The New 52: Week 2

Sorry I'm so behind on getting these out, folks! Here is Week 2 in its entirety. I have now read all 52 books, so if I really crack down, I should have all the reviews up within a few days. Of course, that's assuming life doesn't get in the way. I promise I'm working tirelessly!!

Batman and Robin #1

Creative team: Peter J. Tomasi (writing) and Patrick Gleason (Pencils)

Story so far: Prior to the reboot, this title had featured Dick Grayson as Batman with Damien Wayne as Robin. With Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham, it was naturally only a matter of time before he donned the cape and cowl again as Batman. Here we see Bruce as Batman and Damien still as Robin, the first time the duo has taken to the streets together. The dynamic between the two is interesting, as Damien is still brat, but Bruce is much less willing to put up with his crap than Dick was. One other interesting story thread here is the fact that Bruce has stopped celebrating the anniversary of his parents’ death, opting instead for their wedding anniversary. Somewhere amidst all this intriguing character development there was some completely forgettable fight scene with some completely forgettable thugs. There are certainly great things for this book on the horizon, but they aren’t quite yet here. Grade: B-

Art: Gleason’s art style seems to work for this book just fine. It is nothing spectacular, but neither elevates the book’s quality nor brings it down. His pencils are a little ill-defined in some places, particularly in characters’ faces. Also, I had a general feeling of this book being a little over-inked. The two-page splash of Batman and Robin leaping into battle feels like it should have been better, but as it was, I see no fatal flaws here. Grade: C+

Overall Grade: B-. I had a difficult time judging this book objectively. The previous series had some major high points, so overall there was a feel of disappointment here. While there is certainly some potential, this is just a middle of the road Batman book.

Batwoman #1

Creative team: J.H. Williams III (story and art)

Story so far: Finally, the long awaited solo series for Gotham’s newest heroine! Kate Kane is the mysterious, military trained, lesbian Batwoman. This issue spends the majority of its time helping to re-establish who Kate is and her backstory, which appears to not have changed in the slightest with the reboot. The book maintains an infatuation with more magical/mystical type villains, and features a cameo by Batman, perhaps setting Kate up to find a place in the greater Bat-Family. The pacing of this story is excellent and this was all around a solid first issue story. Grade: B+

Art: Reading a J.H. Williams drawn book is like taking a class in the full potential of a comic book as a graphic medium. The layouts for this book are amazing, with non-traditional paneling, unique insets, and spectacular visuals. If there is any nitpicky thing I could complain about, it is the fact that Kate’s skin is not pale; it is flat-out white and quite unnatural looking. For a real artistic treat, check out the rooftop exercise scene with Kate and Bette! Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A. I must admit, I was already excited for this book… six months ago! I really like the character and the work of J.H. Williams. This book feels very accessible and could be picked up by anybody, whether they were familiar with the character or not, and is one of my top four books of this week. Buy without discretion!

Deathstroke #1

Creative team: Kyle Higgins (story) and Joe Bennett (pencils)

Story so far: Slade Wilson, Deathstroke: The Terminator, mercenary for hire is back in his own solo series for the first time in years, and nothing much has changed. It appears in this story, he has been doing some jobs in the arena of body guarding, indicating that he is NOT a wanted fugitive from the law, but beyond that, he’s still a bad-ass with his mind on his money and his money on his mind. Here we see him offered a job in order to help build up his reputation after being accused of “going soft” in the bodyguard business, but the job comes with a catch: he has to work with a team. The resolution to this situation is interesting, shocking, and a brilliant business move, but I won’t go into it here so as not to spoil it. There really isn’t anything special going on here, but nothing terribly off-putting either. Grade: C.

Art: While the art is technically sound, I really dislike something about the look of Deathstroke’s costume. I also expected this book to a bit more gory than it was, which is not to say I’m complaining, but in a book where I expect a lot of people to die horribly, there was a distinctly teen-rated feel to the deaths in a book rated teen-plus. Either let Bennett off the leash a little bit or get a new, bolder artist, because if there aren’t going to be some awesome visuals, this book could lose me quick. Grade: B

Overall Grade: C+. Again, this is a slightly biased grade. If you happen to be one of the many Deathstroke fans out there, buy this book at will. I personally don’t believe he is a character that can carry a solo book for any significant length of time, but I’m certain that many people disagree with me, and isn’t that the beauty of fifty-two new #1s? There’s something for everybody. This was just not something for me.

