Teen Titans #1

I was hoping for a bit more of an introduction for these characters, I'm not really familiar with them. I like Red Robin/Tim Drake so I'm willing to give it a chance.

So far we've been introduced to Red Robin - serious and the voice of the series. Wonder Girl - powerful, a thief and really doesn't like being called Wonder Girl. Apparently she got her powers from a dig in Greece. I'd like to see more of her origin.

Kid Flash shows up in homemade costume - nothing like what he's wearing on the cover. He's got red hair so he could be either Bart or Wally. I don't know which one I'd prefer it to be. He seems too young to be Wally, but I've never really liked Bart's character.

Superboy is he big reveal at the end. Maybe if I'd read Superboy #1 I'd have a better idea why he was in the pod.

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

This was my least favourite of the Batman books. The others all had clear directions while this one seems to be all over the place. Bruce Wayne is having trouble because of Batman Inc! Bruce Wayne is flirting! Batman has to stop an Arkham breakout! He has to stop Two-Face who's now become a monster! Nothing really connects.

The whole Batman vigilante thing seems like it should already been dealt with. Mostly because, as much as he pretends he isn't, Bruce is a smart guy and there's no way the legal ramifications of Batman Inc. (as dumb as it is) wouldn't have been worked out before he made the announcement.

Bruce flirting is expected. He had three girls hanging off him before the one he actually started flirting with arrived. But it just felt tossed in there. Hopefully, they won't try to make her a recurring character. Or worse, a love interest because we all know that will end poorly.

And that leaves Arkham. Either there's no connection between the books or Batman has had a very busy week. He already dealt with a prison riot in Batman. Maybe that's how he knew to look for Two-Face. Dick told him that they were planning something. I think Dick would've mentioned the Playboy bunny though.

Nightwing #1

This is the one I was waiting for.  Dick Grayson is my new favourite character of the DC universe and I really wanted to like him in his own series.  I liked him as Batman, I was sad to see Bruce come back , but now I'm curious to see how he'll handle being on his own again.

The art on the inside is much better than that on the cover so that was my first sigh of relief.  The second is that the story was really good too.  Writing a good Dick story is realising that he's not that different without the mask on.  Kyle Higgins did that.  Plus, brought in a whole lot of his past with Haley's circus.

Things I liked: Dick's inner monologue.

Things I didn't like:  Um... Maybe that it's another "Dick Grayson is a killer" story?  Unless it's somehow linked to the one Scott Snyder is doing in Batman.  But then I sort of wonder how much the book can stand on it's own if the two titles are sharing a new villain.

Batman #1

And another Bat title. What can I say? I like Batman.

Batman and Detective are kind of hard to separate. The theme for Batman and Robin is about teamwork, Batman and Detective are both more the solo stories. One would think that Detective is more about the detecting, but Scott Snyder has opened Batman with a mystery. A good one too! Someone is going to kill Bruce Wayne! And try to frame Dick Grayson for it!

For now, I say that Detective is going to tackle more Batman than Bruce Wayne and Batman is going to be the opposite.

Things I liked: always nice to see the whole Batclan together. I like that Bruce's idea of time off was keeping Dick undercover as the Joker in Arkham an extra day.

Things I didn't like: the artist seems to be having trouble with perspective. I like the art in general but he seems to have made Batman shorter, and Dick really short. He looked like a teenager in some panels. I know they're all younger now, but Dick was able to pull it off as Batman recently , he should look bigger than 16.

Red Hood and the Outlaws

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this one. I remember when Jason Todd died. I read the story where Roy Harper lost his arm. But I really wanted to find out how Dick Grayson's angry, little brother, drug addicted best friend and ex-girlfriend could ever get along. If the rest of the series holds up to the first issue I will not be disappointed.

It seems that the trend in the DC new U is to make the aliens more alien. The preview for Supergirl say so and Starfire's personality here says so as well. She alludes to an idea that the people of Earth don't really like aliens but that she just likes Earth. Jason tells Roy that humans are just sights and smells and that Tamaranians have a short attention span. That lets Roy establish that the Teen Titans still exist, that Dick and Kory's relationship still existed and that she doesn't really care.

