Today, Linkara looks at Green Lantern #1, Red Lanterns #1, Frankenstein - Agent of SHADE #1, Batwoman #1, Legion Lost #1, Batman and Robin #1, Deathstroke #1, Demon Knights #1, Mister Terrific #1, Suicide Squad #1, Superboy #1, Grifter #1, Resurrection Man #1, Deadpool #43, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #1.
Green Lantern - Complete failure in terms of well... everything. It was boring for long term readers (me) but I can't see it being new reader friendly. I loved GL as of late but this... wasn't the best.
ReplyDeleteRed Lanterns - I agree about the multi-lanterns and I'm not sure how much they can do with it, but I did like the issue. Ironically, it was more new reader friendly for GL than the actual GL book.
Frankenstein - I felt like I should have LOVED that book based on its idea... just it didn't leave me as thrilled as I thought I should be. I'm giving it another shot though.
Batwoman - The art is absolute GORGEOUS on this thing and the story was good, but not great. Still loved it
Legion Lost - Terrible. I was well.. lost... during reading it and I can only image how much worse off complete newbs are in this thing.
B&R - I can't help but think that the parent's death thing was needless and establishing Damien for new readers was much more important. Everyone know's about Bruce's parents, very little know that Bruce has a son. As for the Dick/Damien v. Bruce/Damien thing I agree. It was pretty good.
Deathstroke - It was a bit much but I did like it. I was happy wit the twist although... face it we knew it was coming. Still I did like, although yeah.. I do agree with your points (if that makes sense)
Demon Knights - I love that book but I'm afraid you're right. It's brilliant but it might be too brilliant for it's own good.
Mr. Terrific - Sorry, I just didn't like it. At all. the Karen Starr part just will lead to a ton of problems later continuity wise (like... well.. a lot of them are)the art too was pretty bad, the faces just go grotesque at certain times. Didn't like it.
Suicide Squad - I can't agree more. This is Secret Six if you force fed it lead paint. It was better than expected but still... I hated the Amanda Waller thing, because they did make her skinner.
Superboy - Only one I didn't write my review for yet because... I just... don't know what to think of it. It wasn't bad but honestly... I didn't like it either. I just can't figure out why I do or don't like it.
Grifter - Agree. Nothing more to it really.
Resurrection Man - I didn't love it and while I'm not pickig up the second issue, I'm keeping an eye on it to see what the buzz is. If I hear good things I'll pick it back up.
Stopped it there, haven't even had a chance to look at my Marvel stuff for the week yet. Anyway, pretty much agree with you with a few exceptions. Looking forward to next week.
Until then,
Trust me, I'm a two-shark Doctor.
To commemorate the new feature, I drew this piece of Linkara fanart
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying hearing him give his thoughts on more current comic releases.
I agree with everything you said about Mister Terrific, including the art.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the core story of Batman and Robin. However I thought the opening and ending with the intro of the Nobody, and Russian Batman, was unneccesarily violent. I'd called it torture porn.
There's one problem with that scene in New Teen Tiatns: Slade is a ruthless assasin who tried to KILL Garth and his friends, and now he's sitting at a diner with him, and giving him advice. Talk about "out of character".
Wait wait wait... Demon Knights is a sword & sorcery /fantasy/ comic?! SOLD! Thanks for the recommendation Linkara! Really appreciate your thoughts =)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I never cared for the Wildstorm stuff, but when the WildCATS cartoon was on in the 90s, Grifter was the only character that was even mildly interesting, so I was intrigued by this new ongoing. And I gotta say, I liked it. It introduced the character, set up a central mystery, two antagonists, and though it didn't really make me care about Grifter as much as Mister Terrific or Static Shock did, I'll be happy to see where this goes.
ReplyDeleteAnd if Demon Knights lasts more than 12 issues, I will be ecstatically surprised. This is the comic that SHOULD outlast any other, but you're right. This isn't one that will probably interest most mainstream comic readers. Which is a shame. It managed to give us tantalizing hints as to most of the people on the "team," did some credible world-building, and had the best last page of any comic this month (well, so far, but I'd still be willing to bet it's the best last page of a comic this month by October). The only thing it didn't do was anything with the villain. We don't know really who she is, what she wants, what her motivations are . . . but still. That last page.
Legion Lost was a good issue, but I don't think it was a very good FIRST issue. I felt like I was dumped into a story that had been going on for a while, and though I had checked out Fabian Nicieza's drabbles that reminded me of the backstory of Firefly more than the Legion, It still took me a while to gather my bearings, and I still feel like I missed a lot of story.
Mister Terrific was terrific, which is good, because otherwise the jokes about his name would have just gotten too much steam. But I was a little confused by the woman at the party, the one who gets in a confrontation with Karen. Her comment about being a black woman and therefore being "built" to handle stuff Karen wasn't and couldn't imagine . . . I'm really hoping that was just dramatic irony, because otherwise it was really dumb.
I wasn't as impressed by Frankenstein, mainly because Father Time and his group (I can't even remember) never seemed all that interesting, and even in Seven Soldiers, Frankenstein's story just seemed like brain-bent over-the-topness for the sake of being over the top. And his name isn't Frankenstein, he's Frankenstein's Monster, if he has to have a name, it has traditionally been Adam. But whatever. Pop culture won that war before I was even born.
I cannot believe you actually liked you liked Mr Terrific
ReplyDeletethe dialog is terrible, the origin is, maybe well done but it definitely could had been better and that "death by GPS" is just really stupid
and then he pulled the son from the future thing, nonsense from a b-movie scifi
but the biggest problem on the book is race
did you notice that Mr Terrific is black?, dont worry if you didnt he remind you of it, also Karen remind us that she is white and another chick that she is black too
he also remind you that he is the 3rd smartest man, 3 times in fact
Mr Terrific is just not the kind of book to do something like that, and it just pull it off without any context
he is a republican atheist black man, he shares all of that but does nothing with it
right now it one of the most controversial of the new 52 and is just cause Karen sayd "is it cause im white?"
completely out of no where and told to a supporting cast member that wasnt even introduce
the art was weak, all of the faces look bad, specially the eyes, the lair on the 9th dimension wasnt very impressive, it looked like any other laboratory
and finally the plot to kill the senator, is ok
but look
Michael creates a machine whose main goal is to stop/prevent earthquakes
and yet it can create them too =D
dont you think thats a little odd, like someone, i dont know like a villain could just set it in reverse and kill a huge bunch of ppl
i think this was way too easy, and if he wanted to kill him with an earthquake, and he is right there in the room, and this thing was suppouse to make him smarter, possessed or not it feels forced
i think i watched too many of your videos cause im starting to judge comics just a little too harsh but after the "bad GPS" thing i just felt that the rest was pure BS
i dont know
I haven't read comics for years (about 6 or 7 actually). The reboot has gotten my attention and I am giving some of the series a chance. I may end up one of the thousands that do this and fall off the bandwagon again, but we'll see.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you Lewis! You gave me a number of suggestions and made me wary of a few titles. I sure won't be picking up everything, but a number you mentioned fell into my "give at least a 3 issue try" pile.
I did pick up the Frankenstein comic earlier today and I enjoyed it as well. I didn't love it as much as you did, but I am more then willing to give it a chance.
This series is really helpful for returning readers, thanks again for it!
"To commemorate the new feature, I drew this piece of Linkara fanart
ReplyDeleteI've been enjoying hearing him give his thoughts on more current comic releases."
And I did get your e-mail about becoming a title card aritst for it, just FYI. XD I haven't replied back because I haven't made a decision yet. While I wouldn't be against it, I worry about being able to tell you what I'm going to review ahead of time, partially because, as I said in this video, I somehow miscounted what I was getting for the week, and partially because the weekly e-mails I get from my LCS about what comics are coming out don't always come when they should, and since I try to get these episodes out the day I get the comics, it creates issues.
Like I said, I'm not against it, I just haven't decided if I'm going to accept your very generous offer yet. ^^
"I wasn't as impressed by Frankenstein, mainly because Father Time and his group (I can't even remember) never seemed all that interesting, and even in Seven Soldiers, Frankenstein's story just seemed like brain-bent over-the-topness for the sake of being over the top. And his name isn't Frankenstein, he's Frankenstein's Monster, if he has to have a name, it has traditionally been Adam. But whatever. Pop culture won that war before I was even born."
ReplyDeleteAnd I say pop culture is RIGHT. Yes, Victor Frakenstein was the Doctor... but the monster was his creation, i.e. his CHILD, thus what is the surname passed on from father to child? His last name - FRANKENSTEIN.
About Red Lanterns, arent superhero comics supposed to teach that revenge DOESN'T solve anything?
ReplyDeleteI only read 7 of the titles this week so I'll only touch on what I read and say that I appreciated your thoughts on the rest!
ReplyDeleteDeathstroke.
You really brought home all the thoughts I had about Deathstroke. God I miss when he was a well written character! I miss his first solo series... I miss.... well everything he used to be before Identity Crisis. (I can't WAIT for you to rip that story apart in AT4W BTW!!!)
I had really high hopes for the book when it was announced as part of the new 52 and in the months since my expectations have just been sinking lower and lower. *laughs* They were so low that I was shocked that I liked anything about the first issue at all!
