It’s
been about three months since my last Comic Book Update and a lot has
happened. Not as much as I kind of thought would happen, but some
changes have occurred nonetheless.
All-STAR
WESTERN
This
is still one of my favorites among the New 52, to the point where I
am really nervous about the possibility of Justin Grey, Jimmy
Palmiotti, or Moritat leaving the book. They have managed to do what
DC very much wanted to do with the rest of the New 52, only on a much
smaller scale – they have created a fresh, new, and exciting
universe for familiar characters. All
Star Western is always near
the top of my stack and has not had a bad issue yet. Jonah Hex and
Amadeus Arkham’s relationship continues to develop, and every story
arc brings interesting new supporting characters. This is an
excellent comic book that gets my highest recommendation.
ANGEL
& FAITH
Christos
Gage is so good that he can make me not hate Angel’s douchebag son,
Conner. I like Giles’ aunts, I’m interested to see why Whistler’s
back and what he’s going to do. In short, this is an engaging comic
that keeps me coming back every month eager to see what’s next.
ANIMAL
MAN
Now
that this book is in full-on crossover mode with Swamp
Thing things have gotten
really crazy. I just read issue #0. I’m honestly not sure how
necessary these origin books are at this point. If you’re not
already invested in one of the New52 books at this point, an
explanation of the character isn’t going to do you any good. And
there’s a danger that if you have finally accepted these new
iterations on their own terms, there could be something about the
origin that puts you off. Animal Man’s origin if sine, though. It
isn’t all that revelatory – most of it has already been revealed
in a less overt fashion by Jeff LeMire’s excellent storytelling.
BATMAN
I
just picked up Batman #0 at the comic shop. Varis said it was kind of
pointless. But I really liked issue 12 a lot. It reinvested me in the
book after I was kind of let down by “Night of the Owls”. I’m
very interested in the character that was introduced – a young
woman named Harper Row. It was a great story and I would recommend
you pick it up. Snyder’s writing was light and fun and Becky
Cloonan’s art was a nice breather from Greg Capullo’s busy,
frenetic style. Don’t get me wrong – I love
Capullo’s art. I always preferred his work on the Spawn
titles to McFarlane’s. But I think a break from time to time is
good.
BATMAN
AND ROBIN
I
enjoyed the last arc featuring the Bane-wannabe villain, Terminus. He
was a total throwaway, but the story felt like something from the
comics I was reading when I was younger; where not every story lasted
ten-plus issues and not every villain was a global threat. Everything
got wrapped up quickly and neatly. I still feel bad about doubting
Tomasi and Gleason’s run on this book initially, because they
really have created a title that reminds me more than any other of
the style of comics from when I was a kid. The arcs are mostly
self-contained, the action is fun and simple, and there is a certain
standard of quality that runs through every single issue. I’m not
going to say this one is near the top of my stack every month, but it
is certainly one that satisfies me every time.
BATMAN
INCORPORATED
Okay,
issue 2 of the new volume of Batman,
Inc. was excellent. Every
issue of this title has been excellent. But this one was basically an
expansion of Talia Al Ghul and how and why she put Leviathan
together. It was utterly necessary – for me, anyway (I am not the
sharpest knife in the drawer and am occasionally left wondering what
the fuck is going on in Morrison’s books) – but it didn’t
actually progress the story. It looks like we only have three more
issues left to go and with the way Morrison meanders sometimes I’m
concerned the resolution to his years-long Batman saga might not be
as grand as I think we’ve all come to expect.
BATWOMAN
The
art is still beautiful, but Batwoman
has been flopping around the same story since issue #1 and I’m
starting to think I might not like it that much. It’s kind of… a
mess. So there’s a totally separate worldwide conspiracy from the
one in Morrison’s Batman,
Inc.? I need to sit down
and reread the whole run to see if maybe it will make more sense, but
the last couple of issues have just felt kind of erratic. And the way
they were jumping around was just irritating. But the art is still
great!
However
– the last issue was kind of awesome. Wonder Woman showing up would
have been such a cool surprise if the idiots at DC hadn’t spoiled
it by putting her on the cover. And I like the relationship between
Chase and Batwoman.
BATMAN:
THE BRAVE & THE BOLD
The
shop either forgot they are supposed to be pulling this one or it got
canceled.
BUFFY
THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 9
Time
for some honesty, here. I can’t remember what the fuck happened in
the last issue.
