Aldo reads DC's New 52 (So you don't have to)

Back when I was (much) younger, being (initially) confused was actually quite appealing for me as a first-time reader on a given title.

Great thread! I have to admit this marketing gimmick did the trick for me, I picked up three new comics for the first time in nearly a decade last night. Unfortunately it was only at a local bookstore, not a comic shop, so all they had was Justic League, Action Comics, and Swamp Thing.

Back when I was (much) younger, being (initially) confused was actually quite appealing for me as a first-time reader on a given title.

Me too, but at least back then comic books heavily positioned in continuity used to

A) provide you with some kind of synopsis of what has happened before,

and/or

B) tell you which previous issues the current events refer to.

Sadly, both of these practices seem to have fallen out of flavour, at least with Marvel and DC. I'm sure there are many other reasons for it, but I can't help but think this newbie-unfriendliness is one explanation why the readership for superhero comics has dwindled and why new readers aren't getting on board, despite superheroes themselves being more popular than in ages due to various movies and TV series.

Yeah my inner nerd always loved the astericked "- issue #52" notes at the bottom of panels.

Let’s do a rundown – I’m sure this is going to be incomplete, anyone who has more please add below.

Action Comics: #1 - OK, #2 - maybe OK? #3 - art fill-ins by Brent Anderson, #4 - art fill-ins by Gene Ha, back-up fill-ins by writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Matt Camp

Mr Terrific: #1 - Roger Robinson solicited, replaced by Gianluca Gugliotta. #2 - solicited as by Gianluca Gugliotta, TBC. #3 - solicited as Scott Clark and Dave Beaty. #4 – Gugliotta back, with fill-in inker added.

Static Shock: #2 - two-man inking team replaced. #3 - co-writer drops back to just pencilling. #5 - remaining writer quits.

Suicide Squad: #2 - artist Marco Rudy dropped, replaced by Federico Dallochio and Ransom Getty. THEN #1 released without Rudy, despite solicitation.

Green Arrow: #1 - inker replaced. #4 - horrible writer JT Krul dropped. Another writer offered book, turned it down. Didio tags regular shrugging sidekick Giffen to step in alongside penciller Dan Jurgens as co-writing team.

Swamp Thing: #3 - inker added. #4 - artist drops out altogether, inker takes over.

Demon Knights: #4 - fill-in artist added, also draws cover – sign of future takeover?

Green Lantern Corps: #3 - artist replaced. #4 - artist returns.

Voodoo: #3 - inker added.

Blackhawks: #2 - artist replaced with fill-in art team. #3 - art team replaced with still another new artist. New artist claims he turned down offer, and is still under exclusive contract to Marvel, so probably knows what he’s talking about. Fuck knows who’s actually going to draw it. #4 – fill-in artist from #2 returns, with new fill-in inker.

Batwing: #4 - artist replaced.

Stormwatch: #2 - fill-in artist added.

Men Of War: #2 - back-up fill-in added by Jonathan Vankin and Phil Winslade. #4 – back-up fill-in team replaced by B Clay Moore and Paul McAffrey.

All-Star Western: #2 - back-up fill-in by Jordi Bernet. #4 – dropped from Men Of War, Phil Winslade becomes fill-in artist over here.

Red Hood And The Outlaws: #2 - fill-in artist added.

Green Lantern New Guardians: #2 - inker replaced.

Animal Man: #2 - inker replaced.

Legion Secret Origin: #2 - inker replaced.

Detective Comics: #4 - inker replaced.

Blue Beetle: #4 – inker replaced.

Red Lanterns: #4 - fill-in artist added.

Grifter: #4 - new art team replace previous artist.

Nightwang: #4 – artist replaced. Writer considers leaving due to editorial difficulties. Writer staying for now, artist expecting to be back for #5 but who knows.

The Dark Knight: let’s include the pre-reboot run of this here, so we can see why Didio, Johns & Lee had such faith in this dude to be a strong monthly lynchpin of their new no-delays universe.

DAVID FINCH’S THE DARK KNIGHT #1: solicited for November 24th 2010. Published December 29th, after #2 was supposed to be out. By David Finch.

