Justice League #19

This issue is a perfect example of how well Geoff Johns has mastered the nuances of the majority of DC's characters. Ever since Justice League #1 came out, I've been saying that Johns should be writing Batman. He makes Bats exude such power that not many other writers have been able to do recently. And come on, anyone that can make Aquaman a top tier character basically for the first time ever has to get major props! Heck, he can even make Superman seem, yep, super.

The thing that makes this series of Justice League stand out from almost every run that has come before it, is the fact that the League is not revered by the public. In a lot of cases, it's hated. It's similar to what Brian Bendis did with the Avengers on his lengthy run on that franchise. And what that does is make these almost-gods human. We, as a society, tend to tear down our heroes today. Yes, we cheer them on when they're helping us, but as soon as their spotlight is off, or they can't help in every circumstance, they are shunned. Or worse. The world has become untrusting and cynical. And now the Justice League are privy to these new trends. It becomes a struggle for some members to understand, and others, even though they get it, don't accept it. Johns excels at showing a wide range of emotions. This issue in particular, we get the question from Wonder Woman, if they can help, then why not damn the rules? Who will stop us? Or can? That then becomes the moral dilemma that can turn a hero to a villain. Will we see how far a hero can go to save us at the expense of mortal laws? I hope it's a theme that is continued to be explored in upcoming issues.

I was very sad to see Ivan Reis leave Green Lantern, but was extremely pleased to hear he was taking over DC's premiere title. It's a pleasure to see him draw all of DC's heavy hitters every month. Every character seems to take center stage when they are on panel. There's currently no one at DC better suited for this book than Reis.

All three Justice League titles are about to cross-over this summer during the Trinity War, so hopefully the underlying themes set up in this issue don't get shoved to the background. Maybe these themes will be an integral part of the storyline? Trinity War has been a mystery for over a year, so it's hard to say exactly what it will and will not entail. But if you're going to give that event a try, I'd suggest at least starting with this issue to see just how excellent a Justice League book can be.

Batgirl #19

Batgirl has been a terrible book from the very beginning. I have never been a fan of Gail Simone, and I feel she is a horrible writer of female characters. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to this, but I stand by my feelings. She does not write strong female characters, she writes female characters as bullies. Every character she writes seems to have the entire world against them, even if that isn't the case. It's tiresome.

My main problem with this issue is not the line that Simone has Batgirl cross, even though it is yet again the opposite of what Barbara Gordon's character has been for her entire career. I can overlook that inconsistency because that's become the norm with Simone's writing. No, the problem I have is the way Barbara's roommate, Alysia, was revealed to be transgendered.

Comics, when done correctly, have always been a place for people that are different to find a voice. Whether they are gay, straight, handicapped, white, black, religious preference, or whatever, you can find a character somewhere in some title that you can identify with. Batgirl was a perfect example of this when the Joker shot and paralyzed her. She became Oracle, and did not let her handicap slow her down for one second. In fact, she became an even more important character as Oracle than she ever did as Batgirl. Until Gail undid all that with this latest series during DC's New 52 relaunch.

I feel the way Babs' roommate's revelation was handled was a slap in the face. A mere four panels after hearing the news, Babs gets a call and leaves. No discussion of how Alysia has been dealing with things, no thank you for confiding in me, nothing other than a hug and "I gotta go." And that's the last it was even mentioned in the entire issue. It was like in issue #18 when she found out Robin had been killed. We basically saw Batgirl say "That's sad. Anyways..." Granted, last issue wasn't written by Gail Simone, so maybe all of these insensitive character acts have been mandated by the sloppy editor work that has plagued the DC offices the past couple of months. What I do know is, this "outing" just seemed like a publicity stunt. Yes, the story can be gotten into in more detail in the next issue or longer, but the way it was introduced was shameless. Nobody reading that could have any sympathy for Alysia or have any sort of connection. It was basically disregarded.

