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I gotta say, the few titles I've read so far are hit-and-miss, but it feels like this thread is conclusive proof that this reboot is a success. I'm interested in where things are going and most readers are on the same page.
That being said, I feel like there's a lot of introduction stuff and world-building and, hopefully soon, I would like to see some, y'know, actual super-heroing.
I was really excited for both Frankenstein and Demon Knights, and in my reviews for this week's Thor's Column I was fairly upbeat, but the more I think about them the more disappointed I am. I haven't read a lot of Jeff Lemire's work, but I know he's a celebrated indie guy, which is why I was surprised at how much this felt like the work of a Bronze Age journeyman writer. Lots of grating "bickering" dialogue from the team, and Frank comes off as a befuddled grumbly guy rather than the purple-prose-spouting badass he was in Seven Soldiers. There's an overlay of weirdness that I kind of enjoy, but it feels like Lemire is just tossing things in at random, like Doctor Frankenstein apparently now being in the body of Go-Go Yubari for some reason. The art helped the book a lot.
As for Demon Knights, it's the setup for something cool, and it's got a good, effective pacing, but it's already getting a little too much praise for my liking. I really prefer Etrigan as a rhyming demon, and it feels like Paul Cornell dropped that because he was too lazy rather than for any real story reason. And again with a Seven Soldiers character being garbled--Shining Knight is portrayed as a snarky asshole as opposed to the "purehearted knight" she's supposed to be, and her hanging out in the middle ages makes no sense since she was originally thrown forward in time to the present from the fall of Camelot (the other one). I know it's a new continuity and anything goes now, but there were a lot of cool aspects of these characters and I don't see any reason for them to be changed, especially when the result is a fairly conventional team book, except one set in the past.
Don't get me wrong, these are both perfectly OK comics, but again, the line-wide reboot isn't really justifying itself here.
Underwhelmed by Frankenstein. The writer just doesn't get the voice of the character (as said by Prankster), and he doesn't feel nearly as badass. I think having him be the leader of this goofy monster team, while a fun idea, just doesn't tap into what made his Seven Soldiers series so delightful. In that series, you'd have weird, terrible shit happening, and then Frank would show up and you knew the bad guys were fucked. And he'd let them know it, too. Don't know that I want to keep on with this one.
I don't think that's Victor Frankenstein in the body of that girl, though, I think it's supposed to be Father Time, the guy from Seven Soldiers with the bowler hat and domino mask (which is also worn by the girl). He was black, too, if I recall. I don't know if the regeneration think is a pre-established part of the character or not. But having Frankenstein just call him "Father" is kind of confusing.
I dug Demon Knights, except for the appearance of Shining Knight, for the same reasons that Prankster suggested. I liked the idea of her being a teenager warped forward in time a bit better, too. I think that's a good setup for an outsider teenaged hero who's also "pure of heart", but even if they ditched that, they should have kept the personality. As it stands they're basically setting her up to be a snarky badass in a team of snarky badasses.
I didn't realize that was Father Time rather than Dr. Frankenstein. I was confused as to when Frank's creator had shown up and joined the team, so I guess that explains that, but man, they did seem to go out of their way to make it confusing. Unless Time and the Doctor are the same person, which is certainly the kind of thing that could be revealed in a book like this.
God I hate the "rhyming Demon". It was cute for a couple of issues, but it got old really quick.
I prefer the classic Kirby Demon that cackles a lot and says stuff like "CAN YOU TAKE IT??"
Any particular reason, or do you just hate things that are awesome?
It was overkill. Most writers would have maybe one good Demon rhyme in them and everything else would be annoying gibberish.
"Occasional Rhyming" should have been his Hell-promotion.
Alan Moore was the best for "Demon Rhyming". No surprise.
I liked Frankenstein, but I know where you guys are coming from. This is a pale shadow of the Seven Soldiers Frankenstein. I still had fun with the Universal Monsters squad put together, but overall it comes across as a shadow of Hellboy as well.