DAVID FINCH’S THE DARK KNIGHT #2: published 23rd March, four months after #1’s intended date. Finch replaced on inks by Scott Williams. Finch replaced on colours by some dude. Script had not been written when #1 was due to print.

DAVID FINCH’S THE DARK KNIGHT #3: was not solicited to appear two months after #1. Published 13th July, SEVEN months after #1. Finch failed to ink or colour the issue in this time, a second fill-in inker has been added, and a second fill-in colourist has been added.

DAVID FINCH’S THE DARK KNIGHT #4: Published July 27th, just two weeks after #3. Unsurprisingly, Finch has failed to draw or colour any of this issue. It has a new fill-in penciller, two new fill-in inkers, and two new fill-in colourists.
I repeat, on just the fourth issue of a book ENTIRELY CREATED for one author to write and draw monthly, no issues have come out on time, the entire thing is five months late, and it is taking NINE extra people to manage to get two issues done in a timeframe faster than four months.

DAVID FINCH’S THE DARK KNIGHT #5: Published August 24th. This is the only time an issue has come out one month after the previous one. Finch has again failed to draw, paint, ink, or colour his solo title. The same fill-in penciller as last issue remains.
ONE of the fill-in inkers from last issue remains, but an additional FOUR fill-in inkers, none of whom have worked on any previous issue, are added. One of the new fill-in colourists from last issue remains, but needs another fill-in colourist to get the job done.
This is the last issue before the reboot. In order to have just ONE (1) MONTH out of TEN (10) in which an issue was published monthly, the creator needed to have FIFTEEN (15) fill-in artists help out that month.

Note that he is not actually a professional writer, and has given several interviews saying he knows that's the weakest part of the book, and he's finding it really hard.

So! With this standard set, and his title rebooted after five issues, only one of which he completed himself, and none on time, he was given the exact same job again. Solicitations say...

The Dark Knight: (redux)
#1 - he’s getting it done OK, but with an inker. Fair enough, learnt his lesson, let’s assume that’s the new model. No word on colours, so let’s assume he’s given up that as well.
#2 – uh. He’s added an inker for the cover, had to call back the fill-in penciller from the last two, and added Paul Jenkins as co- writer.
#3 – Finch has dropped out of writing altogether, with Jenkins now a fill-in writer, and the fill-in penciller retained.
#4 – solicited with Finch back as co-writer, and as sole penciller. Let’s see what actually comes out!

Hoo boy.

Best (?) news for me there is that with a different art team on Batwing I don't think I need to keep buying it. Worst news is that list implies JT Krul will still be writing a book (Captain Atom).

Oh man, sometimes I wonder how artists back in the day managed to produce art for superhero comics in schedule, month after month. Shouldn't it be easier to do now than back then, now that hey have computers to help? So what has changed? Has the artists' work ethic lowered? Have Marvel's and DC's employer policies become less strict?

I think this might become the reboot's biggest legacy. DC is taking no shit from creative freelancers. Everyone is replaceable. You want to work on Blackhawk, THE LEGENDARY BLACKHAWK THE KIDS CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF? You play by our rules, buddy. Over the last few years "talent" has become the key draw on most books, and DC is obviously trying to wrest that back and create some kind of loyalty to character or IP or whatever. And in a way, I can get behind that. Have a line of adventure stories where the most important thing is the shipping date, go for it. They're going to have to loosen some of the editorial constraints on storytelling, but a lot of great stories have been told in TV, radio, magazines, because YOU GOT TO HIT YOUR DEADLINE (full stop). And then, yeah, have your All Star or Earth One or OGN line where people create "works of art" at their own pace, but I think DC's hardline on delivery dates could revolutionize mainstream superhero comics.

The big problem here isn't artists slacking, it's that DC didn’t start this with planning a year ahead to get everyone with three months in the tank before launch; they were still commissioning artists two months before launch and expecting them to get three issues finished by the end of the week. Several titles have already had inventory stories commissioned, too, which you can bet will be used sooner rather than later, regardless of continuity, because as everything’s returnable until December, it won’t hurt DC to run an unsolicited creative team up until then.

