The New 52 Pick-Up: Week Four! Wonder Woman! Catwoman! The Red Hood!
Wow. Week Four of the DCnU! Did we really think DC would stick it out this long with this thing? Okay. We did. But you have to admit: this was a pretty drastic idea. We would say it was a “crazy” idea, but the crazy is just now starting up it seems. If you need proof, just read a little bit of Catwoman. Things got straight up Skinemax in that book and that doesn’t seem to be the end of it. Does Batman really team up with The Joker? And of course, our own Wonder Woman Heidi Hilliker is here to give you the truth on the Amazon’s new book!
Wonder Woman
Heidi Hilliker – From the Island of Michigan
The Gods are back!!! Fraking finally! I always found the Greco mythological premise of WWs story to not only be the backbone but the most appealing aspect to the Amazon’s world. I feel like the series has failed to really utilize these legends over the past 5 plus years. Instead of utilizing the history of mythos many of Wonder Woman’s writers have tried to reinvent or contemporize the theology by focusing on peach pit necklaces and irrelevant gods which only served to make it all seem more distant, less modern and unidentifiable.
The younger your parents try to act the older they seem, you know? This new WW series written by “100 Bullets” scribe, Brian Azzarello, and illustrated by “Green Arrow/Black Canary” artist, Cliff Chiang, does quite the opposite. Finally Diana is fresh and vibrant again because her world is full of that which comprises every great Greek epic: myth, envy, honor and fate. The first issue already introduces readers to Apollo, Hermes, Centaurs, Prophets, Hera and Zeus. All of whom are major players in both Greek folklore in general and in some of the most compelling story lines in Wonder Woman history.
WW herself is presented regally as a statuesque, stoic and kind young warrior who is caught up in the games of the Gods. Zeus is missing, a mortal woman may be carrying his child, there is a cryptic prophecy, and fate has planted Diana Princess of The Amazons right in the thick of it. What a tantalizing scenario. I can’t wait to see what happens! I’m so thrilled about the direction this relaunch is taking that I’m not nearly as annoyed with her new costume as i originally anticipated.
I’m not saying that this issue is flawless but it does show a lot of promise. For the first time in a long time I feel like I can turn my friends onto Wondie fandom. I’m so proud of that fact alone.
Eric Diaz – DC’s Most Invested Reader
Wonder Woman is easily my favorite comic book character, but the last few years of her comic book history have not been too kind to her. The year long JMS story arc “The Odyssey” was way too long and convoluted, and ultimately almost never really felt like Wonder Woman. Gail Simone’s previous three year run on the title started off strongly, but was saddled with so much baggage from the previous misfire of a run that it never really took off. With the exception of Greg Rucka’s and Phil Jimenez’ runs on the title, the past decade has been a painful one for a Wonder Woman fan. It seems each time a new creative team comes onboard they want to change everything about her to see what will click.
So with that in mind, and the fact that this is a reboot after all, I was pretty terrified of what DC would do to Wonder Woman this time. But it looks like my fears were unjustified. Wonder Woman #1 was a solid story by Brian Azzarello, with beautiful art by Cliff Chiang. Chiang is not only a good artist, but a good storyteller, an ability that a lot of modern comic artists lack. This unlikely duo might just be the one to make average fanboys care about Wonder Woman.
As Azzarello has stated in interviews, this is a soft reboot, meaning he has no interest in re-writing Wonder Woman’s past or even really exploring it. What happened, happened. Azzarello has described this book as a “horror comic” and not a super hero comic, but upon reading it, I think he is exaggerating a bit. Yes, there are some bloody elements, but none I would classify as horror per se. This is still a super hero action book through and through.
The storyline so far is simple but effective. A young ordinary woman named Zola is target by the goddess Hera for extermination, seemingly for being the latest concubine of her husband Zeus. Hermes appears and gives her a magic key that takes her to the London apartment of a sleeping princess Diana. Once Diana realizes this woman is in danger, without a moment’s hesitation or too many questions asked, she suits up as Wonder Woman and agrees to defend the innocent. And as always, she prefers to be called by her real name Diana, not Wonder Woman. She’s strong (but not snarky or bitchy) and the best warrior in the DCU. To me, these are crucial elements of the character of Diana, and so far they are evident in Azzarello’s conception of her. In just a few pages, she is seen as being a great warrior without peer, and we’re not just being told that she is, we are shown. That alone is a refreshing change. I was afraid her character would be unrecognizable, but that was not the case at all, and I could not have been more relieved.
