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A little on a lot: 90s Bat-books, buying runs, pull-list pruning

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Walt

As I’ve not been blogging regularly lately, there are a number of things I’ve been thinking about, had thoughts about, and generally considered blogging about/retreading, but haven’t. I sat down Saturday morning for awhile and typed a lot more than I intended. So I’ve broken that into several posts (this is one of those posts).

BATMAN: FROM CRISIS TO CRISIS

batmanshadowofthebat001Though I’ve had it on my mind for a couple years now, I think this year may be my “Year of the Bat” in terms of back-issue focus. A few weeks back, I acquired a near-complete (missing 1 issue) run of Batman: Shadow of the Bat. This week I acquired near-complete runs of Batman: Gotham Knights and the ongoing (original) Birds of Prey. I already have (scattered through dozens of longboxes over the years) a complete run of Robin. With the acquisitions this year, that already puts me a long way toward the goal of having the complete ongoing series of Bat-books for the “From Crisis to Crisis” era, and I may just add a few years and aim for the “From Crisis to Flashpoint” era in general.

1990s DC COMPLETE SERIES

I’ve also acquired several other runs this year: 3 complete JSA minis from the 1990s, Blue Beetle (Post-Infinite Crisis) 1-20, a complete run of The Power of Shazam!, and a complete run of Hawkworld. Which means I have LOADS to read even before I’d even be in position to dig in on a lengthy Batman reading project.

PULL-LIST MAINTENANCE

I’ve been pruning my pull-list, and about to prune even further. I’m dropping Batman as of #6, though I’m interested enough I plan to pick up the Mr. Freeze Annual (Batman Annual #1). I’m just not buying into the hype over the Court of Owls. Had it been a single arc, it would’ve been good. But the fact that Batman #6 (spoiler alert! I’m about to spoil the end of #6!) ends with a kick-off into an “event” just REALLY turns me off. I imagine I’ll eventually read the story–whether grabbing issues later in the year from bargain bins or such, or a year from now whenever DC actually puts out a collected volume. I just don’t feel inclined to pay $2.99 (soon $3.99!) an issue for monthly installments, nor do I feel like buying multiple other series to get a COMPLETE story. (I’m not buying into the hype, and I’m not buying into reading only one title when this thing’s being pushed as an event rather than just characters showing up in other tiles).

I’m also dropping Superman after #6. I’ve given it an arc; but the whole new creative team makes for essentially a new title, and again, I’m just not interested in paying $2.99 for monthly installments of bigger stories right now. I loved the first issue, but I never read 3 & 4 until a couple weeks ago after #5 had come out, and that was a conscious decision to “force” myself to “catch up.” So, I’ll wait to catch up on even buying the issues when there are a few out I can get in one go, ideally from a bargain bin, or perhaps a collected volume next year.

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Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3 [Review]

Posted on November 28, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Average
Story Title: Last Man Standing

The final battle (for the cowl) unfolds here, and we have a winner.

batmanbattleforthecowl003Written and Drawn by: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Sandu Florea
Colors: Ian Hannin & JD Smith
Lettering: Jared K. Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Janelle Siegel
Editor: Mike Marts
Covers: Tony S. Daniel
Publisher: DC Comics

I feel like I’ve missed something…as somehow, this issue picks up from a point that I wasn’t expecting it to.

Basically, Nightwing and The Network set about dealing with this “new player” on the scene that has played them for fools (while they’d spent their time/efforts dealing with the Penguin/Two-Face feud). Nightwing tracks down Jason (Todd–the gun-toting Batman) and the two battle it out with Jason claiming Tim’s death; meanwhile, Alfred “enables” Damian to fulfill another role. And by issue’s end (barely!) we have a new Batman.

The art on this issue is quite good–I’ve enjoyed Daniels‘ art, especially his Batman work. While his style may not be for everyone, I enjoyed it and think it fits the story quite well, while not being bad on the eyes.

The story on the other hand has been downhill. The story itself felt rushed, like we were hitting upon a checklist of points to get to a prescribed ending. I’ve really never “felt” any attachment to the reincarnated Jason Todd, though for what little I’d followed the character, I expected more. Here, he came across as no more than just another take on the KnightsEnd Jean-Paul Valley/Azrael from way-back-when.

I don’t feel like this issue lived up to expectation. While yes, it does deliver on telling us who the new Batman is, that happens at the very end of the issue and actually feels tacked-on; I would have expected to see an issue given to watching the actual transformation of the character–the transition–from “old identity” to new, as a situation played out. So much potential, but pretty much wasted in the execution. Given the way it played out, I’m not convinced this 3-parter could not have been told across several issues of Batman and/or Detective Comics for a quick transition. As a mini-series, this is little but “transition” and does not feel like an actual, complete story was told.

