DC's New 52: Reviews and Discussion (Spoilers welcolme and likely)

[Mr Light]

I normally love Geoff Johns, but the writing was just too rushed and insular when the actual plot surfaced. As opposed to the early issues where practically nothing happens in an issue, just splash pages. It was this big global invasion, but the focus was always on seven heroes bickering with each other, and we rarely see the effect on the larger world. It felt like the entire thing took place on a single television set. Darkseid doesn't do anything and gets whupped FAR too easily.

Every time I see a one panel splash page, I feel totally cheated.

[Icemizer]

^ You must have really hated the 90's then.

[Icemizer]

New Supergirl of Earth 2 design is up. I like it. The cape flowing out of the design of the shield looks good and just makes sense. I also like that the shield is not on here kneecaps.

[Mike Farley]

Nice. They definitely need to tap McGuire for more character design work.

So I'm guessing Helena and Karen were Robin and Supergirl on Earth 2 and adopted the new identities when they came over to the main DCU.

[Admiral_Young]

The art implies they were Robin and Supergirl before they became Huntress and Power Girl. This still takes place in Earth 2 and not the 52' Verse (well specifically the Earth 2 of the New 52 'multiverse) . Kara Zor-El is the Supergirl of the 52' Verse, and Karen Starr (so basically there are now two alternate versions of Karen) is a friend of Mr. Terrific.

As for the design, this is the best of the bunch in my opinion. Really is an alternate reflection of Kara's current costume design.

[DarKush]

I picked up Justice League #6. I didn't like Batman's unmasking in the fifth issue or keeping his mask off for a good deal of this issue. It just felt out of character. I thought the fight with Darkseid was too rushed, though it did give Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Aquaman some moments. Ultimately it was a waste of Darkseid though.

[Derishton]

I don't know. I wasn't thrilled with Justice League 6, but I'm trying to remember that this is supposed to be the first encounter: Darkseid doesn't see this level of resistance coming and so is unprepared. Final Crisis, Rock of Ages, etc. are all in the future. The first encounter can't be as brutal as the later ones, nor can it be as epic. Am I satisfied woth that? Not entirely, but it's at least understandable.

Some splash pages are better than others: Wonder Woman's sheer exhilaration as she stabs Darkseid in the eye is tremendous, the double-page of Superman isn't aesthetically all that pleasing.

The back-up story was more interesting. Does this mean the Phantom Stranger's angelic origins are gone? Did we just get a big clue that the New 52 wasn't supposed to happen? If so, is the conflict with Darkseid rather than Starro the Conqueror an acceleration of events? I mean that Starro is or was good practoce for the League before they faced Despero et al., and Darkseid eventually. Without that "practice", was this victory really just luck and we're all in for it later?

[Admiral_Young]

Pandora mentions in the splash pages (from the final issue of Flashpoint) that combine the three timelines to form the New 52 that Flash has to help her "fix" the timeline, implying that something is wrong. We don't know what that was supposed to refer to yet I don't believe.

[Admiral_Young]

Justice League #6: Rao help me...but I liked this issue. I think this was the best issue of the first arc to be honest. I didn't get an epic feel from it or think it was special, but it was decent. Not surprised to see George W. Bush since this took place five years ago in the timeline. The line from Superman about seeing the multiverse and seeing himself was maybe the most interesting aspect of the issue, I'm thinking this was a reference to the DCU, which possibly means it isn't entirely "gone". So Bruce randomly unmasking ended up being pretty useless as I thought. He could have still gave the pep talk to Hal without unmasking, and go save Clark. Finally...was that figure at the end meant to be Ra's?? Are we going to see a new Legion of Doom under his leadership? I only mention Ra's because of the shadow behind him on the wall, resembled his Demon's Head mask. I did not recognize the little silver lapel or the icon. I'm assuming we're meant to. Also an author names the team? Are we supposed to know who he was as well??

[Mr Light]

I'm still holding out hope that they'll just retcon the NewDCU away and go back to the old continuity Batman and GL didn't change, but I really don't like what they've done to the Super Family, to Superman or Supergirl or Superboy. How the JSA and the Teen Titans and the Birds of Prey were basically erased.

[Admiral_Young]

I realized the other day that I really already miss Damian's banter with Supergirl. They really had a nice relationship going between the two of them. Now Damian's not even met this new one yet. How do they reconcile that when all of Batman's continuity from the DCU is supposed to be intact? I repeat these problems the timeline has because they're essentially flaws in their logic when coming up with it. Kind of stupid.

[Allyn Gibson]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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I realized the other day that I really already miss Damian's banter with Supergirl.

I miss Damian and Steph. They had such a fun relationship.

[Derishton]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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Pandora mentions in the splash pages (from the final issue of Flashpoint) that combine the three timelines to form the New 52 that Flash has to help her "fix" the timeline, implying that something is wrong. We don't know what that was supposed to refer to yet I don't believe.

I remember that - something about rejoining what should not have been sundered? That seems at odds with what the Stranger says here. Then again, it's not necessarily either/or: the timelines were supposed to be rejoined, but something about the way Zoom initiated it caused it to go wrong.

Then again I'm anal enough to be bothered by the suggestion that the Vertigo universe was unified: until I see Skinner Sweet fight Andrew Bennett, I'm not satisfied.

[Mike Farley]

No matter what they claimed I always refused to accept the idea that DC Vertigo was a separate world in the first place. As far as I'm concerned it was always the dark underbelly of the DCU.

[JD]

Mr Light wrote:

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I'm still holding out hope that they'll just retcon the NewDCU away and go back to the old continuity Batman and GL didn't change, but I really don't like what they've done to the Super Family, to Superman or Supergirl or Superboy. How the JSA and the Teen Titans and the Birds of Prey were basically erased.

I still think the best way to do this would have been to just do the Marvel Ultimate Comics thing, and just run the New 52 as a separate line alongside the DCU comics.