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Post by Jesse on Jun 22, 2017 15:52:51 GMT -5
From Flashpoint to Rebirth this era of DC Publishing is marked by controversy and remains divisive among fans whether it's the line wide darker tone or simply the modern costume redesigns by Jim Lee. For the purposes of this thread I will only be addressing comics published from September 2011 until July 2016 as my intent is for this to be a general discussion of The New 52. I actually jumped back into superhero comics with Justice League #1 and while I enjoyed parts of that particular issue I found the rest of the story arc underwhelming. I could spend the entire thread ranting about what I disliked about the reboot so instead I will start with those few titles I most enjoyed. I also encourage others to share their thoughts on this era of comics what they thought worked and what fell flat.
Dial H by China Miéville
Simply put this is one of the most fun and creative things I've ever read. Unfortunately it only ran for 16 issues. There is some beautiful character work done with the two leads, an interesting villain and all types of imaginative characters. (My favorite being Open-Window Man.) Outside of one issue briefly effecting an issue of The Flash this series is mostly periphery.
Demon Knights
With story arcs by Paul Cornell and later Robert Venditti this series ran 24 issues. It takes place in in Medieval times and once again is a book that's not really effected by the rest of the DC titles. It mostly focuses on character building and interaction but there is lots of action and some interesting story arcs. I love the cast in this one and wish DC would revisit this idea.
Gotham by Midnight by Ray Fawkes and Ben Templesmith
A horror book set in Gotham City and involving GCPD's Precinct Thirteen, a task force that deals with the supernatural. This 13 issue run features Detective Jim Corrigan and has brief appearances from his alter ego The Spectre. Templesmith's artwork is always dark and creepy and I feel like fans of his 30 Days of Night work might want to check this out.
Sword of Sorcery
This 9 issue run is beautifully drawn by Aaron Lopresti who I feel perfectly captures the aesthetic of Amethyst and Gemworld. The backup stories featured Beowulf and later Stalker and I think that the early cancellation of this title was a missed opportunity to reintroduce concepts like Travis Morgan Warlord and Skartaris which we wouldn't end up seeing until the Convergence event.
Threshold by Keith Giffen
An 8 issue run mainly featuring disgraced Green Lantern Jediah Caul whose power ring has been embedded in his chest by the Guardians. This book was mainly a way to re-introduce some of DC's space-related characters and would see appearances from Star Hawkins, Rick Starr Space Ranger, Tommy Tomorrow, Blue Beetle Jaime Reyes and even Larfleeze who would go on to receive his own book.
All Star Western
A 35 issue run written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti that mostly featured Jonah Hex although there were some pretty entertaining back-ups featuring Nighthawk & Cinnamon, Doctor Thirteen and Tomahawk, among others. The only thing that bothered me about this title was how hard they pushed aspects of Gotham City at one point even stranding Hex there in the present. I feel that is likely what hurt this book the most although we do get guest appearances from Superman, Booster Gold, Swamp Thing and of course Batman.
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Post by Jesse on Jun 22, 2017 15:56:59 GMT -5
Batwoman #1-17 by J. H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman
The artwork is simply gorgeous to look at and the writing is the strongest of the entire run. Williams III and Blackman would continue to write the run together but starting with issue #18 the art duties would be taken over for the most part by Trevor McCarthy. Williams III and Blackman leave the book entirely with issue #24 after which I feel this title takes a sharp downturn in quality. I feel like for people who enjoyed the Batwoman: Elegy TPB this part of the run is a must read.
Action Comics #1-18 by Grant Morrison and Sholly Fisch
One of the draws to The New 52 for me was Morrison writing this title and while I don't think it's as strong as his All-Star Superman I have reread it 2 or 3 times and plan to do so again in the future. I kind of like the idea of Superman wearing jeans and a t-shirt during his early career and I felt the Rags Morales artwork was adequate here. While there are things about the new 52 Superman I dislike I would definitely recommend this run.
The Flash #1-25 by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul
This was one of my favorite titles at the time and one of the most consistently high quality. Manapul's artwork is really nice to look at and they do a pretty good job of reintroducing Barry Allen and The Rogues. However there are things here I felt were missteps like The Rogues becoming meta-human as opposed to their powers being technology. Despite so much of his history being changed at this point I still found this to be a very enjoyable book.
