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

20

$1 office pool, anyone?

I'll chuck one in.

I was gonna say 23, but I'm going with 17.

Ewige blumenkraft!

30, although they may not all be from the launch 52.

My LCS had their order sent to the wrong place this week, so I will be catching up on last week's titles this weekend.

We might want to put caveats in there. I was basing my number off of the original 52.

I was assuming that everything would be so delayed that by the end of the first year something that hasn't been published yet might manage to cram 12 issues in.

I've only been hitting the comic shop once every 2-4 weeks and this is the first time there was more than a couple of the titles on the shelves, as my local store got stocked up with a bunch of the reprints.

I have liked everything I have read so far, even though there is a whole lot of 'this is so and so' and this is how it is going on. But I really dug how all of the epic back story is kind of swept away and it's a new start, it really made some of the old ideas seem kind of fresh like OMAC which is definitely Kirby as genre and welcome now that Godland is almost done.

Action 1-2
Frankenstein Agent of SHADE 1-2
Animal-man 1-2
Stormfront 1-2
OMAC 1-2

Sad thing is that I know I am going to love some of the weird titles and they are just going to run 8 issues.

Still to read-
Swamp Thing 1-2
Superman 1
Batman 1
Detective 1
Batwoman 1

On the Marvel tip, Thunderbolts is quite a bit of fun even the tie in to Fear Itself which was actually used as a good way to shake things up and change the status quo.

Then again it does often seem the better comics at Marvel and DC are the one's furthest from the major characters.

"one of the major problems for DC since abt 1970 is their generally 2nd-rate artists"

DC seemed to be run so different than Marvel back in those days, as you would have editors that worked almost with their own lines and seemed to have regular artists that stayed on their titles.

Oddly enough many of the the better artists DC would have outside of Jim Aparo would regularly not be doing the super hero comics instead could be found on the war or western or mystery horror titles. And some others like Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez or Neal Adams would do quite a bit of work for DC in the 70s, but often generally doing advertising or artwork used outside the comics for toys etc.

Outside of Swan on Superman and say Aparo on Brave and the Bold, you also got a quite a bit of artist change up all the time and I think it goes back to the editorial difference on comics with DC in that it was much more rare to ever have a story go beyond a single issue or even sometimes fill up a whole issue, as DC continued to use the shorter format stories so much more so than Marvel in the 70s, especially in the comics that were not super hero books. They kind of used their back stock a bit different than Marvel, as even in the mid to later 70s you see occasional drop in issues that are reprints- which became a big no-no at Marvel after a certain point in the early 70s. DC's lines always had a ton of reprints going too with the 80 and 100 page giants.

come back, aldo!

another casualty of the new 52

Aldo has changed writers.

too many pouches, couldn't have his feet drawn right, etc

ILX downtime, comic shop fuckup, me being away last weekend: I'll summarise the Week 2s when I have actually read them (before the end of the week I guess) but it is unlikely to be picture heavy just because of the time that takes.

Feel free to commission some fill-in artists, Aldo

OK, catch-up. Week one of month 2 i.e. the ones I have read thus far:

Batwing #2: Still lovely to look at, still Winicky, still not buying it past #3. The cliffhanger from the last issue is resolved by "he got better", although in a true Batman way it takes two weeks, during which the bad guy has advanced his plot NOT ONE IOTA. Once we've established the hero is well enough again then he continues. Actually, I quite like the new character that gets introduced and could have been on the fence for getting this if the same team was sticking to it, but no.

Detective Comics #2: Blimey, Bruce Wayne is a right dirty shagger in the new DCU, isn't he? The awesome climax of the last issue gets forgotten so he can have possibly non-plot related sex, but when we actually get into it this is still pretty good. Dollmaker has the makings of a pretty good Bat-villain, even if I don't like his retinue very much.

Green Arrow #2: JT Krul just goes from bad to worse. This is truly appalling stuff, with crap youthspeak peppered throughout and the characters are plain ridiculous - Lime and Light, for example, are attention-seeking criminals. Light's power is light, so Lime's power is... not being a lemon? Making cuts sting? No idea. Anyway, we get the murder of a young kid just so it can get filmed and put on the Internets, following the happyslapping theme of the first issue, which is a trap to get GA to FITE. Which is going to be streamed live on the internets. My head hurts with the amount of DO YOU SEE in this comic. Dreadful stuff.

