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WEEK 1 RELEASES (INCLUDING JUSTICE LEAGUE LAUNCH TITLE)
I will be updating this each week with the new releases so everything can be discussed here.
Last week DC Comics kicked off its DCnU with the Justice League comic. And this week, 13 new #1s were released. I have my comic shop dealer saving me one copy of each of the #1 issues to have. I've given them all a read through so far. Anyone else get any of these and if so, what were your thoughts? Here is my opinions:
JUSTICE LEAGUE: Not really much going on here except for the Green Lantern and Batman bickering after their meeting one another. Superman comes into play, but that is really left for the second issue. Didn't expect too much since they have to establish a team here and you hardly have anyone introduced fully yet, so I'll have to judge this on a story arc.
ACTION COMICS: This one I actually liked. It is a young Superman, set years before any kind of Justice League or to be quite honest, matured Superman. He is brash, has some flaws, and doesn't seem to be able to fly yet. Yes, there was a time when Superman could only leap over tall buildings and not fly over them. Some people are comparing this Superman to Spider-Man in his demeanor, but just remember everyone, Superman was around years before. This relaunch might take some liberties with how brash they can make Clark only because its more modern times and you can say and do things you just didn't back then.
ANIMAL MAN:: Okay, I will be honest with this one. I loved the story and HATED the art. It was even distracting to me as sometimes faces and expressions were just so odd.
BATGIRL: Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl and they just kind of glaze over the fact that she had been unable to walk after being shot by the Joker. I know this is a new universe and all, and I hope for more of an explanation about all this. We don't even know if she was ever the Oracle in this DCnU, a character I, and many others liked. Also, I was digging Stephanie Brown (the former Spoiler character) in the old DC Universe as Batgirl in the series that just ended, so I hope to see good things here.
BATWING: Hands down, the book of the bunch that suprised me the most. Didn't know much about this character at all, but the story and art were great. Might be grabbing the second issue of this to see where it goes.
DETECTIVE COMICS: I really loved the art and the story was typical Batman. Didn't really even feel like this was part of the DCnU. I do know that apparently the Batman and Green Lantern titles weren't going too far off their previous courses with the DCnU, so you Bat fans should feel right at home with this one.
GREEN ARROW: No real feelings about this one. Seemed like the normal Green Arrow affair.
Hawk and Dove: I liked this tandem when they were in the last incarnation of the Birds of Prey that just ended. This book starts off with some action, but then turns into a bicker fest between Hawk and Dove, and then a cry fest by Hawk. There is some lingering issues between the two heroes and even though the action dropped for the bickering/crying, I might be inclined to see where this goes.
Justice League International: Another team just getting together affair. Saw some similar kind of stories when they built teams in the past. I was looking forward to this because I liked the Justice League Generation Lost series during the Brightest Day arc. I hope to see something come out of this as I do like some of the characters on the team. Only thing is, most of these characters are not what you'd call lead characters and that might not bode well.
Men of War: I liked the color palette of this book. Very gray and rough. Makes perfect sense with this being a book about soldiers going into battle. If you like war books, this might be a good pick up. I may or may not grab this second issue only because I have enough comics on my subscription. But it wasn't at all bad.
O.M.A.C.: Easily the weakest book of the bunch, in my view. It was mostly a non-stop action fight scene with very little to establish what O.M.A.C. is, and who is involved. I will guess that will be established in this first arc, but I don't think I'll be picking up any of the books to find out.
Static Shock: The cover led me to believe this was a DC Kids brand book. It is really cartoony looking. While that is not bad (I loved Amanda Conner's Power Girl), it didn't make me want to dive right in on this. I did give it a read and it wasn't bad. It just didn't grab me either.
Stormwatch: One of the Wildstorm inclusions into the DCnU, I wasn't exactly running to the store to grab this. I must say, however, it was kind of neat. Very cosmic and they have the Martian Manhunter on the team. Might be grabbing the second one of these to see where they're going. I just don't know much about these characters as I didn't read previous Stormwatch titles.
Swamp Thing: Mostly talking heads. And apparently this ties in to the events of Brightest Day. I didn't read all those, so I can't comment as to what that would be. My friend, who did, said it has to do with the Swamp Thing entity being seperated from the human entity and people needing them to be reunited.
