Reviews: DC’s New 52

The comics world has been abuzz for the last month as DC Comics’ “New 52” initiative hit the stands with much-anticipated, as well as much-maligned brand new issues each week.  While I labored through the mostly mediocre waters of DC’s endeavor, there were a few pleasant surprises:  here’s an assortment of reviews for some of the things that piqued my interest, as well as some that crushed my comics-reading soul.

Action Comics #1
Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Rags Morales
Price:  $2.99

Well now.  Who’d have thought I’d ever pick up this book?  I’m not a Superman fan, and I’m not really a big Grant Morrison fan either, so it was kind of startling to find myself actually interested in giving this a shot.  But then, how could you not be interested?  After all the controversy of rebooting this title, winding back the clock on Superman, and turning him into a “Bruce Springsteen” version of himself (creator’s words, not mine), it was kind of impossible to shy away.

So I read it.  And … it was weird.  And I don’t really know what to think, other than it feels like I was reading Batman.  Superman comes off extremely belligerent, and it’s just so strange compared to the image of him I have in my head.  I mean, what’s THIS about?

Right?  What?  I don’t know.  I get what’s happening, and I get what Morrison is trying to do, and I fully understand that this is meant to be a “different” Superman or whatever, but I’m not sure it works for me.  I’d give you a plot synopsis, except that I’m on the fence right now as to how much more I’m going to read, so I’ll just say this:  if you’ve been following along in the solicitations and previews, the plot is pretty much what you’d gather.  Mostly.  There are one or two interesting changes I didn’t anticipate, but I’ll leave them for you to discover.

Really undecided here … at the moment I’m leaning toward sticking around to see how it plays out.  I wonder how the standard Superman title will fare in comparison.

Animal Man #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Travel Foreman, Dan Green
Price:  $2.99

The only reason I had even a remote interest in this was because I had read a four-page preview quite a while ago that sounded very well-written.  I liked Jeff Lemire’s Superboy a lot, and once I’d heard some praise for this issue after it hit the stands, I grabbed a copy.  I’m glad I did, because this may easily be one of the sleeper hits of the New 52.  I didn’t know squat about Animal Man before picking this up, but Jeff Lemire can apparently write the heck out of an intro issue to a book, so it easily passes the “new-reader friendly” test.

Flat out:  I loved this.  It’s the one and only thing I unsparingly love so far from the new batch of DC.  It’s heartfelt, creative, intelligently written, dark, intriguing, and a host of other things.  Right away, you think to yourself—okay.  It’s a guy who can call upon the characteristics of any animal—that’s neat.  But then you read it and, as a newbie, you realize it’s going to be about so much more than that.  His powers are almost completely secondary.  I don’t want to say any more than that.

Please go pick this up.  Just go buy it.  It’s so freaking cool.

Aquaman #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado
Price:  $2.99

While That’s E is my LCS, occasional place of employment, and all-around hub of awesome, working in Boston can make it difficult to swing by store hours during the week to pick up comics.  That activity is typically reserved for the weekend when I have the time to chat with my friends behind the counter, praise the latest works we’ve enjoyed, or talk smack about that week’s failures (at which point hilarity and raucous laughter ensue).  But when Wednesday rolls around and the excitement of new comics fills the air, it can prove hard to wait those extra few days.  That’s when I usually wander around Harvard Square during my lunch hour and inhabit Million Year Picnic, a quirky little hole-in-the-wall shop with cozy shelves and some super nice people running the register who clearly know their comics.  And when I went in there this week, the item I immediately grabbed for a quick read-through was Aquaman #1.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Aquaman.  His was the first comic I’d ever read when I was a kid, secretly borrowing my brothers’ comics to read whenever they were out of the house.  I can get into the myriad reasons why I love Aquaman and will defend him ‘til the end, but that’s a topic for another post (which I’ve been working on for like six months and might never see the light of review day).  When DC announced this title, I was actually excited.  Aquaman!  What!?  And not belligerent old hook-hand Aquaman either—no!  This was the young, sexy blonde Aquaman that had made my tiny toddler heart skip a beat (he was so pretty!).  As I flipped through the pages gawking at the beautiful artwork and reading the story, I knew immediately that this would be one of few keepers for the New 52.

