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…

Two Weeks of Reviews

OK, so after curb-stomping the volcano (no picture for it :P), I've got myself two weeks worth of comics. Now, I know, it's a lot, so I'll just review em by week, in alphabetical order. So, without further ado, because these have been delayed for enough as it is, let's get on with the reviews.

- Last Weeks -

Blackest Night: Directors Cut
So, unlike what JT said, I bought this. And it was OK. But then I'm a sucker for anything involving sketchbooks and the like. Though the sketchbook was disappointed when compared to Final Crisis' sketchbook, which had a lot more of the design process and all that. Plus, there was no Jean Loring, Ralph and Sue Dibney or ones like Air Wave and the like. Which was odd. And only two, maybe three at the most, unused characters. Shame really, cause I really like that kindof thing. But that's me, the designer ;) The rest of the stuff was pretty useless really, save the two unused scenes, which I can see why they weren't used, though the Rainbow Raiders one was pretty damn funny.

Green Lantern #53
OK, so, like my GLC review down below, which I wrote before this because it was more fresh in my mind, and because I had it in front of me while this one is at home, I felt this one was just a set-up issue. I mean, sure, it was fine for what it was, setting up the Lantern plot points for the next few issues and all that, but the artwork was eh, not a lot really happened and Indigo-1 didn't appear at all. Oh, and Saint Walker (with SAINT BARRY, shamelessly stealing from X here) in all of 2 pages I think. But Larfleeze with his Guardian, now that, well, slightly creepy there, you know? Though a tad odd. Gives Luthor up, then comes back right away and sees him again. Erm, did I miss something here?

Kato: Origins #1
OK, so this was a nice little tale that's going to be happening for a while - part mystery, part origin, all period. It's nice, gives some background on Kato, who, being part of the whole Green Hornet stuff, I know nothing about, so it's all good to me. I do wonder how much this actually is accurate to the original stories - does anyone know?

The Spirit #1
I thought I would give this one a go, having never read any of stuff on the Spirit before, not seeing the movie (which I'm told was beyond pondscum on stuff you don't want near your eyes). It was alright as a beginning tale, but nothing brilliant. It did leave me wondering why the crooks couldn't catch the Spirit when he was having a meal with the commissioner in broad day light… And the Second Feature was just, er, odd. Not a fan of the art style, and I just couldn't really tell what was happening.

X-Men: Pixie Strikes Back #3
Now, this is the big un of last weeks stuff - the series where they're butchering one of my favourite characters. But, and it seems odd saying this, it wasn't too bad. The story makes more sense, there seems to be an actual tale involved in making her father a villain and her mum a weird ass fairy chick woman. I mean, I could actually tell what was happening for the most part, though whether it was just me or not but the artwork seemed a tad different, not as good as the last two instalments. The X-Men were still written strangely, and Rockslide just looked off in this one, especially on the final page. Oh, and X-23 just annoys me SO very much. You don't get to say that, you don't get to act like she's a horrible person and you're just an annoying character who either just insults others or smashes things because she's emo. That's the only two things I've ever seen her doing, and she just annoys me.

- This Weeks -

Detective Comics #864
OK, now this one I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I was disappointed to learn that Batwoman would not be in Detective Comics anymore, and yet forced to continue reading the Question even as Renee was destroyed as a character in the Second Feature story. But, the main feature was actually quite good - some good moments with Arkham threatening people, although still no explanation for his wacky ol' Black Mask antics. Or how Dick figured it out using the bullets (I still don't get that you know). The Second Feature did just annoy me, I'm not liking where they're going with these characters, but at least it was better than before, and they don't just reveal their identities to every single damn smuck, villain and hired hit-man that comes their way. And I suppose it's always nice to have Vandal Savage, as he hasn't appeared in that much (from my knowledge) - Final Crisis: Revelations (was that the name? I never read it myself), Outsiders: The Deep and now this. Not a truly unique character, but an immortal who isn't emo - now that's unique ;)

