1st issue Challenge

Gilgabob · Post by **Gilgabob** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:08 pm

abysslord wrote:
HassanT wrote:Justice League #1 - I thought the first issue was pretty good. It was fun and entertaining. I agree that it moved a bit slow, but then I also felt that since this is supposed to be the first time these heroes meet, Johns probably wanted to spend more time on character interaction and not just the plot. I thought the dialogue was great. I laughed out loud a couple times reading the interaction between Green Lantern and Batman.

As for the art, I am still a big Jim Lee fan and I thought it was incredible.
Agreed. I don't even think it was slow, there was action in the beginning and end, and the middle was information building ... all the while we get to see these two interact and how this team will be built.

I guess the complainers wanted a balls-to-the-wall story in the first issue? I much prefer this style.

I just bought and read the digital version of Justice League Of America #1 and I thought it was great. I prefer this type of unveiling versus the "we all just met 5 minutes ago so let's form a super team" version. We've been given a hint as to who the first villain will be as well as plenty of mystery as to how the rest of the team will meet and form up. I loved it.

abysslord · Post by **abysslord** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:45 pm

Hawk & Dove #1 (DC) - I have to say I wasn't prepared for anything great seeing as how I think Hawk's costume is beyond silly. Really ... those giant things sticking up over his shoulders? That seems efficient. Here's a tip for a villain, run through a door and you're safe cuz those things didn't look like they moved.

The story was kinda blah. I knew nothing about Hawk and Dove but it sounds like a poor man's Cloak and Dagger. Throw in art that I didn't care for and no thanks for #2. I mean, how hard is it to draw eyes on the same level and the same distance from the nose?

Danscomics · Post by **Danscomics** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:16 am

GABE! wrote:
Danscomics wrote:
I'm afraid I have to disagree a bit with this. I'm on the fence about continuing Batgirl even though I was anxiously awaiting it originally. I feel like they didn't really reboot this title like they did many of the others. Barbara is still the same, just suddenly she got over her injury. I could easily have seen them doing this in the previous DC universe. I'm going to give this another issue or two in the hopes it will improve, but this is one of the #1s that missed the mark for me.
That's how I felt about JLI. I liked it as a fun super hero team comic, but I'm lost on whether or not the book is "rebooted." There is very little information on the characters' origins. Is Booster still from the future? Where is this book take place during the new continuity? The world seems to accept heroes and even allows Batman into the UN

They did allude to the fact that Booster was from the future in that book. Still I agree that I was disappointed in this book, it felt much different from Justice League: Generation Lost which actually got me excited about the return of the JLI. Still, it wasn't enough to keep me from getting #2 and giving them a little longer to hook me long term.

BobBretall wrote:
Danscomics wrote: I feel like they didn't really reboot this title like they did many of the others. Barbara is still the same, just suddenly she got over her injury. I could easily have seen them doing this in the previous DC universe.
To be fair to DC, they have said time & again that this is not a reboot and that a lot of titles (especially in the top-selling Batman & GL families) would be experiencing very little by way of radical change.

In the "regular DCU" people have been saying for years that Barb could get fixed up any time she wanted to. The tech exists & it was more of a mental thing that she didn't WANT to get fixed before.

I'd expect this change of mental attitude to be something Gail Simone explores over the next several months (at a minimum).

Fair enough on the reboot thing, but then they should have built up to her getting fixed up better. I didn't see any alluding to a desire to be better from her in the old universe, she seemed perfectly content in her role as Oracle for the most part. Then suddenly we start Batgirl with her walking around and no more of a flashback then "I got shot and now I'm better". A bit more of a flashback as to her recovering would have been nice.

They have start to at least work with the mental toll that the shooting itself took on her. We shall see how it progresses. As I said, I'm going to give it another issue or two at least, I'm just disappointed in the first issue.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri Sep 09, 2011 7:50 am

Danscomics wrote: Fair enough on the reboot thing, but then they should have built up to her getting fixed up better. I didn't see any alluding to a desire to be better from her in the old universe, she seemed perfectly content in her role as Oracle for the most part. Then suddenly we start Batgirl with her walking around and no more of a flashback then "I got shot and now I'm better". A bit more of a flashback as to her recovering would have been nice.

I'm not sure how well that would have played to the new readers they are trying to get right out of the gate. I'm sure most people are not aware she ever was shot, so introducing that over time seems a better overall solution.

Frank Castle · Post by **Frank Castle** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:08 am

I went a little digital crazy and hopped aboard the new DC launch.

Grn Arrow - Did not care for the writing or the art. Not much more to say about that except I won't stick around to see how this turns out.

JLI - Not bad but not really my kind of book. I did enjoy the Lopresti art.

Static Shock - Never read or watched the show so I didn't understand anything going on. And again, not my kind of book.

Batwing - Didn't care too much for the story but I dug the art. Judd Winick is a good writer so I will probably stick around.

Many more to go!!

Frank Castle · Post by **Frank Castle** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:24 pm

OMAC - I enjoyed this more than I thought, crazy action and a interesting guest at the end of the issue. He was around the last time I read DC comics. Was always curious what happened to him.

Stormwatch - The return of the authority with MM involved, I'm intrigued to keep reading this!!

Men of War - I enjoy a good war book and with the reboot it might be time to give Sgt Rock a chance!!

Swamp Thing - I've never read an Swamp Thing before so this is my first time when he didn't guest in something else I read. But I liked the set up and could make for a good read.