I've been wanting to drop Batgirl for a good while now, but I've toughened it out, hoping it'd be better. I thought the Death of the Family stuff would've been great, considering her history with the Joker. But they, like the entire event, were crap. I thought the aftermath of Robin's death would allow Barbara to show some concern for someone, but got a two panel blow off. Now this. A hug and a "See ya." Well, that's exactly what I'm saying to this book. WTF indeed, DC. But my F does not stand for "Fifty-Two."

Batgirl #2 & #3

Continuing to catch up on my DC books, I'm discovering a disturbing trend: a lot of books that had good first issues, have gone downhill from there. Batgirl's a prime example, and her first issue wasn't all that enthralling to begin with.
The art is still fine. My only two problems with it are the fact that Babs seems too young. I know that the characters in the DCnU have been slightly de-aged in areas, but the Bat-books are supposed to be continuing from the old continuity. Even Bruce Wayne looks too young now. And yet Dick Grayson looks like he used to? Headache, you may now begin. My other problem is the suit; it just looks too armored. If it turns out to be part of the plot, then I can accept it, but with no explaination yet (unless I'm forgetting that from the first issue), it looks terrible.
The storytelling is my main problem. The fact that Barbara is screwing up left and right is explained as her not doing the whole superhero gig for several years, due to her paralysis. Yet it's said she was shot only three years prior. So in that time she forgot how to handle herself and use her smarts? I thought she had still been Oracle? If that's the case, why is she acting like such a rookie now? It's weak. The fact that they still don't explain how she can walk is extremely annoying. I understand not answering all questions immediately to keep the reader coming back, but I feel this is unacceptable in this case. The fact that Barbara would be walking again was a MAJOR controversy when the DCnU was announced. To not give any answer by now is an injustice to her fans. Frankly, this whole series is an injustice to her fans. This makes Batgirl seem incompetent, useless, and downright unlikeable. I really hope this gets fixed quickly, because if not, a once great character's potential has been needlessly squandered. I also hate how each issue has ended so abruptly. You expect to turn the page to see more story, and all you get is To Be Continued. Pathetic pacing. A good story keeps you hooked, not wondering if you're missing a page. But this whole series has been keeping me wondering. Wondering when a better story will appear.

Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #1

This series has the honor of being the first DC book not part of the original 52 launch. I guess DC felt they'd rather have nothing but ongoing series introduced in the first month to grab everyone's attention, then slowly roll out lesser profile mini-series in the following months. It's not a bad strategy, but some of the minis are going to be overlooked by the public that have put their money into so many other titles already. I feel this book is a prime example of that. It's far superior to many of the first wave of 52.
We're introduced to the childhood origins of the Penguin, while at the same time we see how those origins have twisted the man into the vile villain he is today. It's a fascinating study of sadness and disgust you can have for one person. Gregg Hurwitz does an excellent job delving into the mind of both the young innocent Oswald Cobblepot, and the devious mature Penguin. The art by Szymon Kudranski portrays Cobblepot's life in both vivid sympathy and horrific violence that only helps to enhance the atmosphere of the book.
If you're a Bat-fan, you should not miss the opportunity to see inside the mind of one of Batman's greatest enemies. If you're not a fan of the Bat, you should still enjoy the psychological exploration of how an innocent child becomes a twisted genius.

Green Lantern: New Guardians #1

And the 52 DCnU reviews come to a close with Green Lantern: New Guardians. I think the GL franchise is the strongest in the DC line. Every book has been new reader friendly even though the old DCU stories were continued, every book has had great art, and every book has been what a comic should feel like. In this one, we get to see the wide spectrum of the different Lantern Corps (and it's not pronounced "corpse" people). There's even a nice introduction of Kyle Rayner at the beginning to catch new readers up to speed. I enjoyed seeing a bit of all the different Corps as much as I did learning about Kyle. My only quibble is with the art. It's nice, and most definitely brings a cosmic life to the book. But everyone seems to have porcupine hair. Like they all have spikes instead of hair. That needs to go. But the color palate is pleasing, accentuating each Corps member nicely. It'll be fun to see if each Corps is highlighted in the series, or if it'll begin to focus solely on Kyle's life as a Green Lantern. In Brightest Day indeed...