I really wanted them to revamp the character, maybe even use the reboot as the chance to bring back Addie or Wintergreen. Neither of which happened.
Its depressing because Slade is one of my favorite character in DC and no one has written him correctly for years now. Nobody gets him and from the looks of things no one is going to get him in the near future.
Green Lantern.
I knew that this was a continuation of everything that had come before going in so I wasn't shocked that it wasn't really readable for new people.
That said I really do love Sinestro! He's been a draw to Green Lantern since I started reading the title when I was a kid. I'm really eager to see where the story goes.
Red Lantern.
The rage kitty was the best character! End of story!
Demon Knights!
I loved the premise as much as you did. The fantasy setting was so detailed and full of classical tie-ins. It was one of the best reads this week. Sadly I agree that it won't last more than six months or so.
Suicide Squad.
I made the mistake of picking this up. It won't last long. Its off my pull for sure when I go to my shop to pick up next week's books.
Batwoman.
I read this because my best friend and I share a comics pull and this was one of his. The art was incredible and the beginnings of the story were solid. I just don't have the background for the character to really enjoy it.
Batman and Robin.
I love that Bruce is going to celebrate how his parents lived instead of how they died. I'm just praying that the notion lasts and actually carries over to the other Bat titles. I won't be surprised however when Bruce is crying 'my parents are dead' again in six months.
Damian, hopefully, just needs time to adjust to working with Bruce instead of Dick. I'm glad Dick went back to Nightwing. Its his hero identity. Its where he should be.
Higgins is writing the Nightwing book as well. Thankfully I KNOW he can write Dick Grayson well because I read his work in Gates of Gotham. He's got a good grasp on Dick and will do well there... now if Higgins would do well with Deathstroke.... but that's beating a dead horse I think.
Thank you for the look at this week's comics! I'm looking forward to next week's edition!
First off thanks for doing these, great to hear about your raw opinions.
ReplyDeleteSorry but have to add my voice to those who are flabbergasted by your praise for Mr. Terrific. Power Girl as arm candy? Those terrible racial "jokes" or whatever the hell they were? Not explaining who the supporting cast are?
Curious to see if your opinion changes after people bring this stuff up.
Thanks again! Loooking forward to Nest week
If I can recommend something, good sir: Ultimate Spider-Man #1. I found it to be on par with (if not even better than) the better DC re/launches of the month. Including Demon Knights. I do not say that lightly.
ReplyDeleteI'll go further. I haven't been this invested in a new character since Jaime Reyes, and for much the same reasons. He has intelligence and compassion, and what looks like a very fun supporting cast.
What I've read:
ReplyDeleteGL - Never read a GL comic before, but I had seen the movie and got the barest gist of some of the history and that's it - and I loved this comic. It sets things up slowly with a few strongly put forward events, and watching Hal make a fool of himself was actually entertaining (unlike in JL #1 where he was only an incompetent pest). I walked away from this one being curious as to what happens next.
RL - I think Linkara and I are on the same page here. Very bland. Very dull. Very cliche. It's made all the worse by it having a great opening that suddenly falls flat. Super Rage Kitty was awesome. Forget everyone else! Follow the cat!
BW - This one pissed me off mainly because I loved the artwork but hated the story. The art has a very Dave McKean-ish feel, and having been a Sandman/Lucifer fan, it was fantastic. Unfortunately the story didn't work. The ghost attack was wonderfully done, but everything else fell flat. Plus the ending tried adding exposition backstory without actually making it clear what the hell happened. The imagery was just confusing, and nothing hooked me into the characters. I have to now pass on the rest of the series.
B&R - Mixed feelings leaning to strong positive here, if that makes sense. First: Robin is a little s***, but what I liked it that sometimes (not all) he did have a point amidst his b****ing. But the rest of the time I get the feeling that Damian would benefit greatly from being introduced repeatedly to the back of Bruce's hand or a rear-end paddling. Still, the story is well put forward and I have an interest in reading the conflict between B&R and also with the villain targeting the Batman Inc franchises.
Death
Stroke - I'm torn. You're right, Linkara. They don't need to put forward the "He's badass" statement so blatantly. It's like some guy in a mid-life crisis trying to get "hip to the young person's lingo" by repeatedly asking "I'm cool now, right? I'm cool?" Still.... regardless of that and the characterization problems.... I really liked the issue. The surrounding cast character intros were well done (regardless of the "twist ending" that still seems pointless to me) and the mid-air operation was damn cool. Personally I would had liked to see Slade being forced to work with the noobs. But now... what? He's on his own again.... Whoopie.... At least working with them pulled him out of his comfort zone.
Suicide Squad - First, I really enjoyed this one. Second, yeah... thin Amanda Waller is stupid. They're just making her look like Angela Bassett to match up with the GL movie (*sigh*)... which was bad casting. Third, I don't know why they are merging Harley with Duela Dent's look - although admittedly I loved her facial expression upon the bomb discovery. But for the comic itself: I didn't know who most of these characters were coming in, and although I still need to be brought up to pace with a few of them, I loved this team-up. The pacing was good. The action was good. I loved the quick flashbacks to how several were caught and brought into the group, and I want to know what's going to happen next. I know the mission objective sounds stupid and "purposefully edgy" (*groan*) but ignoring that writing idiocy I liked it.
Superboy - Eh. Not bad, but I felt like I was watching "A.I." I had to tell myself "You're not reading a 'young superhero' comic. You're reading a comic about foreign intelligence who is only passing himself off as human... and not very well." I'm not vested in the story yet, but I 'might' give it one more issue to pick up. Other notes: loved the ignoring of the burning house. It was darkly funny when it happened, but I also loved how the story justified it later (being fake). But they made it too obvious that his human donor was Lex. Even facially you can tell.
I'm really enjoying this new show (Which I only found out about this past Monday, weirdly) even though it seems we have some pretty obvious differences of opinions. But hey, that's what makes the world go round.
ReplyDeleteI only got to read three of the new DC issues this week: I loved Batwoman a lot, I was disappointed with Mister Terrific and I'm on the fence with Demon Knights (Which I have to re-read). I do agree that Demon Knights is doomed to be canceled and am pretty surprised it even made it to print in the first place.
tell me have you seen the lady in the red cloak that been in the backround in EVERY new 52 book. I wonder what it could mean?
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that you liked Mr. Terrific
ReplyDeleteMost reviewers say it's awful, and that it's possibly so far the worst thing to come out of the relaunch
On the other hannd the critics do seem to like Red Lanterns, and so did I
I will check Demon Knights
I was a bit on the fence about that title, but the overall good reactions to it (including yours) convinced me
I think one of the major problems with Batwoman (although I don't know if it's related to any of the problems you had) is that it was never intended to be a relaunch title. It was planned for release ages ago but got delayed until the point that (I imagine) they just decided to throw it in with the Relaunch stuff. I assume they rewrote it somewhat but that's going to make for some confusion at least for a while. There's a Batwoman issue 0 out there but I don't have it so I don't know if it helps at all.
ReplyDeleteSuicide Squad. As someone who grew up watching Batman the Animated series: that is not the Harley Quinn I remember. No siree!
Unfortently, my comic shop was pritty much sold out of the New 52 stuff, so I got that 90's Retroactive Green Lantern book (because I have been wanting to read more about Kyle) and a cherry coke (cause I was thursty), but there were a few a was able to flip through (mainly cause I like seeing if I can find the mystery woman in a Where's Waldo type thing), Batwoman, Batman and Robin, and Legion Lost. They looked good enough, but didn't realy look worth buying. (btw, to those who have also been looking for her, did anyone else thought she was a little too obvious in Batman and Robin? I mean, she was just standing by a pool with barly anyone else around.)
ReplyDeleteYou know, Linkara. You have pritty much convinced me to check out Demon Knights. I wasn't going to look at it before, but it sounds good.
miWelp lets see what I pulled.
ReplyDeleteDemon Knights: I LOVE THIS BOOK. I'm kinda peeved that your recommendation wasn't just "BUYITBUYITBUYITBUYIT" instead of the more realistic "Pick it up, but it probably wont survive" Any book I can spend hours arguing over the potential class, party balance and alignment of the characters (For the record thats Mage (Shapeshifter), Mage, Barbarian, Fighter (Possible Paladin?), Rogue (Mechanist?), Barbarian and Rogue (Ranger) for the archer girl. As we discussed a fine balance but they may need a healer if Ystin didn't take Paladin and Xanadu didn't invest in healing spells. Maybe they'll meet a cleric along the way), I enjoy.
Also really perverted joke for those who understand, but wondering if Jason/Xanadu/Etrigan is a case of NTR or not is one for the record books of "Most pointless thing ever discussed"
Superboy: I like it. Oh yeah he's not Young Justice Superboy who I LOVE, but I'm giving Scott Lobdell a chance and I like what he's doing, Is he the original? no but I'm willing to give it a chance to stand upon it's own merits as if I had never met Superboy before... and it stood up... as an introduction anyway. Though I got the same feeling as you "Who FUNDS all these organizations?!" though I hope, as time goes on he does grow up.
Grifter: I gotta tell ya that I love Cole Cash, mostly from Captain Atom: Armageddon. I feel your a little harsh on the Wildstorm folks because of the disagreements of methods... not that you aren't entitled to those feelings, just leaves me wondering if you might not WANT to enjoy them sometimes.