Unless you’ve already picked up the first couple issues and/or want “the entire story,” this probably isn’t worth picking up; I suspect much better stories to come within the new status quo in the various Bat-related books this summer. At the least, don’t pick this up expecting a complex, moving story, as you’re likely to be quite disappointed.

Ratings:

Story: 2/5
Art: 3.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

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Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 [Review]

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Decent
Story Title: Army of One

The gun-toting Batman’s identity is revealed as the actual battle for the (right to the) cowl begins in earnest.

batmanbattleforthecowl002Written and Drawn by: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Sandu Florea
Colors: Ian Hannin
Lettering: Jared K. Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Janelle Siegel
Editor: Mike Marts
Covers: Tony S. Daniel
Publisher: DC Comics

Last issue left off with our heroes facing a gun-toting Batman that had been spreading his own brand of fear in Gotham City. Nightwing and Damian confront this cowl-claimant, and Nightwing reveals who is behind the mask. Meanwhile, Tim Drake in a different Batman costume does things his own way, and comes across an old ally. Two-Face and Penguin are manipulated, and Tim finds what he is seeking, and enters his own battle for the cowl, as the gun-toter firmly acknowledges an agenda.

For me, the best part of this issue is definitely the art. It’s not perfect, and seems less-detailed in places…but overall is some of the better art I can think of when it comes to Batman-related stuff. Whatever depth the story itself has, the art fits the story, and gets across what’s going on–I don’t really ask much more than that of art in a comic.

The story is a bit rougher. On the one hand I really want to like this, as it’s supposed to be this major story in the Bat-verse and all that. But at this point, I’ve already decided who I want to see “win” by story’s end, and am not as interested as I’d thought in how we get to that status quo. Daniel definitely has a good handle on the art–and though his story isn’t all that deep, it is understandable and fairly straight-forward.

Overall, this is feeling almost like it’s just a transition-story…it offers some quick explanation of how the status-quo-to-come will be what it is, but doesn’t actually feel like it’s all that organic in development. (Perhaps I’ve gotten too used to the six-issue-arc model of many comics these days).

Recommended if you’ve already been following the story…nothing in this screams “check me out!” in and of itself, though.

Ratings:

Story: 3/5
Art: 3/5
Overall: 3/5

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Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1 [Review]

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Walt

Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: A Hostile Takeover

In Batman’s absence, Gotham City has deteriorated despite Nightwing and Robin calling in backup from outside the usual bunch of costumed do-gooders operating in the city.

batmanbattleforthecowl001Written and Drawn by: Tony S. Daniel
Inks: Sandu Florea
Colors: Ian Hannin
Lettering: Jared K. Fletcher
Asst. Editor: Janelle Siegel
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover: Tony S. Daniel
Publisher: DC Comics

At this point in the overall story, Batman is gone/presumed dead by his closest allies. Even Gotham City as a whole has noticed the absence of Batman, as the underworld and gangs have gotten so bad that police officers are quitting rather than face being a cop in Gotham. Nightwing and Robin have called in other costume heroes for backup, though it is apparent that more than just a guy in a costume fighting crime so that there’s less, Batman has become a necessary entity in Gotham; the absence of which has tipped the balance against the non-criminal.

This issue–the first of only three (as opposed to the seems-like-standard 6-7)–seems to mostly be setup. We’re introduced to the major players–primarily Nightwing and Robin, as well as the other characters playing a role in this unfolding drama; for the most part, there’s at least token appearance of basically any “Bat Family” character you’d expect–or at least the characters are mentioned. I’d expected set-up, and the appearance of a lot of characters. However, I’d expected a bit more of an immediate confrontation to be kicked off, and was met instead with more development.

This story–written by longtime Bat-artist Tony Daniel–seems to play quite well in the playground established by Morrison during his run on the main Batman book, while also interacting with characters from outside–AND actually making sense on the first read-through. While characterization doesn’t seem to fully acknowledge long-term continuity (I’m a bit torn, for example, as to whether or not I think it’d serve the story well to reference 1994’s Prodigal arc in which Dick had temporarily taken over as Batman).

In addition to the writing, Daniel also does the art for the book. Said art comes across quite well, and the product provided by the entire art time (including inks and colors) is a visual that while not the best I’ve ever seen, is still solid, good work. Characters all come across clearly and distinctly, except for one panel that took me a moment to realize was Damian.

