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

The Batman owl thing is great! Do not judge before a read.

p.s. Batwoman sucks without Rucka writing. There, I said it.

#0 and JHW3 issues were still dope enuf. new dude shows that Reeder and/or inker were not bringing the necessary visual stylisation to keep the ....six? separate story strands, taking place at different times, clearly delineated

Yeah, the art in this is an improvement and helps but the separate strands and delineated by being BRIGHT and DARK and so forth. It just feels jarring to me.

I made a mistake through tiredness and repetition - this is Batman Incorporated #1, not #9.

(btw sic, I understand artistic licence, I kind of use it myself when I write these to pull things out when they occur to me...)

sure sure. but we don't have another thraed where we're discussing the book so might as well throw all of it in here!

Come on Aldo, that Batman Inc was all kinds of good.

Yeah, you're right but I had a grump on by then probably. And part of it is certainly that GMoz has been completely treading water on Action.

I sent the BAT-COW panel to several friends

Yeah, part of my enjoyment just stemmed from relief that GMoz was back on form after Action Comics.

Confession: I have no real motivation to read Action

Action 9 was really good after some very wobbly issues

Not confident that the series is actually very well conceived, though.

I am highly confident that it is very poorly conceived.

Editorial shenanigans or just Grant running out of time/inspiration? (Or all three?)

The scripts have been pretty pedestrian so don’t think we can blame the artist(s) this time.

I wonder that myself. I've heard that the new system has not worked like the old one, even for someone as rarefied as Morrison. Perhaps the bloom is off the rose. And perhaps he really said what he wanted to about Superman with ALL-STAR. Compared to that, ACTION is really the dog's breakfast.

Have the new INC, but haven't yet read it (though someone spoiled BATCOW and it made me laugh really, really hard.)

Like I said, I still haven't read Action, but even if it's as poor as y'all suggest, I'm hardly gonna think less of Morrison for suffering a misstep after his amazing Seven Soldiers/52/Batman/Final Crisis/Batman & Robin/Batman Inc. run. Particularly within this New 52 world, wherein the concept of the writer seems to have become severely devalued by editorial.

still think We3 and Seaguy are still my favorite Morrison projects

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Morrison's lost it. But ACTION just ain't that great.

And perhaps he really said what he wanted to about Superman with ALL-STAR. Compared to that, ACTION is really the dog's breakfast.

I think this is very otm.

well yeah, he didn't have any interest of his own in doing more Superman or this Superman - DC came to him a few months before issue 1 came out and asked him if he'd do it.

Oh, the sad capriciousness of timing (15 years and the roles reverse)...

Yeah, ain't it, though? He's come a long way from writing JLA so that DC would finish publishing THE INVISIBLES.

I still marvel at that particular piece of magick. INVISIBLES is a book that shouldn't exist, coming from one of the major comics publication companies in America, and yet it happened (warts and all.)

Oh, as for the new 52, I've dropped all but ACTION and WONDER WOMAN and am a hair's breadth from dropping those, Cliff Chiang or no Cliff Chiang. But DC has proved that they don't want my money, 'cept for reprints.

And perhaps he really said what he wanted to about Superman with ALL-STAR. Compared to that, ACTION is really the dog's breakfast.

otm, and sadly. when AC started out, i was excited by the prospect of this young, angry, 99%-er superman with very limited powers going up against fat cat plutocrats and their uniformed stooges in a world largely devoid of super-stuff. seemed brave & timely, with lots of potential for character-building and slow expansion into the more familiar continuity. but morrison seemed to drop that angle as quickly as he presented it, rushing to incorporate lex luthor, kandor, a tiresome origin story and so on.

like, i was hoping for a neoteny recapitulates phylogeny superman, where we'd get to spend some time with a relatively small-scale man of steel.

Matt, look at Dial H. It is shockingly entertaining.

I actually have it in one of my scattered piles of singles to read. Should clean house one of these days.

I'd also argue that DIAL H isn't really NEW 52 territory, but that's probably just splitting hairs, huh?

eh I'm a Marvel Fanboy, AFAIC anything remotely DC-related is New 52

So turns out Alan Scott is the gay man why because Obsidian doesn't exist anymore which means the gay that was in Alan never had a chance to escape through his son I guess? This feels really perfunctory, but whatever.

