Comics

I've been meaning to get around to a post about 2011 and comic books, but it's something that I just haven't found the time for.  Today I'm taking a little time, mostly because there was the first big announcement (for me, at least) of 2012 and it ties into 2011.  DC Comics announced their first batch of new titles since revamping their entire line back in September.  There are six new titles coming out later this year and here are the details.

DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 “Second Wave” includes:

• BATMAN INCORPORATED – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.

• EARTH 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.

• WORLDS’ FINEST – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.

• DIAL H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.

• G.I. COMBAT – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.

• THE RAVAGERS – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.

I mostly like the looks of these new titles.  Mostly.  Just from the news that broke today, I will most likely buy Earth 2, World's Finest and Dial H as monthly titles.  G.I. Combat and Batman, Inc are two that I will probably wait for the trades.  The Ravagers is a title that I'm really not looking forward to at all.  I'm going to get the first issue and decide after that.  But it's tied into two books I can't really stand, so I'm probably going to avoid it.  These six books are replacing six other titles that are being cancelled.  Six titles I don't read.

When DC Comics announced it was cancelling it's entire line and relaunching it, I can't say that I was all that excited.  In fact, I was pretty upset.  It felt like a big ol' FUCK YOU to me as a longtime fan.  The way they tried to sell the pitch didn't sound all that appealing to me as a long time fan.  But I tried having an open mind about it. I picked up all 52 first issues.  Overall, I wasn't very impressed.  Some books I downright hated.  Some I enjoyed, but more than half I was pretty indifferent about.  Since I order my books three months in advance, I had to decide the series I wanted to follow before seeing the first issues.  I don't think I did too bad picking out the books to read monthy.  Most of what I picked had the smallest changes in content.  Some Batman books, the Legion books, the Green Lantern books....  Of the books I'm following monthly, I'm about to drop StormWatch (great concept, poor execution) and Red Lanterns (a book I was psyched for, but nothing is happening).  I should drop Justice League, but I need to get into the second arc first.

I think DC did one thing right before relaunching their entire line.  They ran this huge event called Flashpoint.  It was a main mini-series with 8,000 tie ins.  The tie ins, for the most part, were some of the worst shit I've read in my life.  Just god awful.  So anything they put out after that concluded was bound to look new, fun, fresh and entertaining, right?  

My current pull list is probably the smallest it's ever been in my thirty plus years of reading comics.  Right now I'm getting:

Aquaman

Batgirl 

Batman 

Batwoman

Detective Comics

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE

Green Lantern

Green Lantern Corps

Green Lantern: New Guardians

Justice League

Justice League Dark

Legion Lost

Legion Of Super-Heroes

Red Lanterns

Savage Hawkman

Shade

StormWatch

The books highlighted in red are the books that are either being dropped with my next order or are dangerously close to going away.  I'm reading some other stuff in trade only and will start some of the other New 52 soon (like Wonder Woman, Batwing, I, Vampire, Demon Knights and Justice League International.)