Geoff Johns loves Aquaman.  He’s proclaimed as much time and again during interviews, but you don’t need to hear him say that in order to get it.  Reading Aquaman #1 felt very much like Johns’ love letter to Aquaman.  He cares about this character, and we see that from page one.  The entire issue is devoted to building up Aquaman—first with a display of brute strength in the opening pages, followed by a glance at his reputation and insight to what’s in his heart, ultimately ending with a declaration of intent.  And in between it all, it is funny as heck.  I’m not sure a New 52 book has given me as much enjoyment yet as Aquaman did.  I loved this, and if Geoff and Ivan Reis (whose art was ridiculously great) can keep the momentum, I’ll be hooked for the long run.

No pun intended.

Batgirl #1
Written by Gail Simone
Illustrated by Ardian Syaf
Price:  $2.99

Oh man.  This … this was tough for me.  I can’t believe what I’m about to say, but I was actually disappointed by this first issue.  I never thought I’d have reason to utter that about a Gail Simone-penned book, but … I guess there’s a first time for everything.  Ouch.

The thing is, I’m not sure I can even explain to you what it is about this that’s disappointed me.  It hasn’t particularly failed in anything.  It hasn’t really done anything wrong.  It’s actually a very good set up issue, and both Gail and artist Ardian Syaf do a lot of things RIGHT.  So why do I still come off it feeling so lukewarm?

I guess it’s a problem of the lead-up to the book having set up some very high expectations.  I think Gail was put in an impossibly difficult position in being responsible to appease all the fans who are heartbroken over what we perceive to be the loss of the Oracle persona.  But speaking only for myself, I definitely went into this expecting—nay, demanding, answers.  I wanted all the information right off the bat (no pun intended) as far as why/how she’s Batgirl again, how she was healed, was she ever with the Birds of Prey, and whether or not she ever actually was Oracle in this new continuity (supposedly the answer is yes, but we haven’t found out for sure yet).  So when I read through this issue and received basically none of those answers, it was pretty deflating.  That’s not say that Barbara’s past won’t be addressed—I give Gail way more credit than to think she’d brush it all off, and knowing her writing style, she’s going to take her time setting us up.  We’ll get there, sure, but I’m having a hard time being patient.

That disappointment aside, I will say there were definitely things I loved here.  I love the fact that Gail Simone is writing Barbara as a sufferer of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, thereby acknowledging her accident and fleshing out the reaction time between what has happened from then until now.  I love the new villain she has created for Barbara, who comes across seriously dark and awesome.  I loved the artwork, and let’s face it—it’s pretty damn cool to see Barbara Gordon swinging around in the Gotham night again.  I have a few reservations about one of the plot choices—Barbara and her new college roommate—but that’s nothing I can’t get past.  So I’m keeping my head down and I’m chugging along with this at least for the remainder of the first story arc, if not more, but I still feel a little twinge of sadness for the Oracle that I knew and miss.  I suspect that will always be there, regardless of how good this title winds up being.

We’ll see what happens next.  I’ll try to abate my sadness in the meantime.

Birds of Prey #1
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Illustrated by Jesus Saiz
Price:  $2.99

Ugh.  I really … I didn’t want to do this.  I staunchly and adamantly shot down this book before it came out; very loudly voiced my hatred at the concept of a new Birds of Prey without Oracle or Huntress or Gail Simone behind the board.  I was NOT going to give this a shot.  But in a week where Catwoman and Starfire were degraded and exploited beyond all comprehension … suddenly, a female team book felt more alluring.  And really, let’s face it—I’m a masochist.  Comics fans in general are absolutely masochists.  We know it’s going to be bad—we know it’s going to hurt, but damn it, we just can’t look away.  We just can’t stop.

