Review – DC’s New 52 – Part 4
Ok, final batch of new comics! Here we go!
All Star Western #1. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, art by Moritat.
Had they just kept this comic titled “Jonah Hex”, it would be as if they new DC never happened.
This is one of the few comics in the new batch that has at least some of the same crew working on it as before (but who else can really write Jonah Hex?).
A great comic, set in the wild West, starring a Bounty Hunter named Jonah Hex. What else do you need to know?
If you were a fan before, keep reading! It’s like they never took a break!
Aquaman #1. Written by Geoff Johns, art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado.
I fully expected this to be a joke comic. A complete throw-away issue of a character that’s just not super interesting.
I was wrong.
The story of Aquaman coming up to Boston to stop into a Diner for Fish and Chips, seems like a skit on SNL, but it is part of the actual plot here! And it works!
There’s a little self-deprecating Aquaman humor, and a little explanation about his powers and motivations. I liked it. A lot. I will be getting issue 2.
Batman: The Dark Knight #1. Written by Paul Jenkins, art by David Finch and Richard Friend.
Is it possible to read too much Batman each month? There’s a lot of Bat-Books in the New Dc!
So, The Dark Knight is the grittier side of Batman (in theory), and this new series ties to push that through with some big blood splatters.
Bruce Wayne is bring investigated for “helping fund Batman”. While at the same time, inmates have escaped from Arkham (the usual suspects). Batman corrals them and we discover that one of his enemies has been hitting the “sauce”.
You’ll have to read it to see the details!
It was good, and I’ll give it one more issue to see where it goes.
Blackhawks #1. Written by Mike Costa, art by Graham Nolan and Ken Lashley.
So… There’s like this team of secret agents or something. And they fly around in planes. And that’s really all I could follow in this issue. No idea what was going on.
Sorry!
The Flash #1. Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, art by Francis Manapul.
Well, since the Flash did kind of cause the whole “New Universe” thing, it seemed only fitting that he get his own book!
I would have liked this better if it started from the beginning of his origin story, but that was not to be.
So this book follows Barry Allen as he investigates some crazy terrorist attacks by… Clones?
Good stuff, but I’ve never been a big Flash fan.
The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1. Written by Gail Simone, art by Yildiray Cinar, plotted by Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone.
I was a HUGE Firestorm fan back in the 80’s, so I was very happy that they were getting a new series!
And the fact that it opens in Istanbul, and is drawn by a Turk (and I’m also Turkish, in case you didn’t know), gave this one an unfair advantage!
So, a rich jock and a poor nerd get attacked by terrorists and then magically each turn into a Firestorm. Even though that’s not the way it’s supposed to work.
Not bad, but I think I’ll stick with my old issues.
I, Vampire #1. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov, art by Andrea Sorrentino.
Vampires, Werewolves…. A big war. Blood, blood, blood. No idea what was going on, really.
Gonna skip this one.
Justice League Dark #1. Written by Peter Milligan, art by Mikel Janin.
Basically, this is a combo of Zatanna, Constantine, Madame Xanadu, and a few other former “magical” characters and titles from the former Universe.
There’s even an appearance by some of the members of The Justice League!
Interesting concept, having all the Magic characters in one book.
Sadly, not interesting enough for me to continue with it. But if you were into those other people before the re-boot, go for it!
The Savage Hawkman #1. Written by Tony S. Daniel, art by Philip Tan.
Confession time! I was never into these characters. Even during Blackest Night, I never got the back story. So this was also right over my head.
In the beginning of the comic there’s a flashback showing an explosion where the Nth Metal gets lodged in Carter Hall’s body, but I don’t know if that was before the reboot, or from some other back story, or what.
And then some alien mummy gets dredged up in the ocean, and suddenly Carter can transform into Hawkman from the Nth Metal I his body.
I have no idea. Not my thing. Sorry!
Superman #1. Written by George Perez, art by Jesus Merino.
This new version of Superman has him in a new costume, that kind of looks armored, but that would be silly, wouldn’t it? Supes has been around for a bit in this title, and is balancing his time between saving Metropolis and being Clark Kent, reporter for the Daily Planet, and dork with a crush on Lois Lane!
Lois is now calling the shots at the Planet and Superman has to take on an Alien Fire Elemental.
Good stuff, and I’ll definitely be picking it up again. And not just because it’s Superman!
Teen Titans #1. Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund.
I was a big fan of The Teen Titans in a lot of their previous incarnations.
So, Red Robin (not Nightwing) is looking to put together a teen super hero squad, while N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is out to kill or capture them all.
I’m definitely digging Red Robin’s new costume!
Good stuff. Will probably pick up more issues.
Green Lantern: New Guardians #1. Written by Tony Bedard, art by Tyler Kirkham and Batt.
This story starts off with the aftermath of the War of the Green Lanterns (I think), the moves on to the induction of Kyle Rayner into the Green Lantern Corps.
Meanwhile, Lanterns of the other color spectrums are being killed off, or having their rings abandon them and fly back to Earth to try to join up with Kyle as well!
Talk about being in demand!
I’ll definitely be checking this out.
Voodoo #1. Written by Ron Marz, art by Sami Basri.
Initially, based on the cover art, I thought this was some kind of Witchblade comic.
I was very wrong.
From the opening page art in the strip club, I was hooked!
So Voodoo is an “exotic dancer” and seems to be being investigated by the FBI.
Great art, and lots of pages take place on a strip club stage and in the dressing room!
Great twists and a cliffhanger! Gotta check out the next issue and see what happens!
So, all 52 Comics are out and now for the final tally…
Previous to the re-boot, I was reading about 8-10 DC Comics each month (not counting mini series’ and one-shots).
After the re-boot, I’m currently reading 10-12 DC Comics each month.
So it looks like the re-boot was a success, even if it did kill off some story-lines that i was really enjoying.
🙁