Demon Knights #1

Creative team: Paul Cornell (story) and Diognes Neves (pencils)

Story so far: Here, there be dragons! Set in the aftermath of the fall of Camelot, this book features a bizarre ensemble cast from a time of the DC universe rarely seen. Madame Xanadu, The Demon Etrigan, Vandal Savage, Sir Justin the Shining Knight, Mordru, Merlin and more grace the pages of this swords and sorcery book. I have often wondered how past encounters with some of the immortal characters would have gone, and it appears this is the book for telling those stories. I could probably go on for pages gushing about how much I enjoyed this issue, but instead will opt to just say it was fantastic and should be given a chance by even the most skeptical of readers. Grade: A+.

Art: More of the same praise here. This book was BEAUTIFULLY illustrated. The tavern scene was one of the most detailed sequences I have seen in a comic book in a long time. Watch how it moves seamlessly from panel to panel showing conversations in the tavern while at the same time maintaining a sense of space and time by featuring other happenings in the tavern in the background of panels. Small details like this go a long way towards elevating a book’s art from good to great. Grade: A+.

Overall Grade: A+. Easily my favorite book of the week, this issue had me from the first panel and held me all the way through. If the story plays no bigger part in the DC universe than a look at the world four or five hundred years ago, so be it, but I have a distinct feeling that this group of heroes may be a precursor to Stormwatch and eventually tie into those stories as well, which can only go to helping that book out.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1

Creative team: Jeff Lemire (story) and Alberto Ponticelli (art) with cover by J.G. Jones

Story so far: I think it’s important to first preface that if Flashpoint didn’t have a mini-series spotlighting these characters, I would have very little frame of reference for Frankie and his Creature Commandos. That said, if that mini didn’t exist, I would have learned virtually nothing about the characters here. After reading Animal Man last week, I had very high hopes for great writing by Lemire, and was woefully let down by some sloppy and rushed-feeling story telling here. It is notable that this appears to be where Ray Palmer, The Atom, has landed in the new status quo. That was about all that was noticeable about this issue, in my opinion. I’ll stick it out for the first story arc, but unless something drastically changes, this won’t make my monthly pull list. Grade: D+.

Art: After seeing the beautiful Jones cover, the art for this book was a swift kick in the nuts. I absolutely hated the art here and found no redeeming qualities to it. It looks sloppy and unfinished and for me it seriously detracted from the story, which wasn’t all that strong to begin with. If Jones had done the interiors, maybe I wouldn’t have noticed the poor storytelling. Who knows? Grade: F.

Overall Grade: D-. It pains me to give this book such a low grade after I just started to be interested in the characters. I still want to see where this is going, but as previously stated, they have one story arc to hook me.

Green Lantern #1

Creative team: Geoff Johns (story) and Doug Mahnke (art); alternate cover by Greg Capullo

Story so far: This book picks up right where the pre-Flashpoint Green Lantern books left off, with no noticeable effects from the reboot, which isn’t surprising since the GL books were some of DC’s highest selling books already. As a #1 issue, I suppose this book would fall terribly short for a new and uninitiated reader, but as Green Lantern #68, it continues the excellent story telling GL fans have grown to love in the Geoff Johns era. Sinestro is back in green and killing Yellow Lanterns; Hal is unemployed and screwing things up with Carol; nothing has changed while everything has. I can’t wait to see where this story is headed. Grade: A.

Art: Mahnke is another artist that I don’t particularly go ga-ga over, but I also don’t feel he detracts from the story. This was just run-of-the-mill, textbook comic art here, which is just fine by me. Grade: B.

Overall Grade: B+. I was relieved to see that DC took an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude with the Green Lantern books here, since they were my favorite DC offerings pre-reboot. If you were previously a fan, continue with no worries, but if you weren’t a fan or hadn’t given GL a chance previously (and shame on you if that’s the case!) beware this book, as nothing has changed.