Over-rendering takes a lot more time than under-rendering. And if you're under-rendering, you have to switch things up at the layout level to keep things interesting. Artists now seem to worry about the textures and details because LOOK AT THOSE RIVETS ON BATMAN'S BOOTS MAN THAT'S SO COOL and not the storytelling. Consequently, they spend more time doing work that's harder to read.

My take. Most people don't agree.

People overlooked it because the monthly comic wasn't the object of record, the trade was. Make it look good for the trade and nobody will care how late it was as a single issue. Nobody but some malcontents...

There actually was a golden age character Deadshot is based upon who was more of a cowboy trick shot guy. Steve Englehart knew the character and updated him with the classic Marshall Rogers designed costume in their classic run back in the late 70s. He appeared a few times, but really it was John Ostrander and his use of Deadshot in Suicide Squad and a mini-series that really established the character. I don't think he really fits into the whole Executioner/Mac Bolan thing that the Punisher was based upon other than maybe Deadshot was a gun for hire, which kind of tangentially ties into the whole "Soldier of Fortune" magazine kind of badass that was also popular around the same time.

Deathstroke from the New Teen Titans is pretty much George Perez not letting a good character design go to waste as he pretty much just re-used at the time many elements from The Taskmaster that he had created for Marvel in his Avengers run.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh148/nurgh/2004GeorgePrezTaskmasterandDeathstr.jpg

Oddly enough a few years later, Rob Liefield pretty much nicked a version of Deathstroke (down to the Wilson last name in the alter ego) in creating Deadpool. Funny enough a few years back in a Superman/Batman Annual you had Superman, Batman and Deathstroke fighting alternate universe versions of themselves and there was a alternate-Deathstroke which was a nod back to Deadpool. It's actually a fun issue.

"Oh man, sometimes I wonder how artists back in the day managed to produce art for superhero comics in schedule, month after month. Shouldn't it be easier to do now than back then, now that hey have computers to help? So what has changed? Has the artists' work ethic lowered? Have Marvel's and DC's employer policies become less strict?"

I think in the old days they got paid by the page, so they just sat down and blasted the stuff out and had the will to make it happen. I think those golden age guys were also tempered by living through the depression and WWII, so they had a real blue collar, I got to get this done for the family mentality. And I think some of them, because they just did so much volume over the years got to the point they could layout and do pages at speeds many of these modern guys can't comprehend as they haven't put out 30-80 pages a month on and off for years.

I'd bet Joe Kubert in his prime probably did more pages in a couple of months than his sons do in a year. It isn't nearly as flashy in the backgrounds but the reproduction values have changed since then, so that doing all that extra detail would just get lost anyway, so they never got much.

One thing that is different is I don't think you have as many studios with assistants going now. I think alot of things that were inked that have one guy on them back in the day was probably one main guy doing the characters and a couple of employees that would do backgrounds and other items. I'm not sure you have that going on as much now as you would in the old days, maybe more overseas perhaps.

I think in the old days they got paid by the page

as opposed to?

Batman #1 W: Scott Snyder P: Greg Capullo I: Jonathon Glapion

No pics as I can't find a working t0rr3nt

Another week, another Bat-book, and this is probably the weakest yet. I guess the heart of the problem is a very basic one - when this many established books are running it isn't a problem as all their stories are different and their plots are in different places, but when you start the same book multiple times with different people telling THE SAME ORIGIN STORY it's inevitable you'll want to compare them.

So, why is this worse? It's hard to put your finger on, but maybe the centre panel of Page 14 goes some of the way to explain it: it features Dick, Bruce, Damian and Tim standing together. Dick, let's not forget, is Nightwang WHO HAS HIS OWN BOOK IN THE RELAUNCH. His physique is roughly like Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. I can't wait to read that book (also this week) and see him standing at about 5'6" tall and weighing about 10st. OH NO WAIT. I think it's down, in part, to the manga-lite art style but I could just be burning out through putting myself through this.

