Sunday, March 25, 2012

DC: New 52 Thoughts (Part 1)


So as a comic book collector for the last 20 years I have always devoted myself to being a hardcore Marvel fan, and even though I liked characters like Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern I refused to buy any DC comics and only bought my favorite Marvel books because I always felt Marvel had the better writers and artist, and better and more relatable heroes. It wasn't until I heard Batman was gonna die in Final Crisis did I ever buy my first DC comic, I couldn't get just that one issue, I had to have the whole story so I tracked down all seven issues, and it was cool seeing Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in that story so then I started getting the trade paperbacks of Hal's return and adventures following, I now have 16 Green Lantern trades, 13 Batman trades, 11 Superman trades, and 10 others. So I decided to track down the number 1's of some of DC's New 52's that I thought sounded and liked good, so here's what I've got in the last couple months, and what I'm thinking of them spread across four installments.

Action Comics #1-4 & 7
Action Comics has to be my 3rd favorite DC book I got so far, I'm loving Grant Morrison's early Superman tale, how he's slowly getting more powerful every time he pushes he's powers and how he's nowhere near being the beloved and trusted by all guardian of Metropolis but he is starting to be in the lower income communities by standing up against corruption and fighting for those stepped and forgotten in the ever growing City of Tomorrow. I highly enjoy Rags Morales's art, well except how he draws Lex Luthor, I don't like he's face, I just can't take him as an evil genius, other then him everyone and everything else looks great. I have said I don't like a lot of the new relaunch costumes especially Superman's, but I do want to say I do like the origin on Supe's new costume, how it was a  preserved plain white indestructible Kryptonian uniform on Brainiac's ship, and when he put it on and attached his cape it turned into the blue and red battlesuit complete with House of El symbol on the chest, that was cool. 
Action Comics #5-6 
Hopefully when DC collects Morrison's and Morales's opening Brainiac story in trade paperback/hardcover they do not include these two issues and only include issues 1-4, and 7 and 8 because these two issues totally don't have anything to do with that story. Issue 5 retells Kryptons's destruction and baby Kal-El's escape and being found by Ma and Pa Kent, I want to say I don't mind the new retelling and I loved seeing it in Adam Kubert's artwork, but it was really for just setting up that Clark's spaceship was sentient and to lead in to the blender of wackiness that is issue 6. First of all I want to say I love everything I've ever read by Grant Morrison, but I do not know what to think of this issue, it the most contorted and compressed random filler story I have ever read, like the story could of been a decent tale if told over 3 or 4 issues but all that barely comprehensible insanity in one issue is brain damaging.

 Aquaman #1-3
My hat off to Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis once again, they are an amazing team, they truly know how to flesh out a hero in conversations and quick personal flashbacks to make a character more than just powers and a costume. It's nice seeing Aquaman kicking ass, and doing he's best to deal with people giving him crap, who are ignorant of he's powers and background, definitely adds some laughs. I also like how this is one of the New 52's that isn't effected by the Post-Flashpoint reboot, and is exactly where Arthur and Mera left off at the end of Brightest Day, definitely a book I'm gonna follow as long as Johns and Reis is onboard.

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