On the whole, this is a good start to Battle for the Cowl. It looks like most of the title’s actual battle for said cowl is going to be in the 2nd and/or 3rd issues. Despite being largely setup, this issue still has a lot packed into it that will hopefully pay off in the next couple issues.

Though this is a $3.99 book, there are 30 pages of story, which is just enough to keep me from crying foul. Whether you followed Morrison‘s Batman or Final Crisis (or not), you shouldn’t have much trouble picking up with this issue and enjoying the ride–all you need to know is that Bruce is gone and he has left a void.

Overall recommended, unless you’re specifically avoiding all “event” books or simply have zero interest in the Batman family of characters and how they deal with losing Batman.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/5
Art: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

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The Rest of the Stack: Week of November 16, 2011

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Walt

image

The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.

BATMAN #3

batman003I still can’t get over how great it is to see that Bruce Wayne–the man UNDER the Batman cowl–is actually being treated as a useable, viable character again. After so many years of being a virtual non-character, here we see that yeah, Batman is a huge part of him…but there’s still SOMETHING to Bruce Wayne. And his life AS Bruce Wayne, as a Wayne, plays into his life as Batman. This issue sees Bruce/Batman learn more about whatever this stuff going on with the Owl imagery is, including a costume that (well ahead of me reading this issue, I saw over at Bleeding Cool with that site’s comment on the costume being obviously like Owlman from Watchmen) I agree would have at least put me in mind of Watchmen, though having it spoiled I don’t feel like going to actually look up the comparison. I like the dynamic between Bruce and Alfred…Snyder definitely has a good feel for this character, and builds a story that doesn’t feel like I turn two pages and find a to-be-continued. There’s more substance here, it seems, than a lot of other comics…though this still feels rather short. At least the issue is only $2.99, and does NOT include one of those stupid 5-7 page “previews.” The art continues to also be quite good…and I’m coming to very much enjoy Capullo‘s take on these characters. I was curious if this week’s issue would change my mind at all, but this issue keeps me interested enough that Batman will survive a likely culling of my already-limited pull-list in the coming weeks. (8.5/10)

GHOSTBUSTERS #3

ghostbusters003I’m really tired of variant covers in comics today. I can understand, possibly even condone variants in actual special circumstances…but not on every freaking issue. Combine that with a $3.99 price point, and the physical package of this issue has a lot going against it in my mind, with a good dose of grouchiness before I’ve even opened the issue to read it. Shaky ground on principle, that. But actually reading the issue…I’m enjoying the story. I like the story itself, and I like the visual style. This feels like the story is firmly rooted in the movie continuity, and yet is delving deeper and building from there. Yeah, elements come FROM the films…but this is not trying to BE the films, nor is it trying to be a third film. This is something that is working well as a continuation of that universe and its characters…and for now, I’ll stick around. At present, even if I would drop this title…it would be a statement on IDW‘s constant use of variant covers every single issue and the price point, and not at all due to the quality of the content itself. (8/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE #3

justiceleague003I hate Darkseid. Offhand, I cannot think of one single story involving Darkseid that I’ve particularly enjoyed…except perhaps Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey, wherein Darkseid was giving quite a beating by the beast that had killed Superman. For me, the Fourth World stuff is a huge bore–I won’t debate that a lot of people enjoy it, and I’m not speaking on its technical merits. I just don’t enjoy it. So the Fourth World elements to this story do nothing positive for me. Wonder Woman feels like a caricature here with little/no depth. And if this first arc is only 5-6 issues, we’re at least halfway through now, with no room for actual, deep character development…which as such makes it feel so pointless to have just this one story to “introduce” these characters, especially with the title launched as “the” flagship title of the New 52. That there are 22 content pages is diminished by the splash pages. And the back matter neutralizes it as well–put the darned sketches and such online, instead of wasting pages with them in-print…or save them for the collected edition or inevitable “Absolute” edition. The History of Atlantis pages are not at all cute–if they were on top of a 30ish content-pages story, sure, the effect would be kinda entertaining. But wasting time with a “cover,” a library-card page, a dedication, a table of contents (of stuff we won’t even get to see) and so on feels like a complete waste of space, padded out to fill this thing to claim it justifies $3.99. Johns‘ characterization is missed on this book, and Lee‘s art–while not bad to look at–doesn’t seem his best, and doesn’t begin to make up for the steep cover price. (5/10)

