Boughticuleeeee/Thoughticulaaaaaah! September 7, 2011 *SPOILERS*

[TheCorpulent1]

Punisher was good. The new Vulture sucked, but it was okay because he gets stabbed in the head and the heart, so I doubt we'll see him again anytime soon. This issue seems to be the break in the norm for the series. So far we've had the usual Punisher comic stuff, with Frank ganking gangsters left and right while the cops are a step behind. This issue changes the formula up and has a crime boss actually ready for Frank, resulting in Frank getting pretty messed up. Norah from The Daily Bugle shows up and he asks her for help, which should lead to a pretty interesting next issue. Rucka's relaunch hasn't been heartstoppingly amazing or anything yet, but I'm enjoying it. I hope this new wrinkle--Frank's being vulnerable and needing help--signals the start of some interesting new (or at least less common) territory for Frank.

Irredeemable continues to be full of great twists and turns. Cary, the hero once known as Charybdis but going by Survivor after his brother Scylla's death, is starting to become dangerously reminiscent of Plutonian in his desperation and frustration at, ironically, not having the resources necessary to combat the recently returned Plutonian. The Paradigm is scattered and all Survivor has to make good on his promise of safety for the world is a group of villains who reformed (but not really) after Survivor granted them amnesty to help rebuild. That's probably the most interesting ongoing plot at the moment, although a new one was just introduced in this issue that looks quite promising: Two leaders from other countries show up at the White House to offer the US President the chance to eliminate Plutonian and ensure the world's future. The cost? Oh, just 1/3rd of the world's remaining population. Man, I love Waid.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Action Comics this week. I went in with somewhat low expectations based on how obnoxious Superman was in the preview I saw for the issue, but by the end I had a certain appreciation for his portrayal, not least because I could see him one day, when he's the responsible and even-tempered Superman we all know and love, looking back on his early days and smiling at what a hothead he was. Outside of Superman's portrayal--which I think everyone knew would be pretty much the main attraction since we all inevitably had to compare it to the Superman who just ceased to exist after Flashpoint--the rest of the issue was mostly good. The only thing that makes me say "mostly" was the cartoonish evilness of the military. Luthor I understand, but Sam Lane and all of the soldiers involved just blithely going along with Luthor's plan to open fire on Superman in a crowded urban area because it's scheduled for demolition anyway was just ridiculous. It's all well and good to hate on the military, but no US military commander would do that. I mean, they had tanks firing into people's f***ing living rooms! I suppose that may be an extension of the lefty bent to the book, but I understood that to apply more to Superman, not that the entire world would be recast through the eyes of a lefty, to the extent that it would seem acceptable to believe the military would tear up a large chunk of a major American city in its quest to stop one dude who has, so far, only intimidated a few rich folks. That left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. But otherwise, good stuff. Rags' art is drool-worthy, as always.

 

[roach]

The only thing that makes me say "mostly" was the cartoonish evilness of the military. Luthor I understand, but Sam Lane and all of the soldiers involved just blithely going along with Luthor's plan to open fire on Superman in a crowded urban area because it's scheduled for demolition anyway was just ridiculous. It's all well and good to hate on the military, but no US military commander would do that. I mean, they had tanks firing into people's f***ing living rooms! I suppose that may be an extension of the lefty bent to the book, but I understood that to apply more to Superman, not that the entire world would be recast through the eyes of a lefty, to the extent that it would seem acceptable to believe the military would tear up a large chunk of a major American city in its quest to stop one dude who has, so far, only intimidated a few rich folks. That left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth.

it is for this reason that I'll never touch anything Millar writes. I hate when writers do this. When I was in the military I would hate when we were depicted as mindless bloodthirsty evil turds.

 

[Keyser Soze]

ACTION COMICS #1

When news of DC’s relaunch first hit the web, and it was announced to much excitement that Grant Morrison would be writing Action Comics, the famous writer talked about how he and artist Rags Morales would create a new language for comics in their Superman saga. Some wondered what this meant: was it anything more substantial than vague marketing hyperbole? Then I read Supergods – Grant Morrison’s history of the superhero genre/partial biography, released shortly after the relaunch was announced – and all of a sudden the answer was clear.

As one can probably imagine from any history of the superhero genre, the first chapter sees Morrison talk at length about Superman. The whole passage (and indeed, the whole book) is fascinating reading, but of particular interest to me was his in-depth case study of the original Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He imagines approaching the book as a reader in 1938 – the initial ambiguity over whether this mysterious Superman was a hero or a villain, the awe at him engaging in amazing feats far beyond the reach of his pulp predecessors – and praises this landmark comic (which now sells for millions of dollars) for inventing a new kind of storytelling, creating the superhero comic. And from there, it clicked: this new Action Comics #1 is the first Action Comics #1 since that first one that launched the superhero genre, and Grant Morrison and Rags Morales are approaching this comic with the goal of recreating the experience readers felt back then for today’s jaded audience. Just reading Morrison’s description of that first Superman comic having non-stop action from panel to panel – bam, bam, bam – something new and exciting constantly happening with every image, I imagined what a modern version of that might be like… and it really had me anticipating this comic.

Action Comics #1 lives up to much of that promise. As was the case with the Siegel and Shuster original, we begin the action in media res, and the pace doesn’t let up until all 29 pages of story have flown by. In a lot of ways, I think Action Comics could have been more deserving of being the one DC comic to lead the charge and launch the New 52 last week than Justice League. Not only is it a better comic, but it more powerfully conveys a sense of newness to this world. We’ve all gotten so used to Superman, and he’s become such a safe, iconic character, that it takes quite a lot of skill to take us back to a place where he was new, even threatening, but Morrison and Morales pull it off. Morrison’s plotting seems to put us forever one step behind him, in the perspective of those observing him as they struggle to keep up. Morales’ art, meanwhile, gives us a Superman often cast into shadow, glowing red eyes glaring out at us, enhancing the alien qualities of the character. As for the much-maligned T-shirt and jeans outfit, in the context of the story, it works. It gives us a Superman that’s almost believable, casting aside the familiar iconography of the superhero genre and making us think what it might actually be like if someone in a world not unlike our own started to manifest these incredible powers.

Based on the preview that was released last week, which featured Superman throwing around corrupt businessmen and taunting negligent cops, some folk on the internet were unhappy with Superman’s characterisation, saying he came across as a “jock” or a “*****e”. I didn’t think that someone who shows zero tolerance for injustice and bullies qualifies as a *****e, and in the context of the issue as a whole I think my stance has been further vindicated. Though the government, the law and the corrupt fear him, regular people, particularly the downtrodden, love him, and in one touching sequence, protectively encircle him when he’s confronted by the military. This is Superman as man of the people, again taking him right back to his roots. He’s also a Superman who bruises, who bleeds, who can’t yet fly, someone who has not yet reached the peak of his powers. He’s relatable. That carries over to his alter ego as well. Clark Kent is still a journalist, but rather than dressing him up in a suit and giving him a 1930s nerd chic combover, he dresses younger, more casually, looking more like a farmboy in the big city. He lives in a small apartment and struggles to pay his rent, perhaps feeling more in touch with young professionals who might now be the most likely target audience for a comic. We also get a sense that Clark Kent the reporter is more than just the convenient disguise for Superman: the pursuit of truth at the core of journalism is something Clark passionately believes in, and it would appear his superhuman persona is in fact an extension of that, as the nasty individuals he’s investigating are the same people he goes after as Superman.

And of course, even in the early days, you can’t have Superman without Lex Luthor. Superman’s ever-evolving nemesis now finds himself in the role of independent contractor doing freelance work for the military, offering scientific insight into how best to stop and capture this mysterious alien being. Luthor is largely in the shadows in this issue, but we do get glimpses into his personality and motivations. Him constantly referring to Superman as “it” rather than “he” was a nice touch, and one speech talking about how the introduction of foreign creatures in the animal kingdom can result in the eradication of indigenous species was particularly effective. We have seen from All Star Superman that Morrison writes a great Lex Luthor, so I can’t wait to see how his role expands as this story develops.

The artwork of Rags Morales has its odd ropey moment (in particular, Lex Luthor’s age, facial structure and body shape seems to change almost on a panel-to-panel basis), but for the most part, he excels in bringing to dramatic life every amazing feat Morrison’s script calls upon him to portray. As touched upon above, his Superman is great, always the most interesting part of every page he appears on. With the way his body language is laid out, you can feel the effort that goes behind every move for this young and inexperienced Superman, bringing new life and excitement to all the famous gestures we can often take for granted.

As for Morrison, this is the master of the dizzying high-concept at his most open and accessible, telling a story that I think can appeal to everyone, from loyal Super-fans to dubious cynics. I had high expectations for Action Comics #1 from the moment it was announced, expectations that rose even further after reading Supergods, so it’s a testament to the quality of this comic that those expectations were mostly fulfilled. This is the Superman comic we’ve been waiting for.