Hawk & Dove #2: Oh my. I thought #1 was bad, but this takes the biscuit. We start with the introduction of the new villains of the piece, Condor and Swan. Don't laugh. Actually, this throws away some of the basic premises of the history of the characters - firstly, Hawk and Dove makes sense because they are birds we would associate with war and peace and it makes sense for their avatars to be called that. But what are Condor and Swan? The gods of getting trapped in valleys and appearing serene while frantically moving your legs? To make it worse (as if it could be) Swan becomes Swan after killing Osprey. Now as above, does the god of catching fish really need an avatar? But also how does he then change what he's the god of? As we saw after the death of Don and Dove transferring into Dawn, it doesn't change what the avatar is. The writing is possibly worse than the first issue but it's a close run thing. In other news, this is as Liefeld-tastic as the first issue. I may do another montage.

Justice League International #2: After a good first issue, this dips back to being a pretty standard hero book with not much to offer. The one thing that is clear is Dan Jurgens seems to have lost his ability to write - do we really need lines like "...and that looks like my native Africa!"? We also learn that Dan has no idea what menage a trois actually means. Not a winner, but this issue might just be a blip.

Men of War #2: The Rock part of this book is better than last month, the SEALS part worse. Tbh I don't get what the flying woman with the red scarf for clothes has to do with any of it, but it kind of works and at least shows the book is going somewhere. The SEALS thing is still going nowhere though, and takes 8 pages to move the plot on about 3 panels. And the artist still can't draw feet or ankles.

OMAC #2: See notes for #1. This is just really more of the same, although the Brother Eye plot is beginning to expand. This issue kind of reminds me of RASL, of all things. Probably the most all-out fun of any of the 52 books. You should still all be getting it.

Red Lanterns #2: After the first issue, this is more philosophical musing on the nature of rage and anger barely held within the confines of a funnybook. I think if this was an indie we'd all be raving about it but I'm not entirely convinced it works in this context. I'm prepared to stick around and see. We are teased at the end that Atrocitus will make one of his Red Lanterns more than the vegetative state they currently are. Who will it be? MAYBE THE ONE THAT'S ALREADY BEEN IN ANOTHER BOOK?

Static Shock #2: Putting the boot in with yet another shitty book, this is at least slightly better than #1. I can't really explain why, as flipping through it to remind myself while I write this there's so much to hate I'd forgotten about - Dakota being the nexus of America for street gangs, for example. Somebody should tell Scott McDaniel there's a black Spider-Man now, so we don't need this one.

Stormwatch #2: This is more like it. The plot of the first issue is developed at pace and we get some proper thrill power. Yes, it's still kind of sub-GMoz, but let's go with it. I'm genuinely looking froward to #3, for nothing else than to see the teased villain reveal.

Swamp Thing #2: As Tuomas asked for it last month, this issue explains a lot of the history he wanted. That done, the second half is a rollercoaster ride through the threat to our hero with a whole pile of artistic nods to the Moore/Bissette/Totleben era and a final splash page sure to have you buying #3. A triumph.

Batgirl #2: Stop trying so hard. This is so tied up in trying to work the Killing Joke and crippled Babs into the reality of the current book that it gets in the way of the storytelling. There are times (the fight in the cemetery, for example) when the book is an absolute joy and times (the policemen in the hospital) when it's a complete mess. It's so frustrating, but Gail Simone's a good enough writer to work past it. I just wish she would, and quickly.

Batman #2: If the first issue of this was some people's highlight of the #1s, this may well be the standout #2 for most. An utter pleasure, and the fight between Bats and NOT NITE OWL is quite superb. Buy this book.

Batman and Robin #2: If this was issue 217 and not issue 2 I suspect I would be enjoying this book far more than I am. It's kind of a mid-paced filler book and the problem is that it has to stand on its own merits, which it fails to do against the other batbooks. It's not bad as such (the "Yes, that's exactly where you are tonight!" splash is the closest it gets to that) but it feels bloated and could be far tighter. Maybe the introduction of BatDog will help? Good job that's the direction Peter Tomasi appears to be going.