WALKING DEAD #91

walkingdead091Something about this issue felt a bit more substantive than usual for a single issue. We check in on several different plot points and character groups, moving stuff forward. And there’s some definite development between Rick and Carl…somehow, feeling like Carl shows more personality here than I can recall for years of reading this title. The art of course is the usual high quality; zero complaints there. And given we’re 91 issues in and Kirkman‘s still at the helm of his creation…zero complaint there as well. I’m pretty sure this is the first issue of a new six issue sequence, so is as good a jump-on point as any. And the entire rest of the series is available in-print through 14 TPBs (15th coming next month, I believe) as well as a couple different hardback formats, and a 48-issue compendium edition. So…I’m probably not going to change your mind yay or nay on this title. But I enjoyed this issue…and continue to enjoy the series even after 90 issues. This isn’t perfect…but I don’t expect it to be. 90+ issues and I still want to keep reading. Not every comic series has that going for it. (7.5/10)

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The Rest of the Stack: Week of October 19, 2011

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Walt

allofthestack

The Rest of the Stack is my general mini-review coverage of new comics for any given week. It’s in addition to (or in place of) full-size individual reviews. It’s far less formal, and more off-the-top-of-my head thoughts on the given comics than it is detailed reviews.

FEAR ITSELF #7

fearitself007Spoilers ahead. When? When am I going to learn that Marvel does not ever, Ever, EVER actually END an event? It’s just the attempting “hook” of the next thing. This issue hardly made any sense. More posturing. More glowy/Tron Legacy-style characters, more magical weapons transforming characters into weird alternate-version-action-figures of themselves. And just a couple years after all the hoopla over JMS having an interesting story to bring Thor back? Hey, let’s kill him off. AGAIN. And let’s just have all these vague little “moments” to spin off into other stuff. The story ends way early, but wait–there’s more! There are these multiple “epilogues” that REALLY are PROLOGUES to other series and such that Marvel wants you to go out there and buy. And of course, like a complete sucker, I fell in for it. And at $4.99 for this issue. Pretty sure that means I was hoodwinked into paying for those prologues. And the Hulk stuff makes no sense.

FEAR ITSELF 7.0

fearitself007aYeah, in writing this, if you think *I* am being choppy, well…I’m just emulating what I read. I was almost content to not even buy this issue, but figured no, I’ll finish the series, finish the event. But it doesn’t even truly end, it just sets you up for these other spin-off series, and these .1/.2/.3 issues (aka Fear Itself #7.1, #7.2, #7.3 so they can claim you don’t have to buy ANOTHER mini-series to make sense of this one, nor have to admit this series is now 10 issues instead of the originally stated 7). And you know what? I barely paid attention to the art here. Maybe it was ok, maybe it just wasn’t horrible, but I was trying to follow the story, and neither story nor art nor the combination really made things make the sort of sense they were surely going for. I may sound cliche, but fired up as I am at this, and seeing this as being another of Marvel‘s “core” things…well, chance after chance after chance, but I’m sorry, I just am not interested in more than the concepts. The actual stories, the actual execution of whatever ideas…there just isn’t any satisfaction to whatever payoff there is. Very dissatisfied with this issue, this series, and I’m voting with my wallet. I’m out. (2/10)

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #509

invincibleironman509My 10th issue post-500 (counting that 5xx.1 issue)…and yeah, I’m done. Modified my pull list recently, and told my comic shop I’d finish out Fear Itself and Iron Man, but none of the follow-ups. None of the spin-offs. Maybe I’m just out of touch with Marvel, but whatever potential there was here is squandered. Surfacey plan on Tony’s drinking. Whatever this Asgardian armor thing is, he looks like the Destroyer or whatever that robot with the visor is–but no one says anything about it, nor do I get what its properties are, whether this is a quasi-permanent thing or not. There’s some interaction between Tony and a dwarf that could set up stuff for down the road, but time alone will tell on that. Pepper’s situation is “conveniently” dealt with, squandering tension from the previous issue. And much as I loved Fraction‘s first 24-some issues in particular–it’s what got me buying this in the first place–all that goodwill has pretty much been crapped away–though I mainly blame Marvel in general and these darned event-after-event-after-Event-after-EVENT thing they’ve been doing. Art’s the usual for this title. Story’s probably not bad once it gets explained by those more patient than me, or in the collected volume (maybe with some tie-ins thrown in for better flavoring). Again…voting with my wallet. I’m done. This isn’t worth $3.99/issue, I’m caught up, and I’m choosing not to keep buying a title on the offchance it’ll get better “next month” or have an epiphany-type moment. (5/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE #2

