The Movement v1: Class Warfare TPB

I had heard about this short-lived series, but I passed due to my fairly strict “no nu-52” policy. Even though I typically enjoy Gail Simone’s writing and I like Freddie Williams’ art, I think I made the right call. The Movement is not a super-hero comic. I think the closest I can come to describing the core concept is that it’s a combination of Occupy Wallstreet and Anonymous. These are young people banding together to change their corrupt home of Coral City. While one or two of them might be able to pass for super-heroes (including guest-star Rainmaker, from the old Gen 13 days), this is more about social change than heroics.

The trade splits the focus between hunting down a serial killer who leaves his victims in a pool of water and a pair of cops who abused their power (and had it caught on film). While both stories are compelling, I found the split between scenes lessened a few scenes. In one scene, my favorite team member, Katharsis, is in a huge battle with a bunch of corrupt cops. But the scene is constantly cutting away, robbing some of the emotion from the scene. Later, when the rodent-controlling Mouse actually confronts the serial killer, the scene again juxtaposes between the Movement HQ and Mouse’s battle. I get that this presentation are supposed to be raising the dramatic tension, but I found myself really bored by the more mundane halves of both scenes.

As for the team itself, it is OK. Mouse is very much a Gail Simone character. His quirks and odd nature make him the Ragdoll of the team. Katharisis is the only member who seems like a super-hero, so of course she’s my favorite (she’s the winged butt-kicker). I might have enjoyed Rainmaker having a larger role; a totally new cast of characters is already difficult to get into, but when they are all so… odd and different than normal super-heroes, that makes it even harder to be invested. Frankly, this cast and book seems like it would be a perfect fit in DC’s upcoming Divergence push, this is a very diverse cast.

I found it interesting that Freddie Williams’ sketches noted that Katharsis is the only team member who is supposed to look like a super-hero. Well done, Williams, because that’s by far my favorite design on the team. Williams is a strong illustrator and his exaggerated body language and facial expressions tell the story well. Even non-powered characters have a presence on the page. Again, I’ll show my bias; I prefer Williams doing straight-up super heroes.

This comic is FAIR. It is fine, but it is clearly working on a diversity agenda, both from a team standpoint and as a core concept. As I often say, that’s fine; there should be lots of types of comics out there. But this one isn’t my cup of tea. 

Wow! DC's Mini "Divergence" Relaunch

I have a familiar feeling this morning. You know that feeling when you think/hope something is going to happen; only to find out the opposite is true? Or if not the opposite, something quite different than what you’d wished for? That’s my feeling this morning.

After the brilliance of Grant Morrison’s Multiversity, I had high hopes. You had one of the premiere creators of our time putting out original but respectful versions of classic DC heroes. Heroes I wanted to read more about. Heroes that had tons of untapped potential because they felt new AND they felt like the DC characters I grew up loving. With DC Comics relaunching about half their line, surely we’d get an optimistic take on Shazam. Or maybe a book about the 90’s era JLA all grown up. How about the New Gods and Kamandi? These are some brilliant concepts in Morrison’s Multiversity!

Or maybe the hype about Convergence convinced DC Comics that there is a place for one, maybe two titles set in the “old” continuity. Why not have a few pandering books like Booster Gold, JLI, or Teen Titans for folks who feel a bit left out by the New 52? Now’s the time, right?

NOPE.

For those of you who are not up-to-the-minute with your comic news, DC is launching 24 new titles in a mini-overhaul of their publishing line. 

DC is indeed embracing change (which I do salute them for) but it is to turn in a direction I’m not really interested in. They are mini-relaunching with Divergence, where the stated goal is “to Batgirl” the DCU. To diversify the characters and concepts and target a different type of audience than their standard super hero comics. Listen, I think there should be comics for everyone, and I’m excited about some of the books they’ve announced. My problem, and it is clearly just me, is that I found the first of the Batgirl reboot incomprehensible.

Again, complaining personally, I’m losing Batman and Robin by Peter Tomasi and Aquaman by Jeff Parker. Justice League 3000 featuring the returned Blue Beetle and Booster Gold is at least getting relaunched as Justice League 3001. And of course, I’ll be buying Garth Ennis and John McCrea’s Section 8 mini-series. (I only read 4 DC comics these days, including Batman.)

There are a couple books with potential. Depending on the tone, my daughters might love Starfire. But if it is like Batgirl, it will still be inappropriate for kiddos. I’m not familiar enough with Rob Williams to know if his take on Martian Manhunter will feel right or not. Can Patrick Gleason write Robin, Son of Batman as well as Tomasi could? I don't want punk-rock Black Canary or other drastic re-imaginings. What will David Walker's Cyborg be like? Can I hope that Earth 2: Society is close to the old JSA? (Here is a complete list of the titles and creative teams.)

Perhaps my biggest issue with this relaunch is my lack of familiarity with most of the creators. There are tons of folks that will have to win me over. That’s instead of being instantly intrigued or excited if I saw some Morrison concepts in there. Or some 80’s and 90’s holdovers like we’re getting on the Convergence titles. Somehow most of the creators I'm really tuned in to have ended up at Valiant! 

Most importantly, will DC use this opportunity to raise the standard price of their books to $3.99?

In summary, my lack of familiarity with creators, suspicion about accessibility for my old sensibilities, and lack of exciting high concepts leaves me with very few books to add to my sublist. Between this and Secret War, I’m feeling pretty aged out of comics in general!

(Boo hoo. Woe is me, I know.)

Multiversity #1

Man, I am totally a sucker for the oddness of Grant Morrison. I can be down on the New 52, unengaged with the DCU as a whole, and here I am, thrilled to see the next chapter from DC’s mad scientist.

It doesn’t hurt that this book barely counts as a new 52 (if it does at all). The Superman on the cover is President Superman from another Earth. He teams up with characters like Dino Cop (Savage Dragon?) Captain Carrot, and Aquawoman. These aren’t the New 52 versions of anyone; these are just kick-butt new heroes and analogues. Best of all, it is very easy to find yourself rooting for this random group of champions as they stand against the darkness.

Final Crisis’ Nix Uotan shows up too, as the Superjudge. He’s got a definite super-hero vibe going, and it is impossible not to root for the guy as he saves another hero from the series’ villains. The Thunderer is a great new addition too, and he actually has a much easier time of it than our poor Nix.