Legion Lost: I like the legion of the superheroes from Legion of Three Worlds. And I still came into this wondering "What the FUCK is going on?" Seriously for quite a few pages I was convinced that the wolf guy whos name I've already forgotten, was Lightning Lad due to looking so similar. Could we not have gotten a Frankenstein style introduction, it wouldn't take more than a page! It feels like I skipped an issue, In Medias Res does not work on a MONTHLY basis.
Ressurection Man: With all the Angels and Demons running around I sure hope Zauriel pops up. All I previously know about RM is from D.C. One Million and that made me love the character.
Static Shock: Allow me to lose composure here for a second. I FUCKING CALLED HARDWARE PLAYING THIS EXACT ROLE THE MOMENT SCOTT MCDANIEL SAID MILESTONE CHARACTERS MIGHT APPEAR! Seriously though I stated that he most likely got Static his new job (having been in the situation himself) and would aid him. Oh right the book... Well I would like more of Statics supporting cast to pop up, like Frieda. But other than that it's gold for me.
Frankenstein: let me sum this up in 1 quote "Father Time was under strict instructions to not interrupt my vacation on Mars unless it was of the utmost importance" If you do not see the inherant awesome in that sentance then my friend you lead a sad and pathetic existance.
This is the end my reviews on the books, the following is a rant on Suicide Squad and an upcoming book so if you don't care, just skip it.
Continued
ReplyDeleteHarley Quinn is a perfect villain fit for REDHOOD AND THE OUTLAWS. Lets analyze the contents of that book as described by Scott Lobdell, a group of heroes and anti-heroes all of whom have become outlaws in some way, failed at some moment in there life, and are now trying to live there lives, not as a team but as people together. They better one another and rise up to meet their challenges. Yes they kill if they have to but they aren't going around murdering anyone in there path.
Harley Quinn has always been the villain the heroes have wanted to save. Hell she's the villain the VILLAINS want to save, she is a woman trapped on a self destructive obsession with one of the most vile beings in the DC universe new or old. That kind of person stands in stark constrast to the Outlaws, she needs people like them, because if she had them she may be saved, but of course Harley doesn't want to be saved.
Not at the begining of the book but think about half way (if it lasts that long and I hope it does) Jason and Roy and Kor clearly know they have the effect of bringing people together and helping them, those people however always come willingly. This is an intervention though. You could get great characterization out of it. I mean even in SS Black Canary is said to have been in tears when arresting Harley... because they want to save her from herself.
Of course this doesn't make Harley innocent or anything like that, thats part of the whole villain thing, but she evokes a certain type of sympathy (one she's used to her advantage even).
On the whole I know she wont, but I still hope she will transition over to that book, if anything, the idea of a Jason who's letting go of all his anger, being confronted by a person who's devoted to the man who killed him, but who he can also see is a broken individual, would just make for great character development.
anyway Excited for next week and hoping I'm not disapppointed with my picks... DC is going to bleed me dry.
Buffy was great, though i think you ere a bit confused about the end of Season 8, all the Slayers still have their powers, it's just that no new Slayers will be called, and Magic is now cut off from getting to earth. What did you think of Angel and Faith #1 from a couple of weeks back? That was a much stronger issue overall I thought.
ReplyDeleteDisagree with Superboy, I loved it, interesting way of introducing the character, and I am very curious to see where it goes. Plus, Fairchild.
Batwoman was amazing, well, close J. H. Williams has incredible art, though I think this on also fails in being as easy a jump on point as it could be. Have you read Rucka's Detective Comics run with Kate? It was amazing, and I highly recommend it.
Demon Knights, so very good.
Mr.T, unsure, but probably not gonna keep up.
Batman and Robin, I hope Damian's attitude is going to go back to how we saw him in later B&R and Batgirl soon, I think Tomasi was trying to give new readers a Cliff Notes version of the character.
Deathstroke I actually quite enjoyed, even as a huge fan of the Wolfman/Perez run on Titans. Slade has layers, true, and I have hopes that they will be showing up some more soon. On the other hand, Dathstroke is a complete douche. This is the same guy who was sleeping with a 16 year old psychopath, and pretty much has no remorse in killing folk.
Slade also has am immense ego and he doesn't take well to being shown up or losing. I take the end of the book as him showing in no uncertain terms that he is not a team player, unless he wants to be. Yes, Deathstroke cares about his family, but nothing in this first issue went against that. And I have to give the issue props in actually telling a complete story in 20 pages.
As for Suicide Squad, the concept isn't new, the execution was flawed, but it was fun. I think I also would have liked it a lot more if they didn't feel the need to punk Savant. Seriously, what the hell? I know Savant, and that whiny schmoe was not him.
While I appreciate the look at the new DC releases, I'll leave comments on them to those that have read them. When it Comes to US Comics I usually wade through the paperbacks, looking for what catches my eye or that I've heard was interesting.
ReplyDeleteAs such this relaunch hasn't really effected me as a casual comic reader. Heck I get worked up enough about TV shows and films, if I was to start ranting about continuity bluffs in comics as well my heart would literally explode.
Anyway I am enjoying this new series you've got going here. It's interesting to hear your first impressions. I'm actually thinking of tracking down a copy of Mr Terrific and Demon Knights on your recommendation.
Still I found the best part of this episode your opinion of the Buffy comics. I loved Buffy as a show but as the season 8 comic developed I go steadily more and more angry with what I read. You summed up the biggest problems I had quickly and effectively.
A good new series and I'd like to hear more frank opinions as things develop.
Thomas
I have to ask- can we expect Buffy Season 8 to make it onto AT4W? I heard about all of the stuff you pointed out and thought to myself "they must really be TRYING to ruin everything".
ReplyDeleteI can sort of get making buffy the only slayer again, if for no other reason than I imagine the army of slayers thing having a negative fan reception.
But removing magic from the world entirely... that was ridiculous. Turning Angel arbitrarily into a villain (which, by the way, was a screw up on dark horse's part since IDW then had to find a way to work it into their own Angel continuity) was also not that great an idea.
I'm intrigued by having Bruce and Damian together in Batman and Robin. Yes Dick and Damian developed a great rapport and I'll miss that, but that relationship was well established and I knew what to expect from it. Bruce and Damian have barely interacted since Bruce came back, and Damian's character growth is going to depend on working things out with Bruce. I didn't expect them to work together well at first at all, but I look forward to how their dynamic develops.
ReplyDeletePersonally I do find Atrocitus interesting, although I'd prefer a book about Larfleeze, but Red Lanterns was not great or anything. I'm going to stick with it to see if it goes anywhere but it could easily not and just end up being boring.
Deathstroke was just boring. I mean really boring. Deathstroke here was worse than Deathstroke in the recent Titans series, which was really bad itself.
And speaking of Titans, Mr. Terrific is also being written by Eric Wallace, so I'm staying away. As bad as his Titans is, the beginning of it got me interested, but he demonstrated to me a complete lack of the ability to carry through on good setup and take it anywhere. Titans stalled in the mud and never got out, and for all the time it wasted without moving things forward, the ending still felt rushed.
I find Batwoman really boring. Her 1st series was boring and I hated the art. She also never earned the Bat-title, even if Batman Inc did lower the bar for that. Even in 52, which I think is a strong contender for the best comic ever, I found her boring and the only thing she had going for her was being the girlfriend of a great character. Speaking of which, it also annoys me that she gets her own title and Renee Montoya is nowhere to be found.
Legion Lost was ok. Not sure a Legion book without Braniac 5 will hold my attention though. No one stands out and that needs to change, but I'm gonna stick with it just because Nicieza is writing it so I think it'll get better.
Superboy was at least better than Jeff Lemire's run on the book which had awful art, awful writing and never got around to tying off its plot lines. Just reading a Superboy book where characters were at least consistent throughout a singe issue was a plus.
I've been reading Green Lantern since the Sinestro Corps War, and I've enjoyed it all since, so the fact that it's not skipping a beat is fine by me. And I'm not a Green Lantern fan, I never liked the character or the mythos until reading issue 26 of Geoff John's run, the last issue of Sinestro COrps War that introduced the idea of the spectrum of Corps. Hal Jordon is not one of my favorite characters, but Sinestro is great. Also Green Lantern was probably one of the easiest books to catch up on so I don't think its a big deal that its holding over everything, it's not like you need to know that much to follow the story for this new issue. Also, the Green Lantern books have been pointing toward a future without the Guardians, they're going about it slowly, but the increasingly evil actions of the Guardians are just part of that.
Griter is just boring. I always find him really boring. Every time he showed up in Flashpoint I became bored while he was there. Also Lois Lane and the Resistance should have been called Grifter and the Resistance, he completely took over the book after the first issue and that was what they were when they showed up in the main Flashpoint series.
Aw. I was really hoping Green Lantern was going to be good for new readers. Thankfully, I do have Green Lantern: No Fear and some of the other trades. The next comic I really am interested in is Flash since I never really read the Barry Allen one. The one I know the best is Wally West.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is intrigued by Frankenstein. I guess he likes monsters in secret agencies.
I guess I too agree this week is a mixed bag. Hopefully next time will bear improved fruit!