SWAMP THING #1

Back in June, when the DC relaunch was first announced, the first comic that emerged as being at the top of my hype list for September, the one I really couldn’t wait for, was Swamp Thing. I’m a big fan of the character, was excited about him returning to the DCU, and the pairing of writer Scott Snyder and artist Yanick Paquette seemed like a real dream team. So, I plunged back into the old Alan Moore run, buying all the lovely hardcover editions DC has recently released. Rediscovering this landmark run, I found it to be even better than I remembered, arguably Moore’s finest work, and I found a whole new appreciation for what Stephen Bissette was doing with the artwork, years (if not decades) ahead of his time. Swamp Thing is, in my opinion, one of the best characters in DC’s roster, and him getting his first non-Vertigo series in around 20 years is a big deal.

However, as the months have worn on and the big day has drawn closer, my interest in the new Swamp Thing #1 waned ever so slightly. Don’t get me wrong, every new art preview or interview from Snyder impressed me, but other books, such as Action Comics, Snyder’s own Batman, and more recently Stormwatch, began to surpass Swamp Thing in my personal anticipation stakes. Oh me of little faith. Today marks a vintage comic week, and a creative triumph for DC. I was treated to great comic after great comic from this week’s offerings in the New 52, but standing head and shoulders above the rest as the best of the bunch was Swamp Thing #1.

There is an effective narrative device that Scott Snyder has used in a few of his works. He begins both the first issue of American Vampire and the first part of his run on Detective Comics with the protagonist, through voiceover, reminiscing about a childhood memory, while the images being shown on the page cast these memories in a sinister new light. This recurring motif also pops up in Swamp Thing #1, but what makes it all the more intriguing this time round is that the protagonist in question, Dr. Alec Holland, is a character who, until now, is known more for his death (and what followed) than any detail of his life.

At first glance, people might be put off by a Swamp Thing comic without Swamp Thing. Based on the plot synopsis of this first issue, a rhetorical question seemed to hang in the air: “Should people care about Alec Holland even if he isn’t big, green and leavy?” In short: yes. Holland is presented as a man haunted by his past as Swamp Thing, a past that is hounding him, trying to reclaim him. Plants and greenery seem to follow him wherever he goes, whether it towers ominously in the background or grow in vines and creepers around his feet. One of the highlights of the issue is Holland’s monologue about the violent nature of plants, which has the unusual combination of being both educational and laced with menace. But beyond this, Snyder’s characterisation of Holland gives us a sympathetic depiction of the survivor of a monumental trauma; a normal man who has gone through the death and resurrection cycle common in comics, but normally saved for superheroes. This is best portrayed through a conversation between Superman and Alec Holland that makes up the centrepiece of the issue. The idea that these two people – on the surface, worlds apart – are united by a common experience, is quite a powerful idea.

But this isn’t a comic that’s all about meaningful conversation and soul-searching. Out in the desert of Arizona, something awful is happening. Swamp Thing is a comic that has earned a reputation for delivering some moments of genuinely bloodcurdling horror, and Snyder is able to carry on that fine tradition with a truly gruesome sequence near the issue’s climax. As this monstrous new threat reveals itself, some iconography comes into play that will be familiar to longtime Swamp Thing readers. Those who are still haunted by memories of the Invunche – one of the most gruesome creatures to appear in Moore’s run – will get a chill at the fate met by some characters here, and it all but goes without saying that you can’t use a fly in a Swamp Thing without drawing up unsettling memories of Anton Arcane. This is a story that I believe is totally accessible to someone who has never read a Swamp Thing comic in their lives and wants to see what all the fuss is about, but little Easter eggs like this make the road ahead all the more tantalising for those of us a bit more familiar with the mythos.

I’ve done a lot of gushing about Scott Snyder’s writing, but I would be negligent if I didn’t shower equal praise on the incredible contribution of Yanick Paquette. Quite simply, this comic looks stunning. From the very first page, with a cinematic zoom-in from the Metropolis skyline to Clark Kent’s face, followed by a macabre yet beautifully arranged double-page spread, we are immediately immersed in the world of the story. Paquette is really channeling the spirit of Stephen Bissette here, with inventive layouts that turn each page into an intricately designed tableau, and panels packed with a deceptive level of detail.

Paquette uses all kinds of clever tricks to ensure Swamp Thing looks unlike anything else in DC’s New 52. Something as small as making the panel borders black instead of white instantly sets it apart, DC Dark indeed. And it’s in the panel borders where Paquette puts to use a trick that I found particularly clever. Whenever the ominous, looming threat casting a shadow over this story makes its presence felt on the page, the neat, cirsp panel borders break down, turning ragged and uneven, and the panels within them become more wild and erratic in their layout. It’s as if this primal embodiment of death and decay were eating through the very fabric of the page, rotting the images and the paper and seeping through to get us. Indeed, when we see its giant, fly-covered eye, it seems to be staring out of the page, right at us.

This comic is a masterpiece of technical craft, both in art and writing (and let’s not forget the rich coloring of Nathan Fairbairn: this is a comic where green packs as much dramatic punch as in Green Lantern), and is the most exciting first issue of any comic I’ve read in quite some time. It has human drama, it has horror, and it has mysteries and unanswered questions, including a big one that acts as the first issue’s cliffhanger. But it doesn’t feel decompressed. I got plenty of satisfying content in Swamp Thing #1. But all the same, the wait for Swamp Thing #2 is going to be agonising. One thing’s for sure, though: I won’t be forgetting what comic I should be looking forward to most this time.

 

[JewishHobbit]

I guess it's a good sign for DC that I put back three Marvel books (one of them X-Men believe it or not... the others Moon Knight and X-Factor) to make room for the new DC books. I skimmed every new DC book and decided to bite on four of them. I nearly bought Batgirl (and may still) and Men of War (or whatever that one's called). I skimmed that one and was actually very impressed, but then I saw the $4 price tag and decided to skip on it. I'll look into the book and if it's just $4 for the first issue I may pick it up next week, if not then I'll pass.

But first the two Marvel books, then the DC's.

X-23 #14 - As I predicted the Cosmic deal has something to do with the Enigma Force, but we aren't sure what yet. The issue is fun but not as good as the previous issue. Thing shows Laura some gruff due to his not being a fan of Wolverine. Susan plays mother as always, and Franklin & Valeria have some cute moments. In the end Laura, Susan, and Spider-Man are transported somewhere else... to be continued. Also, Gambit and Cecelia Reyes gets a small scene, not much, but it's a nice one.

It was a good issue and I'm really growing to like Phil Noto's art. It reminds me of Immonen's art for some reason and that's a good thing

New Avengers Annual 1 - So this begins the Revengers storyline which will continue in Avengers Annual 1 and I actually liked it. I still don't quite buy Wonder Man as a foil to the Avengers but at least Bendis isn't making him a villain, just a very angry man. He and his team wait for Squirrel Girl to leave the mansion with baby Danielle and then they attack... and work their way into beating down the New Avengers. The fight finished, they head off to take on the main Avengers.

The story was simple but good. I think Wonder Man's reasonings for having had enough of the Avengers was flimsy but understandable. He basically has just had enough of such problems that the Avengers somewhat create or put up with that lead to worse things, such as Wanda, Sentry, Hulk, Ultron, and the Civil War.

The Revengers is an interesting mix of characters that I actually really like. The biggest one to catch my eye was Ethan Edwards. Some might remember him as the Skrull Sentry/Superman character from Marvel Knights: Spider-Man around the time Spidey joined the New Avengers. I loved his character then (I think he was called Tiller at the time) and wanted him to return for Secret Invasion. He didn't and I assumed he was forgotten but Bendis brought him back and he had a fantastic showing here.

Along with Ethan we also have Anti-Venom, Atlas (from the Thunderbolts), Century (from Force Works), D-Man, Goliath, Devil Slayer, and someone named Captain Ultra (who I've never heard of). It's a very interesting mix of characters and I'm curious what will become of them.

Ultimately it was a solid comic. Even at 32 pages I still hate the price... especially since we were given 6 spreads early in the book... but at least Dell'otto made them look pretty.


Now on to the more exciting stuff... NuDC!

Swamp Thing #1 - I'll start off by saying I've never read a Swamp Thing comic in my life and don't remember a thing about the old movie. All I know about him is that he's a plant character and supposedly powerful for some reason. That said, I loved this comic. Holland is a relatable character and it's interesting seeing his struggle being the former Swamp Thing and in the end we learn that he and Swamp Thing are now separate entities. Also, I can't say what it was (as I'm still figuring it out) but there's a threat brewing and it has a very creepy vibe about it. Snyder is a solid writer and Paquette is a fantastic artist (it was nice seeing him do Batman again). I'm definately sticking with this one for a while.

Animal Man #1 - Again, I'll start off by saying I've never read a single Animal Man comic. I've seen him in the background of Infinite Crisis and that's about it. I know his powers and that he has kids but that's all. I wasn't planning on buying this comic but when I realized it was a book about his life as Animal Man and how it collides with his family life (me being a family man) it clicked. I brought it home and read it and was blown away. It was interesting and creepy and just down right good! I've never given a crap about this character but I'm definately picking up at least the next couple of issues to see if it continues to hook me.