Maybe I'm being to hard on this and misremembering just how mediocre Batman & Robin was, as flipping back through the plot is actually pretty engaging in the last four or 5 pages after Harvey Dent turns up. I think I probably need a re-read comparison of all the Batbooks once Month One is over as the final pages have actually got me keen to read #2 and this might be the first time I can say it about a non-FUN book in the relaunch (or at least the first time it's specifically because of the plot).

Birds Of Prey #1 W: Duane Swierczynski A: Jesus Saiz

Title promises a team title, but by the end we still only have a pairing. Now there's a slow build or there's the glacial pace this seems to be constructed at. Nothing much seems to happen except a WOW KEWL WOW kerfuffle in a church which seems to exist mainly to delivery zingy dialogue like this:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6159/6177843718_b5d4b0a44c.jpg

And you know, it's pretty much all that clunky. The image above is really the first in which everybody changes places and perspective in a car to suit the composition (including one panel where I can't get to grips with the perspective at all) but really exists to segue into Starling in the same position, in a diner (and/or a bar) at a different time. Now this might have been a nice effect (albeit the second time they pull it in this issue) but this one os spoiled by an advert being in the middle - not the best planning really. And when I said clunky, I did mean it - there's some real confusion about the effect the bad guys have had on Black Canary during the FITE, but her power is worse:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6177843770_bae412df6f.jpg

So the power level has been re-baselined in the Johns Universe, but if it's that good then why only use it once? She walks out of this panel into a room with more bad guys in it - so why not use it again? Not doing so makes the pages smack of filler as they just run through the same thing again, and surely in #1 of a title filler is a CRAZY thing to do?

The best thing about the book is this panel, which captures perfectly how I feel about the Johns Universe by now.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6175/6177316117_34aa065fc7.jpg

Why, that I won't be so keen next time. This could arguably be saveable as I don't hate it, but it's hovering over the cut list at the moment.

Blue Beetle W: Tony Bedard P: Ig Guara I: Ruy Jose

Is this racist? I can't tell. If a Puerto Rican guy writes a comic book character who is Puerto Rican for non-Hispanics (as we must assume this is to a degree - something I will touch further on when I get to Red Hood) as a ridiculous stereotype, what does that make him, an Uncle Tom of sorts? Oh and it's not just Hispanic, there's some comedy writing of French and German speakers too in a sub-Batroc style.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6177935238_6f76ac0e85.jpg

Anyway, this is plotted in the Johns Universe as follows: The Reach are foes of the GLC from since BEFORE TIME and massively powerful - planet-wiping-out powerful. But the GLC are too stupid to find, control or destroy them.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6177935288_5a29e1e3bc.jpg

The great and mighty Abin Sur didn't find that then, did he. So, this is going to become yet another Green Lantern book, of sorts. On the second last page our hero gets turned into Blue Beetle and it's impossible to read the dialogue on the final splash as anything more than a triumphant "TA-DA!" (except we know it's not from earlier).

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6177408213_6e9d9f463d_z.jpg

ETHNICS gets would back (this isn't, and never will be, Love & Rockets) but I miss Ted Kord. I want him back. BACK, DO YOU HEAR ME?

Captain Atom W: JT Krul A: Freddie Williams II

JT Krul again. What have I done to deserve this?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6178/6178041052_8b0c536c2e_z.jpg

I'd love to be able to tell you this is better than Green Arrow (which he's already been kicked off, remember). Unfortunately, I can't.

I mean, look at this dialogue:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6178041056_1227d78cf1_z.jpg

Despite that, I think I hate the art more than I hate the writing. Let's watch Captain Atom run though the gamut of facial emotions (a couple of which I'll leave the explanation in for):

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6168/6178041048_843f038e3f_b.jpg

Centre top, for reference, is anger. Yes, anger. Not vacant.

The back end of the plot begins to look like it's going down the route of War of the Elementals from the end of the John Ostrander run on Firestorm, but really I couldn't care less. Vile vile vile vile vile. Already on the cut list and have absolutely no desire to get beyond #1 (but I'll go to #3, obviously).

