I'm writing about comics again? You bet--it's an interesting time to be a DC fan.
I read (the new) Action Comics #1 yesterday! Also, Detective Comics #1 and Batgirl #1 (and Justice League #1 last week). I'll want to do a lot more reading, too, to make sense of things. Finding out where the new DC universe stands in relation to the old one isn't a mystery to be solved by a couple of weeks of reading the most popular titles, sadly.
But it's still fun reading.
The individual books are starting really well--they are really what I want from each.
I read (the new) Action Comics #1 yesterday! Also, Detective Comics #1 and Batgirl #1 (and Justice League #1 last week). I'll want to do a lot more reading, too, to make sense of things. Finding out where the new DC universe stands in relation to the old one isn't a mystery to be solved by a couple of weeks of reading the most popular titles, sadly.
But it's still fun reading.
The individual books are starting really well--they are really what I want from each.
- Detective Comics is a story about dirty, ugly crime and conspiracy. One man won't rest until the current crisis is over--and the current crisis seems to involve a painted psychopath who kills with no significant modus operandi. On his side is a crazy amount of technology and resources, and a police commissioner who despairs over the ability of law enforcement to get the job done. It's dark, it's messy, it's clearly well done Batman. The man under the cowl is Bruce Wayne, not Dick Grayson, and there seems to be other Batmen around the world (I haven't read more than a teaser for Batwing #1) a la Batman Incorporated, there's no Robin appearing so far, and the Joker seems to be a recent demon, if not precisely new.
- Batgirl I read because I like legs, and I love the character of Barbara Gordon, and I was Bat-curious to see how she got from the wheelchair back to the Bat-cycle. After reading, I'm still not sure (she mentions a miracle, but there are no details), but the comic does a good deal of focusing on Babs as a person in transition who still suffers from the trauma that put her in the wheelchair. She's back on the streets/rooftops, and providing a running inner-monologue that analyzes her every move and exults at being back again. She flashes back to being shot by the Joker, but doesn't think back to being Oracle at all. She recalls being Batman's star pupil. I guess we'll get more info on timelines and relationships in future issues.
- I got Action Comics partially because I don't think of myself as a great Superman fan (besides the two t-shirts, the ringtone...fine, I'm a bit of a fan). I thought the "reboot" would be a great time to get in on the ground floor. And it's definitely a ground floor--unlike the other two books this week, Clark is basically just getting started. There's no painful re-telling of the origin story here. Superman has been acting around Metropolis in the recent past..stirring up trouble? This Man of Steel has been using his skills as an investigative reporter to find corruption, and then loses the glasses, dons the cape (no fancy suit yet, he fights the good fight in jeans and the same damn t-shirt design I own!) and goes after white-collar crooks, saves squatters from building being torn down, and generally fights for real truth, and real justice, in an American, middle-class way. He's a supremely confident, almost smug hero who is proud of his abilities, but is using them to help pull the common man up, and the uncommon criminal down. He can jump pretty high and pretty far can see an ulcer flaring up, and is often draw with his eyes glowing red, his heat-vision ready to jump out in disgust for the criminals he faces. His best friend, Jimmy Olsen, works for a rival paper with reporter Lois Lane (who only knows Clark as a rival reporter). Alexander "Lex" Luthor is a consultant to the military that's trying to figure out what to make of this alien that's shaking things up. Morrison sticks to basics in this re-introduction, I really enjoyed it. There is some history here to be explored later--where are Jonathan and Martha? Is the basic origin the same? For the most part, Superman is a recent phenomenon. We'll see how the new Superboy fits in soon, but for now, there's no sign of Supergirl.
- Justice League started out really well for me, too. I'm a big Hal Jordan fan, and have enjoyed interactions between Hal and Batman wherever and whenever they pop up--because it always explores themes of courage versus fear. They don't often get along, Hal and Bruce. And so it's great to watch them work together. Green Lantern thinks he can handle anything, and Batman, just a man in a bat costume, never thinks like that--also, he hates all the glowing, green special effects that clearly show where they are. But these two are the core around which Johns is forming the new Justice League--because, if they can work together, then the hard part is done. This is happening in a world where authorities don't trust costumed heroes one bit--Gotham PD regularly takes shots at Batman, and Green Lantern seems to have some issues with the police in Coast City--those costumed heroes with special powers have never really organized before, and there's a new powerhouse in Metropolis (they say he's an alien!).
 Image via Wikipedia |
| You wouldn't like her when she's angry. She's got crazy upper body strength, now. |
So, those are my thoughts. Like I said, we'll see how things fit together as we get new books and more issues. Hopefully the lack of context is simply good storytelling and not lack or organization among the writers--it's critical that DC get that right if they want the "reboot" to appeal at all to older readers, who are likely to be upset at losing a world they know.
Me? I had fun reading this week. I think things are looking up. Wait--is that a bird? A plane?