Since you said Deadpool is the one you reagurally pick up, does that mean theres not that many chances to hear anything about some of the other latest marvel heroes on this show
ReplyDeleteSo Harley Quinn is in Deadpool now?
ReplyDeleteI'm probably going to have to drop Deathstroke, because it's not going to be in my comics budget. I intend to stick with Red Hood and the Outlaws, which I'm hoping will be really good, and even if I HAD a big budget that I could dedicate to buying more comics, I would probably drop it anyway and buy something else.
ReplyDeleteI could only get Demon Knights, and I really enjoyed it. I really hope it does well.
ReplyDeleteBTW, the redheaded girl in Superboy is Fairchild of Gen 13, another Wildstorm character, though one I think you'll like.
(And again, just recommending Avengers Academy again. Just saying, you may really like it.)
Any chance of picking a Thor comic for the next episode? I'm kinda confused on whether Thor or Journey into Mystery is his ongoing series.
ReplyDelete"And I say pop culture is RIGHT. Yes, Victor Frakenstein was the Doctor... but the monster was his creation, i.e. his CHILD, thus what is the surname passed on from father to child? His last name - FRANKENSTEIN."
ReplyDeleteIf he was Victor's child, he was disowned . . . oh, fine.
The quick review of Deadpool... shades of "Mad Love?"
ReplyDeleteGot to disagree with you on the Batman and Robin book. I dislike the book and was fuming with anger while reading it.
ReplyDeleteMy problems with it are two fold: Damian and the thing with Batman switching from honoring his parents death to honoring their life, or however you want to explain it.
The thing about Damian is that i actually started liking him and his evolution as a character under Dick's supervision. Here i feel as if all of that was ripped away and he's acting as if none of that ever happened. This complete regression in character is not a good idea, imo.
Now, on to the parents thing. I don't hate the concept, unlike some of the people on a forum i visit every now and then. It has merit and if handled properly, could be a good twist to Bruce's character.
My problem is that here it just isn't done right in any way.
First off, it's done in the first issue of a book called Batman AND ROBIN! This kind of character twist/development should be done in the characters own book.
Second, it's done in the first issue of a book, with no build up or gravitas, which is kind of what I'd expect from this plot point and the character exploration of it would be worthy of an entire issue all on its own. It was done out of the blue and way too quickly.
Further more, as the first issue after a relaunch, we have the problem that new readers don't have a connection to the character where they can connect to the characters pain, while older readers are still lost trying to figure out the new status quo and those like me are annoyed at how haphazardly and shoehorned something this important feels in this book.
P.S. I really hate the part with the Russian Batman. I was infuriated at the characterization of Rocket Red and the russian UN delegate in JLI, where they are portrayed as just short of being morons, but here the russian Batman, Inc. representative appears out of the blue, his character has never been established anywhere, even prior to the reboot and his entire purpose is to get beaten up and dissolved in acid.
Had they shown the character interact with Batman in at least one issue, demonstrate who he is and why Batman chose him, show that he is capable and willing to join Batman's fight against crime, give him even the most basic characterization, then his death would have some impact and the villain would appear capable and intimidating.
This way, i don't care about the russian guy, i don't care about the villain and the only emotion is anger at such a miserably executed plot point.
Well, looks like only me and Jim Lee love the redesign of Harley Quinn. Don't get me wrong, I still love her iconic look more than this but still love it(Thank God it's not armor). Deadpool's comic was fun, looks like Marvel wants to make their own Harley Quinn but more obsessive.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree with your comments on Deathstroke. Most of your problems seem to be with past stories in which you feel he was mishandled. But this takes place after the relaunch. The only thing this book did was establish him as a badass mercenary, which he is. He's always been cold, calculating, and professional. That is shows with how he used Terra to strike at the Titans in the first place. And I don't see Beast Boy striking at Deathstroke an example of him being weak, but rather adding dimensions to Beastboy by showing a simple comic relief character CAN be violent and "badass."
ReplyDeleteSome of your complaints were well placed, but overall I think establishing him as a Mercanary wasn't really a problem. In fact, overall it's probably a step in the right direction because it takes him away from the world conquering you had a lot of problems with.
The only thing I really have enough knowledge on to comment is Buffy Season 9; Didn't Buffy Learn way back that 'Beer Bad'?
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely picking up Demon Knights later today cause I've heard nothing but good things.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Squad...yeah. What I really hate is that this is the first time since "Raise the Flag" (and technically the BN tie-in) that the team has had its own book and THIS is what we get. Rick Flag, Nightshade, and Bronze Tiger are nowhere to be found, we have a stupid torture plot (why torture them? you had FREAKING BOMBS in their bodies...I think that is motivation enough. Not to mention, Waller should know that Deadshot just plain does not give a shit when it comes to his own life). Not to mention what happened to Savant...ugh. I just kind of worry that people are going to think that the squad always sucked when they actually were some of the best when Ostrander or Simone wrote them. I really hope people will check out the trades and see that the concept can and has been done really well (or read the latest thunderbolts run from what I've heard)...this though....I wanted to give it a chance (even though i was pissed that Secret Six being taken away...and then the terrible redesigns...though I just blamed that on Lee) and DC let me down.
As for Waller's redesign...I'm confused. If it was to tie-in with Green Lantern...that makes no sense cause that character was Waller in name only. Also, while being fat (though still muscular since she would cold-cock someone ever so often) was important to her appearance...it really bothers me that they made her YOUNG. Waller should not be young. Her defining character is a widow who lost her husband and all but one of her children then picked herself up, got her daughter then herself through colege, got a dark horse candidate elected then used her position to become the leader of the new Task Force X. She's a person whose been through hell to get to a position where she could make sure her family was protected and have power enough so she'll never be vulnerable again. Making her young makes me worried that we won't have teh scenes where her tough-as-nails persona would soften and it would be revealed that she did still care somewhat about the people she was sending out (not to mention the little bits of family life you would find out about her from her talks with Flag, Faraday, or the team's psychiatrist). By making her young, they're either going to have to write a whole new origin story or expect us to believe that she's a 20s 30s grandma who had three kids
Also, Glass: while a defining feature of the Squad is that members often do get killed off...WE HAVE TO KNOW THEM FOR MORE THAN ONE ISSUE for the death to have an impact
I notice you didn't pick up the much-hyped Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1. Good. UCSM #1 is the pinnacle of why decompressed storytelling gets on my nerves. NOTHING HAPPENS. Oh sure, he gets his powers and in the very last instant, we see that they're different from Peters (I think, I wasn't following THAT Peter) but so what? It didn't amount to anything and I paid $3.99 for it! Contrast that with TMNT #1 last month, where we had a fight with some other animal gang, insight into their origin (not the whole story) and we ended on Raphael about to kick Casey's abusive dad's @$$. That, to me, is a reboot! UCSM makes Justice League #1 look downright eventful!
ReplyDeleteWith Legion Lost, I basically bought it so I could do a redraw for my portfolio.
As for Superboy, you're right about these cabals. It's like at some point, the idea of a Seecreet OOORganiizAAAAtiOOOnn really caught on and DC thought, "if we don't use that, we're not cool." Also, it's just part of their attempts to turn Superboy into a prick and turn Superman into a blowhard. They don't care about the characters as they were, so why should I care about what they're trying to say with them?
Batman & Robin, I bought because my teacher inked it. I liked it, though, though I still think Damien sucks. Maybe it's time for a text poll.
I also bought part two of that Spider-Girl: Spider-Island miniseries. Gosh, it's almost as if a character called Spider-Girl should be really strong and agile and be able to climb walls. Y'know, kinda like... Spider-Man? I just hope her powers last.
Finally: I'm tired of Dark Horse, Dynamite and IDW being referred to as "independents." I'm not sure if they are technically independent companies (except I've heard IDW isn't) but they're sooo dependent on licenses of famous properties that I just can't abide by that. Plus, I've heard it applied to DC's various imprints. Heck, when WildStorm was licensing stuff (like X-Files) and was owned by DC Comics which is owned by AOL-Time Warner or whatever, it's about as far from "independent" as you can get. It's like calling someone "independent" when they're on friggin' life support!
If I may, I think what they're doing with Superboy is bringing him in-line with the "Young Justice" cartoon, wherein he's more emo than a Square Enix character and may or may not be a sleeper agent for a secret cabal of supervillains.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with what you said about the Green Lantern run, though I especially dislike the way the Guardians are going--largely because I like the Guardians, and I think Johns isn't being fair with them.
I mean, you said something similar yourself in the Amazons Attack prologue about his Wonder Woman run. How he seemed to think WW needed brought down a peg, closer to humanity or something like that. I don't know. I could be wrong, but it just seems really similar to me.
One thing that gripes me: how come when all the cliches about Superman, like, "oh, he's so stiff, he's too powerful, how how can anyone not tell his secret identity..." are being bandied about on message boards, Green Lantern--about whom the same stuff can be said--is so popular.
ReplyDeleteOnly two of the new 52 books intrested me this week, Frankie's and Suicide Squad. Why? Becuase like you Linkara I love high concept stuff like the ideas behind SHADE right now. Monsters fighting for the good of mankind? Mad science run amok? This is like all the awesome of the silver age! And sure as hell was fun.
