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.