Saturday, June 11, 2011

Let's Talk About... The DC Reboot!

Hey X-Maniacs, I think it's time for me to do something I really hate doing... You guys don't know how hard this is for me... *sigh* Okay, here it is... I was wrong. Yep, your humble servant, comic book malefactor and Shaman to ALL Mutantkind was wrong... I erred. What brought this on? What am I talking about? What did I do? This post from the end of May is the problem... I'll admit, when I typed my So Long to DC post, I was angry and did something that's never that smart a move... I posted my reaction to the DC reboot before ANY real information came out. All I saw was, “DC rebooting entire company, all issues starting over at #1, All Hail Saint Barry Allen” and naturally was incensed. But then DC started to release their new books in drips and drabs, and I've got to say, when I saw some of the titles, I was intrigued. Hell, intrigued isn't the right word... Some of these books look so good I was practically doing backflips! See, THIS is why I don't have a Twitter account... Because you say something on the spur of the moment like I did last week, and then you can't take it back!

So now that I'm interested in the DC reboot, I figured it was time for a nice long post on the subject. And here we are. I headed over to the DC blog and went through it, typing down the new comics as well as who'd be writing each one. What I'll do for this post is list each book, and then give it one of three marks... Yes, which means I'll be adding this comic to my pull list, Maybe, which means I'll pick up the first issue, and No, which means there's NO way in HELL I'll be getting it. I'll also give a short reason as to why I made each decision... At the end of it all I'll throw in a few closing thoughts, and we'll call it a wrap. Okay, let's get this show on the road!

1) Justice League #1: Geoff Johns. NO! If I see Chairman Johns name on the cover, there's NO way I'm picking it up. Plain and simple.

2) Wonder Woman #1: Brian Azzarello. Maybe. I've stuck with Wonder Woman through one of her worst storylines EVER(The Odyssey stuff), I'll at least give this series a shot.

3) Aquaman #1: Geoff Johns. No. Yeah, the Chairman Johns rule applies here...

4) Flash #1: Francis Manapul. No. If this was Wally West in the Flash costume, I'd be picking this up no matter WHO was writing it. But I'm sure it's Saint Barry, so no deal.

5) Fury of Firestorm #1: Gail Simone & Ethan Van Sciver. No. Meh. I didn't care for Firestorm in Brightest Day, why would I pick this up?

6) Savage Hawkman #1: Tony Daniel. No. I've hated Daniel's Batman work, so there's no way I'd be picking THIS one up!

7) Green Arrow #1: JT Krul. Maybe. That's a very shaky maybe actually. I'm really on the fence with this one. I think the Oliver Queen character has run it's course, and I'm actually a fan of Ollie! It's way past time for a new GA(Connor Hawke anyone?).

8) Justice League International #1: Dan Jurgens. No. Since it'll probably be tied closely to Chairman Johns' Justice League title, I'm not interested.

9) Mister Terrific #1: Eric Wallace. No. Wow, Mr. Terrific has his own series... That's... unexpected...

10) Captain Atom #1: JT Krul. No. Wow, Capt. Atom has his own series?! That's just plain bizarre!

11) DC Universe Presents #1: Various. No. I'm not really interested in reading about a mess of c-list characters who weren't good enough to score their own books.

12) Green Lantern #1: Geoff Johns. No. As with the others, the Chairman Johns rule is in effect here.

13) Green Lantern Corps #1: Peter Tomasi. No/Maybe... I'm totally conflicted about this one... On one hand I'm sick and tired of Guy Gardner's stale act, but on the other hand I've always been a fan of John Stewart... This might be a spur of the moment pick up at the comic shop...

14) Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1: Tony Bedard. Yes. It's written by Tony Bedard, one of the few writers left in DC I still like, and it stars Kyle Rayner. The premise sounds terrible, but with Bedard and Kyle, I HAVE to buy it...

