DC Rebirth Reveal – Some Art And Quick Reactions

…SO, today was kinda nuts. Before I go in-depth on all of the big announcements, since I fully expect more news to come out soon enough, let’s instead take a look at some of the art revealed for the new books and a few quick notes I took for the different titles.

80 PAGES FOR $2.99?! That’s some insane dedication to the price drop!

…So wait, several of my favourite Bat Family characters, all part of a team book, and debuting in the same month as my birthday? I feel like this book is especially for me. 😀 Kinda confused by Clayface’s presence, but whatever.

Supergirl going back to a more classic costume makes sense, especially since we have her show going right now. The only thing that’s kinda weird is that we’re keeping the story arc where her father is the new Cyborg Superman. It’s just…odd.

He’s back in blue! THANK GOD! Also, the reaction to the first story arc’s title, “Better Than Batman” got just the exact reaction I was expecting. XD

Greg Rucka is coming back to Wonder Woman. This is going to be INSANE, and I REALLY can’t wait for Wonder Woman Year One, with art by Nicola Scott. Also, thank God, Wonder Woman’s back in gold. I don’t even care that it’s blatantly copied from the movies, it looks good on her. 🙂

Lex Luthor as the new Superman of Metropolis. That’s literally all you need to know to realize that’s gonna end badly. Throw in Doomsday, and I’ll be surprised if there’s anything LEFT of Metropolis by the time we hit Action Comics #1000.

Interested to see where this new story takes Batgirl, but I hope it eventually returns her to Burnside. Would hate to see everything that’s been going on with her dropped so unceremoniously.

So Hal’s going back to the Corps, while Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are having to take over on Earth. Interesting set up, and REALLY glad to see Cruz graduating to Green Lantern. 🙂

DC has a REALLY warped sense of humour, revealing that the sons of Batman and Superman will be teaming up in the same week that Batman and Superman threw down. lol

Bryan Hitch, Tony Daniel, and Fernando Pasarin have got some BIG shoes to fill with Justice League, but I like the team. Also, it seems details on JLA are being kept a secret for now.

Relax, people. It’s not THAT All-Star Batman. lol Also, I guess now we know what Snyder’s been up to. That said, gotta admit, I’m a little disappointed to see Ivy relegated back to being simply another rogue for Batman after all the work that’s been done with her as her own character.

Y’know, everybody else is talking about how Damian is on the Titans and how Wally West is still black, and all I can think of is “Thank God, Starfire’s on the Titans and NOT the Outlaws”. 😛

A mostly all-new Outlaws team with characters I don’t care much about. So, in other words, Lobdell is being kept away from anything I love. Good to know. ^_^

Whoa, whoa, whoa, lemme see if I understand this correctly: A Titans book where there’s only ONE person in red??? 😛 Also, who is that in green? Can’t be a Lantern, can it?

They really might as well have just said “We’re going with the same team as from the movie”. I mean, honestly, I don’t even really care that they’re cross-promoting, so why not just admit it?

Oh goodie, David Finch is on Batman. -_- Tom King should prove to be a good choice, though, and I’m interested to see where this goes in the aftermath of Superheavy, especially as it pertains to Duke Thomas.

Interesting set-up with Flash having to mentor not one but SEVERAL new speedsters. Also, I don’t care that Wally is still black. I just hope he’s FUN again. That’s all I’ve EVER wanted.

I’ve never been so excited and so confused for a book. So someone is posing as Oracle? Does that mean Oracle is canon again? Also, that’s clearly New 52 Helena as Huntress. So does that mean she really WAS Huntress before having to fake her death?

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’ll go more in depth soon enough, though. Lemme know your own thoughts below, and we’ll see how things pan out from now to May 25th, 2016. Ja né!

