Month: June 2011

This next category of new relaunches from the DCnU are titles that I’m pretty doubtful about. I plan to flip through them at the comic book store and if something catches my eye, I will pick up the first issue. But I would be surprised if any of them make it onto my regular pull list.

• Batman (Snyder; Capullo) – Not a huge fan of Batman’s solo exploits. Strangely enough, i enjoy Batman in team scenarios, but his solo stories don’t do much for me. Just not interested.
• Catwoman (Winick; March) – Between the uber-cheesecake cover, and my ambivalence toward Judd Winick as a writer, this is one title featuring a superheroine that I think I’ll be passing on. However, I may be surprised.
• Detective Comics (Daniel) – See Batman above.
• Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (Lemire; Ponticelli) – Of this list, this one has the best chance of piquing my interest. I have no interest in Frankenstein as a character, however, the set up sounds somewhat intriguing, and I do enjoy Lemire’s writing. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if I find myself picking up the first story arc of this title. In fact, if I read more about it, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. might graduate to the “Maybe” list.
• Hawk and Dove (Gates; Liefeld) – Surely this must rank as my biggest disappointment of the announcements. I like Dove a lot. She’s an intriguing character that has a lot of room for development. Her relationship with Boston Brand ended tragically at the end of Brightest Day. I’m very sorry we don’t get to see what Gail Simone had in mind for them as part of Birds of Prey long term. That said, Rob Liefeld is quite possibly the most horrendous artist ever published, and I would have a great deal of difficulty supporting anything that features his art. Here’s hoping they switch artists immediately, then I will try this title out.
• O.M.A.C. – (Didio; Giffen) – No interest whatsoever, but as a new title, I will flip through it and see if it can catch my attention.
• Red Hood and the Outlaws (Lobdell; Rocafort) – I’m a little surprised that this one ended up on my “Maybe” list as opposed to my “Absolutely not” list. I do have a slight fondness for Arsenal, but Starfire bores me to tears, and Red Hood should have been left out completely. No Stephanie Brown, Power Girl, JSA, Secret Six, but a revamped Red Hood? It;s criminal.
• Suicide Squad (Glass; Rudy) – Normally, this would be a much more likely candidate for purchase, but man, oh, man, that cover is atrocious! The original Suicide Squad was brilliant. Brilliant concept, superb execution. This just looks like trash. Would love for this to surprise me though.
• Teen Titans (Lobdell; Booth) – I was hoping a revamped Teen Titans might interest me in the title again… especially with the inclusion of so many superheroines, but again, this cover, and the costume redesigns just look abysmal. I would love a good Teen Titans book though, so I will flip through this and hope for the best. However, I remain… doubtful.

Tomorrow will be my final list of :”Absolutely Nots.” Titles I just have no interest in whatsoever and would have to work really hard for me to even flip through them.

So this next batch of new titles from the DCnU relaunch are titles that I might be picking up. I will add them to my picklist, and will at least give the first issue a try, but I am making no commitments to continuing on with them.

• Action Comics (Morrison; Morales) – I don’t currently read any of the Superman titles, but I’d like to give this one a chance, particularly because it’s Grant Morrison writing it. It will have to really grab me though for me to keep reading.
• Batwing (Winick; Oliver) – This one is a bit intriguing, and as I said in an earlier post, I’m all for supporting more diversity in comics. I’ll check this out and see what I think.
• Mister Terrific (Wallace; Robinson) – Mister Terrific is a character that I’ve always thought had some potential, but I’ve only read his JSA exploits, so I can’t quite imagine him as a solo character. Still, see above re: diversity, so I’ll give this a shot.
• Nightwing (Higgins; Barrows) – I’ve always liked Nightwing as a character, even though I didn’t follow his earlier solo series. Since this relaunch gives me an opportunity to try new titles, I will give it a try. I do like the costume redesign.
• Red Lanterns (Milligan; Benes) – I can’t quite figure this title out, but it’s got Peter Milligan writing, and it’s got Lanterns fueled by rage, so it could be pretty darn cool. I’ll check it out.
• The Savage Hawkman (Daniels; Tan) – Ummm… not too sure about this one. I enjoy Hawkman as a character, but largely because of having Hawkgirl/woman to balance him out. The savage part doesn’t really impress me, but because Hawkman intrigues me a bit, I’ll give this a try.
• Stormwatch (Cornell; Sepulveda) – Adding the Martian Manhunter to this title is really interesting. For that reason alone I’ll give it a try.
• Supergirl (Green; Johnson; Asrar) – This so looks and sounds bad. I would love to love a Supergirl title, but no one has made her interesting to me since Peter David. I don’t expect this to last more than one issues on my picklist, but I’ll try to keep an open mind.
• Superman (Perez; Marino) – See above for Action Comics but substitute George Perez for Grant Morrison.
• Voodoo (Marz; Basri) – The only reason I’m giving this a try is because it’s a comic book with a superheroine as the lead. Worth a shot. If it’s any good, I’ll keep going. Not a fan of the Wildstorm comics, but anything is possible.