Batwoman #2: Find a dictionary and open it. Look up the word awesome. If it doesn't have a picture of Batwoman #2 in lieu of a definition then throw it out and get a better one. I have no doubts that this won't keep up the quality (not least if all the rumours of the issues being in the bank because of the slow pace JH Williams works at) but enjoy it while it's here.

Birds of Prey #2: I'm pretty sure I have already cut this book, which on the evidence of this issue might have been a little hasty. It definitely seems to be going somewhere, even if it is a bit Sadface in places. On the other hand, it just isn't distinctive enough to be worth it - I finished it about 10 minutes ago and the diversion of making a cup of tea has meant I don't remember a single thing about it. Something that slight isn't worth your money.

Blue Beetle #2: I definitely cut this after #1, but #2 is not without its charms. The 'kid trapped in a suit he can't control and doesn't understand' trope is an old reliable one and well done here, especially once they get to the party, but then OH NOES A DESTROYER OF WORLDS IS COMING TO EARTH TO GET THE SCARAB BACK. We're all doomed (although probably we're not).

Captain Atom #2: Hoo boy. If JT Krul ever works in comics again then there's something wrong with the world. A complete stinker. Over-written rubbish of the highest order. Don't even think about reading this out of curiosity.

Catwoman #2: The things people hated about the first issue are back in this one. So are the things people liked about it. This issue isn't going to change anyone's opinions about it, but I think it's okay. It's annoying inconsistent though, primarily with the ease in which Catwoman is smeared across the walls of her apartment, and that's probably the main reson why I'm not going to be sticking with it. And the post-coital stuff at the beginning with Batman is just weird. Sorry.

DCU Presents: Deadman #2: Is this even the same book as the first one? The two issues seem almost completely unconnected and despite seemingly being sequential (the climax of the first leads directly into this) Boston Brand is a completely different character and understands far more about himself and the Supernatural DCU than he did last month. Maybe it's all that hanging out with Dove. Maybe his real name is Vulture. Maybe this will be more readable next month.

Demon Knights #2: SLEEPER BOOK OF THE RELAUNCH. I wouldn't be surprised if nobody was picking this up, but they're all missing out. This is a hoot from start to finish, and Vandal Savage is a damn fine comedy creation. Who knew? If the editorship is letting people write books like this then more power to them.

Frankenstein #2: Up until this is cancelled people will be calling it a poor man's BPRD , and with good reason because it is. I guess it's entertaining enough but it always feels like it's ripping off other material and the constant comparison detracts massively. A shame, because the writing is quite good, but inescapable.

Green Lantern Corps #2: This comic will never get better than the panel where John Stewart goes "RRARR!" and Guy Gardner goes "YARRH!". After praise for the last one, this is far more prosaic and to be truthful much less of a good read. I'm not sure I like it, it's pointlessly violent in a TINY STOMPING FEET way and has OH SNAP a villain who is immune to Green Lantern constructs and rings. WHO CAN GUESS HOW THIS WILL END? I bet I can, and it's with me quitting the book.

Grifter #2: I really can't bring myself to care about this. In issue 1 the lead character was confused about what was going on and in issue 2 the reader is. Bizarrely, this covers a whole pile of the same ground as OMAC #2 but is in no way engaging. A waste of ink and paper.

Justice League #2: Parademons! For Darkseid! I don't know what's more surprising, their appearance or the fact I actually like a Geoff Johns book. This is far superior to the first issue and actually goes some way to establishing the relationship between all the characters - the interplay between Hal and Barry is pretty great. I repeat, A GOOD GEOFF JOHNS BOOK.

Legion of Super Heroes #2: This has about 5 different plots going on and works on distraction. If you keep moving from the main Daxamite plot to one of the sub-soap opera plots about the internal relationships between Legionnaires fast enough then it stops all the Legion fanboys realising nothing's actually going on. Which I don't mind, but I could see people hating. Really not recommended for anyone who isn't a LoSH fan.