Justice League International #1 - I guess I could say I've never read an issue of JLI but I HAVE read most of these characters so it's not the same. That said I nearly skipped this one and was heading toward the counter and just grabbed it on a whim. I was going back and forth and decided not to get it and then just bought it on a whim. I'm actually glad I did. I typically lean toward team books and this one has the makings to be very fun. I bought it for the bigger characters: Guy, Batman, and Booster but I ended up really enjoying it for Rocket Red and August General in Iron. They were cracking me up and I just liked how the whole team came together. The story was good and I'm surprised that I'm excited for the next issue.

Honestly, this was a better first issue than Justice League #1. Go team!

Detective Comics #1 - I wasn't planning on picking this one up because I'm already buying two other Batman comics but I read some praise-worthy reviews and decided to give the first issue a shot. The story was pretty good, as I've always enjoyed Batman/Joker comics but the ending of this one was very shocking and interesting. I'm not sure if I'll stick with this book long term but I'll at least get the next couple of issues. It takes a lot for me to be genuinely curious where a story goes and I'm definately still thinking about the ending of this one and what comes next. Definately a good issue by Tony Daniel.


So yeah, good week and all 4 DC books were home runs. So far DC's relaunch is fantastic!

Best and Worst of the Week

Best: Justice League International #1 - Yeah, I'm glad I grabbed this on the way out. Not that it blew everything else away, it's just that I found myself the most entertained by it. I liked the team and Batman's "addition" to it. I like Booster as leader (someone I've not read much of) and as I sad above, I love Rocket Red and the Iron guy. Good issue. Not sure how long I'll stick with the book but this first issue, at least, was a great introduction for me

Worst: X-23 #14 - There wasn't a bad comic in the stack today but this one was just less impressive as the rest. Eh, better luck next issue.

 

[Shockdingo]

JHob: I've a question, in the Avengers annual, can you give me a run down of what Anti-Venom does in the book? Anything interesting? IS he portrayed as a villain? Also, does this take place before Spider Island?

 

[JewishHobbit]

I don't know anything about Spider-Island so I can't say much on that. He isn't a big role really (probably one of the smallest). Basically he's a background fighter, Spider-Man mentions him a bit, and he celebrates in some disbelief when they actually win. And the whole team is refered to as heroes, or more accurately, "I think they're all heroes."

 

[runawayboulder]

I'm sure the annual comes way before Fear and Spider-Island.

 

[SuperFerret]

Action Comics #1 - I like this Superman. He's new at what he does, and because of that, he's brash, he's obnoxious, he's violent, and following this, those in power don't trust him. What I like about this is that he's obviously loved by the people, and is the people's hero, and I bet the authorities will come around eventually, except for General Lane and Luthor of course. I like where this series is going, and this issue is my second favorite book I've picked up today.

Animal Man #1 - Where Action Comics was my #2 this week, this book (not surprisingly) is my #1. I was immediately excited when I heard that Animal Man would be one of the new 52, and I wasn't disappointed. The most interesting thing here is that Buddy's continuity doesn't seem to have been messed with much. The biggest things I can see are that he and his family seem decidedly younger, and he probably got his powers sometime between his son being born and his daughter being born, which makes sense because Maxine seems to manifest animal powers where Cliff never does. I've never agreed with the politics of the character completely, but I love Buddy and the family dynamic of the characters, so I'm going to continue buying this book until it's cancelled (which I unfortunately am expecting). EDIT: Random dislike: Buddy's costume is no longer orange.

Justice League International #1 - Booster Gold was the reason I decided to get this book (he, along with Animal Man and the Martian Manhunter, have become my favorite DC characters, so I was definitely going to support all three), but while they lack the distinct charm of the original JLI, this group is definitely one that I can see growing on me. I even like Batman. Batman. Take that in for a moment. Maybe it's because he's actually being a superhero here, and not the street level vigilante that I don't like, but Batman is one of my favorites in this book. (Also, his support of Booster suggests that Booster's continuity might also be somewhat intact. Hopefully.) Other than those two, I'm liking the Rocket Red/August General In Iron dynamic, Guy Gardner, and I'm intrigued by this Godiva woman (since I've never heard of her before). This is another keeper.

Static Shock #1 - I've recently become very tired of kid heroes, so I was iffy about getting this book, but luckily I did because Virgil's got a very Peter Parker in college type of vibe going for him, and didn't seem like a kid until he mentions that he's 16. Despite the protagonist failing to save the very first person he tries to in the book, this series has a fun tone to it, and that's the type of comics I like.

Stormwatch #1 - Speaking of the type of comics I like, this book seems to ride the line between the balls to the wall crazy bull**** type of comics and the let's try to make these fantastic characters real people type of comics, and I really enjoy both (mostly the former, and I love when they're combined). J'onn J'onzz, the deciding factor for me getting this book is competently portrayed, though he doesn't shine through as much as I'd hoped, but the story is still young. I was excited that it is confirmed in story that he is or was part of the Justice League, so maybe I'll pick that book up after a bit. As for the other characters, they're almost wholly unfamiliar to me, but I don't see anyone I don't like, yet. I'll be riding this out 'til the end of the first arc, so I can give the characters a chance to impress me, and they're going to be FIGHTING THE ****ING MOON!

 

[Hush]

Action #1 was awesome and the best of the week. For once I can relate with Superman and not just Clark Kent. I enjoyed his characterization because Morrison has done was JMS failed horribly at doing in Earth One, I think. Luthors master plan was awesome and next week has me really really excited.

Stormwatch #1 was a nice introduction to all these characters for me, I think I can enjoy this book.

Men of War #1 was ****ing amazing. I can't wait for next monthes issue, very real and gritty which I really don't like but it works here. $3.99 I too much but I think it's just a #1 price hike.

I'd give this week a 9/10.

 

[Keyser Soze]

STORMWATCH #1

Much fuss was made of Justice League #1, the comic by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee that launched DC’s New 52 last week. But another team book came along this week to less fanfare, nestled amidst some higher-profile new releases, and might just have trumped Justice League. Say hello to Stormwatch.

Stormwatch #1, by writer Paul Cornell and artist Miguel Sepulveda, is one of the DC relaunch titles I’ve been most looking forward to. I’ve never read an issue of The Authority or the original Stormwatch in my life, so my interest was based primarily around the presence of writer Paul Cornell. His name alone was enough to sell both this and next week’s Demon Knights for me. But with the more I heard about Stormwatch, the more I began to suspect this comic might be the dark horse of the whole bunch, the one to emerge and steal the show from all the others. It is more a testament to the incredible quality of DC’s output this week than any real detriment to this particular comic that Stormwatch #1 wasn’t among my favorites, as in most other weeks this would have been a standout.

One of my issues with Justice League #1 was how little actually happened here. In this first chapter of Stormwatch, we have a superpowered smackdown on the streets of Moscow, a quest to the Himalayas where a giant, monstrous creature is discovered, and a battle with the moon, which has become sentient and turned against Earth. Yes, you read that right. Any one of these plot strands could sustain Justice League for several issues at the pace its currently going. Furthermore, whereas in Justice League we only got to meet a few team members, here we get a whirlwind introduction to the whole Stormwatch roster, with a glimpse at their powers and personalities. This was my first time reading a comic with a lot of these characters, so this exposition was appreciated.

If there’s any shortcoming, I’d probably single out the ending. I’m aware of the relationship between Midnighter and Apollo, and for a longtime Authority fan the arrival of Midnighter might be a big moment. But for a newbie like me, the conclusion lacked the jawdropping impact of some of the other cliffhangers the DC #1s have provided thus far. Sure, not every comic needs a big shocking cliffhanger at its end, but in the case of this week, with so many comics starting with a screaming bang, beginning with a polite introduction puts you at risk of being overshadowed.

I’ve seen some criticism of Sepulveda’s artwork, which I don’t think is entirely fair. His character designs might not leap off the page, but when you see his rendition of some of the crazier, epic stuff on display, you get a real taste of where Sepulveda’s strengths lie. The giant eye that opens in the core of the moon, the creature in the Himalayas, the menacing forms Martian Manhunter shapeshifts into, even the Stormwatch HQ hurtling though hyperspace… this is a book that owes just as much to heady, high-concept sci-fi as it does superheroics, and that shows in the visual presentation.

Comparing this to Cornell’s other work, I wouldn’t say Stormwatch hooked me as fastly and as strongly as Knight & Squire (which, by a few pages into the first issue, had me wanting to just put the book down and scream, “I LOVE THIS BOOOOOOOOK!&#8221, but there are big, inventive ideas here, and plenty of potential for this series to be a real grower. Like most of Cornell’s work, it’s instantly likeable, and shows a skillful balance of the wildly inventive and the relatably clever and witty. A promising start.