How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch? – Everyone’s Rogues Gallery

Yep, that time again, where I told about How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. This time, we’re talking villains again, but I’m doing something a little different. Basically, I’m gonna be showing who belongs in whose’s roster of villains. Now, I know that these are all pre-established villains that have been paired with superheroes before, but this would basically be me trying to shake things up and keep things fresh. So, by pairing different heroes and villains, or by bringing back older villains that were forgotten in time for one more go, it keeps things new while also experienced. On top that, I’ve found that some heroes have far too many iconic villains to try to count, *COUGH!*Batman*COUGH!*, while some heroes don’t have enough. Also, this doesn’t mean that someone on Batman’s roster would never fight Wonder Woman or anything like that, it’s just who they would generally go up against.

Superman’s Enemies

Superman’s powers make him not only arguably the world’s greatest superhero, but also one of the more adaptive. Naturally, his villains need to either be able to match his strength, be unique enough in their abilities, can combat him on an intellectual level, or have access to one of his weaknesses.
Examples: Atomic Skull, Brainiac, Doomsday, Dyna-Mind, General Zod, Lex Luthor, Magpie, Metallo, Parasite, Solomon Grundy

Batman’s Villains

Batman is the World’s Greatest Detective, has peak physical conditioning, and near endless gadgetry. Naturally, his opponents have to be the type that challenge him from an intellectual angle, or can take advantage of the simple fact that, for all those advantages, he’s still a human with no super-powers. Also, given his own issues with vengeance vs justice, his foes might likely have similar problems.
Examples: Bane, Clayface, The Joker, Killer Croc, The Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze, The Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul, The Riddler, Two-Face, Victor Zsasz

Wonder Woman’s Villains

Wonder Woman’s mission as an ambassador of her people can be considered as trying to show the world of man it can be a world of compassion, equality, and peace. So, it only makes sense that her enemies would be the types of individuals that are in direct contrast to that vision: Villains that seek to oppress, create chaos, or outright destroy. Also, Wonder Woman is no stranger to magical or Godly villains, so they would fit in as well.
Examples: Ares, Captain Nazi, Cheetah, Circe, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Poison Ivy, Trickster (New 52 Apokolips version), Veronica Cale

Cyborg’s Villains

Cyborg’s advanced tech, enhanced strength, and history with the Titans makes his choices relatively simple: The bulkier opponents of the Titans in the past, villains that can circumvent his circuitry, or other technologically advanced individuals.
Examples: Amazo, Cinderblock, Deathstroke, KGBeast, Overload, Plasmus, Prometheus, T.O. Marrow

The Flash’s Villains

As I mentioned before, I would make Wally West the Blue Lantern Flash, so his opponents would occasionally be evil Lanterns out to snuff out the Blue Light of Hope. Still, that doesn’t mean his classic enemies, The Rogues, can’t pop in from time to time. 🙂
Examples: Bleez, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Magenta, Mirror Master, Reverse Flash, Pied Piper, The Top

Green Lantern’s Villains

Naturally, Green Lantern would face other Lanterns, like the Sinestro Corps, or the Red Lantern Corps, but what about some of the classic GL foes from before the various Lantern Corps started going at it? Don’t really see many of those much anymore, huh? I think I’d wanna bring some of ’em back, but with modern takes on them to make ’em more threatening.
Examples: Atrocitus, Hector Hammond, Javelin, Krona, Larfleeze, Major Force, Puppeteer, Sinestro, Weather Wizard

Justice League’s Villains

Since the Justice League of America is made up of the greatest heroes in the world, the villains to oppose them have to either be galactic threats, foes that a single hero would need aid in defeating, or teams of villains that require an equal and opposite team of heroes to beat.
Examples: Black Hand, The Crime Syndicate, Darkseid, The Legion of Doom, Neron, Paragon, Starro the Conqueror, The White Martians

Batgirl’s Villains

As a heroine inspired by Batman and occasionally trying to earn his trust, it’s only fitting that Batgirl’s foes would be villains inspired by other villains, or just some of the villains he doesn’t always have time for. Plus, y’know, some of his female rogues, since…Okay, I know I wrote Batman kicking the new Copperhead in the face, but I wasn’t exactly all that comfortable doing it, know what I mean?
Examples: Calculator, Condiment King, Harley Quinn, Matilda, Roxy Rocket, Twiddledum and Twiddledee, The Ventriloquist (New 52 version), The White Rabbit