Legion Lost #2: Conversely, this is much less WOW KEWL than the previous issue and is far more enjoyable. The characterisation of several of the cast is brilliant (specifically Timber Wolf) and Wildfire's difficulties in understanding exactly what's happening with the Doctor and how it relates to his own life. Excellent stuff.

Mister Terrific #2: Better than the first one, but that's not saying much. I can't think of a single reason why anyone would want to buy or read this, and absolutely none of it stands out or sticks in the memory. Really, why?

Nightwing #2: Maintaining the high standard of the first issue is very much order of the day here and it just about achieves it, although I couldn't care less about Dick's relationship with Circus Girl and really don't need to see them joining the Mile High Club. (Trousersnakes on a plane!) At the end we get some kind of really weird reveal about the circus he grew up in - given the tone of many of the New 52 books I won't be surprised if it's a paedophile ring - which has me dying to read the next issue, which is always a good sign.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #2: I've been dreading this one. Yet, somewhat bizarrely, it barely has any of the faults which bedevilled the first issue and is actually quite a good read (although, like the first, in a sub-Deadpool Max kind of way). The Jason and Talia stuff is, dare I say it, actually pretty good. The sexism is never too fara away though and I'm sure it'll be business as usual next month, which is when I leave it.

Resurrection Man #2: Well, we have a plot this month. Unfortunately it's not a very good one. We also have some SEXEY KILLER GURLS who can get drawn in stylised poses, one of whom is wearing what I believe passes in American pr0n for school uniform. That's bound to help things. Neither of the above make me want to keep reading this, so thankfully I only have one to go. Very poor.

Suicide Squad #2: The trouble with reading too many of these in one go, or writing as you go along, is that you end up contradicting yourself. This is the genuine sleeper hit of the relaunch, a fantastic book which makes you wonder why the creators weren't employed before this. BUY THIS. "Relax. I have a giant hammer."

Supergirl #2: I think this is secretly the best Superman Family book of the relaunch. Kara's failure to comprehend the reality of her situation, which forms the centrepiece of this issue, is excellently written and only generates further mystery - how did she leave Krypton well after it was destroyed? Why is someone using her as a trap for Superman? ALL THIS AND MORE WILL BE REVEALED, TRUE BELIEVERS.

Wonder Woman #2: Boo, hiss etc. Not a patch on issue 1. You promised us this was a horror book, Azzarello, so make it one. The first issue hinted you could do it, so DO IT. (Confession time; I actually did like this but it's a plain WW book and could have been written at any point, possibly most identifiably during the George Perez comeback run.) Disappointed.

The one thing that is clear is Dan Jurgens seems to have lost his ability to write - do we really need lines like "...and that looks like my native Africa!"? We also learn that Dan has no idea what menage a trois actually means.

lol that he ever could write - that said, post the page that prompted the last sentence!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6112/6287255712_21c98c03ba_z.jpg

eh, I'll allow it, there's three of them and it's just some blond chick having a cheap perv

more lol at Batman pledging to follow Jurgens' pet character tbh

dan jurgens never had the ability to draw, never mind write

it's a hard competition as to which he's worse at tbh

though I just also remembered making small talk to be polite at a convention table in high school, bcz I was looking at preview pages and he was standing behind it, and getting shudders at his weird nerdery

erm sorry, drunk, shouldn't have said that!

lol go for it! he always been esp despised by brit comic fans of a certain age after he named ronald reagan as his hero in a convention booklet

It is really odd that this relaunch has killed all of my interest in Stormwatch/The Authority but has made me interested in Grifter and Voodoo.

So far, Action Comics and Batwoman are the only keepers for me, but the Lemire, Cornell and Snyder titles are all decent. The rest I'm too broke to buy. Hopefully there'll be some digital deal in the next year: if there was a 5 for $5 weekly deal, I'd probably spend, well, $260 more every year than I do now.

eh, I'll allow it, there's three of them and it's just some blond chick having a cheap perv

Maybe she's saying "who gives a shit about Booster Gold, why don't you two come over here and party with me"? Seems like it would go with the female voices presented in half of the other books.

aquaman #2 felt like it was 8 pages long and sucked. i almost worked up a little bit of respect (or less-hatred) for geoff johns w/ the 1st issue then, boom, $2.99 for a bunch of splash pages of aquaman spearing dagons.

loving batman, swamp thing, demon knights, i vampire.

and action obv

I am getting into Justice League? Which is shocking to me as I've never cared about that book before.

