The New DC Universe - The 52 Titles

This afternoon DC Comics unveiled the final four in its week-long roll-out of the 52 new #1 issues to come out in September (fudging slightly in that Justice League hits 31 August). In the tab above (EDIT:  I've moved that material down below) you can see images, announced creators, and my short thoughts so far.

At the beginning of the week, I thought I'd take the plunge in September and get all 52 new first issues, with no intention of getting all the #2's in October. I'm less sure now. I kind of like the idea of getting all 52 just for the hell of it, but there are some things I know I won't be continuing - and some things I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole for any other reason than the first issue gimmick.

My current pull list is 21 titles. My inclination for what to continue getting, i.e., my projected pull list for October 2011 forward, is:

Justice League

Wonder Woman

Aquaman

Justice League International

Batman

Detective Comics

Batman and Robin

Batman: The Dark Knight

Batwoman

Batgirl

Catwoman

Birds of Prey

Nightwing

Legion Lost

Legion of Super-Heroes

Action Comics

Superman

Supergirl

Superboy

That's 19 (assuming Batwoman actually does appear. I'm sure the first couple of issues will - surely they're in the can by now! After that, it's anybody's guess; and so far Finch's track record on Batman: The Dark Knight is shameful - only two issues in six months, so they're rebooting it back to #1 - ! It may well be I can count on that not actually coming out very often either....)

I'm considering adding back Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps to bring it back to 21. I've liked those two titles consistently; my dropping them recently was more about finding something to drop as a monthly just to save a little money (that's when I was getting about thirty titles, then DC recently cancelled several things I was getting - JSA All-Stars, REBELS, Azrael, a couple other things that escape me right now, which brought me down further). I had no idea any of this was coming.  But going forward, I think I can sustain 21-24 ongoing titles plus the inevitable specials and miniseries that I'll doubtless be getting (and I'm assuming the resumption of Batman Incorporated in 2012 will effectively be a miniseries), so holding at 21 gives me a little room if something strikes my fancy. Or I may look outside DC, at Dynamite or Moonstone.  They've got some interesting pulp property stuff going on - Lone Ranger, Green Hornet, Zorro, Warlord of Mars, etc. It's just that those are sometimes so erratic in publication that it's often more satisfying to just wait for trade.

That is always the other option:  picking up series not as monthlies but as trades.  I'll doubtless do it for some: Teen Titans - it's a pity that will be the only Tim Drake appearance, apparently. It looks so hideous. I may get it as trade ... there are several other things on the main list I'll probably get as trade as well, things like Blue Beetle, Demon Knights (the author and the concept intrigue me), and whatever else might look interesting down the road.

But that's how things stand right now.  Things may change.  Some of those titles (frankly, the Superman family of titles, based on the God-awful designs except for Action Comics; Birds of Prey as well, though) seem particularly tenuous to me right now.  I'll give them a chance, I'm sure - which means I'll probably go ahead and commit to #2 and #3, which I'll have to in the pre-order system I use before I have a chance to see #1.  But if that #1 doesn't catch me, they may lose me pretty quickly.  Really, that's true of all ....

For an old-timer DC Comics fan, some of this is truly heartbreaking.

- Kent

* * *

Here is what originally resided under a tab up top for a separate page, "The DC New 52."  Since it was old news by the end of the year, I closed that page and moved the content here:

52 new number ones, mostly launching in September.  Here's a running record of the announcements with links to the source and various comments by me.  (I'm leaning toward taking the hit and getting all 52 first issues, but here are my feelings about what I'll continue getting after that, mostly compiled along the way.)

1. JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 (31 August)

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/05/31/dc-comics-announces-historic-renumbering-of-all-superhero-titles-and-landmark-day-and-date-digital-distribution/

By Geoff Johns and Jim Lee

Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Cyborg, Aquaman, Flash; rumor has it the number will fill out to fourteen.

Johns and Lee. The Masterminds. But can Lee keep up a monthly book?

2. WONDER WOMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang.

We'll see, but I'll likely pass.  Actually, she is the third member of the "trinity."  I may just get this....

3. AQUAMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis

The same creators who've been handling him in Brightest Day. I plan on getting this. It's “my” Aquaman again after many, many years. Unless they do something truly bizarre, that's what's been being set up.

4. THE FLASH #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, both sharing writing and art duties.

I'll probably pass.

5. THE FURY OF FIRESTORM #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Ethan van Sciver and Gail Simone writing, art by Yilderay Cinar

Van Sciver's another artist. I've never been more than “meh” about this character, and I don't think even Gail Simone will change that. Everybody's assuming this is a total reboot based on the description, but I'm not so sure.

6. THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Tony Daniel writer, Philip Tan art.

I might have been interested had it been the previously announced James Robinson as writer, but I'll pass.

7. GREEN ARROW #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

J. T. Krul writer, Dan Jurgens art

Sorry, just not interested.

8. JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Dan Jurgens writer, Aaron Lopresti art

Booster Gold, Batman, Rocket Red, Fire, August General in Iron, Vixen, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Ice, and an unknown raven-haired female.  Speculation has her as either Donna Troy or Black Canary with her natural hair color.  But see the Birds of Prey entry below, so I'd put my money on Donna Troy.  Could be a totally new character, though.  Actually a couple days after this posted, I saw an interview with Jurgens - this is not Donna Troy or Black Canary either one.

