The New DC 52 Recap Edition

Well, the first month of the New 52 is finally over, so here is a general rundown of what I’ve seen, having read all 52 issues! Below you’ll find a breakdown of all the grades I’ve doled out over the reviews of all these titles. These grades are exactly what I graded them at when I first reviewed the title, although some should be adjusted based on arguments I’ve heard that have swayed me, so keep an eye out for notes stating that. I want to preserve my original feelings in case my first instincts turn out to be right after all once the books develop a bit.

Overall, I certainly feel the entire event was a success, both from a fan standpoint and also from my limited knowledge on sales. Every issue has gone into a second printing, and hardly any can be bought off the stands here in Hawaii at this point, so if you missed out, thank god for second printings!

The first topic up is character and continuity changes. Most of the character changes that did occur were handled well, but I’m frankly very surprised at how few properties actually underwent much change at all. Nearly 29% of the new books fell into either the Batman or Green Lantern families of titles, neither of which underwent any real noticeable change. In direct counter to that, however, all four Superman family titles changed drastically, discarding large amounts of backstory. I’m not saying that this is all bad, but for Big Blue at least, this is going to take some getting used to. Firestorm, Hawkman and Green Arrow are the characters that seem to be most affected by the re-launch (besides the Superman family) and they were all just slightly above average books, if that (Note: After further review, I think I’d move all three titles down to the C/C+ range). Teen Titans is going to be very interesting to watch develop, as it too has dumped most (if not all) of the backstory, but not necessarily to any sort of detriment so far.

Next up, let’s talk about team books and a minor pet peeve of mine that I didn’t know I had until this event. There were thirteen team books (discounting the Green Lantern titles), and of these, less than half actually managed to assemble the entire team in the first issue, much less introduce all the characters. I’ve said during the reviews, but I’ll say it one more time here: if a character isn’t going to be in the book, don’t put them on the cover. It’s frustrating, particularly for a new title. I understand the desire to create an iconic cover, but I still don’t even know who all the members of the Teen Titans are. I know what they all look like, but don’t have all the names. Are they new characters or new takes on old characters? Time will tell eventually, but for now, some of these left me slightly annoyed

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this way, but damn were there a lot of surprises with these issues, both good and bad. Demon Knights, Resurrection Man, Batwing and DC Comics Presents weren’t even on my radar and all turned out to be outstand books (Note: I think I rated Batwing too high, and should move it down to A-/B+ territory; the characters damn well better look good, since the artist doesn’t draw backgrounds! On that topic, Animal Man should move up in the rankings to the A-/A range; the art has grown on me). On the flipside of the coin, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, Superman, Frankenstein, Grifter and Stormwatch came out much poorer than I had expected (Note: Arguments I’ve heard for Superman have convinced me to move it up a bit into the B grouping). It just goes to show how hard success can be to predict.

Finally, let’s talk about Wildstorm for a moment. I am a very big latter day Wildstorm fan. Pretty much everything from Stormwatch #37 forward really captured my attention. The early days of Wildstorm under Image I tend to not be quite as familiar with, which is why I can’t seem to remember much about Voodoo’s old backstory (Note: Voodoo should be up in the B-/B range after reading it again). With all that in mind, I was incredibly excited about the idea of folding the Wildstorm Universe into the regular DC Universe. Boy was I let down, and let down hard. Voodoo was by far the most successful of the three, and from reading solicits for upcoming issues, it sounds like it is on track to turn into a huge success. Grifter, on the other hand, fell flat on its face. Neither of these came even close to the cellar dwelling Stormwatch, however, and that is the most painful thing I have written during the course of these reviews. I love these characters and I love this concept, but somehow it is being butchered before my eyes, suffering from poor plot development and awful art. I don’t have much in the line of hope for this to improve all that much, but I’ll ride it out for now and keep you all updated (Note: Hawk and Dove's writing really isn't all that bad. I could move it up to a D+/C- range, but that's as far as it goes; I hate Rob Liefeld and the art really colors how I read this book).

That being said, I hope you all enjoyed these reviews and I know that some of you (looking at you, Job!) have even gone out and bought books you wouldn’t have normally picked up because of these. As the first story arcs on some of the titles finish, I’ll put out some updates and see where the books stand (figure around six months from now) and will do periodic reviews of books as events catch my eye. Until next time…

Overall Grade: B+.

A+: Aquaman; Batman; Demon Knights; Resurrection Man; Batwing

A: All-Star Western; The Flash; Catwoman; DC Comics Presents; Wonder Woman; Batwoman; Superboy; Swamp Thing; Batgirl; Action Comics

A-: Justice League Dark; Teen Titans; Legion of Super-Heroes

B+: Birds of Prey; Red Hood and the Outlaws; Green Lantern; Mister Terrific; OMAC; Men of War; Animal Man

B: Green Lantern: The New Guardians; Blue Beetle; Green Lantern Corps; Red Lanterns; Justice League International; Justice League

B-: The Fury of Firestorm; The Savage Hawkman; Nightwing; Batman and Robin; Legion Lost; Suicide Squad; Green Arrow

C+: Superman; Deathstroke

C: Voodoo; Supergirl; Detective Comics

C-: I, Vampire; Static Shock

D+: Grifter

D: Stormwatch

D-: Blackhawks; Captain Atom; Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

F: Batman: The Dark Knight; Hawk and Dove

The New DC 52 - Week 4

FINALLY DONE!!! This has turned out to be much more work than I realized, so hopefully somebody out there enjoys these.