Grifter #1

Creative team: Nathan Edmonson (story) and CAFU (pencils)

Story so far: Most people who know me know that I am a big Wildstorm fan, so one of the most exciting aspects to the reboot was the addition of the Wildstorm characters into regular DC canon. That is why it pains me so much to write this review in much the same manner as last week’s Stormwatch review. I was thoroughly unimpressed by this issue. The non-linear story-telling, while not always a bad thing, does not seem to work effectively here. Most of this story was confusing at best, and stupid at worst. Cole Cash, Grifter, is on a plane. Then he’s attacked and opens the plane door and falls out of the plane. Now he’s wanted. Oh, and somewhere along the way he blacked out for 17 minutes/hours/days (they say all three, so it’s unclear as to which is correct) and he wants to know what happened to him. So inexplicably, he puts on his classic Grifter mask and prepares to find out what’s going on. Please, Cole, take me with you, because I feel like I blacked out for eight minutes while I was reading this book. Grade: D.

Art: This is hard to get a handle on. On one hand, I really like CAFU’s art style. It’s very appealing to my eyes. That being said, he needs to go back to art school and take a few classes on realism and perspective. Two examples jump out at me for you to take a look at. First, the entire sequence on the plane: is there leg room or isn’t there? Have you ever BEEN on a commercial airline? Second: there is a scene later that depicts the narrowest city street in existence. Maybe it’s an alley, you say? Ever seen an alley lined with trees and sidewalks? Art like this can really take a reader out of a story. No matter how good the execution is, if it doesn’t make sense, I’m going to pause and try to make sense of it. Grade: C.

Overall Grade: D+. This damn book better start making sense soon. So far, Wildstorm joining the DCU is 0 for 2. This book isn’t even distinguishable as part of the DCU. No references to anything, be it another superhero, an organization, or even something as simple as some Wayne-Tech or Lexcorp products. I don’t know what they think they’re doing here, but it isn’t working.

Legion Lost #1

Creative team: Fabian Nicieza (story) and Pete Woods (pencils)

Story so far: This story was flat-out, cover to cover fun. I don’t know exactly HOW this batch of Legionnaires got stranded in the 20^th Century, but it was presumably spinning out of a pre-Flashpoint storyline. I didn’t find not reading the previous series to be a hindrance here. There was a good introduction to the characters and their powers within the context of the story, many of whom were familiar to me but not characters I am overly acquainted with. Also of note, there are actual references here to Flashpoint, specifically in how it appears to be hindering time travel, explaining why these characters are lost. I find myself really looking forward to seeing where this story goes. Grade: B+.

Art: I wasn’t terribly fond of the art here, but not to a level that it detracted too much from the story. I prefer art that is slightly less cartoony with solid outlines, which appears to be exactly the opposite of Woods’ style. I can appreciate it as good for what it is, but unfortunately what it is isn’t my cup of tea. Grade: C+.

Overall Grade: B-. This was a very entertaining comic book and has high levels of story-telling potential, but doesn’t really stand out from the crowd as something exceptional. The story was very strong and brought down slightly by the art, but all in all a good read and I expect it to continue to be so.

Mister Terrific #1

Creative team: Eric Wallace (story) and Gianluca Gugliotta (pencils); cover by J.G. Jones

Story so far: Talk about your classic case of “can this character support a solo series?” Michael Holt, Mr. Terrific is really, really smart. And black. Did I mention he’s really smart? I always appreciated what he brought to the Justice Society books pre-reboot, but would never have guessed he could have anything more than a mini-series to himself. I stand corrected. The story-telling and pacing here was crisp and engaging. This is one of the few instances in the reboot where the reader receives a true origin story mixed in with an ongoing story. I will concede that Brainstorm is a pretty lame supervillian name, but I just don’t care. I want to know who he is. I want to know about his powers. I want to know how Michael will get out of this pickle. I want to keep reading this book. Grade: A.

Art: I actually really liked the art in this book. It was simple, clean and helped to move the story along nicely. My only complaint is that when the artist draws faces from a distance or in a crowd, they seem to take on some funny shapes. Just a minor nitpick, however. Grade: B+.

Overall Grade: B+. This was a very pleasant surprise this week, and proof that it is worth gambling on titles sometimes. I don’t expect this series to have much longevity, so get out there and enjoy it while it lasts.