This was forecast in-story in the final issue of Justice League:  Generation Lost.

Dan Jurgens was the writer/artist for a good bit of “his baby” Booster Gold's run, speculation is that this book replaces Booster Gold. I hope not, but Booster Gold hasn't been selling as well as it ought to.  I think I'll be getting this.

9. MR. TERRIFIC #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

Eric Wallace and Roger Robinson

I like the character but not enough to get the series.

10. CAPTAIN ATOM #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

J. T. Krul writing, Freddie Williams II art

Meh.

11. DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/02/the-new-justice/

An “anthology” but description reads more like short varying feature story arcs rather than several different features per issue - more like Legends of the DC Universe than Showcase '96 etc. The first story arc is Deadman by Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang.

12. GREEN LANTERN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

Geoff Johns writing, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy art.

Le plus ce change, le plus c'est la meme chose. This is the same team that was doing the pre-Flashpoint run of this title. I just went back to wait-for-trade for the Green Lantern titles. Don't see that changing.  Actually, I may get this and Corps....

(Released to Comic Book Resources 12 June)

13. GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

Peter Tomasi writing, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna art.

Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and an elite Green Lantern strike force.

What goes around comes around. Tomasi wrote much of the previous run, but not at the end. (He'd moved to Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors, which looks to be gone.)

14. GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW GUARDIANS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

Tony Bedard writing, Tyler Kirkham and Batt art.

Kyle Rayner leading the “crayola corps.”

Wasn't Bedard just writing Green Lantern Corps as Tomasi's successor? I know he was doing R.E.B.E.L.S., so he's staying in space....  I doubt I'll get this, though.

15. RED LANTERNS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/03/green-lantern-1s/

Peter Milligan writing, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter art.

Atrocitus and company.

I have absolutely no interest in this.

16. BATMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batman-1-and-detective-comics-1-history-in-the-making/

Scott Snyder writing, Greg Capullo art.

Bruce Wayne Batman. There is no other. I hate that we're losing Dick Grayson Batman, but apparently the events of the past few years by Grant Morrison happened in some fashion, because Damian is still around in Batman and Robin, and he's returning with a continuation of Batman Incorporated (for both, see below).
I've been getting all of the Gotham City circle of titles for a long time now and I don't see that changing.   Most likely.  Depends on how large they bloat the line this time.

17. DETECTIVE COMICS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batman-1-and-detective-comics-1-history-in-the-making/

Tony Daniels writing and art.

Bruce Wayne. On the trail of the Gotham Ripper. Joker is shown on the image. Hopefully this is not some kind of reimagining.

He can definitely handle it, but there are a lot of Daniels-haters out there. I'm not one of them.

Renumbering Detective in all this is the first thing that's making me angry. This isn't "history in the making" - it's history in the unmaking!  I don't think it will last - #900 is coming up soon, but still.... This is the eponymous title of the company!

18. BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batman-and-robin-1-and-batman-the-dark-knight-1-bruce-wayne-the-one-true-batman/

Peter Tomasi and Pat Gleason – the team followed Morrison for a short arc on the pre-Flashpoint run, but now it's a different Batman.  Tomasi's generally a good writer.

Bruce Wayne and his son Damian.  At least that little snot is still around.  Said with great affection.

19. BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batman-and-robin-1-and-batman-the-dark-knight-1-bruce-wayne-the-one-true-batman/

David Finch writing, Finch and Jay Fabok pencils.

(snort) This had a #1 in 2011 already! With lateness, I don't think it has gotten to #3! Can Finch do any better this go'round?  (And the fact that they went ahead and went with the first launch makes me wonder just when all this came together ... putting it together with the timing of Batwoman's delay makes me wonder if that was sometime in February....)

20. BATWOMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batwoman-1-batgirl-1-catwoman-1-and-birds-of-prey-1-the-women-of-gotham-city/

J. H. Williams III, Haden Blackman, and Amy Reeder.

Plagued by lateness, originally supposed to come out months ago, maybe even last year, most recently aborted a month before its debut in March 2011 … speculation now is that it was delayed to push it out with the rest of the first issues in September, but I'm not sure that's all there is to it. Will it be the same without Rucka anyway?

21. BATGIRL #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batwoman-1-batgirl-1-catwoman-1-and-birds-of-prey-1-the-women-of-gotham-city/

Gail Simone writing, Ardian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes art.

Barbara Gordon. We're losing Oracle. And Stephanie Brown Batgirl. Crap. Crap crap. But I'll be getting it.  It's Gail Simone writing Barbara Gordon.

22. CATWOMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batwoman-1-batgirl-1-catwoman-1-and-birds-of-prey-1-the-women-of-gotham-city/

Judd Winick writing, Guillen March art.

March was doing most of the art for Gotham City Sirens which looks to be gone. I think I prefer a solo Catwoman anyway. At least it's Selina, in her “modern” outfit. (Now they just need to get Adam Hughes back on covers.)

23. BIRDS OF PREY #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batwoman-1-batgirl-1-catwoman-1-and-birds-of-prey-1-the-women-of-gotham-city/

Duane Swierczynski (mystery novelist) writing, Jesus Saiz art.