All-Star Western #1

Creative team: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Grey (co-writers) and Moritat (pencils)

Story so far: My only complaint about this book is that it is called All-Star Western and it takes place in Gotham City, which is supposed to be on the East Coast. That being said, I love it when these two write together, and never more than on Jonah Hex. This story spins out of Scott Snyder’s Gates of Gotham mini-series from pre-reboot continuity seamlessly. Jonah teams with Doctor Amadeus Arkham to solve a series of murders in Gotham City in a unique Holmes/Watson take on the characters. I imagine after the first story arc we’ll see Jonah back west in a more traditional series, but this setting works oddly well for the character. Grade: A+

Art: Moritat’s art is a perfect complement to the story here. There is a dark and gritty aspect to the title, much in line with the previous Hex solo series. The only complaint here is that the colors are fairly monotone, but it was clearly an attempt to convey an old-time feel, and I can respect that even if it doesn’t hit me in the sweet spot. Grade: A-.

Overall Grade: A. This book will probably be a hard sell for many fans of more conventional comic books, but it is worth a gamble. It will be very interesting to see if this only focuses on Jonah Hex or features solo stories from other western style DC characters in the future.

Aquaman #1

Creative team: Geoff Johns (story) and Ivan Reis (pencils)

Story so far: Aquaman has long been the joke of the Justice League. This may finally be the book that changes all that. There are several scenes in this book that are so well put together I wanted to “slap my momma” as my wife’s Pawpaw says. The first sequence with the King of the Seas shows him busting up a robbery in pure superhero fashion. Here the reader is shown a wide range of abilities from the Big Tuna, including super strength, the ability to leap tall buildings and near bullet-proofing. These are often downplayed aspects of Aquaman’s abilities, but make complete sense if you think about it. If he can withstand the pressures of swimming at the ocean floor, shouldn’t all of this be a no-brainer? After an all-business Arthur Curry saves the day, though, the real fun begins. The cops lament at being upstaged by Aquaman. AC goes to a seafood restaurant he used to go to with his father and endures all the awkwardness of the questions about talking to fish (which is explained in a scene that is sure to have you giggling to yourself). Finally, an uppity blogger (I hate those guys… all full of their self-important opinions!) conducts an interview with our intrepid hero, concluding with the questions “How’s it feel to be a punchline? How’s it feel to be a laughing stock? How’s it feel to be nobody’s favorite super-hero?” There is a lot more to the story in this issue, but you’re going to have to go read it for yourself. There is something about some new threat to the surface world in here, but the real story is Aquaman himself. And it’s a story worth reading. Grade: A+.

Art: With Ivan Reis doing the pencils, we have a legitimate superstar paring on this book, as unlikely as it would seem. Reis is at his finest, so that should speak for itself. If you aren’t familiar with Reis’s work, I feel sorry for you. Check it out. One specific note; Aurthur’s trident (pen-dent?) looks freaking cool. Grade: A+

Overall Grade: A+. Scoff if you will, but this is one of the best books of the bunch. I doubt many people, if any, will not agree.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

Creative team: David Finch and Paul Jenkins (co-writers) and David Finch (pencils)

Story so far: One-Face? The big reveal at the end of this issue is a hulked out Two-Face proclaiming himself One-Face? Sorry for the “spoiler” here, but I’m doing this for your own good. I love Batman. He’s one of my favorite DC characters. I do not need to read four books featuring Bruce Wayne as Batman, and this is most certainly the loser of the bunch. Add in the fact that Finch is writing as well as drawing, and the added risk that because of this it will have a hard time coming out on schedule, and there is nothing appealing to me about this title. Grade: F.

Art: If you like Finch’s art, be aware that this is far from his best work. If you don’t like his art (and I’m not a big fan) this could be a very painful read for you. Again, because he is pulling double duty, the quality of both aspects seems to have suffered quite a bit. Grade: D-.

Overall Grade: F. I’ll have to go back and check all my other reviews, but this is currently my front runner for least favorite book of the reboot, and that includes a title drawn by Rob Liefeld. This was a huge disappointment, and I recommend just letting it sit on the shelf.

Blackhawks #1

Creative team: Mike Costa (story) and Graham Nolan (pencils)

Story so far: This book was going to be a hard sell from the start, and fails in execution writing-wise on many levels. First off, there are too many new characters for this ensemble cast, with little to no exposition as to who they are and why I should care. They are all members of yet another U.N. team known as the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks mission is… wait. They never said. I don’t know what the point of this book is, which is a fatal flaw when trying to draw readers in without a marquee character. The storytelling feels formulaic of a Hollywood action movie. You know the kind; where there are lots of explosions, some sexy chemistry and no plot. In an effort to explain the group and introduce the characters, there is some suit representing funding for the program being given a tour of the mountain headquarters. Oddly, he doesn’t seem to know anything about the team he is fronting money for. This was sloppy storytelling at its absolute worst. Grade: F.

