Third week and it's the shortest with 12 new DC #1s, the 13th actually being Justice League which came out on Week Zero (and I mean that in a number of ways). My promise to review every single one, with an eye towards making recommendations for new comics readers, is weighing on me this week, perhaps because I'm far less enthusiastic about the majority of these books. Still, needs must. The more high profile, recognizable titles today. The rest tomorrow. Can you STAND IT?!
Batman #1Well, this is certainly a better Batman book than Detective Comics, but I still feel some ambivalence towards it. Writer Scott Snyder reintroduces all the elements, including Batman, his rogue's gallery, his three Robins, Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred and the Bat-Cave. It's done pretty well, and with enough devices that it's never tedious, even to this tired old comics reader who knows them all. Snyder's Batman is definitely a detective - which is why I can't believe they switched titles on him - but he's also big on gadgets, which wasn't particularly true of Snyder's Dick Grayson Batman. At times, the script reminded me of the 1989 movie, at others, of "The Batman" cartoon. And if Snyder was working with an artist like Jock, as he was on 'tec, it would be firing on all pistons. Instead, we've got Spawn artist Greg Capullo on pencils, and I'm afraid I can't get too enthusiastic about that. His Americanime style is in places too cartoony for the Batman's gritty world, and Capullo has trouble maintaining the relative sizes of characters. His Dick Grayson is a head shorter than Bruce Wayne and looks about 16, but his own book says he just spent a year being Batman. Tim is a head shorter than that, and Damian another head shorter than Time (for a whopping three heads shorter than Batman). And then the new mayoral candidate shows up and he's a 6 inches taller than Bruce... depending on the panel. Capullo provides some good pictures, but it's uneven as a whole, and I'm just not sure he's the best fit for Synder's scripts.
Don't call it a reboot: Batman and his cast look generally younger, but nothing seems particularly out of place.
Upgrade? Snyder on Batman is better than not Snyder on Batman.
Will read? Snyder's building a mystery that interests me. I'm just waiting for the art to change to commit to it.
Recommended? I think that if you're going to read only one Batman book, it'll have to be this one or Batman and Robin. Neither was a homerun for me, but Batman at least does a good job of introducing all the key concepts with art that will likely appeal to people despite my own misgivings. It FEELS like the main book of the franchise.
Catwoman #1I think Red Lanterns is still the worst book of the New52, but Catwoman certainly gives it a run for its money. The only nice thing I can say is that Guillem March draws some nice cartoon cats. His women, however, are distorted when they're trying to look sexy, and in any case, Judd Winick is having him draw what can only be called a step back for DC and society in general. Selina is consistently falling out of her rubber bondage costume, at least, when she's not showing her "goods" to distract her old pimp, or giving it up to Batman in a fetishistic wet dream that ends with the revelation that Batman is a premature ejaculator. I kid you not. This thing is RANK. Though mostly action-based (if you know what I mean), the story's first person narration is in overdrive and truly annoying. This is the kind of comic that puts in perspective the DC architects' publicized visit to the Maxim offices. It's for that demographic and no one else. And perhaps not even that.
Don't call it a reboot: It's probably not, though it reintroduces the idea of Batman and Catwoman being friends with benefits.
Upgrade? I wasn't reading Gotham City Sirens, but I can't believe it was worse than this!
Will read? If you look through these, you'll find I'm pretty lenient and give most titles at least a second issue. Not this one. No way, no how.
Recommended? Are you just skipping to the end?! Of course I don't recommend it! DC had a recognizable property with the potential for attracting female readers here, but they blew it royally. I feel dirty just having read it.
Green Lantern Corps #1As with Green Lantern, so with the Green Lantern Corps. The book really hasn't changed its cast, its look or its writer. However, Peter Tomasi does realize this is a first issue, and starts Guy Gardner and John Stewart off on Earth, dealing with their personal lives or lack thereof. It's a good introduction to both, and the start of a new storyline that acts as a jumping-on point, continuity baggage from the previous series kept to a strict minimum. Artist Fernando Pasarin is adept at creating interesting aliens and environments as well. But for all its strengths, the book has the weaknesses it's always had under the Johns/Tomasi reign. Within less than two pages, we get our first decapitation, with more gore to follow. At this point, it's business as usual to the point of being cliché, and worse, it makes the non-Terran Green Lanterns look disposable. It's not even shocking anymore to see them go down in pieces, it's just gratuitous and silly. So if you liked it before, you'll like it again, and if you didn't, ditto.