Gotham City Sirens #11
Ok, so I called the bit with the Hyenas, Ivy was acting even more of a bitch than normal (surprise surprise there), and this was the normal strong, enjoyable Sirens story with the usual art. If you've been following anyone who read this blogs blog, you'll know this is a good and consistent series which you're already reading.
Does seem a bit odd that this one has been going on for almost a year, but it deserves it - it's a good series, and totally deserves it's own spin-off TV show ;)

Green Hornet #3
OK, part 3 of Kevin Smith's tale of Green Hornet, that was gonna be a movie at some point. Well, I liked this story, though it was a tad predictable after the main even happened. Seems a bit of a shame, but it had some good moments, although it did use the standard old man kicks ass trope. But it did it well, so I suppose that's alright then. The artwork seemed a bit off on a couple of panels, like someone else had done it. But apparently not, so, hmm, just a bit odd.

Green Lantern Corps #47
This was a pretty good setup/ending series, concluding the Blackest Night stuff and beginning the Brightest Day story. And anyway, it was worth the price of admission for seeing Arrisa and the Guardians. Not as good as Red Robin curb-stomping Damian, but it was a good scene.

Husk
Now, this was an impulse buy that I saw on the stands, had a flick through and it looked interesting. It's a French made comic translated into English, and I gotta say, either something was lost in translation, or someone was taking advice on how to write a story by Grant Morrisson and Felicia Henderson. I mean, sure, the story was good, just confusing, and it was all self contained in it's 48 page goodness. Artwork was passable, nothing truly special.

Teen Titans #82
OK, still no impressed with this series. And it seems as if the writer doesn't actually like Aquagirl - she lists Wonder Girl, Raven, Bombshell, Blue Beetle, Beast Boy, Miss Martian, but not Aquagirl or Static. Er, what? And that's on the second page. Plus she wasn't on the cover, yet Static was. Though Cyborg wasn't. And it just gets worse from here. Usual stilted and bad dialogue, unexplained and confusing panel changes. What did Beast Boy turn into to save the Titans - the Phoenix Force? And a Dragon later on? Since when could Gar do mythical animals? And all of them and they couldn't stop fat Superman T-shirt wearing man? Man, these Titans are seeming lamer and lamer each issue… Wasn't impressed with the Ravager Second Feature bit - just no.

The Rise of Arsenal #2
Urgh, do we have do this? I'd much rather read Pixie Strikes back having a baby with Final Crisis then this. Now, I now that's an odd metaphor, but at least those stories made a form of sense of where they were going, and that's saying something, considering my disdain for the direction Marvel are taking with Pixie. So, what happened with this atrocity anyway?
Roy's on drugs, dreaming of failing Lian, pissed off with Ollie for killing Prometheus when he should have done it, annoyed with Mia for not keeping Lian alive, he gets his robot arm then decides he's gonna break his bow because he can't shoot straight and then get attacked by Cheshire because he let Lian die.
A by the numbers idiot plot that I pretty much predicted would happen because I could see straight away the idiotic direction DC are taking with the Arrowclan, and I knew that any old writer could write this awful stuff. It's not a good idea, it's not a good plot, and it's just a damn stupid direction for many a character. I suppose ending my reviews on this horrible horrible comic, and so here's some more and good news. Well, maybe for me anyway. You'll see what I mean when ya read em ;)

Now, I was having a bit of a money spending splurge, which was a really bad idea considering my bank account, but hey, I wanted a sortof treat, and they have looked interesting for quite a while. And so I've bought the Mystic Arcana series (Magik, Black Knight, Scarlett Witch and Sister Grimm). Now, I haven't read it yet - just haven't yet. I've already read seven comics today, and wanted to just do the reviews and have a nap ;)

Now, on a final and completely different note, the releases of the pictures for the new X-Men seem quite quite odd. Have you seen the line-up? Just over half of them are actual mutants, huh. Novel… Still, least Psylocke being a member is always good.





