Red Lanterns #1

Creative team: Peter Milligan (story) and Ed Benes (pencils)

Story so far: Spinning out of Blackest Night and Brightest Day comes the first “solo” series in the Green Lantern family to feature a different colored Corps. The Red Lanterns have been highly popular throughout these stories with the fan base, and clearly DC is looking to take advantage here. The Red Lanterns, if you aren’t familiar, are the embodiment of Rage in the emotional color spectrum. Unlike the colored corps, however, once a Red Lantern puts on the ring, it can’t take it off without risking death. The leader of the Red Lanterns is Attrocitus, and his backstory is pretty well laid out here in this issue. Story wise, there isn’t a lot to tell here. It is always entertaining to see Dex-Starr, the Red Lantern, blood spewing kitty cat kill a bunch of people. Bleeze has the most annoying dialog I can remember seeing in a comic. I still find it hard to believe this was a Milligan book, as most of it made perfect sense. That might just speak to how simple these characters are, and probably doesn’t bode well for the longevity of this book. Grade: C+.

Art: Benes’ art is gorgeous as usual. I look forward to seeing what kinds of crazy looking new Red Lanterns he plans on adding to the mix as this series goes on. Just check out the posterizing two-page splash of Dex-Starr! Grade: A.

Overall Grade: B. This book didn’t really hook me, but I also didn’t expect it to, I suppose. My chief complaint is that it felt more like a precursor backup story, or a #0 than it did the start of a new series. Nothing really happened, but I suppose as long as there’s some mindless killing and pretty art, I personally don’t need much from this book to continue buying it.

Resurrection Man #1

Creative team: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (co-writers) and Fernando Dagnino (pencils)

Story so far: Believe it or not, Resurrection Man is NOT a new character! He had a short lived series in the 90s which was also fantastic. The basic concept here is that Mitch Shelly dies and comes back to life with a new set of powers, over and over again. It’s basically Dial H for Hero but instead of a dial, there’s dying. In this issue, we start with Mitch waking up from his most recent death and are treated with his first awakening thoughts as he figures out his new power set. There is also an overarching story presented here, where both Heaven and Hell are tired of him coming back to life and not giving up his soul, which will certainly complicate his life/death/life cycle. Grade: A+.

Art: This art style is dark, gritty and has a bit of a Vertigo feel to it, which is perfectly suited to this book. I found absolutely nothing to complain about. Grade: A

Overall Grade: A+. Go buy this book. You won’t regret it. If you do regret it, I have a gut feeling the value of this issue is going to skyrocket, so at least it was an investment. This book is a very close second to Demon Knights for the best offering in a fairly strong week.

Suicide Squad #1

Creative team: Adam Glass (writing) and Federico Dallocchio (pencils)

Story so far: Adam Glass, one of the writers for TV’s Supernatural brings us a nice re-introduction to a time proven concept. The Suicide Squad is a pet project of government agent Amanda Waller, offering villains a chance to work for the government to reduce their sentence in highly dangerous missions where casualties are to be expected. This incarnation of the Squad features longtime Squad standard Deadshot as well as newcomer Harley Quinn. Then there are a handful of other baddies one can expect to die and rotate out in short order. I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say the Squad’s first mission doesn’t go as expected, which is exactly what you should expect from this series. Grade: B+.

Art: This is another case of a solid art style that completely unimpressed me. While the art was technically sound, I disliked most of the character designs. I hate whatever they have done to Deadshot’s mask and didn’t see any reason to put Harley into such a slutty costume when the old costume was so suited to the character’s personality. Don’t even get me started on King Shark as a hammerhead, which just looks stupid. I didn’t have any personal gripe about changing Waller from a hefty woman to essentially Angela Basset from the Green Lantern movie, but I’m sure plenty of fans are annoyed by this. I sincerely hope this artist choice doesn’t end up ruining a solid book in the long run. Grade: C.

Overall Grade: B-. This book has a lot of potential if it can overcome the art work. Perhaps future character designs won’t be as bad. If you’re a fan of the Squad, you can rest assured that this book is probably going to be to your liking.