I guessed right. 'Bout time I got something right.

Tom Spurgeon ‏@comicsreporter

like any progressive human being, my first thought on hearing DC's announcement was "Oh, God: 10,000 stupid 'weakness is wood' jokes."

Hahaha. I will take back every bad thing I've said about the New 52 initiative if they're able to work in a new Alan Scott villain with a magic cockring.

Green LAntern's new arch-nemesis:

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/images/comic_tot14.gif

Hey, snap, you on the twitter? hit me @highway_62

As for this? Ah, well, you'll get your chance one day, Bruce Wayne.

now following! I'm @EZSnappin if anyone wants to follow along.

Man, you work fast.

just happened to check ILX seconds after you posted. I'm no Ned, where a mere mention of his name summons him from the ether.

Ravagers #1: Seriously, this is every bit as bad as you think it is. One character unzips her suit in the middle of an icefield where they'll freeze to death if they don't keep moving to expose her cleavage, presumably because she needs BEWBS to fly (which is what she does next). All against an angsty Fairchild dialogue of inner thoughts. Technically none of it is awful, but it's one of the most unreable Johnsiverse books.

Animal Man Annual #1: I have to say, as much as I enjoyed this it's an utterly, utterly pointless book. The talking cat tells Maxine a story while it has a piss, a tale of a previous Animal Man and a previous Swamp Thing, fighting a previous version of the Rot in a small town and not winning. Buddy turns up from the future in the story the cat's telling at one point to let them know they're going to fail. Then at the end they go back to a house and prepare for the next issue of Animal Man. It's nicely written and, after a very shakey start, the art's passable. But really, save your money.

Batman Annual #1: Taking place (in effect) during an OWLS crossover, Mr Freeze gets a Johnsiverse origin in this thoroughly decent 40 pager. He's clearly going to be important in Batbooks to come, as he's possibly the only villain that's had this kind of analysis thus far. It turns out the reason the OWLS were after him in the other book is that some of the surgery that's made their regenerative powers stable enough is based on his work, presumably making him the man who knew too much. I'm trying hard not to descend into hyperbole, but I genuinely can't think of a Batwriter that excites me as much as Scott Snyder. Yes, even BatMoz.

That said, I enjoyed Superman Family Adventures even more. Reminded me most of the two Bizarro hardcovers.

Did Lemire write the annual? That sound pretty dire and unnecessary.

Have I mentioned I've given up on the official new 52? 'Cause I have.

Yeah, he did, which made it more surprising how pointless it was. Like he was contractually obliged or something.

Not sure about that Batman Annual -- lots of punching but not much fun, plus the all-new EXTREME MR FREEZE felt a bit hacktastic. I do (normally) dig Snyder though.

Q: if the Owls are using Freeze's tech to reanimate their dead warrior dudes, why does lowering their body temperature slow them down or immobilize them? Seems counter to any sort of logic.

The ‘New 52’ and DC Comics Month-to-Month Sales: The Long View

Freeze and Owls isn't explained in any detail, but it's mentioned during conversations that Freeze has with both the Penguin and Bats that he's been working for them - in the one with the Penguin it seems that he's less than happy about it now, which is presumably why they try and kill him.

Just going to put this here for now, instead of talking about some lameness in the newest Batman:

http://www.ebay.com/itm//Batman-Inc-Vol-2-Page-11-Chris-Burnham-feat-Bat-cow-/120928923783

Action is so frustrating. It feels like reading random back issues of a series that would be great if you had ALL the parts and could read them in the right order.

First Appearance of Bat Cow

Damien OTM

So, I think pulling the plot idea back in again is annoying, but... did you guys read Batman #10 and this Lincoln March revelation?

Action #10: I'm afraid I can't put it any better than James' observation above.

Action is so frustrating. It feels like reading random back issues of a series that would be great if you had ALL the parts and could read them in the right order.

Animal Man #10: This is a frustrating read as well, if I'm honest. It's well enough written, and the art is growing on me, but the pace is glacial and anybody who's familiar with the GMoz/Vertigo Animal Man and Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing has read all of this before. The journey through the Red is like the Hell issues of the American Gothic plot. The architects of all life are going to build Buddy a new body because he/they has/have issues with the current one. Cliff is a gullible dick. I guess I just don't feel like I need to read it. Maybe it's just me, I dunno. The Johnsiverse was supposed to be for new readers, so I guess it'd be a novelty for them. If they actually existed.