Side
Note: In case you haven’t been following Needless Things for very
long, let me explain why I don’t just go and grab the book for a
refresher: I do all of my writing at work. I work 12 hour shifts at a
terminally boring job where I do not have access to the internet or
outside reading materials. If I want to use my cell phone I have to
go to the bathroom and sneak a quick peek.
I
only started writing because of these long shifts and the fact that I
had nothing else to do to keep me awake. I don’t write at home –
for the most part – because I have a wife and a 4 year old son and
as much as I love you guys, I love them more. When I post this stuff,
I do it when they’re asleep or not home. I am passionate about my
online dorkery, but I do my best to not let it interfere with my
family life.
“But
Phantom,” you might say, “You do those podcasts for the ESO
Network (and hopefully others to come soon)!” You’re right. But
Mrs. Troublemaker got me that job, so I get away with that.
Anyway,
the point of this is to say that I do everything from memory –
comic updates, toy reviews, movie reviews; whatever. So it might be a
bit of an indictment on the quality of the Buffy series to say that I
don’t remember it.
I
know that the current arc has Buffy working for Kennedy’s security
agency, but I can’t recall the details. I’m not crazy about the
current magic-free setting. It almost seems like most of the time in
the current Buffy books is spent finding ways around the fact that
there isn’t supposed to be magic anymore. As far as I can tell
there is no compelling narrative reason for this to have occurred.
Buffy is still fighting demons and vampires. As much as the loss of
magic should have felt like an earth-shaking, major change; it
doesn’t.
And
I really hate to criticize a guy that I am a genuine fan of, but
maybe it’s time for George Jeanty to take a bit of an extended
break from the book. His work has been very shaky for a while now. I
could totally understand if he’s burned out on Buffy. He’s been
doing it a long time. But I frequently can’t tell who anybody is
supposed to be and there are times where the narrative really
requires you to recognize characters at a glance.
CATWOMAN
I
dropped it. Not because I didn’t like it, but because the book just
felt extraneous. There was nothing compelling me to read it. It was
okay, but not amazing. And it didn’t seem to have any bearing on
anything. It just didn’t make me care about the character.
DANGER
GIRL/GI JOE
It’s
fun. The smart things about all of these Danger
Girl books is they only go
about five issues so you get your little chunk of goofy action and
move on. No commitment. The sad thing about this one is that the art
and story characterizes the Joes better than any of IDW’s other Joe
books.
DANGER
GIRL VS. ARMY OF DARKNESS
Wow!
Another issue finally came out! And it’s the last one! I enjoyed
this one. Obviously Andy Hartnell knows how to write the Danger
Girls, but he nailed Ash as well. The art in this was beautiful and
the story was… well, it was fine. As good as any of the Evil
Dead movies, anyway. I’d
say buy the trade when it comes out.
DEMON
KNIGHTS
I
might drop it soon. Part of the promise of the New 52 was that the
entire new DCU would unfold together and things would slowly become
related to one another. That isn’t really happening very much
anywhere, though I am curious to see Etrigan’s new origin. I dunno
– I really like all of the characters, but this one just doesn’t
seem connected and vital. And if you think I am relying too much on
universe-building and continuity to determine which comics I buy,
wait until you get to “S”.
FRANKENSTEIN:
AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E.
This
one isn’t really fitting into the larger DCU either, but I like
Frankenstein (and yes – he is “Frankenstein” and not
“Frankenstein’s Monster” in this) so much I’m going to keep
going. This one does compel me to keep reading. Matt Kindt has almost
seamlessly replaced Jeff LeMire on this title, continuing the themes
of a being that is truly alone and unique trying to work for the
betterment of the world. I like that Kindt has started playing with
S.H.A.D.E. a bit more as well.
GI
JOE
I
dropped all of IDW’s GI Joe titles. I have a new rule: any time the
writers of any
GI Joe media resort to the US government de-funding the GI Joe
program, I am out. I am so fucking tired of that tactic. It’s worse
than fucking kryptonite for being a cheap de-powering of the hero.
And it happens in every run.
Side
Note: I am not including GI
Joe: Retaliation in this
because it is Arnold Vosloo that de-funded the Joes. And declared
them outlaws. And made Cobra the standing armed forces in the US. And
NINJA MOTORCYCLE MADE OF ROCKETS.
GREEN
LANTERN
Dropped
it. Don’t care. So sick of Green Lanterns fighting each other or
the Guardians or other types of Lanterns or whatever. This new thing
where they find out the Guardians are evil or whatever – no
shit.