Art: The art here was mostly not terrible, but very inconsistent. I take serious issue with a covert operation that puts its logo on its helicopter, but not nearly as much issue as the unrealistic zoom function on the smart phone that snatched a photo of it. Sometimes artists just don’t seem to think things through (see Cafu on Grifter) and that makes the story suffer because of it, which this story could not afford. Grade: C-.

Overall Grade: D-. Not the worst book I’ve read from the batch (or even from this week) but definitely close to the bottom. I’ll ride out the first arc, but I can’t see them doing anything amazing that would get me to stick with this book.

The Flash #1

Creative team: Francis Manapul (co-writer and art) and Brian Buccellato (co-writer and colors)

Story so far: There are some major changes in Barry Allen’s life here in the first issue. First off, he is dating Patty Spivot, a character introduced in the most recent Flash series (pre-reboot) and expanded on during Flashpoint’s Kid Flash Lost mini-series. This means Barry is not married to Iris West, which throws the entire Flash family into question. Does Wally West exist? Is he Kid Flash, rather than Bart Allen, Barry and Iris’ grandson from the future? Where does Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash fit into the picture? The actual character traits of Barry have carried over, but into a whole new version of his life. The flashback scenes with Barry’s childhood friend have an almost moralistic feel to them, and will clearly be a driving point in the storytelling here. This was a fun read, and is one of the only books I’ve re-read several times, not because I forgot what happened, but because I just can’t wait for #2! Grade: A+.

Art: Manapul is one of a handful of writer/artists DC is using right now (also Tony Daniel and David Finch). He is unique in that he is the only one that doesn’t let one aspect suffer for the other. The art, and particularly the layouts in this book are nothing short of wonderful. The scene depicting Flash falling from the top of the building, using a cyclone blast to throw the bad guy through the window to break his fall, and then vibrating through the street was a marvel in time lapse art, only rivaled by the page where Barry is at home and working on all aspects of his case in the blink of an eye. The only complaint here is that the colors seem very muted, which is clearly a conscious effort that isn’t working for me. It almost has a water color look to it, like everything is washed out. I may get used to it, or if they hear enough about it, maybe the colorist will just adjust mid-title. Either way, this is certainly not even close to a fatal flaw. Grade: A-.

Overall Grade: A. Maybe it’s just me, but DC certainly seems to have some favorite heroes with this reboot, and Flash is among them, based on the teams they put together for some of the re-launch titles. This book was fantastic, and along with Aquaman and Batman, a must read for comic fans.

The Fury of Firestorm #1

Creative team: Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone (co-writers) and Yildiray Cinar (pencils)

Story so far: Forget everything you know about Firestorm from the pre-reboot continuity. This is an entirely new story, and only the names have been kept to endanger the innocents. I have very mixed feelings on this book. This is a sort of origin story, but one that clearly has large amounts of backstory to it already. Professor Stein is already dead and Ronnie and Jason (both Firestorms in the pre-reboot books, and eventually Firestorm together) have just met. Ronnie appears to already have knowledge of Firestorm, which is a little confusing. Also, there appears to be several other Firestorms out there that perhaps combine to create this villain known as Fury? Whoever these bad guys are trying to get their hands on the Firestorm matrix seem over-the-top Bond villain-esque and the interactions between Ronnie and Jason seem destined for a CW television series. I’m not sure yet how this will play out, but I’m along for the ride… for now. Grade: C.

Art: The art is pretty solid, but a huge letdown after I realized Van Sciver was writing, not drawing. I’m trying really hard not to hold this against Cinar, because his work is pretty good, just not Van Sciver great, which would have gone a long way towards helping this book have a better feel to it. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B-. I’m giving this book the benefit of the doubt for now because of my respect for Van Sciver and Simone, but something tells me eventually I’ll find myself demanding EVS return to art duties and Simone return to writing female characters.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1

Creative team: Tony Bedard (story) and Tyler Kirkham (pencils)

Story so far: Kyle is the last of the four Earth Green Lanterns (or three now, while Hal is still out of the Corps) to make an appearance in the New 52. This felt like the most new-reader-friendly of the GL books, but as with the other three titles, it picks up directly after the events of the Green Lantern War. The reader is treated to brief origin story for Mr. Rayner here. Sadly, the writers and editors forgot to put a caption marking these as past events, which was very confusing at first. The driving force behind this plot is that rings from all the other colored Corps have abandoned their owners and fled for Earth to Kyle for an as yet unknown reason. The story is interesting so far, and I’m looking forward to some of the lesser exposed corps getting some face time with the readers. Grade: B.

Art: The art here was pretty good, with the exception of Kyle’s hair. It kept changing from panel to panel, and nobody outside manga has hair like that. It just looked out of place. The pinup of Fatality was very well drawn, but the Red Lantern who lost his ring looked terrible. Other than a few inconsistencies, however, the general style definitely appealed to me. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B. This was an above average book all around, but certainly not a home run like some of the other titles this month. I’m a big GL fan, so I’ll of course be sticking with it, but if you aren’t a GL fan, this is probably the title to pass on, for now at least.

