Green Lantern: New Guardians #1

Confession: I don't like Hal Jordan. He's a cocky, pretentious, ass. Impossible to look up to. Harder to get along with than Guy Gardner for cripe sake. For how powerful those green rings are, I would never trust Hal Jordan with one. I'm happy with how "War of the Green Lanterns" ended. While I don't have much interest in Sinestro as a Green Lantern, I like seeing Hal Jordan knocked down a peg.

Kyle Rayner is a different story. Kyle is awesome. He has the strong will that is up to par with Hal Jordan, but the creativity of John Stewart, but also possesses the humility to which none of them can measure up. While Connor Hawke, Wally West, and Donna Troy have been sent to comic book purgatory, I'm glad this 90's star has been been included while so many of that generation have been left out.

This is why when I heard that Kyle would be getting his own title, not one to share with other Green Lanterns, I instantly knew this would be the Green Lantern ongoing that I'd be following (assuming it didn't suck). And this issue didn't let me down.

Blue Beetle #1

The Blue Beetle certainly has a strong cult following in the DC Universe, whether it's the deceased Ted Kord or newcomer Jaime Reyes. Honestly, I don't have much exposure to the Blue Beetle, my only real experience with the character was when I read "Infinite Crisis," which featured the origins of the Jaime Reyes version of the character. Obviously one can tell that I wasn't struck much by the character as it didn't lead up to me reading the solo series that Jaime Reyes eventually landed (it went only 36 issues though).

Therefore, reading this issue would become an exercise in possibly joining the cult. Blue Beetle seems like an interesting character after all, and it's definitely a nice change of pace reading about a Latino teenager as a superhero than a middle-aged Caucasian. Sadly though, this comic left me underwhelmed as to the Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes storyline, and rather uninterested in joining its cult following.

The story opens with a prologue (which confuses me, because it seems to indicate that Jaime Reyes is the first Blue Beetle, so Ted Kord never existed?). The only purpose it does seem to serve is to tell the reader that Jaime Reyes isn't the only Blue Beetle out there, and that the Blue Beetles and the Green Lanterns might not get along so well. But even that isn't perfectly clear as this Green Lantern appears to be somewhat of a renegade.

Wonder Woman #1

Let me say this: I have zero interest in Wonder Woman. Partially because I think the character's ridiculous, and partially because no one's ever said "this Wonder Woman story is awesome, go read it." Which then begs the question "Well Ed, if you don't care about the character, and have no history reading the comic, why did you read it in the first place?"

Well that's because this reboot is about two things, giving a fresh updated take on the characters, and trying out new titles without having to worry about continuity too much. That, along with initially strong reviews on the issue, I gave it a shot, because this blog is about trying many new titles out, not being closed minded.

And this issue was, not stellar. I know some people love Brian Azzarello, and get excited whenever he writes for a big-name, especially Batman (recent work includes "Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance" and "Joker") but to me Azzarello is a good, not great writer.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1

Most of the "New 52" #1's so far have served as solid openers for their new series. While some succeed and give hope that the upcoming storylines are going to be awesome, some haven't been as inspiring, but even those who don't make me very interested in the series at least do a good job of introducing the characters and their major plot points.

In an odd twist, this comic does the absolute opposite of that. Scott Lobdell (known for his 90's Marvel work on X-Men titles) very, very briefly introduces us to the three characters. If I didn't have some background on them, honestly I would be a little confused about these characters.

Honestly, after reading this, I'm not sure what this comic is about, why Jason has teamed up with Starfire, or why he busted Roy Harper (Arsenal) out of jail. And then in the latter plot, I can't figure out what the hell the "All Caste" is, and whether it's completely new or if I'm going to have Wikipedia it to find out.

Batman #1

Scott Snyder is now the man at the head of Batman. This is great news for everybody. While Morrison made fantastic stories, his unique style and choice to put Dick under the cowl for almost two years did alienate many a Bat-fan. But now that Dick is Nightwing again, and a writer who is not so controversial is at the helm, Batman is poised to take over as the biggest thing in comics again.

Quick history on Scott Snyder in the Batman universe. He recently wrote Detective Comics #871-881, Batman: The Black Mirror (which Hungry City is a part of). And it was phenomenal, easily one of my favorite Batman stories ever (didn't hurt that Dick was the starring character). Also, he was the initial brains behind "Batman: Gates of Gotham." So in essence, he wins.