The villains. Oh my, the villains. They are absolutely horrific, these cosmic-level threats to the entire omniverse. The Gentry are absolutely wonderful. Their dismissive text-speak is threatening and unique from the very first quote. “We want yu. We want yu 2 give up yr dreams. We want yu 2 abandon all hope. We want 2 make yu like us.” That’s a horrifying villain!

The designs by Ivan Reis are a mix of Lovecraft and Tom Mandrake, absolutely perfect for comic book antagonists. These guys look Shuma Gorath and other Doctor Strange villains rebuilt to face down the Justice League. I can’t understate Reis’ design for the different heroes too. In addition to the mixed up cosmic team from the Hall of Heroes, he also gets to introduce the “Avengers” of Earth 8. Even casual readers can recognize the analogues immediately, and of course, the Hawkeye one captured my attention first.

So one issue in, we’ve seen a couple Earths. Earth 7 is the Thunderer’s Earth, and it has already fallen to the Gentry. It seems Thunderer might be the only survivor.

Earth 23, home of President Superman, our point of view character and protagonist. He’s a cool hero, taking absolutely everything in stride. Nothing surprises him in this whole issue.

Earth 8 is ALMOST the same as 7. Home to the Major Comics style heroes, who are remarkably similar to the Avengers. (Lord Havok as Dr. Doom is pretty dang awesome.)

But the BEST thing about this EXCELLENT comic? That the narration boxes are screaming warnings and threats at the reader. Morrison is crazy, but man, he makes fantastic comics. 

Justice League Beyond: In Gods We Trust TPB

Wow. The real Justice League was hiding here the whole time!

I know it isn’t the “real” pre-52 Justice League, but at this point, getting the further, continuing adventures of the Bruce Timm-style JLU is perfectly fine with me.

Jumping years into the future, the roster of the League has gone through some changes. Superman is still around, along with Martian Manhunter, Shazam, Mary Marvel, Starfire, Barda, and Mr. Miracle. The next generation is represented by a new GL, Steelhawk, a new Atom, a new Kid Flash, and Batman Beyond. The dynamic works surprisingly well. It doesn’t hurt that all those senior heroes act the way I’d hope and expect them to. It’s been a long time since I saw some of these characters.

This is a tremendously dense comic. I think it was released as digital chapters first, and man, people spending 99 cents for a few pages certainly got their money’s worth. This is a collection of origins, so there are a lot of backstories to get through, but Derek Fridolfs and JT Krul pack this thing with words. It’s been a long time since I read a book with so many caption boxes!

Other than the classic heroes and pleasing origin stories, the collection also has an entertaining story featuring the repercussion of Superman’s social engineering when he rescued an alien world years ago. The alien sides are visually exciting and have different enough outlooks and attitudes to make it fairly easy to root for one side over the other. Best of all, the entire Justice League gets to come riding in to help resolve the story. At this point, any Martian Manhunter is better than none!

Howard Porter handles a lot of the art in the Superman portion of the book, so that looks the most like “classic” super-hero comics to me. Dustin Nguyen handles a bunch of the origin stories, and his chapters look nice and “animated DCU” also. I’m not sure if I love the redesigns on Martian Manhunter and Superman, but Barda is still rocking her classic look, and the new characters’ costumes are all well done.

I never would have guessed it, but my favorite Justice League book in quite some time is actually based on a cartoon. This comic is GOOD. 

More please! 

FCBD: DC: Future's End #0

I’m so desensitized to the ridiculous, over-the-top violence in DC’s books that I didn’t even notice when Batman got his arms chopped off during the climax of this comic. I mean, let’s face it, that was the third arm to be chopped off so far, after Captain Cold got sliced in the opening pages. Clearly, DC has created yet another TOTALLY RADICAL TO THE EXTREME COMIC that shows COMICS AREN’T FOR KIDS, TOUGH GUY!

There is something to be said for a good alternate reality/alternate future storyline. The danger lies when the situation is too repetitive and when you go to the well too often. DC steps in both narrative piles in this premiere issue.

So let’s think of the recent alternate future/world storylines where we saw our heroes brutally massacred. (The main strength of these stories is in playing “spot the character” right before their heads get blown off.) We have Age of Ultron, which even had robots taking over the world. We had Flashpoint, which was a similar “spot the angry hero” book. Rotworld is an example that came out in the DCU just a few months ago. And heck, the main villain, Brother Eye, was the main antagonist for much of the Infinite Crisis era of tripe that came out and necessitated the New 52. This has got to be a record, right? The panned storyline that killed the DCU is ALREADY being repeated?

The other risk is that when you are constantly telling What If’s and alternate futures that feature gory deaths, the bar gets raised. We JUST saw these heroes warped and turned in Rotworld. It isn’t amazing or shocking seeing it again so soon. And as for the deaths? There are so many that those are in danger of losing their impact too. After Flash, Captain Cold, Blue Beetle, John Stewart, Amethyst, and Grifter, does anyone really take Batman's death seriously?

The only thing I found interesting in this comic was the introduction of Batman Beyond. As someone too old to have seen the cartoon, I don’t’ know the character. I want to see what inspired the fans who love Terry so much. But I don’t see anything yet, because the star of Future’s end only appears on about a quarter of the pages in this preview comic.

This thing has a bevy of writers (and artists) but to be honest, I didn’t detect a real tone from any of the folks involved. Maybe a bit of Jeff Lemire’s grossness from Rotworld oozed through in the form of those dismembered spider-robots that used to be heroes. But other than that, no characters actually speak enough for any particular writers’ voice to come through.

The art has that same house look that so many DC books are sporting these days. It is a little surprising that Dan Jurgens and Ethan Van Sciver can make their pencils mesh so well, but that says a lot about how effectively their styles are merging into the DCU style.

As many other reviewers have said, this is a perfect Free Comic Book Day issue. It shows you exactly what the new 52 is all about, and it promises more of the same. EVIL.

DC Solicits for August 2013

Is Pandora breaking the nu52?

With the New 52 chugging right along, I’m down to collecting just a handful of DC books. I buy Batman Inc. on Comixology, and I have a subscription to Batman and Green Lantern. (I’m not doing so well keeping up with GL, though.)