Green Arrow #17-24 by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino
Before this run I felt this title was mostly unreadable. With the creative team shift it became one of the best DC was publishing at the time. While I realize Sorrentino's artwork is probably not for everyone I really enjoyed it. Arguably the strongest Green Arrow run since Mike Grell.
Aquaman #1-40
With runs by both Geoff Johns and later Jeff Parker this was another of DC's most consistently high quality titles. Johns did a decent job of reintroducing the character and I found Throne of Atlantis really enjoyable. The artwork by Ivan Reis and later Paul Pelletier was full of stunningly beautiful underwater scenes as well as lots of action. This is actually the first Aquaman series I had ever read and it really got me into the character. Sadly this is another title that I felt took a sharp downward turn with a creative team shift in issue #41 and I would drop the title shortly afterward.
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Post by Jesse on Jun 22, 2017 16:21:13 GMT -5
Wonder Woman #1-35 by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Wu Chiang
This is actually the first Wonder Woman run I read. I found this run to be mostly enjoyable but understand why it's considered divisive for fans. I actually quite like some of Chiang's character designs for the Olympian pantheon especially Hades and Neptune to me feel really unique. However this is yet another title that I felt took a downturn in quality with the creative shift that starts with issue #36 and unfortunately I dropped it shortly afterward.
Earth 2 #1-16 by James Robinson
Initially I thought this was an interesting reimagining of the characters and I liked that the book would be led by someone other than Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. However it does seem like that was short lived as versions of them would show up eventually. I'm not sure the book had the same impact when Tom Taylor took over writing duties with issue #17 but I still found it to be mostly enjoyable.
Animal Man #1-29 by Jeff Lemire
I'm a huge fan of Animal Man volume 1 so I was excited they were bringing back the character. I thought Lemire did an excellent job reintroducing Buddy Baker and his family. There is some gut-wrenching emotional work about dealing with loss and the strain on relationships. The only part of this run I wouldn't recommend is the Rotworld crossover event which ties into both Swamp Thing and Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Swamp Thing #1-40
While it's not as strong as some of the previous runs featuring the character I thought this was pretty entertaining. With runs by both Scott Snyder and later Charles Soule I think they both did a decent job bringing back some of the concepts and characters. There is some really cool artwork throughout. I also think the later Soule run starting with issue #19 is a bit stronger than the previous Snyder stories. Again I wasn't a huge fan of the Rotworld event but for the most part enjoyed this title.
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Post by Cheswick on Jun 22, 2017 21:31:41 GMT -5
I haven't really read much of the New 52. As far as what I liked, I thought the first year of Snyder's Batman was good (the Court of Owls story), but I became progressively less interested with the following arcs. I finally bailed halfway through Zero Year. I loved Morrison's Action Comics, and I continue to reread it about once a year. I also really enjoyed World's Finest, but that's mainly because I was excited to have a version of Helena Wayne back.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 22, 2017 22:06:56 GMT -5
All Star WesternA 35 issue run written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti that mostly featured Jonah Hex although there were some pretty entertaining back-ups featuring Nighthawk & Cinnamon, Doctor Thirteen and Tomahawk, among others. The only thing that bothered me about this title was how hard they pushed aspects of Gotham City at one point even stranding Hex there in the present. I feel that is likely what hurt this book the most although we do get guest appearances from Superman, Booster Gold, Swamp Thing and of course Batman. I gave this a try in trade, because Gray and Palmiotti's Jonah Hex book had been good. I wanted to read Jonah Hex, not a Batman book. So I gave it up quickly. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 22:08:20 GMT -5
I wasn't impressed by the NEW 52 and the only titles that I read was Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Earth 2, and Green Arrow. I was disappointed in not developing Fury and I really liked that character. I wasn't keen on anything else and then the direction of NEW 52 starts to go bad and the only issue that I read from start to finish was ... Earth 2 |
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Post by Warmonger on Jun 22, 2017 22:29:59 GMT -5
Like Rebirth, I didn't stick around for an extended period of time (at least on multiple titles).
Overall, I thought "Grayson" was easily the best series that I tried and the only one that I consistently followed after the first 3-4 months.
I honestly don't know why the hell Snyder's Batman is regarded as some sort of modern classic. Some of the most convoluted crap in recent memory.
