Phaedrus45
Avenger
- Joined
- May 20, 2005
- Messages
- 10,502
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 31
The DC books.
The Good
Batman, Inc. #2
Since last month's first issue, I've been pleasantly surprised. I was expecting more of the same from Morrison's Batman, Inc.; but, it feels like he's taking his writing of this book in a different direction. (It's more like All-Star Superman than his previous Batman storylines.) Gone are storylines that focus on new Batmen from around the world. Instead, we're getting single issue stories that are building on one another. Can't wait for the next issue. I'm liking this even more than Snyder's Batman. (I am starting to get tired of the Owls; and, wasn't thrilled to see a Talon offshoot coming from that storyline.)
American Vampire #28
New storyline; but, I love how each one builds on the previous. Sndyer gives us a vampire storyline that is so much better than the rest of the vampire stuff already out there. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this comic when it came out; but, patience has been rewarded by this great cast of characters.
Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1
There hasn't been a single issue of Before Watchmen I haven't liked. It's great to see what happened before with each of these characters; and, it only makes me want to go back and reread Watchmen again. I'm not sure what Alan Moore thinks of DC's idea to revisit his classic maxiseries; but, he should be proud of what's come out so far. (How strange to see a book from Straczynski again, too.)
New Deadwardians #4
Probably the best of the new batch of Vertigo comics that came out recently. It's a mix of the supernatural meets Sherlock Holmes. What's best is the attention to the characters, not rushing the storyline, but advancing it enough to make you stay interested while getting to know more about the world around them.
Aquaman #10
I wasn't a fan of the first storyline; but, Johns has done a much better job with introducing Black Manta to the New 52. It's a quick read; but, you get some great action and back history on the reason for Aquaman and Black Manta's feud.
All-Star Westen #10
I was getting worried about this title. It felt like Palmiotti was spending too much time in making this a title tied into the Batman lore; but, things have become a lot more interesting with one issue. Last issue felt rushed and the Owls storyline just didn't fit in well. This issue, even though it continues dealing with the Court of Owls, reads much better. Plus, we get an appearance by Tallulah. (She's always been a highlight from the old Jonah Hex title.)
The Bat Lash short story at the end was decent, too. Probably the best of the ones this book has featured in its ten issues.
The Okay
I, Vampire #10
I was ready to drop this title; but, things have picked up a bit. "The Ultimate Vampire Killers" arrive; and, the final scene in this issue has me dying to get my hands on the next issue. I'm glad the main character has broken away from the Justice League Dark; but, I still wouldn't cry if he was killed off, or if the title was cancelled. Still, what an improvement.
Superman #10
I really liked what George Perez was doing with this book before he was let go. It felt like a good throwback to the stories I used to read as a kid. That said, Jurgens has probably made this more "new reader friendly." The storyline has been okay; and, I still like this book a lot more than Action Comics. (Nice mention of Action's current storyline in this book, remarking how Superman killed off Clark Kent for a short while.)
Justice League Dark #10
I still like this comic; but, it does have a slow feel to it. It's probably that so many characters have to be featured, and many of them are "dark" and not exactly likeable in their personalities. (They all have some real attitude problems.) The House Of Mystery is introduced to the New 52; and, it would have been nice to just focus on that this issue. Instead, we get even more of the old Vertigo world brought into the New 52 with the Books Of Magic.
Batman: The Dark Knight #10
This title is never that bad; but, I also never find myself just dying to get ahold of the next issue. It does feature a lot more Batman classic villians than the other Bat-titles; but, events in this title never seem like their that important to the Bat-world around it. (It almost feels like "Untold Tales Of Batman.")
Teen Titans #10
I have been enjoying this book and Superboy; and, it's the one instance where I like how two of DC's titles are working together from a more complete storyline. For me, I like the characters of this book and how they are interacting with one another rather than whatever adventure they find themselves in. (And, that's probably the biggest flaw of both titles. The adventures have yet to make me feel compelled to grab the next issue. The Culling was rather boring; and, making these books tie into a pretty dull Legion Lost only brought them down.)
The Meh
Spaceman #7
You almost need some Cliff Notes to fully understand what the heck is being said or going on in this book. I get it better now than I did a few issues back; but, it still has taken away from my enjoyment of Azzarello's title. There is a lot of gaps in what has gone on before in space and how Spaceman has ended up in this missing child actor case; and, with two issues to go, I'm not sure how much will be filled in.
