The Final Week of the New 52!

So now we're here at the final week of new #1's from DC's New 52. It has been for the most part, a great comic book experience. Thrilling, invigorating, exciting, with of course a few ups and downs. Let's jump right in to this week's new books!

AQUAMAN #1 -This is the third book of the relaunch written by Geoff Johns and I see a big change in his writing. Johns is great at story, but in the past was short on character. Not so in his new books and AQUAMAN is no exception. Johns deftly handles subtle questions about Aquaman without the need for long storytelling. What he does in a few well-placed flashback panels, some writers need a full book to achieve. Aquaman is instantly likable, his power levels adressed, and plenty of fun poked at his expense, despite the fact that he's really a great character. The first villains (think an aquatic version of ALIEN), show up at the front and back of the story and give us an "uh-oh" feeling. What can I say about the artwork by Ivan Reis, other than it's nearly perfect? AQUAMAN may very well be a huge winner for DC.

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #1 -Yes, another Batman book, and would you have it any other way considering that Batman is DC's best loved hero? Well, maybe yes. B:TDK is not a bad book per se, but it's not great either. It repeats the formula from last week's issue of BATMAN; a break-out at Arkham Asylum with Batman hunting down villains, and a public speech by Bruce Wayne. I would've hoped that the editors would have made more of an effort to give this book its own unique voice, but there's nothing really new happening here. On the art front, this however might arguably be the best drawn Batman book. It IS David Finch after all, but I find I prefer the linework and mood of Tony Daniel in DETECTIVE COMICS. This book is superfluous in comparison.

THE FLASH #1 -First, can we drop the "THE" in the title and just make it FLASH? Hey, it's a thought, and one I'll share with two more books this week. This is a decent first issue with only a few drawbacks. First, I love the subtle alterations to Barry's costume and the way he runs into it as it wraps around him. Writer/Artist Francis Manapul has found new ways of drawing Flash's speed, even though he doesn't seem as fast as his pre-FLASHPOINT self. This just may be a writer's flaw in storytelling. A big change like SUPERMAN (see below) is that Barry Allen is no longer presented as married, but Iris West is introduced and comes across as a spitfire that you want to know more about. Like much of DC's New 52, it's a set-up issue, and this one makes Barry Allen relatable, likable and even has a bit of "old-school comic book charm."

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM, THE NUCLEAR MAN #1 -Again, this book could've just been called FIRESTORM. I don't like the pretentious silver-age Marvel-esque additions to the titles of comic books. That being said, this comic is brilliant! It's everything last week's similar CAPTAIN ATOM should have been. It's a new take of the duality of Firestorm utilizing familiar charcters Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch. There's action aplenty and I can tell where co-writer Gail Simone had the most influence (Ethan Van Sciver writes the title with Simone), because Simone can become brilliantly twisted. She's come a long way as a writer, to one of the top in her field. The potential level of danger this new version of Firestorm represents can't be understated. It's all you could want: great plot, great writing, great characterization, great art. I can't wait until the next issue to see how this plays out.

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #1 -This Kyle Rayner-centric book focuses on him and representatives of the various multi-colored Corps, established over the last couple of years in the main GREEN LANTERN book. It opens with a very fast recap of Kyle's origin and then shifts into present day. Tony Bedard gives new readers enough to jump right in and sets up a new status quo for GL Rayner, as he is about to become the recipient of every Lantern Corps ring. Kudos to Bedard for including former villain Fatality as the Star Sapphire member for this series. The book is fast paced, mostly an establishing story and exciting enough to make you want to come back. I like how all 4 of the GL books have a distinctive premise..

I, VAMPIRE #1 -Superheroes and vampires are the two most popular ideas in today's stories. YOU MUST BUY THIS BOOK! I can't say that enough! Passionately written by Joshua Fialkov and hauntingly illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino, this book is part screwed-up relationship between two vampires and part supernatural horror with the "stakes" being all of humanity. There's no "True Blood" cuteness here and no "Twilight" pining away for the lovers to be together. Turning the pages and seeing how the art handles vampiric animal transformations better than most cinematic venues, I was enthralled with every panel, every word. For those who don't know, the vampire Andrew Bennet and his love, Mary, Queen of Blood predate the other two vampire tales mentioned. I'd love to see this turned into a film. This book is also firmly set in the DC Comics superhero world as well, which means that somewhere down the road we might see some of the "Big Guns" of the Justice League. And that brings us thematically to...