Catwoman #1 W: Judd Winick A: Guillem March

You know what? I'm not going to focus on any of the sexism in this book that other people have focused on for two reasons. Firstly, I'll save it all for Red Hood. Secondly, Winick ALMOST manages to make it enough of a plot point that it's justifiable. Yes, we could argue about the presentation - particularly the last panel of page 2 which is quite frankly pornographic - but it's nowhere near the worst thing about this book so I'm not going to dwell on it.

Winick's writing is, dare I say it, not horrible. I was a fan of the Brubaker and Pfeifer runs on the book though, so it's still the worst Catwoman book in modern memory. What is wrong with this is the art.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6169/6178172008_c4d46a3e34.jpg

And the worst thing about the art isn't even the faces. It's the feet. At least twice they're reversed where the left foot is the right foot and vice versa (top left has a bonus knee bending the wrong way). Have some examples:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6177645789_0e93f734e5_z.jpg

The worst Winicking and worst art come togther at the end. Catwoman and Batman doing the nasty is an established trope, I guess, but this astonishingly ineptly handled and featured a final panel which is worse than 80% of fanart on the same topic.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6177645551_84e88cd99f_b.jpg

Holy Bat-Cock, Batman! My eyes need bleach. Wtf is happening with bat-torso? And nothing has been good yet this week. FUCK YOU DIDIO.

so i don't really want to read that but i am curious about

Yes, we could argue about the presentation - particularly the last panel of page 2 which is quite frankly pornographic - but it's nowhere near the worst thing about this book so I'm not going to dwell on it.

Ok, since I still have the rar live:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6153/6178192906_2a6d952f2a_z.jpg

I mean, seriously? Without going nsfw, there isn't a comparison pic but this is classic 'fuck me from behind' porn stylings. Do we really need to see her pudenda? If we going for physical accuracy at this point to justify it, why not go the whole hog and show her vagina lips? It's just wrong in so many ways.

tbh, i think the most egregious thing about that panel is that human beings don't look/move like that. it looks like she has two balloons in the back pockets of her pants.

DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1 Collective credit: Paul Juankins and Bernard Chang

The best thing so far in this rundown, which is no great claim. It kind of works as a Deadman establishing story, however, the character has already been in Hawk & Dove by now as the post-Brightest Day version so we know this book must happen at some time in the past - what's the beeting it doesn't? ARG CONTINUITY IS CRISIS

It's tidily enough written I suppose and is a clear enough Secret Origin for people who aren't familiar with the origin of Deadman. I also don't hate the art. Both of them give me reason to though - I feel bruised by the strength with which the DO YOU SEE from this panel hits me.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6172/6177714915_80ae1457db_z.jpg

Ultimately though there's nothing to really complain about. The lack of anything actually good will have to wait, but this week I'm taking whatever I can get.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DWrDd6C4itY/TlkQiPSJHQI/AAAAAAAAC4o/VPmQoYVyrtI/s1600/whatever%2Bfacebook.jpg

Mordy, if I told you that was in fact one of the most realistic depictions of human form and motion in that issue you wouldn't believe me, but you should. Because it's true.

based on your review i wasn't going to bother checking out Batman #1 but then i read hannibal tabu's glowing words about it and tho i almost always disagree w/ him (he tends to severely underrate Grant Morrison + X-titles and he likes a lot of shit and encyclopedia type bullshit I'm not interested in) when someone writes the following, no matter who the someone is, I'm interested:

"There's no place like home..." Batman wistfully whispers these words as he faces off against virtually the entire populace of Arkham Asylum, feeling so comfortable in his work that he almost makes it look easy. The extended Bat family is introduced very smartly and this, quite honestly, is an almost perfect comic book. New readers? Covered. Long time fans? Tons of in jokes, just for you. Art? Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia are on freaking fire. Scott Snyder's script purrs like an Italian performance sportscar -- when you toss in the wonderful back and forth between "the boys" and Bruce Wayne's inspirational speech (combined with his underhanded plan to expand the reach of the Bat), reading this is a delight. In a word: wow. This is the Batman you want to read. Just... wow.