Teen Titans‘ Villains

Like I noted before, the Teen Titans would be going back to their roots as a response team to distress calls from teenagers, so a lot of their villains would be the types that try to corrupt the youths of the world. Also, plenty of their enemies would be enemies based out of Jump City, or foes that even the Justice League need the extra help taking on.
Examples: Billy Numerous, Doctor Light, The Fearsome Five, Goth, Harvest, The H.I.V.E., Johnny Rancid, Mister Twister, Terra

Batwoman’s Villains

Batwoman operates out of Gotham City, and is usually (in my canon, anyway) investigating the ties between secret organizations and trying to bring down mob bosses. As such, her enemies are mostly mobsters, criminal syndicates, and hired guns, usually from around Gotham.
Examples: Alice, Black Mask, Deadshot, Firefly, The Great White Shark, Intergang, The Penguin, The Religion of Crime, Rupert Thorne. The Secret Society

…Okay, I think my tags are getting a bit insanely high, so I’m gonna hafta stop there. lol Lemme know what you think, if there’s anyone I should switch around, and I’ll see ya next time! Ja né!

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How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch – The Joker, Lex Luthor, Poison Ivy, And More

Welcome back to more of How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch, and honestly, the more I do this, the more I actually feel like doing a fanfic for a DC character. Actually, I have an idea in mind for a short one that I’ll probably do on FanFiction.net (and yes, I DO have a profile on there), but again, it’ll be a short one. Regardless, let’s move on to some of the villains of the DC Universe, and who better to start with than…

The Joker

I’d wanna take him back to being the Clown Prince of Crime, the guy who, while he was still a murdering psychopath, usually did his crimes in a sophomoric fashion. So really, something closer to his Batman: The Animated Series interpretation. That said, I would also wanna include some elements of the more horrifying Joker, in that he doesn’t want to kill Batman (because he’s too damned fun), and he tells different versions of how he got to be who he is, leaving the reader to guess if he’s a liar or if he honestly can’t remember. Is he a psychotic lunatic, or is he a parody of a psychotic lunatic?

Lex Luthor

Honestly, for all the crap I give some of the Superman books nowadays, I rather like the idea of Lex Luthor being under lock and key, but still having ways of interacting with the outside world and making life miserable for Superman. Plus, it raises a few interesting questions about him. Is he really unable to escape his cell, or does he stay there for his own protection? Think about it: While he’s under arrest, it’s not as if Superman can do anything to him. That said, I would also want to reintroduce Nasthalthia ‘Nasty’ Luthor, but as someone who might have her own plans for LexCorp with Lex behind bars.

Cheetah

Again, I actually rather like what The New 52 did with Cheetah. She’s fast, powerful, and most dangerous of all, smart enough to know how, when, and where to hit the Justice League. And that’s exactly what I’d wanna continue to do with her, since we just don’t get enough solo villains who can do harm to the Justice League without seeming absurdly powerful. Also, she tests the levels of Wonder Woman‘s compassion, which lets us see just how deep it goes…and as it turns out, it goes REALLY deep, and I’m awesome with that. 🙂

Catwoman

Did anybody read the Batman and Catwoman issue of Batman and Robin recently? They did? Okay: DO MORE OF THAT! Seriously, I love the idea that she’s simultaneously a jewel thief/government agent/thorn in Batman’s side/Batman’s main love interest! Maybe it’s just because it reminds me of Rouge the Bat (which is ironic, if you think about it long enough), but it just works for me, and I think it fits Miss Kyle VERY well. She’s the very blatant cat burglar, won’t make any excuses for that, and will find herself on the wrong side of the law frequently. And yet, if someone is threatening a kid, or about to kill Batman, or blow up a city, she will whip their ass clean off.