Jason lets us know that he was a former sidekick. His history is still intact and the plot for the first arc is established. Hopefully it's not something that has connections to Jason's past because I don't know much of Jason's history since he came back from the dead.

Things I liked: the writing. I actually laughed out loud at some of this issue.

Things I didn't like: Kory's become a slut. I don't know if I like it, but I can get used to it.

Wonder Woman #1

She just went through a re-imagining of her origin (which I didn't like) so I wasn't looking forward to another one. I was wrong. Brian Azzarello's Wonder Woman is not the naive girl that George Perez gave us in the 90's. This Wonder Woman is the warrior woman. The one that's ready to take charge and get out there.

He's keeping the Greek mythology in the series as well. It looks lime it's going to be the first arc. With Hera (I can tell because of the peacock cloak) hunting down a concubines of Zeus. Apollo (a sun of a king) making prophetesses to answer his questions and Hermes running the errands it's making myths modern. Exactly what the new 52 is trying to do!

Things I liked: Diana's attitude, from jumping right in, introducing herself as only Diana and her unconcern of nudity were all really well done.

Things I didn't like: c'mon! He can't kill Hermes in the first issue!

Young Justice #8

The origin of Artemis continues in this one. There were always a lot of questions with Artemis. Like, why did Green Arrow replace Speedy / Red Arrow so quickly? Is she really his niece? Red Arrow certainly didn't trust her and she has some connection to the League of Shadows.

Things I liked: the internal monologue. It gave a real chance for Artemis to shine through. She has a "tough girl" persona that seems like it may be an act. This gave her a chance to show what she's hiding.

Things I didn't like: I can't think of anything. This was a solid issue.

Young Justice #7

This one's kind of interesting.  Artemis hasn't officially joined the team yet and here is an entire issue devoted to her.  It clears up a lot of the mystery surrounding her and it manages to insert her right into the story in what looks to be a believable way.  It's the next issue that will really determine how seamless it will be.

Things I liked:  Artemis' voice.  Most of the story is told through dialogue boxes and not so much dialogue.  It's very internal and fits with how she's been portrayed so far.

Things I didn't like:  I thought that Artemis' mother had more of a hand in raising her.  It looks like she's just gotten out pf prison after 6 years of being away.  In Downtime it looked like they'd had more than a few months together to be used to Mrs. Crock's wheelchair and the absence of Artemis' father.

Young Justice #6

Well, how about that?  I was wrong.

They start with Robin reliving his story.  He doesn't tell it to his team his story, and his story is really the most tragic so far.  Aqualad wanted to be Aqualad, Kid Flash wanted to be Kid Flash, but Robin wanted to be just like the rest of his family.  They've added more Flying Graysons than just two I'm used to, I'm not sure how I feel about that.  I'm adverse to major changes.  Sure, his uncle is paraplegic, but so is Artemis' mom and she's raising her.  Maybe they put it in to have some bonding between Artemis and Robin in the future.

Miss Martian was not ignored!  She wanted to follow her uncle J'ohnn to Earth and competed for the privilege.  They even mentioned the white and red Martians to allude to her comic origins.  I guess she's supposed to be a white Martian.  I suppose she still might be but she went to pains to mention that both of her parents were green (even though she has nothing against the whites and reds).

Thankfully, Superboy's Superman-killing thoughts were kept very brief.  Sure, he only knows what Cadmus pumped into him from the G-Gnomes but I find they're really pushing this angsty, teenage weapon on me.

Things I liked:  Um...  I guess that Superboy's dream was so short.  There was a lot more that I didn't like about this issue.  Oh!  And that Dick spaced out when he was asked about how he became Robin.  That's the type of angst I go for.

Things I didn't like:  Dick has an uncle that I've never heard about.  The character's like 70-some years old and has a great origin story.  No need to add a family member we'll likely never see.

Young Justice #5

It's secret origin time! At least it was worked into the story so that they actually have a reason to tell where they came from.

Aqualad starts. His origin will essentially be told in Downtime, when they get that far, but this is more detailed.