As I kind of talked myself around to, it's actually much better than I thought it was while I was writing - I think. Still think the art sucks though ymmv but there is no excuse for the Nightwang looks like he's a skinny 15 year old thing.

Otoh, this may be because nearly everything this week was an absolute sack of shit and it just glistens like a bit of sweetcorn that a dog ate once.

Green Lantern Corps #1 W: Peter J Tomasi A: Fernando Pasarin I: Scott Hanna

A Foamasi wrote this book? Cool! Let's all head off for Argolis!

http://images.wikia.com/tardis/images/a/a6/St--5n04foamasi.jpg

No, it's our old friend Peter Tomasi again. Don't worry, I can't think of any other comical mispronunciations of his name so this will probably be the last one.

MAHNKELIPS COVER WARNING - actual comics contains no Doug Mahnke and only four of the characters on the cover. Which is nice.

I actually quite like this. It's by far the most traditional book of the relaunch (GLs turn up on planet where random genocide has taken place to attract their attention must have been done dozens of times before) but is pulled off pretty well. The establishing stuff with Guy Gardner and his interview (or rather the sequence in the waiting room before it) is, dare I say it, a joy and really lifts the book in a way most others in the relaunch (particularly this week) fail to.

Nothing really to say about it other than you should give this a shot, as on this evidence it's worth sticking with.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6180575593_2e70ec14e1_b.jpg

Legion of Super-Heroes W: Paul Levitz A: Francis Portela

I'll stan for LoSH any day, but seriously, this could have been published at any point from 1980 onwards. If you like LoSH you'll like this. If you don't then WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU. It's got crap jokes, a great team dynamic and a vaguely engaging plot. Vaguely engaging doesn't sound like a good thing but in LoSH it kind of is. As in Legion Lost you just get carried along with the swing of the thing and go with it.

Am I a fanboy?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/6181144050_04889c4341.jpg

Yes, yes I am a fanboy. I suspect if you're not you won't like this. I DON'T CARE.

Nightwing #1 W: Kyle Higgins P: Eddy Barrows I: JP Mayer

Oh, KyleHigginspaws. So let me get this straight - in the five years since Batman appeared (according to Justice League) Dick's parents have died, he's become Bruce's ward and been both Robin and Batman? This new continuity thing isn't really working for you, is it. Also, get one Urban Dictionary:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6162/6180694167_87a8bee377.jpg

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=catcher

FRED WERTHAM WAS RIGHT!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Batbed.png

Quibbles apart, this is a really solid Batbook. The scripting is sound while being slightly GRITTY and the art has a real fluidity to it that you need for the sort of motion that's trying to be captured here. Yes, it pulls the old 'repeat the image in the same panel to show movement' trick but is that really a problem? Worth reading, worth staying with for now.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6170/6181217120_747e441fa6_z.jpg

I'm apprehensive to, because I know what's up next. But here we go...

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 W: Scott Lobdell A: Kenneth Rocafort

Oh boy. This is the post where I admit that although I think his whole schtick about the way women are portrayed in comics is far too broadbrush and simplistic, just this once I ABSOLUTELY see where he's coming from.

This is a horrible, HORRIBLE piece of misogynistic crap. Starfire is in it for no reason other than to provide a teenage boy's wank fantasy on every page she appears, and is contorted into ridiculous poses to push her tits or arse into the reader's face - because let's face it, she has to be posing for somebody, right? I mean, wtf is this about?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6152/6180775895_40b94f8cdd_z.jpg

I tell a lie, she is there for another reason - to have sex with the main characters.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6181277628_fe57e8861a_z.jpg

In fact, it's established she's had sex with nearly everybody in the DCU, but that's OK because "Tamaraneans don't see humans as much humans as much more than sights and smells." So basically, casual sex is the order of the day and you're just a conquest she can't recall as part of an animal process. "You don't remember anyone named Dick?" "No."