HACK/SLASH
Uh oh. We seem to be having deadline problems again. The last issue was 17 and that came out in July. The Image website lists the release dates in 18 & 19 as "TBD". That can't be good.
INVINCIBLE
IRON MAN
Dropped
it. The sloooooooooow pace finally got to me.
JUSTICE
LEAGUE DARK
Holy
shit has this book turned around. It has gone from being a confusing,
dense narrative with no discernible direction to being a fun, clear,
action-packed team book. I actually cared about the big betrayal from
a couple of issues ago.
NEW
MUTANTS
The
title continues the arc of a future where Cypher is a villainous
dictator who controls everything. Similar to Psylocke in recent
issues of Uncanny X-Force.
Very similar. But now the gang is stuck in an alternate timeline
where things are very different and they have to figure out not only
how to get back to their own timeline, but also what it is that
knocked this one out of whack. I still like the book, but I have to
admit that Abnett and Lanning are starting to lose me a little bit.
NIGHTWING
It
might just be me, but this arc seemed awfully
similar to the one in Batman
and Robin. I think we have
a problem here in that the creative teams behind the New 52 books
seem intent on introducing new villains while we’re all waiting to
see what the old ones look like now. Also, this Paragon character was
just a bit too similar to what was going on in “Night of the Owls”.
Nightwing is well written and the art is very good, but I want this
title out from under the shadow of Batman, like Batwoman
is. I was really hoping
that Dick would join the circus and just travel across the country
rather than staying in Gotham. Gotham City has more than enough crime
fighters.
PUNISHER
Rucka’s
Punisher
is exciting, new, and different. We are seeing things that we have
never seen from a Punisher book before and the tension and drama has
been outstanding. I almost hope Rucka just tells whatever story he
has to tell and then Marvel cancels the book. As much as I am
typically opposed to continually restarting books, it seems like the
only way you can get a clean, good story now is to just give a title
to a certain creative team and then end it when they’re done.
Everything
hits a downhill slope at some point, and rather than ever revitalize
it the publishers just cancel it. So I think they should just start
acting preemptively and ending things when the current team is done.
Just make everything a damn miniseries. More on this later.
REVIVAL
This
new title from writer Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash) and artist Mike Norton
(Battlepug) has me excited. Seeley has matured so much as a writer
and Norton is a more than capable artist. Together they are creating
a new world that I am anxious to see expand.
The
deal is this – there’s a small town in the American Midwest where
the dead have come back to life. But they’re not zombies, they’re
functional members of society. But something is going wrong. Of
course.
SAGA
This
title is the reason I am still reading comic books.
Things
are a little tight money-wise around the Troublemaker household
lately. My job pays alright, but we’re not rich by any means. We’re
also nowhere near uncomfortable, as you can tell from all the stupid
shit I spend my money on and write about. But a year full of
unexpected expenses has taken its toll. I needed to tighten up
somewhere. And I’m not usually one who can cut back. It’s all or
nothing. I’ve dropped a few toy lines entirely. I barely buy movies
anymore. There are a few other areas where I’ve eliminated
expenses. Cutting out toys entirely isn’t really a practical option
because I write about toys to keep myself sane at work. As long as I
have just enough disposable income to throw at plastic, I kind of
have to keep doing it. Otherwise I’m going to have to start writing
fan fiction and nobody wants that. Well, one person might, but
they’re out of luck. So a couple of months ago it was starting to
seem like an easy way to save some money would be to drop comics.
I
knew I couldn’t just cut it down to a few excellent titles. Comic
Book publishers know how to handle people that try that. They put
your favorite writer on thirteen different books and switch them up
all the time. They put new writers on books you get addicted to. All
kinds of ways to make your little five book pull grow to thirty
within six months. So if I was going to stop, it was going to have to
be cold turkey.
I
knew I could do without the New 52; even Batman. I’ve stopped
buying Batman before, I could do it again. Same went for the
X-Titles. I didn’t want
to drop comics, but it was seeming like more of a viable and
necessary option. When I took a close look at the things I was
buying, there were so many that were habit books. This is what the
publishers depend on.
But
every time I looked at my pull list, I saw one word sitting there:
Saga.
I
couldn’t bear the thought of not reading Saga.
But if I went to the shop to pick up Saga
once a month (or however often it ever comes out – I find myself
not worried about dates because the book is so amazing I’ll just go
with Staples’ and Vaughn’s flow) I would buy other stuff. There’s
just no way for me to be disciplined enough to buy just one comic. I
can barely stick to my regular pull as it is. Just last trip to the
shop I had to buy Captain
America/Black Widow because
Francesco Francavilla did the art. I can’t help myself. I love
comic books. And I really
love Saga.
