Here we are, back one last time for my coverage of the first month of DC Comics’ big relaunch. We’ve seen the good, the bad, the atrocious, and the controversial. After 3 weeks, a few titles have already fallen by the wayside, while many more stand on the brink, ready to fall or be given a reprieve. What will survive until the next order form, and what will make me go “Oh, HELL no?” This week, I picked up nine of the thirteen releases. For one reason or another, I choose to skip Batman: The Dark Knight, I, Vampire, The Savage Hawkman, and Voodoo. Only time will tell if I live to regret any of those omissions. But as for the series I did get, here we go.
Aquaman (Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ivan Reis): With this creative team on board, it was a sure bet that all eyes would be on this series, which attempts to bring Aquaman, a perennial butt of jokes, back to prominence. Is it any wonder that the story comes off as just a little defensive and in your face? Apparently, Aquaman’s lack of respect carries over into the DCU proper, where bystanders make cracks about needing a glass of water, question his ability to communicate with fish, and actually ask him, “How’s it feel to be nobody’s favorite super-hero?” Wow. Put the issue out for all to see, and address it. In direct opposition to the mockery and derision, this Aquaman comes across as regal, competent, confident, dynamic, and powerful. He goes from taking down bank robbers, to staring down his critics, to a joyful reunion with his wife, setting up his attitude and status quo effectively. The story is framed by sequences depicting a new threat hailing from the depths of the ocean, and they look appropriately alien and disturbing given the sort of stuff that lives down there. Johns has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to redeem Aquaman’s public image and make him cool in the same way he did Green Lantern, but given the story and art on display here, it’s not that hard to believe he can do it. I’m definitely sticking around. Yes.
All Star Western (Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Art by Moritat): This is, for all intents and purposes, a continuation of Gray and Palmiotti’s previous Western series featuring Jonah Hex. The only thing that’s changed here is that the taciturn, hideously-scarred bounty hunter is hanging out in Gotham City, circa the 1880’s, where he fits in with urban society about as well as you’d expect: not at all. With Doctor Amadeus Arkham as a pseudo-sidekick (providing narration and disturbing psychological insights into Hex), he ends up investigating the Gotham version of Jack the Ripper, soon stumbling upon a conspiracy. With familiar family names like Wayne, Cobblepot, and Arkham showing up, it’s definitely tied into the DCU history. As always, this is a series where bad things happen to just about everyone, and Jonah Hex inevitably fights and/or kills people before getting a drink and brooding. Of course, now it’s also like a Sherlock Holmes story, if Holmes was a misanthropic killer. Complex, gritty, just a little unsettling, and fascinating. Moritat’s art is a good match for the story, not shying away from the details of the era or Hex’s trademark scars. He uses an interestingly muted palate, with washed-out colors to help convey that bygone feeling. I really liked the previous series, and I’m sticking around for this. Yes.
Blackhawks (Written by Mike Costa, Art by Graham Nolan and Ken Lashley): Here, we see a reinvention of the Blackhawks theme. Originally a multinational team of pilots who fought Nazis in WW2, they get dragged out every so often in order to make them relevant again. In recent years, they were reduced to cameos, with almost all of the original members dead or retired, and the name being passed on here and there. So now they’re a United Nations sponsored multinational team of military operatives who fight terrorists, using exotic weapons and transportation. They have nicknames like The Irishman (he’s from Russia), Canada (he’s from Atlanta), Wildman, and Lady Blackhawk, and they take on special missions. Kind of like G.I. Joe, only less awesome. (As a side note, Mike Costa has also been working on IDW Publishing’s G.I. Joe franchise for a while now.) This first issue introduces several villains, a problem involving “nanocites” (like nanobots, but cite-ier?) and an issue involving the team’s supposed covert state. Honestly, this really does read like G.I. Joe, only without the ’80s nostalgia factor and familiar names. The big difference, I assume, will be the existence of metahumans and supervillains. As opposed to ninjas, outlaw bikers, and a whackjob in a hood. This series will have to work hard if it wants to establish its unique identity. I’m in it for the moment, while I see if it gets stronger or not. For Now.
The Flash (Written by Francis Manapul, Art by Brian Buccellato): Starring the Barry Allen version of the Flash, who died heroically many years ago and should have stayed that way, proof that nothing lasts forever. Sadly, Barry’s marriage to Iris Allen is another casualty of the relaunch, leaving him free to play the field and date coworkers instead. This issue introduces a new problem, a team of bad guys who refer to each other by numbers. One ends up dead after a botched robbery, and it’s somehow tied into one of Barry’s old friends. The story is perfectly decent, while the art is hyperkinetic and does very interesting things when Barry’s in action. Unfortunately, I found the whole thing to be just a little bland, which is a real shame for such a high-profile hero. This is definitely one of those series where I’ll have to reevaluate after the first arc. For Now.