“Gotham City's covert ops team.” Not absolutely certain who any of these are. I'm fairly sure it's Black Canary at 9:00 and Katana at 3:00. Is the red-head at 12:00 Poison Ivy? Or Mera? (Wouldn't that be bizarre?) Who's the brunette with a gun at 6:00? It looks like she has some kind of major tattoo on her left arm, which is nagging at my memory but right now I've got nothin'.

No more Gail Simone... nooooooooooooo! And can it be “Birds of Prey” without Oracle? Guess it'll have to be.... I'll miss Lady Blackhawk, too. And Huntress! Unless they're just not pictured here for some bizarre reason.  It's Gotham City.  I'll at least give it a try.

24. NIGHTWING #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/nightwing-1-dick-grayson-is-back-as-nightwing/

Kyle Higgins writer, Eddy Barrows art.

Dick Grayson. So where's Tim Drake? And I don't like the color change on the costume but can live with it. It would have been more appropriate for Tim, though, if Dick could have stayed as a Batman and Tim could have assumed the mantle of Nightwing, ditching that goofy “Red Robin” name. Now I'm worried he may not even be here. Surely not...?  (See Teen Titans below.)

25. RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/the-red-hood-and-the-outlaws-1-jason-todd-will-lead-them/

Scott Lobdell writer, Kenneth Rocafort art.

Jason Todd, Arsenal, and Starfire.

Wha--? Jason Todd's still around and announced and still no Tim Drake? But Arsenal appears to have both arms – is Cry for Justice and Rise and Fall therefore out of continuity? Even Starfire's not enough to get me to read this.

26. BATWING #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batwing-1-the-batman-of-africa-deals-justice-in-his-own-series/

Judd Winick writer, Ben Oliver art.

Sorry, passing – not Gotham City.  I don't see it lasting long either.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #1 (sometime in 2012 so I'm not numbering it)

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/06/batman-incorporated-to-return-with-a-new-1-in-2012/

Grant Morrison writing, Chris Burnham art.

This announcement is really oddly worded. For one thing, although the text announces it as listed above, it then quotes Morrison as announcing: “Batman, Incorporated will continue through to Issue #10 and August's shocking season finale that changes the Batman status quo yet again. The series will take a brief hiatus while I work on a major new project to be announced shortly. Batman, Incorporated returns next year with me, Chris Burnham and Batman: Leviathan, the epic 12 part conclusion to my 6 year Batman saga. Don't miss it!” Is Morrison saying it will be a new title? Does DC even know what he's doing?  All I know is I'll be all over it.

27. SWAMP THING #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Scott Snyder writing, Yannick Paquette art

Sorry, never been a big fan of Swamp Thing. Even though Snyder's a good writer.

28. JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Peter Milligan writing, Mikel Janin art

John Constantine, Deadman, Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu

Nope.

29. ANIMAL MAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Jeff Lemire writing, Travel Foreman and Dan Green art

Not interested enough even with Jeff Lemire whose Superboy run has been good.

30. DEMON KNIGHTS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Paul Cornell writing, Diogenes Neves and Osclair Albert art

The Demon and an “unlikely team,” set in the Middle Ages.

Might have to take a look at this, especially with Cornell writing.  Too bad I bet there won't be a Knight and Squire series.... Way too quirky I suppose.  Probably wait for trade.

31. FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF SHADE #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Jeff Lemire writing, Alberto Ponticelli art

Frankenstein and the Super-Human Advanced Defense Executive from Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers. I don't think so.  Seven Soldiers was way cool, but this character really didn't do anything for me.

32. RESURRECTION MAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning writing, Fernando Dagnino art

Abnett and Lanning on this character have quite a cult following from his 1990s series, but not me. That's when I was all but out of comics altogether.

33. I, VAMPIRE #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Josh Fialkov writing, art by Andrea Sorrentino

I remember really liking this character in his ca. 1980 run in House of Mystery, but other than the name it doesn't look like this will be anything like that. Pass.

34. VOODOO #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/07/dc-embraces-its-dark-side/

Ron Marz writing, art by Sam Basri

Not interested.

35. LEGION LOST #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-generation-of-justice/

Fabien Nicieza writing, art by Pete Wood

From 12:00:  Wildfire, Dawnstar, Timber Wolf, Gates, unidentified male (Tyroc?), whatever-Yera's-(Chameleon Girl's)-codename-is, Tellus - and the description says seven so this is it.

It's back to the '90s, with part of the team lost in the past, part in the future. I can't say this art looks as good as I'm used to from Wood, either. And although I generally like Nicieza, why not just let Levitz do both books? He can handle it, and he is The Legion. Of course I'll be getting it – it's Legion. But I guess we're losing Adventure Comics, at least as a Legion book. That's sad. At least it won't have the indignity of a second renumbering in a couple of years....

36. LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-generation-of-justice/

Paul Levitz writing, art by Francis Portela

From front:  Chameleon Boy, Dragonwing? (from recent "Legion Academy" stories in Adventure), Ultra Boy, unknown male (?).

Thank God Levitz is still on the Legion! Now, as long as this continues to be the “retroboot” Legion we've had for the past couple of years, I'll be happy. 

37. TEEN TITANS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-generation-of-justice/

Scott Lobdell writing, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund art).

Starting at 1:00, Tim Drake Red Robin,unknown female, Kid Flash, unknown female, Wonder Girl, around Connor Kent Superboy.

