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

[Admiral_Young]

It's Morrison, so it would still be awesome! I have read that "Batman Incorporated"is supposed to be "really out there" and include some sci-fi concepts. For some reason I wouldn't be surprised if Bat Mite showed up. I loved how he was used in Batman, RIP.

[Broccoli]

^ Its all misdirection.

[nvek86]

At DC's blog there's a preview for "Batman Inc.":

http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2012/01...-incorporated/

Why would anybody call that out there?

[Broccoli]

It is like Grant Morrison wrote a mundane version of my life.

[Mike Farley]

Professor Zoom wrote:

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I don't mind that it happened. Bats needed to do something to gain Hal's trust. It's Hal's reaction that pops the bubble and makes the whole moment a so what. I'm sure the intent was for a moment of humor, but it fell flat.

I don't mind the unmasking. I was fine with Hal's reaction. What annoyed me was that at the end of the scene Batman runs off to rescue Superman WITHOUT PUTTING HIS COWL BACK ON! Stupid Bruce.

[OdoWanKenobi]

I guess I'm going to join the chorus of people saying that Bruce unmasking like that makes absolutely no god damn sense whatsoever. I think the only reasons I'm still reading Justice League are because 1. It's Justice League 2. It's such a train wreck, I can't look away.

[shivkala]

Admiral_Young wrote:

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The event is actually called The Night of Owls which of course deals with the Court of Owls. It's Scott Synder who hasn't disappointed yet. I can't speak for the rest of the Bat-Family books but this will be focused in "Batman" and spread out to the rest.

Yes, but Grant Morrison and Paul Dini teamed up a few years back for "The Return of Ras al Ghul," which was, at best, a boring, poorly written storyline. Separately, Morrison's Batman and Dini's Detective Comics were so damned fine Batman stories. Combined, it wasn't really pretty.

I'm not saying that "The Night of Owls" will suck, but sometimes, events tend to take two or more good things and mix them together to create something fairly crappy.

[Admiral_Young]

It was actually called the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul and I happened to like it. I seem to be the only one though. Most others who have posted about it don't for whatever reason. Some have argued that Morrison was ignoring what the other writers were doing and that there was no cohesion.

I have faith that under Snyder's direction the event will be interesting and successful...it's writers like Daniel and Finch/Jenkins that will hurt this thing if anything.

[shivkala]

I just think it was an example of two great things coming together to create something that's just not that great. Part of it is that it interrupted the Morrison's storyline, it just seemed so abrupt.

Anyway, Geoff Johns was interviewed about the "Curse of Shazam" back-ups on Newsarama.

But legal challenges over the "Marvel" name in more recent years have meant the character wasn't utilized as much by DC as some of their other properties. And all Captain Marvel comics were legally required to be titled "Shazam" on their covers.

Nrama: Are you calling him Shazam now? Have you gotten rid of "Captain Marvel?"

Johns: Yeah, we're going to call him Shazam.

Nrama: Why the change?

Johns: Well, there are a lot of reasons for the change. One is that everybody thinks he's called Shazam already, outside of comics. It's also, for all sorts of reasons, calling him Shazam just made sense for us. And, you know, every comic book he's in right now has Shazam on the cover. So I think just by embracing that and calling him Shazam.

And you'll see it actually make sense in story, why he's called Shazam rather than Captain Marvel. That's just what he's going to be called for us from now on.

So, is it going to be a Captain Marvel, Jr. thing where he can't say his name or else he'll lose his powers?

[Captain Craig]

I dislike abandoning Captain Marvel within the comics. I fully get the "outside comics" people think of his as Shazam and using in that in mass commercial means but abandoning Captain Marvel within the pages disappoints me.

[Kirby]

I can't hear the word 'Shazam' without Gomer Pyle's voice in my head.

[Praetor_Shinzon]

redesigning the costume and changing his name seems a bit too much for me. who cares what non-comics fans think. yeah, i know, they're trying to get new readers and what not. i doubt if any kids who saw JLU, Batman: The Brave and the Bold or Superman/Shazam were confused about Captain Marvel.

[Admiral_Young]

They can't really use the Captain Marvel name due to Marvel Comics I believe. I understand the reasons for abandoning the name. Hardcore fans will know who he is though. They've had to use Shazam for ages now because of legal reasons. I hope Johns doesn't write Billy like a caricature of himself like he's doing with everyone else in Justice League. It will be interesting to read what the rest of you think of the back ups since I'm dropping the book.

[Hound of UIster]

shivkala wrote:

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Yes, but Grant Morrison and Paul Dini teamed up a few years back for "The Return of Ras al Ghul," which was, at best, a boring, poorly written storyline. Separately, Morrison's Batman and Dini's Detective Comics were so damned fine Batman stories. Combined, it wasn't really pretty.

I'm not saying that "The Night of Owls" will suck, but sometimes, events tend to take two or more good things and mix them together to create something fairly crappy.

Return of Ra's wasn't Morrison's or Dini's idea, it was Dan Didio's and he forced the idea on the pair of them. It was literally an editorial event that came out of nowhere. And it suffered even more because of Morrison being prone to change stuff at the last moment such as with the League Sensei and Ra's being father and son.

Court of Owls has its origins exclusively from Snyder's current story and it's a very natural extension of what he and Higgins were doing in the Gates of Gotham story with Gotham's past and that of its elite families.

[Praetor_Shinzon]

yes, i know DC can't use Captain Marvel on the cover of a book due to legal reasons, but hey, Power of Shazam! ran for 48 issues. doesn't seem like the name issue confused those readers.