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Post by Cheswick on Jun 22, 2017 22:58:23 GMT -5
Like Rebirth, I didn't stick around for an extended period of time (at least on multiple titles). Overall, I thought "Grayson" was easily the best series that I tried and the only one that I consistently followed after the first 3-4 months. I honestly don't know why the hell Snyder's Batman is regarded as some sort of modern classic. Some of the most convoluted crap in recent memory. I can't believe I forgot about Grayson. I think, because it started only a few years ago, I tend to not think of it as a New 52 series, even though it is. It was a very good book, though. |
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Post by tingramretro on Jun 23, 2017 0:55:51 GMT -5
I didn't read any of the New 52 titles beyond the first two issues. These were not "my" DC characters. Didn't return until Rebirth.
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Post by LovesGilKane on Jun 23, 2017 7:52:11 GMT -5
I have a problem with the visually-ageist aspect of The New 52; basically, generalizing, everyone is drawn to look under 23 years of age; when I was in my teens, I liked the fact that DC's roster had a wide-age range. This new 'worship youth' angle has lost a lot of what DC had going for it for decades. not everything has to look like 'Ben 10'.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2017 8:22:19 GMT -5
I gave the New 52 a chance--I was reading Action, Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, All Star Western, Grayson, Teen Titans, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Legion Lost, Legion of Super Heroes--and probably a few more I've forgotten. After a few months, I had dropped them all except Grayson which I read until the end. I didn't start reading more DC titles again until Rebirth. New 52 was not for me.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 23, 2017 8:45:37 GMT -5
The problem with New 52, IMO, is most of the unique stuff they tried got cancelled quickly... I know its all sales, but I feel like they didn't give alot of the books a chance to grow. Sword of Sorcery was really well done, but they only got 9 issues, and were saddled with crappy backups. Frankstein was really good too, but then all of sudden it goes off in a weird direction and dies.
Demon Knights was a little too weird for me, but I appreciate the attempt.
Of the 'regular' books, the only ones that held my interest were Batgirl and Grayson... they others just seemed like a fan fiction reboot to me... if I wanted that, I'd read stuff like Invincible.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2017 8:45:38 GMT -5
I gave the New 52 a chance--I was reading Action, Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, All Star Western, Grayson, Teen Titans, Justice League, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Legion Lost, Legion of Super Heroes--and probably a few more I've forgotten. After a few months, I had dropped them all except Grayson which I read until the end. I didn't start reading more DC titles again until Rebirth. New 52 was not for me. Different titles for me but same result. By the end of New 52 & with Marvel's direction I was barely buying any new titles. |
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Post by hondobrode on Jun 23, 2017 11:32:06 GMT -5
I was very disappointed DC didn't nuke the whole universe and start over again, for real, which it's never really done.
Batman and Green Lantern, and Legion which a lot of people forget, had nothing change. I understand why GL and Batman had nothing change; cause they were hot and things weren't broken, so don't mess with it. Legion had been weak for a long time and needed a shake up but because of Levitz' position in DC hierarchy was given a pass. It could have been an excellent jumping on point for new readers who are intrigued but intimidated by the franchise, understandably.
As far as blowing everything up, even Batman and GL could be tweaked at that time to remove some of the stuff that needed corrected or clarifying. Nothing, no concept or title, is perfect; some just need more drastic changes and some just need tweaking.
Speaking of the Legion, Legion Lost was pretty good.
I really enjoyed Morrison's Action. Azzarello's Wonder Woman was ok but not great, though I do like the idea of Zeus as her father and the lie of being born of clay. The GL titles were really good, but too many titles = cash grab. Larfleeze gets his own title ? Really ?
As wildfire 2099 said, it was the fringe titles that were the best, like Sword of Sorcery, Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E., and O.M.A.C. that were really good.
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Post by Jesse on Jun 23, 2017 12:15:05 GMT -5
I also really enjoyed World's Finest, but that's mainly because I was excited to have a version of Helena Wayne back. There's a story arc I really like where Helena meets Damian Wayne and IIRC one where she meets Bruce. I gave this a try in trade, because Gray and Palmiotti's Jonah Hex book had been good. I wanted to read Jonah Hex, not a Batman book. So I gave it up quickly. Yeah pushing Gotham so hard really hurt the title IMO. There were the ancestors of the Wayne family and the Arkham family, I think the Cobblepot family as well. Plus Haly's Circus and the Court of the Owls. That was just way too much in the wrong direction entirely. I was disappointed in not developing Fury and I really liked that character. I think they do develop her a little later on. Some during Tom Taylor's run and later in both the Earth 2: World's End and Earth 2: Society books. Definitely an interesting character. |
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