And he doesn't let up his hot streak here. Batman #1 is easily my favorite out of the New 52 I have read so far. And here's the kicker, the art isn't even that good. Often times the art for books enhance the overall experience, but Greg Capullo's art doesn't do much good or bad for this book. His display of movement is strong, but overly strong that I took notice.

Nightwing #1

In the past I've mentioned how Dick Grayson is my favorite character. I don't care what costume he's in, or how old he is, he's my favorite. Needless to say, I've enjoyed the last two years of comics tremendously. Finally, DC put elite teams on Dick Grayson titles, and the results were tremendous, with Scott Snyder's "The Black Mirror," and Grant Morrison's "Batman and Robin" chalking up to some of the favorite stuff I've ever read.

The problem was that while they did well, it could only keep Dick under the cowl for so long. And then they devised this relaunch/reboot/re-whatever they want to call it in the middle of last year, this meant an end of an era for Dick. Part of the editorial mandate was that with the exception of Green Lantern (because Geoff Johns is one of the heads of DC creative, so of course his storylines aren't interrupted) all the characters should be returned to their traditional roles if at all possible. This meant there would be only one Batman (Bruce), Dick would be Nightwing, and Barbara Gordon would be Batgirl and so on and so forth. In all likeliness Dick would have only been Batman only until the end of Grant Morrison's "Batman Inc." story (which probably would have ended next spring) but still, that's half a years worth of more Dick Grayson stories by the best creative teams. 

Swamp Thing #1

Although I've loved Scott Snyder's run on Detective Comics, I didn't think I'd be picking up his new run on Swamp Thing. Because honestly, I could care less about the title character. I don't care about Alan Moore's groundbreaking run on the comic, and I don't care about Brightest Day.

But I do care about what Scott Snyder's writing. And the first review I read of Swamp Thing #1 was glowing. And that peaked my interest, at least enough to try the first issue. And I liked this issue, not that I ever thought that I wouldn't, but I digress.

But overall my opinion hasn't changed. While I enjoyed this comic, I still don't care about Dr. Holland or Swamp Thing.

Red Lanterns #1

Most reactions I read about this book were fairly negative, mostly complaining about the pointlessness of the Red Lanterns getting their own book. Complaints about them being one-dimensional, boring and superficial filled reviews. I counter that all characters are like that until one dives in head-first and starts creating those new dimensions.

I don't have a ton of experience with the Red Lanterns. I've read Blackest Night, and they showed up in there, but otherwise my exposure to them has been limited. But I think the addition of different kind of Lanterns is one of the best things Geoff Johns has done in his Green Lantern epic, so I'm all for exploring some unknown territory.

Detective Comics #1

Full disclosure: Frank Miller sucks. He doesn't always suck, but most of the time...he sucks. Why does that matter in a comic that he doesn't write? Because one Mr. Tony S. Daniel has apparently channeled his inner-Frank Miller to write and draw the debut to Detective Comics. (Side note, I found out here that the 'S' in Tony S. Daniel stands for Salvadore, that's freakin' sweet!)

Feedback from readers on this issue is mixed. Some think it's amazing, others think it's merely good. But the most common thought is "this is the best Tony Daniel written piece I have ever read." Any of these thoughts are understandable, if one understands where different types of Batman fans are coming from.

Green Arrow #1

I'm going to make this clear: I have not read much Green Arrow. Maybe two issues in total. That being said, I really like what I have read, Ollie Queen seems like an awesome dude and I should read some Green Arrow. Somehow I just never got around to it. Also, on a sidenote, the idea for the Green Arrow movie, "Supermax" sounds really cool, where Ollie is stuck inside a Supermax prison with all the criminals he's put away, and he's trying to escape. They need to make that movie.

This comic has ups and downs. I'm going to start with the positives, the art is pretty darn good, Dan Jurgens has always been a solid artist so this is no surprise. Only issue is Ollie's facial scruff is inconsistent. I'm not sure where he was long sideburns, has short ones and is clean shaven, has a permanent five o'clock shadow, basically it looks different in every panel. If you can get past that, you're golden.

