DC New 52: Part II

I am getting to enjoy the new 52 now, more or less. Some surprises, and some sureshot hits(thanks to all the reviews). I guess few patterns will be emerging soon in terms of a Top 5 or a Top 10 around the characters and arcs I like but for now, second list of the titles from the first release..

Batman & Robin #1

Good, pumped up tone. Robin looks like he’s just read some Frank Miller!

Green Lantern #1

Now I have always enjoyed the world of Green Lanterns, Guardians, sectors, Ferris Corp., Sinestro, and this comic only reassures me and reaffirms my faith in the oath.

Grifter #1

Nice little surprise, this one. Airplane heist, back and forth narrative, con games…quite a nice adventurous ride. Pretty action packed. I liked it.

Mr. Terrific #1

Packs in way too much than it can handle(sci-fi concepts, gazettes and gizmos), certainly not a Green Lantern this.

Red Lanterns #1

“How can my rage be less pure, when there is still so much pain in the universe..”

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Brutal, graphic, but electrifying pace and some great lines and art.

Resurrection Man #1

Great fun! Has a cool Deadman vibe set in a noire-ish plane ride.

Captain Atom #1(J.T. Krull, Freddy Williams II)

Quite a nice little comic, some great art and concepts, gets a little too sci-f- verbose, and the character does look like an offshoot of Doc. Manhattan but what the hell, bring it on!

DC Universe presents #1: Deadman(Paul Jenkins)

Great writing, not really easy reading but some great depth, Jenkins makes Deadman a cold, distant cousin, always elusive.

Wonder Woman #1

Azzarello(100 Bullets)’s Wonder Woman is fierce, dark, violent, but too unsatisfactory for a small issue.

All Star Western #1

Gotham of late 19th century, Jonah Hex, Amadeus Arkham, a ‘From Hell’like panic struck dark city, and some classic touches makes this one, well, an instant classic. Bring some more!

Aquaman #1(Geoff Johns)

Pretty short to trigger any excitement or response, but I do like the self-reference ‘less popular superhero’digs.

Batman The Dark Knight #1

Feels too early nineties for a reboot. Certainly pales in comparison to the other titles in the line, by a long shadow.

The Flash #1

Not a big fan of The Flash, this comic doesn’t help either. Some good art and innovative paneling, though.

Superman #1(George Perez)

A reboot? This issue feels like a replay of a Superman comic you wished you’d never read!

DC New 52: Part I

So time to do some DC New 52 countdowns/readups. It’s a mixed bag really.

Detective Comics #1
Great aggressive comic, no B.S., plain old Batman with strong grip on the detective aspect, constant deduction and action. A great Batman comic after long, retains the lucid storytelling, something almost a rare commodity lately.

Action Comics #1
With Morrison behind it, there is hope, but must say, not that impressed.

Animal Man #1
Good story and art, liked the direct tone and ‘Walking Dead’ vibe.

Batgirl#1(Gail Simone)
I kinda liked it, more like a more confident and upgraded Robin, failing and learning on the job, inner conflicts et al.

Batwing#1
It is pretty sad that a nice plot gets sacrificed by bad storytelling and poor characterization. Batwing is presented as a ‘Batman for Africa’ but doesn’t really get its act together, really doesn’t stand on its feet. The comic presents some nice ideas but loses them somewhere. Beautiful panels, but it mostly comes off as hollow towards the end.


Green Arrow #1(George Perez)
Quite nice and exciting for 20 pages. Lot of lines, depth(“meat”), a well-balanced book. Just goes to show the potential in this series to explore diverse storylines, even the ones on the periphery of the archetype of dual identity superheroes.

Justice League Int’l #1
Again, not very impressive, given all the set up, feels more like a jaded X-Men arc.

Men of War #1
Not a big fan of the genre, but giving credit where its due, it is well written to say the least.

O.M.A.C. #1
Great action, cool entry of Brother Eye, nice reveals and comic touches. Geeky to the core.



Swamp Thing #1
Lives up to the hype.

Static Shock #1
Feels tiring and long, even though its just 20 pages! Can this one!



Demon Knights & Stormwatch
These are some great titles by Paul Cornell, the first ones I read in this series and would love to revisit them, away from the noise.