Week two of the DC "Reboot-Relaunch" and as we have already seen 50% of what the new DC line has to offer, already it is possible to tell the comics gems from the same ol-same ol…
Of course, don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, don't judge a series by its No. 1, but we are doing the same job executives at the big networks have to do when they receive a pilot for a new TV series…if you don't sell me on your first episode, this is not going to work. Bottom line.
This week I feel was a little weaker than last week (Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Action Comics, Detective Comics…) but still some very nice surprises and promises among the new DC craze…
Without further ado, here is my humble ranking of the week's No. 1s…
-Batwoman (4.5/5.0)…Sorely missed and highly awaited, from the Detective Comics run, this new series doesn't stop short of graphic beauty, keen storytelling (did not miss Greg Rucka, one of the main concerns fans had going into this one)…will definitely keep on my buy list, along with Animal Man, Swamp Thing, JLA, and a couple others so far…
-Resurrection Man (4.5/5.0)…this was my favorite mag of the week (I haven't seen Marvel stuff yet), but this creative team pulled off a really nice reincarnation of the old series (I am not so familiar with it), but don't feel we need any background on this one, with great storytelling, interesting characters and an all-out-war between heaven and hell for our hero´s Soul…who, BTW, can´t die…Cool!
-Green Lantern (4.0/5.0)…déjà vu of Ryan Reynolds, much? Great characterization of Hal Jordan (makes me forget all about the Parallax days and recent events too…this "grounded" works!), showing once again that this is not a reboot, since Star Zaphire existed, and the new twist on Sinestro sounds great…we were going crazy with all kinds of Lantern color rings…keep it simple, stupid…
-Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (4.0/5.0)…had no expectations of all about this one, and I loved the characters, the storyline as well as the computer-style word boxes, a lot of mystery to come here, and a lot of fun too…That is one strange father you got, Frankie!
-Superboy (4.0/5.0)…If you had to reinvent the whole concept of Superboy, this would be the way to go (I felt like I was reading an "Ultimate Line" comic), the way they show Superboy´s evolution thoughout the magainze (including the Kansas story) makes me think these guys have got a nice plan for this title, I am looking forward to No. 2
-Batman & Robin (3.5/5.0)…I think we have all been a bit disappointed with all the Bat-titles so far (or is it just me?)…this one was OK, and with a better script than Detective Comics, but I felt the father-son relationship introduction was a bit forced, as were some of the dialogues (Does Damian imply that Batman was missing after Darkseid sent him travelling through time? How can we find out?), the villain seems interesting, one of the things I was glad about with a reboot was possibly losing the whole "Batman, Inc." concept, so if this guy kills them all off, why not?...
-Suicide Squad (3.5/5.0)…this title was one of my favorites with Gail Simone, and I feel they lost half the personality of the team with the new lineup, I am glad to see Harley Quinn in the band, but this is a whole different story. I felt I was reading a "Flashpoint" comic now, I couldn't feel it connecting to the other issues I have been reading. (SPOILER: How the heck are they going to pull off the cliffhanger and why?)
-Deathstroke (3.0/5.0)….another case when the story is better than the art, although I did dig Slade´s new uniform, the mission seemed a little far-fetched, and the supporting cast totally unnecessary, I did feel the last three pages made up for the whole issue, reminding us why Slade is still the baddest badass, Reboot or no reboot.
-Red Lanterns (2.5/5.0)…I was wondering if I were not a cat owner if I would have connected with anything at all about this issue (SPOILER?), I followed Attrocitus through all the Lantern sagas, and found a totally different and unnecessary character, it looks as if we are being pushed into a scenario where earth will have its first Red Lantern? (correct me if I´m wrong, please).
-Grifter (2.5/5.0)…Confusing storytelling (will need to read it again, as another fellow blogger mentioned about this mag) and made me feel I need to find out a little more about this character, this issue was not enough. Art very bland, I doubt I will be following this monthly.
-Mr. Terrific (2.5/5.0)…the third smartest man in the world travels to London…when? Why? Where is the rest of the J.S.A.?...and why does he want to kill the future president? I get a feeling too many of the writers of these No.1s felt forced to push unnecessary cliffhangers too soon in the series, I would have really preferred to have seen a J.S.A. No. 1
-Demon Knights (2.0/5.0)…very difficult to follow, very little to feel interested or enthusiastic about (I WAS looking forward to this one), I hope it improves with the following issues, at some point I felt I was reading "Dungeons and Dragons" or something along those lines (not there´s anything wrong with "D & D" haha)
-Legion Lost (2.0/5.0)….OK, it's the legion. And they´re lost. Wildfire lost his charm (no, wait he never had any) and his cool costume (another case where change is bad), totally uninteresting and by far one of the less appealing comics from the DC relaunch so far…but then again, maybe its just me