ReplyDeleteSuicide Squad because I like Harley Quinn and I needed to know if they ruined her character. So far, not sure. I have problem with them being ordered to kill thousands of people to be honest. What is the purpose of that CADMUS? Please don't be some stupid false flag operation plot. I really don't wanna read a book about villains slaughtering civies. I don't read comics for that DC.
As for the costume, I think they're trying to leech off the success of Batman Arkham Asylum. Harley's getting a new outfit in Arkham City and looks similar to the one here. Except no mid driff.
I'll be picking up Frakenstein, but I Suicide Squad is gonna have to wow me next go to keep me engaged there. I'm fine with anti-heroes doing questionable things and questioning the morality of it all. Uncanny X-Force does it very well. I don't want to read a book where villains murder people because it's edgy. Fuck that.
Superboy I may consider picking up, if only because Rose Wilson is there an I'm a fan of hers. But I'm not sure, I get the feeling it's gonna be really boring and depressing and annoyingly moody beyond belief. I don't really see why I should care.
By the by, props on telling people why Deathstroke has been butchered in comics.
I'm still trying to keep an open mind about this relaunch, and I've given up complaining about it as well since it's not goign away. But so far the start hasn't wowed me all that much. There's only a few books I'm interested in picking up so far. Fewer still I'm interested in following.
It's probably not your cup of tea either, but I would recomend picking up Uncanny X-Force to see something similar to Secret Six. It's building towards a really kickass climax now and the art is continuously gorgeous.
Also Deadpool is gonna have a significantly bigger role next issue. So that's good too.
That's all I can think of for now. I hope DC does something to turn my opinion of their relaunch so far around. But with the new Teen Titans book looking like it was ripped out of the 90's dark ages... I don't know. It seems I should just stick to the non-superhero related books DC's publishing.
Red Lanterns: I can't disagree more with you Lewis. I really loved this first issue. Originaly, though I liked the idea of multicolor Lantern Corps, the Red Lanterns, along with all the others save for Yellow and Orange, didn't really peak my intrest. This issue is pretty good though. It introduces us to Atrocitus, his motivation, and I think the idea of him redirecting his rage to avenege the helpless is a clever way of turning him into a (anti)hero. I'll be picking it up.
ReplyDeleteAgent of Shade: Oh yeah. What you said all the way. Nothing I have to add, except the art is a little off. It doesn't look like it belongs in the DCU. Also, Ray Palmer was in it, and it didn't seem like he was, or ever has been the Atom. Gods, this reboot is confusing.
Batwoman: Let me repeat what I said on Facebook earlier today: " For some reason, I rather doubt the summary for the new Batwoman run would include mention of our heroine's romantic life "heating up" if Kate Kane wasn't gay. Subtle, DC. Still, twas a good first issue. I wonder why no one notices the red hed who dates the mysterious Batwoman's police contact. Maybe she knows the Batwoman...?" Other then that, like I said, it is a good first issue. There is some nice exposition about what happend going on in the previous Batwoman storyline that doesn't feel rushed or forced, and I like Kate Kane as a charecter. The one problem I do have with it is that I agree about Beth not wearing her Flamebird costume. She mentioned she was in the Titans though. I assumed the new Titans book would be the first Teen Titans team (Not counting Team Titans from the future) in universe after the reboot due to the new Superboy and such other changes, but I guess Flamebird was part of a whole diffrent team we haven't seen. At least, thats my fanon.
Legion Lost: I am a huge Legion fan, especialy of the Zero Hour Legion, which included the Legion of the Damned and original Legion Lost arc, which, in my opinion, are two of the best storylines in comic book history. And...I loved this book. Lewis, you really have to be a fan of the pre-Threeboot (the one you were talking about where they were a social movement) Legion to really like it. Tellus, the big purple guy, never showed up between this book and the original incarnation of the Legion of Superheroes, and the same for Gates, the insect critter, between now and the Zero Hour incarnation. I'm pretty sure Cham Girl is brand new, which would explain her early death this issue. Oh, an TYROC s back. How cool is that? I liked it, but no one else seems to, so like you with Demon Knights, it will get cancled pretty soon. Sigh.
Batman and Robin: My only problem with this was how the Batman of Moscow came off as...well...a crying bitch. Russian Batman should be man of great toughness, who eats bears for a light snack! I've never been a fan of the whole "Batman Inc." thing, so I'm a little excited by the new bad guy. ""This new global circus act of his has to end" indeed.
Deathstroke: I don't like how needlessly cruel Deathstoke is in that he killed those teens. Otherwise, I'm curious as to whats in the briefcase and by the Clayface soldiers.
Demon Knights: "Find the source of the problem and throw dragons at it". That is all. Oh, and Etrigan doesn't rhyme. Laaame. Otherwise, this one is pretty awesome.
Suicide Squad: This issue...wasn't all that good. But it did get me intrested, so I will check out issue two. And color me shallow, but the new Amanda is rather attractive...
Resurrection Man: "No matter how many times its shuffled, the Resurrection Man always comes back"! A great first issue. I can't wait to see where its going.
Also, I don't think it's such a sin to make Waller skinny. If they can change Superman's costume, they can put a girl on Jenny Craig... AND I CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE I'M FAT!!!
ReplyDelete"Finally: I'm tired of Dark Horse, Dynamite and IDW being referred to as "independents." I'm not sure if they are technically independent companies (except I've heard IDW isn't) but they're sooo dependent on licenses of famous properties that I just can't abide by that. Plus, I've heard it applied to DC's various imprints. Heck, when WildStorm was licensing stuff (like X-Files) and was owned by DC Comics which is owned by AOL-Time Warner or whatever, it's about as far from "independent" as you can get. It's like calling someone "independent" when they're on friggin' life support!"
ReplyDeleteThey're referred to as "Independents" primarily because DC and Marvel sort of hold a monopoly on comics and sell comics at higher levels than any other company. As such, they are independent from Marvel and DC and survive despite lower sales numbers, even with licensed properties from TV, movies, etc.
Hold on. I knew Green Lantern was staying on the rough same timeline... but completely? No notifications of what'd changed?
ReplyDelete*sigh* It's all this 'five years' thing, right? Are they seriously going with this half-made approach to a continuity? 'Some things happened, some things didn't, and all of it took five years'? Even the big event books, that has lots of heroes active, and were founded on past continuity. (Blackest Night in the DCnU must have been way less impressive; far smaller cast ;))
*sigh* It just confuses me, a lot, especially as some teams and heroes don't seem to have been active within those five years. Including, quite possibly, the Titans (as the solicit for the new TT book suggests that they're founded by Tim Drake, rather than inheritors of stuff)
If DC doesn't pick this up soon, I'm really going to have to revive an old phrase, editing it into the times a little
"It's a reboot; we don't have to explain it!"
(PS; Sorry if anyone else has already made that obvious joke. I've tried to read the comments, and didn't spot it, but I coulda missed it)
Well, that Demon Knights sounds cool I'll check it out even if it only amounts to a mini-series in the long run.
ReplyDeleteThat Ressurrection Man sounds cool too.
The Grifter comic I'll checkout too at some point. On his backstory what little I know from the WildC.A.T.s comics from the 90s I've read he was kind of raised and taught combat by an alien Amazon-like raise of women and that was interesting to me. Even though these women mostly fought with bladed weapons and dressed in a more Asain style and he mostly used guns and bombs and due to his mask and weapons of choise he looked like a Deadpool knockoff!
Speaking of Deadpool it sounds like he's got his own Harley Quinn now in the comics with this therapist of his that's in love with him to the point of busting him out the nuthouse. Sounds like Deadpoolandfriends' fanfic just became real!
Of any Green Lantern spinoffs I'd like to see at least a mini-series of would be Agent Orange.
Speaking of the whole Green Lantern thing how has all that has happened with them happened now that the reset has happened. with out serten events have no longer happened. like all the undead heroes from Blackest Night!?
And, Deathstroke at point was a villain because his dead son's soul was controlling him and getting revenge for him. From the sounds of the comic here you described it sounds like they're taking elements from that anime style series version of him. I do gotta say I like his kind of Batman looking armor with the spikes!
Do you read the Goon or Hellboy? I've just been curious. since you mentioned Dark Horse!
If nothing elses the new 52 has worked on me because I'm reading more comics now then ever before both old and new.
ReplyDeleteI just picked up the first 25 issues of secret six and have been power reading my way through them and loving every minute of it.
PS Skinny Amanda Waller is just plain wrong.
Newbie comic book reader here with my thoughts on the two series released this week I actually read: Batwoman and Batman and Robin.
ReplyDeleteBatwoman: Going into it I actually knew next to nothing about the character beyond she was another one of the Bat family, had red hair, and was a lesbian. That said I actually extremely enjoyed Batwoman #1. In my opinion the issue worked extremely well as a jumping on point to the character. It introduced a couple new plots, had a nice little scene between Detective Sawyer and Kate, and gave a nice quick explanation of her relationship with her surviving family. Also I like how at least in this book the Batman cameo turn into "X Title: Staring Batman" like Justice League International (which I enjoyed also).
After reading the issue I did a info dump on the internet to find out more about the character. There are two questions I still have. One, what is the status of Renee Montoya now? Her picture on the wall with the other cops initially made me think she was dead. Two, why does she have the same skin color as Domino? I am guessing it art style reasons.