The biggest change here from that came before is in the visual depictions of the Greek Gods. They have totally been redesigned by Chiang, or at least the three Gods we encounter in issue #1 (Apollo, Hera and Hermes) have been redesigned. While some may see that as a continuity change, the truth is the Gods have changed appearance before in this title. During the Greg Rucka run, many of them ditched the togas and such and dressed as modern humans. Truth be told, the only artists who have ever been able to make the togas and sandals look visually interesting are George Perez and Phil Jimenez; most other Wonder Woman artists don’t have the detail or the skill to make those look interesting and it usually ends up looking like the toga party from Animal House. So I’m glad they’re gone. Besides, they’re GODS…they can look like whatever they want whenever they want to. I don’t see it as an aspect of the reboot.
Let’s be honest, Greek Mythology is effed up. It is filled with petty gods turning into swans and seducing women, infidelity, incest, weird births, and all kinds of other strange shit, stuff that the comic book versions of these myths have more or less shied away from. But Azzarello embraces all that and doesn’t sugar coat it, including some of the more gory aspects as well.
I’m not entirely sure what the thrust of the book will be from now on, or what Wonder Woman’s mission statement will ultimately be. It seems like protecting innocent mortals from the petty machinations of the Greek Gods is what the book will be about, and that can make for interesting stories to be sure. While I was hoping this book would be my personal favorite of the new 52, It falls just shy of that, but it is a very solid book and I am happy not just because it was great, but it is was great without changing who Wonder Woman is at her core.
I still hate the blue boots though.
Blue Beetle
Frank Angones – Geekscape Managing Editor (Also Loves Tacos)
One question kept popping into my head as I was reading this relaunch of Blue Beetle (well, two if you count “What the fuck ever happened to Ted Kooooooooord? *gentle sobbing*”) That question is “Why?” I understand the desire to reboot Superman, an eighty year-old character to make him more “accessible” to a modern audience. But do we really need to “update” Jaime Reyes, a character who was created five short years ago? I get that they wanted to disentangle his origins as Blue Beetle fro the events of Infinite Crisis, but I worry that this introduction to the character tells you less than his previous #1 did, yet manages to be more convoluted.
The weird thing is that not very much has changed, which makes me question the elements that did. The Blue Beetle Scarab is still an alien artifact sent out by a race called The Reach to enlist soldiers, willing or not, into their bid for universal domination. The Scarabs are still at odds with the Green Lantern Corps. Jaime is still an awkward Latino teen, still childhood friends with Brenda and Paco, who inadvertently becomes a living weapon when the scarab fuses to his spine. The thing is the last (excellent) Blue Beetle series revealed all that information over several arcs. By cramming it all into one issue, we’re left with little time to get to know and love the characters. It seems like an awful lot to throw at new readers at once. And yes, the DCnU is trying to downplay the historical omnipresence of superheroes, but one of the best aspects of old Jaime was that his wall was covered in Justice League posters. He was a fanboy who got his ultimate wish fulfilled and got to pal around with Batman and the like. He was like a less violent Kick Ass, a less whiney Superboy Prime. So far he’s just a nerdy kid who sucks at soccer.
Another odd change is the definite “Latinofication” of the book. Paco is now a dropout and a gangbanger- because aren’t all musclebound Latinos? The Reyes family speaks exclusively in Spanish (quick question: if a subtitle box says ” Translated from Spanglish” but the actual dialogue is already in Spanish, are the characters actually speaking English?). Yes, I’m glad DC decided to carve out a corner of the New 52 for a book featuring Latino heroes, but the old Blue Beetle book was never so aggressive in reminding you of that connection. Jaime, his friends, and his family were all clearly of Latino origin, but it was never their sole defining traits. Hell, that book did an entire issue in Spanish and never felt as pigeonholed as this issue did.
As a fan of this character who had a decent enough time with this book, I’m going to stick around for a few issues to see if it manages to right itself. The gorgeous, cartoony art by Ig Guara doesn’t hurt. I just hope that this title avoids falling into the all too tempting, and easy, trap of tokenism.