Okay. I've liked Booth's art on recent Justice League. This is yuck. There is just so much I don't like about this – the overall punk mood, “thief known as Wonder Girl,” etc. I'll confine myself to this: Is this all the Tim Drake I'll be getting? Not sure I'll actually be getting it. He keeps the stupid Red Robin persona, although the costume is less a Doctor Midnite rip-off. I'd just gone back from trades to monthlies on Teen Titans. It might be back to trades, if that.

38. STATIC SHOCK #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-generation-of-justice/

John Rozum and Scott McDaniel writing, art by McDaniel and Jonathan Glapion.

Maybe in trade.

39. HAWK AND DOVE #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/08/the-next-generation-of-justice/

Sterling Gates writer, Rob Liefeld art.

In trade. I'm happy to see Gates on something. Neither characters nor artist really excite me, though.

40. STORMWATCH #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Paul Cornell writer, art by Miguel Sepulveda

Sorry, not even with Cornell.  Well, maybe in trade.

41. BLACKHAWK #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Mike Costa writer, art by Ken Lashley

Nope.

42. SGT. ROCK AND THE MEN OF WAR #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Ivan Brandon writer, art by Tom Derenick

The grandson of Sgt. Rock. Anybody remember the grandson of Doc Savage? Nope.

43. ALL-STAR WESTERN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray writing, art by Moritat

Jonah Hex in 19th-c. Gotham? No.

44. DEATHSTROKE #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Kyle Higgins writing, art by Joe Bennett and Art Thibert

No.

45. GRIFTER #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Nathan Edmondson writing, art by CAFU and BIT

No.

46. OMAC #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/welcome-to-the-edge/

Dan Didio and Keith Giffin writing, Giffin and Scott Koblish art

No.

47. SUICIDE SQUAD #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/suicide-squad-1/

Adam Glass story, art by Marco Rudy.

Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, and Deadshot.

This looks hideous. Would much prefer to see Gail Simone's Secret Six continue. No.

48. BLUE BEETLE #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/09/blue-beetle-1/

Tony Bedard story, Ig Guara and Ruy Jose art.

Jaime Reyes but I can't tell if it's a reboot or not.

Wait for trade.

49. ACTION COMICS #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/10/history-happens-now/

Grant Morrison writer, Rags Morales artist

“Superman defends a world that doesn't trust their first Super Hero.” That may be the reason there's no Justice Society. Perhaps DC is returning to a world in which Superman was the first. For the return of that concept, I can forgive them a lot....  But see my comment regarding this renumbering under Detective Comics above.  Artistically, well, (a) this seems to be Clark at the beginning of his career, and (b) I much prefer this "quasi-Connor Kent" look to....

50. SUPERMAN #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/10/history-happens-now/

George Perez story and layouts, Jesus Merino finished art.

The new “status quo.” But can Perez sustain a monthly pace any more?  Maybe since it's just layouts.

Dear God, that looks awful. Sorry, Perez is one of the greats, and I love his work, generally – but not this design.

51. SUPERGIRL #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/10/history-happens-now/

Michael Green and Mike Johnson writers, Mahmud Asrar artist.

“The unpredictable behavior of a teenager, the same powers as Superman and none of his affection for the people of Earth.” We're losing Gates' and Igle's recently well-developed character for another brat. Yay. It went over so well in the early stages of the pre-Flashpoint run before Gates and Igle salvaged the character.

52. SUPERBOY #1

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2011/06/10/history-happens-now/

Scott Lobdell writer, R. B. Silva and Rob Lean artists.

This looks like someone chewed up Connor Kent (along with an erector set) and vomited the idea of a Kryptonian-human clone back onto an art board. Literally. Bleaaaarrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh!

For all three of the latter designs, here's what I posted when the images leaked the day before they were announced by DC: “to shed tears of blood go see what the three may look like: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/09/dc-relaunch-a-brand-new-look-for-superman-supergirl-and-superboy/ ” My judgment has not changed.

Got the shaft (so to speak):

• Justice Society – but maybe the reason is in the Action Comics description. Can I hope for a return of a “Golden Age Earth” at some point? If only in Grant Morrison's once-rumored Multiversity?
• Power Girl – part of a general simplification, I get that - and the rumor that the new Supergirl could be a blend of the previous Supergirl and Power Girl could well be true.
• Secret Six – unceremoniously replaced by that travesty Suicide Squad above.
• The Marvel Family (Shazam) – damn.
• Adventure Comics, DC's third venerable title – at least it was spared Action's and Detective's indignity of losing its numbering for a “fresh” #1.

There are some other rumored or apparently leaked titles, including a Justice Society of America, but officially that's how it stands 10 June 2011.  A week of good news and bad news.  Here is Bleeding Cool's "updateable list" of rumors and confirmations:  http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/06/07/an-updateable-list-of-the-52-dc-titles-for-september/

The Bronze Battlefield (2005)

By Mark and Karen Eidemiller (Bronze Saga #5)

This is another gripping, high-octane action thriller in the “Christian Adventures of Doc Savage,” available as a free download here. This time, briefly, a villain from a previous adventure comes back with a vengeance, carrying out a hostile takeover of Pat Savage's island base, which she has transformed into a haven for the world's abandoned and orphaned children.  "Clark's" latter-day band of brothers (and sisters) springs into action to save the day.  The real hero of the piece is, however, not the man of bronze himself, but our erstwhile narrator.  We have, once again, real character progression among our heroes, including a bit of a moral lapse due to diminished judgment. The book ends with a promise of a major life change for Clark Savage, Jr.  