ANIMAL MAN #1

In his groundbreaking run on Animal Man, Grant Morrison famously ended his tenure on the book with a meeting between the writer and the title character. 20 years later, with Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man relaunch as part of DC’s New 52, we begin with one. Donning what Morrison would call a “fiction suit”, Lemire enters the world of the story in the form of a correspondent for The Believer, a magazine conducting an interview with Buddy Baker that forms the opening page of Animal Man #1. A first page that’s entirely prose is an unusual, eye-catching way to launch a comic series, one which might have backfired, but Lemire pulls it off well. Through the interview, we get an organic info dump/catch-up session for those unfamiliar with the character, establishing his history as a part-time superhero, animal rights activist and family man, and now an actor. So far, so good. But it’s with the pages that follow that Animal Man #1 becomes great.

Jeff Lemire is best known and loved for Sweet Tooth and Essex County, comics that deal with issues of family and community. As such, Animal Man feels like the perfect DC hero for him to tackle. Some people were against the idea of a new Animal Man series, saying that it was Grant Morrison’s metatextual approach that made his run great and therefore made it a waste of time trying to say anything else with the character. I disagree. As fascinating a storyline as the breaking of the 4th wall made, what what really makes Animal Man great (and I believe this is the conclusion Morrison also came to) is his family. DC might have been able to make Clark Kent and Barry Allen single in the new DCU, but never in a million years could they get away with doing that to Buddy Baker. His family is a big part of who he is, and crucial to the character’s Everyman appeal.

Lemire’s handling of this family dynamic is a joy to read. From the nagging from his kids to the semi-playful bickering with his wife, the Bakers feel like a convincing, relatable family, in all its warmth and mundanity. Even the superheroics are grounded in the fact that Buddy has to dig out his costume from the laundry room, and before he leaves his wife Ellen warns him to take off his boots when he gets back so he doesn’t trail mud all through the house.

These aforementioned superheroics take up a relatively smal portion of the comic, but in this sequence we do get an effective showcase of Buddy’s animal powers: how they work, and how they can be pretty cool when put to use. Having him bark like a dog to scare his attacker is a nice touch. But of course, the truly compelling threat that emerges by the issue’s end is one that endangers not his Animal Man alter ego, but Buddy Baker himself and his family unit. This shady menace – one which may be linked to the emerging monster of Snyder and Paquette’s Swamp Thing #1 - culminates in a truly macabre final page. It’s a magnificently structured comic, grabbing your attention right away, then holding it and further immersing you until we reach a climax that left me gasping for the next instalment. This is certainly the best comic Jeff Lemire has written that he didn’t also draw himself.

In Lemire’s stead, the art duties for Animal Man fall to Travel Foreman. Now, I can tell that with his loose anatomy and sharp, angular style, Foreman’s art isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Even I was unsure what to make of it based on the previews DC released. But in the context of the comic as a whole, I think Foreman’s art worked beautifully. It has an ethereal quality to it that makes it look unlike anything else in DC’s New 52. Between this and Paquette’s stunning tableaus in Swamp Thing, it would appear the DCU Dark titles are going to have their own distinct visual style that sets them apart from their more mainstream counterparts.

Foreman’s art style is reminiscent of Garry McLaughlin, a Glasgow-based artist I’ve been fortunate enough to work with, and who I’m sure you’ll be hearing more of in the future. It’s also reminiscent, in a less direct way, of Jeff Lemire himself. While the actual style looks quite different to Lemire’s artwork, it shares with Lemire that appealing oddness that makes Foreman feel like an ideal collaborator for Lemire. In his other DC projects, Lemire has certainly worked with good artists, but they’ve been good artists who work in a traditional superhero style, and so to a degree I feel Lemire’s distinct voice has been somewhat muted at times. But with an artist like Foreman, who seems more in tune with Lemire’s style, this feels more like a quintissential “Jeff Lemire comic” than any of his other DCU output thus far.

As much as I enjoyed Foreman’s art throughout, the part where he really excels is in the horrifying nightmare sequence that occurs near the end of the comic. Here, Foreman cuts loose with some psychadelic page layouts, and goes wild with his monster designs – I found the “reimagining” of Maxine’s soft toy Mr. Woofers to be particularly delightful. Really, this is the standout sequence of the issue for the whole creative team. Lemire gets to flex his horror muscles with an ordeal entrenched in dream logic – note how ojects and characters appear and disappear out of nowhere – and I got a wee shudder as an innocent child sweetly chirped, “It’s them. Too late. We’re all gonna die now.” Co-inker Dan Green helps enhance the moody grayscale of the scene with swirling ink blot effects and varying textures of black and gray. Colorist Lovern Kindzierski injects gruesome life into this colorless landscape with gruesome reds: the red of blood, but also invocative of The Red, the animal-based counterpart to The Green of Swamp Thing. Even letterer Jared K. Fletcher gets to have some fun and experimentation, giving each of the Hunters Three – the new Big Bads lurking in the shadows, “the bad things that dress as men,” as Maxine puts it – their own distinct style of font and speech bubble, each of which compliments the design given to the respective Hunter by Travel Foreman. More than anything else, this dream sequence shows us what this creative team is capable of.

Of all the New 52 comics I read this week, Animal Man #1 was perhaps the biggest surprise. Sure, as soon as I heard Lemire was onboard back in June, I added it to my list of comics to buy, but after that I largely forgot about this comic. Amidst my hype for other books, I might have taken this one for granted. It ended up being the fourth comic I got round to reading yesterday, after Action Comics, Swamp Thing and Stormwatch. But it topped Stormwatch. It even topped Action Comics. In fact, I’d rank Animal Man #1 as one of the best comics to come out of DC’s relaunch yet, second only to the astounding Swamp Thing #1. It would seem that the Dark is the place to be in the new DCU.

 

[Keyser Soze]

BATGIRL #1

At first, I wasn’t even going to pick up Batgirl #1. Barbara Gordon is a character I enjoy well enough when she’s a supporting character in someone else’s comic, but I’ve never quite cared enough about her to seek out any title where she is in a starring role. Furthermore, with Batwoman quickly securing a definite place on my buy list, I couldn’t help but feel that getting Batgirl too would be a bit redundant. However, the presence of the always dependable Gail Simone as writer of the series, coupled with the aching void in my soul that came with the demise of Secret Six, pushed me to add Batgirl to my list of books I’d be getting come September. Besides, I was curious to see how DC was going to handle the prickly issue of taking Barbara out of her wheelchair-bound role as Oracle and rehabilitating her in her more iconic costumed guise.

However, after deciding to buy Batgirl, almost as an afterthought, something strange began to happen. It started with a brave woman dressed as Batgirl at San Diego Comic Con, who stood up at panel after panel and challenged DC on their lack of female creators, female heroes, and stories that would appeal to female readers. It seemed to capture the imagination of comic fans across the internet and blogosphere, emerging as a hot topic of debate and discussion. The movement this woman jumpstarted had such an impact that DC issued a formal response on their website, pledging to have more female-driven content in future. And all of a sudden, Batgirl - a comic with a female hero, written by a female creator – was at the centre of the storm, all eyes on it.

Fastforward to September, and Batgirl #1 was one of the first of the New 52 to sell out at a distributor level, and judging by various local retailer reports, it is the comic that’s selling out from shops the fastest too. Batgirl has found itself as one of the most important, most talked about, and most anticipated of all the 52 #1s DC are releasing this month. It’s a degree of pressure and scrutiny that the comic was perhaps not originally expected to withstand. But does it live up to it all those expectations?

I’m pleased to report that Batgirl #1 doesn’t just meet expectations. It surpasses them.

I’ll get the bad news out of the way first. No, you don’t find out how Barbara Gordon got out of the wheelchair. We get references to a miraculous recovery, but there’s no explanation given beyond that. I have to start by saying this, because although the overwhelming majority of the response to this comic has been massively positive, I’ve seen a small minority of readers call the comic a disappointment, stating they only bought it to get an in-depth exploration of the reworkings of DC continuity, and were gutted to instead get a story that looks forward rather than back. But fear not, skeptics: this is not, as one person I talked to worried it would be (preventing them from buying the comic), a “regression”, putting Barbara back to the role of carefree kid and retconning the classic story The Killing Joke (where The Joker shot Barbara through the spine, crippling her in the first place) out of continuity. Everything that happened, happened. But the focus of this comic is how we move forward from there.

Much has been said about how DC is using this relaunch as an attempt to reach new fans, make these characters accessible. If that is the case, then Batgirl #1 is a textbook example of how to do that right. As I mentioned before, I’m not a big Barbara Gordon fan. But Gail Simone clearly is. And I could pick this comic up, and within the space of a single issue feel that I GET Barbara. I now know her, understand her, and like her. I don’t feel like the events of The Killing Joke or Barbara’s experience as Oracle have been cheapened, but rather have been used to enrichen Batgirl, and give her resumed status as a costumed hero added gravitas.

Barbara Gordon is a trauma survivor. She may describe her recovery as a “miracle”, but it is implied that she went through a painful rehabilitation to be able to walk again. After stopping the bad guys and saving the day, she can’t get the shakes out of her legs, and she can’t bring herself to remove the wheelchair ramp from the back of her van. Every time she is tackled over a ledge, or has a gun pointed at her, we remember the grievous injury she has sustained in the past, adding a sense of risk to fights we might otherwise take for granted. Her past ordeal still haunts her, but it didn’t stop her. And Gail Simone gives us a sense that this is who Barbara is, at her core: she’s a fighter, who will always find a way to stand back up and keep on going.