Batman
Mark Bovenzi – Is Moving to Crime Alley (an Upgrade From Where He Lives Now)
This is it folks, this is the quintessential Batman book you all have been frothing at the mouth for when DC announced their new 52. What a fantastic start off to one of my all time favorite superheroes. Scott Snyder completely knocks this book out of the park with a very moving “Gotham Is…” speech by Bruce Wayne that felt so real and touching, it made the city of Gotham come alive. After reading numerous interviews with Snyder gushing over his absolute adoration of Batman and Gotham City, you really got the feel for it. The book essentially starts off with a prisoner breakout in Arkham Asylum and Batman fighting off some of our favorite villains like Two-Face, Killer Croc, Bearded Lady, Clayface, etc..and then flows into an introduction of the Bat family with Damien (red chucks? really?), Dick and Tim and also introduced to what seems like the villain of the book, an owl type character. I could sit here and spend hours raving about the writing of this book but there is one thing i do not want to forget, and that is Greg Capullo’s art. Yes, THAT Greg Capullo from Spawn. I haven’t read Spawn in i couldn’t tell you how long and i really forgot how absolutely gorgeous Capullo’s art was. It fit’s the tone of the book and his renditions of Batman’s rogues in Arkham completely blew me away. Will i be picking this book up again? You damn right i am, this is how Batman should be written and this is how a Batman book should look, minus the red chucks on Damien.
Captain Atom
Ian Kerner – Geekscape’s Captain of Comics
This was one of my least anticipated of the new 52. I was very concerned over reports that Captain Atom’s powers were now just a rip off of Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom. The main source of my dread came from a fear that he was to be reimagined from the get go. Fortunately, this is not the case. This book has, wisely in my opinion, acknowledged what he was before, while bringing in the notion of an evolution in his abilities, the idea that he could have done these things before, but hadn’t tried. More interestingly, with it comes the danger that using these new found abilities may lead to his own demise.
Overall, I liked the book. I do wish that having discovered this new ability, and the apparent danger in its use, that it weren’t the case that he instantly found himself in a situation where he had to use it to seemingly devastating effect. Even so, all in all, the supporting cast is interesting, and I look forward to seeing where the book goes. Like most of these new 52, it’s far better than expected.
Frank Angones – Managing Geekscape Could Kill Him
For the record, nobody at Geekscape wanted to write the review for this book. I mean it’s Captain fucking Atom! The stick in the mud military man who absorbs and shoots out energy who explodes almost every issue. In a solo book, no less! Color me surprised, then, to find myself actually enjoying this book. Heck, it may even be the most fun DC book I read this week.
Much of the thanks for that goes to the fact that this is a remarkably different Nathaniel Adam. Oh, he still absorbs and shoots energy and explodes. But he seems much less stern, more of a captain in name only, despite being faced with much more dire circumstances.. He’s grappling with a new power set that is threatening to kill him. He can now manipulate other atoms, not just his own- he turns lava into snow and causes an entire mech suit to evaporate- but every time he does, he runs the risk of dissipating himself. But he also jokes around a bit, and has a great straight man in the humorless Stephen Hawking-esque scientist who’s monitoring his condition. The art by Freddie Williams II adds to that lighter tone; the Captain is far more expressive than usual, evolving past his standard military grimace, and his new, lighter blue and red color scheme courtesy of Jose Villarrubia literally makes him a brighter character.
It’s a good thing they made him less of a sourpuss, too. With his nearing omnipresence and potential to vaporize into nothingness, it looks like J.T. Krul is trying to turn Atom into a DCU proper version of Watchmen’s Dr. Manhattan (who was himself a riff on the on the original Charlton Comics Captain Atom). His newfound levity should help leaven and humanize those epic stakes. If I have one concern, it’s that this new Captain Atom seems to be stealing a lot of Firestorm’s element-shifting schtick before the Nuclear Man himself has a chance to debut his new skills. I mean, Captain Atom’s head is even on fire for a good portion of the book. I never thought I’d be saying this, but I sure hope Firestorm can manage to reach the high bar set by Captain Atom’s debut.
