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

[Hound of UIster]

Ivan Reis is leaving the Aquaman book.

He isn't capable of doing two books a month.

Johnston has said Johns is following Reis which is a real pity.

 

[Icemizer]

Back to the lame guy that talks with fish. Should be cancelled within a year after the change.

 

[Derishton]

Maybe at some point they'll DO something with Cyborg. He just sorta stands around... It's a lousy book.

It seems to clear to me that Cyborg is in the JLA for a single reason, to provide an organic (narratively and literally) with Darkseid's Apokolips in the first arc. Johns has done nothing else with him at all. It was one decent idea with no follow-up.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The article states that "Aquaman" will be "front and centre". It doesn't say anything about Johns and Reis leaving the book...that may obviously happen in time, but not immediately at least.

 

[the G-man]

I see the latest creator tapped to bring a fresh new voice to the DCU is...Tom DeFalco.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Batgirl #0: I actually really enjoyed this book. Enjoyed Babs New 52 origin more than I thought I would, and we get James Gordon Jr teases as well. Dug Barbara's "original" costume design as well. The attack on her from "Harry X" kind of reminds me of the attack on here in Batman: Earth One. Not exactly the same thing but similar. Art was terrific as I remembered as well. I might give this book another shot.

Batman and Robin #0: This was really Damian's origin. When we're introduced to him in Morrison's run, he gives us really the basic stuff we need to understand about him. This goes into the training and conditioning techniques that Talia used and his upbringing with her and ties very nicely into Batman Incorporated. Really didn't care for the art though as usual.

 

[Dark Gilligan]

Also in Batgirl #0, we get the first official image of Dick Grasyon as Robin in his "new" original costume.

 

[Hound of UIster]

I see the latest creator tapped to bring a fresh new voice to the DCU is...Tom DeFalco.

Looks like they are trying to get their hooks into the batbooks.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I see the latest creator tapped to bring a fresh new voice to the DCU is...Tom DeFalco.

Looks like they are trying to get their hooks into the batbooks.

Not sure what the big deal is. DeFalco's been writing for the New52 for several months. The Nightwing gig amounts to a fill in. He developed the plot with the editors of the book. How is that getting their hooks in? Who is "they" anyway?

The New52 has used of blend of old and new writers since the beginning. Morrison, Johns, Winick and Simone are hardly fresh new voices either.

 

[Hound of UIster]

I'm talking about the clique of 90s Marvel writers brought in by Harras. He is putting them in a lot of places where they don't belong. It really should be more indie, vertigo and current image writers with some pre-reboot dc writers, but Harras is putting his people all over the place and they really aren't very good. The replacement of Winnick on Catwoman by Nocenti and Lobdell on Red Hood and an attempt to give DeFalco a trial run of Nightwing, it just screams power grab.

 

[dru]

Personally, I love decompression. I've recently been reading a bunch of older comics from Marvel and DC, and none of them are able to make anything seem nearly as epic or involved as it should be.

The Dark Phoenix saga wasn't epic?

Epic doesn't mean dragged out by endless minutia and talking heads. It means portraying heroic deeds, in grand scale. There's nothing epic or heroic about stiff figured, drawn like life models in Halloween costumes, standing or sitting around.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm talking about the clique of 90s Marvel writers brought in by Harras. He is putting them in a lot of places where they don't belong. It really should be more indie, vertigo and current image writers with some pre-reboot dc writers, but Harras is putting his people all over the place and they really aren't very good. The replacement of Winnick on Catwoman by Nocenti and Lobdell on Red Hood and an attempt to give DeFalco a trial run of Nightwing, it just screams power grab.

And we know that it was Harras who got DeFalco the gig, how? Harras is already the EIC, who is he grabbing power from? The Batgroup editors already work for him!!!!!

If exMarvel writers can get the job done, then why not hire them?

 

[JoeZhang]

If getting the job done means "really bland" - then yes, he gets the job done.

 

[Hound of UIster]

I'm talking about the clique of 90s Marvel writers brought in by Harras. He is putting them in a lot of places where they don't belong. It really should be more indie, vertigo and current image writers with some pre-reboot dc writers, but Harras is putting his people all over the place and they really aren't very good. The replacement of Winnick on Catwoman by Nocenti and Lobdell on Red Hood and an attempt to give DeFalco a trial run of Nightwing, it just screams power grab.

And we know that it was Harras who got DeFalco the gig,
how?

DeFalco, Nocenti, Mackie and Lobdell were all Harras's writers during the era that he was in charge of Marvel. You could believe they were all suddenly hired individually by DC despite many of them being out of comics for awhile or you could believe they were hired when Bob Harras was suddenly made EiC.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I'm talking about the clique of 90s Marvel writers brought in by Harras. He is putting them in a lot of places where they don't belong. It really should be more indie, vertigo and current image writers with some pre-reboot dc writers, but Harras is putting his people all over the place and they really aren't very good. The replacement of Winnick on Catwoman by Nocenti and Lobdell on Red Hood and an attempt to give DeFalco a trial run of Nightwing, it just screams power grab.