I have described my reactions to this unique "Christian-pulp mash-up" in general in previous posts (most recently here). Let me just add that an element of realism is present in this volume that actually had me worried because it could have gone unrealistically a totally different direction. If, in the end, the primary villain of this piece had been shown to undergo a radical conversion, I would have doubtless protested. Certainly God's grace can work in the most unexpected ways, and sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction, but as a fictional character this guy was built up so thoroughly bad that I don't think there was any way to realistically portray him as being redeemed in the end, and the Eidemillers did not even try to pull that. He died without ever recognizing or accepting God's saving grace. His cohort (who ultimately kills him just before herself dying of wounds he inflicted) is played a bit more ambiguously, however, although we are meant to be left with the impression that she does see the light in the last fading instants of her life.  

One interesting development:  Our main (though not exclusive) narrator (and the varying viewpoint is, I think, sometimes a bit of a distraction and not generally considered a good narrative technique, but hey, I'm not a lit-critter so what do I know) along the way gains a new and amazingly "pulpish" ability that I did not see coming in this hitherto pretty down-to-earth series.  Applying "down-to-earth" to Doc Savage may seem odd at first glance, but by it I mean that there's so far not been anything too far outside the realms of real-world plausibility in the adventures, as there generally were not in the 1930s-40s originals (reading them properly, as products of their times).  I guess I should have known the envelope would be pushed in this latter-day series, considering I know that a subsequent adventure will incorporate in some fashion - I'm not certain exactly how as yet - the adventures of a certain man of steel....  This time, its handled pretty well, I think - this reader just accepted and went with it.

Cheers!

Adventure Comics #526 (7/11)

This is the first Legion of Super-Heroes comic that I'm chronicling in my new blog. It's something that's dear to my heart. The Legion has consistently, from my childhood, been my favorite comic book – through thick and thin, good times and bad. In its classic conception, it was the story of a group of teen-age heroes from many worlds united a thousand years in the future who had come back in time and recruited their inspiration, Superboy (the classic “Superman when he was a boy”) into their ranks. That first happened in Adventure Comics #247, way back in 1958. From then on, Superboy spent a good bit of time traveling to the future, having adventures with the Legion. I have a full collection of original stories since 1967 when Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes was the main feature in Adventure Comics; I have reprints of everything before that. I remember being heartbroken when, ca. 1969 suddenly they were unceremoniously ripped from the pages of Adventure and relegated to the back of Action Comics for several years, then to the back of Superboy. Legion fandom was vociferous even then, however, and eventually was rewarded about 1973 when the Legion took over Superboy, which was eventually formally renamed Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes – then renamed simply Legion of Super-Heroes.

I'm not going to bore you with all the details after that, but by the 1980s it was one of the two most popular series being published by DC Comics, when it was being written by perhaps its greatest writer for an extended period, Paul Levitz. Then the great “redefinition” of DC in the wake of 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths, specifically of Superman, played havoc with the history of the Legion. There was no longer a Superboy, therefore no inspiration for the Legion, and things got worse. Attempts to repeatedly “fix” the continuity just seemed to make things worse until finally, in the mid 1990's, with Zero Hour, a “fresh start” was made – what's often called the “Reboot Legion.” It did okay, supporting two concurrent titles for half a decade, then just one for a few more years until someone had the bright idea of rebooting the story yet again, creating the “Threeboot Legion.”  I like a lot of what Mark Waid does, but sorry this wasn't one of them.  Some radical changes were made to the concept of the Legion, and it never really caught on. Throughout all this, the rationale for the changes was that the history/continuity of the Legion was too complex for new readers – not entirely untrue, but more a consequence of repeated and ill-considered “fixes” than anything else.

Recently, however, Geoff Johns did what he does best, managing an in-story reconciliation of multiple and contradictory histories/continuities in a masterful miniseries entitled Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds (tangentially part of the Final Crisis event of a couple years ago). It turns out that all the former Legions existed, and are part of a larger multiversal “meta-continuity.” They came together and saved the universe (of course), and there was even swapping of a couple members here and there, but fundamentally from that point on we've had a “tweaked” version of the “original” Legion, often dubbed the “Retroboot Legion.” And when the title was subsequently revived, Paul Levitz returned, after over twenty years, to “his” series, and all was well. Sometimes you can go home again. Sometimes you can recapture the magic.

I've been with them all the way. Even during the 1990s and graduate school where the two Legion titles were all I got. The “Reboot” is sometimes derisively called the “Archie Legion” because of the re-emphasis on young heroes (after the originals had grown into adults before being wiped from history). The “Threeboot” really went too heavily (in my opinion) into generational conflict (“Eat it, Grandpa!” was for all intents and purposes their battle cry). Whatever problems I might have had with specific aspects of each current incarnation, I remained with it throughout, and enjoyed aspects of each version. But I always remembered wistfully “my” Legion, the “real” Legion from the 1960s-1980s. For all intents and purposes it has been back. (And luckily, per today's announcement regarding the DC relaunch, it looks like it will stay, with Levitz still at the helm.)