Aquaman #1

Not a hoax! Not a dream! The world might have just come to an end, because they've finally made Aquaman cool! It's so unbelievable for me to be saying this, but it's true. And the funniest thing about how they made him cool, is how they did it. They made fun of him. And that in turn made him a very likeable character. A character you wanted to see succeed. Geoff Johns has gone three-for-three in the DCnU. He's completely turned me around on his writing. I think the internet has cracked in half. What's next, I get a girl?? (Yeah, right) The art is superb, which is no surprise since Ivan Reis has become a superstar thanks to his pairing with Johns on Green Lantern. This was an exceptionally fun read. Quite possibly the biggest surprise of all 52 new comics. Even Johns' biggest fans could not see this coming. I doubt even DC did. Aquaman!

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

Batman: the Dark Knight is a book that shouldn't have been brought over from the old DCU. I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that there are already so many Bat-titles, why do we need this one? It doesn't bring anything to the table that the other titles (Batman, Detective Comics, Batman & Robin) haven't already have, plus, it's the weakest of the four. When Dick Grayson was Batman at the same time as Bruce Wayne, it made sense to have multiple Bat-books. But now that Bruce is the lone cowl-wearer, it's overkill to have this many. Sure, David Finch's art is nice, but his style fits better at Marvel. I can't really put my finger on why I feel that way, but them's the facts. He also has an odd way of drawing men's faces. His women are terrific, but his men look, I don't know, gnarled. Just very discontorted. If you're getting all the Bat-titles, then this one will fit just fine in your collecting, but if you're trying to limit yourself to one or two, the other titles are better choices.

Voodoo #1

Remember all the controversy that Red Hood and the Outlaws & Catwoman got last week, and how I thought it was total nonsense and uncalled for? Well, not with Voodoo. This was nothing but a huge fluff book. Totally pointless. The main character strips and lap dances for 20 pages. That's a story? Sure, for late night Skinemax. Not for an intriguing new comic. And frankly, any potential story "surprise" is spoiled right ON...THE...COVER. The only bright spot in this entire piece of waste of time is the other female character, Jessica Fallon. If this book decides to focus on her in the future, MAYBE it'll turn around. But I doubt it. At least the art was exquisite. And it better be. Because if you're doing a cheesecake (read: porn) comic, you better have an artist who draws the female form well.

All-Star Western #1

Westerns and me don't get along. I've never been a fan of them. They just bore me. But when I find a western that I like, I really like it. So I guess I either choose wisely, or choose carefully. Well, All-Star Western was a great choice. I never would've thought it'd be this damn good. I've never read anything with Jonah Hex before, but if his old style was like his current one, I should've been. He's a bonafide bad-ass. He takes no crap but dishes out plenty. My style of action hero. Setting Hex in late 1880's Gotham was a unique choice. So while western is in the title, it's not your typical one. But the feel is still there, thanks in large part to the art. It's really quite a beautifully drawn and colored book. The color choice on some pages makes it feel like you're looking at photos from that era. It's a very unique look. This is one of the best of the new DC titles, and I never would've guessed that going into this initiative.

Captain Atom #1

Why did Captain Atom get a book? I'm not sure. Maybe DC has plans for him in their new universe? So far, it's just not worth bothering with. We already have an all-powerful, indestructable being. He's called Superman. Captain Atom would be better off in a team book. A solo series is just not worth it. It's not a bad read, just pointless. We don't find out anything about his origins, but for a change it doesn't feel like we need to. We can go right into the action, and not feel that lost. But while that should be a good thing, in this instance, it's because it's just not worth caring about. The art does nothing to help the book either. It looks almost like it's unfinished. Very sloppy even. This book is nothing more than a poor man's Superman. And who really needs that?