Don't call it a reboot: It's not. Follows directly from the previous series.
Upgrade? Kif-kif. No change up or down, but I might give "up" the advantage seeing as it's not burdened by the interminable "events" of the past few years.
Will read? Yes, I'll continue to do so despite its excesses. It's still a fairly good book, and it features my two favorite Lanterns.
Recommended? GLC does a good job of introducing its two leads, has solid art and imaginative designs, and sets up its mystery villain fairly well. If you're not a fan of gory violence, you might want to skip it however.
Nightwing #1Kyle Higgins trained on Dick Grayson's voice in Gates of Gotham (co-written by Scott Snyder) and he does a good job with it here. I like his Nightwing. It's not particularly groundbreaking, but it's solid superhero stuff. By having Dick's old circus come to town, Higgins flirts with the idea of his returning to the trapeze life, and you know, that would be a pretty cool concept for a superhero's secret identity/private life. Pretty sure it won't go passed the first storyline, but in the meantime, it's nice to see Dick in his element (which was one of the strongest elements in the Flashpoint mini-series that featured him). The action is good, and Eddy Barrows is energetic and well-paced. I liked his work on Superman, but he really gets to cut loose here, only infrequently letting his enthusiasm get in the way of clarity (a very minor complaint). The weakness for me was the lack of any recognizable (or well introduced) villain. I don't know who that guy is at the end, but despite being featured in a couple scenes, he looks awfully generic to me. Giving him a name would have gone a long way, you know?
Don't call it a reboot: Dick mentions having been Batman for the past year, so it's not.
Upgrade? From being Batman? Not really. However, the issue makes me believe his being Nightwing again could be a good thing.
Will read? The issue has convinced me to stick around.
Recommended? New comics readers interested in the Batman universe (i.e. Gotham City) shouldn't ignore this book about a former Batman and former Robin. It just might turn out to be a solid monthly action book, which I can't say of every other Gotham book, including some with a higher profile.
Supergirl #1Supergirl has JUST arrived and she immediately gets into a huge brawl with armored Russians (but not Rocket Reds, for some reason). That's pretty much it. Michael Green and Mike Johnson haven't written much else (despite there being TWO of them). Ok, some first person narration, and it gives you the jist of the Krypton she left, but in small doses. There's no real indication of what the book or character will be like. Here, she's all instinct and believes she's dreaming, so we can't really infer anything from her actions. The only thing that's for certain is that her redesigned costume just doesn't work. Think what you will of its appearance on the cover, it's as good as it gets. The interiors make it clear that even the book's artist Mahmud Asrar can't make those boots and armor joints look anything but awkward. Otherwise, I do like his fluid art, and want to also commend colorist Dave McCaig for some gorgeous work, giving snowbound scenes some variety and texture.
Don't call it a reboot: I have to, because it reboots Supergirl completely.
Upgrade? There's little to go by, but Supergirl had just found her way in the last year or two, so it's a shame to have her reset like that.
Will read? Not a big chance.
Recommended? Sorry no. If only this much happens in the first issue, I can only imagine how quickly the plots will advance.
Wonder Woman #1 Ok, this is a weird one. Wonder Woman has definitely been pushed into the DC Dark corner of the universe, where Swamp Thing and Animal Man dwell. Regardless of whether the book is good or bad, I think asking if that's an appropriate choice for the character has some relevance. Wonder Woman is one of the "Big Three" and is as recognizable as Superman or Batman. Neither of those characters inhabits the same world exactly (one light, one dark), so giving Diana a more supernatural/mythic environment gives her her own sandbox. And yet, the tone here is so dark that you're wondering if she's a superhero anymore. "Wonder Woman fights monsters" is a perfectly good premise, but playing that dark, violent and disturbing may alienate one potential new reader pool, namely young girls. I don't know how many parents would hand Wonder Woman comics to their young girls as a form of empowerment fiction, but Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's story may be too adult for that. Then again, it's a Greco-Roman Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that wasn't particularly nonviolent. And some may claim (as many comics writers have) that WW is impossible to write for, that no one understands the character or her world, or how to make it financially successful. Maybe an important paradigm shift is exactly what's needed. That's my preamble, take it for what it's worth. Me personally? I liked it. I've always loved Chiang's art, and here I feel like Wonder Woman's walked onto the set of Roberson and Alred's I, Zombie. There's a supernatural mystery and strong action, etc., but it could stand to be just a tad less gruesome.
