What strikes me immediately about this week’s offerings is how diverse and strong the art is on these books. Morales on Action invokes that a Firstwave look and Oliver on Batwing goes for a distinctive painted look. However, a lot of the books felt like they’re playing it safe. The scripts are solid, the art is good, but I’m concerned that so few of the are truly compelling.
Action Comics (vol. 2) #1 — A surprisingly timeless story, not an origin of the character so much as an origin of his classic status quo. Strong well matched art by Morales and a refreshingly paired back script by Morrison. Leaving out flight means this is one grounded Superman which actually works. — ★★★★½
Animal Man (vol. 2) #1 — Opens with a striking interview that acknowledges Buddy’s past and new position as a hipster icon, but it swiftly twists into a rock solid old school Vertigo horror tale. Nice use of colour in the dream sequence. — ★★★..
Batgirl (vol. 4) #1 — Keeps continuity with the Killing Joke and Oracle, but Barbara’s return to Batgirl after that juncture gives a fresh feeling. She’s back, but not without baggage and not yet at the top of her game. Simone’s script is packed, but never heavy and Syaf’s art keeps pace with it. I’m not sure I like the over busy costume, but the purple is a nice touch. — ★★★★.
Batwing #1 — Winick plays his trademark games with order and pacing, but holds off on the broad banter/humour that’s often a signature of his work. This new character, one of the few new properties in the 52, is a more serious affair and hints at a larger African tapesty that hasn’t really been explored before. — ★★★..
Detective Comics (vol. 2) #1 — Bruce Wayne is back as Batman and he’s hunting the Joker again. Tony Daniel has really upped his game for this issue and brings a suitable level of mystery to the detective title. The episode wraps nicely in one issue, but exits with one of the creepiest images we’ve possibly ever seen from the Joker. Gotham once again feels oppressive. — ★★★★.
Green Arrow (vol. 6) #1 — Krul’s script leaves behind the fourty-something Arrow of yore and gives us a character closer to Smallville’s twenty-something archer mixed with a hint of Tony Stark and a dash of Steve Jobs. This is potentially the most traditional superhero fare in this week’s batch of DC titles and that feeling is heightened by Dan Jurgens classic pencils. The result is polished and entertaining, but it potentially lacks the heart and weight of old school Oliver Queen. — ★★★..
Hawk and Dove (vol. 3) #1 — The twin avatars of War and Peace are one of DC’s hardest properties to get right without descending into parody of one or both of the world views. There is baggage here with Dawn’s relationship with Deadman, Brightest Day era captions, and references to Don Hall. Is it just Rob Liefeld’s art alone that makes this feel like a 1990s title or is Sterling Gates slipping into pastiche? — ★★...
Justice League International (vol. 3) #1 — The measure of a JLI comic is in its pacing and dialogue. JLI v1 had it, Generation Lost had it, but this volume doesn’t quite hit the mark. I’ll post a fuller review on this one went I get the chance. However I do think this will be one of the books that is going to take a while to get into its stride. — ★★★..
Men of War (vol. 2) #1 — I was surprised by this title as I wasn’t expecting to like a war book. However, the lead feature by Brandon and Derenick is well written and captures some of the old Sgt Rock. I’m not sure if mixing in super-humans is wise, but we’ll see how that plays out. The second feature by Vankin and Winslade was more grounded in reality, but didn’t feel as compelling as the lead. — Lead: ★★★½.; back-up: ★★★..
O.M.A.C. (vol. 3) #1 — I think Didio and Giffen may have found their perfect title. I wasn’t a fan of their Outsiders work, but this book mixes the quirkiness of Giffen’s Doom Patrol with a liberal dose of Kirby. Plus the Cadmus Project and Dubbilex make a welcome return. I hope people give this book a chance as it made me grin like a fool. — ★★★½.
Static Shock #1 — Static is a character that I only really knew from his cartoon, but I must say that his high IQ and tendency to narrate his superpowered feats do feel at home in the DCU. Milestone fans will be glad that Dakota is referenced and Hardware features so prominently. McDaniel’s bold art style fits the tone of the title, but I felt that there was a lot to take in for a first issue. They may also have to lighten up on the techbabble. — ★★★..
Stormwatch #1 — Stormwatch is an odd collision of DC and Wildstorm and Torchwood. I was pleased by the reference to the Martian Manhunter having been a Justice League member and Midnighters introduction was suitable showy. Ideas whisked past almost as quickly as in Knight and Squire. You get the feeling that Stormwatch could be a cornerstone book in terms of grand plans for the new DCU and naming the first arc “the dark side” is just asking for assumptions to be made about where that plan is heading. — ★★★½.
Swamp Thing (vol. 5) #1 — A beautifully draw book that seeks to continue the storyline from Brightest Day. The superhero connection is maintained with a guest appearance from Superman who is checking up David Banner’s flight from this monstrous green alter ego. Sorry did I say David Banner, I meant Alex Holland. I like the setup, but I’m unsure at what point this becomes a Swamp Thing story and not an Alex Holland story. — ★★★★.
Personally, if I had narrow down which books to keep on my pull list, I’d draw a line at the 3.5/5 boundary. That leaves Action, Batgirl, Detective, OMAC, Stormwatch, and Swamp Thing. I’d also add in JLI just because this is a Justice League blog and I think it shows real potential. However, I’m down as with my LCS as getting the first three months so we’ll see how these book play out in later issues.