I am trying to keep up with DC books through my local library. The price is right, and if I can’t finish a collection, I can pop it right back on the shelf.

Now let’s look at the August 2013 Solicits and see if there is anything I need to put a hold on…

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and JEFF LEMIRE
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
1:25 Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN
1:00 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale AUGUST 14 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with five covers. Please see the order form for more information.
TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 4! The hunt for a murder suspect leads Superman and his new teammates to the secret behind the Secret Society, while Batman finds the key to the crime—and one of the Leaguers will be forever changed by it. Plus, who is the Secret Society of Super-Villains and what are their plans for Pandora?
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #23
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by MIKEL JANIN
Cover by DOUG MANHKE
1:25 Variant cover by MIKAL JANIN
1:100 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
On sale AUGUST 21 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 5! The Justice Leagues continues to fracture as the murder of a hero is solved—and the line between justice and vengeance blurs as they head off to find those responsible! TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 5! The Justice Leagues continues to fracture as the murder of a hero is solved—and the line between justice and vengeance blurs as they head off to find those responsible!

JUSTICE LEAGUE #23
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
1:25 Variant cover by MIKAL JANIN
1:00 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
On sale AUGUST 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.
TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 6! Trinity War concludes! But that doesn’t mean all ends well for our heroes. The secret behind Pandora’s Box is revealed and it means the end of the Justice Leagues!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

There was a time I would have been all wound up about the phrase “murder of a hero” as I worried about my B-tier favorites in the DCU. Now I’m just curious. Even killing Martian Manhunter would be enough to get me riled up now! 

CONSTANTINE #6
Written by RAY FAWKES
Art by RENATO GUEDES
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
On sale AUGUST 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
On the verge of death, John Constantine fights for his very soul against his own former protégé!

Hellblazer is one of those books that I always meant to read, but never got around to picking up. But I feel like I have a pretty good feel for the character from a litany of covers over the years. This just doesn’t look like Constantine, does it? 

THE FLASH #23
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The Flash makes a desperate play to save Iris from Reverse-Flash—and you can’t be sure who will be left standing by this issue’s end!

Wow! That is not what I picture when I think of the Reverse Flash. Weird! 

EARTH 2 #15
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by JUAN DOE
1:25 B&W Variant cover by JUAN DOE
On sale AUGUST 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Dr. Fate, Red Arrow, The Flash, Green Lantern and The Atom all fall victim to the Hunger Dogs of Apokolips as the war against the forces of Steppenwolf continues!

All this Kirby talk has me interested. Does this book really stand-alone in the new 52? Does it have that Kirby flair? Which James Robinson writes the book these days?

BATMAN, INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1
Written by CHRIS BURNHAM, JOE KEATINGE, DAN DIDIO and others
Art by CHRIS BURNHAM, ETHAN VAN SCIVER, JASON MASTERS and others
Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
1:25 Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale AUGUST 28 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
An all-star special featuring the various members of Batman Incorporated—Man-of-Bats, Red Raven, El Gaucho, Dark Ranger, Knight, Batman himself and more! In the wake of their epic struggle with Talia al Ghul, the Heretic and Leviathan see what’s next for the members of Batman’s army. Featuring stories written and drawn by a collection of industry greats! Plus: Bat-Cow makes her solo debut in a tale by writer Dan DiDio and artist Ethan Van Sciver!

Hey, I love what Chris Burnham has brought to this title. But I can’t help but notice that one big name is missing. Can anyone figure out who it is? 

BATMAN #23
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI
Backup story art by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
1:25 Variant cover by GARY FRANK
1:100 B&W Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
On sale AUGUST 14 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Witness the moment Bruce Wayne becomes Batman as “Zero Year” makes history! And in the backup story, a young Bruce Wayne fights for his life in a death match in Russia!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

As long as Snyder stays clear of the Year One content, I don’t see a problem with the Year Zero concept. It sure looks like it will read pretty close to Batman Begins’ origin. Synergy! 

TALON #11
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art and cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The clash between Talon and Bane’s forces comes to an epic finale on Santa Prisca as Casey Washington desperately seeks Batman to help him eliminate the Court of Owls once and for all.

Please tell me that’s not Bane. I don't think I'll be able to sleep if this is an "improved" redesign. 

BATWING #23
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by EDUARDO PANSICA and JULIO FERREIRA
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
On sale AUGUST 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Luke Fox’s personal life is already in turmoil, but as Batwing he must confront a dangerous new threat in the form of assassin for hire Lady Vic as she makes her first appearance in The New 52!

I like the look of the new Batwing suit, and… wait! I actually still recognize Lady Vic! Cool!

GREEN LANTERN #23
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by BILLY TAN and RICHARD FRIEND
1:25 Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $3.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Hal struggles with his new role as leader of the Green Lantern Corps while he tries to solve the mystery of why the universe is atrophying! And an escaped prisoner has gotten hold of a power that makes her nearly unstoppable! The stage is set for the ultimate test against Relic!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

Have we ever seen Hal as the big boss of the whole Corps? I can’t remember seeing it. A neat idea. 

THRESHOLD #8

DIAL H #15

DEMON KNIGHTS #23

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #23

Demon Knights was the only one of these books that I had planned on checking out from the library. Is the 23 issue run worth looking in to? And the big question, can I hold out hope that some of these vacancies in the “52” could be filled by Multiversity books set outside the nu52?

STORMWATCH #23
Written by JIM STARLIN
Art by YVEL GUICHET and LeBEAU UNDERWOOD
Cover by JIM STARLIN and ROB HUNTER
On sale AUGUST 7 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
The true nature of the Kollective is revealed, and the mystery surrounding past Stormwatch teams grows!

C’mon, doesn’t this look like a solicit from 1998?

SUICIDE SQUAD #23
Written by ALES KOT
Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Cover by JASON PEARSON
On sale AUGUST 14 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Suicide Squad is sent on a mission to take down a dictator who is planning to create his own metahuman army. But what the Squad doesn’t know is that he already has a batch of super-powered soldiers ready to defend him—cue the mayhem! Plus, the true nature of Waller’s new deal with the team is revealed!

Ooh! Fantastic Jason Pearson cover, and Patrick Zircher on interiors. Is this book worth checking out? Does it feel like Ostrander’s old Squad? Who is this Ales Kot?