Don't call it a reboot: Too early to tell. Wonder Woman hasn't been herself all year anyway, so it's hard to say if this is an evolution of the character, or a complete revamp.
Upgrade? Anything's better than what JMS weighed down the character with, so the bar wasn't set high. The creative team vaulted over it.
Will read? Yes. DC Dark is turning out to be my favorite corner of the DCU.
Recommended? With strong warnings, yes. If you don't mind the gore and more adult take (i.e. aren't planning to hand it to younger children), it's a strong repositioning of the character in the Buffy mold. The art is easy on the eyes too.
Of that half-dozen, the tasteless Catwoman has a big "DO NOT READ" stamped on it. The best book was probably Wonder Woman, though like Batman, Nightwing and Green Lantern Corps, it comes with caveats attached. Tomorrow might offer a crop of less mitigated reviews, but looking at what's left, I wouldn't be so sure.
She had a Steve to pine for then too. But a nursing license? Not so much.
And if those red jumpers don't inspire confidence, how about a change of clothes?
We just need to dig up a Wonder Woman paper doll costume for her and we're all set. And I know I have some somewhere.
Batman, suiting up for capitalism!
The Flash, no ring storage required!
Green Lantern, ready to go to work as as architect!
Superman's full body change!
And Wonder Woman with both princess AND 70s martial artist wear!
Let it be known: Just because there's a princess' dress in there doesn't mean these paper dolls aren't virile as all hell!
Batman #1
Catwoman #1
Green Lantern Corps #1
Nightwing #1
Supergirl #1
Wonder Woman #1 
DVDS: I guess I was too young when Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman originally aired (and not fluent in English), so I'm a late comer to the series. I was expecting a certain measure of campiness, and certainly an older style of television. What I wasn't expecting was to find it so delightful! I can now see how it made such an impression on people and why they generally can't dissociate the superheroine from the actress. Lynda Carter is incredibly charming even if she appears to be very much inexperienced as an actress. Her Wonder Woman is kind and unassuming, loves children and animals, and beyond the pilot, doesn't ever throw a punch (it's all throwing people about). Her smile lights up every room and she manages to make the "bullet-breasted" uniform iconic but not exploitative. I think what she gives off is innocence. Wonder Woman doesn't really know she's sexy; she just thinks these manly reactions are funny. Despite the disco theme song, the first season takes place during WWII, just like the original comics. A brave choice, but one that helps sell the campiness. Plus: Kicking Nazi ass. The Season 1 set includes a half-hour retrospective documentary and a commentary with Carter and the producer on the pilot. Both are charming and informative.
Hana - The Tale of a Reluctant Samurai - owes a certain debt to Kurosawa, of course, but the overall feeling is closer to that of The Royal Tenenbaums or Waking Ned Devine. Director Kore-Eda Hirokazu's lightly comic revenge story takes place in 18th century row houses (a sort of shanty town) as the protagonist searches for his father's killer. The community is just as much a character as he is, and perhaps sustains one subplot too many, but its daily life is human and funny. Amidst the comedy are great moments of sadness and profound images of nature. It's a lovely tale and one that avoids the usual violence of samurai films. If you're in the mood for a quiet and pretty film, something to make you smile, I heartily recommend it. The DVD includes a few minutes' footage from the film's premiere, but otherwise, only a few trailers (for Hana and other Funimation films).