[ September 30, 2011, 09:58 PM: Message edited by: Patrick ]
I actually liked this week's comics better than last week's. A friend of mine collecting each of the #1's agreed with me too. Here is my thoughts on each:
Batman & Robin: I never really collected any Batman titles in the past, but I have always liked the character. As for Robin, I think the total opposite. Sorry, never bought into some preteen or teenage sidekick kicking ass and taking names later that didn't have some kind of super powers (ex. Supergirl). That being said, I didn't hate this book. Thought the story was a typical Batman story, but Robin did do a lot of bitching.
Batwoman: Finally! The zero issue came out back in January of 2011. I guess they knew they were doing the reboot and held back. If you like the Bat Universe, do yourself a favor and get this book. While you're at it, get the Detective Comics run which featured her story arc from about a year ago. The art and story in both are top notch.
Deathstroke: Never knew much about this guy, but comic people have always told me that Deadpool is a direct rip off of this guy. I can see why, minus the humor. Deathstroke is no nonsense and was just that in this book. Not a bad start, but again, I'm no Deathstroke expert to compare it to what everyone is used to.
Demon Knights: To be honest, didn't care much for this. I have seen the Demon pop up in some cartoons and in a comic or two. He never did much for me then and this book, based in a dungeons and dragons era, didn't either.
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E.: Was kind of looking forward to this book as I thought it would be something to break up the whole superhero reading. When I first opened the book, the art wasn't doing much for me. As I read through it, it wasn't bothering me as much. This kind of reminds me of a Hellboy with characters who resemble classic horror icons like vampires, mummies and werewolves. Might have some potential, but there was a lot crammed into the book and it left me wondering about a lot of things. Not in story, but in backstory.
Green Lantern: After reading the War of the Green Lanterns event just before the New 52 launch (recommended by a friend), I was looking forward to this. This is one of the books that doesn't seem to be rebooted. Hal Jordan is out of the Corps and Sinnestro is somehow back with a ring chosing him. Neat start, although not too eventful. Will be looking forward to where they take this, especially with Geoff Johns still on it.
Grifter: One of the Wildstorm characters brought into the DC New Universe (DCnU), this one I read last. I wasn't dreading it, just had no feelings about it at all. Was surprised as the book and flow were pretty good. Don't know anything about this guy, so for you WildC.A.T.s fans out there from the days of Image/Wildstorm, not sure what you might feel.
Legion Lost: I knew nothing about these characters, which made following this book a little hard. That being said, what was going on seemed interesting. I just am clueless as to why they are doing it and what each of the MANY character is about.
Mister Terrific: I wouldn't be surprised to see the NAACP bitching about this book. There are a few lines that sterotype black/white relationships that I am surprised DC allowed. When I mentioned this very thing on the DC Comics forums, they pulled the thread with no explanation. Didn't get a warning or anything, but am guessing they just didn't want to explain it. Was nice to see Karen Starr (who was Power Girl in the old DCU - who is one of my favorite characters) in this book.
Red Lanterns: Wanted to give this a read. Don't know much about them, other than their rings are powered by the emotion of rage. I read that the creator of the Red Lanterns based the character's actions on that of the infected people from the 28 Days/Months Later movies. They spew blood from their mouths and attack those who abuse others. Looking forward to seeing what this team is about.
Resurrection Man: Another character I know nothing about. But this book was quite interesting and I liked the art quite a bit. Not sure if I'll add it to my monthly subscription list, but I'd consider grabbing back issues of it when the stores have their back issue sales. Quite a bit of potential.
Suicide Squad: Was not liking this from the start. They turned one of my favorite (and fun loving) characters into a slutty looking assassain in Harley Quinn. I gave it a read and didn't think too much of it. Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either. And to be honest, still not digging Harley's new look.
Superboy: Never was a fan of Superboy from the 90s and early 2000s. The new Superboy that was ongoing when the DCU gave way to the DCnU seemed to be interesting. This reboot didn't tell us too much yet of what this Superboy's story will be. Kind of liked how the last series explained him, so hopefully they stick to that somewhat. Jury is still out on this though.
Batman: Although I like Batman, I never really got his comics. There is/was just too many of them to collect. Then they pulled the Batman, Inc. stuff and I had no desire. Well, getting all these New 52 books, these Batman titles have really made me think about getting them. I liked this story and the ending made me hurry up and grab the Nightwing book to see if it tied in. And it looks like it did.