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Ian Kerner – Is Into Hot Alien Powerhouses
I had a lot of concerns about this book when it was announced. I just couldn’t figure out how Starfire and Roy Harper (Speedy/Arsenal/Red Arrow?) could possibly end up working with Jason Todd. Well, the answer is pretty much what I was afraid of – they have been changed in some fundamental ways. My general feeling reading this comic is that for a new reader, it’s a lot of fun. However, it’s very aware of the history of the characters, taking pains to reference it while contradicting it at the same time. Roy is still Green Arrow’s former sidekick, but gone, thankfully, is the amputated arm. The heroin addiction? Unclear. But there’s a general sense that he’s a screw up. He’s a soldier of fortune of sorts, fighting on the side of those he perceives as right. Arguably, this hints to his past as a Checkmate agent, but it might just be that this new version of Roy still has such leanings but was never an agent. Presumably, that will be revealed down the line. There’s definitely a sense that he’s younger. Surprisingly, this version of Roy does not feel in line with the one on the Young Justice television series.
Starfire is a much bigger departure. She’s still an unbelievably hot, alien powerhouse. Visually, and power-wise, she is unaltered. But the pre-Flashpoint Starfire was all about her emotions. Tamaraneans before felt emotions much more deeply than humans. While they were very open about sex, her bond to Dick Grayson was for life. On the other hand, though her previous relationship with him is referenced, she doesn’t even remember him or the other Teen Titans, apparently because “they have a terribly short attention span about all things Earth.” Huh? I just don’t get it. This plot device enable her to have been having sex with Jason, and then, without blinking, to suggest, and have sex with Roy. She’s now just a living, breathing sex doll. Um, okay.
The tendency across the line seems to be to leave Batman, and his Robins, more or less alone (the same goes for Green Lantern), but everything else is fair game. Jason’s past seems to be fully intact, including his recent interactions with Dick as both Nightwing and Batman. Apparently, in between all of that Jason had time to get involved with some beings called the All Caste and their enemies The Untitled. For all my issues with the changes to the characters, this stuff did feel new and fresh. I’m intrigued and looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Nightwing
Stephen Prescott – Hangs Out On Rooftops (May Not Be a Good Thing)
While some people may have forgotten who Dick Grayson is (yes I’m looking at you Kory) it’s obvious to me that Kyle Higgins has not because the Dick in this new Nightwing #1 is definitely the same Dick we all know and love. I’m not so sure about the new red uniform or the way the red wing gets painted on the crazies chest in blood on page 5, but otherwise this is a pretty great start to a new run for this character. It clearly establishes what the reader is in for over the coming months while also very deftly giving new readers enough background on Nightwing to know who he is and why he does what he does.
If I had to put any criticism on this book at all it would be on Eddy Barrows artwork. There’s just something off and unfinished about it. Also the way that he draws Nightwing is odd to me. He makes him look like he has a super long torso and short legs. I’m not a fan, but it’s not bad enough to keep me from picking up the rest of the run because the story is just that great.
I’m looking forward to finding out more about the mysterious assassin and why he is after Dick Grayson, but my favorite scenes in the book where of Dick at home and at the circus. The character’s inner monologue was fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of this newly invigorated Dick Grayson who has shaken off the chains of the Batman mantle. I especially liked his crack about redheads driving him crazy. I must say I’m really looking forward to the next issue.
Catwoman
Martin Scherer – Watches Scrambled “Late Night Movies”
DC described this series as “Meet Catwoman. She’s addicted to the night. Addicted to shiny objects. Addicted to Batman. Most of all, Catwoman is addicted to danger. She can’t help herself, and the truth is – she doesn’t want to. She’s good at being bad, and very bad at being good.” And the truth is the book doesn’t stray far from this copy.
I’ll be surprised if this stays quiet, so I’ll just throw it out there:
Batman and Catwoman don’t know who each other are under their masks anymore. Oh and they well, like, did it.
I’ll say it again—Batman and Catwoman got it on, and it wasn’t a fanfic. It was a printed DC comic. It’s kind of a shame that they got it on too. Besides what sure to be an awkward morning, and questions that Robin may have about his new mommy, the graphic (for a T+ rated book) depiction of this act is what must people will take away from an otherwise, T&A heavy (Catwoman appears in her bra 7 out of 20 pages), but well enough crafted start to reintroducing Catwoman to the DCU.
