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By Jason Bourgeois
So, here we are, I've read all of the first month of DC's New 52 initiative, and most of the second, and it is time to see just what I think of it. I'm not going to go through every DC book, because that would drive even my most devoted fan crazy, and I also didn't get every single one. I ended up getting just about half. A little less than, I think. And even then, I'm not going to pick apart every single one, just the highlights.
I feel like I should comment on Justice League first, mostly because it was the first book to come out under this new wave. And yet, it feels like the wrong book to start with. Something DC should have thought of. This was their introduction to the new way of doing things and the first issue? A little bit of a failure. They introduce the new universe by doing a group book, that doesn't even have the book together, or come together by the end of the book? This was just Batman and Green Lantern team up. As an issue of Brave & the Bold? This is actually pretty decent, even fun. As the start of the new Justice League? A bit bloated, padded, and a horrible way to kick off things. There are definitely moments here, like Jim Lee's art, and Geoff Johns' writing is fun at times, but it kinda failed to draw me in or really tell me anything about these guys that was all that new.
The second issue was fortunately an improvement. It only brought Superman into the mix, and kicked off Cyborg's origin, but it felt like more was going on, and the plot was moving along. It still had the problem of not quite being a Justice League book, but I found myself enjoying it for what it was. I'll stick with this book, for now.
One book I am definitely not sticking with is Birds of Prey. There's nothing technically wrong with the book. It's still Black Canary and friends doing their spy thing, and it's written well enough. But I just don't find myself invested at all in their adventures, or interested in what happens next, so that's a drop for me. We're dropped into all of these books, expecting to like these characters simply because we always have, but in some instances they've changed, sometimes dramatically, and we're not really given any reason to care and I think that is part of my problem with BoP. Too much change, not enough showing why I should still read about Dinah. So I move on.
There are four books that are big maybes for me right now. Superman, Supergirl, and Blue Beetle are three. I'm still getting them, but I could drop them at any moment.
Superman is, much like BoP, is perfectly ok. My main problem stems from the writing. The first issue used this terrible, overdone device of having the issue's narration being done as if it was an article by Clark Kent about the events and characters. The problem stems from there being WAY too much of the narration, and having it in no way resemble any sort of professional reporting. It wouldn't even see print in a school newspaper. Maybe an online blog, and even that one I'm hesitant to say. The second issue fortunately dropped that, and had a fun villain that challenged Superman, but overall it was still way too wordy, and didn't knock my socks off.
Supergirl is a little closer to BoP in its problems. I just don't see a reason to be invested in the character. The first issue literally drops us in her lap, and has her thrash around because she doesn't understand anything. The next issue brings in Superman and nudges the plot along, but in some ways it is just a rehash. I hope this isn't too repetitive in future issues. It is decent enough, and again better with the next issue, but isn't quite grabbing me yet.
Speaking of rehash, that's rather what Blue Beetle feels like. It's a clean restart of the character, from when he got his powers, and it has almost the exact same setup as the previous book, but we already know the answers to all the mysteries. There doesn't feel like there is anything new here, and I have a huge feeling of been there and done that. I sincerely hope that we get something we haven't seen before to get things going. There was no reason to start from scratch with this book, since Jaime is only a few years old as a character. They've got an uphill battle here.
A surprising book in the same boat, since I said there was four of them, is Batgirl. I like Gail Simone. The art is good. But once again, I find it hard to care. Before, Barbara Gordon was something special. She was Oracle. She was unique in the DCU, and had found her own voice in the world. But here we have dialed back the clock, dialed back her age, and it seems like Oracle has been erased. Even with all that aside, why should I care about another Batperson? She was a more unique character as Oracle. In fact, she's not even a unique female Bat, since at least a distaff version would be something. But we already have Batwoman. Heck, she's even a redhead. Batgirl is just...redundant pointlessness. The story is ok, but again, why is she here?
Speaking of Batwoman...well, the book is pretty freaking amazing. That's all I have to say. If you liked her run in Detective Comics, you'll like this. It is more of the same. And still worth it on the art alone.
And sticking with Gail Simone, I am much more interested in her other book, Firestorm. Another case of the book being a total reboot like Blue Beetle, but they're covering whole new ground with it. The concept is familiar, yet different, with familiar characters, and doing new stories with the character. I'm not blown away by the title, but it is doing just enough of the right stuff to keep me on board. For now.
