Comics and Graphic Novels: The New 52 DC Comics Relaunch Part 2

The New 52: Part 2

Looking at this next crop of titles from DC Comics’ big relaunch, I’m beginning to liken them to TV shows.

Some shows, you can jump into at any time in any season, and because they’re so well-written and the characters are so well-defined, you pick up what you need immediately and can enjoy the episode by itself. This is mostly true of comedy shows, though a few of them do work better for longtime fans because they occasionally call back to earlier episodes. (One comedy show that seems to demand you sit down and watch it from the first episode is the late, lamented Arrested Development, whose in-jokes fly fast and thick. An isolated episode might amuse the uninitiated, but the fan from day one will catch twice as many gags.)

Long-running dramatic shows pose more difficulty for newcomers, because they tend to build character arcs. (Someone, I’m not sure who, said that TV drama is about change, whereas in TV comedy — unless a major player leaves the show or dies — nothing ever changes. Seinfeld was all about maintaining the status quo, for instance, to the extent of farcically killing off George’s fiancée, who endangered the show’s dynamic.) If it’s not character arcs, it’s a big story arc — Buffy the Vampire Slayer used to have a few stand-alone episodes here and there, but most of a season’s emphasis was on the current Big Bad.

The problem with most superhero comics is that they follow the TV drama template, especially in the past decade or so, when storylines are developed with an eye to (a) the eventual trade paperback collection or (b) crossovers with as many other titles as possible. There are damn few comics that you can pick up randomly — “Here’s Mucus Man #5, the cover looks cool, let’s buy it!” — and understand what the hell is going on unless you’ve read the previous four issues. Comics go for the collective novel effect — or, more accurately, novella — but rarely do they work as short stories. More often than not, Mucus Man #5 can’t be enjoyed as a stand-alone story — it’s part of a longer narrative. It would be like sitting down and randomly watching the seventh episode of Lost season four if you’ve never watched it before.

This week’s crop led to the above tangent because many of the characters in the following titles are new to me. I’m an old-school comics guy, which means I stopped seriously collecting and reading the mainstream superhero stuff around 1990. I’m always up for a good, well-crafted, stand-alone Superman or Spider-Man trade paperback, but there’s been a lot going on in the superhero comics — of the past decade especially — that’s way off my radar. I’m not familiar with the complex plots of the many different Green Lantern titles, for example, nor was I more than glancingly aware that Batman had a son. So essentially, if you’re a comics newcomer, you and I are in the same boat for a lot of this week’s stuff. I had to do a lot of Googling so you don’t have to, just to bone up on where a lot of this shit is coming from (Batman has a son? Really?).

I’m an old-school comics guy, which means I stopped seriously collecting and reading the mainstream superhero stuff around 1990.

As before, we weigh whether the comic is newcomer-friendly, whether it stands on its own and doesn’t require buying another title to get more of the story (we only mention this if it does cross over to another comic), and whether it’s any damn good. Again, taking them in alphabetical order:

Batman And Robin #1

Yes, Batman has a son (Damian Wayne). He’s kind of a dick. He’s also the new Robin.

Can A Newbie Read It? Once you process the idea that Batman has a son (do what now?), this is your standard Batman & Robin yarn, wherein they have to stop a nuclear reactor meltdown with the remote help of Alfred.

Roughly half the book seems to be devoted to Batman’s feelings about observing his murdered parents’ memory…

Is It Any Damn Good? Roughly half the book seems to be devoted to Batman’s feelings about observing his murdered parents’ memory, and Robin’s disdain for Batman for being such an old sap. Robin is an asshole. We seem to be intended to see him that way, though, and Batman himself seems ready to deck the little fuck, son or not. So we’ve got that dynamic going on, which can either get irritating real fast or provide necessary tension.

Batwoman #1

Kate Kane, the highest-profile lesbian in current comics, fights crime by night (in a costume and a long, impractical wig) as the crimson-haired Batwoman. Drawn (and co-written) by J.H. Williams III, who also drew the intriguing Batwoman: Elegy.