And we know that it was Harras who got DeFalco the gig,
how?

DeFalco, Nocenti, Mackie and Lobdell were all Harras's writers during the era that he was in charge of Marvel. You could believe they were all suddenly hired individually by DC despite many of them being out of comics for awhile or you could believe they were hired when Bob Harras was suddenly made EiC.

There is no doubt Harras hired people he's worked with before. Not an usual practice. My comment was about the Nightwing fill in in particular, though.

 

[Trekker4747]

Batgirl: Fantastic book with some really fantastic art this month. Really loved the "past versions" of Babs' costume and, lord, this chick is a stunner. Interesting look at her character and tied with "Batman #0" in how she became Batgirl, including Batman giving her a "Nice..." response to her actions. Liked the ending with it tying in with "The Killling Joke."

Batman: This book continues to impress, good take on the rise of Bruce Wayne/Batman and personally where I think this book should have been with issue #1. The main story with the Red Hood group was good but ended abruptly (I wonder when it will be followed up on? With next year's "Issue 0" ("Issue 0.5?.) The second story giving "lip service" to the various Robins was okay but the best part of it was it tying into "Batgirl" showing Barbra's beginning interests in Batman.

 

[ElScoob]

Mixed feelings on the zero issues so far. They seem to be almost raising more questions than they answer. Despite some early rumblings to the contrary, it's clear that there's just no coherent continuity in mind. That's not necessarily a deal breaker--in truth I value a good story over slavish continuity any day-- but there's a bit of recovering continuity junkie in me that misses the Way Things Were. I liked that, pre-new 52, things had gotten to the point that you could still manage to fit a lot of old Silver Age stories into things. All such bets are off now, tho, it seems...

I've liked the Bat-zero issues so far, tho I don't like trying to fit four Robins into five years. I much preferred the early New 52 whispers that Batman's career may have stretched back a bit further than the magic Five Years. That's clearly been abandoned, though... And I'm still really confused as to how Damien works now if Bruce hasn't been Batman for much more than five years....

A bit disappointed with Legion Lost and Green Lantern Corps 0. Timber Wolf's origin has been revamped pretty wholesale, tho I suppose it still sort of works. Ditto Guy Gardner. His backstory was a little convoluted, and streamlining it works well enough... But it raises questions. So the Guardians had a two Lantern per sector deal back in 'year one'? Fine. Did Abin Sur have a partner? Did his/her death result in the ring seeking out Guy? If not, what did prompt a ring to go find him just then? And how does John fit into things now? Originally Guy was an alternate and John was tapped when Guy was incapacitated...

So confusing. I had hoped the zero issues would clear things up more...

--g

 

[Nerys Myk]

I assume Talia did the old rapid aging thing on Damien.

Good question about Abin's partner. One I never thought of and wonder if the editors and writers have. Then the whole police department set grafted on the Corps usually has me scratching my head. Especially GLs who function as some other than a sector patrolman. How do they find the time to patrol if they are the drill instructor, Keeper of the Book of Oa or Prison Warden?

 

[Admiral_Young]

Yes Damian was shown as being in a vat...and Talia is seen taking him as a baby as what can only be assumed to be a Lazarus Pit. We pretty much already knew this, the zero issue though was the first time we were shown it (not the vat part, but the Lazarus Pit).

Eddy Barrows might be Ivan Reis's replacement as "Aquaman" artist and the speculation begins as to who the writer will be.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2012/09/13/is-eddy-barrows-the-new-artist-on-aquaman/

Also Trekker, I doubt there will be any zero issues next year, unless sales on these were huge, the reason DC gave for having them was that they were supposed to mark the one year anniversary of the relaunch, which is why they've all been published in Sep. The continued in 2013 was most likely a reference to the "Death of the Family" story arc that is starting next month and that will go through until next year.


Batman #0: Loved this issue. It seems to me that DC is really influenced by Nolan's trilogy. Bruce's reluctance to move back into the mansion right away and instead making his base of operations in a brownstone close to Crime Alley where his parents died makes a lot of sense. His relationship with Alfred has yet to formulate and develop into what it is in the present time. They're not quite on the same page about his mission, again reminding me of the Nolan verison of Alfred. The Red Hood Gang is the most interesting aspect of this story to me. The back up story reveals that Jason Todd was a member of the gang who left. I'm guessing that the leader of the gang is the original Red Hood, which of course is the Joker prior to his dis-figuration. We get to see Dick, Tim, and Jason briefly prior to the incidents that caused them to meet Bruce and become Robin's. The artwork was fantastic and the backup story and how Jim Gordon intended on using the Bat Signal was fantastic. He intends on using it as inspiration and hope. Obviously we know it inspires Babs and yes as Trekker mentioned, it ties in nicely with "Batgirl #0".

 

[ElScoob]

Yes Damian was shown as being in a vat...and Talia is seen taking him as a baby as what can only be assumed to be a Lazarus Pit. We pretty much already knew this, the zero issue though was the first time we were shown it (not the vat part, but the Lazarus Pit).

Fair enough... On the other hand, how many birthday battles were we shown?

--g