I haven't read as many of DC's New 52 as I'd like. At the current price of comics, it becomes almost impossible. But what I have read, I've (mostly) loved. Here are some mostly random, unstructured thoughts on a few of the books on my pull list.
To recap - the DC Universe has been rebooted (mostly). All issues started over at number 1. The idea is to provide as clean and fresh a beginning as possible to be accessible to new readers, without alienating the older readers. Lapsed comics reader? Been interested from afar but too scared of the C word (continuity)? There's never been a better time to try DC comics.
Justice League #1 - Surprisingly one of the few that didn't work particularly well for me. Not that it was bad, far from, but I expected a Justice League book, not part 1 of 6 on how the Justice League first got together, featuring Batman and Green Lantern. I think they could have done more in the space alloted. A big pitch behind the relaunch/redux/not-a-reboot/rejiggering was that books, even those part of a larger story, would be more complete single issues. JL #1 really didn't feel like that: structure wise it felt like the same 'writing for the trade' pattern that's been abused for years now. Sorry, Geoff Johns, I still love your work, this one just fell short for me.
Action #1 - Superman when he first comes to Metropolis! I was a little worried about some of the things I'd heard about the young Superman portrayed in the book. But it was a fun issue - this is the kind of Grant Morrison story that I love. Issue #2 was also fantastic, though I was disappointed Rags already needed a break giving us a fillin from the always brilliant Brent Anderson.
Superman #1 - I was a little saddened by the destruction of the old Daily Planet building, but it provided a metatextual touchstone that resonates. This story said it all about Superman in the DCnU; you know this Superman, but everything is new, modern, and relevant.
Batman #1 - I really think this was the single best Batman issue I've read in a long time. It's my firsteposure to Scott Snyder, but the strength of this issue has me interested in picking up his recent Detective run.
Batgirl #1 - My biggest concern here was that, even with Gail Simone writing, we'd get a Barbara that didn't feel like Barbara Gordon anymore. I worried she'd just be entirely someone new. But I should have trusted in Simone, because this basically the Barbara she's been writing so well for so many years, just maybe without all the baggage. This should be well liked by old fans of Barbara's time as Oracle in the old universe, and still be easily readable by new ans as well.
Firestorm #1 - Firestorm probably represents the biggest change to DC continuity of any of the books I've read so far. This truly is a reboot and issue number one gives us the new origin. Ronnie and Jason are both in High School together, neither have been Firestorm before, and the dangling plotline from Brightest Day is nowhere to be seen, making a good third of that series a bit of a waste, since the Firestorm thread was little more than setup for something to come later. Well, it's later, and everything is changed. It's also not clear if this is all in the past a la Justice League and Action. Regardless, it's a beautiful book, competently written, and I look forward to reading more.
Green Lantern #1 - Picks up where it left off from War of the Green Lanterns: Aftermath, and as such may be a little confusing to new readers. But it's good, and anyone interested shouldn't stop here. Sinestro is a GL again, apparently against his will, and Hal is still ousted from the Corps. Nothing bad to say about it, but it does feel a little jarring that so much has changed around the DCnU, much is the same here.
Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 - Likely the most disappointing story of all. It leads with a too-long recap of how Kyle Rayner became a GL, followed by a fairly short story about members of the various power ring corps begin decommissioned and their ring inexplicably being drawn to Kyle. And that's it. This issue was all beginning, with too much space devoted to prologue.
Red Lanterns #1 #2 - I've generally loved Peter Milligan's work over the years. But I get the feeling he's still searching for what to do with this book, even after the second issue. I hope he finds it,and I hope it's got that trademark Milligan weirdness in it, because I think the Red Lanterns are ripe for that sort of treatment.
Aquaman #1 - A lot has been made about Johns' going on about what a joke Aquaman is, but these people have it all wrong. Johns isn't making the jokes, he's confronting the jokes head-on. He's been the butt of jokes for years in the larger media world, and it's obvious Johns is tired of it. He's out to show the world why Aquaman is a great character, and I think he's off to a fantastic beginning. Also Ivan Reis continues to prove why he's a superstar.
Animal Man #1, #2 - I swear it's like I'm reading the Animal Man from the 90's again... and this time I mean that in the best way possible. Travel Forman's art is going to prove difficult for some readers but it provides that eerie unsettled feeling that Lemire's story demands. I like where this is going. Could well rival Morrison and Milligan's runs.
Teen Titans #1 - We pretty much got what I expected to get. Which means soon, for the first time in about twenty years, I will not be reading Teen Titans. Tim Drake seems like mostly the same kid, with a bit of a twist, Cassie, Bart and Connor (barely featured) are entirely different. I feel like the characters have been ruined all over again, and right after we got them mostly fixed again at the end of Final Crisis.
So yeah, that's it. For now. There are some other titles I'm interested in if a few of my current books don't make the cut.
No comments:
Post a Comment