If Secret Six taught us anything, it’s that Gail Simone has a real talent for creating truly vile, loathsome villains. That trend once more comes into effect with Batgirl #1. The Brisby Killers could easily have just been generic masked thugs Batgirl gets to beat up in her first appearance. But instead, Mrs. Simone gives these minor antagonists some additional panel-time to show real nastiness and malevolance, made all the more tangible and horrific by how casual and human they seem in their behaviour, even at their most despicable.

But the Brisby Killers are small potatoes: the real threat to watch out for is The Mirror. A chilling figure with the cruel M.O. of hunting down the miraculous survivors of terrible events that should have killed them and murdering them in a way that reflects the death they escaped, The Mirror also seems to have an intense dislike for secretaries. Let’s take a moment to bow our heads in silence for poor Heidi, just doing her job when a masked maniac takes the trouble to reach across her desk and punch her in the face. The Mirror feels like a very suitable first nemesis for the rejuvenated Batgirl, and of course the character already seems to be on an impending collision course with Barbara Gordon.

I’ve spent the bulk of this review praising the writing of Gail Simone, but artist Ardian Syaf also does some noteworthy work. While a lot of artists need full page spreads or 2-3 panel pages to impress, Syaf mostly has 6-panel pages to work with, but even with comparitively small images, nothing feels crammed, and each image is stylishly rendered. The visuals are further aided by the vibrant colors of Vlises Arreola, while the bold inks of Vicente Cifuentes that really make Syaf’s pencils pop from the page.

In a week crammed with big releases, Batgirl #1 was one of my least anticipated comics of the week. But by the time I’d read all my purchases, this ended up being one of the best. When I first heard of this new Batgirl series, I thought it would be a lesser cousin to Batwoman, but now I’m in a position where I don’t know how Batwoman #1 is going to top this. I’d call DC’s relaunch a huge success thus far, and if Batgirl emerges as one of its hottest titles that success would be well deserved. I, for one, have been recommended it to new and lapsed readers, female and male alike.

 

[El Bastardo]

ACTION COMICS #1

When news of DC’s relaunch first hit the web, and it was announced to much excitement that Grant Morrison would be writing Action Comics, the famous writer talked about how he and artist Rags Morales would create a new language for comics in their Superman saga. Some wondered what this meant: was it anything more substantial than vague marketing hyperbole? Then I read Supergods – Grant Morrison’s history of the superhero genre/partial biography, released shortly after the relaunch was announced – and all of a sudden the answer was clear.

As one can probably imagine from any history of the superhero genre, the first chapter sees Morrison talk at length about Superman. The whole passage (and indeed, the whole book) is fascinating reading, but of particular interest to me was his in-depth case study of the original Action Comics #1 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. He imagines approaching the book as a reader in 1938 – the initial ambiguity over whether this mysterious Superman was a hero or a villain, the awe at him engaging in amazing feats far beyond the reach of his pulp predecessors – and praises this landmark comic (which now sells for millions of dollars) for inventing a new kind of storytelling, creating the superhero comic. And from there, it clicked: this new Action Comics #1 is the first Action Comics #1 since that first one that launched the superhero genre, and Grant Morrison and Rags Morales are approaching this comic with the goal of recreating the experience readers felt back then for today’s jaded audience. Just reading Morrison’s description of that first Superman comic having non-stop action from panel to panel – bam, bam, bam – something new and exciting constantly happening with every image, I imagined what a modern version of that might be like… and it really had me anticipating this comic.

Action Comics #1 lives up to much of that promise. As was the case with the Siegel and Shuster original, we begin the action in media res, and the pace doesn’t let up until all 29 pages of story have flown by. In a lot of ways, I think Action Comics could have been more deserving of being the one DC comic to lead the charge and launch the New 52 last week than Justice League. Not only is it a better comic, but it more powerfully conveys a sense of newness to this world. We’ve all gotten so used to Superman, and he’s become such a safe, iconic character, that it takes quite a lot of skill to take us back to a place where he was new, even threatening, but Morrison and Morales pull it off. Morrison’s plotting seems to put us forever one step behind him, in the perspective of those observing him as they struggle to keep up. Morales’ art, meanwhile, gives us a Superman often cast into shadow, glowing red eyes glaring out at us, enhancing the alien qualities of the character. As for the much-maligned T-shirt and jeans outfit, in the context of the story, it works. It gives us a Superman that’s almost believable, casting aside the familiar iconography of the superhero genre and making us think what it might actually be like if someone in a world not unlike our own started to manifest these incredible powers.

Based on the preview that was released last week, which featured Superman throwing around corrupt businessmen and taunting negligent cops, some folk on the internet were unhappy with Superman’s characterisation, saying he came across as a “jock” or a “*****e”. I didn’t think that someone who shows zero tolerance for injustice and bullies qualifies as a *****e, and in the context of the issue as a whole I think my stance has been further vindicated. Though the government, the law and the corrupt fear him, regular people, particularly the downtrodden, love him, and in one touching sequence, protectively encircle him when he’s confronted by the military. This is Superman as man of the people, again taking him right back to his roots. He’s also a Superman who bruises, who bleeds, who can’t yet fly, someone who has not yet reached the peak of his powers. He’s relatable. That carries over to his alter ego as well. Clark Kent is still a journalist, but rather than dressing him up in a suit and giving him a 1930s nerd chic combover, he dresses younger, more casually, looking more like a farmboy in the big city. He lives in a small apartment and struggles to pay his rent, perhaps feeling more in touch with young professionals who might now be the most likely target audience for a comic. We also get a sense that Clark Kent the reporter is more than just the convenient disguise for Superman: the pursuit of truth at the core of journalism is something Clark passionately believes in, and it would appear his superhuman persona is in fact an extension of that, as the nasty individuals he’s investigating are the same people he goes after as Superman.

And of course, even in the early days, you can’t have Superman without Lex Luthor. Superman’s ever-evolving nemesis now finds himself in the role of independent contractor doing freelance work for the military, offering scientific insight into how best to stop and capture this mysterious alien being. Luthor is largely in the shadows in this issue, but we do get glimpses into his personality and motivations. Him constantly referring to Superman as “it” rather than “he” was a nice touch, and one speech talking about how the introduction of foreign creatures in the animal kingdom can result in the eradication of indigenous species was particularly effective. We have seen from All Star Superman that Morrison writes a great Lex Luthor, so I can’t wait to see how his role expands as this story develops.

The artwork of Rags Morales has its odd ropey moment (in particular, Lex Luthor’s age, facial structure and body shape seems to change almost on a panel-to-panel basis), but for the most part, he excels in bringing to dramatic life every amazing feat Morrison’s script calls upon him to portray. As touched upon above, his Superman is great, always the most interesting part of every page he appears on. With the way his body language is laid out, you can feel the effort that goes behind every move for this young and inexperienced Superman, bringing new life and excitement to all the famous gestures we can often take for granted.

As for Morrison, this is the master of the dizzying high-concept at his most open and accessible, telling a story that I think can appeal to everyone, from loyal Super-fans to dubious cynics. I had high expectations for Action Comics #1 from the moment it was announced, expectations that rose even further after reading Supergods, so it’s a testament to the quality of this comic that those expectations were mostly fulfilled. This is the Superman comic we’ve been waiting for.


SWAMP THING #1

Back in June, when the DC relaunch was first announced, the first comic that emerged as being at the top of my hype list for September, the one I really couldn’t wait for, was Swamp Thing. I’m a big fan of the character, was excited about him returning to the DCU, and the pairing of writer Scott Snyder and artist Yanick Paquette seemed like a real dream team. So, I plunged back into the old Alan Moore run, buying all the lovely hardcover editions DC has recently released. Rediscovering this landmark run, I found it to be even better than I remembered, arguably Moore’s finest work, and I found a whole new appreciation for what Stephen Bissette was doing with the artwork, years (if not decades) ahead of his time. Swamp Thing is, in my opinion, one of the best characters in DC’s roster, and him getting his first non-Vertigo series in around 20 years is a big deal.

However, as the months have worn on and the big day has drawn closer, my interest in the new Swamp Thing #1 waned ever so slightly. Don’t get me wrong, every new art preview or interview from Snyder impressed me, but other books, such as Action Comics, Snyder’s own Batman, and more recently Stormwatch, began to surpass Swamp Thing in my personal anticipation stakes. Oh me of little faith. Today marks a vintage comic week, and a creative triumph for DC. I was treated to great comic after great comic from this week’s offerings in the New 52, but standing head and shoulders above the rest as the best of the bunch was Swamp Thing #1.

There is an effective narrative device that Scott Snyder has used in a few of his works. He begins both the first issue of American Vampire and the first part of his run on Detective Comics with the protagonist, through voiceover, reminiscing about a childhood memory, while the images being shown on the page cast these memories in a sinister new light. This recurring motif also pops up in Swamp Thing #1, but what makes it all the more intriguing this time round is that the protagonist in question, Dr. Alec Holland, is a character who, until now, is known more for his death (and what followed) than any detail of his life.