I, Vampire #1

Creative team: Joshua Hale Fialkov (story) and Andrea Sorrentino (pencils)

Story so far: Since this series has no precedent sent, I’m turning towards my beautiful wife for an expert opinion on trashy vampire lore to help guide me through this review. “I don’t understand what the fuck is happening. Is that good enough? I don’t care about the characters, and I don’t know what’s happening.” She goes on to say that the shape-shifting concept is cool and probably easier to do in comics than in text or movies, but because it isn’t a normal vampire ability, it should have been explained better. Grade: F.

Art: She seems to have liked the art better than I did, although I didn’t have much of a problem with it; it just didn’t strike as a home run. She compared it with Sandman art, which upon further reflection is a very fitting comparison. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: C-. “I would be willing to read two more until the story started to make sense to me, just like I would watch another American Horror Story.” So feel free to give it a chance, folks, but beware that this will not be a universally accepted book and may require a bit of patience.

Justice League Dark #1

Creative team: Peter Milligan (writing) and Mikel Janin (pencils)

Story so far: While this book had a much more distinct Milligan feel to the writing than Red Lanterns did, it officially marks the second time this month his story actually made sense to me, which brings him to a total of two sense making books in my lifetime! The introductions to the characters could have perhaps been handled better for the new readers’ sake, but I have a feeling that will come with time. So far we have Shade, the Changing Man (a Milligan staple), Madame Xanadu, Zatanna, Deadman, June Moone and the Enchantress in this book. Most of these are not characters most readers have really been exposed to and will require some backstory (even I’m not clear on June Moone’s story), but the overall idea of situations that the Justice League isn’t prepared to deal with is intriguing. We get cameos by Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg and Batman here; helping to draw a distinct link to the League and why a team needs to be assembled as Superman gets his butt kicked my magical teeth courtesy of the Enchantress. There are a lot of stories that can be told regarding this ragtag group of characters, and I look forward to reading more of this. Grade: A.

Art: There is no way to say this and have it not sound strange: the art on this book is clean and beautiful, and that is probably its biggest flaw. I can’t really bring myself to complain about a dark, Vertigo-esque book with good art, but something about it just doesn’t quite feel right. I do have a distinct feeling that as I read more of this series, my eyes will adjust and it will work out just fine in the end. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: A-. Despite the art not seeming to fit the writing, the book was very enjoyable, and long-time Vertigo fans can rejoice in this title. This book could be a bit esoteric for the average fan, so buyer beware, but maybe consider giving it a shot. You may discover a whole new world of comics to read!

The Savage Hawkman #1

Creative team: Tony Daniel (story) and Philip Tan (pencils)

Story so far: This story starts with Carter Hall, the Hawkman, attempting to turn his back on super-heroics by burning his Nth metal wings (which should have been explained better) and instead catching fire himself and later waking up in his apartment, miraculously alive. Part of the appeal of this character has always been his attitude, which appears to be stripped of the character in this incarnation, at least for now. The aspect of Hall as an archeologist seems to be more important here than in recent years, which I think is a turn for the better for the character in general, but there feels like something is lacking so far. I have a gut feeling that all of this story is just a step on the road to recovery for our favored Justice League rabble-rouser, however, so I’m willing to show some patience here. Having the wings and armor be imbedded in his body for mental recall is an interest gimmick. Grade: B+.

Art: I was a little let down by Tan’s art. I seem to remember loving his work on Uncanny X-Men several years ago, but this had a strangely vague and muddy look to it. The two-page title spread with fire engulfing Hall was really pretty, but the rest of the art felt lacking to me. Grade: C.

Overall Grade: B-. Patience is going to be a must for this book, so if you are lacking in that department, I don’t think it will be the book for you. This really felt more like a preview of the series than a first issue. That isn’t to say it won’t be a good series when it arrives, but it’s running a little slow right now.

Superman #1

Creative team: George Perez (story and cover) and Jesus Merino (pencils)

Story so far: I’ll say right up front that I am not comfortable with the new treatment of Superman yet. I am even less comfortable with his supporting cast. I have great respect for Perez and will certainly stick this out for a bit and see if it grows on me, but so far this is one reboot that isn’t working for me. I got the same uncomfortable feeling seeing Lois opening a door while her boyfriend (not Clark) appears half-naked behind her that one gets when they see an ex with somebody else, and in that regard I suppose mission accomplished with the writing. However, I don’t come to Superman books to be made uncomfortable. I feel like reading Superman titles should be an uplifting experience full of hope and awe. All I saw here was a clumsy and overconfident “hero” screwing up a lot of things in a short amount of time. Clark using an exclusive Superman interview to get on the front page of the Planet also felt… wrong. The only way I can think to sum up this whole book was that it just felt wrong. But maybe that’s ok. It’s a new day for DC, and clearly a new day for Superman. Grade: C-.

