Aldo reads DC's New 52 (So you don't have to)

If you want to write good superhero comics, please do more than read superhero comics and play videogames.

So very otm.

Given this new information, I have to express some disappointment at the relative dearth of characters turning one another into babies in Geoff Johns books.

Thank you for the OMAC rec, I wasn't going to get it originally and ended up enjoying it--a good romp! I hope you survive this week, there were some real pieces of poop. :(

UPDATES:

David Finch failed to get even the first issue of The Dark Knight out with the solicited credits, and Paul Jenkins is writing.*

George Perez gone from Superman as writer/layouts with issue #7, replaced by the Giffen/Jurgens writing/pencilling team that also replaced the Green Arrow writer.

*I actually remembered to pick it up and check the credits for this thread, while in the shop buying Love & Rockets, Roger Langridge's Snarked, and Simpsons comics by Evan Dorkin and Ty Templeton

I fully expect Giffen/Jurgens to be producing 80% of DC Comics by next summer.

All Star Western #1 W: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti A: Moritat

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I was buying Jonah Hex up till the end, and for one simple reason - it was the most consistently good books that DC were publishing. And so it is with All Star Western, which is the same book retitled, for better or worse. As before, the artists rotate with each minor storyline but the writing core is constant.

So, to the plot.

http://cdn.comicartfans.com/Images/Category_2044/subcat_6119/Mignola%20Gotham%20by%20Gaslight%20promo.jpg

I'm being unfair. But it's not hard to draw comparisons, especially (arguably) as Gotham By Gaslight was retconned out of Elseworlds and into the DCU during Countdown.

Putting that aside, this is as well written as ever and is thoroughly recommended to all. The relationship between Amadeus Arkham and Jonah is superbly done and if this panel isn't leading up to a Lovecraftian reveal in future weeks I will be really disappointed:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6200275478_7bfe96651c_z.jpg

It's not all future seeding either, the plot actually in the issue in hand bowls along splendidly and damn, if this isn't the most thrilling panel all week:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/6199763737_a32a705fc3.jpg

See you next time. You should be reading this book (but then you should have been reading it before).

Aquaman #1 W: Geoff Johns P: Ivan Reis I: Joe Prado

In an amazing twist of fate, not only is Aquaman my MUST BUY book this week but a fucking GEOFF JOHNS BOOK is my Must Buy book this week

No pictures, t0rr3nt is fuxored.

Seriously, I'm not kidding. This is great. There's an extended story running through the middle about how Aquaman is the laughing stock of, basically, the world and the whole sequence with Aquaman in the fish restraurant is frankly hilarious. I'm not sure about how good The Trench will be as a Big Bad, as they look all a bit too Johnsy, but (and this is a big shout) the middle 2/3 of the book is as good as this:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6199783817_ccd4344004_z.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/6199784635_947026109f_z.jpg

Stranger things have happened, but I'm struggling to think of one. Superb.

David Finch's Batman The Dark Knight#1 W: Paul Jenkins P: David Finch I: Richard Friend

WELL AT LEAST IT CAME OUT.

And talking of coming out...

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6199763827_1b5dce97d1.jpg

Holy Dancehall Slang, Batman! The Gay Agendar strikes again! Is there some kind of subversive plot at DC to play up the homosexual subtext in all the Batbooks? I really can't tell any more.

Anyway, the last Batbook of the relaunch is pretty standard fare although the conclusion is pretty great. What isn't so great, or indeed understandable, is why DiDio (and we must presume Johns) place so much faith in the talents of David Finch's Batman The Dark Knight's David Finch to produce work on time or even why they rate him. I mean he's not so much touched by the hand of Jim Lee as rubbed all over by the hand of Jim Lee sufficiently hard that the fingerprints have disappeared and they share DNA. Take this as an example:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6199763771_551d4c8cd7_z.jpg

But that isn't even the worst of it. This page shows some of the worst anatomy since the relaunch. HIS CALF IS BIGGER THAN HIS THIGH.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6199763803_57d24e0de6_z.jpg

Yes. Yes that's exactly the quality of artist that you should make the focus of the New DC. FUCK YOU DIDIO.

(Despite the art, I liked this.)