justiceleague002If I’m paying $3.99, it’s for extra pages of story. If you want to–on top of a full issue at $2.99–give me extra pages of text or prose or whatever to add to the worldbuilding, sure, great. But if I’m paying for it? No. Not my cup of tea. 22 pages of story for $3.99, with some supplemental stuff. The Superman and Batman design pages were semi-interesting, because I’d listened to an interview weeks ago with Mr. Hamner discussing having been hired to do these guides. But the Steve Trevor transcript segments did nothing for me. Somehow I’m not quite AS fired up about this as I was about practically the same thing happening with Action Comics #2…but the mood I’m in having read this week’s comics, and being so freaking tired of comics’ prices, their VALUE these days, this title’s on my chopping block. Like Action…maybe I’ll enjoy it more in a collected volume, from Amazon, bundled with something else for free shipping, to justify whatever the cost. Get the whole story in one go so it feels like an actual story instead of a segment, and not have it broken up by the same old useless ads and such, and hopefully without stupid PAID backmatter clogging things up. The story–this feels like just another segment of something much bigger, that is INTENDED for a single story, which it will achieve in collected-edition format. The art’s good–it’s Jim Lee, after all–but even some of that seems to be posturing, and doesn’t really “do” anything for me. At $3.99 and not being significantly longer (remember, Superman #1 was what–25 pages for $2.99???) than anything else…you’re probably best off waiting for the graphic novel. (6/10)

BATMAN #2

batman002Best of the week. Which isn’t saying much. Well, I suppose moreso, it doesn’t take much. This has Batman, and Bruce, Dick shows up and we see that this isn’t gonna be some dumb cliche thing. We jump right into the action, then flash back to pick up where #1 left off and resolve things and head to that opening action, and then wrap up from there. Though this is part of a continuing story, we get a functional beginning-middle-end that works, and I’m interested in coming back for the next issue. The art’s good overall, though I don’t much care for some of the panels that just seem…”off.” All in all, solid story and solid art, doing what a single issue should. Also potentially fortuitous that this came out the day after the Batman: Year One animated film, and that I read this issue shortly after watching an interview “extra” on the B:YO disc with Snyder and others talking about Batman. (8.5/10)

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A Multi-Panel cover image done RIGHT

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Walt

Rediscovered this over the weekend: the covers to Batman: Battle for the Cowl #s 1-3 fit together to make a single, large 3-panel image.

And thankfully, rather than serve as 3 variants to any single image of the mini-series…each stands on its own and serves as a single cover for DIFFERENT issues each.

I only had to purchase ONE copy of EACH issue, and by getting the entire 3-issue mini, I got the entire image.

REALLY wish this practice was followed in general.

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DC’s The New 52 – Buy/Borrow/Pass

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Walt

batman001I’ve been listening to Comic Geek Speak’s coverage of the New 52 this month, and I rather like their ratings–rather than giving some hard number out of a total number, they rate the issues with whether they’d recommend one buy the comic, borrow the comic, or “pants” (pass) on it.

superman001As this week begins the second month, I’ve had a chance to try the titles I wanted to (actually wound up 16-17 beyond the 12-13 I’d originally intended). Ultimately, there’s no way I can afford to buy 29 titles from DC every single month…so while there ARE some titles I’d otherwise be “willing” to give a longer chance, I’ve made my decisions based on the first issues and varying factors involved with those.

BUY

  • Action Comics – It’s got history behind it. And it’s Superman. I’ll let it go on “habit.”
  • Animal Man – a great read, and really interested in where it goes.
  • Batman – Included Dick, Tim, Damian, and Bruce as well as Batman..basically was what these #1s should be.
  • Batman and Robin – Can’t quite see resisting a second issue. Giving Superman 2 books, I’ll allow 2 Batman books as well.
  • Demon Knights – Didn’t much care for this, but then heard CGS’ analogy that it’s D&D with the DCU. THAT I’m all for.
  • Fury of Firestorm – Lotta potential here, and with Ronnie AND Jason.
  • Green Lantern – Just ‘cuz. It’s GL, and if I’m gonna follow stuff in the GL-side of things, this is the title I’ll go with.
  • Justice League – Got my quibbles with it, but I’ll give it another issue before I completely give it up for decompressed.
  • Justice League International – Has Booster Gold, it got the team together in the #1 issue, and it’s got potential.
  • Resurrection Man – Abnett and Lanning, a fairly original (compared to what I’m used to) concept, I’m interested in where it goes.
  • Superman – In context of the New 52, my favorite of the #1s…I was excited enough to give it the full review treatment. ‘Nuff said.
  • Swamp Thing – After reading #1, I’ve now read the first volume of Alan Moore’s stuff. I soooo want to like this after all these years.
  • Teen Titans – Loving the Tim Drake stuff, the costume, etc. With Tim as the lead…I’m all for seeing where this goes.