15) Red Lanterns #1: Peter Milligan. No. It just sounds too one dimensional to me. I've never thought any of the Red Lantern characters were interesting enough to carry an entire series.

16) Batman #1: Scott Snyder. Yes. It's Batman. 'Nuff said.

17) Detective Comics #1: Tony Daniel. Yes... I hate Daniel's writing, but it's Detective Comics... I can't rationalize NOT buying it...

18) Batman & Robin #1: Peter Tomasi. Yes. It's Batman. AND Damian! So yeah, this is a definite buy for me.

19) Batman: The Dark Knight #1: David Finch. Yes. With Finch writing and doing the art, I don't expect this to actually be on time, but it'll be on my pull list.

20) Batwoman #1: JH Williams III. No. I still haven't read the Batwoman stories that ran in Detective a while back, so it makes no sense picking this up.

21) Batgirl #1: Gail Simone. No. If this was Stephanie Brown in the Batgirl role, then it's an EASY yes. But I refuse to buy this comic with Barbara Gordon in the lead. I HATE the idea that Babs isn't going to be Oracle anymore...

22) Catwoman #1: Judd Winick. Yes. If it was any other writer, this would be a firm maybe. But I trust Winick enough to add this one right to my pull list.

23) Birds of Prey #1: Duane Swiercynski. No. Sorry, but not even Black Canary is enough to get me to give this one a try.

24) Nightwing #1: Kyle Higgins. Yes. It's Dick Grayson. Of course I'm getting it.

25) Red Hood and the Outlaws #1: Scott Lobdell. YES!! THIS is the comic that made me realize I couldn't leave DC! Jason Todd AND Roy Harper? On a team together?! That's pretty much a dream come true for me!

26) Batwing #1: Judd Winick. No. I may really enjoy Winick's writing, but even I have my limits...

27) Voodoo #1: Ron Marz. Yes. My sister is recommending this one to me, and I ALWAYS listen to her recommendations.

28) I, Vampire #1: Josh Fialkov. No/Maybe. I don't really WANT to buy this one, but if I hear enough good things about it, I COULD be swayed.

29) Resurrection Man #1: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. No. I love Abnett and Lanning, but this series looks really bad...

30) Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #1: Jeff Lemire. No. What the hell was DC thinking with THIS title?!?

31) Demon Knights #1: Paul Cornell. No. If this series was set in the present, maybe. But set in the Middle Ages? Nope.

32) Animal Man #1: Jeff Lemire. No. Sorry, I've never been a fan of Animal Man, and I don't expect to become one now.

33) Justice League Dark #1: Peter Milligan. Yes. John Constantine's on the team? Count me in!

34) Swamp Thing #1: Scott Snyder. No. After the whole Brightest Day fiasco, I never want to see Swamp Thing again...

35) Hawk & Dove #1: Sterling Gates. NO! First of all, it's about Hawk and Dove... Add the fact that Rob Liefeld is drawing it(or trying to draw it...), and this just has EPIC FAIL written ALL over it!!!

36) Static Shock #1: John Rozum & Scott McDaniel. Maybe. Eh, I'll at least give this one a chance.

37) Teen Titans #1: Scott Lobdell. Yes. Tim Drake, Bart Allen and Superboy? Of COURSE I'm there!

38) Legion of Superheroes #1: Paul Levitz. No. After the way DC treated the Threeboot Legion, I'm not getting attached to any Legion ever again...

39) Legion Lost #1: Fabian Nicieza. No. Same reasons as with the Legion of Superheroes series apply here.

40) OMAC #1: Dan Didio. NO!!! My god, I'll NEVER read anything written by Didio! Horrible...

41) Grifter #1: Nathan Edmondson. Yes. This is another book recommended by my sister.

42) Deathstroke #1: Kyle Higgins. Maybe. I'll give this one a shot...

43) All-Star Western #1: Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. No. Don't care about western stories. Never did.

44) Men of War #1: Ivan Brandon. No. Meh.

