New 52 The First Year Review

   Hi, long time no blog. I changed the look of the place, so come in and put your feet up. I realised I hadn't posted in nearly a year and in fact never finished my coverage of the 4th week of the New 52 from DC, so naturally upon my return I felt it proper to revisit the New 52 and it's new waves. Not sure what you missed out on? Interested to see which trades you should try? I'll tell you what I thought was worth reading, what stunk and what I wish I'd tried.

Sigh.

   Let's start with what I didn't try at all and why. Detective Comics and the Dark Knight books, personally I thought there were too many Batman titles so I just followed Scott Snyder from the previous Detective Comics onto the New 52 main Batman title, and boy am I glad I did. As for Frankenstien, Mr Terrific, Red Lanterns, Static Shock, Grifter, Deathstroke, OMAC, Aquaman, Dial H, Resurrection Man, Firestorm, Vodoo, Hawkman, DCU presents, Green Arrow and Batwing, the characters weren't well known or calling out to me in any way to want to try them. The same can be said for the Men of War, Blackhawks, GI combat, Legion and All Star Western books, as the genres weren't that appealing to me. As for Hawk and Dove, come on, a Liefield book? I don't want that. I've never understood his acclaim. Sure he suited the 90's comics boom but his style just hasn't changed from it's stunted scribble-y beginnings.

Every nerds fantasy. Every intelligent readers embarrassment.

   Books I hated included Red Hood and Captain Atom for reasons stated in the previous reviews like the unnecessary sexualisation and complete change in tone and character to what I was used to.

I realise now, Westerns are cool.

   What I regret not buying or staying with.. As the Court of Owls story started and the history of the court was being laid down in All Star Western I regretted not giving it a go. Same goes for Birds of Prey as I heard good things about the writing, but I wasn't expecting that as I was so hung up on Gail Simone's characterisation of the group previously. I read the first three Nightwing's but didn't stay with it, as it failed to deliver on Haley's Circus' return to Gotham and I expected much more, but felt inclined to return for the Court of Owls due to Dick's involvement and past revealed as an intended Talon for the Court. I was of course tricked into a dull two issue fight, a mere cash-in with no payback. During the Justice League Dark's run ins with I, Vampire I bought the cross over but wish I'd read the set up in I, Vampire from the start. I started reading Wonder Woman but the broken beat story got me bored and I left, but I wish I'd stayed. It sounds like this is the kind of high concept, darker Wonder Woman that I could have actually tolerated. I gave Demon Knight's a miss as I felt I was already supporting one of my favorite writers, Paul Cornell via Stormwatch but a bit of me wishes I had got it anyway. I enjoyed the revamp of Blue Beetle but it saddens me that Ted Kord never existed here, and that they have turned the Beetle(s) into an evil Green Lantern tribe knock off. I regretted buying the Lantern books too for that matter. I got Corps 3 times before realising my Guy Gardner love wasn't enough to keep me there.

Haha clown car 'cos she can fit a lot in there!
...aaand that's that character ruined for me. 

   I lasted a full story arc on the main Green Lantern book but gave up as the DCnU hadn't changed the character at all, now that I'm hearing about the 3rd army stories I'm pricking my ears up with interest again. I also lasted a full arc on Suicide Squad, until the death of Harley Quinn, the only worthwhile character in the mix, again due to my familiarity with the much more fun Gail Simone Secret Six book of which I followed several characters to this book with. Not knowing who dies next is an incredibly hack-y premise and I'm sorry but a skinny Amanda Waller? Are DC's females so easily interchangeable that they took away her one defining aspect? (Seriously don't start me on the Barbara Gordon/ Stephanie Brown debacle at SDCC with her upcoming Smallville appearance (or not)).

No, you *were* Batgirl. Now you are among
the many victims of the New 52.

   I lasted a full arc on both Superboy and Girl. Superboy's artwork was incredible but the back and forth between Superboy and Teen Titan's (another book I tried and hated, this time due to the total X-men familiarity to the hated and feared young powered people) made it dull for me. Supergirl had equally glorious artwork and I'm looking forward to seeing these two artists on other books in the future. Her story didn't move fast enough for me to keep coming back.

Shut up and read this already!