Kid Flash's origin is a little different than the one I'm used to. It's basically the same, he's still Barry's nephew but both he and Barry tried to get superpowers from chemicals and electricity.

Robin's still not allowed to tell who he is and Superboy gets the "to be continued" because he seems to be the character they're pushing as the lead in this ensemble. Poor Miss Martian is probably going to be ignored.

Things I liked: Wally's telling of his origin was funny with his inability to think before talking on full display.

Things I didn't like: looks like a new art team. The panels have good flow but the colours are all too bright. The show is much darker than this.

Batman and Robin #1

When I heard that this title would be Bruce Wayne's Batman paired with Damian Wayne's Robin I wasn't sure how it would work out. The reason the Batman/Robin partnership works so well is because it pairs dark with light. The reason Damian worked so well with Dick was that he was the dark to counteract Batman's new lightness. Damian and Bruce? That's like dark and darker. Reading the two of them together though, it's like different shades of black.

Batman is dark, but apparently he's discovered a sentimental side. He's about stealth, and not knowing where he'll come from or what to expect when he finds you. Damian is the dark of arrogance and not knowing if he plans to let you live.

What comes out the most in this issue is that Bruce does not trust Damian. In return, Damian does not trust that Bruce accepts him. Dick's approach is so different than Bruce's that Damian is being forced to acclimate to a whole new dynamic, but so is Bruce. This could turn into a battle of wills.

Things I liked: Damian's attitude. I was worried that they might have tried to make him more of the comedic sidekick. Something that he's not. They've kept him as they same bizarre brat that I've grown to like.

Things I didn't like: Batman's sentimentality. He's been so immersed in remembering his parents' deaths that I don't know if he can celebrate their lives. Bruce might be able to, but I don't see the same for Batman.

Young Justice #4

And the second half of the story.  So far most of the Young Justice stories have been told in two parts.  It's nice that they actually have the opportunity to really get into the story.

So last issue Aqualad, Robin and Kid Flash had been captured by the League of Shadows and were being taunted.  Sure the heroes were not familiar with the villains, but the villains were not familiar with the sidekicks as they let Robin keep his utility belt.  You never let a bat keep his utility belt.  So of course they escape, and have a big fight where the boys actually learn that they need to work together.  Or at least learn that they need to make a plan.  Yet, when all is said and done, they lose.

They actually lose their first big team mission.  It's not like in most stories where they lose in the first part, learn from their mistakes and then triumph in the second part.  They lose.  They defeat the two assassins that they were tangling with but the target still goes missing (and is presumed dead) and then Hook and Black Spider are freed before the transport even reaches the holding cells.  It's refreshing.

Things I liked:  They lost.  These guys still have a lot to learn.

Things I didn't like:  Same as the last issue, they're still learning to work as a team but the hiccups are always portrayed the same way.  Along with Aqualad's big sigh that he knows this isn't going to work.  A mistake from Aqualad would have been nice.

Young Justice #3

Young Justice continues to fill in the blanks of the television series. This one looks at an early "team building" exercise with just Kid Flash, Robin and Aqualad. They're not a team, which is still picked up in the series. Robin does more of an active role here than he has, aside from one mission where he makes a play for leadership, in the series. It's watching dynamics develop.

The League of Shadows makes its first appearance. I think there's more of an explanation here than there had been on the show. They are more familiar with them in the show than they are here.

Things I liked:  Robin showing initiative.  I'm used to him being the leader.  He's not going to be for this incarnation of the team because he's so young, but seeing that there's flashes of competence is good.

Thinks I didn't like:  Some of it seems rehashed from the pilot.  Robin going off laughing, Kid Flash racing off.  I get what they're trying to show, there's just other ways to do it.  Like the scene where Kid Flash and Robin hit each other because they're used to working with their mentors in a different way.

Young Justice #2

The second part of the Joker story... And it was all a dream. It does let us know why Mount Justice was empty and why Superboy hates monkeys.

Things I liked: Superboy used brains rather than brawn to win the fight.

Things I didn't like: Still not a big fan of Superboy.

