Weekly Comic Review for 9/14/11
OK. I’ve made it to posting about the second week of the New 52. So, let’s get things going on to the reviews…
The New 52
Batman and Robin #1 – We start out with the first and probably last appearance of the Batman of Moscow. Then it’s on to Bruce and Damian. Damian is extremely stoic, even expressed in the way he is sleeping (clothed, on his back with his arms at his side on top of the sheets). The relationship seems very strained between Bruce and Damian as they head off to Crime Alley for Bruce to say one last good bye to his parents before he lets going of it all. Damian is impulsive which pisses off Bruce. Overall, the relationship comes off somewhere between blah and annoying. It’s a Bat book so it’s probably succeed no matter how good or bad it is though. I don’t find it appealing though. 
Batwoman #1 – I want to support a comic based on a gay character. After readying this, I just can’t. Not a fan of the artwork. It’s bad enough that her costume comes off vampiric, but her skin is depicted as pure white. (It’s not just the coloring because other characters have normal colored skin.) Her hair is cut short into a stereotypical lesbian bob so her long hair’s a fake. also appearing in the book is Bette Kane/Flamebird. Kate is training Bette and as if she’s a total rookie. Bette if states that she was a member of the Teen Titans. This sets the history of the Teen Titans back in place as well as giving quite a history to Bette. Kate has only been doing this a REALLY short time though, so why is Bette being treated like a junior woodchuck sidekick and why is she letting herself be treated that way. Who is Kate going to train next? Batman? There is just so much I really don’t like about this book.
Deathstroke #1 – Years ago, Deathstroke was DC’s Wolverine for the villain side. There’s still a lot to the character but where does he stand now? Well, we know what he stands in — the New 52s favorite accessory nowadays, armor. Deathstroke used to wear armor but it was more along the line of kevlar and chainmail, not plate style armor which would be restrictive to someone who moves like him. Deathstroke takes a case. One part of the agreement is taking on a team of up and comers. They are young kids who have a lot to learn but are good enough to surprise Slade with their skill. The mission goes well and I’m thinking that it should be interesting to see how Slade works with this team. Slade doesn’t seem to agree and seeing them as competition, off the trio. Yikes! Didn’t see that coming but it really sets the tone. Not sure if I’ll stick with the book myself but I can see it having potential. 
Demon Knights #1 – It’s the end of Camelot and things are calling apart. Marlin merges Etrigan and Jason Blood into one being. Jason goes off with Madame Xanadu on a continuing adventure. Also following their own path are Morgan Le Fey and Mordru. They are of course fated to cross paths. First, Jason comes across the Shining Knight (looking fairly scrawny and feminine), Vandal Savage, and someone named Exoristos. This could go well or poorly. I guess we’ll have to see. It looks like it could be fun though with the light touch it has.
Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 – For whatever reason, Frankenstein gets his own title. S.H.A.D.E. is still around though Father Time is now a little girl. The organization runs out of a tiny globe flying all around the place using miniaturization technology developed by Ray Palmer. (He may or may not be the Atom in this reality. I’ll be honest. I had trouble holding interest to even read this. The only thing I found interesting was the appearance of the Creature Commandos.
Green Lantern #1 – Sinestro is now a Green Lantern which makes him a traitor to his corps. Hal Jordan is broke loser who keeps messing up everything including his relationship with Carol. Neither is where they want to be so Sinestro turns to Hal to try to change things. The book is off to a slow and not so great start, especially after the last couple years in the prior series. I have hope it will pick up as things go from here.
Grifter #1 – I used to really enjoy Grifter. He was an interesting character and a lot of fun. Sort of a reigned in Deadpool without the mutations. I enjoyed reading his books when he had his own title. As with Stormwatch, getting folded into the DC universe has wiped the character clean and things are starting over. Cole Cash is called a grifter right from the start. He’s also hearing the thoughts of some people around him who seem to be after him for some reason. Oh, and let’s not forget the mutton chops. Guess we have to go for the Wolverine/Sabretooth look to make him popular, huh? During a capture and escape, he somehow loses 17 days and he has to figure out what is going on. Not really sure what to expect here and not sure that the character that I loved will return.
Legion Lost #1 – A number of Legion members (Timber Wolf, Dawnstar, Wildfire, Tyroc, Gates, Tellus, and Chameleon Girl) go back in time to “the present”. The mention having to get through the “Flashpoint breakwall” Which is a bit odd that they all know about Flashpoint and it sounds like the timeline of the present is in some sort of bubble. In fact, Dawnstar, Gates, and Chameleon Girl all have problems adjusting to the current time. Flight rings aren’t even working. Dawnstar has been in the past before so it’s not just the 21st century. It seems like we’re stepping into the middle of a story with this first issue really and I’m really hoping questions get answered soon. I’m really hoping some of this means that this Flashpoint results are actually temporary and will go away. At least, if nothing else, this title has the Legion’s sexiest member, Timber Wold.