I
am typically loathe to start an entirely new title. I like the
familiar. There are two reasons for this, using Batman as an example
–
- Batman has certain established parameters that I am used to and that are not going to change beyond a certain degree. Batman is comfortable. I know Batman. There have been shitty Batman stories, but eventually the franchise will always be righted because it has to be protected for the future.
- Batman isn’t going anywhere. There will always be Batman comics. While I don’t often try new books not in established universes, it does happen, and all too frequently those books get cancelled without resolution. That sucks so bad.
I
can’t even remember what made me buy Saga
in the first place. I knew Vaughn and his work, but I wouldn’t
necessarily call myself a fan. Same with Fiona Staples. I think it
was something about the concept of a family fighting against
everything that appealed to me. My family means more to me than
anything; to the point where having a family defined
meaning for me, if that makes sense.
Anyway,
Saga
is so good that it kept me collecting comics. You should be buying
it.
THE SHADE
I
just bought the final issue. I can’t bring myself to read it yet
because I don’t want this story to be over. Of course, Varis
spoiled a little something for me because he still doesn’t quite
grasp the concept that I have not yet read the books that I am
currently purchasing from him; but I’m still excited about reading
this one.
Varis
– seriously, dude – stop telling me things about the books I am
buying. I appreciate that you’re trying to save me the trouble of
reading comics, but I like
reading comics.
SPIKE
I
thought we would be getting the story of how spike hooked up with the
alien bugs. It turns out this miniseries picks up right after Spike’s
exit from Buffy Season 9,
which I am okay with. The first issue is pretty fun and has some good
bug humor, which I like. So far this one is worthwhile.
STAR
WARS: BOBA FETT IS DEAD
If
you like Boba Fett, you should pick this completed series up when it
comes out as a trade. If you are Darth Pete, I wouldn’t bother.
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION/DOCTOR WHO
If you hate the idea of these things being combined there is nothing in this book that will win you over. However, if you are not a stuck-up fuddy-duddy you will thoroughly enjoy the interactions between all of these iconic sci-fi characters and the epic adventure they are involved in. I can't decide if I really like the art, though.
Side Note: You'll notice there are no pictures for IDW comics. It's because IDW's website is garbage. Most comic book publishers have shitty, confusing websites - it's what makes posting these updates so fucking frustrating and why I do it so rarely - but IDW's is truly the cream of the crap.
SUICIDE
SQUAD
Dropped
it. I didn’t dislike the title, but it was just unnecessary.
SWAMP
THING
I
have faith in Scott Snyder, so I’m sure the extremely confusing
timeline established for the New 52 Swamp Thing/Alec Holland makes
sense. But man. It’s confusing. Apparently five years ago Alec
Holland was murdered via fire by his wife, who was possessed by an
ancient agent of The Rot called Anton Arcane. Five years later he
emerged from the swamp and issue #1 of the New 52 run of Swamp
Thing began. That’s fine
except for the fact that it is established in said issue #1 that Alec
and Abigail Arcane (and Anton) all know each other somehow. I don’t
quite understand how that all works.
But
then you have to consider that (I guess) everything that happened to
Swamp Thing since 1973 (or whatever) happened in that five year span,
only it happened to a big plant man that only thought
it was Alec Holland. But then how did Alec Holland know Abigail?
There are probably other issues (and answers) but this is making my
head hurt.
And
that is another problem with the New 52. It was supposed to be
new-reader-friendly, but I find that there are several titles that
expect you to have a fairly extensive knowledge of what has gone
before. Not only expect it, but demand
it. I can follow what is going on in Snyder’s Swamp
thing, but I do often feel
like I’m missing something, like pieces of the story aren’t there
in what has been produced.
UNCANNY
X-FORCE
Aside
from the Captain Britain Corps storyline this book has been excellent
from day one. Apparently Marvel is launching a new X-Force title
later this year as part of its NOW initiative, which likely means the
end of Uncanny X-Force.
Surprisingly, I am okay with that. We have gotten 31 issues of an
excellent comic book. As I said above, let’s just end it now while
it’s still compelling and great. If Rick Remender has told all the
story he wants to tell, so be it. Don’t let it get bad – let’s
have a full run of a great comic.
The
team is currently dealing with a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants who
have kidnapped Evan. Evan is a clone of a boy that Fantomex murdered
in the first story arc because he was destined to become Apocalypse.