Art: The art here was actually pretty good, but not good enough to make me stop wondering how much better it would have been if Perez had done the art instead of the story. Merino is clearly influenced by Perez’s work, and was likely handpicked because of that. Unfortunately, no amount of good art is going to overcome the pitfalls of this weak story. Grade: B-

Overall Grade: C+. For a re-launch of a flagship title like Superman, I expected more from DC. I imagine that Perez was given a title to write because he asked, but Dan DiDio didn’t execute very good judgment by saying yes. As much as I like Perez and all the wonderful contributions he has made to the DC universe over the years, this was a failure despite being an okay book. This book needed to be great.

Teen Titans #1

Creative team: Scott Lobdell (story) and Brett Booth (pencils)

Story so far: This isn’t the first time I’ve had this complaint, but this is the most grievous. Don’t put a character on the cover if you aren’t going to put them in the book! This book featured Wonder Girl (but don’t call her that!), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Kid Flash. The cover also had Superboy, Ravager (Grant Wilson), a dark, cloud-like character that might be Raven and a spider-looking character who were not featured except on monitors Tim was looking at and the final splash page (for Superboy). Clearly this first arc will be how the team comes together, which appears to be prompted by an organization hunting down young people with powers and abilities, which I think takes away from the original concept of sidekicks banding together. Also, this book appears to be tying in directly to the solo Superboy book, which is also written by Lobdell. The writing was good, but it just left me with too many questions for a first issue. I like most of these characters, though, so I want more, which is a good sign. And Lobdell is almost always a pleasure to read. Grade: B-.

Art: Brett Booth delivers some of his best art to date on this book, which is gorgeous from start to finish. The visuals on the final page for Superboy are amazing, and I really like Wonder Girl’s Donna Troy-like costume. Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A-. This might be a little high, but what can I say? I really like this creative team together, even if they didn’t give me quite enough story here. This might be a book that doesn’t come together until after the first story arc, but I don’t mind the wait all that much as long as it looks like this.

Voodoo #1

Creative team: Ron Marz (story) and Sami Basri (pencils)

Story so far: This is another instance of Wildstorm characters being introduced to the DCU with no actual references to the rest of the DCU (as was the case with Grifter). Here we see Voodoo as the top stripper in a club being stalked by two “agents” (organization unknown so far) who are aware of her being an alien, although not much else. There are some oddly put together sequences where one of the agents hires her for a private dance and begins calling her out rather bluntly, then flat out says if she doesn’t cooperate she’ll end up being dissected. Suffice it to say this doesn’t go well for him. The plot here is fairly thin and predictable, and certainly gives no concrete sense of where this story is headed, with no main story revealed other than Voodoo is an alien spy. There is a distinct mid-90s feel here, where sex appeal outweighs and sort of story content. Grade: D+.

Art: One thing this book certainly has going for it is the art, perhaps to a fault. When Voodoo is shown in her true form (I assume), the art looks a little forced, but otherwise I had no complaints here. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: C. In my opinion, there is nothing more disappointing than a beautifully drawn book with shoddy story-telling. Perhaps as the story develops this book will turn into something great, but right now it’s a Megan Fox: pretty, but ultimately empty.

The New DC 52 - Week 3

Almost done reviewing all 52 new DC titles!! Week 4 will be up in a few minutes. Just waiting for an expert opinion on I, Vampire! Within the next few days, I'll put up a post grading the whole thing, with some easy to view breakdowns of the best and worst of the batch. Enjoy!

Batman #1

Creative team: Scott Snyder (story) and Greg Capullo (pencils); alternate cover by Ethan Van Scriver

Story so far: Amazing. I’m tempted to just to end this review here and let the work speak for itself, but if you’re still reading, I’ll go ahead and expand. Fucking amazing. This is the Batman book that we all deserved. Bruce uses contact lenses linked to the Bat-computer to help identify the players in this series within the context of the story. There are equal parts Batman/Bruce components to the story while integrating the majority of the major players in the Bat-universe, helping to establish context for nearly everybody in the new status quo. The reader gets treated to a murder/mystery in the main storyline that will clearly need the World’s Greatest Detective to be solved, something that seems to have been inconsistently used in Batman books of recent years. I don’t have a single thing to complain about here. Grade: A+.

Art: No, I’m not done gushing about this book yet. Greg Capullo was born to draw Batman. From the two-page Rogues Gallery spread in Arkham to the two-page Batcave spread, Capullo gives the reader every establishing shot of the Bat-universe they could want. Later in the book, Batman is on his way to the crime scene while swinging over the city, giving the reader one of the most iconic shots of Batman since Jim Lee’s Hush storyline. Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A+. If you haven’t picked up on it now, I am in love with this book. Not only is it an amazing Batman comic, but it is an amazing comic book. If there is any one title out of the new 52 that everybody should be reading, it is this one. Compelling storytelling and gorgeous art combine to form a book that any fan of comics can appreciate.