I do get the impression though that people are sampling a variety of titles. I think it's been a good deal for a lot of the lesser known concepts to be given a chance in a marketplace, and hopefully beyond in digital, that hasn't been willing to reward anything offbeat in a long time. Animal Man, Swamp Thing, and Frankenstein I think have been given much better chances of survival than if they were dropped in the marketplace and the first issue maybe sold 25k.
Alan Moore was the best for "Demon Rhyming". No surprise.
Followed closely by Garth Ennis during his run on Demon, which is definitely worth checking out.
Just because the character's been handled badly by bad writers doesn't mean he's a bad character, or that having a character speak in rhyme is a bad idea. See also: every other DC and Marvel character ever.
Just finished reading last week's Mr. Terrific, and this week's Batman.
Mr. Terrific just feels like so much wasted potential, and I'm not so sure that the writer really gets atheists. In the book, it's presented as Mr. Terrific losing his faith on account of a personal tragedy, and of course there are seeds for that lack of faith to be challenged later on. As an atheist, I really did not identify with that, and people don't usually abandon their faith because of tragedy. And it also feels like the writer wants to be Warren Ellis SO BAD, but doesn't have the wit to really pull that off. The art's not really that good, either.
Batman was an entirely different story. Best batbook of the reboot by a mile. We get a sense of what the deal is with all the different Robins, and a compelling mystery is kicked off. Greg Capullo's also gotten a lot better since we last saw him. Sometimes he falls back on some McFarlane-isms (mainly his representation of Bullock, and some of Arkham's villains in the opening pages), but on net he manages to rein that style in and deliver something that feels gritty while still being fun and appealing. He draws a pretty kick ass Batman, too, and really sells the new costume design. Scott Snyder's a good writer, but I was very surprised at how much I liked the artwork.
Just finished reading last week's Mr. Terrific, and this week's Batman.
Mr. Terrific just feels like so much wasted potential, and I'm not so sure that the writer really gets atheists. In the book, it's presented as Mr. Terrific losing his faith on account of a personal tragedy, and of course there are seeds for that lack of faith to be challenged later on. As an atheist, I really did not identify with that, and people don't usually abandon their faith because of tragedy. And it also feels like the writer wants to be Warren Ellis SO BAD, but doesn't have the wit to really pull that off. The art's not really that good, either.
Batman was an entirely different story. Best batbook of the reboot by a mile. We get a sense of what the deal is with all the different Robins, and a compelling mystery is kicked off. Greg Capullo's also gotten a lot better since we last saw him. Sometimes he falls back on some McFarlane-isms (mainly his representation of Bullock, and some of Arkham's villains in the opening pages), but on net he manages to rein that style in and deliver something that feels gritty while still being fun and appealing. He draws a pretty kick ass Batman, too, and really sells the new costume design. Scott Snyder's a good writer, but I was very surprised at how much I liked the artwork.
Agreed on Batman. Although I enjoyed Tomasi's Batman & Robin from last week more (felt more like a good ol' fashioned pulp adventure, the interplay between Bruce and Damian is very engaging, and the resolution to celebrate the Waynes' wedding anniversary rather than death all put a smile on my face), I agree that Snyder's Batman is the most economic and accessible in terms of the reboot. It establishes every aspect of Batman's status quo, gives Bruce's Batman a more easy going nature (he's still dark, but he enjoys his work and appreciates teamwork with both his partners and the cops), and gives playboy Bruce a distinct but pivotal role in the narrative. Far superior to Detective #1, which read like an Image Comic from 1991.