At first glance, people might be put off by a Swamp Thing comic without Swamp Thing. Based on the plot synopsis of this first issue, a rhetorical question seemed to hang in the air: “Should people care about Alec Holland even if he isn’t big, green and leavy?” In short: yes. Holland is presented as a man haunted by his past as Swamp Thing, a past that is hounding him, trying to reclaim him. Plants and greenery seem to follow him wherever he goes, whether it towers ominously in the background or grow in vines and creepers around his feet. One of the highlights of the issue is Holland’s monologue about the violent nature of plants, which has the unusual combination of being both educational and laced with menace. But beyond this, Snyder’s characterisation of Holland gives us a sympathetic depiction of the survivor of a monumental trauma; a normal man who has gone through the death and resurrection cycle common in comics, but normally saved for superheroes. This is best portrayed through a conversation between Superman and Alec Holland that makes up the centrepiece of the issue. The idea that these two people – on the surface, worlds apart – are united by a common experience, is quite a powerful idea.

But this isn’t a comic that’s all about meaningful conversation and soul-searching. Out in the desert of Arizona, something awful is happening. Swamp Thing is a comic that has earned a reputation for delivering some moments of genuinely bloodcurdling horror, and Snyder is able to carry on that fine tradition with a truly gruesome sequence near the issue’s climax. As this monstrous new threat reveals itself, some iconography comes into play that will be familiar to longtime Swamp Thing readers. Those who are still haunted by memories of the Invunche – one of the most gruesome creatures to appear in Moore’s run – will get a chill at the fate met by some characters here, and it all but goes without saying that you can’t use a fly in a Swamp Thing without drawing up unsettling memories of Anton Arcane. This is a story that I believe is totally accessible to someone who has never read a Swamp Thing comic in their lives and wants to see what all the fuss is about, but little Easter eggs like this make the road ahead all the more tantalising for those of us a bit more familiar with the mythos.

I’ve done a lot of gushing about Scott Snyder’s writing, but I would be negligent if I didn’t shower equal praise on the incredible contribution of Yanick Paquette. Quite simply, this comic looks stunning. From the very first page, with a cinematic zoom-in from the Metropolis skyline to Clark Kent’s face, followed by a macabre yet beautifully arranged double-page spread, we are immediately immersed in the world of the story. Paquette is really channeling the spirit of Stephen Bissette here, with inventive layouts that turn each page into an intricately designed tableau, and panels packed with a deceptive level of detail.

Paquette uses all kinds of clever tricks to ensure Swamp Thing looks unlike anything else in DC’s New 52. Something as small as making the panel borders black instead of white instantly sets it apart, DC Dark indeed. And it’s in the panel borders where Paquette puts to use a trick that I found particularly clever. Whenever the ominous, looming threat casting a shadow over this story makes its presence felt on the page, the neat, cirsp panel borders break down, turning ragged and uneven, and the panels within them become more wild and erratic in their layout. It’s as if this primal embodiment of death and decay were eating through the very fabric of the page, rotting the images and the paper and seeping through to get us. Indeed, when we see its giant, fly-covered eye, it seems to be staring out of the page, right at us.

This comic is a masterpiece of technical craft, both in art and writing (and let’s not forget the rich coloring of Nathan Fairbairn: this is a comic where green packs as much dramatic punch as in Green Lantern), and is the most exciting first issue of any comic I’ve read in quite some time. It has human drama, it has horror, and it has mysteries and unanswered questions, including a big one that acts as the first issue’s cliffhanger. But it doesn’t feel decompressed. I got plenty of satisfying content in Swamp Thing #1. But all the same, the wait for Swamp Thing #2 is going to be agonising. One thing’s for sure, though: I won’t be forgetting what comic I should be looking forward to most this time.

I could not have written better reviews myself. You're like the DC-liking version of Dread. You are the anti-Dread.

STORMWATCH #1

Much fuss was made of Justice League #1, the comic by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee that launched DC’s New 52 last week. But another team book came along this week to less fanfare, nestled amidst some higher-profile new releases, and might just have trumped Justice League. Say hello to Stormwatch.

Stormwatch #1, by writer Paul Cornell and artist Miguel Sepulveda, is one of the DC relaunch titles I’ve been most looking forward to. I’ve never read an issue of The Authority or the original Stormwatch in my life, so my interest was based primarily around the presence of writer Paul Cornell. His name alone was enough to sell both this and next week’s Demon Knights for me. But with the more I heard about Stormwatch, the more I began to suspect this comic might be the dark horse of the whole bunch, the one to emerge and steal the show from all the others. It is more a testament to the incredible quality of DC’s output this week than any real detriment to this particular comic that Stormwatch #1 wasn’t among my favorites, as in most other weeks this would have been a standout.

One of my issues with Justice League #1 was how little actually happened here. In this first chapter of Stormwatch, we have a superpowered smackdown on the streets of Moscow, a quest to the Himalayas where a giant, monstrous creature is discovered, and a battle with the moon, which has become sentient and turned against Earth. Yes, you read that right. Any one of these plot strands could sustain Justice League for several issues at the pace its currently going. Furthermore, whereas in Justice League we only got to meet a few team members, here we get a whirlwind introduction to the whole Stormwatch roster, with a glimpse at their powers and personalities. This was my first time reading a comic with a lot of these characters, so this exposition was appreciated.

If there’s any shortcoming, I’d probably single out the ending. I’m aware of the relationship between Midnighter and Apollo, and for a longtime Authority fan the arrival of Midnighter might be a big moment. But for a newbie like me, the conclusion lacked the jawdropping impact of some of the other cliffhangers the DC #1s have provided thus far. Sure, not every comic needs a big shocking cliffhanger at its end, but in the case of this week, with so many comics starting with a screaming bang, beginning with a polite introduction puts you at risk of being overshadowed.

I’ve seen some criticism of Sepulveda’s artwork, which I don’t think is entirely fair. His character designs might not leap off the page, but when you see his rendition of some of the crazier, epic stuff on display, you get a real taste of where Sepulveda’s strengths lie. The giant eye that opens in the core of the moon, the creature in the Himalayas, the menacing forms Martian Manhunter shapeshifts into, even the Stormwatch HQ hurtling though hyperspace… this is a book that owes just as much to heady, high-concept sci-fi as it does superheroics, and that shows in the visual presentation.

Comparing this to Cornell’s other work, I wouldn’t say Stormwatch hooked me as fastly and as strongly as Knight & Squire (which, by a few pages into the first issue, had me wanting to just put the book down and scream, “I LOVE THIS BOOOOOOOOK!”), but there are big, inventive ideas here, and plenty of potential for this series to be a real grower. Like most of Cornell’s work, it’s instantly likeable, and shows a skillful balance of the wildly inventive and the relatably clever and witty. A promising start.

Cornell lost some immediate points when an opening reference and presumable-future threat was noted as being detailed in Superman #1, which isn't even out yet. Quite a bit of the writing is clunky. We have some lurching introductions to a few characters, but he hits it with the introductions of Martian Manhunter - who is recognizable anyway, and so Cornell correctly does not waste space and words here - and Century Girl. But Engineer? Harry? The media-power chick? Not great.

Justice League had the better writing because what we got defined the characters. Johns didn't waste time introducing iconic characters - "This is Green Lantern, and his power is..." - but instead gives us a definitive establishment of the characters' personalities and worldbuilding of what the "DCnU" is supposed to look like. Nothing about the issue indicates it would have been better written had Johns taken a different approach. Some readers might have preferred a faster approach, given, but what we prefer doesn't matter much in evaluating work.

Stormwatch could have benefitted from a slower pace, though. Rather than rush to bring in Midnighter and put all the characters to doing something, this is a book where, really, Cornell has only one iconic character. The rest of them really are a bit more obscure, even Apollo and Midnighter. These are characters Cornell needed to introduce and give the readers something to attach themselves to - I don't think I could come up with two tidbits of information about each character. Sure, conventional wisdom dictates "compression good; decompression bad," but here, I'm not sure the whirlwind approach worked.

Still, it's not as bad as his debut issue of Soldier Zero.

Regarding the art, I generally like Sepulveda. I won't criticize his artwork here so much as point out that it doesn't quite work with what Cornell appears to be writing. Sepulveda does a good job with overall panel composition and works well with big, weird stuff. Due to the generally-stilted (well, for lack of a better word, I guess) look of his figures, he suffers more with conventional superhero action, which is what Cornell partly did with the Apollo angle in Moscow.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Thanks for the Dread comparison, Bastardo. His in-depth reviews were an inspiration when I started doing my own reviews on my blog.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Cornell lost some immediate points when an opening reference and presumable-future threat was noted as being detailed in Superman #1, which isn't even out yet.

Isn't that editorial's fault?

 

[runawayboulder]

Thanks for the Dread comparison, Bastardo. His in-depth reviews were an inspiration when I started doing my own reviews on my blog.