The Flash #10
What Manapul and Buccellato's The Flash suffers from the most is my lack of caring about any of the characters. Barry seems like more of a pain in the ass than anything else; and, I find myself wishing he'd just be replaced by a more interesting Flash. This book never wows; and, while other titles keep replacing their writers, I kind of wish that would happen here.
The Fury Of Firestorm #10
Too many Firestorms! Not only do we have the two Firestorms who have come before; but, now it seems like every country has their own version. This book has gotten a bit better since the original writer has been replaced (Van Scriver was a co-plotter before; but, Gail Simone was the main writer with the first bunch of issues); but, it's still bogged down in this storyline that (like many of DC's titles) never seems to get resolved.
Justice League #10
This really is the worst of all the Justice League books DC is currently putting out. The characterization of all the heroes is just terrible. They all act like versions of Guy Gardner than themselves. It's attitude meets attitude, and very little substance in regards to a plot. About the only thing I enjoy with this title is the Shazam story at the end. At least that story isn't rushed, and I find myself getting to know the characters a lot more than this garbage Johns is doing with the Justice League. (This would have been under The Bad, if not for Shazam, I think.)
The Savage Hawkman #10
This is a title that needs to be cancelled, too. It bewilders me that DC decided that three of their struggling titles needed Liefeld to help resurrect interest, as I don't think there is hardly a reader who buys a comic simply because he's involved with it. Now, I won't say this title got better with Liefeld on it; but, it has changed a bit. What the book now struggles from is any type of plot that will want readers to come back for more. With Liefeld you get action; but, that action really doesn't go beyond the boring crap we used to get back during the early days of Image. Also, the title needs to bring back Hawkgirl. She was always the better part of Hawkman. (And, frankly, the plot line of the Nth Metal is rather dull. In Aquaman we are seeing one of his classic villians, Black Manta. I haven't gotten any of that with this title.)
The Bad
Green Lantern New Guardians #10
I seriously hate this title. Heck, I'd even drop it; but, I know that future Green Lantern storylines will flow into it, and I'll just end up picking it up again. This issue marks the possible end for the Blue Lanterns; and, I wish they'd do away with half of the Lantern colors. Worse than the Blue Lanterns, though, is how DC has just ruined the character of Kyle. It's at the point I wish a writer would just kill him off.
The Good
Batman, Inc. #2
Since last month's first issue, I've been pleasantly surprised. I was expecting more of the same from Morrison's Batman, Inc.; but, it feels like he's taking his writing of this book in a different direction. (It's more like All-Star Superman than his previous Batman storylines.) Gone are storylines that focus on new Batmen from around the world. Instead, we're getting single issue stories that are building on one another. Can't wait for the next issue. I'm liking this even more than Snyder's Batman. (I am starting to get tired of the Owls; and, wasn't thrilled to see a Talon offshoot coming from that storyline.)
American Vampire #28
New storyline; but, I love how each one builds on the previous. Sndyer gives us a vampire storyline that is so much better than the rest of the vampire stuff already out there. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this comic when it came out; but, patience has been rewarded by this great cast of characters.
Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1
There hasn't been a single issue of Before Watchmen I haven't liked. It's great to see what happened before with each of these characters; and, it only makes me want to go back and reread Watchmen again. I'm not sure what Alan Moore thinks of DC's idea to revisit his classic maxiseries; but, he should be proud of what's come out so far. (How strange to see a book from Straczynski again, too.)
New Deadwardians #4
Probably the best of the new batch of Vertigo comics that came out recently. It's a mix of the supernatural meets Sherlock Holmes. What's best is the attention to the characters, not rushing the storyline, but advancing it enough to make you stay interested while getting to know more about the world around them.
Aquaman #10
I wasn't a fan of the first storyline; but, Johns has done a much better job with introducing Black Manta to the New 52. It's a quick read; but, you get some great action and back history on the reason for Aquaman and Black Manta's feud.
All-Star Westen #10
I was getting worried about this title. It felt like Palmiotti was spending too much time in making this a title tied into the Batman lore; but, things have become a lot more interesting with one issue. Last issue felt rushed and the Owls storyline just didn't fit in well. This issue, even though it continues dealing with the Court of Owls, reads much better. Plus, we get an appearance by Tallulah. (She's always been a highlight from the old Jonah Hex title.)
The Bat Lash short story at the end was decent, too. Probably the best of the ones this book has featured in its ten issues.
