The First Wave

[IDrawDeadPeople]

Sorry if this old or redundant... I looked and saw no thread on it. Found this on the Eisner website:

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2009/10/12/what-is-the-first-wave/


I'm a huge Spirit fan, so this immediately grabbed my attention, but also leaves me wondering if I should be remotely concerned. The book looks like it has potential, but also the potential to be overly stuffy and uptight. Hopefully, all the characters retain the characteristics that make them work... with Denny Colt, it's his charm and whimsy.

If I want an angst-ridden Spirit, I'll go watch the award winning film that came out last year.

 

[WompuM]

Oh snap! Is 1930's Batman going to be in this? I might actually pick this up now. I loves me some noir batman.

 

[Drz]

 

[NightBeetle]

Dp....

 

[NightBeetle]

FIRST WAVE #2
On sale APRIL 7 • 2 of 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by RAGS MORALES
Cover by J.G. JONES
1:10 Variant cover by TONY HARRIS
The Golden Tree bears bitter fruit! The Blackhawks are after The Spirit. Doc Savage is after the Blackhawks. Anton Colossi is after William “Johnny” Littlejohn. And only Rima, the eyes of the jungle, knows what the heroes do not: something glorious and terrible has risen in the darkest corner of Hida'lgo!
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.

 

[Drz]

Tsk tsk Double posting i see.

 

[NightBeetle]

It's been a while!!! t:

 

[NightBeetle]

Dp....

 

[NightBeetle]

Did you think we’d run out of news after two weeks of DCU in 2010?
No such luck, Source crew. In fact, we’ve got two new ongoing books to unveil, both hitting in April.
You’re all familiar with FIRST WAVE, right? The pulp-y, neo-noir epic from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales hits in March and brings readers into a world where the Batman, Doc Savage, the Spirit and many more hard-boiled heroes stand side by side.
To further flesh out the FIRST WAVE world and give some of these iconic characters some much-needed face time, we’re launching two new ongoing series: THE SPIRIT and DOC SAVAGE.

DOC SAVAGE #1 kicks off the Man of Bronze’s very own ongoing, as Doc Savage finds himself the target of a brazen attack on New York City. And things get worse as tragedy befalls one of Doc’s allies, and it’s starting to look like someone may not survive the opening pages of “The Lord of Lightning” arc. Featuring a story from Paul Malmont, the national bestselling author of THE CHINATOWN DEATH-CLOUD PERIL, with art by Howard Porter, with covers by superstar artists J.G. Jones and John Cassaday.
That’s not all, though. the DOC SAVAGE series will also sport a JUSTICE INC. co-feature, courtesy of crime novelist Jason Starr (Vertigo Crime’s THE CHILL) and artist Scott Hampton. The first installments finds our star, Richard Benson, the Avenger, chasing down the criminals that have abducted one of his own detectives, sending Benson into an heated, unforgiving rage.

THE SPIRIT, written by Mark Schultz (Superman: Man of Steel, Xenozoic Tales) with art by DC newcomer Moritat and a snazzy cover by LADRÖNN, puts the spotlight back on Will Eisner’s fedora-wearing vigilante. What happens when the international crime syndicate known as The Golden Tree decides to help the villainous Octopus consolidate control over Central City’s criminal underworld? Well, it’s safe to say this is the kind of thing the Spirit handles best, even if The Golden Tree has offered up one of their deadliest – and sexiest — assassins to take down the Spirit.
Check out a few pages of Moritat’s lovely work below:

The first issue also features the debut of the eight-page THE SPIRIT; BLACK & WHITE co-feature, showcasing some of the industry’s finest talents interpretation of the classic hero. And what better way to kick things off than a tale of the Spirit by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Bill Sienkiewicz?

Link

 

[NightBeetle]

FIRST WAVE #3
On sale MAY 5
#3 of 6

40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by RAGS MORALES
Cover by J.G. JONES
1:10 variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
Doc Savage and The Spirit have joined forces at last – but can they beat the secrets behind the death of Doc’s father out of the Blackhawks? The Batman just might be two steps ahead of them all! And in the jungles of South America, it’s getting harder and harder for Rima to keep William Littlejohn alive as the forces of the Golden Tree close in…
Retailers please note: This issue ships with two covers. Please see Previews Order Form for more information.

 

[NightBeetle]

Dp....

 

[NightBeetle]

FIRST WAVE #4
On sale JULY 7
4 of 6
40 pg, FC, $3.99 US
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by RAGS MORALES
Cover by J.G. JONES
1:10 Variant cover by GEOF DARROW
FIRST WAVE returns from a month off with all guns blazing, as Doc Savage and the Bat-Man set a course for Hidalgo for very different reasons! Could Bruce Wayne be the Golden Tree’s newest acquisition? And where does the trail of a fortune in missing gold lead the Avenger?
Retailers please note: This issue ships with two covers. Please see Previews Order Form for more information.