45) Blackhawks #1: Mike Costa. No. Once again, meh.

46) Stormwatch #1: Paul Cornell. Yes. Yet again, my sister recommended this one, so I'll be getting it.

47) Suicide Squad #1: Adam Glass. Maybe. I'll give this series one chance. If the first issue is decent, I'm on board. If not, adios!

48) Blue Beetle #1: Tony Bedard. No! I can't believe they're going to let Barbara Gordon walk again, but not bring back Ted Kord... I'll never read a Blue Beetle comic starring the horribly annoying Jaime Reyes.

49) Superboy #1: Scott Lobdell. Yes. What can I say, I've always been a fan of Superboy. Although I see DC is testing me with this weird, “Robot Superboy” stuff I've been seeing...

50) Supergirl #1: Michael Green and Mike Johnson. Maybe. The writers of this series are the only reason I'm giving this series a shot, because that Supergirl costume looks flat out awful...

51) Superman #1: George Perez. Yes. It's Superman... How couldn't I buy it?

52) Action Comics #1: Grant Morrison. Yes. Once again, it's Superman, but this time it's written by Grant Morrison... That means it'll either be great, or a train wreck of epic proportions... Either way, I'm there!

There we go. All 52 DC series, as well as my insignificant thoughts on each title. So all in all I'll be collecting 16 of these comics, and giving 8 a try... So that means I plan on picking up 24 of these comics... Jeez, that's almost half of the 52 right there... That's pretty bad for somebody who swore off DC a little over a week ago. There you have it X-Maniacs, the end of my gala DC post. If you feel like sharing, let me know which of these titles you're most looking forward to/plan on buying. Until next time, X out.

11 comments:

  1. Hurray! Glad you're still with DC dude. They're not that bad really.

    I'm not getting Savage Hawkman for the same reason as you, I'm not a big fan of Tony Daniel. His Batman stuff seems very run-of-the-mill, especially when compared to Morrison and Snyder's stuff.

    I wonder what happened to James Robinson on Hawkman? I would have checked that out.

    You'll have to let us know what the Green Arrow and Nightwing issues are like, I'm curious about them.

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  2. glad man :)
    im firmly geting batwoman
    and im gonna try to get red hood and the outlaws and suicide squad
    and like u batman dark knight due to david finch
    demon knights ill take a look at i know very little of the character but the cover looks insanly badass
    and a very thin mabye on teen titans just cus the new wonder girl intrest me
    looking at this whole revamp list im very concerned with what there gonna go with power girl and zatanna who both have series going and if they erase power girl out of history i will be fucking pissed cus theres been no mention of ether of thease charactersin the revamp info
    what do u thank on this matter do u care?

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  3. ohh lol sorry but i love the new super girl outfit
    after what u said i looked over it trying to find something bad about it and i couldnt lol
    what about it really strucck such a cord for u

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  4. X, I think we ALL were so upset with this news were rebelled against it. I mean who likes change? Not many people, I certainly don't, lol.

    And once I thought about it, I said to myself (JT as well) I'll wait until more information comes out before I get all "Hell nah I'm not reading that ish" lol. And After all the debris of this shaking news, I'm interested in quite a few of these comics.

    And I'm going to look at this in a more positive light and say, it gives me a chance to start at the beginning. One reason I couldn't get into Batman and Superman was the intimidating issue number. I mean, I just imagined picking up a issue....and being completely lost if they made references to previous issues. So DC is taking it back to the basics, the beginning and I kind of like that. I can actually start a collection from the beginning! Which also means I'll be having comic book savings account started soon lol.

    I'm glad to see that you're giving it a chance as well. ^_^

    Oh And I didn't see if you were interested in that "Batwing: Egyptian Batman" comic.

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  5. Lol, make that "African Batman" Not Egyptian lol.