Overall it this was something I really enjoyed and I now I want to try hunting down some of her previous books.
Batman and Robin: Probably the only actual bat book I am going to read in this relaunch. Not much to say about this one except I enjoyed it too. I really did like the part were Batman basically said "You know, obsessing about my parents murder really isn't doing anything useful, so I'm going to stop, because I'm Batman."
Thanks for suffering through some bad books for us. I will probably try Batman and Robin and Demon Knights after initially deciding not to buy anything this week. Maybe Resurrection Man, because I dug DC One Million. By chance, Linkara, did you follow Scott Snyder's Detective Comics run? It was great, especially for fans of Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon.
ReplyDeleteI must say, DC's logic sure is confusing. They're currently patting themselves on the back because of the monster sales but was there ever any doubt they'd do well initially? The sad fact is the non-Batman/Superman will probably sink back to pre-reboot levels. And they probably didn't need to reboot at all. Just promising new number ones with new reader-friendly stories and better creative teams would have been enough.
And yet, even with the reboot, DC seems to be failing at making books that are friendly to new readers. Some books are written as if there was no reboot. Others depend on other reboot titles that haven't been released yet. It's a mess. Perhaps this reboot is only a temporary band-aid while the disease goes untreated. That disease is DC's editorial department...these books are just a mess, released without any thought to what chronological order they should go in. We're talking about an editorial department that decided to cancel Secret Six and Batman Inc., two of their top sellers. They aren't lacking in balls, because the reboot is a ballsy move, but they seem to lack common sense.
I picked up Demon Knights on your recommendation. It is the only one I've read so far, and it is pretty good. The writing rubs me the wrong way once in a while, particularly some of Etrigan's dialogue, and the final lines of the issue. I do not mind that Etrigan doesn't rhyme though, so that isn't the problem I have,but I'm not gonna elaborate for spoilerish reasons.
ReplyDeleteGotta say, good show Linkara. Thinking about buying more of these relaunch issues because of this,and you made me aware of Seven Soldiers of Victory.
So yeah, thanks for making me spend money.
no Ultimate Spider-Man?
ReplyDeleteI threw my copy of the Buffy Season 8 finale across the room when Giles was killed. Unless they pull out something really, really awesome, I don't know that I can be bothered.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware of Demon Knights before, but now It's on my Definitely Buy list.
Personally I really hope Demon Knights doesn't get cancelled. And as for your problems with knowing who the characters in Legion Lost were, well I have that problem with stuff like the Legion of Super-Heroes as well, and I'm now a fan of the Legion and a lot of the time I don't know who a lot of the characters are, same problem with X-Men stuff. Though there are a few characters that I do remember and recognise forturnately, plus I do enjoy the storylines, and hey back when Digimon first started it took me a while to learn everybodies names (I missed episode 1).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I do think Harley's new costume does look kinda cool...but it really doesn't fit her character.
since you are a fan of Buffy I recommend you check out the rowdy reviewers review of Buffy Season Six at rowdyc.com
ReplyDeleteJust saw this on Newsarama and it illustrates what I was saying about DC being a mess from an editorial stand point. Gail Simone got thrown for a loop when she found out Babs was going to be in Birds of Prey #4 via the solicits. Way to keep people in the loop, DC.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.newsarama.com/2011/09/14/the-problems-with-feeling-ownership-of-wfh-characters/
Oh yeah, I was originally going to get Suicide Squad just to see if it turned out to be any good, but decided not to. Was consdering picking up Frankenstain Agent of S.H.A.D.E in its place but again decided against that, I'll get it in trade though.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else been playing Where's Waldo with that random diety at the end of Flashpoint? She seems to be in every issue. Also I thought Batwoman was an albino and not wearing white make up.
ReplyDeleteI love that Ray Palmer is a scientist for Shade. I like that they are giving Ryan Choi a chance to be Atom again.
ReplyDeleteAlso I did not like Entrigan as much as everyone else seems to. It's just not my story. I do like Batwoman, Frankenstein, and Mr. Terrific though.
So I assume that the Deathstroke issue is potential AT4W fodder? Sounds fine by me.
ReplyDeleteMy random thoughts for the week.
ReplyDeleteGreen Lanterns: I can definitely see the issues for new readers with this one, though at the same time it was the only side of the DCU I was particularly following consistantly, so I like that it will be continuning pretty untouched. I would have liked at least an attempt at introducing Hal for new fans though. I also have to mention that the car lease moment probably made me laugh harder then anything else I can think of this week.
Red Lanterns: I'm definitely curious to see how they plan to make it work as an ongoing as well. Though I enjoyed it quite a bit, and like Atrocitus and his corps. a lot. I also definitely agree that it did a better job for new readers then Green Lantern. Just a little flashback would have been enough. Or use that Guardian meeting to cram exposition.
Deathstroke: Oh boy. This was one I was really looking forward to, and I liked it up to near the end, but the twist, even if somewhat expected, just seemed needlessly cruel. There's a line between showing the hero as ruthless, and making them completely unsympathetic. Jackie Estacado is my favorite superhero, ruthlessness is ok, as long as they are likable. Jackie has done some harsh things, check out his crossover with Superman for a good way to show something like that, but he also has a code of honor and is a good person at heart. A first issue should make us want to see the hero succeed, this only made me want to see him beaten by an unsupervised Damian Wayne.
Batwoman: I hadn't much been interested in this one, and it really caught me off guard. I liked the art a lot, it had an interesting setup, and a perfect blend of superheroics, supernatural mystery, and more conventional policework. I always like to see those combined, and this did it perfectly.
Demon Knights: I definiely enjoyed it and am excited about next month, though this is one I'd much rather see a trade for. It felt like a prologue mostly. So while it's not the top pick of the week which I thought it would be, it still has me really excited for where it's going. I can definitely agree about the possibility for cancellation, and really hope we're wrong.
Frankenstein: I loved Seven Soldiers, but Grant Morrison wasn't writing. So while I was still looking forward to it, I was a lot more focused on Demon Knights. It was basically the Animal Man of the week for me. I wanted to read it but wasn't in a hurry, and was really blown away. The team members are creative, I really liked the overall setup, and it had some very nice designs for the enemy monsters as well. This was probably my pick of the week. Btw, wasn't it mentioned somewhere in the original mini that Frankenstein took on his father's name after years of using others or something? Maybe that was the Dean Koontz one, I read that comic a while back as well and the details tend to blur in my mind.
Mr. Terrific: It was ok, but terrif... you know where I'm going with this. I like his base and operation, and using his scientific knowledge to outthink villains, but it just never really caught my interest. I will check out the second issue though, as I want to see where it's going.
Grifter: I've never actually read Wildcats, but I liked the cartoon and own a ton of the cards and toys. So while I don't know a lot about Grifter overall, it's still great to see him and the Daemonites in the DCU, and I can't wait to see Helspont in action.
Legion Lost: This definitely needed more of a prologue or something. I don't mind a cold opening, or taking a few issues to flesh out the team, but they literally had members dying (though I expect them to show up again) and I had no idea who they were. And for the life of me I don't know WHICH members. I think the small bug creature is presumed dead, but I don't know his name so I can't be sure. He was my main reason for being interested in the book incidentelly, so I probably won't read anymore until it's a bit more fleshed out.
About the time the b&r review gets done a commercial begins and ends the video it happend on at4wand blip.
ReplyDeleteIs it just me?
I have to disagree with you about Buffy I thought all of Season 8 was flat out horrible. Almost like the script was written by a five year old on meth.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to check out Batwoman because I loved Elegy (although I have to agree with you about her pale skin)
Extract from an IGN interview with Agam Glass
ReplyDelete"Amanda Waller is back. But she has a new look and a new attitude. She runs a tight ship and is quick to remind the Squad that until they prove themselves they are nothing but a bunch of convicts in her eyes. Waller also works more in the shadows in our Squad. This might be government funded, but this is real espionage. It's a down and dirty business lived on the fringes of society, not in the halls of government"
So yeah, new look. Confirmation that she is, indeed, probably skinny now (looking like that actress from Green Lantern, I believe)
Also... well, I never read Suicide Squad, but doesn't that original description imply that nothing's changed? That's kinda what I'd expect as the default from a lady running something called the Suicide Squad. Except that even by those norms she sounds stupid; even on an outfit like this, you need to try and keep up morale, or else your employees will find a way to screw with you.
*sigh* Caiphias Cain this new lady is not.
Also, way to work in an implied insult to the old series, Glass! ;) 'This is Real Espionage' Cause, you know, real espionage is carried out by suicide agents who hate their employers, and have bombs strapped to their necks, not, I don't know, people who're simply dedicated to their country/organization. The Squad have never, as I understand it, been an espionage group, more of a black ops outfit, which makes a lot more sense (and isn't quite the same thing)
(translated from the Codex of the Brotherhood of χάος )
ReplyDeleteWar:
Just as in time an infant gains a Super Ego to quell it's Id, a force rose to appose χάος, Αἰθήρ. Αἰθήρ is a life form consisting of pure thought, the currents that ebb and flow throughout the entirety of the multiverse. Αἰθήρ and χάος battled, and eventually Αἰθήρ triumphed and locked away χάος from his rightful domain in a prison that spanned the entirety of the multiverse.
