = Nightshade? Pretty Please!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Blacula:
From my admittedly not very well informed vantage point (since I haven't actually read a single DCnU issue - but I have been following the developments online) it seems to me like the DCnU is all about change for the sake of it.

I keep hearing about this or that change to a character's origin or back-story or relationship or costume or whatever and I think to myself "How is that in any way better than the way it was before?"

And more often than not, what was taken out of each charater's story was what made them interesting and unique in the first place, only to be replaced with something just because it proved popular for another character. How many other DC characters have to have now lost their parents tragically just like Batman and Superman did (for example)?

Plus - for a relaunch that was supposed to be all about moving forward, I've never seen so many 90s throwbacks in writers and artists and costumes and characters and plot points... and not even the good 90s!

Unfortunately, the anti- and pro-DCnU camps online seem to have split into pre- and post-Flashpoint camps, when the rot at DC had set in looong before Flashpoint.

What I'd really love is to see DC return to the way it was before Dan Didio took over (obviously not in continuity since that's impossible but in attitude and approach to its characters and stories).

I think the single worst thing that the DC Comics company ever did was to hire that man and believe that one can almost exactly trace the decline of the company's long-term health (since we know he's a master at the short-term spike) to his taking over.

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You ain't missing anything special by not collecting the DCnU.
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:
Yeah, DCnU has quickly lost pretty much all appeal to me. So much so that I've entertained the notion of dropping EVERY BIT of it a lot lately, so I can prospect into even more awesome indies! Even the ones I still like well enough(such as Batman, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Flash, Catwoman etc.) just don't feel like MUST-READS, y'know? At no point have I EVER felt (at least since I was 11 and went X-Men crazy) like I could drop the entire DC line, but I've felt like that since the "new"-ness of the New 52 wore off a few months ago.

Part of this, I know, is that the superhero genre has slowly been losing its appeal for me over the last few years with stories of any real consequence having their effects undone after a short while. As you realize more and more that these characters are more of a brand now than they ever were before,it just seems pointless to read about them and drop a lot of dough on them. The real action is in the indies where the creators have full control of their properties and do whatever they want to with them and do ground breaking things outside of the spandex genre.

But also, with the DCnU, I miss my damn continuity and the universe I was attached to before! I can see now how hardcore pre-Crisis fans felt when all their toys were taken away. I was still a kid when that happened, and even then, I had some misgivings. But now, as an adult fan who experienced the universe as it was since I was 15 (albeit with serious flaws within it), I find that this reboot took away most of what I loved about that 26-year continuity only to tell mostly mediocre-at-best sories with that clean slate.

I'm about to trim my DC pull list again. I'll give a handful of titles a few more months. But the possibility of my dropping ALL DCnu titles completely is there and getting realer and realer every day.Even my beloved LSH (which I've collected faithfully since the mid '80 theu relaunch after relaunch) won't be spared much longer. (I already dropped Legion Lost months ago.)

---

Well, today I went ahead and deleted all DCnU books off my pull at the CBS with the sole exception of LSH, which I'm giving at least a temporary reprieve because of my love for the characters.

The hardest to cut were Batman, Swamp Thing and Animal Man. The latter two are just too long and draggy in their storylines. As for Batman, I figure I'll pick up a trade every once in a while...if I feel like it.

There's still a chance I might buy some off the shelves, particularly if there are some lean weeks here and there. But the goal is to get nothing but books that I'm really looking forward to from now on. The more moohlah I have left to sample potential creator-owned gems, the better. No sense wasting my time and money on corporate crap that feels stale and recycled.

I should also note that I picked up Sword of Sorcery today because I had a good feeling about it. Perhaps that'll make two DCnU books on my pull?

(Vertigo titles I get are unaffected, of course.)

I feel like women must feel when they burn their bras!!!
 

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Posted by Eryk Davis Ester on :
 
I thought Sword of Sorcery was pretty solid. I can't say I'm completely in love with it or anything, but it's definitely quality stuff. It's a book that I'm really pleased exists, and definitely one I'd recommend to any comics-curious chick-friends.
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Reposted for new page (in case it was missed):

quote:

---

Originally posted by Lard Lad:
Yeah, DCnU has quickly lost pretty much all appeal to me. So much so that I've entertained the notion of dropping EVERY BIT of it a lot lately, so I can prospect into even more awesome indies! Even the ones I still like well enough(such as Batman, Swamp Thing, Animal Man, Flash, Catwoman etc.) just don't feel like MUST-READS, y'know? At no point have I EVER felt (at least since I was 11 and went X-Men crazy) like I could drop the entire DC line, but I've felt like that since the "new"-ness of the New 52 wore off a few months ago.