Young Justice #1

Another issue where they follow up from the series. They've been introduced to Miss Martian and then she and Superboy go off to find rooms. It reiterates that these two will be the only ones that live at the mountain full-time, something that the show didn't make clear. Once even M'gann is gone something odd happens to Superboy.

It's nice to have something that fills in holes from the episode. It makes that world seem fuller. I don't think you have to read the comic to watch the show, but I do think you need to watch the show to read the comic.

Things I liked: Joker's character design is awesome! I love the look. It makes him look a lot younger, which I'm not so sure about but the rest is great.

Things I didn't like: Superboy's still not a favourite and the whole issue focuses on him. The way it's set up, the whole of the next issue may be as well.

Young Justice #0

Since it's one of the titles to survive the DC New U I thought I might as well include it in my blog. It's not that far in so I'll just reread them and bring it up to date until I get the next issue.

So... #0 was incredibly hard to find. The series hasn't even aired in Canada yet so I only found out the comics existed by reading a comment on YouTube.

Young Justice is set on Earth-16 where superheroes have only been active for about 5 years (what the New U is starting too). The first episode of the series has the first sidekicks form a team: Robin, Aqualad, Speedy and Kid Flash. Except Speedy doesn't like being called a sidekick so he quits before the other three break into Cadmus and find a clone of Superman (looking 16 years old). This issue picks up form the moment that they are found by their mentors and declare themselves a team.

Most of the issue focus on what Superboy and Kid Flash did in the three days that Batman was pondering their fates. Wally has invited Superboy home because there was nowhere else for him to go but he's done it in a big-hearted way. Of course, being superheroes and teenagers they're not going to stay out of trouble and manage to wreak a good portion of Central City's mall just getting Superboy some new clothes.

Things I liked: slipped right into the series. The episodes are all time-stamped so this is an opportunity to fill in gaps that make for an interesting read but not necessarily a good watch.

Things I didn't like: Superboy and Kid Flash are not my favourite pairing. Superboy is just too one dimensional for me to really get behind him. I hope that changes as he's exposed to more normal things.

Batman Detective Comics #1

This is both one of the most exciting and creepiest books I've read in a while.  Tony S. Daniel has got his characters down.  They act and speak like I expect them to.  I can't wait to read more.

Detective seems to be holding true to its name in that Batman actually went and did some detecting.  I may be only mentioned in passing but it is part of his musings as he tracks down the Joker.

And the Joker! The Batman/Joker rivalry is the classic story for Batman.  Daniel certainly builds on what people expect after having seen The Dark Knight.  He's creepy and insane with just the right amount of cunning to make him dangerous.

Things I liked: Detective is about the detectives.  Both Batman and Commissioner Gordon feature in this book.

Things I didn't like: I'm not a big fan of Daniel's art.  I love his story telling, I like how he puts the panels together but the art itself seems rushed.  Ryan Winn's inks on this help a bit, but not my favourite artist.

Batgirl #1

Gail Simone is writing Batgirl! She's writing Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. I'm of two minds on that one. I like Barbara, but she's made such a place for herself as Oracle and this seems like a major rewrite of history to have her walking. This is addressed in the first issue. She's been in a wheelchair for three years and now she's not. I expect exactly how she's gotten the use of her legs back will be examined in later issues.

Things I liked: what she says versus what she's thinking. Simone has Barbara give a great internal monologue.

Things I didn't like: no mention of Dick? Kidding. It was actually the final panel. The policewoman accusing Batgirl of murder because she failed to stop one. That's kind of lame. I liked that Barbara froze when the gun was pointed at her. It felt like a natural reaction. I would think the policewoman's response would be more along the lines of accusing Batgirl being out of her league. Not murder.

Justice League International #1

When I was looking through the titles of the new 52 I was excited to see that Booster Gold would still have a place. I like his character and had been following his regular title. My only question was, "How the heck did Booster get chosen to lead the JLI when Batman was involved?". That got answered pretty quickly in he first issue - Batman isn't an official member. Having read Justice League #1 last week I now that the League has been acting for about 5 years but Batman seems to have really changed how he views other heroes. He actually approves of Booster's appointment.