The same could be said for Red Hood & The Outlaws. How embarrassing. It started off fun enough, with a fresh introduction to a baggage free Roy Harper and a more lighthearted, competent Jason Todd, but then along comes Starfire. This made me feel dirty to be both a comic book reader and a man. Not only does every panel rape her with "male gaze", but she's lost all personality. Like, literally, she seems to have no long term memory (Roy acknowledges the New Teen Titans existed in some form, and that Kory was there, but she doesn't remember because she can't bother with humans) and has sex with everything. Meanwhile, the second half of the issue introduced...something, some sort of Himalayan witch threat that I suppose will be the main opponent or the Outlaws. Or something. Fuck this, no #2 for me.
Nightwing #1, aside from a few mentions of his tenure as Batman, could pick up right where Chuck Dixon left off for Dick Grayson. There was a real understanding of the main character's voice here, and why he's a unique character deserving of his own identity and spotlight. I've expressed my feelings before about the last few years of Branding and Duplication at DC (http://www.chud.com/community/t/129582/dc-generations-legacies-and-branding), and although I enjoyed Dick's brief stint as Batman it felt unnecessary and inevitable once Bruce returned. It's nice to see him with a fresh start and distinct modus operandi, although in terms of plot development this was a lot of exposition. It's mostly done with showing, not telling, and the narration feels personal and natural, but it only feels fresh because it's a return to form for a great character. It's not, however, anything new.
The last book I bought this week was Wonder Woman. Beautiful art, and WW herself is iconic (TALL) yet young and vital. The plot, featuring intertwining Greek god machinations with bizarre horror movie imagery and conflicting narrations, unfortunately left me feeling cold. Wonder Woman is a character I only cottoned to during Greg Rucka's run, and although there's promise of a brand new day here I'm not sure I'm the target audience. At least it's obvious the writer and artist have respect for Diana, giving her warrior poses with grace and dignity unlike a certain book mentioned above.
Next week I'm looking forward to The Flash and Justice League Dark. The former looks very dynamic, like it's truly capitalizing on the capabilities of the character and medium. The latter has a cool cover and a collection of characters I've long been interested in and interested in seeing back in the DCU proper (http://www.chud.com/community/t/127349/house-of-mystery-and-the-vitality-of-a-shared-vertigo-universe). There's potential for the characters, especially Constantine, to be diluted and/or shoe horned, so I have lowered expectations. The novelty alone gets me in the door, but that won't bring me back next month. I always have my Jamie Delano/Garth Ennis/Mike Carey back issues, I can live without a Constantine that can't say "fuck".
So far I'll be checking out the following books next month:
Action
Animal Man
Swamp Thing
Batman & Robin
Nightwing
So Blue Beetle isn't a legacy character in this continuity? And the Reach are now just generic 'conquer planets and eat them' bad guys. That's fucking lame.
Apparently Donna Troy, Wally West, and Ted Kord are in contention for whether or not they still exist. With Montoya's death hinted at in the first issue of Batwoman, I would suspect that the old Charlton characters (and the Fawcett characters, conspicuously absent as well) were getting their own Earth as an imprint if not for the fact that Captain Atom has his own comic in the DCnU.
As for suggestions, try Batman #1. Writer Scott Snyder is moving onto that book after a stellar and all-too-brief run on Detective Comics in which he made it into a truly chilling horror comic that just happened to star Batman.
This quote has done more to light a fire in my belly for comics than anything else in fifteen years. I need to check this shit out yesterday
Batman and Action are by far the coolest of the "heavy hitters". Animal Man and Resurrection Man have been pretty cool surprises.
The Legion books are a total missed opportunity.
As a comics evangelist and aspiring comics retailer, I'm glad. Thanks.
Apparently, JH Williams clarified via Twitter that the photos on the wall are of officers honored with commendations, but that doesn't necessarily rule out Montoya being dead. The scene certainly reads as a mournful moment.
Just read Superman #1. It's fine. Not as good as the breathless Action, but worth a look. For all the updating of the Planet (it's been bought by a shady NewsCorp-like entity, and there are some references to a hacking scandal perpetrated by one of the Planet's competitors), this book has a pretty old school, Swan/Maggin era vibe. It's not nearly as joyful as that period could be, but it goes big with the threat and Supes' powers. But unless you're a huge fan of the character (like me!), I wouldn't say it's essential.