Judd Winick wrote a story filled with characters that sound and act different from another. This isn’t a world of cookie cutter looks or personalities. A lot of people are going to say this is portrayal is a huge step back for the progression Catwoman made in the past ten years, and those people are right. But I think what Winick is going for in his arc is a story that will show Kyle moving from an impulsive woman, to one closer resembling the character we knew from before Flashpoint. Winick is too good a writer to be doing a simple one-dimensional sex crazed cat burglar.
Guillem March was on the art chores for this book. His style is unique and polarizing. A lot of people seem to hate the look of his art, but others, like myself, think his art is one of the best things to come out of the post-Batman RIP comics. Every page, every panel of March art looks distinctive. Everyone has a different body type. There is no artist like March out there currently, and that’s what I love about him. I was hesitant to buy this book when I knew Winick was writing it, but I was definitely going to buy this book when I heard March was drawing it.
So is this worth it? Despite these positives, those last four pages made me worry about what others would say if I left it around the house and saw them. Last time I felt like that I was 17, living with my parents and regularly buying Maxim. I’m not sure if I like having this feeling as a thirty year old or not.
If you asked me if its worth picking up issue two after the first 16 pages, I would have said, ‘sure, let’s see if this book is going to achieve its potential or not’. After reading all 20 pages, my answer is pretty much the same, but now it’s coming from a place akin to a roadside attraction curiosity.
I’ll check out issue two, buts it’s going to have to work hard for three.
DC Universe Presents: Deadman
Jonathan and Paul London – Brothers From Not Another Mother
Wednesday night I took my brother to dinner. In the middle of it he mentioned the Deadman TV show that had just been option by the CW. I had no idea my brother kept up with the trades, much less the comic book specific items. I was pretty surprised, but in retrospect I shouldn’t have been. My high flying brother would make a pretty awesome Boston Brand (he even auditioned for Deadman showrunners during the original pilot casting for Supernatural back in the day). And it turns out he’s been a fan of the character for a while.
We went home and I gave him the new #1 issue of DCnU’s Deadman, written by Paul Jenkins with art by Bernard Chang, that I had picked up that day. “You can read it first”, I said. And he did. And he dug it. A lot. But Paul’s a man of few words so I’ll give you mine.
The book is a solidly paced intro to a character that could very easily take its time telling “one possession per issue”. Instead, Jenkins kickstarts the story by putting Boston (as Deadman) right into another stuntman’s body and narrating the tale backwards (jumping around in a story… a pretty prominent thing in the DCnU). You get a quick, economic origin and an even clearer explanation of what the selfish and deceased stuntman must now do to avoid spending the rest of eternity in purgatory. The mission is simple: jump into a prescribed number of bodies and help these individuals figure out their lives (and in turn figure out yours) or you’re stuck.
With so much jumping around, even in the first issue, you can see how things could get complicated easy. Instead, thank Chang’s artwork and Blond’s colors for helping to make Deadman an enjoyable and easy to follow book. There is a lot of body jumping in it, but that’s what you signed up for. There’s one sequence where Deadman has to follow a cynical circus psychic while hopping along with her from body to body as she runs from him, each time using his possessed body to keep calling out to her. Dave Sharpe’s lettering in conjunction with Chang’s panel framing really do some awesome work. Combined with Jenkin’s storytelling, this is going to be a solid book as long as they keep this team together. The London brother’s highly recommend it.
Ian Kerner – Jumps Into a LOT of Bodies (And You Know What We’re Sayin’…)
This was book was very solid. It managed to reintroduce the character and retell his origin without that only being about extrapolation to catch new readers up. It actually set up the old status quo with some new aspects to then change it. There was always a Quantum Leap aspect to the character, which, admittedly predated the show, but here we really had more of a look at Rama’s end goal with Boston Brand. There’s no question that he was a soul that needed redeeming, nor that he had come a long way. I very much liked the notion of a thread now connecting all the souls he’s helped. It feels like we the reader, along with Boston, may actually get some answers as to where this is leading. Here’s a character that was always forced to basically do what the universe told him to do, and he’s finally trying to take control of his own destiny.