On the other side of the spectrum is Legion of Super-Heroes and Legion Lost, which are also keepers, but because they're more of the same. The Legion titles have been a bit average for me lately, but these issues have breathed some new life into the books. Not a lot, and it's good to see the gang make it through a reboot mostly unscathed for a change. Since I've got a long history with the Legion, it'll take a lot more than this to get rid of me.
More of the same also applies to the Green Lantern titles. The three main ones are just the old teams rejiggered as I suspected, and I cannot see a single thing that was changed in the reboot. I was onboard before, and I'm still there now. Making Sinestro a GL again definitely got my attention, and they're having fun with that, while not making it seem like it will be TOO long term.
GL Corps is back to its bloody, gory body count ways, and it's a fun book for that tone. Not for everyone, but I like it when it's good. Right now, it is. Patrick Gleason's writing is quite fun in the dark places, and it's good to see him back with the wider mileau of the whole team to play with and gleefully murder.
I'm not entirely sold on Red Lanterns, but they're actually making Atrocitous a fuller character, with depth, motivation, and thought. This book can't run on rage alone, and they're doing some good character stuff, and some interesting plot developments. It has a unique voice, so that's something too.
The Flash...I'm not sure where it fits in. It feels like I should drop it, but there's nothing bad about it. The first issue didn't blow me away, but it didn't offend me either. It's perfectly ok, and maybe future issues will click more with me. But I won't be sad to let this book go, either. It is so thoroughly average, I literally having nothing much to say about it, good or bad.
Resurrection Man is in much the same boat. I always loved the concept, and the few issues of his first run I read, and I love the writers from other stuff. But the first two issues, again, didn't blow me away like I hoped. They're perfectly ok, and I kinda like what I see, and where the book is going, but one wrong step could kill the book for me. And I don't think it will come back from the dead. It easily has a few more issues from me, but I might not last more than one arc.
The other two JL books, International and Dark, on the other hand, I'm liking. JLI has a great mix of characters, and hey! Actually gets the team together before the end of the first issue! The interplay between personalities is well written, and the art is good. It's again not a great book, but is way more entertaining than a lot of other titles. Much the same goes for Dark. The team isn't quite together yet, but most of the characters are already in the book, and it is good to see something different, and the threads pulling them slowly together. It's also good to see something different from a JL book, with this team dealing with magical threats.
The two books by Paul Cornell are just about as good as I expected. I'd say Demon Knights is even better, since I wasn't expecting too much from it, but it was a fun, medieval romp. Again, something different, fun characters, and a solid creative team.
Stormwatch was a little below expectations, but mostly because I don't see where it's going yet. It has hints around the edges, and some intriguing ideas here about the history of the new DCU, and I like tying Wildstorm into things. It stumbled a little out of the gate, but picked up in the next issue.
So, is the new DCU a success? For me, for the most part, I'd say yes. Out of two dozen books, not all mentioned here, I only flat out dropped one of them. Everyone else has me for at least the opening arc, and most have me until they outright suck or get cancelled. There's even a few like Animal Man and Swamp Thing I kinda wish I'd checked out, and might go back and do so.
From a wider perspective, only time will tell. Issues are selling out left and right, but a lot of that will be hype. How much is actual quality? I can't say. But many of the books are getting good reviews, with only two notable exceptions, both for overly sexualised characters. DC seems to be tweaking that going forward at least. Personally, I don't have a problem with that depiction of females, as long as it isn't ALL the women as sex objects, or even anywhere near most. But one or two, I think, is ok. Not every character can be the same. They could maybe not be quite so in your face about it with Catwoman, but if any character is going to use her sexuality, it should be her.
I think the single biggest selling point about the new DCU is their diversity. I mentioned it repeatedly in earlier posts, and it holds true. Not in diverse character types, that's still a problem with the white male dominance, but I don't think that will ever truly 'go away'. That is a topic for another day though, and completely separate from this one.
What I mean is in the type of books. Like CrossGen before it, the new DCU has a wide range of types of books. There really is nearly something for everyone. Don't like capes and tights? Try sword and sorcery. Or the wild west. Or horror. That is a great thing, and I hope to see more of it in the future.
The relaunch wasn't a mind-blowing Oh My God month of awesomeness, but I wasn't expecting it to be. Things were good, things were bad, but for the most part, I think they're doing the right sort of things. I hope that some of the more questionable areas get cleaned up, and they make me care more about this new universe going forward. I'm sure they will, and await the next stage of the DC evolution.
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