I'd say the new Ultimate Spiderman is definitely worth checking
ReplyDeleteFirst Marvel title I checked since the disasters that were One More Day and Ultimatum
Kate doesn't wear white makeup, she is just that pale. Weird I know.Its probably because she doesn't get out much besides at night, and to emphasize the whole vampire like quality she has when she is in her Batwoman costume.
ReplyDeleteOnmi: On Harley: She's not just interested in Joker. What happened before was she oscillated between him and Ivy. With Ivy possibly DEAD because of Flashpoint, I can't quite see where else she could go. My big problem is: It's quite plausible that Harley'd VOLUNTEER for this. And that...that would be an interesting opening quarter. Harley, in prison, alternating between her interest in Joker and grief over Ivy's death, ultimately deciding to accept the job when offered.
ReplyDeleteI'd not even heard of Demon Knights until now but just from the description i'm definitely going to be picking it up, thanks for letting me know it existed.
ReplyDeleteOh, also, if you think Deathstroke is bad for just how hard the author is trying to ram the idea he's badass down the reader's throat there's a much worse one. If Iron Liz knows much about Warhammer 40,000 ask her to tell you about Kaldor Draigo. A character so bad that the author's sheer determination to make him an invincible badass made him ignore several of that universe's most basic established rules.
You guys keep mentioning Suicide Squad having to kill a bunch of people, so, as someone who is a lot more optimistic about these issues (The only one from this wave I didn't like was Mister Terrific and Grifter) I feel I should point out the summaries for the first three issues of every New 52 book has been out for some time, and it says the stadium has been infected by a zombie virus or something. Not telling us that in the first issue was a classic throwback to Superdickery.
ReplyDeleteFirst, its 13 new DC relaunch titles plus whatever else you're likely to pick up next week. So it may actually be another 15.
ReplyDeleteThe books I got this week were Suicide Squad, Legion Lost, Demon Knights, and last week's Green Arrow. I'll ask everyone to bear in mind I haven't regularly followed anything in comics since the '90s while reading my thoughts on them.
Batman and Robin was on the maybe list, and the thoughts here have solidified me to "not right now".
Legion Lost: I was lost too. I know who these people are thanks to reading various wikis but feeling effectively dropped into an ongoing story with characters I haven't already directly developed any interest in killed this for me. I want to get into the Legion, but digging into the secondary market to catch up for this one is beyond my meager budget right now. This further solidifies my hope that DC's digital distribution store eventually gets their full back catalog, so I can pick up such titles later if I decide to. It also makes me hope that the main Legion book doesn't make the same mistake.
Suicide Squad: I'm rather curious when in the new timeline this is supposed to occur. It referenced DC#1 for Harley Quinn's backstory flashback, and we are shown Joker shooting Barbara in Batgirl, so I'm guessing it's about four years ago. The various changes to Harley make sense if you see her as being in a socially isolated, depressed funk. As someone who's coming back into comics after a long time away this one felt overall on the weak side of solid, but I'll give it another chance next month.
Demon Knights: I enjoyed it, but it feels like the first run of a cliched D&D campaign... everyone randomly showing up in a tavern and all. I'm giving it a few issues to see how it comes together, but if the cliches overwhelm the good parts, I'll drop it. Shining Knight, Madame Xanadu, Vandal Savage and Etrigan all are interesting characters and the potential interactions interest me greatly. I hope the dire predictions of it dropping are wrong, but as a long time fantasy fan know that is likely.
Green Arrow: I think everything that needs be said on this was said in last week's video. I enjoyed it and will be keeping with it.
Please linkara check my post http://dcsecretwoman.blogspot.com/.
ReplyDeleteIt is about the black woman in flashpoint 5 it has secretly appear in other comics if you look very closely you can find her.
Please check my post and talk about it in your next episode.
PS : I code named her Secret Woman
PSS : I know the name is cheesy but roll with it
PSSS: Try not to judge the series just because the first issue suck
Quoth Linkara:
ReplyDelete"And I say pop culture is RIGHT. Yes, Victor Frakenstein was the Doctor... but the monster was his creation, i.e. his CHILD, thus what is the surname passed on from father to child? His last name - FRANKENSTEIN."
I thought I was the only one who thought that! ('cept the Doctor part... I stopped thinking of Victor as a doctor when I read the book.)
Buffy - I enjoyed most of season 8, but it started going downhill, and I'm not sure how much of s9 I'll get. (I've switched to trade-waiting on it, so it'll be a while before I read issue 1 anyway.)
As said above, I didn't like Mr. Terrific, because I really liked the Power Girl ongoing where she was a strong, independent woman and didn't really need a relationship.
ReplyDeleteNow, however, she seems to suddenly have become arm candy for Holt, they're sleeping together, Karen's powers are nowhere to be seen, and while the comic tells us that she's smart, rich, etc., it just shows her acting as his date/person he's sleeping with and her just leaping to conclusions in her conversation with the other woman. The comic failed the The Bechdel Test pretty hard.
The Harley Quinn in the DCU thing really is contingent on the Joker NOT being a Jeffery Dhamer-esque serial killer who mutilates himself for kicks. Makes you question why he didn't just skin Harley alive and eat her at some point.
ReplyDeleteTony Daniel just takes Mista J too far over the top. Sure, he'll kill without a thought, but everything fits within whatever shtick or game he's playing at the moment. One of my favorite lines when Greg Rucka was writing the Bat-books was Joker, saying something akin to "Any drunken idiot in a wife beater can kill his girlfriend. It's just too cliche to be funny."
As a Deadpool fan, would you recommend Fear Itself? I like the writer's other work.
ReplyDelete"About Red Lanterns, arent superhero comics supposed to teach that revenge DOESN'T solve anything?" *anonymous
ReplyDeletenot nececeraily, the spectre for example is a character who's entire stick is that he takes bloody and permanent vengeance on people that decerve it.
which brings me to what i wanted to ask you linkara, as a fellow christian what is your thought's on the spectre DC's god's angel of vengeance/death?
"As a Deadpool fan, would you recommend Fear Itself? I like the writer's other work."
ReplyDeleteFear Itself is AWFUL. It's 7 months of impossible to beat villains dragged on endlessly.
BUT, the tie ins I would recommend are The Deep, Thunderbolts, Avengers Academy, Hulk, JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY (Which I'm emphasizing), and Homefront for the Speedball stuff.
Youth In Revolt and FI Deadpool aren't as good, but you might like them.
But trust me, Fear Itself is very tedious as the main event.
Also, it's Matt Fraction who's writing Fear Itself, not Daniel Way who writes Deadpool.
Wait they are not relaunching Secret Six!?
ReplyDeleteWhat the Hell DC?
While Im not much of a comic guy, I found it a bit ironic that you complain that people such as myself who have no interest in superman for being to bland and goody-goody, and so powerful that there is no reasonible threat that can stop him, and yet complain about Deathstroke for exactly the same thing.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, the way you describe deathstroke makes it sound more like the writing is at fault rather than the character.
As you say in other videos, the way to make a character seem bad arse is to show it. Imo, if you are going to talk about how bad arse someone is. Never show them until the final act.
Looking at some of the cooments I may be one of the few informed Grifter fans out there. Have not picked up the book ye but did look at Stormwatch as it looks like many of the Widlstorm Characters are getting serious reimagining. Its easy to dismiss Cole cash as a gun toting character but his backstory is more interesting. The member of a Mafia family he was recruited to join Team 7.This team forms one of the major underpinnings of the Wildstorm universe. While a lot of people dismiss Wildstorm the universe had solind intersting underpining with the Kherubim -Daemonite war, IO and Team 7 and the Comet event Henry Bendix and Stormwatch. The Origin you describe is more in line with early Jack Hawksmoor than for the Grifter.
ReplyDeleteAm going to look at Batman and Robin as they had a whole issue setting out why Bruce and Damien did not work as a team.
You do seem to be in the minority, looking at how the majority of critics seem to despise Mr. Terrific, while praise Red Lanterns, Deathstroke, and Suicide Squad
ReplyDeleteLuckily, your credibility is saved by the incredibly good reception that Frankenstein and Demon Knights are receiving
With your comments about Red Lanterns, it makes me wonder what you think of Hulk books, since he is also a character that relies on anger for his powers to work.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Fear Itself this Hastings's one? And three issues?
ReplyDeleteYeah, if you're reviewing all of the New 52 books you should probably expect to pick up 13 books right off the top for each of at LEAST the next two weeks.
ReplyDeleteThat deadpool instance is actually a very clever reference to a man named Michael Fagan, who's also quite nutty. Look him up, and you'll see what I mean. Also, which Deadpool trade is best to start off with?
ReplyDeleteOn the Hulk: Yes, but it's not the only tack that can be taken. Banner has a high level of intelligence. As for the chosen Lantern spin-off book: Why the Red? I'd say Blue (paranoiacs), Alpha (Internal Affairs) and Star Sapphire (Psychotic Love) have way more dramatic possibilities. But at least they didn't try to do an ongoing about Larfleeze.