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 -A supernatural version of the JL. Let's see; Madame Xanadu is taking some kind of drugs, Zatanna is supposedly unstable, Shade is creating women to be his personal playmates, John Constantine is ... well, John Constantine, and Enchantress is completly insane. How's that for a start? I'm still not sure why we need a JL Dark, but it was an intriguing first issue by Peter Milligan, although I don't know if what I read will sustain more than just a story arc. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg guest-star and it's a good thing artist Mikel Janin is taking a more humanistic approach to the art because while he draws a mean Batman, the other members of the JL proper look horrible. Not sure about this one yet...

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #1 -Okay, enough with the descriptive adjectives on the title. Why wouldn't just HAWKMAN suffice? The story will tell us whether or not there's any 'savage" in him. First, this story is written by DETECTIVE COMICS scribe Tony Daniel, so my expectations are high. Gladly I was not disapointed! Daniel crafts a story where any knowledge of Hawkman is unimportant. Carter Hall has quit being the winged hero, but the alien metal hardware that powered him has other ideas. It's a well written story and instantly accessible and I think I'm going to like this Hawkman. His brutal new look didn't sit well with me when I fist saw it, but Philip Tan's artwork has me convinced of the visuals. Carter is brooding and capable, and his alter ego of Hawkman faces his first new, truly creepy villain, and the ending makes me wonder if he has any choice at all in being Hawkman. Some heroes are chosen, but not necessarily for the best reasons.

SUPERMAN #1 -This is one long and wordy comic, filled with panels, which is what you can expect from anything partly drawn and written by comics legend George Perez. SUPERMAN has largest page count of DC's $2.99 books, coming in at 25 story pages (more on that at the end). Scriptwise, Perez crafts an exciting tale that seems fast paced and full for the page content. It had so much more modernization than recent Superman stories, yet had enough classic elements. Readers of STORMWATCH will note a connection. Jesus Merino's finished art over the Perez layout looks dynamic and I've started to really like Superman's new look, escpecially the red piping around the collar and sleeves. Clark Kent is much stronger a charcater, now being a single man again who never married, but it's Lois Lane who steals the show, proving that she's the most level headed and competent reporter in the DC universe. She is a force to be reckoned with in her new role as TV news network boss.

TEEN TITANS #1 -An incredible, really new and fresh start. Past continuity is out the window. Timothy Drake has changed, Cassandra Sandsmark has changed. Kid Flash has changed and quite frankly we're not sure about any of them. We know that Tim was Robin and is now a new version of Red Robin with a unique new status. Wonder Girl has no connection with Wonder Woman except for some similar powers and a connection (via starfield pattern) to Donna Troy's costume. Quite frankly this Wonder Girl is more interesting than the new version of Wonder Woman. Kid Flash.... is he still related to Barry Allen? Doesn't matter at this moment because there is a kinetic excitment to the book. Add in the last page, which works in perfect conjunction to the SUPERBOY comic, and we've got a winner here.

Some final thoughts on DC's new 52: We need to see Doctor Fate, Black Lightning, Night Force and other new versions of great characters. I'm hoping that as some of the new books fall, which will conceivably happen, that these characters take their rightful place. For those who've catalogued all the appearances of the mysterious woman in the hood in all the new first issues, Geoff Johns says her role will be made clear next year in JUSTICE LEAGUE, and I hope it's the case instead of another company-wide crossover event. Please DC, let the event book go on a long vacation and let these new books work on their own, and if you have to do an "event" that affects your whole universe of charcters, let it always be in the pages of the JUSTICE LEAGUE. It's what that book should be about.

Now I need someone to explain DC's new pricing policies. The new books that are priced at $2.99 have had anywhere from 20-25 story pages, while JUSTICE LEAGUE had 24 pages and had a $3.99 price tag. That makes no sense if SUPERMAN had an extra story page, but was kept at the $2.99 price point. I can understand ACTION COMICS being a bit pricier because it clocked in at 29 story pages, but really people, there's no need to charge more for books you know you are going to sell. It's bad business, which is my only real complaint about the New 52. All in all, an incredible new beginning! Onward.