Lobdell has gone for Deadpool Max with the script and very nearly pulls it off, but I just feel dirty and appalled by the whole thing. I really don't want to touch any of the rest of these, but know I'll be drawn back like a car crash. You all NEED to read this, just to show you how wrong it's possible to get things.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6164/6181277540_cf7a694db2_z.jpg

No, you're confusing that with you being a giant bell-end, Scott Lobdell. I want lettuce in my refrigerator, not women.

Just to ram the above point home (as it were), Scott Lobdell is interviewed in the back of every book published this week. He's asked what his favourite page is in the issue and this is his choice:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6163/6180754167_246071de91_z.jpg

Not one with snappy dialogue, not one that drives the plot forward, not one with a good joke, but one you can have a nice relaxing wank over.

"Kori just stepping out of the ocean, just basking in the sunshine. I love the joy on her face. The people of this planet may not want here here.. but God, how she loves this place." Joy? Where? Go and wash your hands, you pervert.

Supergirl #1 W: Michael Green/Mike Johnson P: Mahmud Asrar I: "Dan Green with Asrar"

There have been some weird costumes in the reboot, but none to compare to this. Seriously, wtf if going on with these boots?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6180830995_8dcbec4571_z.jpg

In a world where Superman now has kneepads (presumably because he needs them), Supergirl's boots deliberately avoid knee protection? It's probably something to do with female Kryptonian skin being toghter than the men's in various places, and when it's revealed that Superman also wears a chest-plate then Power Girl's costume will finally make sense.

http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/images/100915/pgbust.jpg

I guess this is a typical LOST ALIUM DOESN'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON OH NOES intro story and I don't hate it. I don't particularly like it either, but there isn't anything individual enough about the story to judge it as yet.

http://www.abcpastor.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/whats-next.jpg

holy shit how many boobs, DC? how many boobs??

Wonder Woman #1 W: Brian Azzarello A: Cliff Chiang

Aldo's book of the week, in an admittedly pretty shitty week but that doesn't mean this isn't any good

I read an interview with Brian Azzarello before this started where he said we had to think of his version of Wonder Woman as a horror book and not a hero book. Now I was no fan of his Hellblazer run, so this worried me, but you know what? I GET IT completely.

Show me a regular hero book where people cut the heads off horses to make centaurs. YOU CAN'T, CAN YOU?

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6181406702_3ebceb4125_z.jpg

This is a fantastically worked piece of fiction, reconstructing the Gods of Olympus as the fantastic creatures they SHOULD be - I mean, Zeus convinced Leda to have sex with him by disguising himself as a swan. A SWAN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. So in this book we have Hermes looking more like a winged messenger than anyone's ever captured him before, and expressions of raw, unbridled power.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6165/6181406908_a8531cab94_z.jpg

I didn't like the cover, thought it was too stylised, but over the course of the book the art really grows on you. Yes, there are arguably similarities with Guy Arcudi and some of the other Hellboy universe artists but Cliff Chiang pulls it off really well.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6154/6181406840_491e580b49_z.jpg

BUY THIS BOOK. I can't stress it enough. The highlight of the relaunch. Bet it gets cancelled soon.

http://papercutz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/img_1106-225x300.jpg

"I love the joy on his face. The people of this planet may not want him here..."

Comic Book Resources has a good recap of the thing, including the Catwoman softcore
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/09/dcs-push-for-the-new-52-this-is-a-catwoman-for-2011/

but it's best summed up in this webcomic
http://i.imgur.com/VBZqw.png

on one hand it is kinda gross, especially for books that are supposed to be for kids and mainstream audiences. otoh, i find it kinda hilarious

apparently this was the original illustration before, i guess, DC forced them to change it http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/red-hood-outlaws-original.jpg

um, is her nipple shaped like a heart?

haha, clever way to "deflect" i guess..

i can't make my nipple into a heart

Haha, that's awesome.

wtf is wrong with these people?

http://emmetreads.tumblr.com/post/9552604527/if-youve-read-his-work-youll-know-what-im-talking

If you want to write good superhero comics, please do more than read superhero comics and play videogames.

So very otm.