So I picked this up.  And … it broke my heart.

First of all, let me get this off my chest:  Dinah’s outfit is absolutely dumb.  Dumbest thing ever.  I will say that I’ve never minded the fishnets in her previous getup—I thought her outfit was fine, and no, I didn’t think she looked like a hooker.  I thought she looked like a badass biker chick, though much of fandom had complained that the fishnets were tacky.  DC’s answer to that, apparently, was to re-tool her costume and add even MORE fishnets?  Up her ARMS, no less?  What the hell, guys.  This is the stuff that makes me want to cuss my head off.  (I’m trying to tone it down—it isn’t easy.)  It’s just the most senseless outfit of all the redesigns, and that’s saying a lot considering there is some genuinely BAD stuff out there.  My eyes … they bleed.

Okay.  Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about this book.  The Birds of Prey, to me, has always been about friendship.  Well, it’s about girls kicking ass too, but mostly, it’s friendship.  The unfailing, strong-in-the-face-of-all-danger, love-you-no-matter-how-many-times-you-screw-up friendship between Dinah and Barbara.  Then Huntress eventually came along and stirred the pot, and the book became even more amazing because the relationships built between the three women was not something that was found in any other DC book, or any other comic book period.  Add Zinda Blake to the mix, and things still kept getting stronger.  Four ladies, four unshakeable ties.  A family.  That was the Birds of Prey.  And I came back for it month after month after month, because it felt like these were my girls.  You find things you relate to and after so many years of a book like this, you build these immensely personal ties and attachment to it.  Not having the Birds anymore—my Birds—is heartwrenching.

This?  If they had called Duane Swierczynski’s version anything else—anything at all other than “Birds of Prey,” I might have actually been able to swallow this.  But I can’t.  I keep looking at this book hoping that it’s what it was—what I want it to be, but it’s not, and I’m not MEANT to look at it that way.  We’re supposed to look at it as something new.  It’s its own thing.  DC is asking us not to compare it to what came before.  But that’s really unfair, and it’s just not something I can do.  DC built this attachment of mine; they gave me a security blanket that I loved and loved, and they can’t expect me to throw it away for some new toy.

I’m genuinely sorry about it, too, because the artwork on this was flawless.  One issue and I am already a huge Jesus Saiz fan.  And as much as I wasn’t crazy about Swierczynski coming on board, I have to give credit where credit is due—he writes a pretty damn good Black Canary.  Maybe even second best to Gail.  Unfortunately, I won’t be sticking around to see what he can do.  He screwed that up for me the moment he introduced Barbara Gordon in this issue for no apparent reason whatsoever outside of raising a million continuity questions that he doesn’t proceed to answer.  I can’t look at this with the new eyes that it needs.  Maybe some day … but for right now, looks like I’m out.

Swamp Thing #1
Written by Scott Snyder
Illustrated by Yanick Paquette
Price:  $2.99

Swamp Thing.  This was a surprise for me.  I’m a fan of Alan Moore and have always intended to go back and read his Swamp Thing, but it’s a little low on the priority reading list at the moment.  When this title was announced, I figured it would be a good introduction of the character for me, and I have a certain level of faith in Scott Snyder’s writing abilities.  I’m please to say he didn’t disappoint here.  The story opens up in a captivating way, and even a new reader can tell that there’s a history to this character.  I have to wonder how much I am actually missing out on by not reading any previous stories, but at the same time, I’m getting enough information here where I don’t NEED to read the earlier stuff.  I don’t need to, but the urge is certainly there.  This is comics done right—this is the way to pick up those “new readers.”  You needn’t ditch years of that “scary” and “intimidating” continuity, because a book like this is what makes you want to go back and learn and read everything you can get your hands on.  It’s really a shame more comics aren’t written in this manner.