BORROW

  • Batgirl – A morbid curiosity about Babs’ “miracle” and how her history post-Killing Joke is handled.
  • Blue Beetle – Might be persuaded to bump it to a buy, but for now just thinking I may go for the collected volumes.
  • Detective Comics – Already going with 2 Bat-titles, and not interested enough in the villain and other “WTF” stuff to it.
  • Green Lantern Corps – Used to be a “given” as a companion book to GL, but I’m hesitant to fully re-invest in single issues on the GL stuff.
  • Green Lantern New Guardians – I’d love to read a Kyle book, but not interested enough anymore in the rainbow corps stuff monthly.
  • Nightwing – Has potential, but I’ll likely grab the collected volumes; and already got 2 Bat-books for present.
  • Red Lanterns – Can’t quite see this lasting longterm, so I’ll get it in collected format if anything.
  • Static Shock – A fun book, but just can’t quite see bumping any of my Buys for this. I’ll be interested to see/hear where it goes, though.

PASS

  • Batman: The Dark Knight – Already have other Bat-books to go with, and just not a title I feel like following. It’ll have to get through the Borrows before it’d make it back to a Buy.
  • Captain Atom – Did not care for it, and don’t really have any active interest even in where it goes.
  • Deathstroke – Pretty much same as Captain Atom, though it’s got a much better shot of making it to a Borrow.
  • Flash – Most likely to make it up to a Borrow, but seems I’m most likely to be able to “get” what I care for via wikipedia or such.
  • Grifter – zero interest after #1 in where this goes.
  • Justice League Dark – Actively turned off by the opening issue and its lack of Constantine, among other things.
  • Stormwatch – Might be well written, but just did not interest me. If it becomes as major as rumours say, I can always play catch-up or get the beats via wikipedia.
  • Superboy – No pretense at being the character I care about in any shape or form, and I hear I’ll get a dose of him in Teen Titans, anyway, so no need to follow the solo book.

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From the back of the bandwagon: My DC New 52 thoughts, Week #4

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Walt

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1

batmanthedarkknight001I think the main thing about this issue for me is the art. I tend to enjoy Finch‘s art, and here…it sure is lookin’ good. Jenkins being part of this project is what drew me to actually buy this…but the story just doesn’t really “do it” for me. Some of the narration’s good, but I’m reminded too much of Batman #1, which makes this feel like just a repeat of something I already read in a different issue earlier this month. Sure, there’s definitely something to the repetition (probably what Bruce is supposed to feel about getting stuck at all these “high society” events) but I don’t care for actually experiencing the boredom of the situation. We’ve got a possible new character–she’s new to me, anyway. And we get the beginnings of follow-up to Bruce Wayne having told the world he’s the financial backer of Batman (though I don’t believe we’ve had the scene in front of us in the New 52 as yet). Ultimately, the issue’s got potential and pretty art, but I think I’ve settled on the idea of sticking to only two Batman titles, and this doesn’t seem likely to be one of ’em. Maybe in the collected-edition format. (6/10)

THE FLASH #1

flash001This was yet another of the month’s last-second “decided-to-pick-it-up-to-try-after-all” issues. After a sort of promising start–I wasn’t blown away by the first part of the issue, but I found myself interested in this take on Barry–I was ultimately let down with an ending that was somewhat confusing and meaningless at best. I like the CSI-With-Superhero feel this started to have. But by the end, there just wasn’t ENOUGH for me. It’s kinda nice seeing someone other than Johns handling Barry, though. Visually I wasn’t too impressed. The stylized art isn’t entirely my cup of tea. It works for this issue…but also doesn’t do much to draw me in. Maybe I’m still too attached to the old DCU, and Wally, but this seems to be yet another Flash series that I’ve given an issue to hook me, but for now I’m not planning on coming back for #2. (7/10)