EDIT: The Flash is really good! The art is the main draw, but by the end the story twists into a neat direction. But above all, it's breezy, fun, and a bit romantic.
Loved The Flash.
Very dynamic, the visuals and the story were combined perfectly. Loved the depictions of Barry's speed, felt very fresh and unique to the comics medium. Barry himself is very refreshing, a clean-slate take on the character that has him being more engaging than he's ever been. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if Wally West even exists anymore because this Barry is like a combination of old Barry and Wally.
Also got Teen Titans and JL Dark. The former was passable but too hung up in the world of superheroes to feel authentic. I swear, these writers like Scott Lobdell who have been in the industry for years just keep regurgitating their old material. The new writers, meanwhile, just copy old stories, so we get comic books spawned from comic books rather than from reality.
JLD, meanwhile, was incomprehensible nonsense. The majority of the issue is taken up by Madame Xanadu's narration, but a sudden one-page appearance by John Constantine has his own narration. This comic suffers from telling-not-showing, as we're told what Shade the Changing Man and Constantine do but we're not shown. I have no idea what an m-vest is! The brief appearance by the Justice League felt completely out of character, as well, as Superman talks more like a machine than Cyborg and Batman yells out things like "My God!" when Zatanna (who is given no explanation) uses spells on him. Shame on you Peter Milligan, you're better than this. The novelty has worn off.
Next week the cycle starts over. I think I've narrowed my pull-list down to
Action Comics
Animal Man
Swamp Thing
Batman & Robin
Batman
Nightwing
The Flash
The first thing to go will be a Batman, so next month will be the tie breaker. The Flash, however, was the big winner of this week (and maybe of the month). It felt like a fresh new take on good ol' fashioned superheroics. Whereas Nightwing last week brought a classic character back to his roots, The Flash breaths new life into a character that hadn't yet earned the right to be back in the lime light.
Bought AQUAMAN and ALL STAR WESTERN this week.
Aquaman was a decent "let me set the record straight about myself" first issue. I don't know Aquaman's current origin, but I guess he has more of a connection to the surface world these days. Apparently he live as a normal human up until he was 13. And he's done with Atlantis because they never accepted him.
The Ivan Reis art very really nice.
All Star Western takes the Jonah Hex I've liked since Palmiotti and Gray started their run, throws him into and Gotham City and surrounds him with descendants of modern day Gotham characters. Could be interesting, but I hope they don't turn the writers don't turn their backs on standalone stories. HEX was one of the few comics that actually gave you self contained stories every month.
What I'll definitely be buying next month:
Action Comics
Batman and Robin
Aquaman
OMAC
All Star Western
Deathstroke
I've either been lucky or timid, because I just haven't been exposed to any of the books with the weird "rapey" stuff. I've mainly been sticking to the big guns and the horror-ish books, so no Outsiders or Catwoman for me. The books I've checked out have been fairly free of that sort of thing, and thankfully I've liked most of them. I guess I'll just keep supporting stuff like The Flash, Action Comics, and Animal Man (to name a few) and hope that others vote with their feet in the same direction.
The ending of Catwoman 1 if directed by Joel Schumacher would have seen a
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)bat-branded condom being produced. "Never enter her cave without it."
This week I picked up the second issues of Action Comics, Animal Man, Stormwatch and Swamp Thing.
The sheen is starting to wear on Action, as I realize this is a very well told modern version of an era of Superman that doesn't interest me. I appreciate his attitude readjustment, being a working class social activist and outlaw instead of a yuppie, but the tone is not what I'm looking for, especially with Grant Morrison. I want more All-Star Superman, I want super science and silliness. This feels more like Grant Morrison channeling Christopher Nolan, which I can appreciate but in the end is missing the fun. I probably won't pick up #3, but read a friend's copy.