Mister Terrific #1 – I’m not really sure what to make of this one yet. We’ve got the character separated from the mythos of the JSA. Much of the history is the same with the death of his wife. I liked the look with the jacket better though and the “Fair” and “Play” tattoos are just tacky. Karen Starr appears in the issue and it seems they are sleeping together. There’s no sign yet that she is Power Girl any more though. (I guess her whole DNA got retconned.) He was an interesting character in the team but I’m not sure he can hold his own title. I guess time will tell.
Red Lanterns #1 – There’s one reason to pick up this book if for nothing else — Dex-Starr. He seemed interesting when everyone thought he was part of an alien cat race but when his origin was revealed, I was hooked. It’s interesting to see how the Red Lanterns work. It makes sense that the dynamic of their corps would greatly differ from the Green Lanterns given the rage that fuels them. I’m really looking forward to see how this goes as well to see more about individual members of the corps as they flesh out personalities. And of course, more Dex-Starr!!!!
Resurrection Man #1 – The concept of a person continually reborn with new powers each time he dies was interesting. He’s Dial H for Hero without the dialing. There’s still a lot of mysteries about him and one that’s starting with the new series is why Heaven and Hell are after him and why his soul is so extra special. With guest appearances from the Body Doubles and Madame Xanadu (How many titles is she going to be in?!?), things can only be getting more interesting here.
Suicide Squad #1 – I wasn’t sure what to make of this title and I still am not. I had no clue who the character on the cover was. Turns out it’s the new look for Harley Quinn. Also in this are Deadshot (also in New 52 armor), King Shark (who has had his eyes added to shoots to make him look more like a tiger shark than just a killer shark), Savant (I’m assuming he’s the one from Birds of Prey but a whole lot wimpier), El Diablo, Black Spier, and Voltac (no clue who those are). Savant doesn’t make the team but the rest get sent off on a their first mission at the end of issue. Just in time to show their boss, Amanda Waller, who seems to have lost a lot of weight. I guess reboots do her good.
Superboy #1 – This one I don’t understand why they totally rebooted. Though with the changed to Superman I guess this had to change too. We start out with him in a nutrient tube, bald and in just underwear. He breaks out and next thing we know, he’s in school with a full head of hair and enough knowledge to graduate top in his class. One of his school-mates is Rose Wilson (Ravager). I’m not sure what to expect of that. Are they playing on the flirting that was going on at the end of the last Teen Titans series? Turns out it’s all in his head and Rose is actually part of the team working on him. One other twist — the human DNA for him is being held a secret so we don’t know if it’s still Luthor or not. This whole thing is a big mess. And I thought the last series was going down hill.
Everything Else
Alpha Flight #4 of 8 – Half way through this Fear Itself mini-series. (Not sure if it will all be Fear Itself or not.) Things are getting really messy here too but for whole other reasons. Alpha Flight escapes across the border. Heather kills the relatives raising her daughter to get her back. Northstar searches for his boyfriend who happens to be in the base where Alpha Strike is and we find that the person running Canada and behind all of this is actually the Master of the World. (Actually saw that coming but that’s cool. He’s a fun bad guy.) Can’t wait to see where all this will be going.
Herc #7 – Herc has transitioned from Fear Itself to Spider Island. Please just give him his title back! I have to admit that watching the adventured of Spider-Herc is amusing though. Did we really need a cameo by the X-Men though? I guess Wolverine really does have to appear in every single comic book. Of course, we have to have a scene of with Herc jumping out of bed in his very tight boxers. (Not that I’m complaining… other than the fact that I think he should sleep in the nude.) I swear that they are catering to the bear community here. This has been a continually entertaining book.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1 – You guessed it — polybagged! I did follow the end of the old series so I didn’t know what happened to Peter so I wasn’t sure what to expect here. It turns out that the new Spider-Man is a black youth. Osborn’s labs are trying to recreate Spider-Man. Someone breaks into the lab to steal stuff and the spider tags along. Then the nephew of the thief who is a fairly poor kid stops by his uncle’s apartment and gets bitten. WOW! What a stretch to get a no one some powers. When he father shows up (The father and uncle don’t get along.), he runs off and it turns out he had the ability to either turn invisible or camouflage. Not sure how that ability fits in or what else he’ll have. Guess only time will tell as this one is getting a bit odd.
And there we go. Lots of books and a decent assort of potential with some not so great stuff too. My top 3 are a little easier this week: Deathstroke, Demon Knights, and Resurrection Man. Herc came close but the section with the X-Men sorta killed it for him as that part was kinda lame. The Marvel books have another 9/11 story this week too, different from the prior week’s story.