Batwing #10: From a frustrating read to a plain boring one. Now all the initial plot is over, and Batwing isn't Owlsing, it's just a very low grade Batfamily book with OH LOOK AFRICA thrown in every now and again. Somali pirates - check! Nightwing expresses surprise Africans know a lot about technology - check! Corrupt deals by dodgy dictators with Western oil companies - check! My favourite bit is where the Chinese guy turns up at the apartment of the kidnapped Chinese guy (who is not drawn as Chinese btw) and immediately turns into a dragon. He then (i.e. AFTER HE'S TURNED INTO A DRAGON) bellows "But please... let me introduce myself. My name is... Long! Do you know what Long means in Chinese? It means dragon!" in a menacing way. Now THAT'S dialogue.

Detective #10: And post-Owls, this is merely a very good one. (As a diversion, wikipedia tells me that the Batman Annual was supposed to conclude the Owls. REALLY? I didn't get that at all from it...) Tony Daniels brings back his Mr Toxic character we saw as a bit-part player in the Penguin floating casino plot but increases his menace considerably. I get the feeling exploding faux-Batmen is a gimmick that's been overused previously, but I'm happy enough to read it again. The Two-Face backup is great though. Reborn as a hero? I can't wait to read the next part.

Dial H #2: Effortless proving last month wasn't a fluke, China Mieville once more writes EXACTLY the sort of book I want to read. The concept of a guy who changes powers each time plays to his strength and I laugh out loud at least twice during this. There are insane levels of thrill power within. Unbelievable.

Earth 2 #2: OK, outside of the Allan Scott reveal what do we actually have here? A JSA origin issue, in a post-Justice League world? Mr Terrific is shoehorned in, and absolute needless, but the Jay Garrick story is pretty engaging and I think this title could have legs if it canmake itself different enough from the other books. Ultimately I don't think it will, but it's decent enough to make me want to hang about for a while to see. I could well be tempted to say it's better than Justice League. We'll see.

GI Combat #2: JT Krul writes dialogue this issue, so the War That Time Forgot segment is predictably shit. The Unknown Soldier stuff is far better, but is neither better nor worse than any of the other attempts at it in recent years. Can't see it lasting any longer than the next wave of cancellations, if I'm honest, as I have no idea what it's for or who it's supposed to appeal to. Ho hum.

Green Arrow #10: WOW, THIS IS SHIT. I mean REALLY shit. Ann Nocenti writes a story here that's completely mired in eighties DO YOU SEE isms, and truthfully it would have been shit then too. It makes the lyrics to Human by the Killers seem like an essay by Kierkegaard. Abject.

JLI #10: Dan Jurgens isn't actually reading any of the other books in the relaunch, right? He's just bumbling on in his own little universe writing something nobody wants to read, unconnected to anything else being published. And make no mistake, this is dreadful stuff - as eighties as Green Arrow but in a different way, full of implied importance but empty and soulless. Cancelled after two more issues, but might end up forming the cornerstone of Year 2 of the Johnsiverse, if the rumours are right. I'm scared.

Red Lanterns #10: RARR RARR RARR RARR OH FUCK OFF. Well not quite, this Stormwatch crossover is at least a vaguely coherent story but they're no closer to finding a new power source since their battery was destroyed and it's been an awful long time for them to be maintaining force fields and the like. It seems like it's given up Lantern logic altogether. Geoff Johns will no doubt be round to give Peter Milligan a punishment essay later, and maybe put him in detention.

Stormwatch #10: I say Stormwatch crossover, they're off doing something completely different. This feels like it wants to be an issue of Planetary. It isn't. It talks about Napoleonic Stormwatch and how they erased the memory of all the world so it forgot they existed, then ends with a gay-angst-a-thon. The next issue blurb convinces me it thinks it is Planetary. It won't be.

Swamp Thing #10: Anton Arcane being back delivers pretty much all you'd expect it to. It's basically a monologue by him, but Scott Snyder's on a roll at the moment and everything he touches is golden. Having been teased at the end of the last issue, and despite being on the cover, Arcane's presence builds throughout until the final page release. "I promise your pain will only last a little longer. In just a moment I'm going to bash your head in." Looks awful written here, but in context is perfect. A great book.