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM THE NUCLEAR MEN #1

furyoffirestorm001I’ve never been a huge fan of the Firestorm character. I did give the character a chance in the Jason Rusch series back in ’04 or so, and didn’t care one way or the other when Ronnie was killed off in Identity Crisis. Firestorm was a title that I drifted away from and never got back to. I thought it an interesting dynamic what we saw in Blackest Night, and on hearing this title would feature both Jason and Ronnie, I figured I’d give it a chance. All the hubbub over multiple Firestorms didn’t really grab me…but it’s an interesting concept. I liked that this issue gives us a fresh start–this is certainly the sort of thing I want out of a #1 issue. Introduce the bad guys, introduce the heroes, show us the costumes and powers, etc. And this does it quite well. The story’s solid…the visuals are fantastic. And for simple enjoyment alone, I think this is one of my favorite of the New 52. Definitely coming back for the next issue! (8.5/10)

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1

greenlanternnewguardians001I figured I’d pick this one up for a look-see, given I’ve sampled the other 3 titles in this franchise. Wasn’t quite sure what to expect, so went in pretty open. The first few pages took me by surprise, wondering if this was set after events in the Green Lantern Corps issue somehow, or what…it was not clear from the start that we open on a flashback. Of course, it very quickly became apparent, and lit me up realizing this was a retelling of the scene that introduced Kyle Rayner way back in 1993, slightly expanded, updated visually, and focusing solely on Ganthet and Kyle with no reference to Hal and what had just happened. As the issue progressed…I liked what we got of Kyle. Didn’t really care about the other Lantern representatives, I have no idea what’s going on with the rings, and while I’d love to simply read a Kyle-centric book…I’m not interested in the other Lanterns enough to fully engage here. Depending on timing and pricing, I could see coming back to this in collected volumes…but while it’s another title with a lot of potential, it doesn’t quite make the cut for a book I’m going to put on the monthly list. (7/10)

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1

justiceleaguedark001This was one of the titles I decided ahead of the time to get, and for me the main reason was that it’s the book with John Constantine in it. However, there’s no real reference, even, to the character in this issue, and I care NOTHING for stuff with the Enchantress. The appearance of the Justice League seems superfluous at best…and they seem really out of place here–at least, Superman and Wonder Woman do. There’s one panel with Superman that just looks horrendously ugly that if I hadn’t already read and so enjoyed Superman #1 would risk souring me altogether on his new look. I’m also not all that familiar with Madame Xanadu…I think she was in Demon Knights #1 as well, which raises some questions with me about the character. And ultimately…I’m just really disappointed that Constantine wasn’t even in this issue, and that this is another title starring a team that doesn’t truly feel like it’s even headed toward being a team book. At the least, it seems that my favorite character, for whom I was interested in the title at all will be at best a small player in the title. The story’s not bad in and of itself…though not enthused about the art despite it fitting the atmosphere of the story overall. So chances are, this’ll be a title that I’m not going to bother coming back for another issue. (5/10)

TEEN TITANS #1

teentitans001Yet another title I honestly hadn’t planned on buying at all, even to try. But something of the last several weeks–maybe it was Batman #1 seeing Dick, Tim, and Damian with Bruce…or Superboy, catching a glimpse of the Red Robin outfit…maybe other stuff: I decided I had to check this out. And while I just groused above about not having a team fully assembled in this one issue…I was buying this for interest in Tim Drake, and doggone it…I got Tim Drake and loved the depiction put forth here! Tim seems very much a leader here more than I’ve really seen him. And I actually really, REALLY like the new costume. It takes the best of Tim’s Robin costume as well as the “classic” Red Robin uniform and makes a great getup for this version of the character. The “wings” are a great touch, and as the most “bird-like” costume to date, so fits the character I’m amazed it’s taken this long for this costume to be developed. Story-wise, I like where things seem to be headed, and the introduction of Kid Flash and Wonder Girl, and the place these teen costumed characters have in this revised DCU. Though Tim might only be front ‘n center for the moment, gathering the team…that that’s his role at all suggests a great maturity to the character, and somehow works in just the right way that I’m excited to read more. Surprisingly, I may be back “into” a Teen Titans book for the first time since hopping off at the final pre-One-Year-Later issue of the last Teen Titans series. (9/10)

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From the back of the bandwagon: My DC New 52 thoughts, Week #3