Fantomex cloned him in the hopes that the boy could be raised to use
his potential powers for good rather than evil. Naturally the
Brotherhood is trying to turn Evan to their own ends.
VENOM
I
dropped it. Nothing against the new creative team, but I am
attempting to whittle my pull down and Rick Remender leaving a title
is as good a reason as any to drop it. I was buying this book for
Remender (well, actually the first issue I bought was because of Tom
Fowler), not Venom. I’ve never been a huge Venom fan. I don’t
dislike the character or anything – I’m not trying to be all
hipster – it’s just not one I’d buy a book for.
WALKING
DEAD
Okay,
I can’t really say much, but I am relieved at Rick’s reaction to
recent events. I was a little concerned that things would go one way
and necessitate an unwanted change in his character, but thankfully
Rick still appears to be the rick we’ve been watching for the last
101 issues. Strap in, kids. Shit is getting crazy-go-nuts.
WONDER
WOMAN
I
like all of the mythology, but I was getting a little tired of this
book’s seeming complete separation from the rest of the DC
Universe. I will say that issue 12 was solid and the turn of events
caught me off guard (which I liked). Between that and events in
Batwoman, it looks like this book is going to keep me hooked.
X-FACTOR
(I friggin' love that cover)
The
new arc has me fascinated. Of course, every issue of X-Factor
has me fascinated, so I guess that’s no surprise. Right now we have
a situation where the new team seems to be falling apart, but Havok
and Madrox are actually working together fairly well. That can’t be
good. We also just found out that Polaris (accidentally) killed her
own parents, which she did not previously know. Something like that
might almost be enough to make a person villainous. Well, villainous
again.
AVENGERS
VERSUS X-MEN
I
feel that this crossover has been a huge success. The characters have
all acted in believable ways, the stakes have been high without
seeming artificially so, and everybody’s motivations are clear –
Cyclops thinks he (and the rest of the Phoenix Five) can control the
Phoenix Force and use it to make the world a better place. Everybody
else disagrees.
Witnessing
the slow process of the rest of mutantkind recognizing Scott Summer’s
increasing megalomania has been awesome. All of the writers involved
have done a very good job, and even Bendis has only bothered me a
couple of times; most recently with the phrase, “- - I know you
only fight a fight worth fighting…”
Seriously.
But
issue #11 was excellent (except for that line of dialogue and one
other that I can’t quote without spoiling something pretty major)
and felt like a massive deal.
Main
Title – Issue #11 was
excellent (except for that line of dialogue and one other that I
can’t quote without spoiling something pretty major) and felt like
a massive deal. Also, I love the way Olivier Coipel draws Hulk.
AVX: Vs.
– For the most part
this has been the fun beat-em-up that it had promised to be from the
start. Things got heavy in the last issue when Storm fought T’Challa,
but this is still a visually striking limited series. I just hope
that Marvel doesn’t take its success as a go-ahead for an ongoing
title that’s nothing but fighting.
Side
Note: The above statement was dumb for two reasons: 1) I have no idea
if AvX
has actually been a success or not, and 2) I honestly don’t care if
they launch and ongoing in this format or not. If it’s not good I
won’t buy it.
Avengers
– This title is a bit
more critical for me, if only because I know next-to-nothing about
the current iteration of the team. I don’t know how they interact
or think or even, quite frankly, what their modern mission statement
is. This has let me see “the other side of the fight”, even
though this team is the one I agree with. I think.
Avengers
Academy – This one
was dealing with how the young powered non-mutants were dealing with
the conflict and it was very good. I did not previously care about
that kid and his pet Sentinel, but when Emma Frost dismantled it I
was genuinely dismayed. But at the same time, If I were her I would
have done the same thing. Academy
had a great story arc. It may not have been a vital part of the
crossover, but it gave me the clearest definition of the conflict in
Frost’s dealings with the group.
New
Avengers – Another
fine example of how Marvel did this crossover right. By not making
the ancillary tie-ins a necessary part of the story, they have
actually succeeded in making better individual narratives. This one
filled us in on how Hope came to be powerful enough to knock Phoenix
Force Scott Summers on his narrow ass, so to speak. It took some cues
from Jonathan Hickman’s SHIELD series in the process, as well.
Secret
Avengers – I dropped
it.
Uncanny
X-Men – This last
issue delineated everything that is wrong about Scott Summers having
the Phoenix Force. Previous to that the Phoenix Force Five were
battling a whole civilization of Mister Sinisters, which is
definitely something I can get behind.