Part of this, I know, is that the superhero genre has slowly been losing its appeal for me over the last few years with stories of any real consequence having their effects undone after a short while. As you realize more and more that these characters are more of a brand now than they ever were before,it just seems pointless to read about them and drop a lot of dough on them. The real action is in the indies where the creators have full control of their properties and do whatever they want to with them and do ground breaking things outside of the spandex genre.

But also, with the DCnU, I miss my damn continuity and the universe I was attached to before! I can see now how hardcore pre-Crisis fans felt when all their toys were taken away. I was still a kid when that happened, and even then, I had some misgivings. But now, as an adult fan who experienced the universe as it was since I was 15 (albeit with serious flaws within it), I find that this reboot took away most of what I loved about that 26-year continuity only to tell mostly mediocre-at-best sories with that clean slate.

I'm about to trim my DC pull list again. I'll give a handful of titles a few more months. But the possibility of my dropping ALL DCnu titles completely is there and getting realer and realer every day.Even my beloved LSH (which I've collected faithfully since the mid '80 theu relaunch after relaunch) won't be spared much longer. (I already dropped Legion Lost months ago.)

---

Well, today I went ahead and deleted all DCnU books off my pull at the CBS with the sole exception of LSH, which I'm giving at least a temporary reprieve because of my love for the characters.

The hardest to cut were Batman, Swamp Thing and Animal Man. The latter two are just too long and draggy in their storylines. As for Batman, I figure I'll pick up a trade every once in a while...if I feel like it.

There's still a chance I might buy some off the shelves, particularly if there are some lean weeks here and there. But the goal is to get nothing but books that I'm really looking forward to from now on. The more moohlah I have left to sample potential creator-owned gems, the better. No sense wasting my time and money on corporate crap that feels stale and recycled.

I should also note that I picked up Sword of Sorcery today because I had a good feeling about it. Perhaps that'll make two DCnU books on my pull?

(Vertigo titles I get are unaffected, of course.)

I feel like women must feel when they burn their bras!!!
 

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Posted by Jerry on :
 
Lard Lad's New Theme Song
 

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Posted by Legion Tracker on :
 
Lardy, it's been two months since I emptied my pull list ('cept for LSH). I don't even look at the racks when I stop by the CBS to get the LSH books. I flipped through my past several months' books tonight to find a recent LSH issue, but wasn't even tempted to feel nostalgic. Looks like I'm done....

(I did pick up the Peter Panzerfaust trade last week which I ordered back when. Now that is a good one.)
 

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Posted by Lard Lad on :
 
Well, Trackey...in my case I'm just dumping DCnU, not comics in general. There's still a LOT for me to get excited about in comics, but I'm accepting that DC (and all but 4 Marvel titles for the moment) has been more of an obligation and a habit than anything else.
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Legion Tracker:
(I did pick up the Peter Panzerfaust trade last week which I ordered back when. Now that is a good one.)

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Yes! Glad you liked it! I told ya it was awesome!
 

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Posted by Blockade Boy on :
 
I also ordered it but only got through the first few pages before setting it aside. I'll give it another chance when time frees.
 

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Posted by lowercase mllash on :
 
I'm proud of Lardy for cutting his ties to books that feel like obligations. You've concinved me to go ahead and dump SUPERMAN and SUICIDE SQUAD.

Of course, I am still enjoying AQUAMAN, STORMWATCH, EARTH 2, WORLDS' FINEST, FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE, TEEN TITANS, JL, LLOST and LSH so I'm not out of the DCU by any means. Also, I am giving Marvel a fair shake to win me back to a few books with Marvel-NOW launches.

I'm amazed at how many Image books I'm getting these days too.

Anyhoo, back to Random DCnU reviews:

I really enjoyed HE-MAN & THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE! And since Giffen is coming onboard, I added it to my pull-list.