World's Finest #2: Still feels like two books. The Kev Maguire drawn flashback stuff and the George Perez modern day stuff are almost completely separate, and one is fun and engaging while the other is a chore. I wonder if you can guess which is which? Answers on a postcard, with a subscription to a Rob Liefeld book of your choice to the winner.

Batgirl #10: Ugh. This series gets worse with every passing issue, and it didn't start from a particularly high beginning. It's hackneyed WOW STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMEN bullshit page on page at the expense of storylines. It might work for people studying Lipstick Feminism 101 but does nothing for me. This particular issue feels like everybody in charge at every stage HAS to be a woman to prove a point that I don't get, although it never gets worse than when the guy who lost half his leg the night before runs away normally.

Batman #10: Umm. Wow. The Lincoln March revelation is indeed a revelation. Didn't see that coming at all. But you're all reading the book already, so I don't need to go into it or spoil it for those that haven't read it yet. The backup story actually works with it and reveals even more - if you read them in the other order, and knew some fairly obscure bat-history, then it would spoiler the main story. Great stuff.

Batman & Robin #10: Damian has an ego. Who knew? Basically, he calls out all the other Robins to prove he's great and Tim Drake is an easy fish to catch. It's good stuff , if not really anything out of the ordinary, but hits the spot before the shitfest to come. Starting with...

Deathstroke #10: There are no words. Honestly. So bad. I can't work out whether the art is worse than the writing and every page my opinion changes. This may well be the single worst issue of the Johnsiverse. If any of you can find a way to read it without paying for it LIKE BORROWING IT FROM A LIBRARY OR SUCH <cough> RIAA <cough> then I recommend you do so, just to see for yourselves how bad it is.

Demon Knights #10: "It's a pirate sea serpent! That is something I have never shouted before!" And not something I expected to be typing. This does the thing it does every month again, and very well it does it too. They travel through the south of England facing giant wolves and a zombie King Arthur and conclude with al Jabr turning into MODOK. That's something else I expected not to be typing.

Frankenstein #10: I still don't like this. This particular issue is more of a mess than usual, although it thinks it's being really clever and all GMozzy. Who's on whose side by the end? Who cares?

Green Lantern #10: The Knights The Say Nok don't exist, then a blue woman gets superhero sadface and cries a single tear, which is enough sadface for them to rebuild their entire power battery and all say Nok again. Unfortunately for Hal this makes Sinestro one of them too, so he tries to persuade them to let him say other words too by saying how much he wubs him. A Black Lantern kills himself rather than say Nok again, then once he's dead becomes a Black Lantern again. As you do. I struggle to believe people take this seriously.

Grifter #10: Amongst the skills Rob Liefeld doesn't have we've found another one - counting. "The word you're looking for is "You're welcome. Although technically that's two words." No, that's ACTUALLY two and TECHNICALLY three. That is as entertaining as this issue gets. Grifter now has telekinetic powers, which is presumably how his friend's costume stays up.

Legion Lost #10: The Legion go back to their own time, find that it needs a bit of redecorating and come back to our time to buy some paint or something. The lustre has totally gone from this book, despite having a couple of my favourite Legionnaires in it and it's become a chore to read. Timber Wolf gets shot at the end, although he probably won't have been by the time the next issue is three pages old.

Ravagers #2: Hoo boy, this is bad. Luckily I have already erased reading it from my mind so I don't need to go into it any further but it's just awful throughout. Don't bother.

Resurrection Man #10: It's so obvious now they're both out, but this is Dial H's crappy little brother. If only it was anywhere near as good. Or good, period. The angels from the early issues are back, and get what Hulk would called SMASHED. There's a secret giant underground technology base and... some other stuff. I don't care enough to try and make sense of this book any more.

Suicide Squad #10: The usual quality product here. Harley is back (although I thought from where we left her she was gone for good for other reasons) and so is Yo-Yo, having been shat out by King Shark and grown himself a new body. But somebody somewhere isn't playing ball with The Wall. Who can it be? Maybe we'll find out next month.

Superboy #10: SUPERBOY PUNCHES A DINOSAUR! In other news there is a hint ot teen romance between him and Wonder Girl then BANG! SMACK IN THE KISSER! This is a really good issue, no messing.