Birds of Prey #1

Creative team: Duane Swierczynski (story) and Jesus Saiz (pencils)

Story so far: This is a drastically different take on Birds of Prey. This team is being put together by Dinah Lance, the Black Canary and according to the cover will feature Katana, Poison Ivy and a new character named Starling (what are her powers or skills? Where is she from? Give us SOMETHING!). Unfortunately, Katana is only referenced during the cameo by Barbara Gordon (looking more and more like she was never Oracle) and Poison Ivy is completely absent. The writing is bad here, but nothing jumped out and caught my eye. There is a distinct lack of setup here, by not establishing why the team exists, who all the members are, or why Dinah is apparently on the lam for being wanted for murder. There’s some potential here, but it needs some more polishing. Grade: B-.

Art: The Birds, at least the two we know so far, are seen fighting guys in some kind of stealth suits. Can anybody explain to me why the bad guys have full body invisibility suits but have completely visible weapons? Why go invisible if I can clearly see where you are by the knife floating in the air? A lot of the art in this book has that same, poorly-thought-out feel. It isn’t bad, per se, just nothing to get excited about. Grade: C+.

Overall Grade: C+. This book is just okay so far. I’m interested enough to at least read through the first arc, but there are a lot of questions that need to be answered for this book to come together.

Blue Beetle #1

Creative team: Tony Bedard (story) and Ig Guara (pencils)

Story so far: Jaime Reyes is the newest incarnation of the Blue Beetle. In the New 52, we have no idea so far if Dan Garrett and Ted Kord were still Blue Beetles, but we can be sure that this is the Jaime show. Bedard does an excellent job fixing the minor problems this book had in its previous incarnation with this first issue. The relationship between the scarab and the alien race known as the Reach is clearly defined in the open sequence, followed by a clear explanation of the Green Lantern Corps stance on scarabs, two things the old series took quite a while getting around to. Beyond this, not much has really changed. This is one of the few instances of a true origin story in the New 52, and while it could be interesting to see Jaime integrated into the rest of the DCU again, I have a feeling that for the most part, this story will just be retread of the old story. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially for new readers. I thoroughly enjoyed the old series, and it looks like this one will live up to my expectations. Grade: B.

Art: The art here is good and also keeps with the status quo of the previous series. There is a cartoon-ready feel to this book that makes me wonder if Guara has a background in animation (add looking that up to my ever-growing “list-of-things-to-do”). Definitely check out the last two pages for some very well drawn origin sequences, giving this scarab a sense of doom the previous one didn’t seem to have. Grade: B+.

Overall Grade: B. As I said, I liked the old Beetle series, and this book is just more of the same. I probably wouldn’t recommend this to established comic readers looking for a new book, but would definitely recommend it to new comic readers, as it was one of the more complete #1s, establishing the characters, the story, the time and the overall place in the DCU very clearly.

Captain Atom #1

Creative team: J.T. Krul (story) and Freddie Williams II (art)

Story so far: Oh yeah. That’s what was missing. A story. Krul has been quite the disappointment in the New 52 so far, especially as much as I enjoyed some of his pre-reboot work (especially his old Green Arrow series). I assume that Captain Atom is still Captain Nathaniel Adam, but I don’t know. In my opinion, that is a SERIOUS fault in the writing. Who is Captain Atom and why do I care that he’s losing control of his powers? This isn’t a Batman or Superman situation, where the character’s status in popular culture renders the need for backstory obsolete. Captain Atom is known to comic fans, but not many outsiders have much of a frame of reference here, and this issue doesn’t cater to them. Also, there appears to be two “stories” going on here, one of which involves a hobo and a mutant rat. I’ll stick this out for the rest of the first story, so keep your eyes peeled for an update six months to a year down the line, but so far, this is just plain no good. Grade: D-.

Art: I usually like Williams’ art style, but he appears to have abandoned the conventional pencils and inks and has gone completely digital for this issue. I think it generally works fine for Cap himself, but doesn’t work for the backgrounds and other characters, which doesn’t work in a book that isn’t just a series of Captain Atom pinups. The regular people fade into the backgrounds without any defining outlines. Trying to figure out what is happening in this art is like trying to see a pattern in a mud puddle. Grade: F

Overall Grade: D-. Well, the story wasn’t very good, but at least the art stunk. The only interesting thing about this book is this loss of control Atom is experiencing, but without knowing what his personality is really like in the new universe, I’m not sure I care. Go fly into the sun, and take this first issue with you.

Catwoman #1

Creative team: Judd Winick (story) and Guillem March (pencils)

Story so far: Brutal, ruthless and sexy, this new take on Selina Kyle is everything I had hoped for it to be. We get to see Catwoman back to her roots after several years of pseudo-do-gooding in Gotham City Sirens, only rather than just stealing property, it appears this Catwoman is also looking to steal some information. I like that Selina’s luck is just as bad as always here, as her apartment is firebombed by some gang (for the second time, apparently!). Oh yeah, and her relationship with Batman has… changed. In an interesting twist, we’re back to her not knowing Batman is Bruce (although he probably has her identity figured out, since he’s the freaking Batman). When Batman confronts her on a rooftop, the two have sex with their costumes mostly on, and it is implied that this is a semi-regular occurrence. Where this is going is still up in the air, but I have a gut feeling we’ll see Selina pregnant again before too long. Grade: A-.