I am left wondering where Deadman’s appearance in Hawk and Dove fits into the continuity of this issue. That comic led us to believe that all the events of Brightest Day had occurred. There is no sense one way or the other here if that’s the case. This is not necessarily a complaint, as referencing it would have likely bogged down the story, but those events were rather momentous, and recent. I would have liked some acknowledgement of them if they are still in continuity. Regardless, as usual, Paul Jenkins did not disappoint, and I’m looking forward to the next issue.
Birds of Prey
Frank Angones – Actually Thought This Was a Boy Scouts Field Guide
I’m beginning to spot a trend in this initial wave of New 52 books. There are the books that balance solid character introductions and basic premise building, and there are books where we’re given one or two twists and people punch things. Guess which one Birds of Prey is. We’re told that Black Canary is now wanted for murder, and that she’s putting together a team. Then she fights invisible ninjas for twenty pages. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a kickass twenty pages, even if it does skimp a bit on Dinah’s trademark sonic scream. But I found the book overall unengaging.
Swierczynsky introduces an undercover reporter who’s tailing Canary and her new #2 Starling (the reckless thrill seeker who’s so x-treme she drives a car through a church! Please…). Generally a writer would introduce a reporter as an access character to let us know the main characters a little better. All I get here is that Canary is the hard-nosed leader and Starling is the loose cannon; a far cry from the nuance that Gail Simone brought to these characters for so many years. Birds of Prey used to be about a team that felt more like a family than an elite squad of powerhouses. They each had their strengths and their weaknesses, they had their differences, but above all, you always knew how much they cared for each other. That’s a surprisingly rare trait for a book these days; sadly, it looks like the new Birds of Prey is shaping up to be just another team book.
Quick side note: Barbra Gordon shows up, alluding to her past as a former member of the team. Her newfound distaste for Dinah is supposed to convince us that Canary has truly crossed the line, but it only serves to make poor Babs come off as harsh and selfish. Where is the love, you guys?
Green Lantern Corps
Frank Angones – Picked Up the Slack for Big Yanks
Confession time: I have never been a huge fan of Green Lantern Corps books. For me, they’re always overloaded with characters, subsequently stretching their casts so thin that there’s seldom time for anything more than the broadest strokes of character and narrative development each issue. Corps books tend to feel a lot like “Law and Order in Space,” which many dig, but isn’t really my thing.
Where the new Green Lantern Corps #1 shines, then is in taking the time to flesh out the characters of Guy Gardner and John Stewart. Here are two polar opposites, the oafish renegade and the straight-laced military man, with one very important thing in common: their lives on earth are unfulfilling when compared to the ringslinging thrills of the Corps. Guy spends his days laying about the planetarium, unable to get a job because nobody wants to incur the insurance risks of employing a known Green Lantern. John feels ham stringed trying to reconcile the impossible feats he can manifest with his ring with the limited and petty minds of the bureaucrats seeking his architectural services.. Tremendous kudos to Peter J. Tomasi and Fernando Pasarin for nailing the malaise and desperation of two men live for their job, and very little else. This book contains maybe my favorite panels of the relaunch so far: Guy and John, sitting on an asteroid, quietly staring out into space, contemplating their fucked-up relationship to their jobs. For all the gritty bombast of some of the other books I’ve read, would any of them have the real balls to try something like that? This isn’t Law and Order in Space… it’s more like Astro-Hurt Locker.
If this book has one fault, it’s that the central mystery our boys set out to solve isn’t all that engaging yet. Something about an impossible mystery man slaughtering Lanterns. But you can bet your ass I’ll be back next month to see how Guy and John handle it. Just goes to show, if your characters are fully realized and the circumstances surrounding them are compelling, you could have them sit in the breakroom on Oa for an issue and still come up with a solid read.
Legion of Super-Heroes
Stephen Prescott – Is In a Legion of Doctor Who Cosplayers
Maybe it’s because I haven’t read a Legion book in a long while, but this book left me more confused than anything else. I honestly had no idea what was going on. This book was mired in continuity and references to the last series of Legion of Super Heroes that it makes almost no sense that it is an first issue. It’s more akin to the first new episode of a new season of a television show that a first new issue of a comic book.