For the past several months, there have been two Legion series once again, in their own title and here in the revived Adventure Comics. The most recent story arc in Adventure has dealt with the Legion Academy, where prospective members are trained.

Two stories in this issue:

“First Hints”

This is the end of a multipart “Legion Academy” story that is really more of a postscript than anything else. Typically well-written – Levitz is the master. It is somewhat unusual for him in that it is not a self-contained story – more of a postscript to the story arc, but with portents of things to come. That's one thing Levitz has always done – kept some kind of narrative going to bring you back even when, more typically, his issues were “done-in-ones.” I have wondered if maybe this odd little epilogue may in some way be a consequence of what he had planned back before DC did the across-the-board standardization of price (“Holding the Line at $2.99”) and page-count – until a few months ago the Legion titles were the longer 30-page-count for $3.99 before suddenly being cut back to 20 pages. It doubtless required some rewriting and restructuring. And Levitz always seemed to me to be more comfortable and even to excel in the longer format, as was standard during his heyday in the 1980s.  I can relate - I much prefer lecturing in 75-minute periods rather than fifty-minute periods; in the latter I feel like I'm barely getting going and it's time to go!  Who knows?

“Mosaic”

Here we see another type of story that Levitz has always done equally well – short character pieces focussing on a single Legionnaire. This time it's XS, who has a unique history with Levitz's Legion – namely that she was not one of his Legionnaires back in the day. XS was a character created early in the “Reboot” period without any corresponding previous character, but who was brought across to the “Retroboot” Legion during Legion of Three Worlds. She was one of the more popular of the “Reboot” characters, also having ties with the Flash family of speedsters (literally – she's Barry Allen's granddaughter). Anyway, this short story addresses somewhat an issue that resulted from her incorporation into the “Retroboot” Legion – Jenni Ognats (her real name) is somewhat younger than her teammates. This obviously is in the back of her mind when she arguably overreacts to being invited “to come to the Legion Academy.” “ButIalreadywasaLegionairre?!” she protests. Even though it's (ostensibly) to get up to speed (ouch) on this Legion's foes as well as to teach cadets, she wants no part of it and speeds away – continuing her own personal quest to learn more about her heritage. And of course encountering a mystery – in the form of some kind of vision that obviously is a portent of things to come – some scenes identifiable as being from her own life, others not so much. I'm trusting that all of this will be followed up in months to come, before and after September.

A nice touch in this "backup" story is that the art is by Jeffrey and Philip Moy - two of the main artists from the "Reboot" era whence came XS.  "Well played, sir.  Well played."

Cheers!

Girasol Pulp Doubles #2(b), The Spider: Claws of the Golden Dragon (2007)

Original pulp magazine cover

By Grant Stockbridge (Norvell Page), originally published in The Spider #64 (January 1939)

This is the latest in publication of any of the Spider stories that I have read, but frankly not much seems to have been different after five years and fifty issues. Still filled with violence, outlandish threats, and nail-biting danger for Dick Wentworth, Nita van Sloan, and company. Don't mess with a winning formula!

From the frontispiece of the story: “It was a scarlet scorpion that reached Richard Wentworth, warning him that the Far East had crept for from its Chinatown lair to raid New York! Victims were dying with a blood orchid in their hearts, and the Dragon screamed! With the police helpless, and Manhattan paralyzed, only Wentworth, in the Spider's somber guise, could hope to battle this Prince of Darkness who was looting a metropolis to found his evil Empire!” To which I would add some really effective descriptions of opium addicted denizens of New York running wild, including a description of a little boy beating his playmate to death. This is not for the faint of heart! But the Spider always saves the day, although he remains on the run, hunted by the authorities and feared by the people whom he protects.

Cheers!

Batman Incorporated #6 (DC 6/11) and Superboy #7 (DC 7/11)

Woo-hoo, night before last UPS dropped my box of May comics on the carport. I usually read them pretty slowly, spacing it out, reading a couple or maybe a few per day. To show how obsessive compulsive I am, the first thing I do is put the comics into the order that they came out the previous month, to read them in that order. This is for two reasons: One is that sometimes events one week in one title will impact on events the next week in a different title. Also, I want to duplicate as far as possible how I'd be reading them were I getting them through the month as they came out.  (Unfortunately, getting my comics monthly like this means I may be commenting up to several weeks after they are released.  Oh well.  It's a problem I face when I'm listening to comics podcasts, too.)

Not sure how I'm going to record these in this blog. My first impulse is to do it like this: Read a couple and write a short comment. We'll see. It might change.

Morrison's run continues. I've already seen his comment that yes, even though it's not in the September relaunch, Batman Incorporated will be back sometime next year to finish out his six-year Batman epic that has redefined the character in mythic terms. And this is the artist whom he announces for that project. I'm happy. Morrison's a weird writer – sometimes incomprehensible, but I've found his work really rewards repeated rereadings. There's always something new to glean, new connections and allusions to discover. I don't read anything and everything by Morrison, but if it's something I'm interested in his name is usually a plus.

Briefly, in the past few years Morrison has deconstructed the character of Batman and put him back together again in a whole new way. The latest phase of that, after Bruce Wayne was lost in time and presumed dead for a year but returned to save the very universe, has been to “franchise out” the Batman idea, creating a legion of crime-fighters around the world – Batman, Incorporated. This is necessary to fight a world-wide threat he calls “Leviathan.” In this issue we also find out that Tim Drake is to head up a new iteration of The Outsiders. Although no Tim Drake title has been announced as of yet, he does survive the relaunch at least, as announced this morning for the new Teen Titans series. Don't know if The Outsiders connection will, though – that's not been announced.