Superboy #1

Creative team: Scott Lobdell (story) and R.B. Silva (pencils)

Story so far: Now THIS is a reboot. We are getting the Superboy story from scratch with a complete origin story here. I have to confess that because I got behind in writing these reviews, I have already read the other Superman family books in the coming weeks, and of the four this is my far and away favorite. Superboy is still in the cloning tank while scientists run a virtual reality program for him to “live” in. Rose Wilson, Ravager, is here as security for the scientists, which is an odd place for her to show up in the new continuity, but it works really well somehow I can’t quite put my finger on. The scene where she and Superboy are discussing empathy is an instant classic sequence. On the final panel we see clearly how this will tie into the Teen Titans book eventually, perhaps sooner rather than later. One final note here: the redheaded, young female scientist taking care of Superboy is putting in her passcode for a door and the computer begins to name her as Dr. Cait—before it is cut off. Could this be Gen13’s Caitlin Fairchild? If it is, this book could be on its way to becoming even more compelling than it already is. Grade: A+.

Art: The art here is both beautiful and completely fitting for the book. Nothing really to note other than I love it and it works. Grade A.

Overall Grade: A. Yet another strong book from a relatively strong week and clearly one of my favorite new titles. This book may not be for everybody, but I can’t imagine the majority of readers not at least liking it, and a more likely scenario is most will love it.

The New 52: Week 1: Part 2

Justice League International #1

Creative team: Dan Jurgens (writer) and Aaron Lopresti (pencils)

Story so far: A fun new take on the classic JLI concept. The United Nations sponsoring an international superhero is tried and true, and this is a pretty standard JLI lineup, including standards such as Fire and Ice, Rocket Red, Batman, Booster Gold and Guy Gardner, with new additions August General in Iron, Vixen and Godiva. The most interesting aspect thus far is the dynamic between Batman and Booster Gold, leading me to wonder if Booster’s previous solo series has been adopted into the new continuity (since Batman was the only hero aware of his mission to protect the time stream). Bruce seems to be putting an unprecedented amount of faith in Booster as a leader if that isn’t the case, and that could be the seam that the series falls apart at in the future if unaddressed. Grade: B

Art: Lopresti’s art is clean, focused and consistent. He seems to be a perfect fit for this book, though it is unlikely the art will go down in history as anything exceptional. He is a true professional, and compared to some of the other art I’ve seen today, may prove to be one of the better artists in the DC stable at the moment. Of course, there are 44 more books to evaluate at this point! Grade: B

Overall grade: B. This is a solid book, though fans of the classic Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire runs will find it missing that certain “BWA-HA-HA” flare.

Batwing #1

Creative team: Judd Winick (writer) and Ben Oliver (pencils)

Story so far: The story is fairly straight-forward. Batwing is a black, armored Batman that operates in Africa. By day, he is a member of a corrupt African police force. Under most writers, this story would probably come across very vanilla, but in the hands of Winick, the dialogue is snappy and you get this immediate connection with the character. The final two pages are a serious shock that you have to read to believe! Grade: A-

Art: Ben Oliver can have my babies! This book is absolutely GORGEOUS. I don’t even know what else to say. Grade: A++

Overall grade: A+. This grade may have been boosted by my low expectations, but with amazing art combined with a new-found attachment to a character I knew nothing about ten minutes ago, it seems appropriate.

Static Shock #1

Creative team: Scott McDaniel and John Rozum (co-writers) and Scott McDaniel (pencils)

Story so far: Static is one of the characters DC recently imported into their regular continuity from the old Milestone publisher they bought out years ago. Here he makes his debut in the new 52 along with Hardware, another old Milestone character. The only point of interest in this story was the fact that he is based out of New York City, and references how he seems to be the only cape in NYC, comical in comparison to Marvel Comics, where New York has practically ALL of them. Otherwise the story was bland, the dialogue choppy and the character was mildly annoying. Grade: C-

Art: The art here seems to fit with the character well; childish. This art might work better for a cartoon adaptation for the book, but not so much for a new book trying to get off the ground. Grade: C-

Overall grade: C-. One of the few books that lived up to expectations, Static Shock is a run of the mill Static story, so if you’re a holdout from the early 90s and love the character, this book is probably for you. If you feel no attachment to the character already, though, leave this one on the shelf.