Comics: I loved Jeffrey Brown's Incredible Change-Bots, and in fact named it the best comic of 2008 during my annual Siskoid Awards. The sequel, Incredible Change-Bots Two, is just as great... and "probably to be continued". Well, Mr. Brown, you've got a customer right here for when it's ready. In this pocket-sized graphic novel, the evil Shootertron is found alive but amnesiac and is taken in by a kindly farmer and his wife. The government is soon knocking at their door, while the rest of the Change-Bots, now allied, accidentally find their way back to Earth. As with the original book, Brown takes the piss out stories like this, never quite drawing a distinction between good and bad robots/people. It is as honest in its potshots as it is in its loving homage to, let's say it, the Transformers. Saying it's a million times better than Transformers II is damning it with faint praise.
ooks: Michael Chabon's Manhood for Amateurs is a collection of biographical essays (I really am on an essay kick lately) that deal with being a son, a husband, and a father, and draws witty and truthful comparisons between the world he grew up in, and the one his kids are growing up in. I love the man's style, and geeks like us will find a brother in this man who has managed to write a Pulitzer-winning story about the dawn of American comics. Of special interest to my readers, there's a loving homage to Big Barda, and an analysis of geek culture represented by a story in which he and his family are caught out for loving the new Doctor Who series. Whether they are "geeky" or not (and most aren't), they are honest, personal and fresh. A lovely and all-too-quick read.
So we finally blew ourselves up. But in the DCU, all that radiation has to have a comic book effect, and so the animals that survived became gigantic, normal humans mutated into cavemen, and superhumans lost their powers. It's up to them to rebuild, but is that something to ask from characters whose bread and butter is fighting among themselves?!
He eventually finds his way to a paradisical patch of overgrown nature on the back of his giant riding cat Kryptonite, and there he finds Wonder Woman and a whole town of supers with J'Onn J'Onzz as the mayor and Billy Batson as the town crank. Well, if you've read any Elseworld that stars both Superman and Captain Marvel, you know where this is gonna lead. Batson used to have a relationship with Wonder Woman (creepy!) and now she's falling for Clark. As DC's premiere couple get married and have a baby, Batson spends his nights shouting SHAZAM in the woods, getting his powers back for ever longer amounts of time, but causing the Earth's ecosystem to churn. Eventually, his manipulations cause many people's powers to come back and lines are drawn in the sand. Superman's peaceniks stay in Champion (AKA the Town that Mister Miracle built) and ally with a mutated Aquaman's Atlantean forces, those who want to subjugate the world leave for Marvel City, which is soon allied with Metallo and his mutant army. Soon, Captain Marvel is sharing his power with his kids from three different wives (creepy!) and they kill Wonder Woman.
Superman goes blind with rage, and war is joined.
It ends with Marvel getting zapped by an unfortunate bolt of lightning and dying, as the Earth starts cracking around the survivors.
The cycle is about to be complete. Superman uses a discovered Green Lantern ring to create a rocket for his son Bruce and he sends the boy out into space to forge his own legend.
In Superman jammies no less.
Win: BAM! Trev's dead. (Ok, not really. The Punisher wouldn't kill a non-criminal. But between the WWII Air Force ace who crashed his ass on an island in the Pacific, and the Vietnam/Gulf vet who has mowed down more criminals than the U.S. penal system currently holds, my money's on the latter to at least knock out the former.) 1-0 Marvel
Monarch pros: Depends, who is he this time? Was supposed to destroy all the superheroes in 2001. Currently has the combined power of many Captain Atoms.
Big Barda pros: New God. Trained as a Female Fury. As strong as Wonder Woman. The Mega-Rod. Her heart can only be melted by Mister Miracle. Loosely based on Jack Kirby's wife Roz.
Darkseid pros: There is no bigger bad in the DCU. The Omega Beams. The Anti-Life Equation. The whole of Apokolips at his command. Based on Jack Palance. JACK PALANCE!
Granny Goodness pros: Young Granny Goodness was a fox. Big and strong. Scott Free's nanny. The genius of Ed Asner's voice.
Highfather pros: Highest God of New Genesis. Tamed Darkseid's son Orion. Reads the Source's burning messages.
Wonder Woman pros: A warrior (for little boys) AND a princess (for little girls). Feminist icon despite the costume. Linda Carter. Can give Superman a run for his money. The lasso of truth. The bracelets of bullet deflection. Diplomatic immunity.
...always rocks the cheesecake.
...can't stand her exploding wrists anymore.
...has a surprise for Batman.
...can't wait all day for Perseus.
...unleashes the fists of fury.
...has had a Photoshop mishap.
...has a low THAC0 despite the cloth armor.
...is the only one with that belt.
...put the sword to Schindler's List.
...frankly fails to capture anything sexy about Wonder Woman.
...is based on a certain introduction writer.