All-Star Western #2: This builds on the success of the first issue by continuing to be the Jonah Hex book it replaced. Yes, it weaves in Bat-elements like the Crime Bible but this only adds to how great it is. I appreciate (given that I was buying it until the reboot) I might be predisposed to the title, but it really is brilliant. Buy it.

Aquaman #2: FUCK YOU GEOFF JOHNS. I liked the last issue but this is Johns Sadface bollocks. Miserable shite.

Batman The Dark Knight #2: Amazingly, for the second issue on the trot there actually is David Finch content in this issue. And it's sort of OK I suppose, but it barely goes anywhere. It's almost a circular story with the conclusion of this issue the same as the last one, with very little happening of note in between. I get the feeling if Finch drops out altogether this could be all right, but I'm not sure I've got either the patience or inclination to find out.

Blackhawks #2: Insubstantial might well be the middle name of Mike Costa. This does nothing and goes nowhere and is not worth your time. Remember the way Nick Fury strips read in the late 80s? No? Exactly. And that's why this is so unmemorable.

Deathstroke #2: Can this be redeemed after the first issue? Simple answer: No. Slightly more detailed answer: Fuck, no. This is poor quality violence pr0n and plotless. I could have done something useful in the time it took me to read this like, I don't know, peeled a banana.

Firestorm #2: Who are Terror Grunt and what do they sound like? That's what inquiring minds really want to know having read this slice of 80s nostalgia. Blah blah nuclear winter blah blah emergency broadcasts blah THIS ISN'T THREADS. "Think I'm scared? I'm from Belfast, monster!"

Flash #2: Barry gets to grips with being Flash and pushes what he can do. It doesn't need any more of a description than that to be honest as this just develops what we saw last month and adds enough to the mystery to keep you reading next month, which I will be. Seeing how Barry sees the world is kind of marvellous.

Green Lantern New Guardians #2: Oh, this went from a fun issue 1 to impenetrable Johnsy GL bullshit. Wake me up whe you're finished. The comic itself makes no sense either, with Kyle INCREASING the amount of casualties from "Red Lanterns and their napalm blood puke" and X Factor arithmetic (i.e. things being >100% of themselves). Also, unless I'm mistaken, quite some years appear to have passed between the end of the last issue and this one, as Kyle reminisces about the Guardian who chose him and how he's come to think of him as his "fairy godfather" despite only meeting him the day before. No.

I, Vampire #2: I can't believe for a minute this is going to run past 6 issues. If it does, there will be one like this every 10 or so. It's a trap/escape/spread the legend vampire story, with about as much backstory as last time. It looks beautiful, but then so does Batwing and this doesn't have the legs of, say, 30 Days Of Night or The Walking Dead. I'll enjoy it while it's being published, but I don't expect that to be much longer.

Justice League Dark #2: This is a step backwards from last month, with pointless setup and an unhealthy fascination with Deadman having a shag. Yes, sex again. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, DIDIO? Not every book in the DCU has to have sex on every page, don't make it editorially mandated. He gets this >< close to having a fake lesbian scene in it too (fake in that one of the women is a man, kind of). This is going to turn into a complete abortion of a book, isn't it?

Savage Hawkman #2: "INCREDIBLE. THE SYMBOLS ARE BECOMING EASIER FOR ME TO READ!" And the symbols appear to be saying THIS BOOK IS SHIT, DO NOT READ IT. This is just muddled twaddle, with the big bad from number one thrown away for a bigger (maybe) bad and some minor plot related shit in the background. There's a girlfriend now, possibly, and something something something don't care.

Superboy #2: In which Astro Boy tries to punch the universe but his neural inhibitors stop him. It turns out he's some kind of weapon which it turns out comes in very handy when some giant shark monsters from Sector 3 turn up. Maybe less so when SHIT BLOWS UP, as it inevitably does. This is a whole pile of fun, but I have no idea where it's going. A bit like canoeing blindfold.