OMAC #1

Creative team: Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen (sharing both writing and pencil duties)

Story so far: This was the book that registered lowest across the board in fan anticipation factor this week. Swing and a miss, fans! This book is the best rendered Jack Kirby tribute I’ve ever seen. Not much is really known at this point. An OMAC unit breaks into Camdus Labs at the behest of some unknown intelligence wanting to rejoin with the Camdus mainframe. Naturally this phantom AI turns out to be Brother Eye, an orbital space station that controls the OMACS. Many of you remember OMACs and Brother Eye from the Countdown to Infinite Crisis story several years back, where they were initially created by Batman to track super humans and gained an intelligence of their own. They set out to destroy super humans from there while being manipulated by Max Lord. I don’t know if any of this backstory is still relevant, but with its slightly over-exaggerated exposition, this book has a wonderfully nostalgic Silver Age feel to it. Grade: B+

Art: The Kirby/Silver Age feel of this book also applies to the art style. From color schemes to background emanations, this book is littered with The King’s fingerprints. I’m not certain how the art duties were distributed, but I am certain that this book has me hooked from page one! Grade: A

Overall grade: B+. I don’t expect this book to last very long, but I look forward to reading it as long as it does.

Green Arrow #1

Creative team: J.T. Krul (writer) and Dan Jurgens (pencils); George Perez (inks)

Story so far: It appears that Oliver Queen’s life has been simplified considerably in this reboot. He is back to running Queen Industries and dodging board meetings to bust up super villains at a night club. So far, none of the liberal leanings that made Ollie an endearing character have displayed themselves, with the exception of hiring a tech to create his weaponry because the tech doesn’t like to make weapons, ensuring nothing excessive. I enjoyed the previous GA series by Krul, so I expect this one will pick up the pace eventually, but so far, not a very engaging story. Grade: C

Art: This was one of the few books where the art clearly outshone the story. I’ve never noticed Jurgens being a particularly great artist, so I have to believe that the great George Perez doing the inking has elevated the art here quite a bit. Grade: B+

Overall grade: B-. This book is just nothing special so far. I’ll continue to give Krul the benefit of the doubt, but there is no need to rush out and jump on this series so far.

Hawk and Dove #1

Creative team: Sterling Gates (writer) and Rob Liefeld (Pencils)

Story so far: Dear god, the dialogue in this book is bad. The story was basically the set up for a new villain combined with an origin story. It doesn’t appear much has changed for Hawk and Dove with the new continuity, but to be honest, I don’t know how anybody would notice if it did. Dove is still in a relationship with Deadman, which at least gives a small glimmer of hope for this book moving forward. Grade: D

Art: My hatred of Rob Liefeld is well documented. Grade: F-

Overall grade: F+. This book is a piece of crap that somehow escaped the 90s and showed up here.

Swamp Thing

Creative team: Scott Snyder (writer) and Yanick Paquette (pencils)

Story so far: This issue picks up right where Brightest Day Aftermath: The Search for Swamp Thing left off prior to the New 52. Swamp Thing is now free of the imprint of Dr. Alec Holland, and thanks to the White Lantern, Alec Holland is alive and (mostly) well. At this point, this book is really about Holland, with Swampy only showing up in the last panel. There are spooky/weird happenings occurring across the globe. This issue also features a guest appearance by Superman with cameos by Batman and Aquaman, helping to establish that it does indeed occur in regular DC canon. Scott Snyder has a beautiful way with words that has quickly vaulted him to one of my favorite current writers. Grade: A+

Art: When I think of Swamp Thing art, I usually think of gritty, unclean pencils and heavy inks. That is not the case here, but due to the migration from Vertigo to DC, it makes sense to give this a more mainstream treatment. As always, I enjoy Paquette’s pencils, even in the face of it not being the type of art I expect on this book. Grade: B+

Overall grade: A. As expected (which is why I saved it for last), this book looks to be a great read. With the potential to involve the rest of the DCU as needed, the sky is the limit for Swamp Thing.

And that’s all for Week 1, folks. Now I’ll get cracking on the thirteen new books I picked up today for Week 2! Stay tuned…

The New 52: Week 1: Part 1

With 13 new #1s this week, I'm going to break this review up into two parts. The only relevance of the order is that this is the order I have read them in. The other seven books are forthcoming as soon as I read them, and with Week 2 coming out tomorrow, you can bet I'll be busy over the next few days trying to get these out to you all!

Batgirl #1

Creative Team: Gail Simone (Writer) and Ardian Syaf (Pencils); Cover by Adam Hughes (AH!)