The Red Lantern Corps

Given what I suggested for The Flash before, having the Blue Lantern Ring, it makes sense to me that, in addition to his usual cast of enemies, that members of the Red Lantern Corps would be his enemies. After all, a Blue Lantern Ring can negate a Red Lantern Ring’s corruptive effects on someone, and as a group trying to spread murderous rage across the galaxy, they would of course see The Flash as a massive threat to them. As for which one would be the primary thorn in Flash’s side, probably Bleez, to give her something to do. Of course, members would also cause trouble for whoever the main Green Lantern on Earth is…which reminds me…

…By the way, is my constant whoring out of these polls getting annoying? Yes? Good! XD

Starro the Conqueror (who apparently has no logo other than himself, lol)

For Starro the Conqueror, I’d bring him back as the first opponent the Justice League had to face. And really, can you blame me? He’s a very legit threat, able to bend anyone to his will, no matter how powerful. And frankly, there’s only a handful of ways to stop him, specifically Wonder Woman’s lasso and a Blue Lantern ring, which would give these characters major reason to band together, since they’d fall to Starro’s sway separately. It just seems like the best set-up for a Justice League story, which is probably why they did it in the first place.

Poison Ivy

For my favourite villainess of all time, I think I’d want Poison Ivy to be a Justice League/Birds of Prey villain, not just a Batman villain. Why? Think about her abilities for a moment: She can manipulate and control any and all plant life and even create plant-like monsters. Now think about how much of the world is plants of some kind or another. She’s also a master manipulator and seductress, able to bend anyone to her will, even Superman if she has her hands on Kryptonite. Suddenly, kinda makes you wonder how one man dressed like a bat can handle her all on his own. Granted, given the right circumstances, I can see him one-upping her, but for the most part, she seems like she should be way out of his league.

Anyway, that’s enough villains for now, though expect me to come back with more later. In the meantime, there’re still a few more heroes I need to talk about, aren’t there…?

…Ja né!

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What I’d Do With The New 52 – Part 06: My First 52 Titles (27 – 39)

Well, here I am again, talking about what I’d do with the New 52. I’ve already gone through the first half of the books I’d have made, though I would like to make the additional note with Catwoman to restore her knowledge of Batman’s identity as Bruce Wayne. Also, I feel the need to remind that while I obviously don’t buy every book in the New 52, I have done my homework on a lot of the books and the back-stories for the characters featured in them, mostly out of curiosity. That outta the way, let’s go over the second half, and here is probably where things get interesting…

Seriously, why in the hell isn’t there a Blue Lantern Corps book? Oh sure, we do get plenty of moments of Saint Walker being a badass, but I don’t really consider that a big enough presence. Also, something that’s been bugging me about the Corps for some time now: Why is it that the Corps with the ring that can negate the effects of the Red, Yellow, and Orange rings only has like a handful of members, not one of which are from Earth (unless you count Kyle Rayner)? I’m just saying, there are plenty of characters they could introduce as members of the Corps, or pre-existing characters who could become Blue Lanterns. Heck, I was actually thinking the other day that if Simon Baz feels repetitive to fans as a Green Lantern (possessing a lot of the same traits as the other Earth-born Lanterns), why not change it up and have him join the Blue Lantern Corps after Wrath of the First Lantern is over? As for what I’d bump out for it, probably I, Vampire. Sorry to fans of that book, but I had to pick something.

And speaking of blue, Blue Beetle…Ugh, where do I start with this thing? I don’t like what they did with Jaime’s not knowing his identity in the relaunch. I don’t like that the Scarab is constantly trying to control him instead of them being equal partners, and is constantly trying to kill people. And frankly, I HATE that scene where Jaime hits Brenda and then aims his cannon at her as a way to trick the enemy. It’s no frigging wonder this book was cancelled with all that said. Also, since he’s a teen, I’d probably occasionally have him cross paths with the Titans, and possibly this next guy…or guys, rather…

First off for Fury of Firestorm (dammit, I love alliteration, lol), I’d take out the obvious racial overtones that appeared in the early issues between Ronnie and Jay, instead going the route of comedic hi-jinx for their lack of getting along. Also, I’d probably go the route of them needing to merge into the singular Firestorm from the get-go…I get the feeling these choices are influenced by my love of Kamen Rider W. lol Oh, and I’d also make the villains a bit less Die Hard rejects in how unnecessarily violent they make the book.