Wolverine
and the X-Men – A
book that has no business even existing continues to be great. I say
it has no business existing because it is named after one of Marvel’s
shortest-lived cartoon series but has nothing to do with it, which is
okay because the series had nothing to do with anything.
But that’s a whole different post.
I
love this book possibly more than any other X-book right now
(excepting Uncanny X-Force)
because it’s fun and mostly gloom-free. The first time I ever spoke
to my wife I told her I was looking for comics that were fun without
all the angsty bullshit. Eight years later, Wolverine
and the X-Men fulfills that
need. Issue #15 features the Avengers hanging around with Henry McCoy
and Wolverine trying to figure out how to take down the Phoenix Force
Five (now two). But it also features Broo – a Brood hybrid that I
hated at first but is now one of my favorite Marvel characters –
hanging out with Tony Stark.
X-Men:
Legacy – The last
issue I remember had Magik banishing Rogue to another planet or
something. Disappointing since I thought for sure Rogue was being set
up to play a major part in the conclusion of the crossover.
Unfortunately that role seems to have gone to Storm. Not that I don’t
like Storm, but she has her own story in dealing with T’Challa.
Rogue could have used the heat that comes with being the first one to
break away from Cyclops. As things stand, this is probably the first
title I’m going to abandon. Rogue is one of my favorite characters
and I dig Christos Gage, but I hate that he took her out of the story
in this way.
Other
Comic-Related News
Apparently
a lot of people have left DC. Judd Winick, Rob Liefeld, and maybe
some others. Rob Liefeld had an absolutely hilarious Twitter fit
about it that I strongly recommend you look up. Other than that, this
is non-news to me.
People
that work for Marvel or DC work for a corporation on characters that
are owned by that corporation. You do what they tell you. A for-hire
artist or writer doesn’t have any more right to do whatever they
want with a character or storyline than a fry cook at McDonald’s
has to dump those frozen potato slices into the grease a different
way. Just like with any job, if you don’t like the situation you’re
in you leave. These folks are only different because they have worked
hard to get themselves into positions where leaving is an option. And
in Liefeld’s case leaving and throwing a public hissy fit and
shitting all over the people who were recently buttering your bread.
And
another thing – I find all of the internet folks who are talking
about Liefeld “burning bridges” to be absolutely hilarious.
There
is no such thing as burning bridges in the comic book industry. If
you are perceived as somebody who can make a company enough money to
be worth the trouble you are, they will hire you. Yeah, at the moment
Tom Brevoort has no interest in Liefeld. But if the time comes when
Marvel decides it might not be a bad idea to have The Rob back on one
of their forthcoming X-Force titles, they
will hire him. Same goes
for DC. I have no idea why they thought Rob Liefeld would be a great
addition to the New 52 reboot, but they did. And if for whatever
reason somebody at DC thinks he’d be the man to relaunch Ambush Bug
or something, he’ll be back.
But
anyway, people leave comic book companies all the time. DC is doing
something extremely difficult and restrictive right now by trying to
streamline their new universe. Naturally people who are creatively
inclined are going to resist the type of mandating that’s going on.
Which brings me to
New
52: One Year Later
Well,
I gave it a year and I still don’t like it.
Overall
the DC Universe seems utterly meaningless to me right now. The new
paradigm just feels like a cheap imitation. It’s different enough
that it is disorienting, but not so different that it feels exciting
and worthwhile. I just keep dropping titles, and the ones that I like
could have happened in the old DCU. And then you launch a very good
title like Earth 2.
I already feel like the New 52 DCU doesn’t really matter, so
another universe even further removed seems inconsequential. I just
can’t care about it.
I
think there’s a good chance that six months from now I won’t be
buying any DC superhero books. It’s happened before and DC has
certainly taken the right steps to make it happen again.
7
Soldiers of Victory
I’m
not going to say much about this, because I could write a whole post
about it. It is a fantastic work that exemplifies Grant Morrison’s
talent at characterization and subtle story crafting. I read the two
trades that contain the entire story in sequential order, but each of
the seven miniseries could be read on its own. Together, though, they
form a huge narrative that, quite frankly, seems to sow the seeds for
how a lot of things are in the New 52. Slaughter Swamp, anybody?
Mark
Waid’s Daredevil
I’m
only three issues in, but yes – it is as good as everybody says.
More on this next time. I only mention it briefly here because Matt
”Sex” Sells asked about it and when Matt “Sex” Sells ask a
question you had better damn well answer.
-Phantom
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