Art: Clearly March was brought in for his skills at drawing ultra-sexy pinups. Mission accomplished here. I was surprised at how well done the violence was in accompaniment to the sex. I doubt there are many books out there I will like March’s style for, but this is definitely a match made in heaven on this title. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: A. A very strong book. I have to admit I’m a little shocked that Winick didn’t make Selina a lesbian, based on how well he writes gay characters, but I’m certainly not upset. Keep this title away from the kiddies, but feel free to jump on this train early, as I’m sure we’re in for a bumpy and enjoyable ride.

DC Universe Presents #1

Creative team: Paul Jenkins (story) and Bernard Chang (pencils)

Story so far: The first character focused on in this anthology series is Deadman, hot off the heels of his resurgence during the Brightest Day storyline last year. In this first issue, the reader is treated to a brief retelling of his origin story, followed by a clear re-establishment of the character, his motivations and his place in the DCU. Some cosmic entity known as Rama explains how his powers work to him for the first time, giving the reader a clear description of how this character operates, and then he goes on to make several connections with minor characters, apparently in an effort to help them overcome various fears and feelings of inadequacy. His final character is a wheelchair-bound soldier who apparently knew Deadman would come if he threatened suicide. To be continued… A very strong start to a book that really could have gone either way. My only complaint was that there was only a main story and no back-up story, which I have come to expect from an anthology series, but this is a minor complain at best. Grade: B+.

Art: Bernard Chang’s pencils are sharp, clean and beautiful. The backgrounds are ultra-detailed except in places where they are completely blank for effect. Everything about this book worked for me. Grade: A

Overall Grade: A. One of the most pleasant surprises of the week, without a doubt. Keep in mind that because this book doesn’t have a dedicated character, it could fall off a cliff at any change in the creative team, but I can’t help but feel it will draw in some top talent and continue to be strong. Also, with only 52 regular titles, this will be an important book for establishing characters not considered strong enough for their own titles, which opens the door for some great takes on classic and reimagined characters.

Green Lantern Corps #1

Creative team: Peter J. Tomasi (story) and Fernando Pasarin (pencils)

Story so far: As was the case with Green Lantern #1, this book utterly failed as a new series but was very solid as a continuation of the old series. Spinning directly out of the events of War of the Green Lanterns, this appears to be John Stewart and Guy Gardner’s Lantern book (with New Guardians focusing on Kyle and Green Lantern for Hal and Sinestro, in case you’ve gotten lost along the way). I’m not exactly sure what the purpose behind having Guy and John try and find civilian jobs and fail was supposed to do for the story, other than show the perils of being a superhero sans mask, but they were entertaining little interludes. This story involves the rest of the Corps as there is an unknown entity killing Lanterns. Naturally, Guy and John form a squad to investigate. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary for this book. Grade: B+.

Art: There’s nothing inherently wrong with the art in this book, but it didn’t really pop for me. I’m not squeamish when it comes to my comic books, but the opening sequence seemed gratuitously violent and a bit over the top. The visuals of John using his ring for architectural designs seem like they could have been much cooler than they were. I did really like the splash page of Oa, which has much more of a feel of being a part of the planet as opposed to a giant megapolis. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B. If you liked the series before the reboot, rest assured that you will probably still like it. If you have never read an issue of GLC, however, this book is probably not for you, as very little about who/what/when/where and why are explained.

Legion of Super-Heroes #1

Creative team: Paul Levitz (story) and Francis Portela (pencils)

Story so far: This is yet another title that seems to have picked right up where the old series left off. While in some books this caused (or could cause if you were unfamiliar) a fair amount of confusion, this never seems to be the case with Legion books. I’ve never been an avid Legion reader, but have almost always felt I could pick up any issue of any Legion title and follow along. With a veteran Legion writer (and editor) like Levitz at the helm, this is especially the case. As with most Legion books, the first appearance of each character is accompanied by a box giving their name, home world and powers, so characters are very easy to keep track of. There are some fun references to other DC projects despite this book being the only one set in the distant future, especially how it ties directly to Legion Lost, with another reference to the problems with time travel due to the “Flashpoint Effect” as well as the effect of having lost those members and the need for a recruitment drive, giving the creative team plenty of opportunity to bring in obscure past Legionaries as well as create new ones. The general story is fun but of little to no real consequence. This will clearly be a character driven book rather than story driven, at least for the time being. Grade: B.

Art: I loved the art in this book. Anybody tackling a Legion book is taking on a huge responsibility because of the enormous ensemble cast, but Portela does an amazing job of making the characters distinct and detailed while not allowing the backgrounds to suffer for it. The two-page spread showing various squads of Legionaries is particularly well done, especially for showing the various moods of the characters while talking about the effects of the lost members. Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A-. It’s hard not to like the Legion in any incarnation, and this is no exception. I would like to see some major story thread emerge from the chaos, but other than that, a very solid start to the book.