 

[CrimsonMist]

So after a delay, issue 2 came out Wednesday. Despite the one splash panel presence of Batman, the issue was pretty good. Momentum is picking up. We're introduced to The Avenger, who is pretty sweet. Doc Savage bails out The Spirit in a brutal fight sequence. We're introduced to the new Ebony, and we learn more about The Golden Tree.

Azzarello's writing is top-notch. The scene with Monk and Ham talking to the Avenger was uncomfortable, as it should have been. And Rags Morales's artwork is just damn amazing. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

 

[IBRAH08]

Yeah what was that batman splash? Just like, "Well we keep putting on the covers, so..... let's put him in here somewhere"?

 

[WompuM]

Yeah, I felt that way too. At first I thought the inner-monologue was his, but it was actually Savage's dad, so yeah, I don't know what role Bats'll play in this.

 

[Dirt Like Me]

Yeah, I felt that way too. At first I thought the inner-monologue was his, but it was actually Savage's dad, so yeah, I don't know what role Bats'll play in this.

I thought the same thing. I liked the first couple of issues well enough, but Batman's story is what drew me to the book, and I really enjoyed the Batman/Doc Savage special. But after two issues I'm skeptical as to what role he'll play in this series.

Wasn't there also a DC Nation column where an editor mentioned something about making sure Batman was featured enough in First Wave?

 

[CrimsonMist]

Yeah, I felt that way too. At first I thought the inner-monologue was his, but it was actually Savage's dad, so yeah, I don't know what role Bats'll play in this.

I too thought it was Batman's monologue until they show that splash page of him. But it wasn't Doc Savage's dad. That was The Avenger in disguise. That was why Ham and Monk went to talk to him in the beginning.

I guess Batman will play a major part of the story starting Issue #3. It'll be cool to see how Batman and The Avenger react and play off one another, as they're very similar. However, Batman or not, I love this series. The fact that it stands up on it's own without Batman there to hold it up says alot, despite the fact that Batman's one of the heavies DC is using to market the book.

 

[IDrawDeadPeople]

Just reread issue 2 and I really liked the entire story. I felt quite a bit less 'lost' than the first issue left me. Even though this ish introduced even more new characters that I'm not too familiar with, it seemed a lot more seamless this time around. More in the flow of the story/plot than just introducing the players and then moving on like issue 1.

I have to admit, I honestly was not expecting the scope of this story. I was drawn in by (obviously, my love for Denny Colt, but) the whole noir/"sometime in the past" aspect of the plot and world that they are creating. I really was coming in with my mind sorta set on Casablanca with cellphones. To see giant robots and domed futuristic utopias is probably the biggest surprise so far. I do like how the world without superpowers has been handled and I do like the architecture and designs of the city and rural environments.

Doc Savage's intro into the Spirit's story arc was epic. He didn't speak a word. Just ripped in through the window and saved the day.

My only legitimate "what the...?" is the introduction of Ebony. Having read the design/character descriptions in the promo stuff, I was waiting for Ebony to reappear, reborn as a "brash, young girl", so when the Spirit 1 hit stands, and he was working with Imani, I guess I fell into the thinking that she was Ebony. Even the names are similiar in sound. So, the introduction of another brash, young girl sidekick... this one clearly denoted as Ebony... is gonna be a mystery. More on the alley singers in my commentary on Spirit 2 in his own thread. (I like where that series is going, btw).

All in all, issue 2 finally sold me on the whole First Wave deal. As I said in prior posts, I'm waiting to see how the 'corrupt' angle they are writing Dolan and Denny with works out. But, other than that, I really like the way all the characters are written, and Doc Savage is turning out to be better than I imagined in my years admiring his character from afar.

Art was brilliant. Dialogue was great as far as Denny and Ebony were concerned. I can't speak on behalf of fans of the other characters, but I really did enjoy how they were written.

Spirit 2 was even better, imo, so I'll go heavily comment on that...

 

[CrimsonMist]

Mega bump!

Anyone else catch #3 at the end of July? It was worth the wait, in my opinion. Despite being 3 issues in, this is a very fine book. The quality has been consistent throughout, and the delays I can only credit to Rags Morales taking his sweet time with the artwork which is nothing short of phenomenal. That said though, for issue 3, and I assume for the next 3 issues, they brought on two inkers. The precise detail of the first 2 issues is kind of not there, but all in all, it's still pretty tight.

Anyways, The Spirit and Doc Savage get duped by Dolan and have to escape. We get some badass Batman/Avenger moments and we learn more about the Golden Tree and Anton Colossi in Hidalgo and what he's up to.

Still a little curious to see how all 4 characters interact when forced to unite. Azzarello gets Doc Savage far better than Paul Malmont did. And personally, I wouldn't mind a Batman spin-off set in this universe under Azzarello's pen.

anyways, wonderful news for those who thought Paul Malmont's take on Doc Savage left something to be desired. Azzarello is co-writing the next Doc Savage arc with the creative team of VIKING published by Image. And I must say, the art is far superior to what we were getting with Howard Porter. And with Azzarello doing some of the writing duties, I expect this to be a major step-up in quality.

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/08/05/a-sneak-peek-at-doc-savage-6/