Story so far: My biggest worry about this book was that if Barbara Gordon was Batgirl again, that meant the Killing Joke by Alan Moore couldn’t have happened, right? Right? Wrong. Here we are witness to Babs’ first night back in the costume after three long years in a wheelchair. At this point, Batgirl’s status in the Bat-Family is unknown, but she doesn’t appear to be part of the “in-crowd,” which could make for some interesting interactions further down the road. Also, there is no mention of her time as Oracle, so it’s hard to tell if that role was lost with the recon. Does this mean no Birds of Prey? I won’t spoil too much, but the psychological trauma to Babs is executed brilliantly, making this book a true page-turner. Grade: A+

Art: I’ll be perfectly honest with you: I didn’t pay very much attention to the art the first time through because I was so absorbed in the story-telling. It wasn’t bad, but it certainly wasn’t memorable. The cover by Hughes, on the flip side, is destined to decorate walls across the country. I know I’ll be trying to score a signed print of it at the next con I go to! Grade: B+ (brought up on the strength of the cover).

Overall Grade: A. An excellent book, cover to cover. Plenty of intrigue revolving around a new villain, mixed deftly with Babs’ past to make for one of the best books in this weeks’ batch. GO BUY THIS BOOK.

Stormwatch #1

Creative team: Paul Cornell (Writer) and Miguel Sepulveda (Pencils)

Story so far: While the concept of superheroes is only five years old in the new DCU, Stormwatch has been around for centuries. This is the first of the new books to integrate the Wildstorm Universe into the regular DC canon, and the integration leaves something to be desired so far. We see Stormwatch/Authority mainstays such as The Engineer, Jack Hawksmore and Jenny Quantum already with Stormwatch, as well as a handful of characters I don’t recognize. Of note, Martian Manhunter is with them. He acknowledges having spent time with the Justice League, but it is clear this is the team he feels he belongs on. Stormwatch is seen trying to recruit Apollo (another Wildstorm mainstay), and at the end he is joined by the Midnighter. It appears this is the first time in the new continuity that they have met, meaning they aren’t currently lovers like they were previously, leaving the big question of whether that aspect of the characters will be abandoned. If it is, this book is seemingly looking for ways to lose readers. The dialog is well written in a very familiar Wildstorm style, but the story has done nothing to hook me yet. Grade: C-

Art: I flat out hated the art in this book. There were a few isolated panels that were well done (see the first time Apollo is called Apollo), but overall the art was a complete turn-off for me. It’s hard to put my finger on it, but I think it was too clean and at the same time too busy, if that makes sense to anybody but me. Also, the updated costumes are awful. Grade: F

Overall Grade: D. Far and away the biggest disappointment so far for me. I have been a huge fan of the Wildstorm books over the years and was really expecting greatness here. I won’t write the book off yet, because I am eternally hopeful they will be able to correct the course, but there is no reason to rush out and buy this book unless you have a need to own anything Wildstorm related.

Action Comics #1

Creative team: Grant Morrison (writer) and Rags Morales (pencils); variant cover by Jim Lee

Story so far: This is the second of the new DCU books looking into the past. Here we see a young Superman, six months from his debut. A few interesting notes for this point in his career include the fact that his powers seem to still be developing (no references to flight yet… still leaping tall buildings in a single bound), a return to the social consciousness of the early Superman books (taking on the upper class criminals and reprimanding the police for not having already done it) and a new, more ruthless attitude (throws a wife beater out a window into the river, breaking both his hips and some ribs). This is not your grandfather’s Superman; at least not yet. It will be interesting to see if these changes stick with him, or if by the present day he has become the Big Blue Boy Scout, perhaps due to some event in the flashback. Definitely a strong debut for America’s most iconic comic book title. Grade: A

Art: I haven’t yet had a bad thing to say about Rags Morales’ artwork, and see no reason to start here. The art was beautiful, cover to cover. The current Superman costume is brilliant in its simplicity: Blue jeans and a Superman t-shirt with a cape. I expect to see him surrounded by dock workers lecturing on union rights in the near future. Of course we know from Justice League that eventually he will switch to a more traditional “superhero” costume. Grade: A

Overall Grade: A. If you’re a Superman traditionalist, you’ll probably hate this book, but if you keep an open mind, it is a very well put together story, establishing the new status quo for Clark and the crew. I highly recommend this book.