Batman #1

The ol' Batman is one of the most highly anticipated titles in the DC relaunch. For the most part it lives up to expectation. The story finds Batman using his detective skills, which is to be expected. But it's still great to see him utilize that aspect of his persona. There's a definite old school mystery feel with the book. I always have felt that's where the great Batman storytellers excel. Scott Snyder is well on his way to leaving a terrific stamp on the Batman mythos. The art style is where it feels a little off. I have always loved Greg Capullo's art. But his style changed dramatically from his X-Force work to his Spawn work. It was really dark and brooding. You'd think that would fit perfectly here. But his style has changed yet again. Maybe that's from the different inker. I'm not sure. I'm just not used to it yet. It's in no ways bad. It still fits the book exceptionally well. I just was expecting one style and got a different one. I will say some characters look shorter and younger than I think they should. But it still feels like a Bat-book. An extremely well crafted one. And sometimes that's all we need.

Blue Beetle #1

What's this? An actual origin story? That's a welcome element more of these DCnU books should embrace. I knew nothing of this Blue Beetle before reading the book, so I needed all the backstory I could get. It was given in a very neat, simplistic package. Nothing overly amazing about the tale: two warring factions fighting over a prized artifact, the awkward kid who accidently gets his hands on it, strange new powers are now his. Seen it, seen it, seen it. But this time he's Hispanic! And boy do they beat you over the head with that fact. But that's okay. There needs to be more diverse characters out there, and Jaime will fill that need pretty well. My quibble with it though, when a book gives you that "*translated from (fill in the blank)", please translate THE WHOLE SENTENCE. Because if you don't, you're not translating anything. I know enough Spanish to know what's being said, but not everyone might. Especially kids. And this book is going to be geared toward them a lot. I liked the art. Ig Guara has a very nice Todd Nauck feel, which I dig. All in all, a middle-of-the-road read. Fun, but nothing new.

Savage Hawkman #1

The Savage Hawkman was another one of those mid-pack titles. Not great, but far from bad. The art is really the draw here (no pun intended). Has an almost painted feel to it. Really nice to look at. The plot could've used more background though. Hawkman has always had a convoluted history, so it would've been nice to learn who Carter Hall is and how he became Hawkman. And will there be a Hawkgirl, since those two are forever intertwined? This was an opportunity for DC to clear up a lot in that regard, and it was missed. The plot that is here, isn't a bad one at least. It will be interesting to see how Carter reacts to the ramifications to his powers that he thought he had finally gotten rid of. The book has potential, as long as it doesn't stray from answering those questions in a timely fashion.

Flash #1

What is this? A Flash book I actually enjoyed? And enjoyed quite a bit? Insanity. But it's true. I've never read a lot of Flash issues in the past, but I never liked any of them. They were always so boring to me. "Oh look, I run fast, and, uh....that's about it." I couldn't see how that'd be interesting month after month. But I can in this book. One of the coolest things in any of these DCnU titles was a two-page spread that gave you Barry Allen's origin much in the way a opening title sequence does on a tv show. That was pure genius right there. Barry was a very likeable character from the get-go. The plot was a very interesting one that made you want to know more pretty much immediately. The art was frenetic in the way it presented Barry's life in and out of his costume. Francis Manapul has crafted a must-read for one of DC's heavy hitters.

Fury of Firestorm #1

The Fury of Firestorm is an example (a rare example) of a true reboot. There's no doubt in this fact. It's also a pretty complete origin story to boot. We get to learn what a Firestorm is along with the rest of the cast. The problem is, so far, it's not that exciting. There's some decent action in it, but I actually have some problem with how some of that action plays out. It's a pretty gruesomely violent book. I'm not a squeamish guy, and love my over the top violence, but this seemed too much like tourture porn than normal violence. There's been a few titles in the DCnU that have utilized this. Maybe it's something that's always been around in some books, but it just seems to me that it's kind of thrown in your face in this entire initiative more than I was expecting. The dialog tries to be a little cooler than it actually is in some places, but it also has some better ways of making the characters more believable than other books. The art is okay, fitting the flow of the book well enough. Overall, the book is a middle of the road title. Better than some of these DCnU titles, but not in the top tier.