DC UNIVERSE VS. THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #1
Written by KEITH GIFFEN
Art by DEXTER SOY
Covers by ED BENES
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
After narrowly escaping his last battle with He-Man, Skeletor has fled to the most unexpected realm to recover: EARTH! Once there, he sets a plan in motion to siphon off Earth’s core magic. Forging an unlikely hunting party, He-Man and company go in search of Skeletor. Finding themselves at odds with the heroes of the DC Universe, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe must find a way to stop Skeletor and his mysterious new master!
This debut issue features two covers by Ed Benes, both available for ordering: one featuring the heroes of the DC Universe, and the other featuring The Masters of the Universe!

Oh man. As a fan of the G.I. Joe and Transformer comics, I shouldn’t laugh… but c’mon! He-Man in the DCU???? The only problem with mocking this book is that I'm a tad intrigued!

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #4
Written by DAN ABNETT, ANDY LANNING, TOM DeFALCO and ROB WILLIAMS
Art by WES CRAIG, PETE WOODS and CHRIS WESTON
Cover by BRUCE TIMM
On sale AUGUST 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Join comics’ finest talents as they celebrate The Man of Steel himself: Superman! This issue features The Last Son of Krypton in timeless tales of truth and justice, featuring appearances by Lex Luthor and Brainiac! Plus: A meteor that’s headed straight for Earth!

This is a pretty great creative line-up. This is the book that still has Superman Classic, right? Is it cheaper to buy these online?

BATMAN ‘66 #2
Written by JEFF PARKER
Art by RUBEN PROCOPIO and DEAN HASPIEL
Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
1:25 Variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
On sale AUGUST 21 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
From the sands of time and halls of higher learning comes one of Batman’s deadliest foes: King Tut! Tut returns to assert his royal status and challenge the Dynamic Duo with his most far-reaching plan yet to rule the modern Thebes, Gotham City! Also in this issue, doors smash in and jaws crack from the fists of the newest tough in town: introducing the 1966 incarnation of that reptilian rogue Killer Croc! How can Batman battle this brawny brute?

As a stand-alone title, I’m mighty tempted by this book. The creative team is strong, and as far as I can tell, everyone looks recognizable. I might subscribe to this one!

All in all, I think there are probably four or five books I'm tempted to pick up. That's actually an upswing for the DCU!  

That said, with so many awful costumes and my lack of interest in any of the event storylines like Superman and Justice League, I'm afraid the Energy Analyzer has declared these solicits: EVIL

Metal Men 100 Page Spectacular #1

What a joy it is that some creators are able to come back and deliver the same quality that they did in the past. I held off on reading this collection for a long time; I was worried that Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire wouldn’t be able to recreate the joy found in their old JLI comics. (Even though they have come back and done it at least twice before.) It turns out I shouldn’t have been worried.

I’m not a huge Metal Men fan. I like the look, but I really can’t get into the generic personalities. But that’s not a problem here. Giffen and DeMatteis write this thing like a sitcom, with easily approachable and likeable personalities for each member of the team. Gold is the big-headed leader; I got a real Booster Gold vibe from him. Platinum is great as the lovesick leading lady, but that’s because she’s annoyed at her feelings and wonders if she’s been programmed to be so silly. Copper is the only addition to the team, but she provides a great recurring joke for the length of the series. Her affections for Gold just make her situation even more amusing. Mercury is a jerk and Tin is a wimp, as expected. Iron and Lead are the straight ‘bots, they don’t get a ton to do.

Doc Magnus comes off in a manner pretty similar to Reed Richards. He’s an absent-minded professor who means well, but doesn’t think a lot of anyone around him. Forcing Doc to interact with people in suburban Chicago is a brilliant idea and actually gives the “normal” people the upper hand.

This collection barely has villains, but the antagonists are Douglas: Robot Hunter, the Clique, and Giganta (who loses her top). So yeah, the danger doesn’t exactly keep you coming back. The witty banter does!

Kevin Maguire is so good. I don’t know how I’m not buying his World’s Finest series. Every single character exhibits his fantastic “acting” and facial expressions. I forgot how good Maguire is at action, too; his insane level of detail works nicely in “standard” stories too.

Excellent

Big Comic News: DC Announces "Before Watchmen!"

This news is so big (in the comics world, of course) that everyone is going to want to weigh in.


DC Comics is going to release a slew of new Before Watchmen comics, featuring a ton of talented creators, but of course, no Alan Moore. Moore has repeatedly rebuffed attempts to follow-up his classic works, so this project seemed like a fantasy for a long time. Yet here we are, with DC putting together an all-star lineup to make us all sit up and take notice.

Here are the books.

Dr. Manhattan (4 issues) by JMS and Adam Hughes – JMS’ take on Superman bored the heck out of me, but if there was ever a super-powerful character given to introspection and standing around, it’s Dr. Manhattan. This has some real potential, not the least of which is seeing Hughes draw Silk Spectre!

Rorschach (4 issues) by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo – My gosh, this is going to look stunning. If Batman Noel taught us anything, it’s that Bermejo’s hyper-realistic style can do some great action, and this should be one pulpy thrill ride. Azzarello is hit or miss for me, but I can’t risk missing this.

Minutemen (6 issues) by Darwyn Cooke – More background on the silver-age glory of the Minutemen? By the guy who did New Frontier? Talk about can’t miss, this is at the top of my list.

Silk Spectre (4 issues) by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Conner – This is going to be fantastically entertaining, guaranteed. Conner’s good-girl art and Cooke’s retro storytelling should make this an instant hit. Can’t wait.

Comedian (6 issues) by Brian Azzarello and JG Jones – We know that Jones draws good looking leather (see Marvel Boy or Wanted) so this should be another good-looking book. Again, I don’t see how this won’t be entertaining.

Nite Owl (4 issues) by JMS, Andy Kubert, Joe Kubert – Ugh! As I said, JMS’ recent work has been terribly bland, but how do I pass up a legacy series drawn by one of the best artistic families in comics??? If Nite Owl can keep the agonizing and thinking to a minimum, this could be great.

Ozymandias (6 issues) by Len Wein and Jae Lee – Over the years, Ozy has become more and more interesting to me. He’s a character I would love to learn more about, just because we got so little of him in the original story. I’m intrigued.

