Of course, there's the PR version: According to Bob Harras, Editor-In-Chief for DC Comics, New 52 is a way to "continue the stories of these characters, to present them in new ways for new audiences...a way for readers to jump aboard, to come join the party that is the DC Universe." And, of course, Grant Morrison chimes in: Things that are familiar will be unfamiliar. Things that may have been stale or boring are revitalized and plugged into feelings that people are having right now. Another thing they've done is made these titles available online the same day they're available in the stores, which is nice for people who may not have brick and mortar stores to go into. And I think the best summation comes from artist and co-publisher of DC, Jim Lee, "We're trying to get new fans. We're trying to get people that have never even bought a comic book before excited about the medium, excited about these stories, excited about these characters."
There you have it. What does that mean, in practical terms? Well, most obviously, a lot of Number One Issues, which are good jumping on points for new fans. It's way too intimidating to see issue 163, "A new chapter starts here!" It's also a nice way for DC to broaden its potential pool of characters, by highlighting lesser known characters like Resurrection Man or newer characters like Static Shock, and new titles that might otherwise fall through the cracks like Demon Knights or Men of War. I can honestly say that they've hit on this far more often than they've missed. There are only one or two titles that seemed to rely too heavily on previous continuity. To highlight two different titles that have already been released, there's Green Lantern and Legion Lost.
In the former, we have a very continuity driven story that gives you enough bits of the previous story to let you know what's going on. The characters are well fleshed out, and you care about them. Even without much dialogue, you can understand why all of the characters want to do the things they state.
In the latter, you're lost almost from the get-go. There's no emotional investment. You don't know what's going on. When characters die, you don't care that they're gone, nor that the remaining ones seem broken by it. You don't understand where they came from or what they're doing here in anything other than a superficial sense, despite the pages of dialogue.
Now, part of the problem with the latter could be the story, and may even work itself out. I'm willing to give it that, which leads to another thing that early issues are good for: People are far more forgiving about early issue confusion, and having not a lot of information to work with. You can't get all of the information, exposition and characterization-wise, into one issue anymore. A lot of readers like the decompression of stories and origins. It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. I hope that DC doesn't cave in to fanboi pressure and keeps the New 52 Universe. It's an interesting place, and I look forward to its exploration.
Whew...that was a lot. On to the reviews! It is, apparently, Batman week in the New 52.
Batman #1 – Kicking off Batman week, we
have his main title…maybe. It’s hard to tell with flagship characters. I really
wish DC had decided to streamline their titles with the New 52 experiment, and
decide NOT to have three separate main books for a character…Superman’s only
going to be worse. I can see why they did it, but each book feels, roughly, the
same. Being the comics reader I am, of course
I have my thoughts on what I’d do. Make Detective
Comics a mystery, highlighting the “detective” part of Batman’s character,
have Batman be about his motivation, and
use Batman and Robin to (I hate using
this word.) dump all of the stories that don’t fit either category. Concerns
about being over-inundated aside, I actually do like Batman as a character, when he’s well written, and I think
Scott Snyder captures that balance between Batman and Bruce Wayne quite well.
The actual plot elements work well together, with Bruce Wayne being the big
hero in this book. There’s a good mystery set up here, as one of Bruce’s
closest allies is being, hopefully, framed for murder. (You actually see
elements of this plot line seep into another character’s book; so hopefully, the
first inter-title crossover will go well.) There are a few stylistic things
going on here I enjoy. Being a first issue, people may not know who’s who, so
Scott Snyder sets up a contact lens computer, essentially, that automatically
identifies who Bruce is speaking to. Nifty, huh? (A couple good jokes come up,
too. So props to Snyder for that!) The art is the other stylistic thing going
on, and, honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about it. It drifts from almost
Romita-esque line work, to a more controlled, cartoony approach. It’s not bad,
but it is noticeable, and I had to work a bit to get past it. All in all,
though, I dug it, especially the opening action sequence and the last panel.