Birds of Prey: Liked the last incarnation of the Birds of Prey, but it didn't last long before they pulled this New 52 reboot. This version of the Birds has some new team members and on the front cover is one I was so looking forward to seeing, Poison Ivy. How did a bad chick get into a heroes team? I gotta know. Well, she's on the cover and NOT in the book. Story was an okay set up, but the cover vs. contents annoyed me a little.
Blue Beetle: In comics when another language is spoken it generally appears in English, but between brackets. Sometimes there is an aside box that tells you the language being translated. Well, with the Blue Beetle's character being Hispanic, this book bounces back and forth from Spanish to English and often without transition. I know people sometimes speak this way, but I found it totally killed my reading pace to read through words I didn't understand.
Captain Atom: I liked the art and the story was a typical hero saves the day sorta gig with some sacrafice. If you're a Captain Atom fan, this might be your thing. Not sure I'd pick this up, however, unless I was getting some cheap back issue deals later down the road.
Catwoman: Easily my favorite book of the week. The art was amazing, the action well paced, and heck, there is even a Bat/Cat sex scene.
DC Universe Presents (Deadman): I believe this book will change what character(s) is focuses on every few issues. It starts with Deadman and reminds me of a mystical version of Quantum Leap. Neat premise, but not sure I'll be grabbing this one unless during a back issue sale.
Green Lantern Corps: Focuses mostly on Guy Gardener (who gave a shout out to the Ravens and Orioles in the book) and John Stewart. After reading the War of the Green Lantern event prior to the New 52, I was interested in getting this. Book started out with some action, but slowed down with some "back on Earth" sorta stuff. Wasn't bad and I'll probably be keeping all the Green Lantern titles for a bit to see where it's all going.
Legion of Super Heroes: Don't know the characters and when you introduce about 12 of them to me in a book, I have no idea what is going on. This book is tied into the Legion Lost title from last week too, which also had about a half dozen other characters too. A fan of this title in the past might like it, but it was too much to even try to fathom for me.
Nightwing: Grabbed this as soon as I finished up with Batman. This book tied in by the ending, but neither book explained what was going on. Both left me wanting to know what's going on and I think I just might have to grab the next few issues of both to see. Never was a fan of the Robins or Nightwing, to be honest, but this one just might have gotten me to like Nightwing. The Robins however...
Red Hood and the Outlaws: Liked the art and man is Starfire slutty in this one. LOL... Might grab some back issues of this one if I can catch a sale too. Liked it a little, but didn't have me wanting to hurry up and add it to my subscription list.
Supergirl: I was quite let down by this book. Perhaps that is because I enjoyed its last volume quite a bit. I'll give it some time to grow on me, but this new outfit doesn't do it for me and the entire issue was pretty much her punching stuff.
Wonder Woman: After the mess that was issues 600-614 of Wonder Woman before the reboot (the Wonder Woman with the pants), I couldn't wait for this. To be honest, however, this issue wasn't what I needed to make me look forward to a new Wonder Woman issue coming out each month. This is a little darker than normal, but the art is a little cartoonish too, so it almost clashes in my view. I'll give it time. Hell, I read issues 600-614...
The final releases of DC's New 52 was this week. Here are my mini-reviews for all these titles. Haven't seen any replies to this thread, so I hope all this typing was actually helpful to someone. Hell, I wouldn't mind if you want to share what you thought too. Now onto the reviews:
All Star Western: Jonah Hex makes an appearance. Not sure if he'll always be in this title or not. Anyhow, this takes place in 1880s Gotham City and quite a few grandparents and forefathers of the present day Gotham citizens make appearances. Was actually a somewhat good storyline and I just might be inclined to grab some of these during back issue sales to keep up.
Aquaman: This book introduces, albeit briefly, some bad, bad things from a deep trench in the ocean's floor. The rest of the book features Aquaman being ridiculed by the public as a tongue in cheek poke at what fans have said about him all these years. I feel like this book might get a bit darker real fast, but this first book only hints at it. Might be worth checking out future issues on this one.