There will also be a pirate back-up and an epilogue. The format seems to be the same as Grant Morrison’s Seven Soldiers from a few years ago. Wow, how in the heck can old-timers like me pass this up? And if you are dipping your toe in with one or two series, how do you leave the others on the shelf?

I do respect Alan Moore’s decision to not return to the project, but at the same time, comic characters get re-imagined and presented for each generation. It’s too bad DC and Moore couldn’t come around to some sort of arrangement, I’d imagine this will be quite lucrative for the creators. Of course, it will also dilute the Watchmen brand; some day we’ll see a whole shelf of Watchmen comics on the shelf at the bookstore, and comics newbies will have to try and figure out which one is the “really good one.”

DCnU Round-Up

After reading the first month of the DCnU, what surprises me is that while many of the issues were at least entertaining, I’m really not interested in keeping up with them. As I feared, I just don’t care enough to keep up with all these new books. Here’s the rundown of what I purchased and whether it made my sublist:

Action Comics – Excellent – loved it, and I’m on board for the long haul. ADDED
Aquaman – Good – entertaining, but I want to see Aquaman doing more heroics. ONE MORE ISSUE
Batman – Good – entertaining, and I’m happy to be back on the core book. ADDED
Batman & Robin – Good – like the reboot never happened. ADDED
Batgirl - Good - entertaining, but too violent and mean-spirited. PASS
Batwoman - Good - visually striking, I might be pulled in. ONE MORE
Demon Knights – Good – very entertaining, neat cast. ADDED
Green Lantern – Good – like the reboot never happened ADDED
Green Lantern Corps – Good – like the reboot never happened. ADDED
Green Lantern: New Guardians – art and plot made me put it back. PASS
Grifter – Average – bad reboot, Wildstorm version was better. PASS
Justice League – Good – the hype has me wrapped up. ADDED
Justice League Dark – too violent, put back on shelf. PASS
Justice League International – Good – clearly rebooted, but my type of book. ADDED
OMAC – Good – My biggest surprise, I loved it. ADDED
Static Shock – Good – writer gone after just a few issues? No thanks. PASS
Stormwatch – Fair –my most disappointing title, I wanted to love it. ONE MORE
Swamp Thing – Excellent – so moody, it really pulled me in, I don’t want to get it, but I might. ONE MORE
Wonder Woman – Good – surprisingly violent, but not my type of book. PASS

San Diego 2011 News

As always, there is way more news than any rational person could really read, so I'm performing a public service and throwing out some high spots, along with brief comments. I always think the same thing after seeing this kind of news; I'm glad I still love comics, there is a lot of neat stuff coming out!

UPDATED
Jason Aaron and Marc Silvestri are launching a new (green) Hulk title. There must be a limit on how many titles Aaron can write a month, I bet this is why Scalped is ending.

Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson are bringing back the Defenders, featuring Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Red She-Hulk, and Namor (and more). With that creative team, this should be great.
Fear Itself must be leaving everyone really sad. There are numerous follow-up series planned, including the hilariously named "Shattered Heroes" one-shots. Hee hee.

Fury of FirestormS still doesn't look like a take on the characters I will enjoy.

In no particular order:
Walking Dead still looks awesome.

No way. Marvel released a picture of the Scarlet Spider's hoodie in flames. Will Ben Reilly return?

The Starjammers will show up in Mike Carey's X-Men: Legacy. 

Darwin will be returning in the pages of X-Force.

Don't assume Cyclops will survive Schism. He'd better, or I'll be pretty upset!

Martian Manhunter will appear in the opening arc of Justice League!

Catwoman seems to be having hard time keeping her clothes on in the DCNu.

Lois and Clark will definitely NOT be together in the new Superman titles.

It sounds like Stephanie Brown will be back in her Spoiler ID soon.

Apollo and Midnighter? Don't panic. Still gay.

The Justice League and the Justice League International will NOT be working together.

Green Arrow is going to be a lot younger than the version we've read about for years. I'm assuming that Connor Hawke will disappear the same way Wally West is going to. Kyle Rayner got off easy!

Power Girl may not exist in the DCNu, but Karen Starr will appear in Mr. Terrific (which means I won't see her, I guess!)

The New Gods are now on Earth-51, and will appear in Multiversity from Grant Morrison!

I found it interesting that the writer of the new Suicide Squad book had little input on Harely Quinn's new ho-bag look.

It sounds like Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness' upcoming mystery project is Cable, who they call the "Captain America of the X-Men." I did not see that one coming!

Brian Vaughn returns to comics with a Star Wars-inspired sci-fi comic from Image, Saga.

Marvel is launching Fearless, a new title showing what our favorite heroes are up to post-Fear Itself. Too bad I'm sure it will be $3.99 like the source series! Trade for me.

There are some sweet promo posters for the upcoming Avengers movie.

Bill Willingham is launching a new Fables spin-off. It's called "Fairest" and will feature the pretty princesses of the Fables world. Too bad it's Vertigo, I think my daughters would be thrilled!

DnA are relaunching Heroes for Hire as Villains for Hire, still starring Misty Knight and Paladin. Neat! 

Black Panther, the Man Without Fear is going to face down the Kingpin! At this point, David Liss can do no wrong. Can't wait!

Christos Gage is expanding the class of the Avengers Academy, plus they're moving out to the Avengers West Coast HQ. That should be fun for Hank Pym and Tigra, they have some weird history there. I think one of the new members is White Tiger, and possibly a member of Power Pack.

The Avengers continue getting some respect with some interesting looking one-shots. I'm not sure if I'm sold yet, but they have potential.

"Hulk of Arabia" by Jeff Parker? Say no more, I'm sold.

DC Relaunch: What Am I Getting?