Animal Man and Swamp Thing both still excite. Dynamic artwork and new twists on old concepts. Swamp Thing especially introduced a clever retcon that (may piss some people off) reveals Alan Moore's Swamp Thing was actually holding Alec Holland back from fulfilling self-actualization as Swamp Thing. It's still a little too telly-not-showy for my tastes, but I feel like Snyder is fighting to recontextualize this character in order to set him on a new path.
Stormwatch is big irreverent fun, and went a long way this month towards establishing the attitudes and motivations of all the characters. Starting to see the team dynamics and the question of leadership should lead to strong drama in the months ahead. I'll give it until the end of this story arc to see if I stick it out in the long run.
Buddy of mine and I decided today that Resurrection Man, Demon Knights, Voodoo, and OMAC will be canceled within six months. I'm hoping not Frankenstein, which I'll be picking up next week, but it's a good bet it will be.
I hope Resurrection Man and Frankenstein stick around. Those have been two of my favorites. I get my super-heroics and a little dash of weirdness thrown in for good measure.
Picked up Batman & Robin and Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. this past week.
Although I appreciated the recap on Damian at the beginning, and the issue as a whole is very solid (love the dynamic between Bruce and Damian) with an intriguing new villain, this is still well done old hat. I appreciate pushing Bruce in new directions, and the (re)introduction of Ace the Bathound at the end was cute, but this is a concept that works within certain boundaries. Don't think I'll pick up the next issue.
Frankenstein, on the other hand, is just batshit crazy. Not only that, but it's unique and dynamic in both layout (the art is a little too sketchy, but at least two chances in how it communicates action) and concept. There's a hint of Hellboy, but there's more of a whimsical sense here. Hellboy always had a melancholy sense of dread, as the main character himself was a bit of an outsider (although good humored about it) and constantly dealing with existential crisis (good in its own way). Frankenstein, meanwhile, accepts his bizarre lot in life. The super-science on display here has a heightened sense of magical realism, and it's a plain fun mix of Universal Monsters and pulp sensibilities. There will be a next issue for me.
Next week, just Nightwing. I like how Kyle Higgins writes Dick Grayson, but that might not be enough to keep me around.
Been playing a bit of catch up tonight.
All in all, I still really like the entire GL line. Green Lantern #2 is really good, Red Lanterns seems to be building toward something potentially interesting, and New Guardians has a fun hook. Then again, the only elements in mainstream superhero comics that I really give that much of a damn about are Superman and Green Lantern related. It must be because I like Donovan so much.
Action Comics #2 was decent, but it didn't quite have the same verve as the first issue, but I'm still looking forward to see where it goes. Superboy seems to be wasting its potential. As a series, it has some nice ideas and potential here and there, but it has yet to really grab me. I'll probably give SB till the end of it's first arc before I decide whether to axe it or not.
Resurrection Man is in the same boat as Superboy, but it's still an all around better book. But I feel like I'm still waiting for the hook with this one to make me really feel some stakes for the main character. The last page of #2 sure is interesting, though.
Demon Knights improves a little bit over it's first issue. We get rhyming Etrigan, and I was surprised at just how genuinely funny this issue was after the Buffy0lite feel of the first one. I am having trouble telling these characters apart, though. Not by looks, obviously, but they all seem to have he same voice, and that's holding this book back from being a real favorite.
Demon Knights did improve, but it still feels like a bit of a dog's breakfast.
The thing about Frankenstein is that Morrison's version (in Seven Soldiers) was so distinctively weird that this pales in comparison; it's basically Hellboy with more of a traditional wisecracking DC universe tone. I *want* to like it more, but honestly I'm finding it a bit rote, apart from the distinctive artwork.