Birds of Prey #1 – I like the idea of
an all-female action book, and this one delivers for me. It’s got a great
set-up, with Dinah Lance (Black Canary) and Ev Crawford (Starling) trying to
find out why they were being followed by a reporter…who turns out to have been
bait to lure the Birds (Hey, I just got the thematic naming thing going on!)
out into the open…of course, he was ALSO being used by the Birds (Seriously, I
can’t believe I didn’t see that…sheesh.) to lure out the people behind the
reporter. It’s a very noir set up, and I like it. The other thing going on, is
that Dinah is doing a recruiting drive for the Birds, and wants Barbara Gordon
(Formerly the Oracle…seriously, how did I NOT see that birds thing before?) The
character development, even over the course of one issue, strikes me as really
well developed (Believe it or not, that’s not
an innuendo.), and I look forward to the ladies finding out what’s going on.
Something about this book: I was looking up Starling’s last name, and found a
kind of meta-plot for the book: One is wanted for a
murder she didn't commit. The other is on the run because she knows too much.
They are Dinah Laurel Lance and Ev Crawford – a.k.a. Black Canary and Starling
– and together, as Gotham City's covert ops team, they're taking down the
villains other heroes can't touch. So…pretty much a female, super-powered
A-Team. That’s actually something I’m looking forward to see develop over the
course of the series! Back to this issue, the artwork was quite nice, and
seemed to work well with the writing. Jesus Saiz does some nice action work.
You can almost see the artwork moving from panel to panel, and that’s something
a lot of the best artists do. I’m going to have to look up some of his other
work!
Blue Beetle #1 – First off, I like Tony
Bedard, so he’s one of the writers I’m willing to give a little slack to.
Second, I like the Blue Beetle…but I’m more of a Ted Kord Blue Beetle guy, so I
can’t say I’m too crazy about this version, but I’m always willing to try new
things…especially when I force myself to. This is another book I was pleasantly
surprised by. It sets up both characters, the Beetle, and the kid behind it
really well. This book has a lot of balls to juggle, an intergalactic conquest,
an international conspiracy, and getting to the hot chick’s party on time. Again,
I think this is one of the better #1’s in this New 52 thing. I’m sure there are
levels of the character and little bits that fans would get, but I liked how
you don’t have to know thing one about anything to get into it. Tony Bedard had
an excellent run on The Exiles, so I’m looking forward to seeing how both Jaime
and the Beetle interact and change each other. As an example of Bedard’s
writing, he toyed with one of the standard conventions, the “Translated from…”
caption you see whenever a language other than English is used. He translates
the dialogue in Jaime’s home from Spanglish…while not changing a single word in
the dialogue! It’s those little bits of humor in writing that I appreciate.
Captain Atom #1 – Something about this
one didn’t quite click for me. I don’t really know what it was, honestly. It’s
got a lot of elements I enjoy. Action, the hero already running into problems
controlling his powers, potentially catastrophic events as a result…some weird,
unexplained element in the narration. (A box with unexplained numbers, in this
case.) Even a nice ending action sequence, where the fate of our hero is in
flux. (Really, it’s a well done last panel.) The artwork, while not my usual,
is nice, and fits the uncertainty of what’s going on with the good Captain
well, I think. I just, for whatever reason, couldn’t find anything to excite me
in this issue, which I suppose was bound to happen. We’ll see if it can sustain
my interest. I’d hate for it to be the second book I drop. (Yeah, about that, I’m
thinking I may drop Hawk & Dove,
and sooner than anticipated. I just do not like it.) But that does highlight
another aspect of this challenge for me, and something I don’t think I’ve
mentioned before: The Three-Issue Trial. With any new book, it can take a bit
to find its footing. So, whenever I start a book that’s completely new to me
(Writer I don’t know well, artist I’ve never heard of, character I’m not
familiar with.) I always give it a few issues before I drop it. (I’m the same
with TV shows…and I really wish I had gone farther with Fringe before dropping
it.) Now, there is some leeway there, but that is my general rule. In the case
of New 52, however, I’ve decided to give it an arc before I drop anything. I’m
also going to drop some titles, simply because I don’t have the time to give
them! So, here’s hoping I can keep the Captain on, because like I said, there’s
a lot going on that I like.