Superman #2: WORDS AGAIN. Last month was wordy, but this is full of them straight out of the gate. THERE'S A THIRTY-TWO WORD SENTENCE ON THE FOURTH PAGE! This is such a hackneyed idea I can't possibly believe it hasn't been done a hundred times before in Superman/Action/whatever and similarly I can't believe it wasn't done better on the previous occasions. I can't wait for this to be crossing over with Action and turning it to shit, which is happening soon. Hitting my cut list, right now.

Teen Titans #2: Kid Flash, I like. The rest of this book, not so much. MAKE IT MORE ABOUT HIM. Anyway, this is still a 'build the team' issue but is starting to get towards an actual storyline. Although yet again we have some tiresome sexism with chat about Wonder Girl's boobage, and I'm beginning to get tired of it all. I'm prepared to go with it for a while but only because Kid Flash is so great. Give him his own book and I can stop buying this?

Voodoo #2: Last month I gave this the benefit of the doubt. This month I'm taking it back. Next month has Kyle Rayner. CUT!

I've heard numbers on VAMPIRE have held steady as of last round of orders, so it might not go away that quickly. My store never got it, so I have yet to give it a read.

The only book that's got any real excitement for me so far is ACTION. HEX is decent but hasn't been as great as the first series (which I was reading for the art as much as anything else. Jordi Bernet, yay!) But still, ACTION feels pretty thin for a monthly book, as opposed to ALL-STAR, which was substantial issue-in, issue-out. Trade arcs sap so much out of the monthlies, it's painful to read most of them.

UPDATE!

Action #3 is now out, and advertised fill-in artist Brent Anderson is not present; the first seven pages here are drawn by Gene Ha.

This issue is again 20 pages for $3.99.

Given the huge media buzz and sales success of this giant line-wide relaunch, here is a full and complete breakdown of the ads they have thus been able to sell on non-cover pages of this book:

1p: The Big Bang Theory is now in syndicated repeats on basic cable!

That's it.

There are 18 (EIGHTEEN) pages of unpaid ads for DC's The New 52, and the standard page of content-free house advertorial in the back.

HOLY COW.

Wonder if that means a tacit admission that they're not able to wring much ad revenue from these books and the value is in the IP, not the audience?

It seems weird that Time Warner wouldn't have it at least to the point where DC would be selling their own products in the comics.

Green Lantern #2: This is Geoff Johns wank fantasy made flesh. Basically Sinestro turns up and gives Hal his ring back if he agrees to admit he's great. He then withdraws it more than once to prove HIS ULTIMATE POWER OVER GREEN LANTERN. This couldn't get more Johnsy if it was printed in his spunk. The very fact I'm writing this is probably setting off his Johns-sense and he's getting wood as I type.

I feel dirty.

Action Comics #3: You know what I think? GMoz should put as much distance between himself and people who are linked to Alan Moore as he should. The entire Krypton sequence looks and feels like offcuts from Top Ten and that ends up colouring the entire book. The Metropolis stuff is nice and the Big Bad looks fun but nothing that hasn't been done before. I'm looking forward to sseing how GMoz gets out of it, but since the 5 year gap is consumed by #7 I'

m assuming that's as long as he's on the book and DC just aren't announcing it yet. (PS Gossip says Dan Jurgens is writing both)

{Continuing the previous post which got posted G_d knows why)

Animal Man #3: Do I like this? I'm really not sure any more. This seems confused at times, but then Buddy realises he is slave to his daughter and it kicks off into a level of awesomeness. I don't care at all for the Ellen and Cliff stuff and I'm not sure at all how the 'real world' pans into the Red at all but I'm not really bothered. I guess the big problem is this is all based on Old Universe DCU stuff so I'm reading it for the second time. Hmm.

but since the 5 year gap is consumed by #7 I'm assuming that's as long as he's on the book and DC just aren't announcing it yet.

god I hope so, the pricing makes me actually angry

Batwing #3: This almost does enough. Really nearly makes me want to keep on buying it. Then I remember Ben Oliver is off it with this issue and I'm convinced the other way. Arguably not enough happens during the issue, but the hints of The Kingdom being a big thing which fucked up really badly and sold out a continent could be a great thing. But Ben Oliver is what makes the book and this is the end of his involvement and also mine. I might torrent the next couple to see where the plot goes. SO HOW'S THAT STRATEGY WORKING, DIDIO?

