The New 52: The End of the Beginning

So here we are. The last week of #1 issues in DC’s The New 52. It’s the week I’ve actually been looking forward to the most. Voodoo and Aquaman are two of my all-time favorite characters. I also wanted to see what they did with All-Star Western… and Hawkman… and Zatanna. And ever since I read Superboy #1, I’ve been super curious about the Teen Titans. And the week did not disappoint. No F’s this time around. Or D’s. Or even C’s for that matter. I thought all 13 issues graded out to at least a B and five maybe even six deserved an A. See what I nominate on Thursday.

I was very pleased with AQUAMAN #1. Such a misunderstood character. The butt of many a joke. Very unfairly I might add. If you read Flashpoint Emperor Aquaman and/or Brightest Day #1, you know how cool a character he can be. And I loved that this misconception was addressed right away. What’s Aquaman doing here? There’s no water around here. Do you need a glass of water? All you do is talk to fish. What are you doing in a seafood restaurant? How does it feel to be a laughingstock? How does it feel to be nobody’s favorite superhero? Hah. Hah. Hah. And WRONG! I don’t talk to fish. They have no brains! Did you see me flip that car with my trident! Did you see those bullets bouncing off me! Did you see my hot wife! I’m the king of Atlantis! And I hope Mr. Johns continues to bear that in mind as we move forward with the series. Now, AQUAMAN #1 maybe could have used a bit more action in it, leaned toward the set-up side of things, but everything was set up nicely and it made me very happy.

VOODOO #1 opened with the following monologue: "Who is she? Where did she come from? What secrets does she hide? Are you ready, gentlemen? Because this is why you’re here! This is who you came to see!" Damn straight skippy! Here’s the page if you would like to see. And yes, for the second week in a row (see Red Hood), DC Comics has gone the alien slutress route. Didn’t mind Starfire last week because she’s not a character I have any history with. Didn’t mind Voodoo this week because I thought it was very much in line with the original Wildcats Voodoo portrayal. And to be fair she did quit her job, albeit not before going Damonite and killing an undercover cop, who she then impersonates using her shape shifting powers. Nice set-up once again. Made me happy once again. And I have to give you another popup. You guys and your uniforms… Voodoo ain’t in spandex yet but this rendition of Voodoo couldn’t be more perfect. Nailed it.

Of course I VAMPIRE #1 was about vampires, which might put a lot of people off these days, but I liked it a lot and Andrea Sorrentino’s artwork reminded me of Jae Lee, which is high praise indeed. GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #1 focused on Kyle, Ganthet and the rainbow coalition and made the Green Lantern books go four for four on the reboot. Fine job all around. Scott Lobdell goes three for three with TEEN TITANS #1. Kid Flash was annoying. Red Robin was large and in charge. And Wonder Girl was fantastic. Even tied into Superboy #1 at the end.

But I do think the Best DC Book of the Week was SUPERMAN #1. If Batman #1 set up the world of Gotham last week. Superman #1 set up the world of Metropolis this week. Just a super dense book. Perry White. Lois Lane. Jimmy Olsen. The defunct Daily Planet. The new Planet Global Network. Everything got put in its place. Plus a huge Clark Kent newspaper article monologued action sequence of Superman fighting a fire monster.  It was great. And if one of DC’s initiatives in the New 52 was to make the content and/or context more modern Superman #1 totally did that. Although I’m not so sure about the "twittering." Here at Cosmic Comix we only tweet. Maybe that’s just us… Anyway…

Hats off to DC comics for what can only be considered a very successful month of #1 issues. Thought I might like half, ended up liking almost them all. Just a great start. Bring on October and 52 new #2 issues!

See ya!

Rusty