   So enough with the bad. What was great? What do I recommend you read? Animal Man and Swamp Thing for their amazing art, completely contrasting but equally as trippy and gruesome. These stories could have been told previous to the DCnU but it shows that DC isn't capable of giving a chance to intelligent story concepts unless they slip through a company wide reshuffle. Batman, as I mentioned before, has been a testament to Snyder's writing and a real gritty take on the character taking him back to his detective roots with the Court of Owls stories. Batman and Robin has been hit and miss but stayed fun throughout. It's strange to read father and son stories and not Dick and Damian stories, though. I wasn't expecting to like Catwoman but I picked it up as I hoped DC would do something special with her what with her being a big part of the upcoming Dark Knight Rises movie. What I got was a fairly touching insight and of all the characters in the New 52 she feels the most fleshed-out so far.

Books of Magic and The House of Mystery are and instantly great
magical story line formula. 

   Batgirl and Batwoman have been okay, I dropped both books recently due to spending my cash elsewhere. I'm sad to not be reading a single Simone book but ah well. Batwoman went from glorious art to a weird story format of doing a flash back for each character each issue. When you pick up as many books as I do each month, it makes the story forgettable and hard to follow. Shame Williams isn't still on art duties but I'm thrilled by the announcement at Comic Con International of him being on the new Sandman with Gaiman this year. Cant wait. Justice League has been disappointing considering it is the flagship title and the S.H.A.Z.A.M. back up is too slow. There needs to be global crises and constant action for the heroes to shine, not standing around arguing and moping. Why the need for a time jump when no other book got one? It wasn't even an origin, at no point did any character commit to the team they just agreed to work together on occasion. Just disappointing. Justice League International however started out the much stronger book in my opinion. I got my Booster Gold and Guy Gardener fix as well as immediate action and adventure, but sadly it became a dumping ground for other cancelled characters and got weighed down in a poorly fleshed out villain story. I'm glad it's going to end of it's own accord as I want a better fixed team to take it's place. Justice League Dark was going to be dropped any second too but then lo and behold Jeff Lemire came along with the quest for the books of magic. I came for the cult favorite characters and wound up staying for the (eventual) great third story arc. I also came for the cult favorite characters in Stormwatch and wound up staying for the semi- interesting story. Well it's in a sort of limbo, it's good but not great, but also not bad enough for me to consider dropping it. I gave Superman a chance too and the stories are oddly worthwhile. Really badly retro and ofttimes terribly old fashioned and cheesy but they are so heavy with dialogue and characters that it just feels like there is more bang for your buck here. Not to mention I'm waiting for DC to do something better with him in the run up to the not that far off Man Of Steel film. Speaking of waiting I also stuck with Action Comics to get some of that Grant Morrison magic and I've only just started to get hints of it with the random alternate black guy Superman one off. The Flash is character whose world didn't change that noticeably after the Flashpoint, and just plods along story wise. The trip to the Speedforce been the only real highlight, amongst all of the recycling of the usual rogues gallery. Nothing good or bad to say about it really.

   Batman Inc. hit the ground running with the typical Morrison style of writing whereas Earth 2 and Worlds Finest have yet to find their feet so I'm staying with them out of intrigue for the characters and possible places the stories could go.

   To sum up, most of the good things that came from the company-wide reset could have just happened previous to it anyway. Therefore it does feel a great shame to have wiped all continuity and stories and a great deal of characters that fans loved just to get a load of sales figures for the duration of the first story arcs. The introduction of the Vertigo and Wildstorm characters feels forced and unnatural and they have yet to find a set footing amongst the other heroes. Most of the writing is competent yet dull, and the art is usually not my cup of tea at DC. 1 year on and I've dropped almost all of the books I started with to make room for more Marvel ones again. Says something about the longevity of this really doesn't it. They haven't used the iconic characters well enough and those were the ones I gave a chance to when all of the issue 1's came out. Also making every hero go back to being an un-established vigilante makes for the same outlaw, hated and feared thing to really grate away at you when it's a mood conveyed in every superhero book. Nice try DC, I'm sure you stole some audience from your opposition, and maybe got a few out of touch readers back in with their old favorites and a few new readers to boot. However I'm not sure it will last. It hasn't for me.

This never happened. This great character and story is now
irrelevant.

   I'm still reading Animal Man, Action Comics, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman Inc., Catwoman, Earth 2, The Flash, Justice League, Justice League International, Justice League Dark, Stormwatch, Swamp Thing and Worlds Finest. That's next to nothing compared to what I started with and DC's Third wave of titles doesn't appeal to me at all. Add to that the soon finishing iZombie, Saucer Country (ah Paul Cornell fix again) and the Before Watchmen mini series and it still isn't as big as my Marvel pull list.