Men of War #1

Creative team (1^st Story): Ivan Brandon (writer) and Tom Derenick (Pencils)

Creative team (2^nd Story): Jonathan Vankin (writer) and Phil Winslade (Pencils)

Stories so far: Men of War is a throwback to the old DC tradition of war comics, such as Star Spangled War Stories and G.I. Combat among others. Set up as an anthology book, we are treated to two different stories, the first of which features Corporal Joseph Rock, the grandson of the classic Sergeant Frank Rock of G.I. Combat fame. The most interesting twist to the story is that it is not only set in modern day (the battlefield seems likely to be Afghanistan) but also in regular DCU continuity, which means the world is populated by super powered beings. The appearance of two of these “capes” causes quite an interesting disruption to the war and leaves me wanting more! The second story is about a Navy SEAL team in a black ops mission, ending with a very traditional war comic style cliffhanger. It is clear that the Rock stories will be the driving force behind this series, but the backup stories have the potential to throw some interesting stories our way. Also of note, the writers did an excellent job capturing legitimate military lingo, making me wonder if they have prior experience in the military. Grade: B+

Art: Derenick’s art for the Rock story was far superior to that of Winslade’s SEAL story. That being said, both art styles felt like a good fit for their respective stories. Both felt like an older art style, helping these books stay true to tradition, but somehow Derenick’s art was more vibrant. That might be attributed to a better colorist or inker. Grade: B

Overall Grade: B+. I came into this book not really knowing what to expect. I am unfamiliar with both creative teams, so to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. If you have any interest in military stories, go out and buy this book quickly, before it disappears as people start to realize it for the sleeper it is.

Detective Comics #1

Creative team: Tony S. Daniel (writer and pencils)

Story so far: If there were ever a formula for a standard, run-of-the-mill Batman story, this is it. Batman hunts Joker, nearly catches him and is foiled by Gotham’s Finest. He confers with Commissioner Gordon, finds out a new location, confronts Joker, kicks his ass while fighting off Joker Gas and drops him off at Arkham. I’m not saying it’s a bad way to go, but it didn’t really jump off the page either. There is some intrigue created by a mysterious character known as Dollmaker that Joker is colluding with in Arkham, and I won’t spoil the final splash page here. We do see the return of Bruce’s often-failing playboy life and a more down-to-business Alfred here, but no mention of other members of the Bat-Family leaves one wondering where everybody else is at. Grade: C+

Art: Daniel is pulling double duty on this book, and sadly, it shows. Some of the pages show the high level of art Daniel is capable of, while others show that perhaps he doesn’t have time to take the proper care with every page equally. The entire scene of Joker in Arkham looked like it was rushed. Grade: C-

Overall Grade: C. I’m sad to report that this book was a disappointment so far, despite what the amazing cover suggested. If you’re a Batman fan, it’s a must have, of course, but if you’re so-so on Bruce, then wait for Batman #1, which shows much more promise. Also, when considered that 11 of the 52 new titles are Batman related, it wouldn’t surprise me if this was the 11^th best.

Animal Man #1

Creative team: Jeff Lemire (writer) and Travel Forman (pencils)

Story so far: The classic Vertigo vibe of this book is inescapable. Animal Man is portrayed as a part-time superhero, part time actor and full time animal rights activist. If you are picking this book up thinking it is a superhero book, you are in for a shock. From dinner table talk to prophetic dreams; from a villain you sympathize with to primal forces you can’t possibly understand (yet), this book is an ensemble of what made writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman into living legends. Just wait until you get to the final, revelatory page: it will take your breath away! Grade: A+

Art: As with most classic Vertigo books, I don’t much care for the art style. I respect that it is probably doing many things that my simple mind cannot comprehend, but to me it just looks sloppy, much like the majority of Sandman looked sloppy to me. The prophetic dream sequence art worked quite well, however. This style seems to work very well when you’re dealing with acid trip-like story components. Grade: C+ (on the merit of that one sequence)

Overall Grade: B+. If you’re looking for this generations’ classic mature-audience tale, I think we’ve found it. Fasten your seatbelts for this one, gang, because it’s likely to be a bumpy, existential ride!