Nightwing #1

Creative team: Kyle Higgins (story) and Eddy Barrows (pencils)

Story so far: Batman no more! Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has returned the cape and cowl to its rightful owner and returned to his adult persona of Nightwing. Don’t get me wrong: I liked Dick’s take on Batman, but it was long overdue for him to step out of the shadows and back into the light. There was a great recap sequence where Dick basically expresses this same sentiment. As for the rest of the story, the circus is in town and a new acrobatic villain is on the scene to give Grayson some problems. Nothing terribly inventive here, but the writing style is solid even if the plot isn’t. Grade: B-.

Art: This book is just too damned dark, visually. I’m not sure if that is the artist’s style or a result of Dick’s time as Batman taking a toll on his perspective a bit, but I don’t care much for the new black and red costume or the general over-inked feeling here. Also, this is one of the few times I can honestly say I enjoy looking at Barrows’ backgrounds more than his people. This might not be the best fit for the book, but it certainly isn’t the worst, either. Grade: B-.

Overall Grade: B-. Of all the ancillary Batman characters to have their own book, this is the weakest so far, but when compared to books like Batgirl and Batwoman, that isn’t saying it’s a bad book by any means. I never really felt like Nightwing could support a very strong solo book while based in Gotham, and I still have my reservations, but this is still better than some of the Batman core titles so far.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1

Creative team: Scott Lobdell (story) and Kenneth Rocafort (pencils)

Story so far: There has been a lot of uproar from parents on this book. The core team as introduced so far is Jason Todd (former Robin and current Red Hood) Roy Harper (former Speedy and current Red Arrow) and Starfire, formerly of the Teen Titans (both in old and apparently current continuity). The uproar has been over Starfire and Red Arrow having casual sex. To this, I ask if any of these parents are familiar with the character outside of the Teen Titans cartoon? This has been a long-standing aspect of the character, so get over it. Should the book have a Teen-Plus rating instead of Teen? Maybe. All that being put behind us, I thought this was an excellent introduction to the characters and how they ended up together. We meet a threat called the Untitled and a mysterious organization that Jason appears to have ties to called the All Caste. I have no idea what any of that means, but I’ll be damned if I can’t wait to find out. No mention yet of Roy’s former drug problems, and he appears to have both limbs again. Grade: B+.

Art: This art was not to my liking at first glance, but as I got further into the story, the whole package clicked for me. The art feels a little too busy, blocky and unrefined, but for whatever reason, it just works for this book. I suppose it has something to do with the dirty and unrefined feeling of the story. Grade: B+.

Overall Grade: B+. This is a very solid first issue, clearly establishing the characters, their place and connections to the rest of the DCU, a new overarching story with what appears to be some very interesting characterization on the horizon. This is a definitely better-than-average book that could be a fantastic read going forward.

Supergirl #1

Creative team: Michael Green and Mike Johnson (co-writers) and Mahmud Asrar (pencils)

Story so far: Like Superboy, this is a complete character reboot, showing Kara as having just landed on Earth. This means no relationships with Dick Grayson or Lana Lang, no time being trained by Wonder Woman, no Darkseid influence, no time with the JLA or the Teen Titans, nothing. In fact, at this point, she doesn’t even seem to know that Krypton has been destroyed, which raises questions about the New Krypton stories as well. Not to mention the question of whether Power Girl exists in the new DCU. In the long term, this will probably end up being a good thing for the character, but for now, I just have a hard time getting excited for this book. Grade: C.

Art: I was mostly unimpressed by the art. It has a bit of manga style to it, similar to the work of Amanda Conner, but not nearly as well done as Conner’s work. Most of the backgrounds are filled with snow, leaving many of the panels feeling incomplete. Grade: C-.

Overall Grade: C. I sincerely hope they don’t spend the next six months giving us a long, drawn out origin story, when eight pages (max) would probably have sufficed. Not a terrible book, but nothing really happened here and I never found myself wanting more. I had to re-read the issue to write this review because I couldn’t remember anything that happened, which is probably a really bad sign.

Wonder Woman #1

Creative team: Brian Azzarello (story) and Cliff Chiang (pencils)

Story so far: I have yet to be let down with an Azzarello story, and this is no exception. In my opinion, this is the first good Wonder Woman story since Greg Rucka was on the book five or so years ago. What these books have in common is the renewed connection to Diana and the Greek gods. There is certainly a lot of mystery here, with a strange sense of the suspense a horror movie creates. Az is the perfect writer to reinvigorate this staple character. My only complaint is a lack of back story, but for better or worse, news sources have it that this will be addressed in the next few issues. Grade: A-.

Art: If I can’t have Edward Risso doing art on an Azzarello book, Chiang is a close second option. I especially loved the way Chiang draws Diana larger than other the other woman in the book, harkening back to a more traditional sense of the Amazons. Hermes looked a little odd to me, but I loved the classic take on his feet. Grade: A.

Overall Grade: A. This book is brought to you by the creative team that made Traci 13 incredibly interesting, so it is no surprise that this is one of my favorite issues of the entire re-launch. That being said, I recognize this isn’t a book for everybody, so even though I loved it, some folks may want to wait and let the story develop a bit before diving right in.