Read Nightwing last week. Yeah, the sheen is starting to wear off. Kyle Higgins has a solid hold on Dick Grayson's voice, but the plotting is completely perfunctory. There's nothing here that Chuck Dixon didn't do better fifteen years ago. If the the storyline keeps Dick on the road, traveling with Haly's Circus, that would at least be a change. I know, however, by the end of this story arc we'll be back in Gotham.
As is, the first issue did a remarkable lot of telling and not showing. Yes, Dick is different than Bruce as both Batman and superhero, but a more stark demonstration would've been nice. This second issue, with Dick fighting umpteenth assassin character (with Wolverine claws), and Dick sleeping with a cipher of a red head, can't keep my attention.
I'm excited about The Flash #2 this week, because the artist/writer combo is really pushing the limits of the medium. Somehow, as well, they've managed to make Barry Allen likable.
Still, I may be getting too old for superheroes. This whole thing is exhausting, and reminds me of why I dropped out of the monthly floppy reading business in the first place.
Don't know about anyone else here... but am I the only one who despises these Justice League issues from Geoff Johns? It's infuriating because people seem to praise the comics left and right yet to me it's an absolutely terrible read. The dialogue is juvenile and characterizations are tonally different from how they are portrayed in solo issues. Scott Snyder has Batman wrapped up in a sophisticated manner, Wonder Woman is expertly handled by Azzarello, but in Johns' hands none of the JLA members are likeable. Just an awful series.
Johns has a handle on Barry's younger voice, and I love how his Batman is the voice of reason, but the others are hit-and-miss. Superman has barely had any dialogue and is being played as a brawler rather than the social activist he is over in Action. Green Lantern is just a cocky prick all around, which I guess Johns equates with inexperienced rookie. Wonder Woman's naivete is cute, but I'm not a fan of her using that sword on humans. What's lost, there, is the ironic tension between being an Amazon warrior and pacifist ambassador that Greg Rucka handled so well. Subtlety is not Johns' specialty.
I can't say that I hate Justice League, but it does seem to be making pretensions to wit that it can't quite back up. Of course, I feel like we still haven't really seen Johns' vision for this title really come through yet. The band's not even properly together.
Isn't that kind of a strike against it right there?
Well, yeah. I never said that I was loving it, but Johns' stuff tends to take a while to get going. I usually give him a little bit of leeway in this regard because he's capable of some really big, fun stuff once he gets cooking. At this point, though, I'd probably rate the series at a 2.5/5. I'll probably end up reading it a bit past the first arc and cut it if it feels like it's not going anywhere at that point.
Whatever qualities Johns may have, he's seemingly incapable of writing a first issue. Or even a first storyline. I read "Reborn" when a friend loaned it to me to try to get into his legendary run on Green Lantern, and it was nothing but continuity wank to bring back a character who probably should have stayed dead, which is something that pisses me off on principle. I can't believe Johns' run gained more new readers after that--you have to be a hardcore continuity nerd just to get past the first storyline. There was literally no stage-setting, no hook, just, "Hal Jordan's back, everyone!" And Justice League, based on the first issue, seems like the same thing. Johns is incapable of writing a superhero story as if we were new to it, even though he's completely stripped it down to nothingness for that very reason.
Oh, that's all a definite problem with him. I've got kind of a love/hate relationship with the guy. His set ups usually take forever and aren't particularly compelling, but with GL in particular, he hits a certain mode and starts paying stuff off. What's weird is that the payoffs don't ever retroactively make his set up good. I remember being amped up for Rebirth because I liked Hal and the art looked good. That particular story hasn't held up that well, unfortunately, and equally unfortunately it's sort of necessary reading to not be totally lost during the breathless fun of something like the big "Sinestro Corps War" style arcs. It's kind of a shame, as he could be really great if his stories ran a little more evenly.
Great article on Johnsian literalism.
Rebirth bothered me because it reintroduces Hal as a saint, with his bomber jacket and sad smile, that can do no wrong. By the time him and Kyle are shaking hands for the first time, Kyle has been reduced to the rookie from a decade before.
