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.

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…