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  6. I'm REALLY curious about the lack of James Robinson too, Paul... Not only was he dropped from Hawkman, which I thought he was going to write, his name is on nothing else... I mean there are tons of writers I've never heard of, but no Robinson. That's quite odd. And no problem on GA and Nightwing. GA I'm still not sure about, but I'll at least get the first issue, but I'm really looking forward to Nightwing.

    I'm mildly curious about that Demon Knights series, Movieartman, but the setting is a real turn off for me. If it was set in the present day, I'd be there, but set in the Middle Ages? Meh. As for Power Girl, I've got to say, it doesn't look good for her... There's no mention of her anywhere, she doesn't have her own series. There's also no mention of a Justice Society, so maybe she'll end up there in the end. As for SG, Those boots(what's up with the exposed knees?!) and that ridiculous collar are my main gripes... I mean those boots just make no sense...

    Yeah, I had my one or two day hissy fit about DC, Lisha. But now I'm back on board. About the whole, "good jumping on point" thing... I'm not so sure that's gonna be the case. From the few interviews I've read, especially about the Bat-books, everything that's happening now is gonna be explained in the new issues. Babs walking again, Dick becoming Nightwing again, the Batman Inc stuff, it all gets explained. So it seems more like what they did with One Year Later a few years back(at least with the Bat-books). Some characters seem like they're being totally rebooted, but the Bat-books look like they're just getting reset. I wouldn't be fooled by the #1. There's still gonna be tons of back story to get into. As for that Batwing title, that one's on my no list... It just doesn't seem like a title that would be really interesting to read, you know?

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  7. Great post dude, I was thinking of doing one like this, but something came up. Lol, anyway, you and Paul did a great job covering it.

    I don't understand why Hai-Me got a series, and Frankenstein, Resurrection Man, Hawk and Dove, Captain Atom and others but no Power Girl, Booster Gold, Batman Beyond (?) and we still haven't seen people like the new Aqualad or Ravager, Stephanie Brown or Cassandra Cain (Who JUST CAME BACK) show up....

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  8. Damn those "#1" mix ups!! Lol, they had me fooled. But as long as I get some type of run down of what I'm missing, I think I'll be satisfied.


    I MAY give the Batwing a chance, or wait for the reviews to roll around. I know by the time the issues start rolling, I need to figure out which comics I'll be definitely interested in. Lol. It's going to take weeks lol.

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  9. This was a fantastic post, X! I hadn't bothered to do much reading up on all of these new series, so having all of this info in one place was extremely helpful. I kind of like the idea of this reboot, since it means I could potentially (finally) jump into the current DCU without having much back-reading to do. I'm kind of curious as to how well Morrison's Bat-run will end in the midst of all this, but I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with Superman.

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  10. Something ALWAYS comes up with you, JT! :D Great points, especially on the two Batgirls... Seriously, we get Babs, who already had a nice, solid spot in the DCU suddenly becoming Batgirl again, while BOTH Steph(my personal favorite) and Cassandra(who has plenty of fans) get shafted?! Idiotic.

    You know, if you do pick up Batwing, Lisha, I'd be REALLY interested in hearing your thoughts on it... If I were to hear good things from you, I could definitely be swayed to picking it up!

    Thanks, Marc. It took some time sifting through the DC Blog to get the info for the post, but actually typing it all out helped me figure out which books I'd be getting... And which ones I'd be ignoring. As for the Morrison stuff, I don't think it's actually ending... They've already announced that Batman Inc would be picking back up in 2012(with ANOTHER #1), and it sounds like all of the Bat books are STILL in the current continuity, which means back-reading might still be in order! It's still early, and they haven't released all the info, but from what I've read, it sounds like some series will be totally retooled, some will be slightly reset, and others will simply continue on, just with new numbering... I have NO idea how they're gonna get all of that to meld...

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  11. Really looking forward to that Rags art!

    Here's goo d review - http://ingenre.com/2011/06/men-in-tights-reviews-barbarian-2/

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