Catwoman #1 – Hooooooooo, boy. This
book, with Red Hood & the Outlaws,
created a bit of a stir online. One particular reviewer didn’t like liberated
sexuality of Catwoman and Starfire. Without stepping into that particular can
of worms, I can say that there wasn’t a lot I cared for in this issue. Judd
Winick, while a writer I like and enjoy, seems to have fallen into the same
trap that most Catwoman writers fall into, and that’s one where she doesn’t
know who she is, why she does what she does, and focusing on the sexiness of
the character. Although, some of that can be forgiven. I mean, she DOES get her
place blown up on page five. She spends the rest of the issue in almost a daze,
even while scouting a job, and has a romantic encounter at the end that…well, I
can understand why it happens. I can say, though, Guillem March does some good
cheesecake. I liked the story elements, but something about all of them didn’t
mesh for me. And, again, with Winick I’m waiting for one of the characters to
have AIDS or be gay. And, given the prostitute elements of Catwoman’s
back story, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least.
DC Universe Presents #1 – Now the
concept behind this is one that appeals to me a lot. This book showcases
different characters for a story, and then moves on. Essentially, an anthology
series that’s still in continuity. The first few issues will focus on one of my
favorite under-rated supernatural gymnasts: Deadman! I love the concept, and
this book gives a new light to his origin and on-going quest, one to redeem his
soul, and balance out his life by saving souls. Bostan Brand has died and now finds himself leaping from
life to life, putting things right, that once went wrong and hoping each time,
that his next leap will be the leap home. (Think Quantum Leap, but without Al and Ziggy. And yes I did steal that
line. Bwa. Ha. Ha.) I’ve always dug Deadman when I’ve come across him, but wasn’t
entirely familiar with the character, so it was nice for me to get his origin,
and see why he does what he does. As of this comic, he’s started getting tired
of doing it, and decides to speak with Rama, the goddess who sent him on his
quest. And that’s the plot. It’s far more of a character piece than anything
else, and I really like that. Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang do a god job
getting you invested into Deadman and caring about his mission, while still
seeing how much it’s wearing on him now. I can’t wait to see where this goes.
Green Lantern Corps #1 – Another GL
book, and one I was looking forward to, this one delivers! Focusing on two of
the four Earth Lanterns, Guy and John, we see them struggle with being publicly
known as Lanterns. Guy can’t get a job because the district worries about an
attack that would jeopardize the children he wants to coach. John tries to get
the developers he’s designing for to see how good his plans are. Meanwhile,
something’s killing Lanterns. There’s a nice horror movie plot going on, with
John and Guy leading the team to investigate the dead or disappeared Lanterns.
There’s a lot of good character moments in this issue, including Salaak, who I’ve
never liked much. The artwork, by Fernando Pasarin, is gorgeous. One nice thing
about this issue is that we finally learn how the 3600 sectors of space work.
It’s not something I’ve known before, and the concept behind it is fascinating
to me. Again, this is a book I would probably be pulling, regardless of who was
on it, but I’m glad that it’s a well-written book, as well.
Legion of Super-Heroes #1 – This one I
just straight didn’t like. The issue was juggling way too many stories. There
were way too many references to outside events that you need to read 27 and a
third issue to know what was going on, the art, while decent, felt somewhat
sub par to me. It doesn’t help that this team has never excited me much in the
past. (There was a run, in the early 00’s, that was really well done, I
thought.) While I don’t mind being thrown right into the plot (In media res is
one of my favorite story-telling devices.) there has to be something there that
you care about, or something that you feel compels you to keep reading.
Unfortunately, there’s just nothing in this issue that does that for me.
Hopefully, as the arc goes on, I’ll change my mind.