Oh, and the actual final note. We get Iron Man 2 a week earlier than you guys in America. Ha ha - sucks to be you :P Cause I'm seeing it tonight perhaps, and then on Sunday and Tuesday with some different mates I know. Two to three times, and you won't have seen it once. Now that's a two finger salute that would really annoy you Americans. Ha ha :P

Review of this weeks Weekly Comics

Right, it's now the weekend. Time for me to review my latest weekly comic purchases. I did buy a couple more than I was going to, but that's cause I read the previews online and they looked interesting. So, without further ado, here's me reviewing comics :D

The Atom and Hawkman #46
This one was one I wasn't planning on buying until I read the first five pages - looked quite good from it. Now, admittedly, it does focus more on The Atom than it does on Hawkman, but really, what do you expect? Hawkman's sortof dead at the moment...
I still can't take the Atom's new costume seriously though, the tribal look has never suited him. Still, at least he's wearing trousers... Something I didn't get though was since when can Jean shrink? Still, the issue was good, it finally shows him moving on and getting over what Jean did by blowing her to smithereens. What a good way to deal with crazy ex wives.
Plus this comic provides more exposition on the Indigo Tribe, which is always nice, and with them being undead, we do get to see Ray being really badass (which he's done throughout the entire time he's been fighting Black Lanterns really).

Batman and Robin #7
Dammit Grant! I was going to drop this one if it wasn't very good, and although it was the usual confusing mess of Grant's latest comics, it had an interesting premise.
Question 1: Why was Batwoman in a coffin?
Question 2: Wasn't Batman's body buried? If so, who was risen by Nekron in Blackest Night?
Question 3: Who the hell designed those bikes? They're terrible...
Anywho, the artwork in this issue was alright, nothing special, don't get why Quitely's not been doing this since issue 3. His artwork really does suit Grant's form of storytelling (a jumbled jigsaw that forms a mostly understandable picture when finished). And huzzah for Damian being looked after by Talia. Relegated to just two pages of this issue. Two pages too many, but was a damn relief...
And whoever did the word bubbles on page 19 really needs a slap. You'll see what I mean when you get there...

Detective Comics #861
Now, I don't know how I can review this. I'm just a big damn fanboy for the main feature in this... Still, I can try. Plus, it's got Jock doing the internal artwork, who I do really like. What's nice that although you can tell it's definitely his drawings, he does channel a little bit of J.H. Williams III, who is another damn good artist whose non-showing in these issues is a shame, but more than made up with Jock's appearance. The story itself is pretty average, the usual creepy killer stalker ideal woman making chappy, but he's got a cool and somewhat creepy appearance. Unique at that... But would people stop stabbing Batwoman? She does seem to have a "Stab Me" sign on her... And another nice thing? A realistic thermal scanner. Wow...
On the second feature, well, I was a little disappointed with it. Neither were bothered about there secret identities being compromised, why couldn't they just have beat him up and stolen his laptop, etc etc? Did seem quite out of character and I agree with Tot on that one... I did like Zeiss' Terminator vision though, and the artwork was good, as always.

Gotham City Sirens #8
This was an interesting one - not a silly jokey comic like the other Sirens, but a more serious, one issue plot, er, issue... It was strange as it was written by an artist, like the current Batman issues, except someone else wrote the dialogue, and it was actually a non-confusing, well thought out story. On it's own I did enjoy it, the artwork was pleasant yet not eye-poppingly good. It actually reminded my of Dark Knight Returns, what with the TV segments and layout in places. All in all, shame it wasn't a silly one, but good that it was a serious one, if that makes sense...