Will Buy:

• Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales
• Batman #1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
• Batman And Robin #1 by Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason
• Demon Knights #1 by Paul Cornell, Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert
• Green Lantern #1 by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
• Green Lantern Corps #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna
• Green Lanterns: New Guardians #1 by Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham and Batt
• Justice League #1 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee
• Justice League International #1 by Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti
• Justice League Dark #1 by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin
• Resurrection Man #1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Fernando Dagnino
• Static Shock #1 by Felicia Henderson, John Rozum, Scott McDaniel
• Stormwatch #1 by Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda

  

Maybe: Will at least try the first issue (perhaps digitally)

• Aquaman #1 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis
• Batgirl #1 by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes
• Batwing #1 by Judd Winick and Ben Oliver
• Blue Beetle #1 by Tony Bedard and Ig Guara
• Deathstroke #1 by Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett and Art Thibert
• Frankenstein: Agent Of SHADE #1 by Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli
• Grifter #1 by Nathan Edmondson, CAFU and BIT
• Legion Lost #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods
• Nightwing #1 by Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows
• Red Lanterns #1 by Peter Milligan, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter
• Voodoo #1 by Ron Marz and Sami Basri

No Thanks:

• All-Star Western #1 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Grey and Moritat
• Animal Man #1 by Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman and Dan Green
• Batman: The Dark Knight #1 by David Finch
• Batwoman #1 by J.H. Williams III, Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder
• Birds Of Prey #1 by Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz8
• Blackhawks #1 by Mike Costa and Ken Lashley
• Captain Atom #1 by JT Krul and Freddie Williams II
• Catwoman #1 by Judd Winick and Guillem March
• DC Universe Presents #1 by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang
• Detective Comics #1 by Tony Daniel
• Flash #1 by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul
• Fury Of Firestorm #1 by Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver and Yildiray Cinar
• Green Arrow #1 by JT Krul and Dan Jurgens
• Hawk And Dove #1 by Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld
• I, Vampire #1 by Josh Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino
• Legion of Superheroes by Paul Levitz and Francis Portela
• Mr Terrific #1 by Eric Wallace and Roger Robinson
• OMAC #1 by Dan DiDio, Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish
• Red Hood And The Outlaws #1 by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort
• Savage Hawkman #1 by Tony Daniel and Philip Tan
• Sgt Rock And The Men Of War #1 by Ivan Brandon and Tom Derenick
• Suicide Squad #1 by Adam Glass and Marco Rudy
• Supergirl #1 by Michael Green, Mike Johnson and Mahmud A. Asrar
• Superman #1 by George Pérez
• Superboy #1 by Scott Lobdell and…
• Swamp Thing #1 by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette
• Teen Titans #1 by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
• Wonder Woman #1 by Brian Azzarello #1 and Cliff Chiang

DC Comic Relaunch! Part Four!

DC Edge Titles
Stormwatch – Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda – Ok, let’s review, the ONLY Wildstorm comic I have every issue of is Stormwatch. Martian Manhunter is my favorite DCU character. Paul Cornell has proven himself to me with Captain Britain and Dark Young Avengers. This is the easiest sell of the entire relaunch! I’m in!

Blackhawks – Mike Costa and Ken Lashley – I’m not opposed to this book, and I’ve enjoyed Costa’s GI Joe work. If I hear good things, I’ll go back and pick it up later. But I don’t think it will survive too long, unfortunately.

Sgt Rock and the Men of War – Ivan Brandon and Tom Derenick – I’ve tried to read a few Ivan Brandon comics and been unable to decipher what is happening. Pass.

All-Star Western – Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Moritat – I’m sorely tempted, but I’m going to pass, since this is looking like a $3.99 title. Plus, my Jonah Hex belongs in Vertigo.

Deathstroke – Kyle Higgins and Joe Bennett – I collected Deathstroke’s series in the ‘90s and enjoyed it, but reading a few issues of the current Titans series has put me off the character. I need a break. No thanks.

Grifter – Nathan Edmondson and CAFU – Ooh, Grifter with Rowdy Roddy Piper’s powers from They Live? And he’s hunted by Condition Red from WildCATS? I’m sorely tempted. I’ll probably pick this up digitally.

OMAC – Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen – the good: Giffen and Kirby concepts. The bad: DiDio. Right now, the bad outweighs the good, and I’m gonna pass. I’ll keep an eye on reviews, though!

Suicide Squad - Adam Glass and Marco Rudy – if there weren’t 51 other titles competing for my dollars, I might try this. But I don’t know Glass at all, so I’m going to pass.

Blue Beetle – Tony Bedard and Ig Guara – I have a soft spot for Jaime Reyes, I’m sure I’ll at least check out the first couple issues. My daughters are big fans too, this may be one of the couple of titles I pick up for them.

RUMORED Super-books
Action Comics – Grant Morrison and Rags Morales – the creative team is there, but I need to see if Superman is really wearing those AWFUL boots. And if he’s a kid. That will make my final decision.

Superman – George Perez – I know it will look pretty, but I remember Perez on Silver Surfer and Crimson Plague. How will this thing actually read? I’ll sample.

Superboy – Scott Lobdell – judging from the cover, he’s some sort of robot. And that terrible tattoo. No thanks.

Supergirl – Michael Green, Mike Jonson, and Mahmud Asrar- I don’t love the costume and I don’t know the creators. Pass for now.

DC Relaunch part 3! Bat-stragglers, Vertigo, and Teens!

Wow. DC has been loving this, I’m sure. I don’t think I’ve EVER spent so much time thinking about DC comics before this last week. They’ve got me tweaking my sublist on a daily basis!

So we’ve covered the Justice books, Green Lantern, and Batman. Let’s see what else they’ve got for us!

First, a few bat-stragglers.

Nightwing – Kyle Higgins and Eddy Barrows – they sure made us wait for this, didn’t they? You know they were loving the internet frenzy over Dick Grayson. I don’t know Kyle Higgins’ work at all, but Eddy Barrows is serviceable. I’m tempted. Not sold yet.

Red Hood & the Outlaws – Judd Winick and Kenneth Rocafort - hahahaahah! Oh man, look at Arsenal’s ball cap! He’s so hip! I wish Starfire wasn’t in this book so I could totally ignore it, but I do like her. I wonder who else will round out the team. Winick loves these types of books, but I got bored by Outsiders, so I can’t imagine I’ll love this. I don’t love Rocafort’s work either. No thanks.

Batwing – Judd Winick and Ben Oliver – I loved this guy’s visual in Batman Inc. I’m thrilled to see that Batman Inc. is continuing, it really seems like the Batbooks are not getting rebooted. I’ll check out the first issue.

Then we have the returning Vertigo characters.

Animal Man – Jeff Lemiere – I don’t know enough about Lemiere’s work either. How weird is this going to be? Another one I’m not sure about.

