andersonh1 wrote:I thought this last issue was good, but the series as a whole squandered an opportunity to really sell the despair of being in a dying universe, and didn't make that universe exotic and different enough from our own to make it feel like a completely different reality. And they left the Krona/Relic plotline hanging too.
There is a lot that they left hanging from "Lost Army". Not that I really expected that they would go back and cover any of it given this had a completely different creative team, but I was hoping for some answers at least... 2 mini-series later, and we still have no clue who sent the GLC to this universe or why. And how did Guy end up with the Corps when he didn't have any Rings with him on Earth? Why did he end up with a Red Ring as well? Where did that Red Ring go after it got a Green charge from the Lightsmith's Power Battery? For that matter, what happened with all the Lanterns that had gotten a different charge? When did Lanterns that had lost their Rings get replacements? What did they do with the Lightsmith's weapons they'd been using? And of course, what about Krona and Relic?
About this story more specifically, I was hoping the "Blackest Knights" would turn out to be kinda like the Black Lanterns or some sort of agents of Nekron, come to end the remaining life in the universe. Especially given the obvious "Blackest Night" allusion of their name. Instead, they were basically just generic tentacle monsters.
Overall, Lost Army I thought was a lot more interesting than Edge of Oblivion. There was a lot of potential for EoO, but sadly I don't really feel they did much with it...
Superman #1
It looks like Superman and Action Comics will be running separate storylines. The book opens with Superman reflecting on and grieving for his dead New 52 counterpart, thinking of him as a brother. When he touches the ground by the headstone, it glows blue, causing him to wonder what that means, and to wonder about what Mr. Oz said in Rebirth #1 about both he and New 52 Superman not being quite what they seemed. Oz was watching him over in Action Comics, so if there are two key characters to follow in this whole overarching Rebirth storyline, it's Superman and Wally West, both of whom remember the old timeline/universe, prior to the New 52. Superman says that "the colors will fly" and he steps fully back into the Superman role, even though we still get no explanation for the new costume.
A lot of the issue focuses on Jonathan, who is eager to help his dad rebuild the barn on their new farm, 300 miles north of Metropolis. Clark and Lois are busy being parents, and in addition to all of the normal challenges have to teach him to control his growing powers. He's sent on an errand that takes him across a nearby field, and he takes their cat Goldie with him. The cat is running along as cats do when a hawk swoops down and grabs it. Jonathan panics, gets angry, and the next thing we see is a blast of heat vision that kills both the hawk and Goldie. Needless to say, the poor kid is devastated. And what's worse, a little blonde girl is standing across the field and sees the whole thing.
Jonathan finishes his errand and comes back, very subdued. He doesn't tell his parents what happened, and when they start to wonder where Goldie could be, he acts like he doesn't know. He loses his temper at the dinner table and is sent to his room, where he's clearly very upset over the whole thing. And then he sees Wonder Woman and Batman land outside the house, with Superman going out to meet them. Tomasi draws them in a very shadowed fashion, as if they're slightly sinister, to give Jonathan's perception of them. He strains to hear the conversation, and though we're only given bits of dialogue, it's clear they're not only concerned about a new Superman replacing their dead friend, but they're really concerned about his son. They leave, and then Superman enters Jonathan's room, telling him to quickly and quietly come with him, right away.
There's so much potential for both Jonathan and for Superman and Lois as parents, and this story dives right into it. Seeing the poor kid fry his pet cat is brutal, no doubt, and the little girl from next door knowing his secret should present complications down the road. The Justice League is probably right to be concerned about two completely unknown Kryptonians living on Earth, so that will be an interesting plotline to follow. Very good issue.
Titans Rebirth #1
I did not read Titans Hunt, apart from the first issue, and it looks like I probably should have, since it was the prototype for what the entire DC universe is going through now.