Given this new information, I have to express some disappointment at the relative dearth of characters turning one another into babies in Geoff Johns books.

Thank you for the OMAC rec, I wasn't going to get it originally and ended up enjoying it--a good romp! I hope you survive this week, there were some real pieces of poop. :(

UPDATES:

David Finch failed to get even the first issue of The Dark Knight out with the solicited credits, and Paul Jenkins is writing.*

George Perez gone from Superman as writer/layouts with issue #7, replaced by the Giffen/Jurgens writing/pencilling team that also replaced the Green Arrow writer.

*I actually remembered to pick it up and check the credits for this thread, while in the shop buying Love & Rockets, Roger Langridge's Snarked, and Simpsons comics by Evan Dorkin and Ty Templeton

I fully expect Giffen/Jurgens to be producing 80% of DC Comics by next summer.

All Star Western #1 W: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti A: Moritat

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

I was buying Jonah Hex up till the end, and for one simple reason - it was the most consistently good books that DC were publishing. And so it is with All Star Western, which is the same book retitled, for better or worse. As before, the artists rotate with each minor storyline but the writing core is constant.

So, to the plot.

http://cdn.comicartfans.com/Images/Category_2044/subcat_6119/Mignola%20Gotham%20by%20Gaslight%20promo.jpg

I'm being unfair. But it's not hard to draw comparisons, especially (arguably) as Gotham By Gaslight was retconned out of Elseworlds and into the DCU during Countdown.

Putting that aside, this is as well written as ever and is thoroughly recommended to all. The relationship between Amadeus Arkham and Jonah is superbly done and if this panel isn't leading up to a Lovecraftian reveal in future weeks I will be really disappointed:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6200275478_7bfe96651c_z.jpg

It's not all future seeding either, the plot actually in the issue in hand bowls along splendidly and damn, if this isn't the most thrilling panel all week:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6143/6199763737_a32a705fc3.jpg

See you next time. You should be reading this book (but then you should have been reading it before).

Aquaman #1 W: Geoff Johns P: Ivan Reis I: Joe Prado

In an amazing twist of fate, not only is Aquaman my MUST BUY book this week but a fucking GEOFF JOHNS BOOK is my Must Buy book this week

No pictures, t0rr3nt is fuxored.

Seriously, I'm not kidding. This is great. There's an extended story running through the middle about how Aquaman is the laughing stock of, basically, the world and the whole sequence with Aquaman in the fish restraurant is frankly hilarious. I'm not sure about how good The Trench will be as a Big Bad, as they look all a bit too Johnsy, but (and this is a big shout) the middle 2/3 of the book is as good as this:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6180/6199783817_ccd4344004_z.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6030/6199784635_947026109f_z.jpg

Stranger things have happened, but I'm struggling to think of one. Superb.

David Finch's Batman The Dark Knight#1 W: Paul Jenkins P: David Finch I: Richard Friend

WELL AT LEAST IT CAME OUT.

And talking of coming out...

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6174/6199763827_1b5dce97d1.jpg

Holy Dancehall Slang, Batman! The Gay Agendar strikes again! Is there some kind of subversive plot at DC to play up the homosexual subtext in all the Batbooks? I really can't tell any more.

Anyway, the last Batbook of the relaunch is pretty standard fare although the conclusion is pretty great. What isn't so great, or indeed understandable, is why DiDio (and we must presume Johns) place so much faith in the talents of David Finch's Batman The Dark Knight's David Finch to produce work on time or even why they rate him. I mean he's not so much touched by the hand of Jim Lee as rubbed all over by the hand of Jim Lee sufficiently hard that the fingerprints have disappeared and they share DNA. Take this as an example:

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6156/6199763771_551d4c8cd7_z.jpg

But that isn't even the worst of it. This page shows some of the worst anatomy since the relaunch. HIS CALF IS BIGGER THAN HIS THIGH.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6155/6199763803_57d24e0de6_z.jpg

Yes. Yes that's exactly the quality of artist that you should make the focus of the New DC. FUCK YOU DIDIO.

(Despite the art, I liked this.)