The Fury of Firestorm (Written by Ethan Van Scriver and Gail Simone, Art by Yildiray Cinar): Reworking the concept from the ground up, this features the new origin story of everyone’s favorite nuclear man. This time around, Ronnie Raymond is the high school football star, while Jason Rusch is his intellectual classmate. Naturally, they don’t get along at all, until a bunch of bad guys show up looking for a scientific widget Jason was given for safekeeping. Now the two teens can each turn into a Firestorm, and the two can merge into a larger Firestorm called Fury. Being an origin story, there’s a lot of groundwork to be laid here, setting up the contrasts and parallels between Ronnie and Jason. Black vs white, jock vs nerd, popular vs loner. Their interactions and conflict come off somewhat heavy-handed — Ronnie: “Mom… why don’t we have any black friends?” he asks, after Jason brings up some racial issues — but I guess there’s no easy way to leap into something so complex. All in all, this is an interesting take on the concept, which has been through enough revisions and retconned revelations over the years to need streamlining. Only, I’m not sure this is streamlining, so much as updating. Time will tell whether this version succeeds. Lord knows, I certainly want it to. Despite my reservations, I have faith in the writers, so I’m in to stay. Yes.
Green Lantern: New Guardians (Written by Tony Debard, Art by Tyler Kirkham): Look, kids, it’s a series starring Green Lantern Kyle Raynor, and representatives from the rest of the rainbow corps! This could either be very good, or very awkward. While for the most part, it’s just a new GL series taking place in the same mostly-untouched GL continuity, the introduction suggests something different. You see, it’s a retelling of Kyle’s origin. In the original story, he was handed the last power ring with the helpful words, “You’ll do,” and forced to learn everything through trial and error. This time, Ganthet, the Guardian of the Universe who gave him the ring, sticks around long enough to deliver some essential bits of information. I wonder if this will affect Kyle’s earlier career, any. Such as, perhaps, erasing the horrifying death of his girlfriend at the time (whose demise literally coined the term “women in refrigerators” and drew a spotlight to comics’ treatment of women). We can hope. Anyway, the rest of this story involves a bunch of power rings from the various other lantern corps spontaneously ditching their owners and going to choose Kyle. Cue angry representatives coming to take them back. We’ll just have to see what happens next, and whether a new costume for Kyle is in order after some in-story mocking by nearby civilians. I’m intrigued, and I like Bedard’s work. I’ll stay. Yes.
Justice League Dark (Written by Peter Milligan, Art by Mikel Janin): In which a bunch of DC’s oddball and mystic characters do … stuff. The good: we actually see multiple members of the Justice League together and in action. The interesting: Deadman, John Constantine, Madame Xanadu, the Enchantress, Shade the Changing Man, and Zatanna are here. The bad: Weird stuff happens, and I lost interest halfway through. Peter Milligan is one of those wildly varying writers, who can either be very good when he’s focused, or a crapshoot when he’s not. In recent years, I’ve been frequently let down by his stories, and I think this, coming on the heels of the Flashpoint: Secret Seven series, may just mark my parting of the ways with his stuff. (Sorry, Peter. We’ll always have X-Statix, Human Target, and “Flowers For Rhino.”) It doesn’t help that the very first page features Madame Xanadu, looking deadly bored by the whole thing. Perhaps a miracle will happen, but I think I’m out. No.
Superman (Written by George Perez, Art by Jesus Merino): Here’s another one of those titles which should come out with all guns blazing. It’s Superman, after all, and our first real exposure to the Man of Steel as he exists in the DC present. How’s he doing? Not so good. His marriage to Lois was Superboy-punched — I mean Flashpointed out of existence, and now she’s shacking up with some other dude. The old Daily Planet building has been demolished, to make way for a newer, shinier one. The Planet itself is now owned by Morgan Edge, and Clark’s in a sulk about how print is dying. (Interesting sidenote: Morgan Edge is now African-American in the reboot, as opposed to his formerly white status.) In this issue, Superman fights an alien fire monster, and saves the day. Perez makes the curious decision to accompany the fight scenes with journalistic prose, opting for showing -and- telling. Ultimately, I’d have to say that while this issue is decent, it’s not spectacular. It’s underwhelming, and Superman’s status is just a little depressing. He’s perhaps one of the few characters who should never be that downbeat. I’ll stick around, but this series better jazz up a bit more if it wants to keep me for the long run. For Now.
Teen Titans (Writen by Scott Lobdell, Art by Brett Booth): This actually marks my return to the Teen Titans after an absence of several years. I dropped it some time back, and I was eager to see what they’d make of the team this time around. Here, we see that Tim Drake, formerly Robin and Red Robin, is mostly retired from the sidekicking business, but is currently investigating a mysterious organization which kidnaps teen superhumans. After thwarting their efforts to collect him, he goes to warn a revamped version of Wonder Girl, just in time for more trouble to show. An appearance by Kid Flash (the Bart Allen version) suggests that he’s likewise being retooled for the new series, and a bit at the end promises that the brainwiped Superboy will soon be colliding with our heroes. Mostly set-up, exposition, and a lot of action, this is certainly an intriguing introduction to the team. While it’s clear that this is the first time these heroes have met (no Young Justice in this universe, dammit!), we know from other books that this isn’t the first iteration of the Teen Titans to grace the DC universe. Honestly, I’m not that sad that they’re rebuilding the team from the beginning. By the time the reboot hit, the Teen Titans were a mess, with a revolving door cast and a body count to rival Xavier’s School. Let’s hope that they fare much better this time around. I’d like to see what Lobdell has planned. Yes.
And that’s a wrap for this week, and for the month. Join me in a few days, when I’ll sum up my thoughts about the New 52 and see how things stand. As always, I welcome comments, criticisms, opposing opinions, and suggestions for titles I overlooked. Hey, I might have room for a title or two to replace those I cut. Thanks for playing along.