Half of the 52

Right, so, this will be where I comment on the New 52. So far I have read 26 of them, so I am exactly half way. Without further ado, I shall begin!










Action Comics. Well, OK, this one was a disappointment, and from Grant Morrison, that is a big deal... Maybe it was Superman not acting like Superman and more like his Superdickery covers, maybe it was the story that has been done to death. Who knows? Anyway, I will give it one more issue, just because it is Grant Morrison...

Animal Man. Now this was a pleasant surprise - the cover was horrible, did not like it. But the art inside, well, that was my kind of art. And the story was interesting, and somewhat new. Nice to see a family man superhero still works in a universe where Superman throws people off buildings...

Batgirl. Oh boy, this was the make or break for DC. As I think everyone knows, I really enjoyed Stephanie Brown as Batgirl, and Bryan Q. Miller was a great writer. Then he looses his writing gigs at DC, and remove Steph, and put Barbara back. With someone who is always held in high praise on the internet, but I personally have never enjoyed as a writer, Gail Simone. And yeah, this was no difference. The explanation of her paralysis?
http://youtu.be/fr8DIg3oHFI?t=1m28s
Lesson learned: I am never reading another Gail Simone comic. I have given her more chances than digits on my right hand after all...

Batman and Robin. Grant Morrison wrote this book brilliantly, and whoever took over after him, I was just interested. This new version has another new writer (or carrying over from doing a few issues after the first replacement to Grant), and has a completely different dynamic as well. It is no longer Dick and Damian, but Bruce and Damian, and well, it does not work. Damian is back to being a complete dick, no idea what has happened with Bruce's timeline, why Dick is no longer with Damian, did Bruce even sort of but not really die? And the story itself, well, it was OK. Only bit I liking was Bruce deciding to stop honouring his parents death, but instead their life. Still, nothing special whatsoever...

Batwing. Well, I feel the artwork on this book mixed, but generally above average, and I liked the story. The ending was intriguing enough to wonder where Judd was going with this, and the character seems like he has an interesting though (spoilers) short lived supporting cast. That is, if he himself is not, dun dun dun, dead. But of course he is not, that would be silly. Still interesting enough.

Batwoman. I have been looking forward to this one for over a year now. Did it slightly disappoint me? Unfortunately yes, in the this is better than a normal good issue of an average comic, but not at the high point of its game. But the art is lovely, the character dynamics are interesting and a natural evolution of what has happened previously without being too bogged down in specifics. Plus we have more material for the Batman/Commissioner Gordon slash fiction I know is out there somewhere.

Deathstroke. This was pretty poor. In the first couple of pages Deathstroke is said to be a bad-ass twice. He kills his allies for no reason. His mission is unknown and does not seem interesting. And doing the Pulp Fiction unknown briefcase contents does not work when you are not Pulp Fiction.

Demon Knights. I went into this book not expecting anything special, but it was very enjoyable. Vandal Savage as an ally? Shining Knight, Jason Blood, Madame Xanadu, dragon and dinosaurs in the Dark Ages? Hilarity ensured, and it ensured well. Colour me impressed Paul Cornell, though I really ought to expect that from him.

Detective Comics. OK, I am going to be honest here - I remember nothing from this issue, even forgot the 'shock ending' for a bit. It really was that kind of issue, not good, not bad, just bland. Which is not good from a flagship title, and one that is the second longest running comic ever. Not good at all…

Frankenstein - Agent of S.H.A.D.E. Since this is the picture I used for this post, can you guess what I thought of this issue?
That is correct, I really liked it. Mad science, whacky concepts, quick but not a full back story of the main character and the premise to get you interested, and good art. Yeah, this is my kind of book.

Green Arrow. I have never liked JT Krull's work, but this, well, it was above average. Not sure on where we stand continuity wise (we jump in with new characters etc) in Seattle, of all places, but it was alright. No silly magic forest now, but still no Black Canary. Green Arrow stumbled on the Road to the Altar, was good again when Judd Winick returned, but then Cupid happened. And Brightest Day. This is better than Krull's last GA, but is by no means brilliant.

Green Lantern. I really do feel I need to come up with a name for this symptom. Of course it was Geoff Johns title that did not feel the reboot at all. Of course this issue irritated me on that level. But also, not much happened. And what did happen, well, it just sort of, well, did. Nothing special, and not interesting.
IJF, or Irritable Johns Fatigue?...