Swamp Thing – Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette – this is a darn solid creative team. I can’t imagine a world where I care about a vegetable man on a monthly basis, but this team might be able to do it. This is another wait-and-see.

Justice League Dark – Peter Milligan – Peter Milligan, Zatanna, and Shade the Changing Man? I have to at least give this a try!

Demon Knights – Paul Cornell – described as medieval super-heroes, Cornell says this book is targeted for folks who like Dragon Age and Game of Thrones. I hate that I’m so easily identified as the target audience. But I guess that means I better buy it!

Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE – Jeff Lemiere – Frank was my favorite from the Seven Soldiers, so I at least need to sample this. It looks like it may be a sort of Creature Commandos type situation, and I want in on that.

Resurrection Man – Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and Fernando Dagnino – never in a million years would I have predicted this book making a return. I loved the original, I’m back for the encore, even if it only lasts a few issues.

Voodoo – Ron Marz and Sami Basri – interesting, this is our first ex-Wildstorm title. I loved Marz’s work back in the day, and I hear good things about Witchblade under his pen, so maybe I’ll try an issue?

I, Vampire – I don’t care who the creative team is, I don’t need romantic, beautiful vampire comics. NO.

Today we got the teen titles. Some surprises in here!

Teen Titans – Scott Lobdell and Bret Booth – This has got to be one of the worst re-designs of the whole DCnU. Those folks look TERRIBLE. My daughter wanted to buy this comic, but I’m not sure I can let her. NO.

Static Shock – John Rozum and Scott McDaniel – I loved Rozum’s work on Xombi, and McDaniel’s art has a kinetic energy that I’ve always enjoyed. Plus I adore Static as a character. Sold!

Legion of Super-Heroes – Paul Levitz and Francis Portella – I’m afraid I fell away from the Legion when they did the whole “Supergirl &” relaunch and I’ve never come back. Too bad, it looks like this book is picking up without another reboot
(thank goodness!)

Legion Lost – Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods – that’s a crackerjack creative team, and I still remember Fabian’s New Warriors fondly. I’m sure I’ll give this an issue, depending on the regular cast. At a glance I only really know Wildfire, Dawnstar, and Timber Wolf.

Hawk & Dove – Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld – unlike a lot of folks, I don’t have a problem with Liefeld’s art, but I have no interest in the characters. Pass.

Overall, I think my DC pull list is going to go up with this reboot!

My main concerns at this point is the lack of JSA, Martian Manhunter, Blue Beetle, and Wally West announcements.

DC Relaunch! New books part two

So there have been a slew of books announced since my last update. Here’s some quick thoughts:

Green Lantern – Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke – sounds like this is continuing along with Johns’ vision, and since we’re not ditching continuity I’ll probably stick around.

Green Lantern Corps – Peter Tomasi and Fernado Pasarin – I wish Kyle was on this team, but I suppose Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kilowog and the rest will do. I’m buying.

Green Lantern “Rainbow Corps” – Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham – I haven’t loved Bedard’s work on GLC, but I want to support Kyle’s continued existence in the DCU. I’m in.

Red Lanterns - Peter Milligan and Ed Benes - the only way I'll pick this up is if it has the Red Lanterns puking up all over each other in regular conversation, like something out of Monty Python. "Look, Atrocitus, it's Hal BLAAAARGH."

Batman – Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo – unlike a lot of folks, my last memories of Capullo’s work are on X-Force, and I liked him there. I’m very tempted.

Batman & Robin - Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason - these guys wrote one of the best Batman stories of the past year, and Damian Wayne is still around. Yeah, I'm in.

Detective Comics – Tony Daniel – I saw enough during Grant Morrison’s run. No thanks.

Dark Knight – David Finch – I am morally opposed to a new #1 after two issues. Nope.

Catwoman – Judd Winick and Guillem March – I’m not a huge fan of either guy, so this is easy enough to pass on.

Batwoman – JH Williams and Amy Reeder – I know this will look beautiful, but will it be good? I’m tempted.

Birds of Prey – Dwayne Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz – Black Canary, Poison Ivy, Thorn, and Katana is an interesting team, but “black ops team of Gotham?” I don’t think so. (And look at how covered up all those ladies are!)

And the big one:

Batgirl – Gail Simone and Ardian Syaf – Wow, this is tough. I love Oracle, and I’m not opposed to Barbara Gordon back in the batsuit, in fact, I’m happy about it. But is it through reboot or through in-story development? That will decide if I get this one or not.

Xombi #3

I wanted to get this out right away; much like Grant Morrison's work, I'm not sure I totally follow everything that John Rozum is trying to do with this series. I'm pretty clear on "Xombi" and his powers, and I love the league of Catholic heroes too. Adding in some other faith's heroes just makes this whole thing more fun. And the flavor is fantastic. Those creepy kids in issue 1 & 2, then the mournful ghosts who spend a few pages talking about enjoying the little things out of life. These are all well-done and riveting, that's what keeps bringing me back to the book.

But I'm confused on the plot. I can't remember who betrayed who, I can't remember who had one half of their brain kill the other... I get that the rage of God moved in when one personality left, but... why? Maybe it will all become clear, or maybe I need to sit down and re-read these again. It's not so blurry that I'm disliking the comic.

Frazer Irving's art is another huge selling point for this book. The art is moody and dark, but the character designs are clear and the action is well-choreographed. I can't think of a book I wouldn't try out to see more of Irving's art.

Good

DC Relaunch! New books, round 1

Very interesting. What seems the strangest about all these relaunches is how many of the titles are being written by creators that DC already had in-house. Sure, there are a few big surprises (I'll go into that below), but if some of these guys couldn't draw me in for current DCU books, they sure won't sell me on a total reboot.

And that's what this is, a hard reboot. With characters de-aged and given new origins, this is a whole new DCU.

Wonder Woman - Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, that's a pretty solid team, and probably the biggest names of the bunch. This should sell nicely, although Azzarello's super-work has been hit (Doctor 13) or miss (everything else) with me. Probably a pass or wait-for-trade for me.

Aquaman - Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. This one is mighty tempting, just because Aquaman is one of the characters most in need of a relaunch and simplified origin. This is a solid maybe.