Two more categories left. Tomorrow I’ll list the titles I’m doubtful about.

The next category of relaunches in the DCnU that I will post about are the “Yes, provisionally” titles. These are titles that will be on my pull list, and I plan to give them a good chance. These are books I expect to follow, unless they disappoint me after the first story arc or so.

• Batgirl (Simone; Syaf) – I will give anything Gail Simone writes a chance, and I’m actually looking forward to this title. That said, I’m from that camp that really prefers Barbara Gordon as Oracle. I always enjoyed Batgirl as an idea, but honestly, she was never a favorite. I’m very interested to see what Gail does with Barbara in the cowl, so I’m sure I’ll be in for the long haul.
• Birds of Prey (Swierczynski; Saiz) – I love Birds of Prey as a concept; and I will support almost any book focused on superheroines, but I can’t deny the fact that when Gail left the title to write Wonder Woman a few years ago, the quality suffered. Add to that the fact that I can’t really imagine the Birds with Barbara, and I’m not thrilled with the costume redesigns, so I’m slightly concerned. Still, I’ll give this title a fair chance, and I’m hoping for the best.
• Blue Beetle (Bedard; Guara) – Honestly, I’ve never followed Blue Beetle in his solo book. However, I quite liked his appearances in Justice League: Generation Lost, and I’d like to support books that feature diverse character, so I’m going to give this one a good college try.
• DC Universe Presents (Jenkins; Chang) – I’m generally a fan of Paul Jenkins work, and I do have a soft spot for anthology comics, so I will be giving DC Universe Presents a try. I’m hoping they use this title to spotlight some of the less than A-list characters in the DCU, and Deadman is a good start. I wonder if they will be following up on any of the Brightest Day storyline? I’d love to see a role for Dove in this story.
• Demon Knights (Cornell; Neves) – I’m not a huge fan of the Demon, but as I mentioned yesterday, Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder turned Madame Xanadu into a must read for me, so I’m intrigued by her role in this title. As long as she’s featured somewhat prominently, I’ll be following this title.
• The Fury of Firestorm (Simone; Van Sciver; Cinar) – As I mentioned above, I will give anything Gail writes a chance, however I’m even less of a fan of Firestorm that I am of Batgirl, so this will be a bit of a difficult sell for me. However, if anyone can make me a fan, it’s Gail Simone, so I’m committed to giving this title a try.
• Green Lantern: New Guardians (Bedard; Kirkham) – Of all the Green Lanterns, Kyle Rayner is my favorite. Add to that a new rainbow of lanterns, some sure to be superheroines, and this one has me intrigued. I’ve never followed a Green Lantern title regularly, but I view this as an opportunity to give this one a try.
• Justice League (Johns; Lee) – I have followed all the versions of the Justice League except for Tony Robinson’s recent disappointing run, so I will definitely give this one a try. I’m not super hopeful though, as I’m fairly over Jim Lee as an artist. Still, Geoff Johns usually does some interesting things, and I want to see how he handles Wonder Woman, so I’ll give this a try.
• Resurrection Man (Abnett; Lanning; Dagnino) – I barely remember the last iteration of this title, but I am a fan of what Abnett and Lanning have been doing lately, so I’m looking forward to Resurrection Man. Not sure how long I’ll stick with it, but as long as it’s entertaining, I’ll keep buying it.

Come back tomorrow to see my list of “maybes.”