One interesting thing right off the bat. This takes place after Action Comics #904, scheduled for August and thus the last of that title before the September relaunch to #1 (boo-hiss!) This is a nicely executed issue of a comic, balancing a done-in-one story that is obviously (“to be continued”) part of an overall story-arc. That's the way comics ought to be. Far too many are incomprehensible except as a chapter in a story-arc. This has a nice beginning, middle, and end, but leaves you wanting more.

I've really liked Lemire's brief run on this title, and was hoping maybe he would stay after September. Apparently he's not. And I don't really like the visual image and tone set for the character by today's Teen Titans announcement. Heck, not even confirmed that there will be a Superboy title.

Briefly, Connor encounters an even worse psychic-hallucenogenic-parasite plant than the Black Mercy (is Alan Moore going to complain about DC using that?). It makes his deepest fears seem real to him. He perseveres, of course.

Both good reads.  Cheers!

DC Comics' 2011 Relaunch

For those who are interested, I've started a running list of and commentary on the titles that have been announced for the coming DC Comics relaunch as a separate page on this blog, tabbed above.  I'll be updating it as appropriate, all the way out to 52.  As of what probably is the end of the day Monday 6 June, we're halfway there.  As I suspected, there are things I like, there are things I don't like, and things that drive me into a rage.  Cheers!

Perry Rhodan #12, The Rebels of Tuglan (1972)

By Clark Darlton.

See my full write-up on my other blog, linked at right.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Directed by Matthew Vaughn.

Just got back from the afternoon matinee.  I really liked this movie.  Solid performances by most of the actors, who generally were believable as younger versions of the characters from the earlier movies, good special effects, but most of all a good story.  I particularly liked how this movie played off of real-world events of the early 1960s.  It did make a good prequel for the earlier movies, if you suspend your disbelief as to a couple of plot points as well as the general time-line.  Actually, as to the latter quibble they did address within the movie my initial skepticism that Mystique would have been of the same general age as Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr, and maybe other "discrepancies" could be or even were addressed and I just missed it.

Yes, if you look at my comics pull list you see I'm mainly a DC Comics fan, and always have been, but for a time in the 1970s-early 1980s I was a huge fan of The X-Men.  I liked all three of the previous movies - even the third one that gets roundly panned - four if you count Wolverine (which I also liked though not quite so much).  And one thing I've got to say is that by and large Marvel has been blowing DC out of the water as far as their live-action movies go.  That's disappointing to me, but the way it is, or at least has been.  I do have hopes for Green Lantern, however....

Cheers!

* * *

By the way, unless you like sitting and reading the interminable credits at the end, don't bother.  There's no aftercredits tidbit.  Probably because, as I understand it, the Marvel X-Men movies franchise is held by a separate production company than the ones that are building up to The Avengers next year (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America).

World of Flashpoint #1 (of 3) (8/11)

In all actuality, only the very end of this post is about this comic. A better title might have been “Further Reflections on DC's Big Announcement.”

A lot of background is necessary....

Since my local comic shop closed well nigh on ten years ago, I have generally gotten my comic books by a mail-order service, MailOrderComics.com, once a month, after the last “New Comic Book Wednesday” of the month. One of the drawbacks of that is that these services (there are several) all require you to pre-order your issues a couple months in advance just like comic shop retailers do. In other words, the order that will be due at the end of this month (June) will be for comics that go on sale in the month of August, and I therefore won't get them until probably Friday 2 September or maybe even Tuesday 6 September (Monday the 5^th being Labor Day). What this means is that I have to base my projection of what I will want on what are called “solicitations,” which for the “Big Two” (DC and Marvel) usually appear on the internet about the middle of the month before that month that the order will be due (i.e., for the current cycle, middle of May) and in the Previews catalog that comes out usually the last Wednesday of that prior month (although sometimes a week after that, as it did last week). Yeah, it's complicated. It also means that it is something of a guessing game, based on the publisher's text in those solicitations. Sometimes I miss out on ordering something that it turns out I'm really interested in getting. What I then do is use my relationship with a couple of comic shops in cities that I visit from time to time to visit family to pick up those “extra” or “missed” issues. Sometimes I just drop in and pick them up; sometimes I email or call them and ask, “Can you hold me a copy of …?”

That's sort of what happened here. I've known about the Flashpoint “event” of this summer for DC Comics for about a year, but as they unrolled the news of what it would encompass over the past few months, culminating in the past couple months' solicitations, I made a decision. In addition to the main Flashpoint miniseries of five issues, there are about fifteen or twenty three-issue ancillary miniseries as well as a number of one-shots and specials. Although I have often gone virtually all-in for these types of events, as I did Blackest Night a couple years ago, this time the prospect of adding twenty or thirty books per month for three or four months to get the “full” story to a pull list already somewhere between 25 and thirty books per month was just too much even for me. I decided just to get that main miniseries, as well as a regular title that was known to be intimately involved in it (Booster Gold – I've been getting it in trade collection rather than monthly anyway, but considering adding it as a monthly). Generally that main series will tell a complete story in itself (as Blackest Night did); sometimes (as the Green Lantern titles did alongside Blackest Night) an “anchoring” regular series will add a great deal to the story; but most of the other ancillaries, while maybe telling interesting stories or looking at events from a different perpective, won't be so integral and can be skipped. Don't get me wrong – I liked almost all the Blackest Night issues and am happy to have them (especially in my library-bound two-volume set of all those issues into one big story … I'll post an entry sometime about my library of bound comic books). But this time I cried “uncle” at the idea of essentially doubling the cost of my monthly order and said I was just going to go minimalist.

