We're now 2 months into the reboot of the DC Universe, so I thought I'd finally get around to reviewing what I've read to this point. Your actual mileage may vary.
Justice League: The story starts in the middle of the action, which is not always the best way to go about hooking your readers. What we do know is that the current era of superheroes has been retconned to the point where it supposedly started five years ago. Hello, McFly! Who are they trying to kid?
In fairness, my brother suspects that this may be fallout from the Flashpoint miniseries, and, as I speculated to him over the weekend, it may be leading up to another mega-crossover event next year. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised, but that, in truth, is the last thing DC should be doing right now. Why establish a "new" universe when all you're going to do is tear it down in the end?
Artistically, I don't have a problem. Jim Lee is no stranger to drawing Batman, of course, but tying the reincarnated League's "origin" to the late Jack Kirby's classic villain, Darkseid, is stretching things just a tad. Writer Geoff Johns is going to have to convince me in the next 4 issues if this is a keeper.
Ratings:
Art: A-.
Script: B.
Overall: B+.
Batgirl: Save for a 1-shot special in 1987, Barbara Gordon never headlined her own book as Batgirl. That's the sole selling point to this series, really, and ace writer Gail Simone has created a brand new villain to set up a psychological thriller to start the series. By the end of issue 2, Batgirl has already deduced the identity of the villain, Mirror, but the game's not over yet. The events of The Killing Joke are still part of the canon, but it supposedly happened 3 years ago, not 23. And you thought "Marvel Time" was slow?
Ratings:
Art: B-.
Script: A+.
Overall: A-.
Men of War: Meet this generation's Sgt. Rock. Joseph Rock, when we meet him in issue 1, is just a corporal, but somewhere along the way to issue 2, is promoted to Sergeant, just like his famous grandfather. I like the artwork by Tom Derenick, but I'm not on board with where they're going with the series beginning in issue 2. The Navy SEALS backup, drawn by Phil Winslade, is more grounded and realistic. I feel as though Rock will be spun into his own book in due course, and that will give this feature some room to breathe.
Art: A-.
Script: B.
Overall: B.
The above rating encompasses the two features.
Demon Knights: Who'd ever think that Etrigan, the Demon, who marks his 40th anniversary next year, could fall in love? Well, he has, at least in medevial times, and his soulmate is that period's incarnation of Madame Xanadu, who in the modern era had a brief dalliance with the Spectre several years ago. Etrigan's human host, Jason Blood, also has the hots for Xanadu, but she's only interested in his yellow-skinned alter-ego. Sound familiar? Grant Morrison's gender-flipped retcon of the Shining Knight is here, too, and I shan't be surprised at all if Etrigan eventually gets her out of her chain mail down the line. He coming across as more randy than ever, and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. I like the artwork, but the Etrigan/Xanadu/Jason triangle sounds way too much like a ripoff of the whole Superman-Lois Lane-Clark Kent deal from eons ago, but also as a means of luring the fans of the "Twilight" franchise into a different division of the horror genre.
Art: A-.
Script: B.
Overall: B.
All-Star Western: 40 years ago, Jonah Hex made his debut in the original incarnation of this series, which later had its title changed to Weird Western, which soldiered on after Hex was spun off into his own book, ending in 1980 (Hex's 1st solo series lasted until the mid-80's). Now, co-authors Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti have sent Jonah to 19th century Gotham City, where he teams with a psychologist to track a serial killer and in the process, uncovers a secret society among the wealthy and well-to-do. Moritat captures Hex perfectly. In issue 2, another alum of the 70's All-Star Western, El Diablo, returns, also written by Gray & Palmiotti, with Jordi Bernet, a student of comics & cartoon legend Alex Toth, handling the art, in the backup feature. Worth every penny.
Art: A+.
Script: A+.
Overall: A+.
I, Vampire: 31 years ago, readers of the original House of Mystery were introduced to Andrew Bennett and his estranged lover-turned-archfoe, Mary, Queen of Blood, and over the next three years, readers were treated to a sprawling, terrifying serial that eventually moved from the back pages to being the lead feature. The solicitations for this new series had changed Andrew's surname to Stanton, but wiser heads ultimately prevailed. Mary is now a scantily clad vampire temptress trying to lure Andrew back to her side, but that ain't happening. In the original series (to be collected in trade paperback in January), Bennett eventually gained a mortal girlfriend, but it's too soon to tell if history will repeat itself. The artwork suggests the influence of Mike Mignola (Hellboy), but the atmosphere is appropriate.
Art: A.
Script: B.
Overall: B+.
Having seen the first two issues of the current Catwoman series, perhaps I shouldn't be too shocked by what writer Judd Winick (ex-The Real World) has concocted, taking Batman & Catwoman's relationship to a more graphically erotic level, but this quick? I guess it's meant to get people talking, and that's worked. By the same token, ex-Teen Titan Starfire, starring in Red Hood & the Outlaws, is no longer the naive space tart who fell in love with Robin almost immediately upon arriving on Earth 31 years ago. Now, she's just a tart. Period. Not good, especially for fans of the 80's Titans. I've only read about it, but being a long-time, old school fan, there's something aesthetically wrong in my view. Catwoman went for the jugular with its intended target audience right away, but I think perhaps a little too soon. I'd have saved the foreplay for sometime around issue 6, which, appropriately, falls around Valentine's Day, at which point things would've been a little more established.
It goes back to what I said earlier about the whole concept. Flashpoint started the ball rolling, and the way DC has it set up, they're building to another event in 2012 that will strain the readers' wallets and imaginations. If I were Dan DiDio, I'd wait at least two years to allow the "new universe" to be fully formed and established before attempting another mega-event. But, hey, I'm not a hard-core collector anymore, so, in the eyes of DiDio and the Time Warner beancounters, what do I know? Pilgrims, you don't wanna know.
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