Batman - The Dark Knight: It's dark, inmates are breaking out of Arkham and someone is "on" to Bruce Wayne's involvement with Batman. Yeah, it's typical Batman. LOL
Blackhawks: Wanted to check this one out as the last Birds of Prey series before the New 52 reboot featured one of the Blackhawks. Well, this title was almost like a war title meets some sci-fi, almost X-Files and Battlestar Galactica in tone (not content). Not sure I'd get this title unless I can find the issues cheap at a sale.
Flash: I never read the Flash before. Most of Flash dealings have been of the Justice League Animated Series. This book was a little more series and science related, but didn't do too much for me. A friend of mine who is a Flash fan when it comes to the actual comics said it didn't do anything for him either. So I can't really recommend this either way.
Fury of Firestorm: Had a high school/teen vibe. Lots of bickering between the characters that just felt a little too childish for my likings. It wasn't that I felt the book was simple in any way. I just feel that this book was geared to appeal to a younger crowd.
Green Lantern New Guardians: One of the books I was most looking forward to, even though I rarely ever read much in the way of Green Lantern material in the past. Just the premise of all the different color rings in one book makes for some neat possibilities. This first book throws Kyle Rayner into the fray with representatives from all the other colors of rings coming after him. Like to see where this one goes.
I, Vampire: I was SO glad to read this and not find a Twilight book. It looks to be closer to 30 Days of Night when it comes to the type of vampires you'll be seeing. I, however, don't really dig the "vampire thing" like some people, so this book, while not bad, just isn't something I'd pick up.
Justice League Dark: This might be my favorite book of the entire New 52. It looks to be the forming of an all magic/mystic based Justice League team. There isn't an official team construction in the first book, but parts are coming together and the storyline is much darker than your typical Justice League fanfare.
Savage Hawkman: Artwork was unique as it reminded me more of paintings than your typical comic art. Story was okay, but this character never really tickled my fancy much unless he was part of a team. Still feel the same way.
Superman: Kinda wordy, but seemed to be your typical Superman story minus Clark and Lois being together. The storyline is obviously set a few years after Action Comics #1. Not really digging this armored Superman costume though.
Teen Titans: Didn't introduce much of a team yet, but relies on Red Robin and Wonder Girl to set the stage for others to join. Kid Flash and Superboy make appearances and I am sure will be team members eventually.
Voodoo: A sexy and graphic comic that I an only describe as: Mystique meets aliens meets spying meets the local strip joint. A neat read because I knew nothing of this character and might just have to see where it goes.
I haven't picked up any of the new titles yet. I was waiting to read some reviews first, so this is super helpful. I hope you don't mind if I ask you some questions.
Animal Man: I've read really good things about this one, but the art is THAT bad? Sad, because I was definitely going to pick this up. Bad art ruins it for me.
Mister Terrific: I heard this one was awful. Can you give an example of a racially stereotypical line? I'm curious now
Suicide Squad: Harley has a NEW look? Hm. I'm going to check it out probably just for that. Harley is one of my favorite characters.
BOP: Thanks for the heads-up about Ivy. How is she not in the book?!
Batman: Hahah, I love your description. Gotta say I'll be picking it up because I dig (+ collect) Arkham related stories.
JLD: Probably going to pick up on your recommendation.
Voodoo: Same as above.
Once I get into the shop and read I'll post my reviews. Again, thanks for the info! I hope you do #2s, etc.
Posts: 73 | Registered: Jul 2011
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While I don't want you to solely (ha ha, sole) base your picks off what I said, I thought some simple reviews might assist anyone looking to get some of these books. Quite a few of these have already made it to second and third printings too, so people are getting them.
As for Animal Man, this book has gotten nothing but great reviews. The story isn't at all bad. I just didn't care for the art one bit. Here is a link to the art. You can judge for yourself.
As for Mr. Terrific, there is a line at the start of the book where he tells people they were saved by the third smartest man on the planet. The people ask who first and second is. He replies a simple thank you black guy would have been a better response. And then at the end of the book a black woman states that she's not jealous of Karen Starr (who is Mr. Terrific's date to a gala) because she's a beautiful white girl. She says she can deal with that if she's a model or something. What she says she can't compete with is a rich white woman, pretty much. She also claims that she, or maybe black women as a whole, are raised to deal with competing against whites pretty much.
If you want some extra opinions on the books that came out, I really like what Comic Vine has done (although they don't seem to have all the reviews up as I did not come across one for Supergirl).
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