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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!
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!
What I’d Do With New 52 – Part 02: The Titles
So yeah, continuing on with what I would personally do with the New 52, here’s what I would change regarding the line-up of titles itself. And to start off, let’s go with something near and dear to my heart: The Batman titles.
They’re multiplying!!!
Problem: If I had one complaint about the Batman titles, it’s that Batman is frigging EVERYWHERE. Scott Snyder‘s Batman, Detective Comics, Batman: The Dark Knight, Batman & Robin, Batman Incorporated, Justice League and the now cancelled Justice League International. He also frequently cameos in Catwoman and Nightwing, and has on occasion cameoed in Batgirl, Batwoman, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Teen Titans, and Action Comics. Now the reason why this frustrates me is two-fold: 1) It creates a chronological mess. Basically, I have no idea which comics occur when. They can’t possibly all be happening at once, because Batman would need to be everywhere at the same time. 2) Having Batman be star in seven books (granted two are team books and he’s not THE star of those books) makes it hard for other characters to get a good run.
Solution: First off, cancel Batman: The Dark Knight. That comic kinda pisses me off for the insane, nonsensical, and on occasion even outright lying to the audience (I’m looking at you issue 9) stories that occur there, and frankly they can be told much better elsewhere. As far as Detective Comics and Scott Snyder’s Batman is concerned, I’d do one of two things: Either make Scott Snyder’s Batman into Detective Comics, OR give Detective Comics to a different character, possibly Tim Drake or The Question. Actually, regardless of that, Tim Drake DOES need a comic of his own.
Didn’t he used to be a lot more green?
Problem: Maybe it’s my imagination, but there seems to be a LOT of red on the superheroes lately. Nightwing turned red, Beast Boy turned red, the Red Lanterns have a book, and red seems to be the predominant colour for a lot of teams like the Justice League, Red Hood and the Outlaws, and the Teen Titans. Now admittedly, Beast Boy turning red makes SOME sense since he gets his powers from The Red, but I still miss when he was green.
Solution: Give Nightwing back his old blue costume and give the team books a more varied look as far as their colour schemes go. Like, for as many complaints as I’ve heard about JLI, at least the team had members of varying powers and colours.
…Why are they still their own team?
Problem: I haven’t really been reading Teen Titans or Ravagers, other than Issue 0 of Titans which I’ll get into at another time. So really, I can’t point out anything really wrong with the books, other than one thing: Why do they both exist as individual books? Why aren’t they the same title? Two members of the Ravagers were Titans prior to the relaunch, two are based on former Titans, and their story spawns from an incident in the Teen Titans book, why not just have them be one mega team?
Solution: Have a story arc where the Ravagers join the Titans, then cancel their book and just have them be in Titans. Also, can we please let BB chillax a bit? Again, haven’t read the books, but every image I see of him lately shows him being really pissed off and feral looking.
This comic SUCKS!!!
Problem: Again, read my former rants regarding Starfire, Red Hood, Arsenal, and this fucking book.
Solution: I WOULD say cancel it and pretend like it never happened, but I think I actually have a better idea, one that at least attempts to DO something with this. Wrap up this storyline involving the Untitled and have the inevitable confrontation between Jason, Kori, and Dick, THEN cancel the book, and then have the team either split with Starfire regaining her memories and rejoining Nightwing or the Titans, OR have the team become antagonists for the Teen Titans and Nightwing. Possibly even Green Arrow (‘cuz of Arsenal’s past with him). Either one works, just do one or the other ASAP.
Superman, Superman, does whatever a Kryptonian can…
Problem: Well really, I’ve got two problems. The first is similar to my issue with Batman in that Superman is in Action Comics, the Superman comics, Justice League, Scott Snyder’s upcoming Superman title, and has cameoed in Supergirl, Batman: Detective Comics, and Red Hood and the Outlaws (WHYYYYY?!?!). Now the cameos in Supergirl are fine, and I understand that Action Comics originally told Superman’s new origins while the Superman comics told what he’s doing now, but the origin’s been told, so why are there still the two books? I don’t get it. The other thing that bothers me a lot is the changes to his attitude, his personality, how they’ve retconned his marriage to Lois (which I’ll get to later), and how they’ve essentially turned Clark Kent into Peter Parker. It’s actually to the point that I’m concerned that even Snyder can’t save him.
Solution: Well, if anyone can save him, it’s Scott Snyder. However, more than that, they really need to re-establish Superman’s roots. What do I mean by that? Well, basically I mean what Linkara said about him once, that despite coming from another planet, which they’ve pretty much beat into our heads over and over lately that he’s an alien (like we didn’t know it already), at his core he is truly the most HUMAN superhero of all, that he embodies the best that humanity has to offer as was taught to him by his adoptive parents that raised him. Also, seeing as how Action Comics and the Superman comic are now telling stories around the same time period, either cancel Superman and just have the upcoming Snyder title and Action Comics, or give Action Comics to someone else. There must be SOMEONE that can carry their own title that they could give Action Comics to. Heck, the DCnU version of Steel appeared in Action Comics early on, let him give it a try.
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Anyway, that’s all for now. Next time, I take a look at some of the characters already in the DCnU and what needs to possibly change about some of them. Ja né!
Jyger's Rant 