Blackhawks #1 W: Mike Costa Layouts: Graham Nolan Finisher: Ken Lashley

This is far and away the most traditional 'modern' book of the relaunch - it could be any one of dozens of mid-90s team books - but it's as entertaining now as it would have been at the time.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6199933119_d1ee6d6130.jpg

It's kind of odd though, it feels old and still quite new. There's a kind of clumsy feel to the updating that's gone on, and it wants to be a Cold War plot in places.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6178/6200445912_7384eb7530.jpg

They have spies everywhere though - they can even see me doing this!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6200445964_c43e200891.jpg

I can't really think of anything to add as this is such a nothing book. We'll wait and see how the next couple of months pan out, but this is hovering over the precipice of being cut.

The Flash #1 W: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato A: Francis Manapul

In a bizarre turn of events, more than one book this month has made me think of the two Bizarro hardbacks, and for this one it's this story:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6200506869_e4b2c9bab9_z.jpg

OK, there's more JRJr in this book, but am I the only one that sees it in the layouts?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6161/6201020878_227154189f_z.jpg

Given that this is supposed to be the Barry Allen Universe I kind of expected something different, like for him to have remembered himself to be fantastically rich or something as well as being the Flash because that's kind of what we'd all do I think. And part of it feels ripped off from Portal: No Escape:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4drucg1A6Xk

Anyhoo, the setup is good, the plot rattles along and the cliffhanger leaves you wanting to read the next issue straight away - which can't be a bad thing.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6200509529_2a989e0e85_z.jpg

Nothing to criticise here really although perhaps not that memorable. But then he is the FASTEST MAN ALIVE so maybe we shouldn't be surprised that it's a speedy read.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 W: Ethan van Sciver & Gail Simone A: Yildiray Cinar

I used to love Firestorm back when I was younger and held high hopes for this, given it's being written by the closest they have to A-list talent, but the reality doesn't nearly meet up to expectations. The terrorist plot is far too violent for the rest of the book, and the whole idea of having two of them seems to just be to encourage childish taunts

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6200576907_16e9a4b7b6_z.jpg

and to make it DC's OMG RACISTS ARE RACIST AND YOU ARE ALL RACISTS DO YOU SEE!!1!!ELEVEN! book of the week.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6200576685_949d706333.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6201088846_8471e31233.jpg

So whereas it's not as awful as, say, either of the JT Krul books it's not actually much cop either. I think we need to see where the Fury plot goes in #2 before making judgement.

Green Lantern New Guardians #1 W: Tony Bedard P: Tyler Kirkham I: Batt

I don't know what Tony Bedard has done to deserve this, but he has the unenviable task of INTRODUCING Kyle Rayner as a new character and integrating him into the Johns GL Universe. I mean, how does that even work? Everything from GL over the past 10 years or so all happened EXCEPT Kyle Rayner being a Lantern? GEOFF JOHNS I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU (except when you're writing Aquaman) but I HATE DIDIO MORE (except when he's writing OMAC).

So, we're now in the position where we're supposed to remember everything from recent continuity, even the stuff Barry Allen could never have known about, except when we're not. OR ARE WE? What we really need here is some kind of editor, preferably somebody who has a lot of experience as one - maybe they're Executive Editor of a company or something - to oversee the whole thing and make sure it makes sense... OH WAIT. So fair play to Tony Bedard then, who sends a firm message to Johns and DiDio:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6139/6201217908_daf41b1e71_z.jpg

He even takes time out to slag off the bag of shit he's been given.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6200707197_bbea0236b5_z.jpg

DESPITE THIS, HE HAS PROBABLY PRODUCED THE BEST GL BOOK OF THE REBOOT. It's cute and funny and has a plot and is FUN although the art really does bite JRJr:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6201217990_f594d9053a_z.jpg

Still, A for effort, one and a half thumbs up.

So there's no Green Lantern Corps comic in the rebooted universe? Fuck that shit, the only reason I cared about the new Green Lantern stuff was GLC. The alien Green Lanterns were much more interesting than the human ones, except for Guy Gardner (who was prominent in GLC).

Yes, there's a Green Lantern Corps comic, it was published last week and see what I said about it upthread.

I, Vampire #1 W: Joshua Hale Fialkov A: Andrea Sorrentino

Obscure? A character who ran for 24 issues as a third backup story in an anthology book?