Your avatars are kinda similar too....

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Thunderbolts' cover declares that this issue is the start of a new era, and it doesn't lie. The T-bolts have officially split, with Fixer, Centurius, Boomerang, Satanna, Mr. Hyde, and Moonstone throwing off the yoke of their government oppressors and hitting the road as full-on villains again (and stealing Thunderbolts Tower right off the Raft in the process). They also wind up taking Gunna (who doesn't seem to understand what's going on) and Man-Thing (who's in some weird mystical cocoon evolving into something Satanna gleefully has absolutely no knowledge of) along for the ride. Shocker and the Juggernaut both struck out on their own, leaving everyone behind. Ghost is nowhere to be seen (lulz, pun). That leaves Luke, Songbird, Mach-V, and the staff of the Raft to regroup and begin the hunt for them. Songbird muses at the beginning that being a Thunderbolt is more like battling an addiction than anything else--the allegedly reformed villains have to consciously choose to work on the side of the angels every day, and the risk of backsliding is absolutely always present, even for seemingly fully reformed folks like Songbird, Mach-V, and, yes, even Fixer. The rest of the issue illustrates the truth of her analogy, with each of the "bad" Thunderbolts showing different degrees of villainy. Unfortunately, their escape doesn't go off exactly as planned, as evidenced by a sudden attack from Nazis! Yep, they accidentally teleported Thunderbolts Tower back in time instead of just across space, and they find themselves deep in Nazi territory during WWII. The best part is when Captain America and the Invaders show up. Moonstone immediately slips back into Baron Zemo's original T-bolts ruse, presenting herself and the others to Cap and Namor as the Allies' latest group of super-soldiers, here to lend a helping hand to the Invaders. I was actually thinking that Parker's run seemed to be losing its steam, since the current T-bolts team was pretty much all bonded and happy and the B-squad wasn't really that interesting, but this issue turned it all around for me. Once this Nazi craziness is over, I'll still have Luke and the "good" T-bolts hunting down the "bad" T-bolts, and I have a sneaking suspicion Baron Zemo might be making an appearance later on (since Fixer has been shown working with him lately). So it looks like interesting times are ahead. Oh, and I absolutely f***ing love Gunna. I really hope she doesn't drift off into obscurity after Parker's done here.

 

[hippie_hunter]

With the first full week of the DC relaunch underway, I have to say that my excitement for reading DC's books was vastly bigger than my desire to read Marvel's books this week. So if there is one thing that the DC relaunch got right, it's that they at least have my interest over the competition. I pretty much read all my DC books before I started reading any of my Marvel books.

Action Comics #1
The character that is most affected by this relaunch has got to be Superman. Over the years, Superman has lost relevancy among the people. That is an unfortunate fact. We live in a world where most people prefer down to Earth and grittier superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the X-Men. Some such as our own Kurosawa have often argued that this is because over the years, DC has turned Superman into a gigantic big blue Boy Scout who can be seen by some as a bit of a wimp. Grant Morrison has also gone into this by going into quite a bit of detail in his book Supergods where he thinks that Superman has lost relevancy because the character is strayed so far from the roots of the character that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster have created.

So what does writer Grant Morrison do? Completely restore Superman to the character that he was in 1938, but in a modern setting. What we have here is a Superman who doesn't fight for the law, but for justice. He fights for equality, especially the poor and downtrodden. He fights against corruption from both government and business. And he fights for what he sees as right first and foremost. Morrison updates Clark Kent to be a proactive investigative reporter who works to expose corrupt dealings. Jimmy Olsen is updated not to be Superman's sidekick/best friend who has strange adventures, but is Clark Kent's best friend. Lex Luthor is still the hybrid scientist/corrupt corporate mogul who is willing to do anything to get his way and has a massive amount of xenophobia, but it works as opposed to going back to the original mad scientist who hated Superman because he lost his hair as a child that Siegel created.

This is a great way to reintroduce Superman and restore his sense of relevancy and being the #1 hero of not just the DCnU, but of all heroes. And artist Rags Morales is delivering some of the best work he has ever done. This is a must buy for everyone. - PICK OF THE WEEK

Animal Man #1
There are a couple of sleeper hits IMO this week from DC's relaunch and Animal Man from DC's The Dark line up is one of them. I was never really big into Animal Man, but after reading this, I definitely want to read more of this character and check out previous Animal Man stories. You see, despite the DC relaunch resetting continuity for most of the universe, it doesn't change the fact that the previous stuff still exists and you can still read it and enjoy it. Even if they aren't in continuity anymore, Jeff Lemire making me want to read more Animal Man, is a big plus for this relaunch.

Lemire brings the perfect mix a family dynamic, horror, and superheroics into this book. He really delivers to show the reader just who is Buddy Baker as a character in all aspects of his life. And artist Travel Foreman does the perfect job of portraying Animal Man's more toned down, "regular" family life and the horror elements that are attached to this comic. And the ties with Scott Snyder's Swamp Thing are awesome with Animal Man dealing with the Red. Here's to hoping for an eventual crossover between the two comics.

The only thing I have to complain about this issue is that I am really not caring for Animal Man's new costume. Just seems a bit dull and I really liked this one:

Batgirl #1
A few of you might recall how Dread and I were arguing about Barbara Gordon returning to the role of Batgirl two weeks ago. While we both love the character of Cassandra Cain, our disagreement essentially came down to why DC brought back Barbara Gordon. He believes that DC is just filled with a bunch of old farts who only care about bring back characters that only 40 year old people care about, while I argued that bringing back Barbara Gordon was a better move overall due to both DC Entertainment and their parent company Warner Bros. using the Barbara Gordon incarnation in television, video games, movies, and licensing and that bringing back Barbara Gordon works to develop a kind of brand unity. My biggest problem with Barbara as Oracle also is the fact that Barbara remaining in a wheelchair was just flat out morally wrong considering that she lived in a world with purple healing rays, witches that can do anything by saying a phrase backwards, and people coming back better than ever from conditions worse than Barbara's.

And I must say that this issue makes me feel that my point has been validated. Along with the fact that Batgirl #1 is selling way above any other Batgirl book EVER, already being one of DC's best selling books of the New 52, and first print copies selling on eBay for $10 before it even hit the shelves, everything that has allowed Barbara to thrive as a character is still here despite the fact that she is returning to the role of Batgirl. Barbara's time in the wheelchair still defines who she is as a woman and how she is still challenged to overcome it. I was initially wary of Barbara Gordon returning to the role of Batgirl, and if it weren't for writer Gail Simone and her love for the character of Barbara Gordon, I probably would have ignored it. But I'm very glad that Simone and DC were able generate interest in this book.

That is to say that this book isn't perfect. Artist Adrian Syaf does a great job here, but I get the nagging feeling that he just isn't right for this book. What I really liked about the previous Batgirl book was that it always had more colorful artists to go along with the adventures of Stephanie Brown. Here the colors seem a bit muted, when a brighter color palette would be a bit more desired IMO.

But the major flaw in this book doesn't lie with the writing or the art, but the DC relaunch itself. The biggest problem with the DC relaunch is that some characters, particularly those from the Batman and Green Lantern books are not getting rebooted. Their histories remain completely intact. However, there still remains some changes within the Batman and Green Lantern books particularly concerning to how long they've been around. Batman's 15 year history has now been condensed to a 10 or 11 year history in order to deage Barbara Gordon from a 30 year old woman to a woman in her mid-twenties. Personally, I kinda preferred Barbara being a bit older. Another problem with this condensed history is that events feel cramped in now. Batgirl #1 states that The Killing Joke occurred only 3 years ago. So within 3 years, we've had A Death in the Family, A Lonely Place of Dying, Knightfall, No Man's Land, Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive, Death and the Maidens, War Games, Under the Hood, and all of Grant Morrison's Batman run occur within a span of three years. I call ********. Not just ********, but ****ing ********.

Detective Comics #1
What the **** is this? On the DC Comics boards, the poster Batman said this about writer/artist Tony Daniel: "Unfortunately, the thing with Daniel is that he usually produces decent or passable material at the very start of his arcs... until the quality begins to rapidly decline and the actual thing suffers as a whole by the end of the near unreadable mess."

Not true. While I wouldn't call Daniel's work on Batman a near unreadable mess, right from the get go when Daniel started writing from Battle for the Cowl to his run on Batman, it was just utterly bland, dull, and generic. Which is even worse IMO because I at least remember really bad comics, asides from stupid Catgirl, and one scene that I liked where Dick sulks into the darkness after hearing about the death of an innocent, I remember almost nothing from Daniel's run on Batman. To make it even worse, you could literally see the man's artwork degrade to a worse and worse state. The only reason why I bought it was because I didn't want to interrupt my long Batman collection and I think that is why most people bought it as well.