Hawk/Dove - I think I liked it but I also think I didn't. I enjoyed Rob's art, lots of feet thru out but story wise I don't know if I care enough to keep going.

Detective Comics - This felt like every Batman/Joker story I've ever read and really did nothing for me. It also got a RED rating from me until the final page. So we'll see.

Frank Castle · Post by **Frank Castle** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:59 pm

And finally,

Batgirl - I thought Gail did pretty well, even with doing away with the Killing Joke, I liked it. Art was solid and full of action. Should be a fun book.

Animal Man - Out of the 13 books, this had the worst art. The art killed it for me, made the book really hard to enjoy. I thought Lemire's writing was good but damn, I couldn't get past the art.

Action Comics - This felt like a superboy or young man superman, never felt like a Morrison book. But I still enjoyed it. And I thought the GD was no big deal, whether it was a GD or a noise made, either way didn't bother my inner christian!

GABE! · Post by **GABE!** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:53 pm

Frank Castle wrote:And finally,

Batgirl - I thought Gail did pretty well, even with doing away with the Killing Joke, I liked it.

She didn't do away with the killing joke. They made lots of references to it

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:06 pm

Frank Castle wrote:And I thought the GD was no big deal, whether it was a GD or a noise made, either way didn't bother my inner christian!

Another internet tempest-in-a-teapot, this.

Morrison said this was just a non-articulated grunt. Not meant to be G.D.

On Batgirl, Gabe is right. KJ is referenced directly on page 11 in Barbara's dream.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:10 pm

Frank Castle wrote: Animal Man - Out of the 13 books, this had the worst art. The art killed it for me, made the book really hard to enjoy. I thought Lemire's writing was good but damn, I couldn't get past the art.

Please appreciate how subjective art is. While you may not care for (edit) the art, I'm guessing there are others who will like it a lot. The point here is that "worst" is very subjective.

Perry · Post by **Perry** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:54 pm

BobBretall wrote:
Frank Castle wrote: Animal Man - Out of the 13 books, this had the worst art. The art killed it for me, made the book really hard to enjoy. I thought Lemire's writing was good but damn, I couldn't get past the art.
Please appreciate how subjective art is. While you may not care for Lemire's art, a lot of people (including me) like it a lot. The point here is that "worst" is very subjective.

I think him referencing the 13 books he bought and then saying ANIMAL MAN had the worst art is showing his personal taste. He is not saying it is the worst art ever, he made mention of a baseline for comparison and shown an opinion. Why is this a problem?

Sorry to jump in here on this, but I am not understanding why you took, what seems to be, offense to this.

(And Lemire was the writer ... wasn't he?)

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:46 pm

Perry wrote: I think him referencing the 13 books he bought and then saying ANIMAL MAN had the worst art is showing his personal taste. He is not saying it is the worst art ever, he made mention of a baseline for comparison and shown an opinion. Why is this a problem?

Sorry to jump in here on this, but I am not understanding why you took, what seems to be, offense to this.

(And Lemire was the writer ... wasn't he?)

I didn't take offense, perhaps I should have sprinkled smiley faces around

Expressing an opposing viewpoint does not have to go hand in hand with taking offense.

I DO have a personal "hot button" on using the word "worst" (which means bad) for art or writing that's not to one's personal taste. This manifests itself in my feeling a need to be corrective, for which I apologize if it came across as taking offense.

"I didn't like such-and-so's art" is different from saying "such-and-so's art is bad".

And you are correct, Lemire is not drawing Animal Man. My mistake (above). I haven't read Animal Man yet, the artist is Travel Foreman, my peccadillo about ascribing "worst" to art remains the same. I just looked up a preview of Animal Man #1 and checked out 4 pages of the story. I think in spirit I'd agree with Jason, not my favorite art style, but I'm guessing some people are going to really dig it.

Frank Castle · Post by **Frank Castle** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:31 am

I re read Batgirl and I get it more now. But then that lead to more questions than answers. It seemed like it had one foot in old DC and one foot in new DC when all the other books seemed to start anew with the reboot. IMO.

And yes, the art in Animal was just my least fav of the 13 books read, not the worst ever. Like Bob said, others will love it. Example, gave it to my BFF to read and he friggin loved it. And here I thought I knew him better

spid · Post by **spid** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:37 am

Angel & Faith #1 (Darkhorse) Let me get this out of the way if you like Buffy/Angel you will probably like this issue. Both the Buffy and Angel comics ended their last runs with a whiff instead of a bang so the book has to dig itself out of a continuity hole. I would say it is well on the way of moving past the challenge, and the twist at the end could lead help.

The art fit the same design perspective of the last Buffy book. So if it worked for you there it should work for you here.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:52 pm

My thoughts on the first FULL week of the new DC 52:

My favorite book of the week is tied between Animal Man and Action Comics.

The other books I really enjoyed were Swamp Thing, Detective Comics, Batgirl, Batwing, Stormwatch, OMAC, and Hawk and Dove. In fact, OMAC was the biggest surprise of the week. I was planning on reading OMAC because of Keith Giffen's art but I was blown away on how much I enjoyed the book.

The third category of books are books that I thought were well executed but did not really light my fire. Those books were JLI, Men of War, Static Shock, and Green Arrow. Green Arrow was the biggest disappointment of the week. I like the new look and the art but the story was just ok. Again, these stories were not bad, but not exciting either.