Well, from what history exists it's pretty clear this is entirely within the established continuity of I, Vampire just rebooted into (possibly) the current day. But that and daft names aside (Mary Queen of Blood is just STUPID) this is a lovely, lovely piece of work.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/6202873383_64e8b35ab2.jpg

The story tells the interlinked story of Andrew (the titular hero) and Mary and Andrew's fight against the army of vampires. It arguably doesn't move nearly fast enough for your bog standard hero comic, or indeed for a Buffy or Twilight reader/viewer if it was hoping to bring them in, but the pace is just fine for me thanks and is sufficiently plotted that panels like this work perfectly:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6202873425_d8d36cc23b_z.jpg

As you might have guessed from the above, this book is gorgeous. It guess it's most reminiscent of Moonshadow, but I think I can see P Craig Russell in there as well. And Mignola and/or Guy Davis to a degree. But a triumph nonetheless.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6179/6202873367_2881262349.jpg

This is exactly the sort of venture we should be rewarding DC for. Just buy it.

Justice League Dark #1 W: Peter Milligan A: Mikel Janin

Yes, the title of this book is stupid. But if DC want to call their supernatural line 'Dark' then it's up to them and so the title is what it is. What we should instead be considering is how good it is - which is pretty good. It's the most successful of the Justice League titles, probably not least because it lets Peter Milligan play with Shade The Changing Man again.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6124/6202962539_4826b8e7d7.jpg

But it's not all about Shade. We establish why the regular Justice League can't do it:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6203477470_ba36fb4fe5.jpg

then it's in with the NOT QUITE VERTIGO League.

I think that's maybe the biggest problem this book has is that it's a big team and they're all essentially 'new' characters in that non-Vertigo readers won't be that familiar with them - without even going near the fact that Vertigo is still sort of ongoing so we have two Constantines running about (or do we?). And because of the size of the team the book doesn't really get going.

In its favour though, it still gets going much better than the other JL books - especially Justice League - and pulls off what it tries to with an appropriate level of Vertigo quirkiness.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/6202962585_ccd597855e.jpg

So a curate's egg then and one that maybe only gets credit for being better than its peers, but worth buying for the moment.

The Savage Hawkman #1 W: Tony S Daniel A: Philip Tan

New Universe, New Old Hawkman. Carter Hall dons the wings of Nth Metal once more, although for the vast majority of this book he seems to be desperate to forget it all and just get on with his regular job.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6007/6203034509_27ef8b31d8_z.jpg

I was prepared to give Tony Daniel some latitude, because I enjoyed the writing on Detective, but this is pretty much a mess. Firstly, it features an 'enemy from the dawn of time' (which, as people might have read on other threads, is exactly what I hated the most one of the things I found particularly objectionable about Russell T Davies' Award Winning Doctor Who tm) and secondly because the dialogue is this bad:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6166/6203033879_360bb424de_z.jpg

Even Philip Tan's artwork, which I've liked in the past, is reduced to a smear on these pages with little more than expressions of colour and motion which although it could conceivably be A THING is not his intention I'm sure.

I'd rather be reading this Hawkman:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6171/6203549844_d8f842a79d_z.jpg

I'll see it to #3, but it's not much better than either of the JT Krul books.

Superman #1 Writer & Breakdowns: George Perez Pencils & Inks: Jesus Merino

Words. So many words. And more words. And exposition. And words.

It's no real wonder Perez has to do breakdowns on this because it's just so cluttered with dialogue and explanation. I would show you, but my t0rr3nt hasn't worked for this either which is probably just as well as the weight of text would most likely crash the ILX server.

And that's why the book isn't any good. It's too wordy and too cluttered and just doesn't work. George Perez will be on this longer than me, and he's announced #6 is his last.

Teen Titans #1 W: Scott Lobdell P: Brett Booth I: Norm Rapmund

Another formation story, but with added brattiness. I'm getting totally sick of origin stories but this just about pulls it off by virtue of the sheer likability of the characters - or at least Kid Flash and Red Robin - against clunky dialogue and tortured breakdowns, specifically once Wonder Girl turns up.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6203266467_5ceee5dd59_z.jpg

This is much better than Red Hood, but that's not exactly setting it a challenge. But is it better than Batfink?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6157/6203782174_f529c020c0.jpg

NO.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6012/6203782206_a1f0d8fb72_z.jpg

But there's enough good will generated in the Kid Flash section to keep me reading for now. A solid C.