Grifter. Rushed and interesting, telling a back story the character probably has had told better before this. And why this guy of all people gets a comic? Not, say, someone better from the Milestone universe, instead of the silly WildC.A.T.S (yes, that is actually their name. Urf, so 90's it hurts), like, I do not know, Icon? Hardware (who gets a cameo in Static), Donner & Blitzen (I so want a comic starring them) or Iron Butterfly? Pass.

Hawk and Dove. Sterling Gates does good work, as always, but why, oh why, did he get paired up with that buffoon Rob Liefeld. I just do not understand how that guy still has a job. Oh well, if you enjoy a good story, pick this up. But the art, well, it needs no explanation…

Justice League. Four characters? Four measly characters? And one of them for two pages? And the other not even a superhero yet. Yes, this is just another Geoff Johns love letter to Green Lantern. Am I slightly bitter? Yes. This was better than Green Lantern though. Was more entertaining, a bit more happened (though still not much), and had a couple of amusing parts. But still, this was not a good introduction to the new universe, nor this series as a whole. A team book has to introduce the whole team, period.

Justice League International. Now, this, unlike Batwoman, was a big disappointment. Sure, there were a couple of good bits, but unlike Generation Lost, I just did not like it. And who is this Godiva woman? Yes, I know she was in Flashpoint, but I did not read that, and this is meant to be a reboot, so you have to tell the audience who all these characters are. No one seemed to really have much to do, even though I like the majority of the characters from before. Such a shame.

Legion Lost. The story was not really that interesting, explains nothing on who these characters are (again with the not explaining who these people are DC?), the villain had no personality and did not really appear, and the reason these guys were chosen is unexplained. And the mysteries hinted at, well, I just do not care. Pass.

Mr Terrific. Well, this was a better than average book. It flowed well, though seemed a bit too quick to play the race issue (it played it twice in one issue), which does not bode well. Still, interesting plot, a good summary of the character (though not the best), and some potentially good hooks. A good start to his solo series. Still bummed by the lack of a JSA though...

O.M.A.C. This is probably the best book I have ever read by Dan Dido himself, and that is saying something. It was an alright book, but did not at all introduce us at all to what O.M.A.C. is (before the reboot, I knew, no, who knows?), nor his personality. He was like an even more underdeveloped proto-Hulk. And I do not like the Hulk. Pass.

Red Lantern. This book went nowhere, nothing really happened, and just was all round boring. Sorry for the short one here, but I cannot think of anything more to say.

Resurrection Man. Now this was good. Potential angels trying to kill someone who will not die, causing mayhem while they do so, a plot which does not say at all where the arc will be going, and good art. Unlike Frankenstein or Demon Knights, I went into this one hoping to like it (after these guys last go on the character), and it went well. Probably at the same level as this months Batwoman.

Static Shock. And then the ball drops again. This character has been floundering ever since after the TV show, and, well, this never really picks up. Stuff happens, some alright bits, but the action was pretty uninteresting, the character was unexplained for new readers, and things just did not click. All in all, it was slightly below average. Such a shame, I wanted to like this one.

Stormwatch. This was alright, maybe slightly above average. I just did not really get into it, the art was not clear what was happening a couple of times (like how Martian Manhunter took down Apollo before calling him the most powerful man on the planet), and the plot itself seemed inconsistent. And this completely reboots Apollos/Midnighters relationship to never even having met. So, not only does Superman loose the love of his life, so does Apollo? Er, DC, what are you doing here?

Suicide Squad. Eh, this was another one of those I just do not care books. It was nothing special at all, tried and failed to introduce us to the characters, and was (spoilers) mostly, sort of, a dream. Lame. And what have they down to Harley?

Superboy. Rose Wilson is still around? Huzzah! Oh, this is a comic about Superboy being born in a lab (again). And if Rose survived, where is Cassandra Cain? And Stephanie Brown?
Wait, getting off track here *ahem*. This is a Superboy comic, which could have been told in about four pages. It was alright, but seemed padded as hell, and for a number one, that does not bode well.

Swamp Thing. And now to finish on a bad review. Lame lame lame. This was uninteresting, I am still getting distracted by Superman's silly cybernetic costume, the plot did not seem to make sense, and I thought in the reboot Clark Kent did work at the Daily Planet? I am unsure, this reboots timeline is messy already. Not good. Still, nice art by Yanick Paquette, who I am glad has something now that Batman Incorporated has been canceled/delayed until 2012.

And there you have it. My ratings on the first three weeks on the DC reboot. All in all, the books I enjoyed could have been told without this reboot, the books that were rebooted I did not like, and mostly I am just left wondering why DC did this. It was nothing special at all, and has been filled with stupid decisions all round…