So... Booster is the leader. They've dialed back his maturity a bit so that he's more the publicity loving celebrity seeker that he was when he first appeared. There's glimmers of a hero here but mostly he seems to be in it for the fame.

Guy Gardner walks out of the first meeting. He still seems to be the hot head I remember. I may have to glance at some of the Green Lantern titles to find out how DC now justifies the number of Lanterns Earth has.

Rocket Red and August General in Iron seem to be there to be the augmentative duo. It's China vs Russia all the time.

The women of the group are much less defined. Godiva is the flirt, Ice is the one that is a bit of a peacemaker and Fire and Vixen and just there. I hope in future issues they all get a fleshing out. The friendship between Fire and Ice was always a favourite of the old JLI and I'd like to see it continue. Plus, this League has most of the female characters in the DCU, I'd hate to see them merely be caricatures.

Things I liked: I like the line-up. I think it's a good collection of heroes with an international bent.

Things I didn't like: I don't think Batman needs to. E part of this team. It feels like he's there just to have an "A lister" on board.

Justice League #1

The flagship of the new 52.  The one that's released first and all by itself.

I haven't finished reading Flashpoint yet (I'm following it on my iPad) so I'm not quite sure how the world shakes out yet but so far it appears there's a little distrust of the superhero community.  The line up is pretty classic: Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman and Aquaman.  Cyborg seems like an odd addition.  I've always associated him more with the Teen Titans.  This one is set 5 years before everything else in the new Universe which is an interesting concept.  It allows the authors some freedom because they don't have to worry what the characters are doing in their own books but I'm not sure it won't mess with continuity.

I was a little wary reading this because I read some online reviews before I got a chance to pick up my copy.  They were less than complimentary.  After reading it I think that some of them were disappointed fanboys who don't like change.

The story is also a classic origin.  It's practically the standard D&D beginning of having all the characters meeting in a bar.  The first issue is mainly Green Lantern and Batman.  They test each other.  Green Lantern clearly has something to prove.  The end of the issue sets up #2 for the introduction of Superman (it's even billed as Superman vs Batman).  I hope there's going to be more innovation than each member of the league getting involved with a fight with another member or members. 

Looks like the main villain of the piece is going to be Darkseid.  Good villain for this power level.  The challenge of the team up book is keeping Batman relevant.  Every other hero has a power but he's all about his mind and body.  A good writer can make Batman fit in.

Looks like it's going to be a new origin for Cyborg too.  I don't think his origin has been told since the 80s so for the least known in the team it makes sense for him to be introduced to new readers.  As I've said, I find him an odd choice for this league.  The core stays at 7 heroes but I feel that they're missing someone - the Hawkman or Martian Manhunter of the group.

Geoff Johns is the author for this one.  I enjoyed his work on Green Lantern and I like the way he's written both Hal Jordan and Batman in this first issue.  The artist is Jim Lee.  I know the name but I can't think of anything I've really seen from him.  So far I'm not liking how he's drawing Wonder Woman (at least on the cover) but Jordan's constructs and some of the facial expressions were amazing.

Things I liked: Batman snatching Green Lantern's ring off his finger.  It was just a small sample of why Batman is cool.

Things I didn't like: the cover.  I would've liked to see something that was more indicative of what was inside.  Or at least something that made physical sense.  Aquaman and Green Lantern should probably have switched places.  Then all the flyers would be together and it wouldn't look like Aquaman was leaping in from above.

Introduction - The New 52

I'm a DC fan.  I've been reading comics since I was a kid.  I've followed artists, I've followed characters and I've fallen away when things were too busy for me to keep up.  I've found my way back, and while I've been enjoying what DC has been putting out the last couple of years (Dick taking over as Batman was a favourite, Wonder Woman's new origin and costume was not) I'm very intrigued by the new 52.  It's not often I get to follow some of my favourite comics from number 1.

I have another book blog that I'd always intended to do reviews of comics on as well but I never did.  So I thought I might as well make another blog and start with the number 1s there too.

I won't be following all the new 52.  I don't have that kind of disposable income, but I will be following some in print, might be following some digitally and will probably pick up all 52 #1 (but most a month later on my iPad).  Then I'll come back here to gather my thoughts.