Can A Newbie Read It? The fellow over at the revival-theater blog thinks not. I say the admittedly klutzy info-dumps give you what you need and don’t have much to do with the story (a supernatural menace called La Llarona is terrorizing Gotham; Batwoman’s on the case).

Enough other female heroes have genuine long hair that would also present problems.

Is It Any Damn Good? The art by J.H. Williams III is gorgeous, far and away the best-rendered New 52 title I’ve seen so far. I like the character, and you might too. I still haven’t figured out why she puts on a long red wig as part of her costume when she’s got a perfectly fine (and more logical in combat) Louise Brooks ‘do. The wig looks cool, but all I can think is, Why would you give your opponent something else to grab onto … unless that’s intentional, the wig comes off and throws your foe off balance. Whatever. Enough other female heroes have genuine long hair that would also present problems. As you can see, what I’m taking away from this issue, by and large, are thoughts about superheroines’ hair. Perhaps that’s a public service of some sort. Girls, if you want to grow up to fight crime, go for the butch look.

Deathstroke #1

A bad-ass mercenary — basically the Punisher with a sword — Deathstroke was first developed 30 years ago as a big bad for the Teen Titans.

Can A Newbie Read It? There’s a reference to “Clayface DNA” that might amuse the faithful, but otherwise it’s just a straight-up shoot-’em-up.

Is It Any Damn Good? Woo, this guy’s so badass he kills his entire team at the end! Bleh. Some unintended laughs, particularly at the expense of the issue’s villain, who looks like fuckin’ Gargamel or some shit. Not my kind of comic, thanks anyway.

Demon Knights #1

Etrigan, the Jack Kirby-created demon who gained popularity via his appearances during Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, goes medieval. Madame Xanadu also turns up.

Can A Newbie Read It? It’s more or less a ground-floor title.

It’s more or less a ground-floor title.

Is It Any Damn Good? I guess not everyone is Alan Moore and can whip out iambic pentameter at the drop of a quill pen, but this Etrigan doesn’t speak in rhyme, which is half the fun of his character (maybe these stories predate his rising in Hell’s ranks — apparently only the elite demons can spit hot rhymes). Otherwise, this is The Incredible Hulk for ren-faire geeks: Jason Blood mopes around until he runs into trouble, at which point he recites a spell and turns into Etrigan. Some moments of dark humor; Madame Xanadu, who’s involved with Jason but seems to have a moist-on for the rougher, tougher Etrigan, is intriguing — it’s as if Betty Ross preferred the Hulk over Bruce Banner.

Frankenstein: Agent Of Shade #1

The patchwork monster joins a team of monsters to fight more monsters. Okay, you have me at “Hello.”

Can A Newbie Read It? Sure. Ray Palmer (aka the Atom) makes an appearance, but you don’t really need to know who he is.

Is It Any Damn Good? I had a fine time watching Frankenstein (not “Frankenstein’s Monster,” apparently) kick monster ass alongside a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, and a female Creature of the Black Lagoon. If they keep it this fun, I’ll be back for more. Just, please, no zombies.

Green Lantern #1

The sinister, red-skinned Sinestro has the Green Lantern ring, while Hal Jordan is a ringless, jobless schmuck.

Can A Newbie Read It? If you saw the movie, you should be all set. Otherwise all you need to know is that the dude who shouldn’t have the power has it, and the dude who should doesn’t. Also, the rent is too damn high, especially if you’ve been in another galaxy and missed the last three payments.

If you saw the movie, you should be all set.

Is It Any Damn Good? The art is pleasingly crisp, and the script is amusingly detailed in regard to how far Hal has fallen. The cliffhanger at the issue’s end, though, raises questions as to how boringly soon the status quo will be restored.

Grifter #1

Dude with an Indiana Jones hat and Wolverine muttonchops is apparently wanted by murderous demons. He doesn’t know what’s going on. Neither do we.

Can A Newbie Read It? Despite what I just said, and despite the fact that Grifter’s been around since 1992 (as a character in DC’s Wildstorm imprint), the first issue trades on a Memento kind of confusion, rather than a “Did I just come in at the middle of the movie?” kind of confusion. In other words, it seems we’re supposed to share the hero’s disorientation.