The LOOKER 1-shot was alright, nothing earth-shattering but I've been a longtime fan of Looker and enjoy her as a vampire
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
Wonder Woman #14
I've been curious about this for a while. I think the new universe of Wonder Woman is a good hook but, I think it would be far better served by Image comics.

The Wonder Woman bathing suit dosn't seem to fit inthis story. I'd say let Wonder Woman be a super hero in JLA and Diana the adventurer in her own book.

UNFORTUNATELY .... this issue was drawn by a fill in artist! With Cliff Chiang doing the cover! argh! I HATE that.

It's very hard to jump into this book, as the cast and story is about Zeus' multitude of characters and children.

Overall, it was ok. I liked the New Olympians.

The book has me curious, especially since the New Gods are being introduced into the new DCU.

I'll probably get the New Gods story arc.


 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
Batwoman #14

so good I tried to look for 13, that I missed, but couldn't find it.

The previous stories all culminate in a grand conspiracy plot. I was turned off at first when Wonder Woman showed up ... it's Batwoman's book ... but actually the interplay between them is well done.


I would give it 5 Superman Xs except ... I feel like ... it is not the most original plot and the plot is a bit convenient. The art and the dialogue are fantastic though. Can't wait for Bats and Wonder Woman to kick some butt against overwhelming odds!


 

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Posted by Jay Kay on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Power Boy:
Wonder Woman #14
I've been curious about this for a while. I think the new universe of Wonder Woman is a good hook but, I think it would be far better served by Image comics.

The Wonder Woman bathing suit dosn't seem to fit inthis story. I'd say let Wonder Woman be a super hero in JLA and Diana the adventurer in her own book.

UNFORTUNATELY .... this issue was drawn by a fill in artist! With Cliff Chiang doing the cover! argh! I HATE that.

It's very hard to jump into this book, as the cast and story is about Zeus' multitude of characters and children.

Overall, it was ok. I liked the New Olympians.

The book has me curious, especially since the New Gods are being introduced into the new DCU.

I'll probably get the New Gods story arc.

---

Funny you should say that, because Glory right now from Image's Extreme line (yes, I know) has some common similarities, but also diverges in different ways (key being that even though she is a warrior, Wonder Woman's heart and capacity for love never waivers, making her the sole rock of the story; whereas Glory is almost just as much of a destructive force than the enemies she's against). I'd definitely check it out, if not for the striking art by Ross Campbell.



And yeah, they've been doing the rotating artists thing with this other artist, Tony Atkins, for a while now. Chaing will do four issues or so, then Atkins will fill in for an issue or two. Chiang will do the next two issues, though.
 

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Posted by Fat Cramer on :
 
Gail Simone off Batgirl. *SIGH* With the attendant articles at the comic book sites, just more evidence that DC is shooting itself in the foot. It saddens me, because DC has some of my favourite characters, their books are becoming unreadable and I really haven't taken to any of the new characters they've introduced.
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 
CBR is doing a poll on bringing back certain DC characters:


Wally West

Donna Troy

Stephanie Brown

Ted Kord

Ralph and Sue Dibny

Aqualad

Majestic

Jackson King

Renee Montoya

Jacob Marlowe


My visceral reaction was "NO, NOOOOO, noooo :whimper: don't bring them back ... don't ruin them ... it won't be good if DC brings them back."
 

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Posted by Power Boy on :
 

quote:

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Originally posted by Power Boy:
CBR is doing a poll on bringing back certain DC characters:


Ralph and Sue Dibny

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Hasn't DC done ENOUGH to these characters???!?!??!?!
 

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Posted by Cobalt Kid on :
 
Any character DC is not using is better off that way.

Sucks about Gail but not a surprise. I personally hope Batgirl becomes a sales failure because in my old age I'm becoming more and more jaded.
 

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Posted by Pov on :
 
I loved Oracle. The ONLY thing that got me reading the New52 Batgirl was Gail. I went back to this month's DCBS order and removed it.
 

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Posted by Jay Kay on :
 
It sucks, but I think Gail did a really good job at recreating Barbara Gordon for a modern audience while still keeping to her spirit. Gail's Batgirl is, for me, the best take on the character that I've read in YEARS, and I think she established a good template on how to approach her in the future.

I've heard some good things about the guy doing the guest arc (maybe picking up as full-time writer?), Ray Fawkes, so I might give that first issue a fair shot.
 

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