Voodoo #1 W: Ron Marz A: Sami Basri

Hooray! Another female exploitation comic!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6141/6203824724_727d7bfd0a_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/6203824792_1a1fbe2df4_z.jpg

Except I don't, because although the setting of this (a strip club) is kind of badly chosen there's no evidence it's going to continue beyond this issue. And purely on that basis I'm going to give it a free ride. Let's just call this the Cheesecake Issue and get over it. Because the investigator plot and panels like this make me want to believe this can be good:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6203309287_4e8809e08e_z.jpg

Let's just forget 80% of this existed and move forward.

So, at the end of month 1 the tally is as follows:

The Good

Action
Animal Man
Justice League International
OMAC
Swamp Thing
Batwoman
Demon Knights
Legion Lost
Suicide Squad
Batman - yes, I know I have changed my mind about this
Legion of Super Heroes
Nightwing
Wonder Woman
All Star Western
Aquaman
Flash
I, Vampire
Justice League Dark

The Undecided

Justice League
Batgirl
Batwing
Detective
Men of War
Stormwatch
Batman & Robin
Frankenstein
Grifter
Red Lanterns
Superboy
Birds of Prey
DCU Presents
Green Lantern Corps
Supergirl
David Finch's Batman The Dark Knight
Blackhawks
Firestorm
Green Lantern New Guardians
Savage Hawkman
Teen Titans
Voodoo

The Cut Already

Green Arrow
Static Shock
Deathstroke
Green Lantern
Mister Terrific
Resurrection Man
Blue Beetle
Catwoman
Superman

The Car Crash

Hawk & Dove
Captain Atom
Red Hood and the Outlaws

The thing about Voodoo is that the character was a stripper before she got pulled into WildCATs so they're just working with the source material there.

In which case, no problems with it. Still not completely engaging though.

Is there an upper tier of "goods" that rate as must reads just yet?

OMAC, Batwoman, Suicide Squad, Batman, Wonder Woman, All Star Western, Aquaman, I Vampire IMO.

I think in Voodoo's solo series she was a mystery-solving stripper, so it may not be going away? I never read it tbh, I was always a Stormwatch/Authority dude rather than WildCATs/Gen13

The last page implies, to me at least, that the stripper plot is done.

Interesting to hear about I, Vampire - lame title, I wouldn't have even thought about it.

i couldn't finish it. was too boring.

Jonah Hex in Gotham! Amadeus Arkham!

SATURDAY!

Didio says on Facebook that none of the Crises ever happened.

MONDAY!

After it is pointed out that several of the already-published #1s alone refer to prior Crises, such as Bruce Wayne being thrown back in time at the end of FC, Didio announces that, fuck, I dunno, maybe some of them have happened, we'll figure it out as we go along, I haven't read them, just because we said we were planning this for a year doesn't mean we actually worked anything out in advance, I guess the writers can decide what did or didn't happen as they need to in writing their individual books, JESUS this is what I get for answering a question on Facebook BEFORE I'D HAD MY FUCKING DINNER you JACKALS

THURSDAY!

The grotesquely pandering promo guff in the back of new issues, written to their intended 18-35yo male audience as through they're infinitely dumber than the actual 8-15yo audience that Dick Giordano's columns were in 1984, announces a new JUSTICE SOCIETY series by James Robinson and Nicola Scott that TAKES PLACE ON EARTH-2, starring Earth-2 Huntress. That's the daughter of Retired Earth-2 Batman and Evening Gown Earth-2 Catwoman. Who was created in 1977 and erased from history in 1985. AHOY, NEW READERS!!! They also breathlessly suggest that you study the new Huntress miniseries, by original 1977 creator Paul Levitz, for exciting clues about how this retroactive coil of insular arse-inspection is going to tie into the exciting all-new rebooted universe, true believers!

Oh god this is the clusterfuck of all clusterfucks

I can't even make a joke about how stupid that is.

wait, this really happened? seriously?

lololol

UPDATE!

Action Comics: #1 - OK, #2 - maybe OK? #3 - art fill-ins by Brent Anderson, #4 - art fill-ins by Gene Ha, back-up fill-ins by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Matt Camp

#2 is now out, and has, I dunno, a third of its pages drawn by Brent Anderson. Oddly, they look like the opening ones, not a desperate rush at the end.

DC have now announced that Andy Kubert will be drawing all of #5 and #6.

