Marvel > DC. For me, that's always been a foregone conclusion. Oh sure, I like my Batman and Superman movies as much as the next guy. Hell, Batman: The Animated Series is the greatest cartoon ever made. But comics? Nope. Make Mine Marvel. And yet...I feel as if I'm missing out on a large part of the medium that I love so much. So, this week is all about me discovering the DC universe in a way I never have. Here goes nothing....
The New 52
For those of you who are unfamiliar, DC comics is making the bold move of "rebooting" their entire line of comics staring on August 31. Make no mistake, this is not a simple renumbering. It's almost like they're starting all over from the beginning. While details are still coming out, the description of the new Justice League says a lot:
"In a universe where superheroes are strange and new..."
With this relaunch, I see my chance to jump on board and, with any luck, establish myself as a fan of comics on both sides of the divide. However, as I browse the catalog of all 52 new titles I'm seeing that although many will, many will most definitely not be coming home with me this Fall. Allow me to elaborate...
Must-haves of the New 52
The following list has the right mix of things to draw me in. Great art, big characters, great writers. I won't hesitate to add these to the stack every Wednesday.
Books listed here are books that I'm curious about. I like to see new takes on old characters, so that's mostly what lands you on this list. I'm betting some will move into "must buys" but I'm almost certain that most of them will move into "No, thank you" after I skim a few pages.
Here's the list of the comics that, frankly, I have zero interest in. Two big reasons stand out in the crowd. The first is that many of them are about obscure DC characters (to this humble blogger at least) that I don't really want to get to know. Marvel has these kinds of characters also so don't go thinking that I'm being bias here. Some characters just suck.
Another reason you might end up on this list is if you're a comic written by an artist. You might be born to draw Batman, David Finch, but I'm sorry, your writing just comes across as fan fiction to me.
Now, if I'm dead wrong about any of these, let me know! I'm not above sliding books up the scale to "Yeah, maaaaaybe" or "must buys." Prove me wrong DC, prove me wrong.
So there we have it, all 52 new titles neatly categorized. As I wrote this tonight, I began to see the enormity of releasing 52 comics between the end of August and the end of September. I worry that this may result in many of the lesser-known titles being squelched before they are able to catch on. I mean, after all, even the most ardent DC fans have their own version of the list above.
So...anyone buying all 52? You might just be the only one purchasing "Hawk and Dove." At least I hope so.
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| Justice League #1 |
The New 52
For those of you who are unfamiliar, DC comics is making the bold move of "rebooting" their entire line of comics staring on August 31. Make no mistake, this is not a simple renumbering. It's almost like they're starting all over from the beginning. While details are still coming out, the description of the new Justice League says a lot:
"In a universe where superheroes are strange and new..."
With this relaunch, I see my chance to jump on board and, with any luck, establish myself as a fan of comics on both sides of the divide. However, as I browse the catalog of all 52 new titles I'm seeing that although many will, many will most definitely not be coming home with me this Fall. Allow me to elaborate...
Must-haves of the New 52
The following list has the right mix of things to draw me in. Great art, big characters, great writers. I won't hesitate to add these to the stack every Wednesday.
- Justice League #1, Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Jim Lee
- Green Lantern #1, Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
- Action Comics #1, Writer: Grant Morrison, Artist: Rags Morales & Rick Bryant
- Batman #1, Writer: Scott Snyder, Artist: Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
- Swamp Thing #1, Writer: Scott Snyder, Artist: Yanick Paquette
Books listed here are books that I'm curious about. I like to see new takes on old characters, so that's mostly what lands you on this list. I'm betting some will move into "must buys" but I'm almost certain that most of them will move into "No, thank you" after I skim a few pages.