Yep, I’d bring back New Gods. Who would I have star in it? Why, Mister Miracle and Big fucking Barda, fighting the forces of Darkseid from behind enemy lines while keeping contact with the Justice League. I’d probably get Orion involved on occasion, too, though obviously better written than he’s gotten as of late in Wonder Woman, and would later have a crossover with Earth 2 for when they show up there. I’d probably cancel Men of War, since it kinda got lost in the shuffle of things, and I just think a Mister Miracle/Big Barda book would be too awesome to leave out is all.

Not much I would change with Green Lantern: New Guardians, except putting even more emphasis on the varying characters who appear. Also, since the book is called New Guardians, I likely would not be able to resist putting Snowflame in an issue. Likely the very first one, where it would show him in battle with Kyle Rayner on Earth or instead of the scene with the crane.

Same thing with Green Lantern Corps, can’t say as I’d change anything.

Hawk and Dove, how many different ways can I say “NO ROB LIEFELD!!!”? Also, I’d probably make Hawk a little less of a psycho, and eventually added as agents of the Birds of Prey.

Even IF I wanted to change something with Demon Knights, I still wouldn’t. Why? Well, it’s very simple: It’s because Linkara would hunt me down and put a magic gun bolt in my skull. lol

One thing I’ve realised is a major contributor to the problems with Batman Incorporated was that the new volume for the New 52 started in May of 2012, a full 8 months after the relaunch occurred. If the book had those 8 months, they could’ve done so much more. They could’ve shown more of Knight and Squire, so that Cyril’s eventual death has more impact than just a shock death to show the Fatherless was ‘fo serious, yo’, and to elevate Beryl. We could’ve seen some of the changes occurring within the group, like Dick Grayson’s decision to become Nightwing again, or David Zavimbe’s changing role in the group (since I elected to have the stuff with Luke Fox in Batwing from the beginning), and what he did otherwise. We could’ve seen stuff with Black Bat, the Outsiders, Renée Montoya, and so many others. Hell, they could’ve shown more of Ra’s al Ghul, since he initially disappeared in #2 and didn’t show up again until recently. And yes, I know that apparently Chris Burnham and a few others are going to be doing up a special for Batman Incorporated after it’s done to show more of what the characters were doing and will be doing, but it still feels like we could’ve had more. Oh, and above all else, I’d want to make sure there was more FRAKKING CONSISTENCY between this book and the other books featuring the characters in it. As for what I’d knock off to make room, I’m gonna go with Grifter and instead have that character appear in Secret Six.

Meh, can’t say as I’d change much with Red Lanterns, except that I’d probably call the book Red Lantern Corps. And now for the last three of this group of books…

…I hate the Phantom Stranger’s book so much in its current state. And frankly, I don’t understand why it started a full year after the relaunch, and why Pandora’s book is only starting next month. And frankly, there’s a lot that could be done with a trinity of books for the Trinity of Sin (as opposed to two and leaving The Question out in the cold) being released at the beginning. What specifically? Well, here’s an idea: TELL US HOW THE ALTERATION TO HISTORY WORKED! How did Pandora do it, what was changed as a result, what stayed the same, how did some things stay the same when other things changed, all these questions that people have asked since the reboot was first announced that we’re still waiting on answers for. And who better to help us discover these things than The Question? Plus, we could see and learn more about the Trinity of Sin, what they did to deserve their punishments, how they’re coping, what they’re doing to try and atone for their misdeeds. And hell, it would’ve served as much better build up toward the eventual Trinity War than we’ve gotten so far. As for what I’d cancel, I’d have to go with O.M.A.C., Captain Atom, and Static Shock, instead moving the first two to Justice League International and Static Shock to Teen Titans.

…So yeah, 39 books down, 13 to go. Check out next time when I FINALLY put the lid on this sucker. Ja né!