Detective Comics #3: I actually kind of love the writing on this. Ultimately, The Dollmaker isn't nearly as good as I thought he would be last month but I can put up with it because the characterisation of Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock is the best in the reboot. Still not sold on the art but this is the New DC - I might not even have to put up with it till the end of the next issue! Still onboard and will stay that way.

Green Arrow #3: I'd love to be able to say the writing on this became competent with my last issue. I'd love to say the art doesn't look like the worst kind of 80s throwback. I'd love to be able to say what has passed to date for a plot is resolved satisfactorily. I'd love to be able to say the fake Steve Jobs characterisation becomes realistic. Unfortunately this is still the same bag of shite it has been since the first issue. Maybe even worse. If JT Krul ever works again it will be too soon.

Hawk & Dove #3: This ends with the phrase "He's not too old to answer some questions though... and I've got plenty." I only have 2: "How is Sterling Gates in work?" and "How is Rob Liefeld in work?" The answer to the first appears to be that he is good mates with Geoff Johns. The second is a challenge up there with Fermat's Last Theorem. Every line is delivered between gritted teeth. Barack Obama looks like a chocolate popsicle. There's a panel with Swan and Dove where they have the same face. Not similar faces, IDENTICAL ones. Woeful.

Justice League International #3: http://www.clashmusic.com/files/imagecache/big_node_view/files/Jaz-Coleman-Killing-Joke.jpg EIGHTIES. I'M LIVING IN THE EIGHTIES. You know what the highlight of this is? Vixen uses the powers of a badger. Some people would say this is damning with faint praise. I'm characterising it as reaching to find anything worth enjoying. Average is a compliment.

Men of War #3: What was the Rock section of this has turned to shit. Absolutely nothing happens in it. It's a completely failed attempt at a Two Fisted Tales type effort and totally worthless. Can it be save by the completion of the SEALS backup story? No. It's shite as well. Deserves to be cut andhas been.

OMAC #3: The writing in this really isn't that great is it? And I'm beginning to think the art isn't either. I hate this reboot. Still entertaining enough, but that probably says more about the other books than this one. I'm already looking forward to next month when I am reading less new comics.

Red Lanterns #3: WHAT A SURPRISE. The character I predicted last month is made clevererer is the one that is made clevererer. Unfortunately, because she is A WOMANG she has to be better than 'the hero'. This doesn't work at all. The issue ends with a gratuitous arse picture. One that makes Red Hood #1 look like Andrea Dworkin. You're better than this, Pete Milligan.

Static Shock #3: No. No. No. Static Shite. Features a piss-poor joke about someone not knowing what The Joker looks like. Losing the will to live here.

Stormwatch #3: So we don't get the villain reveal the last issue promised... I can put up with that because this is still a pretty servicable comic. Filler, yes, but servicable. Plot doesn't get advanced much and Jack's foot/ankle about halfway through is one of the worst pieces of art in the reboot (I know, a huge claim) but NOT AWFUL.

Swamp Thing #3: In which our hero compresses over 70 issues of a comic into a VERY short narrative. But the ACTUAL PLOT is great when it kicks in, even if it does rip off SoST 23-26 (the Floronic Man/JLA issues). LET'S GO WITH BRILLIANT mainly because we don't have any competition.

You can't reference the worst panel in the reboot and not share a bad scan!

Otherwise, kudos.

Yeah, I'll find the panel tonight. I realised as I was typing it I would need to. Also, two Liefeld montages to do.

have you dropped wonder woman aldo? my roommate & i are subscribed to omac, wonder woman, action comics, animal man thru a joint reservation account, should be caught up in a week or so

The first WW was great, the second smacked massively of the Perez 80s run. Am sticking with it until #4 at the moment but I know where it needs to go.

is there even a royalty system still in place?

now less than ever