Flash - Francis Manapul is writing and drawing the next chapter of the Scarlet Speedster. Whether it's Barry or Wally, I'll hold off to see if Manapul is a solid writer or not.

Fury of Firestorm - Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver are writing with Yildray Cinar drawing. This seems like the hardest reboot, with Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch as contemporaries, and it seems each can become his own Firestorm. Again, a bit too far off the core concept for me.

Savage Hawkman - Tony Daniel's writing is usually pretty bad, and Philip Tan hasn't blown me away. Plus... oh man, that costume is hilarious. It's like a joke, right? And with that level of reboot, no thanks.

Green Arrow - JT Krul gets to keep his writing job and Dan Jurgens joins him on art. I like Jurgens, but there isnt much "wow" factor for me here.

Justice League International - Dan Jurgens is a surprising choice to write this, it certainly won't be funny. Aaron Lopresti is a solid artist, so this is the first YES on the list.

Mister Terrific - Mr. T is my favorite character on the JSA, but Eric Wallace's writing on the Titans book is enough to warn me off this. No thanks! (And that's saying something, since I love Roger Robinson's artwork.)

Captain Atom - JT Krul and Freddie Williams are a solid enough creative team, but I find myself uninterested in "starting over" with Captain Atom. I think my favorite parts of the character are his experiences in the DCU.

DCU Presents - The first Deadman arc by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang will be interesting, but Jenkins is another creator whose work I rarely love. Perhaps a future arc will be more my speed.

So 10 or so titles in, and I'm planning to sub to Justice League and Justice League International. Aquaman has a decent shot for me too. Other than that, I'm holding off for now.

DC Relaunch! Starting Over at #1

Wow. I had JUST been coming around to the idea that DC was relaunching their titles at #1, but this. Wow. We don't know much, but we know some after USA Today broke the story on the relaunch of the DCU.

So here's what we know. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee are launching a new Justice League title, and it looks like it will feature re-imagined, revamped characters. The dreaded words "a more modern and diverse 21st century" certainly carry a lot of weight! I have no problem with diversity, but this looks to me like the type of revamp that tosses out the old continuity. It seems Johns' Flashpoint series is going to change, well, everything about the old DCU.

And this is a huge change. Over 50 issue ones are shipping in September. That's a wholesale gamble on a scale I can't believe. DC better be darn sure that the core fanboy market is willing to make this leap. Geoff Johns and Jim Lee are banking on new readers outnumbering the folks who jump away.

I'm fascinated at the implications of the digital releases. DC is going to release these books digitally on the same day they appear in the store. As a new Android tablet owner, I love the concept, but if the prices aren't lower, I don't see how it will make a difference to most consumers. The problem is, if the price is lower, then DC is spitting in the face of the direct market.

Obviously, we'll know more when the new solicits come out, but I've gone from interested to worried. This may be a good jumping off point for me. But thinking about it, maybe that's ok. There should be accessible versions of these characters out there for my kids, it just means that my era of DC might be over.

We'll see!

Xombi #1

Sometimes the hype is justified. I'd been seeing nice stuff about this re-launch all over my normal blogs, and since I'm a sheeple when it comes to hot comics, I decided to check this out.

I've never read the original Xombi, but wow, this is good. The only way I can think to describe John Rozum's fun yet spooky book is to say it reads like Grant Morrison if Morrison didn't skip pages of story. David Kim/Xombi is a neat character, and still a pretty normal guy even while immortal and blessed with weird powers. But what sells the book for me is the rest of the Dakota (Milestone) setting.

He teams up this issue with Catholic Girl (with faith based energy powers), None-the-Less (a shrinking nun that Xombi flirts with) and Nun of the Above with mental powers. That's AWESOME. And then that last page...

We all know Frazer Irving is a genius (even if DC had a typo with his name in the credits). That closing page is simply brilliant. I love it when I can still get a shiver of fear from a good comic, and that last page does it. Check out this comic.

Excellent

Ragman: Suit of Souls #1

What an interesting one-shot. Ragman is an intriguing character, and one who rarely has much time in the spotlight. I loved him in the recent Shadowpact series, and Christos Gage is one of my favorite writers, so I knew I wantd to pick this up. I don't mind dropping $3.99 on promising one-shots.

Gage takes an interesting approach for this, half the books is Ragman telling a rabbi of the history of his heroic identity. I'm fascinated by religious super-heroes, and since Rory was originally not religious, but became so, he's got a fascinating and unique background. While that type of person is common in the real world, I don't think I've seen many of them in comics (maybe Firebird in the old West Coast Avengers days).
The other half of the book involves Rory coming to terms with his father, the previous Ragman's actions during WWII. Rory's Dad fled Germany when things went terribly bad, and he always held it against his Dad that he didn't lay down his life for his fellow Jews. In a neat bit of exposition from an unlikely source, we find out that maybe Rory's Dad didn't have as much choice in the matter as he thought. It's a brilliant scene involving the last person I could imagine to be defending a Jewish super-hero.

The art by Stephen Segovia is subdued, but it fits the material. This is not a hyper-action super-hero slugfest, this is a fairly dark character study, and the art sells it.

Good

NYCC News and Notes

Here's some random news that struck my fancy from Day 1:

• In a fantastic turn of events, DC is rolling back the price point of their books to $3.99. I'm adding Batman INC., Emerald Warriors, and not dropping JLA as I planned. Great move, DC!
  
• DnA are kicking off some sort of zombie invasion of the IDW universe. This will affect the Ghostbusters, GI Joe, and Transformers. I'm sure I don't see how this will work, but I trust DnA to make it work. I'm curious to see how they trade this.
• Astonishing Captain America launches next summer from Andy Diggle and Adi Granov. That is going to be a good comic.
• The X-Men are going to Monster Island in Astonishing X-Men. Could be fun, but I'm iffy on Daniel Way, although Jason Pearson on art will be awesome.
• Wolverine and Jubliee are getting a new mini from Kathryn Immonen and Phil Noto. I can predict now that it will be pretty with unique dialogue.
• Wolverine & Hercules are getting a mini about bar-hopping. Frank Tieri is hit or miss with me, but this could be fun.
• Nick Spencer and Bernard Chang are taking over Supergirl. I'm so far behind on this title, I haven't even read any of Sterling Gates' stuff yet!