The Okay
I, Vampire #10
I was ready to drop this title; but, things have picked up a bit. "The Ultimate Vampire Killers" arrive; and, the final scene in this issue has me dying to get my hands on the next issue. I'm glad the main character has broken away from the Justice League Dark; but, I still wouldn't cry if he was killed off, or if the title was cancelled. Still, what an improvement.
Superman #10
I really liked what George Perez was doing with this book before he was let go. It felt like a good throwback to the stories I used to read as a kid. That said, Jurgens has probably made this more "new reader friendly." The storyline has been okay; and, I still like this book a lot more than Action Comics. (Nice mention of Action's current storyline in this book, remarking how Superman killed off Clark Kent for a short while.)
Justice League Dark #10
I still like this comic; but, it does have a slow feel to it. It's probably that so many characters have to be featured, and many of them are "dark" and not exactly likeable in their personalities. (They all have some real attitude problems.) The House Of Mystery is introduced to the New 52; and, it would have been nice to just focus on that this issue. Instead, we get even more of the old Vertigo world brought into the New 52 with the Books Of Magic.
Batman: The Dark Knight #10
This title is never that bad; but, I also never find myself just dying to get ahold of the next issue. It does feature a lot more Batman classic villians than the other Bat-titles; but, events in this title never seem like their that important to the Bat-world around it. (It almost feels like "Untold Tales Of Batman.")
Teen Titans #10
I have been enjoying this book and Superboy; and, it's the one instance where I like how two of DC's titles are working together from a more complete storyline. For me, I like the characters of this book and how they are interacting with one another rather than whatever adventure they find themselves in. (And, that's probably the biggest flaw of both titles. The adventures have yet to make me feel compelled to grab the next issue. The Culling was rather boring; and, making these books tie into a pretty dull Legion Lost only brought them down.)
The Meh
Spaceman #7
You almost need some Cliff Notes to fully understand what the heck is being said or going on in this book. I get it better now than I did a few issues back; but, it still has taken away from my enjoyment of Azzarello's title. There is a lot of gaps in what has gone on before in space and how Spaceman has ended up in this missing child actor case; and, with two issues to go, I'm not sure how much will be filled in.
The Flash #10
What Manapul and Buccellato's The Flash suffers from the most is my lack of caring about any of the characters. Barry seems like more of a pain in the ass than anything else; and, I find myself wishing he'd just be replaced by a more interesting Flash. This book never wows; and, while other titles keep replacing their writers, I kind of wish that would happen here.
The Fury Of Firestorm #10
Too many Firestorms! Not only do we have the two Firestorms who have come before; but, now it seems like every country has their own version. This book has gotten a bit better since the original writer has been replaced (Van Scriver was a co-plotter before; but, Gail Simone was the main writer with the first bunch of issues); but, it's still bogged down in this storyline that (like many of DC's titles) never seems to get resolved.
Justice League #10
This really is the worst of all the Justice League books DC is currently putting out. The characterization of all the heroes is just terrible. They all act like versions of Guy Gardner than themselves. It's attitude meets attitude, and very little substance in regards to a plot. About the only thing I enjoy with this title is the Shazam story at the end. At least that story isn't rushed, and I find myself getting to know the characters a lot more than this garbage Johns is doing with the Justice League. (This would have been under The Bad, if not for Shazam, I think.)
The Savage Hawkman #10
This is a title that needs to be cancelled, too. It bewilders me that DC decided that three of their struggling titles needed Liefeld to help resurrect interest, as I don't think there is hardly a reader who buys a comic simply because he's involved with it. Now, I won't say this title got better with Liefeld on it; but, it has changed a bit. What the book now struggles from is any type of plot that will want readers to come back for more. With Liefeld you get action; but, that action really doesn't go beyond the boring crap we used to get back during the early days of Image. Also, the title needs to bring back Hawkgirl. She was always the better part of Hawkman. (And, frankly, the plot line of the Nth Metal is rather dull. In Aquaman we are seeing one of his classic villians, Black Manta. I haven't gotten any of that with this title.)
The Bad
Green Lantern New Guardians #10
I seriously hate this title. Heck, I'd even drop it; but, I know that future Green Lantern storylines will flow into it, and I'll just end up picking it up again. This issue marks the possible end for the Blue Lanterns; and, I wish they'd do away with half of the Lantern colors. Worse than the Blue Lanterns, though, is how DC has just ruined the character of Kyle. It's at the point I wish a writer would just kill him off.