Nightwing #1 – Now this, I liked. Dick
Grayson is in Gotham, helping fight crime. The circus he grew up in comes back
to town and he revisits his old life. Oh, and remember how I mentioned that the
plot of Batman would spill over into
another book? This is that book. I can’t really go over that plot without
giving away both books, so instead I’ll just talk about how nice it is to see a
Robin all grown up. It’s gratifying to see how Kyle Higgins doesn’t just make
Nightwing into Batman, Jr, which is a trap that is all too easy to fall into,
with any of the Robins. The artwork, by Eddy Barrows, balances the darkness of
Gotham and its criminality well with the lightness and jollity of Haly’s
Circus. This one is a book to watch, and one I look forward to seeing again.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 – This is
the other semi-controversial book this week. I’ll come back to that. Lemme just
say, I like Scott Lobdell. He does really well writing younger teams. He did a
fantastic run on Generation X for
Marvel a while back. He balances the personalities and characters really well,
and invests you in the plot even better than that. There’s a nice supernatural
conspiracy going on here, and I look forward to seeing that develop. Speaking of things developed, Starfire
is the other character I mentioned above, as undermining sexual liberation.
Sure, there are arguments that could be made against that: Starfire’s an alien
who can’t tell humans apart, so her sleeping with them interchangeably could be
cultural. And maybe if her costume were larger than it is, I could understand
that. I seem to have stepped into a time-warp directly to 1994, and female
characters are all 36-DDD who seem to be allergic to concealing clothing. It’s
not a time-warp I appreciate anymore. Sure, when I was 13, it was great, that
was all I wanted. It’s awfully hard to show people how much comics have changed
and grown up, and how there are lots of female characters for girls to look up
to, when things like this pop up. It’s unfortunate that Lobdell and artist
Kenneth Rocafort felt the need to portray Starfire in this way, because I
really do like a lot of what’s going on here.
Supergirl #1 – Yet another action
packed issue, I really like this one. Supergirl’s had a…odd history. At various
times Superman’s cousin, a clone of some sort, and also split off into Power
Girl, I like this characterization. Landing
on Earth, confused and frightened, what is the most obvious thing that could
happen first? After she fights off her attackers with her new found and quite
unexpected to her, powers, she’s on the verge of going crazy when she’s stopped
by a voice. While we do find out who it is, I’m not going to spoil it for you. Seriously
quickly paced, this issue is over almost before you realize it. There is a nice
bit in the middle, when Supergirl realizes she has super-hearing, when lines
from other books show up. (One from last week, one this week, and one, presumably,
next week.) It’s a fun little moment, and shows her unexpected power while
still saying that, yes, this book is definitely part of this universe. I look
forward to next month’s issue.
Wonder Woman #1 – Brian Azzerello is a
big writer whose work I haven’t read much. I loved his mini a while back, Lex Luthor: Man of Steel. It nicely
showed why Luthor fights Superman as much and with as dedication that he does.
So, seeing his name on one of the, hopefully, major titles was nice. And there
is a lot going on here. It throws you right into the action, and doesn’t let go
until the last page, and even then it’s got a death grip on you dragging you
into the store next month to find out what’s next. Um…I hope I didn’t just
oversell it. Anyway, the story is very much rooted in Greek mythology, which is
only sensible, really. I kinda hope they use WW as a kind of portal to explore
other mythologies. I’d like to see her take on everything from Apollo to Quetzocoatl
to yanari. As far as this book is concerned, WW is one of the highlight books
this week, I think. Cliff Chiang’s artwork reminds me, favorably, of Frank Cho,
who also has drawn WW. It all works well together, and I can’t wait to see
where it goes from here.
BONUS REVIEW: Near Death #1 – I was kind of excited about this comic. It has a
premise that…well, yeah, may have been played to death, but is one that
accounts for infinite variation: A hitman has a near death experience and
decides to atone for it. For each life he took for money, he will save a life.
And he’s taken a lot of lives. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be an
on-going or a mini, but either way, I dig the story idea. The writing leaves a
little bit to be desired, but as with all writers I’ve never read before, I’m
willing to give it some time before I decide either way. The art is what is
going to break it for me, honestly. It’s a slightly sketchier style than I
like, but again…I’ll give it a bit. It’s a very cinematic comic, and one I
could easily see on either the big or little screen.
There you have it. It was another good week in the New-iverse. (52-iverse? Gotta come up with a good shorthand for this thing.) I've already got some books that are in danger of being dropped, and next week, after the entirety of their 52 titles are out, I'll let everyone know what they are. Hopefully what this means is that I'll be able to do more than simple capsule reviews. See you next time!
No comments:
Post a Comment