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Walt

BATMAN #1

batman001I rather like the various “new” gadgets Batman’s got here–especially the linkup to the Bat-computer in the cowl. I also liked the way this issue starts, with the words describing Gotham. Getting this info from Batman’s POV. I was also QUITE glad to see Dick and Tim along with Damian, and to find out that Yes, Tim was indeed a Robin, and is now Red Robin. I’m less thrilled with the direction the story took by issue’s end, as it reminds me just a bit too much of Frank Miller‘s Dark Knight Strikes Again. But as far as the bat-books so far go, I certainly enjoyed this one more than I did Detective Comics, and found this to–in its own way–be probably the most-accessible of the bat-books so far, offhand. I think I was always gonna get this, being one of the Old Titles: Action, Detective, Superman, Batman. I’m not convinced I’ll keep with this title long-term, though…but while I’m not blown away, I’m not entirely unimpressed. (7.5/10)

BLUE BEETLE #1

bluebeetle001This issue wasn’t part of my original plan. But I figured that I skipped on the debut of the last BB series, so might as well check this one out. I was somehow kind of surprised to find that this basically gives us a whole new origin for the character–but I actually like that, I think. Reboot, relaunch, whatever the term–as the start of a new DCU, it makes sense to give the character a fresh start. If the old origin was kept, there’d be a LOT of explaining to do by way of Ted Kord and Infinite Crisis (and Booster Gold), so this steps free of those loose ends. I’m only tangentially aware of the animosity between the scarab and the Green Lanterns (there was that Sinestro Corps War tie-in in the last BB series, and at least one episode of Batman: Brave and the Bold). No real problem with the art…and the story’s decent. I haven’t quite decided for certain if I plan to keep up with this series–but it’s definitely worth checking out! (7/10)

CAPTAIN ATOM #1

captainatom001.jpegAnother issue I had not originally planned on checking out, but added last-second. Offhand, this is probably the stinker of the week for me–though I’d read this, I couldn’t even remember what happened in it. And paging back through it, I feel like I didn’t even read it to begin with, despite knowing I actually did. This is certainly not the Captain Atom that I’ve known for the last two decades. As far as restarts go, and as a debut issue, I’m not even slightly impressed. The art is very stylized, and not in a way that I particularly enjoy. I don’t like the new visual design for the character, either, though I don’t know if that blame lies wholly on the design itself or this particular stylized interpretation. The story really does not feel accessible–not only do I not know this character, we start out right away with his powers acting weird on him, which feels like it should be at LEAST a second arc, or something saved for later. I don’t know what CA’s powerset is to begin with, and so him not being able to control it or it changing on him means nothing. Not planning on coming back for #2. (4/10)

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

greenlanterncorps001Though it’s been cool getting back into the GL books after a year and a half “off,” I’m not entirely thrilled with this one. And yet…this wasn’t horrible. I definitely enjoyed seeing Guy and John interacting, and the issue’s story did a good job of setting up both those characters, and that this ultimately involves the GL Corps as a whole, and is not limited to just the Earth-GLs. I especially enjoyed seeing Guy at the job interview; John’s interview scene was interesting as well. I never cared for either character until Rebirth and Sinestro Corps War…and I’ve found Guy’s development to be the most compelling, as I actually like reading the character now. The art for the issue isn’t really up my ally–it feels far too much like Gleason‘s style, which has always been my main turnoff to reading Green Lantern Corps. I’d intended to keep out of the GL corner of the New 52 and stick to the attempt of waiting for the collected volumes to read the stories, but the fresh/specific jumping-on point might just manage to suck me in for a brief time. (7.5/10)

NIGHTWING #1

nightwing001.jpegYet another title I hadn’t originally planned on picking up. But it’s Nightwing. And it’s #1. And despite being into comics at the time, I never did pick up either of the previous Nightwing #1s. Heck, other than the crossovers with the big Batman stories, I never really followed Nightwing, period. Unfortunately, I don’t know that that’s going to change all that much…but I think this has me hooked, at least for this first arc. The art’s good, which was quite enjoyable. And I like the idea of Dick revisiting Haley’s Circus, though I’m pretty sure this’s been done a few times before. At the least, I’m reminded a bit of Batman: Year 3, the final issue of which was my very first Batman comic, EVER. And just after that was the Lonely Place of Dying arc…both stories holding a key piece of my introduction to Dick Grayson as Nightwing, and all that. I think I’d’ve enjoyed this issue even without the new villain; and I am tired of seeing Dick getting so (physically) beat up all the time…seems he’s always getting these disastrous injuries, and yet keeps right on going…worse than Batman. I haven’t decided how I feel about swapping the blue for red in the costume…but given it’s been more than two years since seeing him in the previous costume, I don’t have any huge problem with this change. If anything, the blue maybe tied him more to Batman, while the red ties him more to Robin. I’ll be back for #2, though probably taking the series on an issue by issue basis. (8/10)

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