That thing about Kyle did irritate me a bit in "Rebirth", and he kind of repeats it in "Sinestro Corps War", but at least after Kyle's Paralax ordeal he seems to have a better handle on him. Kyle was kind of a boss under Tomasi over in GLC. But then you've got "The New Guardians", which isn't going so well. Which is a shame, because a "full spectrum" team book is kind of a fun idea.
I am liking Aquaman, though, and I've been liking the first three issues of new 52 GL. The "Johnsian Literalism" technique may be predictable, but maybe Aquaman kind of needed it. He can't really fall back on that crutch with JL, though, and that's starting to read like RTD-era Doctor Who.
All that said, here are some things that have absolutely nothing to do with Geoff Johns: Wonder Woman is getting better with every issue. I just caught up with that one today, and I'm really liking where it's going. Azzarello is really incorporating Greek mythology in a fun way that also feels authentic, but more than that it has Azzarello's patented honesty going for it. He's definitely not phoning it in. It's a superhero book about sex, but it treats sex in a very mature way, embracing all of the pain and joy that comes with it.
I don't quite know what to make of Red Lanterns. It's definitely getting better, with the third issue being a high point. Milligan seems to be opening up this group of characters to examine issues of anger and resentment from an interesting angle, and I'm tempted to stick with this book just to see if he can really exploit that. At this point, he is doing more with these characters than I would have thought possible.
Any thoughts on James Robinson's Earth 2 and the new Worlds' Finest series? Honestly I'm excited about the restoration of the multiverse, as it never sat well with me that The Justice Society and Justice League would exist on the same Earth together. Superman should always be the first public superhero, that's a necessity.
I love the idea of an Earth 2 in which Batman married Catwoman, had a daughter with her, got old and died. Hopefully this new Earth 2 will be along those lines, and it should be fun to have multiple earths that aren't so easily accessible, so Huntress and Power Girl are legitamitely stranded on New Earth (or whatever it's called).
I also wonder if Earth 2 will pick up some of the straggling Legacy threads from the pre-reboot, like Wally West and Donna Troy. Keep the Infinity Inc. stuff from the early '80s, Robinson's Starman, and the Geoff Johns Justice Society series, but add the likes of Wally, Donna, and Connor Hawke as the modern successors to the earlier heroes.
Although i'm supposed to be ashamed to admit it, I will freely confess to loving the hell out of Red Hood and the Outlaws and Catwoman. Always liked the characters and i've enjoyed what they've been up to in these books, especially love Rocafort's art (although struggle to enjoy Lobdell's writing). Catwoman especially, is definitely a fave of the new 52 books, I'm not going to argue that it's a positive protrayal of a female character but it's a portrayal I like, she's a deeply flawed and damaged character, almost masochistic in seeking a thrill, and the book hasn't shyed away from that.
Also, while it's not officially New 52. Batman Leviathon was my fave book this month. I've not read any of the Batman Inc books before this one but I'm tempted to go back and pick them up. Feels like Morrison is trying mash up the colorful acid campyness of the 60's Batman with the post DK stuff, all the while laughing manically to himself, sitting naked in a sink full of goats blood and jotting notes on his limbs in permanent marker... I imaigne.
Just read that Jeff Lemire, of Animal Man, will be taking over for Justice League Dark in May. I'm very excited, because this is a series with a lot of potential but Milligan's initial few issues did not impress.
Such a goldmine of characters, this has to be a no-brainer.
I've enjoyed Lemire's work on Animal Man and Frankenstein, so I'll have to check out JL Dark. I tried out the first few issues, but felt completely lost and dropped it. It seems like a great concept, though.
I feel like I've settled on a nice set of 2-3 issues a week, which I usually pick up every two weeks or so. My standouts have probably been the two Lemire books, Snyder's Batman & Swamp Thing, and Stormwatch, which has had this goofy tone, and really had a nice team balance.