The talented Yanick Paquette was clearly made for a book like this.  I was a little disappointed to learn that he’ll be utilizing some fill-in artists in between story arcs, but I’m hoping it won’t detract too much from the book.  Paquette’s style is definitely suited to this book—while his Superman cameo came off kind of weird-looking to me, his version of Swamp Thing is awesome.  Looking forward to issue two.

Wonder Woman #1
Written by Brian Azzarello
Illustrated by Cliff Chiang
Price:  $2.99

Yeeaaahhh … I have to say, I was really on the fence about this one.  I had no idea what to expect until a few weeks back when I watched this hysterical interview with Brian Azzarello about his run on the book.  He has such utter disdain for the interviewer in it and he’s so frank with his responses that I couldn’t help but be oddly endeared.  Suddenly, any worries I had about the title just kind of fell away.

Despite being turned off by the idea of yet another revamp for Wonder Woman, after over a year of horrible, pedantic, pointless WW issues during the “Odyssey” story arc of Straczynski’s ill-conceived run, I was suddenly DESPERATE for a title re-launch.  Time to kick the lame pants and jacket, adolescent writing, and cheesecake artwork to the curb.  Cliff Chiang on art duties?  GODSEND.  Brian Azzarello writing?  Er … I hadn’t read the guy.  There was a 50/50 chance this could work.

I liked this issue.  It took me two reads, but I liked it.  The first read through was a little rough—Azzarello wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to introduce a “horror” element to Wonder Woman, and at first, it just seemed like a whole bunch of violence and gore.  But on the second read through, the issue took a much better shape, and I caught things I didn’t catch the first time around.  The tone was different, and I actually liked it.  It was hard, but in a good way.  Azzarello re-introduces some of the Greek gods, and for the first time in a long time—maybe ever—they actually come across really cool, powerful, and scary.  When was the last time the gods were actually scary?  They SHOULD be scary.  It’s refreshing to see.  Especially interesting is the fact that this doesn’t feel as “mythological” as it actually is.  You’re not watching the gods walk around in togas and hang out on Olympus the way you did during Greg Rucka’s run (which I loved as well).  It’s not in-your-face ancient mythology.  It’s modern day, and it WORKS.  So much so that I’m surprised.

The story involves a human girl named Zola who has unknowingly gotten herself mixed up in godly affairs—literally—and it’s up to Wonder Woman to protect her from the wrath of who we presume to be Hera and Apollo.  I was very concerned with how Wonder Woman would come across under Azzarello’s pen.  Would she just be a violent Amazonian?  Would she retain any of her compassion?  Would she wear pants?  (Just kidding.)  My favorite renditions of Wonder Woman have always been the loving, empathetic ones—Simone’s and Rucka’s.  An overly violent Wonder Woman goes against the grain of everything the character represents.

That said, she isn’t afraid to kick ass when ass needs kicking.  She isn’t afraid to kill if it’s what must be done and an absolute last resort (see Maxwell Lord).  And in this issue, Wonder Woman kicks a lot of ass in what is one of the most well-choreographed, beautifully drawn fight scenes I’ve read in ages.  Cliff Chiang kills on this book, illustrating a Wonder Woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, but can also show concern where it’s called for.

Did this completely fire on all cylinders for me?  Not entirely.  I have a few nitpicks, to be sure—for example, this being her own title book, it felt oddly as though Wonder Woman somehow wasn’t in it very much.  I also wasn’t crazy about the use of her lasso in one scene, and I feel like some of the dialogue can be tweaked as we move forward.  But overall, this is a HUGE improvement over the garbage Wonder Woman fans have had to suffer through over the past year.  I am most definitely on board here, and the creative team has set my expectations high.  For the first time in a long time, I can’t wait for the next issue of Wonder Woman.

Check out my blog @ Covers to Sleep Under for more information, reviews, and other general comics snark.