Green Lantern #50
Holy smeg on a cracker was this comic awesome. So Mera never wanted children and then vomits on Aquababy? The Atom suddenly learns Indigoean (yeah, let's make up a name for their Nok Rol'ing language), which was a bit strange, and then the Spectre finally shows up after quite a while of nothing and shows why he shouldn't be allowed as a hero (you know what I mean). Now, sure, Geoff can't really write the Scarecrow, but come on, we meet the Fear-asaurus again.
On a note I hadn't really thought about until now, but hasn't Wonder Woman become one of the most powerful (and slutty) beings in the universe now?

Justice League: Cry For Justice #6
It's great for me having not been reading Justice League itself, as it means I don't have to worry about the timing of this and that issue. It's a shame as I've enjoyed this mini-series alot, even if it does have it's problems. It's just a shame that JLA has to spoil alot of how this series ends. Also, does anyone know what happened to Mauro? He was doing all the art up until last issue, where he didn't do all the pages, and then he's only done the cover this issue... As it isn't as tight as it was with Mauro, which is a shame as it was really nice artwork. Anywho, the issue itself was mostly just Prometheus beating the shit out of 18 heroes (and 1 villain) before finally getting 'beaten'. This really was James upping Prometheus' villain counter ALOT. It's just a shame his final plan was just revenge, as he's been doing alot of work to get this far. Now, I've always liked James' end of issue commentaries, as it were, a nice bit of the behind the scenes, his own likes and dislikes, and his acknowledgement that this isn't a perfect piece...
It's just a shame we have a Batwoman origin, as we just had her origin over the last three issues of Detective Comics... Personally Vixen, Starfire, Firestorm or Donna Troy (although her's might well be impossible, considering her history) would've been a better choice. Maybe that's just me though?

Superman: Secret Origin #4
A quick review as although this isn't the last review alphabetically, it is the last one I'm writing... Artwork was good as always, the story was solid, though it really isn't much of a 'secret origin'. Just a nice and strong new post-whatever-Crisis origin story that doesn't change much but is just damn solid...

Teen Titans #79
This was another I bought because of the preview I read online - the artwork's clear and concise, it focuses alot on Static (I'm trying out Milestone in the DCU stuff ya see), and the story seemed interesting from what I could tell. And yes, it was all three of those. The problem I had is that I didn't know about half the characters. I didn't even know there was a new Aquagirl on the team, had no idea who this silver girl was (and can she become that brown haired chick?), I'm assuming Cyborg isn't part of the team anymore, and where's Static been all this time? I assume with the Titans, but then why hasn't he called etc. Still, it didn't hamper the story too much. Just one last question: where did Megan go after she had a migraine? She just vanished.
I can't review the Ravager second feature as I hadn't followed that and it was in the middle of a story. Looked good if I knew exactly what was happening though...

And now I'm burnt out from all this reviewing. So, just to finish off this post:
DAMN YOU MORRISON!!!

Short Update

Since some of us have bills to pay, and whatnot, I can only but a coupld of TPB/THBs this month :( I've already ordered Teen Titans: Titans of Tomorrow, so I'll review that when it comes, I'll order Decimation: X-Men - The 198 when I've paid those bills and the only single I'm buying is Green Lantern Corps #44... Next week gets more expensive, with

• Batman & Robin #7 (Urgh, why am I still buying this? If Grant messes up Batwoman, I'm just giving up with this...)
• Detective Comics #861 (Shame JH Williams III is taking a break, but we get Jock instead, so it's all good)
• Gotham City Sirens #8 (didn't we have one of these two weeks ago? Oh, why am I complaining? ;))
• Green Lantern #50 (The cover looks spectacular, but what with last issue being a bit of a dissapointment, well, I dunno...)
• Cry For Justice #6 (Finally. I feel like I've been waiting an age for this)
• Superman: Secret Origins (Sweeeet. Really looking forward to this one)
  

The TPB/THB I'm most awaiting are Avengers/X-Men: Utopia (Dark Avengers / Uncanny X-Men) and Dark Avengers 2, but they aren't out for an age yet. Grrrrr