- Aquaman #1, Writer: Geoff Johns, Artist: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado
- The Flash #1, Writer: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato, Artist: Francis Manapul
- Green Arrow #1, Writer: J.T. Krul, Artist: Dan Jurgens & George Perez
- DC Universe Presents #1, Writer: Paul Jenkins, Artist: Bernard Chang
- Superman #1, Writer: George Perez, Artist: George Perez
- Superboy #1, Writer: Scott Lobdell, Artist: RB Silva & Rob Lean
- Batman & Robin #1, Writer: Peter J. Tomasi, Artist: Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray
- Nightwing #1, Writer: Kyle Higgins, Artist: Eddy Barrows & JP Mayer
- Birds of Prey #1, Writer: Duane Swierczynski, Artist: Jesus Saiz
- Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Writer: Scott Lobdell, Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
- Green Lanterns: New Guardians #1, Writer: Tony Bedard, Artist: Tyler Kirkham & Batt
- Grifter #1, Writer: Nathan Edmondson, Artist: CAFU
- Teen Titans #1, Writer: Scott Lobdell, Artist: Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund
- Blue Beetle #1, Writer: Tony Bedard, Artist: Ig Guara & Ruy Jose
- Legion Lost #1, Writer: Fabian Nicieza, Artist: Pete Woods
Here's the list of the comics that, frankly, I have zero interest in. Two big reasons stand out in the crowd. The first is that many of them are about obscure DC characters (to this humble blogger at least) that I don't really want to get to know. Marvel has these kinds of characters also so don't go thinking that I'm being bias here. Some characters just suck.
Another reason you might end up on this list is if you're a comic written by an artist. You might be born to draw Batman, David Finch, but I'm sorry, your writing just comes across as fan fiction to me.
Now, if I'm dead wrong about any of these, let me know! I'm not above sliding books up the scale to "Yeah, maaaaaybe" or "must buys." Prove me wrong DC, prove me wrong.
- Detective Comics #1, Writer: Tony Daniel, Artist: Tony Daniel & Ryan Winn
- Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Writer: David Finch, Artist: David Finch
- Batwoman #1, Writer: J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman, Artist: J.H. Williams III
- Justice League International #1, Writer: Dan Jurgens, Artist: Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan
- Wonder Woman #1, Writer: Brian Azzarello, Artist: Cliff Chiang
- The Fury of Firestorm #1, Writer: Ethan Van Sciver & Gail Simone, Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
- Captain Atom #1, Writer: J.T. Krul, Artist: Freddie Williams II
- The Savage Hawkman #1, Writer: Tony Daniel, Artist: Philip Tan
- Mister Terrific #1, Writer: Eric Wallace, Artist: Gian Luca
- Supergirl #1, Writer Michael Green & Mike Johnson, Artist: Mahmud Asrar
- Batgirl # 1, Writer: Gail Simone, Artist: Ardian Syaf & Vincente Cifuentes
- Batwing #1, Writer: Judd Winick, Artist: Ben Oliver
- Catwoman #1, Writer: Judd Winick, Artist: Guillem March
- Green Lantern Corps #1, Writer: Peter J, Tomasi, Artist: Fernando Pasarin & Scott Hanna
- Red Lanterns #1, Writer: Peter Milligan, Artist: Ed Benes & Rob Hunter
- Justice League Dark #1, Writer: Peter Milligan, Artist: Mikel Janin
- Animal Man #1, Writer: Jeff Lemire, Artist: Travel Foreman & Dan Green
- Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1, Writer: Jeff Lemire, Writer: Alberto Ponticelli
- I, Vampire #1, Writer: Joshua Hale Fiakov, Artist: Jenny Frison
- Resurrection Man #1, Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Artist: Fernando Dagnino
- Demon Knights #1, Writer: Paul Cornell, Artist: Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert
- Stormwatch #1, Writer: Paul Cornell, Artist: Miguel Sepulveda
- Voodoo #1, Writer: Ron Marz, Artist: Sami Basri
- Suicide Squad #1, Writer: Adam Glass, Artist: Marco Rudy
- Deathstroke #1, Writer: Kyle Higgins, Artist: Joe Bennett & Art Thibert
- All-Star Western #1, Writer: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, Artist: Moritat
- O.M.A.C. #1, Writer: Dan DiDio & Keith Giffen, Artist: Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
- Men of War #1, Writer: Ivan Brandon, Artist: Tom Derenick
- Blackhawks #1, Writer: Mike Costa, Artist: Ken Lashley
- Static Shock #1, Writer: Scott McDonald & John Rozum, Artist: Scott McDonald, Jonathan Glapiuon & Le Beau Underwood (how's that for a name!?)
- Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Writer: Paul Levitz, Artist: Francis Portela
- Hawk & Dove #1, Writer: Sterling Gates, Artist: ROB LIEFELD....sigh....
So there we have it, all 52 new titles neatly categorized. As I wrote this tonight, I began to see the enormity of releasing 52 comics between the end of August and the end of September. I worry that this may result in many of the lesser-known titles being squelched before they are able to catch on. I mean, after all, even the most ardent DC fans have their own version of the list above.
So...anyone buying all 52? You might just be the only one purchasing "Hawk and Dove." At least I hope so.
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