The Legion did however continue the tradition of explaining who each character was which was sorely lacking from the Legion Lost title. It also contained the second reference to the Flashpoint which apparently has not affected the Legion in any way other than cutting them off from being able to travel to the past. Except for the team who got stuck in the past in “Legion Lost” apparently.
It does appear though that DC is setting up the Legion to somehow be the key to explaining the New 52 and the changes that occurred after Flashpoint.So, despite this not being the best book I read this week, I will keep on reading if only to see how the overarching story plays out.
Steve Robles – May Not Really Like Comics At All
Ok, so it looks like, to my eye anyway, the mystery of the cloaked girl has been solved. With talk of “fixing” time and her whispered declaration to make things right, it has to be Glorith, right? Other than that, this book confuses me. I have to give the writers credit for holding together some semblance of a story in the midst of so much character introduction but I have no idea, really, what’s going on. It seems like maybe the people in this time are aware of the “Flashpoint effect” that we are experiencing but are somehow outside of it. This could easily mean that there is a reset button in the making in the even of catastrophic sales. I mean, this book is in the “New 52” DC Continuity, so at some point these people and the New DC characters will come into contact, right?
The art is solid, a little heavy on the blacks but suitable in the action sequences. Sometimes things get really cluttered but never to the point of utter chaos. I do love that they keep these anachronistic names from the silly age of comics: Comet Queen, Chemical Kid… etc. I mean, really? I guess it’s fond nostalgia, but let’s just give them names that don’t evoke memories of cowboy sheets and Red Ryder BB Guns, ok?
My overview is that I didn’t really care for this book pre-boot and don’t really care for it now. I don’t think I’ll be picking up anymore. It’s not bad and definitely Legion fans should give it a look but it’s a little too spandexy for me. Should have put them in jeans and combat boots and maybe I would be more happy with it.
Supergirl
Tim Powers – Host of Fandom Planet (The Other Guy Is Technically His Sidekick)
I love hamburgers. I love them on a level similar to Jughead and Wimpy. Combined. If I could eat a good hamburger 3 meals a day, there is no doubt, I would do it.
The problem with hamburgers, like all good things, including cigarettes, beer and wives, is that you can only enjoy them one at a time. Spaced out. You can’t eat two hamburgers at once. I have tried. You can only eat as much as you can physically consume. You can eat a big hamburger, but two at once is not possible.
This, then, brings me to Supergirl #1.
We are three weeks, THREE WEEKS, into the new DC Universe. Remember that. I’ll go back to it in a minute.
Superman, as we all know, was an unprecedented hit in 1939. And around him, DC was smart enough to do what we in marketing called “Brand extensions.” Not long after, DC brought out Superboy, Supermonkey, Superdog, Superpup, Superhorse… and, as we know, Supergirl.
Smart to continue the copyright, DC is bringing Supergirl into the new DCU. And just like before, she lands on Earth in a rocket as an adult, already dressed in her Supergirl party dress. (You know, if they’re so darn smart on Krypton, why the Hell didn’t they build bigger rockets?)
So, in the book, Supergirl shows up on earth and figures out she’s not on Krypton, beats the crap out of some robots, and is interrupted by her (presumed) cousin. Her cousin who, by the way, is making one of HIS FIRST canonical appearances in this DCU as well.
The only Superman story published in full so far is Action #1, which is a FINE comic book, but is just the START of the Superman story and doesn’t give us much information about Superman. It gives us SOME, but there’s a LOT we don’t know.
And here’s where I start to get uptight with this book. Supergirl originally appeared SEVERAL years after The Last Son of Krypton (hah) first appeared. That gave the readers a GOOD LONG opporutnity to lay the foundation of mythology and backstory. But not this time. How in the world does Superman know Kryptonese (He speaks it in this story)? How does he know this woman IS Kryptonian? How do people respond to Superman in THIS story? Because the last time we saw Superman in a complete story, people were SHOOTING AT HIM.
DC should have waited a bit on this one. We don’t know who the hell SUPERMAN is, really, and we’re introduced to Supergirl already? That kind of removes the specialness of Superman, doesn’t it? I mean, before Superman #1, we’re introduced to Supergirl? Essentially Supergirl came FIRST? Really?
Let’s hope Superman #1 is better.
My vote: Save your money on this one for a while.