Superman #1

Superman, Superman, Superman. Why dost thou books suck? Shouldn't you be the premiere line in the DCnU? You've been upstaged by your cousin and your clone. Crazy. This book was bad. The dialog was as craptacular as an old Saturday morning cartoon. The action was uninspired. The plot involving the selling of the Daily Planet to a rival company has already been seen in the Amazing Spider-Man. The art, which you'd think would be a huge plus, was disjointed. This was as disappointing as Action Comics. At least with Action, I figured it'd be bad because I despise Grant Morrison. But I like George Perez. A lot. But not here. This did nothing to make me like the younger Superman. EXCEPT for one thing. The last page. That page made Clark Kent as human as Peter Parker. It felt like a very "Marvelizing" of Superman. That was terrific. That made me feel for a character that overall is as boring as a character can get. I don't know if it'll be enough to get past all the other problems with this book, but it's enough for me to recommend this over Action Comics. That is, IF you need to read any Superman book at all.

Teen Titans #1

I really enjoyed Teen Titans. Definitely had the younger hero vibe down pat. I'm a little confused how Tim Drake as Red Robin is forming this team if the old Batman continuity is continuing into the current DCnU. That's why this whole deal would've been better off as a complete reboot. But in any case, we see Tim picking his members and we are introduced to them in much the same way we saw in JL #1. This book was just geared toward the younger demographic. It's also a perfect complement to the Superboy series. Which, of course, should be no surprise since they're both written by Scott Lobdell. But I've seen many a books that are supposed to play off each other and fail miserably at it. Not here though. If you liked Superboy, you should try this book out. The only drawback is the art. It's not bad, mind you. I've always liked Brett Booth's work. But over the years, he's made his character's bodies look longer and longer. It's distracting in some places. The coloring is handled well, though. Very energetic. I am interested to see who the characters on the cover that weren't introduced yet turn out to be, because they look like no one I know from the old DCU. Another strong team book, which seems to be the real strength of the DCnU.

Justice League Dark #1

Justice League Dark is the third and final release for the JL family of titles. It's definitely the most unique one. Like the main Justice League title, this issue slowly sets up the roster. Unlike the main book, and like Justice League International, we get to see all of the members in this introductory issue, just not as a team yet. It's a little confusing to grasp what the events of the book are heading towards as we learn about the characters. I guess that's because of the mystical threat that's looming. This is definitely nothing like any other JL book that has come before. the art is terrific. Some of the most unique of the launch titles. A style befitting the supernatural, much like the art in I, Vampire. I'm not sure if I liked the book as much as I was hoping I would, but I think that has to do with the unknown aspects more than a poor execution of them. Afterall, people are afraid of the unknown.

I, Vampire #1

I really wanted to like I, Vampire. I really did. Even though most internet chatter had denounced this as one of the first books to get the axe when the first 52 were announced, I thought the premise sounded interesting. But after reading the book, I couldn't even grasp what the premise was. I think there's some type of "vampires taking over the world" thing going on. But the constant switching back and forth between the past and present was so confusing, I could be way off on that premise. It's nothing awe inspiring, whatever it is. The art, on the other hand, is amazing. Andrea Sorrentino is a perfect mood setter. The style is exactly like Jae Lee's art. It really fits the gothic horror this book is about. The cover by Jenny Frison is quite possibly the best of all these new 52's. If the story becomes more clear in the next issue, I could be brought back to my initial feelings for this book. But right now, I'm disappointed.

Blackhawks #1

If Men of War was how to make a war comic, then Blackhawks was how not to make one. This book takes the old WWII team and updates them to modern times. Maybe a bit too modern with their over-the-top technology that the team uses. We're not introduced to any member in such a way that we care what happens to any of them. In fact, we're thrown right into the middle of an op they're on without any knowledge of who either side is. The art makes it hard to tell which team member is which in certain areas, but since I really didn't care who the characters were to begin with, I guess that didn't matter. This was described somewhere before the launch as DC's take on G.I. Joe. If that's the case, Cobra's gonna be winning this war pretty quickly.