Then, long after preorders had to be in for the first three months of Flashpoint titles, the news broke about DC Comics' big renumbering “reset.” The internet is still in a bit of a tizzy about what it all means, what's actually going to happen. Rumors are flying; news is being broken one day and refuted the next. But I've given it a bit of thought and have some theories. I may think totally different in 24 hours, but here's my feeling right now.

This is not something that they came up with on the spur of the moment. This has been in the works for a while. Flashpoint is being overseen by Geoff Johns, DC's chief creative officer (I think that's his title). He has a proven record of being able to reconcile contradictory backstories into one cohesive whole, to incorporate all of DC's rich history into modern stories, making old things seem new and new things seem old – in a good way, in the sense that utterly new concepts slide right in and seem almost to have always been part of that rich history. I think that's what's going on here. I don't think that come September we'll see a full “reboot” of all of DC's characters back to the beginning of their careers. They've been pretty clear on that, that their characters won't be just starting out, but younger, earlier versions. Not exactly sure what that means, but as of today enough has been said to make clear that some things like recent developments in the Green Lantern circle of titles will still have happened. I never saw it in a news release, but a couple days ago on a Facebook page someone posted that the author of the most recent arc of Detective Comics said that that story will still be in continuity – I presume that means we will still have Dick Grayson as Batman, therefore the multiple Batmen, therefore the whole death and return of Bruce Wayne, therefore all of Grant Morrison's last five or so years of Batman stories, plus Final Crisis … all that is jumping to a lot of conclusions and may be totally wrong, I know, but I think it stands to reason they would not negate all that considering how popular it has proven to be. There is, however, a lot that has happened in the past few years that did not meet with such acclaim. I think that Flashpoint is being carefully crafted, by a proven master, to strip away concepts that haven't worked, adapt and streamline those that have, and put them back together into a cohesive whole. I think that a lot is going to survive. Some things will not. Understandably, not everyone is going to be happy with the result. I probably won't be happy with every facet. I'll probably be enraged by some decisions that DC goes with. There's just no way to know right now. I'm cautiously hopeful that I'll like the result, overall, however.

But Flashpoint, which I think we all knew was going to have some lingering effects (at least that's what DC's been telling us), suddenly seems to me to be a lot more critical in bridging from here to there than I thought it would be. Unfortunately, the economics of buying all those “extra” issues is still daunting – as well as the reality that the pre-order deadline is well past. But I have decided to pick up a couple of the ancillary series that at least seem maybe a bit more integral.

I've decided to go with Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost, because Flashpoint is a Flash-centered event (in the same way that Blackest Night was a Green Lantern-centric event – except this time the Flash title was discontinued and essentially replaced by Flashpoint). As far as I can tell, just like the solicits have seemed to indicate that “our” Booster Gold will be caught up in the new world of Flashpoint just like Barry Allen Flash is, so will Kid Flash (I presume Bart Allen), whereas most if not all of the other specials and miniseries seem to be about denizens of that Flashpoint universe. I've asked a comic shop to hold the issues of Kid Flash Lost for me as they come out and I'll pick them up whenever I'm in town.

Second, when I was in that shop on this past Wednesday, I picked up the first issue of World of Flashpoint – mainly based on the title which seems to indicate it will be about that Flashpoint universe overall (and I asked him to hold issues two and three). How integral it may end up being remains to be seen, but having read it now I'm not sorry I picked it up.

A little more background. When I was at that same shop about three weeks ago, I managed to grab a copy of Flashpoint #1, which I have preordered and will come with my May shipment (which UPS says is scheduled to be delivered on Monday). I will therefore have two copies, but I really wanted to go on and see what Flashpoint was all about even then. (I also intended to give one of the copies to a friend whom I convinced to pick the series up too late to preorder the first issue; turned out he had already placed a back-issue order to get it. Ah well.) Having read Flashpoint #1, I therefore know the basic situation – that Barry Allen has suddenly found himself in a world where he no longer has his power of super-speed, where the heroes and villains are very different than what he's familiar with, where the world itself has changed, with Atlantis and the Amazons locked in a war that is destroying the world. Barry immediately heads for the go-to-guy to set things straight – Batman – but is startled to find out Batman is not exactly who he thought he was.

World of Flashpoint #1, “This is the World We Live In,” centers around a character with whom I was not familiar, a young mystic named Traci 13, who with her father survived the destruction of northern Europe but now finds herself opposed to his role in a plot to end the war between Atlantis and the Amazons by wiping out both of the antagonists in one fell swoop. I don't recall reading anything by any of the creators of this comic, but I quite enjoyed it. Although I'd never “met” Traci 13, I was caught up in her story and am anxious to see what happens next. And hopefully it will give me a little more insight into the totality of the Flashpoint event.

Cheers.