It makes you want to see what happens next…

Is It Any Damn Good? It makes you want to see what happens next, but a little more characterization might be nice.

Legion Lost #1

Superteam from the future comes to our time in pursuit of bad guy.

Can A Newbie Read It? This thing is way confusing and hectic, and it boasts laughable info-dump dialogue, but ultimately it’s a prolonged chase scene with an emphasis on how weirded out the heroes are by our apparently compromised atmosphere.

Is It Any Damn Good? Eh. I didn’t have much patience with it. I’m starting to resent how so many of these New 52 comics kick off with a big fucking crisis to grab our attention straight away, instead of easing us into the world of the story.

Mister Terrific #1

The world’s third smartest man takes on some unknown force that seems to be driving people crazy — including him, too, at the end of this issue.

Can A Newbie Read It? Mister Terrific isn’t exactly the best-known hero in the DC portfolio, so the issue proceeds as though you don’t know who the hell he is any more than I did. You get enough to understand the story; if you want to know more, Wikipedia’s your friend.

Here’s another non-white hero, and a very vocal atheist to boot.

Is It Any Damn Good? Here’s another non-white hero, and a very vocal atheist to boot. He’s smart and has a philosophy, which immediately puts him two up on most superheroes. The end of the issue leads us to want to read further.

Red Lanterns # 1

The Green Lantern Corps aren’t the only ring-bearing power players around. Meet the Red Lanterns, driven by rage and revenge.

Can A Newbie Read It? I’m a newbie to this group; I wasn’t too lost. An ugly-ass band of rage-a-holics looking to whup ass on anyone that causes pain. Got it.

The art is cool.

Is It Any Damn Good? We get to know the leader, Atrocitus, and the funny-talking, batwing-headed Bleez, who seems to be the Harley Quinn of the group (see Suicide Squad below). There’s also a subplot involving an old guy who gets killed in an alley. It’s not bad; the concept is kind of interesting. The art is cool. Essentially it’s this week’s second superteam of monsters, though not as fun as Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

Resurrection Man #1

As advertised, if you kill him, he can come back to life. There’s a whole Wikipedia list of interesting ways he’s died and come back.

Can A Newbie Read It? Like Grifter and Mister Terrific, this isn’t a well-known character, so he’s introduced accordingly.

Is It Any Damn Good? For some reason this blurs together with Grifter in my memory. Maybe because both guys fight female demons on an airplane. This is why I never fly. Goddamn female demons, always fucking up the flight. Anyway, I found myself getting kind of bored, and the artwork is hit and miss.

Suicide Squad #1

A bunch of villains, superpowered or otherwise, are brought together to do the dangerous jobs the government doesn’t want anyone else to risk.

Can A Newbie Read It? There have been many permutations and line-ups over the years. This one features Rick Flag, Deadshot, El Diablo, Voltaic, King Shark, Black Spider, and the Joker’s erstwhile squeeze Harley Quinn. If you don’t know any of ‘em, that’s all right; many of the characters are introduced under duress of torture, which tells you a lot about a guy (or gal).

There have been many permutations and line-ups over the years.

Does It Stand On Its Own? Harley refers to events in Detective Comics #1, but you don’t need to read that to grasp this one.

Is It Any Damn Good? Okay, I get it now. Last week we had a trio of straight superhero teams (Justice League, Justice League International, and Stormwatch); this week we have a trio of super-antihero teams. Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed the concept of Suicide Squad, and this team is fun.

Superboy #1

A “superboy” is created in a lab and given trial runs in a sort of Matrix version of Smallville.

Can A Newbie Read It? This seems like a straight-up hard reboot. This may or may not be the result of the estate of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel suing DC over the earlier, Superman-as-a-kid version of Superboy.

This seems like a straight-up hard reboot.

Is It Ant Damn Good? Compelling set-up, and J.B. Silva’s sharp artwork reminds me of Stuart Immonen, especially the way Silva draws women.

Next time:

If you’re a fan of female superheroes, next week brings Catwoman, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Birds of Prey. Oh, and eight other comics. Read all about ‘em here.