ReplyDeleteI read Suicide Squad #1, was surprised at how good it was, still thought Harley's costume was stupid but thought they did the character right and intrigued by how different her backstory with Joker was going to be, admired Deadshot's badassiness, intrigued by El Diablo's character, and then I get to the last two pages with Smoking Hot!Amanda Waller (but maybe the angle was just weird and she's going to be a Big Beautiful Woman - still weird for her character but better) and the "killing sixty thousand people bit" and almost threw it across the Hastings reading area. Congratulations, comic, you managed to squander all the good will you've garnished for the issue in two pages. Good freakin' job, that's got to be a record.
ReplyDeleteSmall wonder you hated Deathstroke, Linkara. Kyle Higgins said that his all-time favorite Deathstroke moment was in Identity Crisis when he took on the whole JLA.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I'm surprised you didn't point out as it's a big gaping plothole. Deathstroke is supposed to be this total badass who can do the impossible, right? Explain then why - on the penultimate page - his agent insists that he can't get Slade work except for bodyguard gigs or as part of a team because nobody thinks he can handle field work anymore. You can't have it both ways, Higgins!
Dude! What are you doing?
ReplyDeleteYou have a huge fanbase! Tell them to go buy Demon Knights and it WON'T fail! People have been trying to keep some books from going into cancellation all the time, but you can SAVE books! Just say "Go buy Demon Knights," and you could probably make it last a lot longer!
You've sold me on Demon Knights, which is probably a bad thing, since I have rather a long history of picking up books that then get canceled.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, Anonymous is right, you do have a lot of fans, maybe enough to save the book.
I am the angel that gives life, and the angel that takes life away.
ReplyDeleteI am light and darkness.
A god to some, a demon to others.
You will gaze upon my beauty, and despair.
Cheers on your assessment of Deathstroke! I first met the character in the Judas Contract TPB, and quickly followed it by jumping onto Teen Titans during the "Death of the Titans" story arc, where Deathstroke became Cable to the New Titans' X-Force, and you know what? It worked! Slade had layers, and while he didn't "redeem", they made it clear he *could* work on the side of angels, and seemed to want to make up for the fact at how badly he screwed up his kids.
ReplyDeleteThen the "Rose" plot happened after Identity Crisis and suddenly, he's, as you so aptly put it, a douche bag Marty Stu, who can kick anyone's butt. I mean, seriously. With DC's writing as hamfisted as its been lately I honestly wonder who'd have won in a Versus match, Prometheus or Deathstroke?
The Emntity is being all poetic
ReplyDeleteI have read a few comics, a Batman collection of major stories, a Superman here or there, I am not much of a comic reader, but have considered it.
ReplyDeleteSo here is the relaunch, and I worried about what was going to happen, it seemed... weird and wrong. Partuclarly with Batman having (maybe) 4 Robins, 3 Batgirls, and a Batwoman in 5 years?
And... I been watching this three weeks now, and I notice something in all these reviews, particularly last week, this weeks Green Lantern, Legion Lost, and so on, all the time I hear things like "Well to understand you should read..." and "If you read ... you would know..." Which makes this entire relaunch a failure if it is suppose to be a jump in point for potential readers like me.
I am on the edge of knowing too much, and not knowing enough to dare read these, if that makes sense.
Deadpool's recent direction scares me a bit. Escaping an asylum with the help of your female therapist who is actually in love with you?
ReplyDeleteAs much as we love her, Marvel does not need a ripoff of Harley Quin.
Superboy isn't being inserted into the Teen Titans he's being sent to kill them. I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that he is going to be spying on them when its been hinted at that he's going to solve the problem for our mystery man in a more permanent manner.
ReplyDeleteThe memories do not belong to who you think they do. Cognitive Amnesia is much more accurate then what they would lead you to believe.
I found the actual book more interesting in how its not moving forward. The emotional detachment the new abilities he has never shown before like the ability to feel the vibrations of the helicopter despite being underground god knows how many floors down in the miles of the facility. Rather then sight his primaty sense is touch possibly due to an expansion of his tactile telekinesis. I really love this unique power far more then his Kryptonian abilities and usually find it severely underwritten to virtually forgotten about. So getting back to basics in this regard is good.
They seem to be going back to the whole basics that the original Superboy comic book never really covered in his whole what does it mean to be him. The whole nature vrs Nurture question and of course he's a clone of superman and lex luthor which was nicely dealt with in the Action Comics series, but I'd like to see new ground covered in that.
I'm hoping that the book moves past this current I'm an alien clone studying my captors and into the I'm SuperBoy free to make my own choices and a whole new outlook on life.
Backstory that you don't care about but is needed to understand where I'm going with this: I had never bought comics as a child (OK, I bought a Knuckles the Echidna miniseries once, but anything falling under the Sonic tent doesn't count). But over the past couple years I've found myself gravitating towards the medium thanks to comic fan friends and watching AT4W. I could never get myself to actually start reading though because of the difficulty of catching up with years of backstory. Therefore, when the DCnU was announced, I saw it as my opportunity to actually start reading comics. After looking through the announced new 52 I had decided to start out with 2 new series (partly to start at a slow pace, and partly because I'm extremely cheap). One was Red Hood & The Outlaws, which I will pick up tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThe other was Suicide Squad.
Now admittedly I didn't know much about this series when I picked it up. I basically knew most of Harley's history and a quick Wikipedia reading of Deadshot and KS's histories. But I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It opened to a memorable image of the team being tortured by not-Scarecrow to draw the reader in. It described the backstories of a good chunk of the team succinctly, while still in enough detail to define important characteristics (ie. El Diablo's unwillingness to harm the innocent). And it described the basic concept of the team before setting up the first major story arc for next issue. All things an issue #1 should do in my opinion. I can understand people having some gripes about things like Harley's outfit, a thinner Amanda, or the seemingly meaningless death of a character that alot of people seemed quite fond of based on the comments. But as someone who won't be comparing the series to Secret Six or earlier renditions of SS, I found it quite enjoyable and will be continuing on with the series.
Depending on how much I have on me tomorrow I may pick up some of the other ones you recommended when I go to get Red Hood tomorrow though. Always good to get an expert opinion before making buying decisions.
Having finished reading Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 I officially nominate it for a full blown review:)
ReplyDeleteIts Because simple spoken words can not convey how Lewis will react to it or Catwoman. We need to see his face to get the full reaction to this masterpiece of a comic...
Ostrander's Suicide Squad was great (better than Secret Six, IMO). I'm not expecting this one to reach anywhere near the levels of that run though.
ReplyDeleteIsn't Deadpool bisexual with a preference for overweight women?
ReplyDeleteWow, this was a long one.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say that I totally agree with your Amanda Waller comment. It was a complaint I also had about the Green Lantern movie (along with many other things). It seems like modern incarnations of the character are trying to make her thin or average-sized when she really should look like what would happen if Queen Latifa ate the cast of Precious.
Anyway, thanks for outlining all this. I only sort of follow comics and it's good to hear news about what to keep an eye on or avoid in big events like this.
Personally, my knowledge of comics is usually a ton of trade collections or wikipedia and I'm still enjoying the relaunch.
ReplyDeleteTwo things about Frankenstein. Is it me or does it seem to be trying to ripoff Hellboy? Down to the fish person. Also, I get that everyone thinks of the monster as Frankenstein, but come on, all nerds know Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster, right?
I dunno Linkara , the common complaint I've heard about the Legion Threeboot are as follows, & I quote:
ReplyDeletea) Waid did another reboot for the same reasons he did the first one: he was too lazy to deal with the previous backstory of the Legion.Considering the praise the DnA run had
b) What he gave us wasn't a Legion who banded together to do the right thing because it was the right thing to do, but a bunch of spoiled punks doing good deeds just because they knew it would piss off the adults.
c) The "dystopian" future he presented made no sense whatsoever.
Now to be fair I can't really agree or disagree since I don't give a damn about LOSH (aside from MGK 's posts which were kinda fun)
But I found funny that their complaints kinda echo the burning hatred I have towards Morrison's x-men run (yes, It actually succeeded in pissing me off,& that's not common).
Now as for Spoony not liking Green Lantern, I'll freely admit that I do not like GL Jordan but love Parallax Jordan who was a far more relatable & entertaining character.
One of the things I liked about the old Jordan was that he was getting visibly older. Not wiser, though. Instead, he went through a long character arc of rebuilding his lost youth. Getting back his position of GL of earth (by means of dubious ethics), moving back to California, becoming a pilot again, working with Carol Ferris again, etc. All this smack of a man going through a mid-life crisis trying to recapture his past. Considering his actions leading up to and in Zero Hour....
For me, Emerald Twilight and Zero Hour were the logical, even necessary outcomes to Hal Jordan's story; this entire GL series was leading up to it. It begins with the last few Green Lantern's at war with the last, now-mad, Guardian in the ruins of Oa, and ends with the last Guardian fleeing the ruins of Oa from the last, now-mad Green Lantern. That's a classical tragedy, that is.Trying to retcon it all away and turn Hal back into a GL and a hero is like trying to write MacBeth 2: Scottish Boogaloo.
Why put Harley in the suicide squad? Her entire villainous origin, M.O is Glued to the Joker's (who they managed to ruin from the 1st issue, thanks DC) so how are they gonna explain this?
I think the worst part is that we lost Wally West because of all this shit. Here's to the Flash franchise R.I.P
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