Justice League #1

Wow oh wow....where to begin. I made this point with Batgirl, and I'll make it here too. This is the start of a whole new universe. A chance to retell the origins of the J.L.A., a chance to start everything off with a bang, a chance to grab hundreds of new readers who will pick up this book as the flagship book for the new universe. DC has a unique chance to hook-in new readers as a larger rate than ever before.

Damn you, Geoff Johns. Damn you.

Batman and Robin #1

This was a very pleasant surprise. Count me in as a skeptic about whether this would work or not. I thought the chemistry between Bruce and Damian wouldn't mesh well. And it doesn't, but in a way that totally works for this comic.

Batman and Robin when it set out was based on the chemistry that Damian respected Dick, honored that he would choose Damian to be his partner over Tim, and eager to prove that he belonged as part of the Wayne legacy. He respected Dick partially out of respect to his father and because Dick didn't treat Damian like a child, so Damian didn't act like one in return.

Justice League International #1

This comes second because, well, I just read this one and figured I'd do a fresh review.

This comic is......surprisingly good, and better than Justice League #1. It stars a wide range of heroes from different nations and ethnicities and it really has a great diversity. The head of the United Nations Intelligence division, Andre Briggs, has formed a team to work for the United Nations, instead of acting as an autonomous body, as the Justice League does.

And Dan Jurgens comes up with a solid way to introduce the team to the readers, in a way that doesn't seem super cheesy but still introduces us to all the characters and a little bit of their backgrounds. It also shows a number of heroes the U.N. rejects, which also makes me wonder whether they were randomly chosen for this issue, or if Dan Jurgens actually considered putting them on the team. Either way, it's good that Blue Beetle and Green Arrow have their own books so we won't miss them too much here, and Plastic Man I could care less about so no big loss there either.

Batgirl #1

I'm starting with this title because this is the first one I bought in the new relaunch. That part is simple.

But the reasons I bought this first are more complicated. While August had a lot of comic downtime in preparation for the relaunch, one of the titles I went back and read was Batgirl starring Stephanie Brown. And I was loving it. Bryan Q. Miller was kicking ass with Steph (Fabian Nicieza should take notes for the next time he gets a Batman sidekick title, that this is how you write one). Also, as a Dick Grayson fan, I firmly fell on the side that he and Babs were the best twosome, not Dick and Kory. Also, Babs is the Batgirl I remember from my BTAS days, so I had familiarity with that, though it was clear that this was a much more grown up character.

No, I have never read Birds of Prey outside of a crossover issue or two. But what I did know, Gail Simone is to Barbara Gordon how Geoff Johns is to Hal Jordon. If anyone should be handling Babs' return to Batgirl, it's Simone. Between picking the perfect writer, and putting a quality artist on the title (most of the preview art looked gorgeous) this series was setup for success.

My Background

What should help inform people of where I'm coming from is going to explain my background in the world of comics.

I, like many of my generation, had my first exposure to comics through superhero cartoons from the 1990's. Mostly I watched Batman and Spider-Man, but I caught X-Men here and there, and I watched some of Superman and Batman Beyond.

But I was growing older, and thought I was "outgrowing" superheros, but then shortly thereafter, superhero movies started coming out. And I loved X-Men, X2, as well as Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. And then I started reading MTV's "Splashpage," which reports on comic book movie and TV adaptations. Then one week they published an article previewing Grant Morrison's "Batman & Robin."

First Post!

To clarify some things: I'm going to react and review the titles I want to, not adhering to any specific section of the New 52. At my discretion I may stop or start reviewing any title I wish. This blog is a chronicling of my readership experience, and it's meant to have my own touch on it, not be some unbiased, unsigned editorial.

That being said, blog-readers' reactions will definitely be taken into account, and hopefully I'll gain enough readers to create a healthy give-and-take.

As of right now, I have read Justice League #1, Batgirl #1, Animal Man #1, Green Arrow #1, Detective Comics #1, and Batwing #1. I have plans to read Swamp Thing #1, J.L.I. #1, Batman and Robin #1, Superboy #1, Batman #1, Blue Beetle #1, Nightwing #1, Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1, and Teen Titans #1.

That's 16 total titles I plan on starting with, but of course titles will be added/subtracted from as I deem fit.