So when they announced that Scott Snyder was being promoted to the main Batman book while Daniel was being moved to Detective Comics, at first I was rather annoyed. I thought that they should treat Detective Comics like Action Comics by giving it to a high profile writer and set it in the past to show off the new history of the DCnU. And since I didn't like Daniel's run on Batman, I decided to pass on this book. But then DC started to promote this book where it actually looked intriguing. Then USA Today said that this book will indeed be set 5 years in the past (which Daniel has come out and said that it is not). But I still said that this book was going to be filled with suck. And then Bleeding Cool showed the cliffhanger page at the end of the book, and I went, I gotta know how that happens, still thinking that it's going to suck. DC suckered me again. So what does Tony Daniel do that makes me go "What the **** is this?"

He brings his god damn A-game . Really Tony Daniel, I was automatically dismissing you as a bland and boring writer and you put out a good comic for once! What the hell?! There are certainly some flaws here such as despite Daniel's insistence that Detective Comics is set in the present day, this issue only works as a comic set around the same time frame as Action Comics and Justice League. And some of the dialogue is hokey like "Forget about it Joker. You can't run. I own the night." But overall Daniel delivers a solid story with a creepy characterization of the Joker, solid action, and the best cliffhanger ending of this week. Daniel has come out and said that he never really wanted to write Dick Grayson and wanted to write about Bruce Wayne for the longest time and it shows. While not perfect or great, Daniel still delivers a solid Batman comic here.

The bright spot here though is the improvement of Daniel's art. Throughout his run on Batman, Daniel's art just got worse and worse and worse to the point that it was unbearable. While not as great as his work on Teen Titans, Grant Morrison's run on Batman, Battle for the Cowl, or the Flash: the Fastest Man Alive, he really improves this time around where it's a very nice book to look at.

This can be easily skipped, but if you have an extra $2.99 after picking your bunch of comics, it's at least worth a shot.

Green Arrow #1
This book represents the best and the worst of the DC relaunch. For delivering solid results on his run with the previous volume of Green Arrow, writer J.T. Krul returns to deliver the adventures of Oliver Queen. The problem is that DC has decided to reboot the character instead of continuing on with what Krul did in the previous volume, which makes me wonder why bring Krul back in the first place? It would be like bringing Geoff Johns back to Superman despite everything he's done with the character now being erased.

There are quite a few changes that I do like here though. Turning Oliver Queen into a Steve Jobs-esque entrepreneur and Queen Industries, Q-Core in particular being heavily inspired by Apple, is a brilliant idea. I really like the new costume even if Ollie's beard is gone. And the overall setting is pretty good. But there are some changes that I am not liking such as Ollie now being established in Seattle, Washington as opposed to Star City. Or that asides from Roy Harper, the rest of his previously established cast like Connor Hawke, Lian Harper, and Mia Dearden are most likely gone. His secret identity has been restored, which I am not fond of either. While you can certainly argue that Cry for Justice has forced the need to reboot Green Arrow, I completely disagree with that, I think that Green Arrow should have remained intact like Batman and Green Lantern. Another thing that I'm hoping to see eventually is Ollie's good ol' leftie side.

Krul delivers a solid comic here, but considering how many other excellent books DC is putting out here, unless you're a die-hard Green Arrow fan such as myself, I say give it a pass.

Justice League #1
Yeah, I know this is a week late, but I had car troubles which prevented me from getting my comics last week.

Now opinions have already formed on this comic with the naysayers complaining about how this is essentially an issue of the Brave and the Bold starring Batman and Green Lantern, or how cocky both Batman and Green Lantern are. But I feel that they fail to take into account that this book is currently set 5 years in the past that details how the Justice League was formed, so I feel that the League gradually building up in the arc works. I think putting together the only two heroes in the DCnU with years of experience works, and even then we have a Hal Jordan who is most likely a couple years fresh off of Green Lantern: Secret Origin and a Bruce Wayne who only has about 5 years experience. And I think that the banter between Batman and Green Lantern REALLY works. This is a comic designed to get new and lapsed comic book readers back into comics, while at the same time is enjoyable for veteran comic book readers. It's great to have a Justice League with the original founding members yet again.

While his art isn't as immaculate as it was in All Star Batman and Robin, Jim Lee delivers a great performance. Overall, this comic is off to a great start from both writer Geoff Johns and Lee.

Justice League International #1
Another unfortunate casualty of the DC relaunch is the fact that the previous incarnation of the Justice League International never existed. Which means that the ending of Justice League: Generation Lost where that story would continue in the new Justice League International book is a total ****ing lie !

And since the Justice League International has never existed, I really do wish that DC will take the opportunity to bring back Ted Kord. Yeah, we got Jaime Reyes, who is an awesome Blue Beetle, but I think that we can have two Blue Beetles, so that way we can get awesome Blue Beetle/Booster Gold banter.

What really works for this book is how they form the team. The United Nations and various governments of the world fear the power of the Justice League and various other superhumans. The actual Justice League is independent from government authority and answer to no one. So in response, the United Nations takes over the Hall of Justice and recruits Booster Gold of Canada (a leader that the United Nations can control), Ice of Norway, Fire of Brazil, Rocket Red of Russia, August General in Iron of China, Guy Gardner of the Green Lantern Corps, Lady Godiva of the United Kingdom, and Vixen of an unspecified African nation. I would have liked to have Captain Atom of the United States be included in the roster, but overall with the addition of unofficial member Batman of the real Justice League, this is a good team set up.

This is a good book to show the tone of the DCnU between the superhuman community and how they are affecting it. Gone are the days of the BWHAHAHAHA era of the JLI, but there is still humor to be found between Booster Gold trying to be a legitimate leader of the team and overcome his sellout reputation, the banter between Rocket Red and August General in Iron, and Lady Godiva being an ineffective superhero. Writer Dan Jurgens delivers a solid comic and artist Aaron Lopresti does a fairly good job here though I did prefer his work on Justice League: Generation Lost and Wonder Woman.

Stormwatch #1
If you read my posts in the DC boards, my biggest complaint about the DCnU was how the Martian Manhunter is no longer a member of the Justice League and instead has been placed onto ****ing Stormwatch. I was pretty much a broken record on this jarring issue considering that it is a crime whenever J'onn is not a member of the Justice League.

It turns out that this complaint is completely unfounded. As Stormwatch #1 confirms that the Martian Manhunter is indeed a part of the Justice League.

Now as for the actual book itself? Writer Paul Cornell, fresh off his brilliant run of Action Comics, does an excellent job of kicking off DC's line of The Edge books, but also integrating the former WildStorm Universe into the DCnU by recreating Stormwatch as an organization that has protected the world from alien threats for centuries, with the Shadow Cabinet of the former Milestone Universe as their command, establishing ties with Cornell's other series Demon Knights, and putting the Martian Manhunter on the team (and giving him an interesting characterization to boot). Also, they're going to fight the Moon. The freaking Moon!

However, I do think that artist Miguel Sepulveda is doing a rather bland job on the art of this book. Shame for such an amazing book. I consider this to be the second sleeper hit of the DC relaunch.

Swamp Thing #1
Just like what Jeff Lemire is doing with Animal Man, writer Scott Snyder is doing the same with sister series, fellow The Dark title: Swamp Thing. Fresh off his run of Detective Comics, I decided to become a blind follower of Scott Snyder and pick up almost whatever he writes now. I've never been a Swamp Thing fan before, but I'm interested now. With blend of human characterization, horror, and superheroics (well...with an appearance by Superman), Snyder does an excellent job of allowing Swamp Thing to thrive in the New 52, as opposed to letting the character be forgotten which would normally happen. While Lemire is working with the fauna of the Red in Animal Man, Snyder is dealing with the flora of the Green and we have a mystery of animals all over the world dying and a bizarre natural disaster. And just like how Lemire makes me want to read previous Animal Man stories, Snyder makes me want to read previous Swamp Thing stories. An excellent introductory issue with beautiful art by artist Yanick Paquette. This is DC's third sleeper hit IMO.

 

[El Bastardo]

Isn't that editorial's fault?

I won't blame him, since I can't know who masterminded it. But whether it's his fault as a writer for not telling us about what he's referencing, or whether it's editorial's fault for sweeping it under the rug so that, "Oh yeah, it's in that other issue over there on sale in two weeks and then you'll know what Paulie here was talking about," it nonetheless makes his issue weaker.

 

[Keyser Soze]

A collection of great reviews there, hippie hunter!

 

[runawayboulder]

Geez, everybody's feeling ambitious this week.

We still haven't got to Dread yet.....

 

[runawayboulder]

I know.....it's the Jackal! Instead of Spider-powers, he's given people Dread's ability to type on a computer for 3hrs.

 

[SuperFerret]

So the Jackal's behind this Spider-Island BS? That's... not so uninteresting.

 

[roach]

I know.....it's the Jackal! Instead of Spider-powers, he's given people Dread's ability to type on a computer for 3hrs.

Dread-Island or Dread itself?

 

[JewishHobbit]

I know I came into this week - this month - stoked for the DC relaunch and I think people's eagerness to review them is a sure sign that others agree. I know Marvel's been saying that they're more interested a couple months from now but if people are this happy over the DC books they need to be a little more nervous. DC just might be on a major upward swing.

 

[runawayboulder]

I'll believe it when I see it. I lived through the 90's. This probably won't end well.