That makes ONE issue out of every SIX that the artist assigned to THE ICONIC FLAGSHIP TITLE OF THE ENTIRE COMPANY has managed to complete. Or will, according to current re-re-re-re-vised projections. Given Didio and Lee's claims that they were planning this for about a year before launch, that ends up being ONE ISSUE IN EIGHTEEN MONTHS.

“When Editor Matt Idelson asked if I would be interested and/or able to fit into my schedule two upcoming issues of Action Comics with Grant, I couldn’t say no,” said Kubert. “I don’t know of any other artist that would have."

Here's three: Rags Morales, Brent Anderson and Gene Ha.

oh I forgot! #2 was also meant to be, I guess, 28 or 30 pages because of the $3.99 PRINT AND DIGITAL pricetag? Only 20 pages of story here. HOLDING THE LINE AT TWENTY CENTS A PAGE! THE NEW DC: THERE'S NO SHAMING US NOW.

(There's some "bonus" sketches and notes by Morrison, Morales and Ha of character designs for future issues, strongly indicating that this was not intended to be the content for this issue.

Morrison also alluded to the smooth reading experience we can expect from the Kubert issues in this interview:

...suddenly came this dictat that now everything had to be monthly and they want to keep to that so it’s just the case that if your artist can’t meet that then somebody else will finish up the pages. So it’s kinda, for me it hits the long term collections of it to have things done like that but at the same time it brings back a lot of the freshness and improvisation of doing comics again and just responding to that and also sometimes you know they’ll be like we need a two part filler here – okay I’ll just come up with something, and it might not necessarily fit it in to the middle of this but okay, you need a filler.

keerist

I started the reviews yesterday but after ILX ate my post on Action for the third time I gave up. I guess I'll try again tonight.

Superman Action Comics W: Grant Morrison P: Rags Morales & Brent Anderson I: Rick Bryant & Brent Anderson

GMoz is the best writer involved anywhere in the Nu DCU. He knows this. Dan DiDio knows this. How do we know Dan DiDio knows this? This:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/6227255873_69fc5383ed_z.jpg

WTF? Has Superman had a stroke? And how come his head is tiny?

But you know, the writing in this is brilliant. I mean seriously great and never less than captivating. Even if the art does rip off the Invisibles (as the original Invisibles page with Mr Quimper that looks like this is on my wall I'd like to think I know what I'm talking about here).

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6059/6227255019_37cc95f25e.jpg

The whole sequence with Superman in chains and, most tellingly, Lex's behaviour - his insistence on referring to Supes as "it" in particular - is stunning and some of the best comics being written just now. But the most exciting this about the issue is the proof GMoz reads ILX:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6117/6227255737_82b8a712d0.jpg
L-R: Tuomas, Deadshot.

Don't miss out on this book.

you'd think that if you're going to have grant morrison relaunch your flagship comic with your most important iconic character, you'd get a great artist to work with him. but (as with Batman RIP) I'm constantly shocked by the shitty caliber of art they give him. i have to imagine at this point that it's intentional, like maybe they figure they should save their great artists to sell the shitty written books and use morrison to help sell a poorly drawn book.

I think Morrison's too big a name to be "used" that way.

how else do you explain DC's consistent pairing of him with terrible artists? (with the obv exception of Quitely)

I thought most of the RoBW artists were pretty ok! What other titles has he had specifically bad ones one? iirc there were some sketchy ones in the early part of his Batman run

Morrison's name pre-sells a book, so they can (foolishly imo) play Musical Art Chairs in an attempt to keep it on schedule. But it's not a case of "here's a title with a volatile unpredictable artist or art team -- let's put GM on it so it will sell better." Morrison is the horse, not the cart.

Oh, ok. I didn't quite mean it like that. More like, "Well, GM is writing this book so we don't have to bother with great artists since he'll sell it on his name alone"

I thought that was it -- we're pretty much in agreement then.

Animal Man W: Jeff Lemire A: Travel Foreman

You know what? It's not just GMoz that gets stiffed with artists I can't stand, Jeff Lemire does to. I know people said last month that ymmv and they liked him but for me

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6232164700_857593126f_z.jpg

I mean seriously?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6231646225_097f4f2a70.jpg

WTF is this shit?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6112/6231646379_5ee4399079_z.jpg

The writing is pretty great though, even if it is a rewrite of the post-GMoz A-Man plot. The Red is back, and has some mentallist avatars in the real world. Meanwhile, Buddy and Maxine are off looking for a giant hidden tree to eat them.

You heard me. I just wish I could get over the art.