The book keeps Wally West, now in a new Flash costume, as the narrator and focal character. His new look is a mixture of his Flash costume and Kid Flash. It's two tones of red, with the open cowl he had as Kid Flash. It feels a bit like a regression back towards "former kid sidekick", but visually distinguishing him from Barry Allen makes sense, and he's still the Flash, not Kid Flash, and he remembers his pre-Flashpoint life so he hasn't lost all that character development. The book itself is setup for the forthcoming Titans series, as Wally is able to get all his friends to remember him, largely because the electricity coming off his body as he runs is Speed Force energy, and it affects their memories in the same way that it affected Barry Allen. Nightwing is the first person Wally encounters, and from there he interacts with Donna Troy, Aqualad/Garth, Roy Harper and Lilith, a Titan I'm not familiar with. She's telepathic, so she plays a role in learning who Wally is as well. The book is full of flashback scenes of Wally with his friends, and in the end they all remember a history together that is still not quite pre-Flashpoint, but it's a lot closer than before.
The book ends with Wally telling the group about the changes to the Universe, and his fears that it could happen again. He characterizes it as an attack, with the unknown attacker having taken time away from them, moments that made them friends. And he says it will happen again, and whoever did it knows that he's entered this universe.
I haven't read every last one of these Rebirth issues, but all the ones I have read have been pretty strong so far. I think the writers must be feeling some enthusiasm for the new direction, and it comes through in the writing perhaps. I intend to pick up the monthly Titans series and see where the story goes from here.
Went to the shop before work (blew in a minute after they opened), but did not have much time to flip through anything.
Grabbed the latest issue of "Squadron Supreme" (and have since found out that it may not make it through the year), "Earth 2", the most recent issue of "Injustice" and the first compilation of the current "Squadron Supreme" series. I am going to pick up and read "Batman" at some point. My odds of picking up "Superman" go up if "Hyperion" gets cancelled.
When is DC going to have a definitive "Rebirth" event that sorts out what is what?
Either way, I am probably taking a break from new stuff over the next few weeks. Getting behind in other reading.
Aquaman Rebirth #1
Somewhere along the line, someone decided that Aquaman talking to fish was silly. Like Superman's red shorts, that part of the character had to be excised. Back in the 1960s Justice League stories that I've read, he's always talking to the fish and they're talking to him. As recently as the 90s Peter David-written Aquaman series, he was talking to fish, and there was a great running gag with the sharks having about a 3-second memory, so they'd argue over stuff and then forget what they were arguing about.
But Aquaman doesn't talk to fish any more. At least now he can go to a seafood restaurant and have a lunch date with Mera, so that's a fair trade, right? Not really.
The art isn't so good in this book. It gets the job done, but it's not as good as it the other Rebirth books. The basic plot: Aquaman is trying to create better relations between Atlantis and the surface world, so he's opened an embassy with Mera as his chief ambassador. An Atlantean terrorist group that hates the surface wants to blow up some harbor city, and Aquaman wades in singlehandedly and puts a stop to them. An unseen narrator details all of this action, and talks about who Aquaman is and how he's different than all the other superheroes out there. In the end, it turns out that it's been Black Manta telling the reader all about his old enemy, and he is, as always, ready to kill Aquaman.
The story is good, if typical for modern day Aquaman. He's always trying to improve ties between Atlantis and the surface world. I think some of the fun and potential of the character has been lost since he doesn't talk to fish any more, just command them, and DC has tried to compensate by emphasizing his status as a king, and how he's the only hero exlusively dedicated to protecting the oceans. I do have to admit that he's one of the few characters to really benefit from the New 52 having raised his profile. I'm not sure if I'll buy the monthly series or not since I'm trying to watch the amount of books I buy, particularly since so many DC books are going twice-monthly. But I always have a soft spot for this character, so you never know.
But Aquaman doesn't talk to fish any more. At least now he can go to a seafood restaurant and have a lunch date with Mera, so that's a fair trade, right? Not really.
Some stuff needs to be relegated to the Silver Age. Having the main character talking to fish opens up several cans of worms if the comic is going to be written to a modern standard. (Think "Donald Duck sits down for Thanksgiving dinner" territory.)
I think some of the fun and potential of the character has been lost since he doesn't talk to fish any more, just command them, and DC has tried to compensate by emphasizing his status as a king, and how he's the only hero exlusively dedicated to protecting the oceans.
"Guy runs his own undersea country" is plenty of fodder for a run of comics.
On another note, how did DC resolve the question of what Superman needs to do about/with Henshaw?
And, pretty much every Marvel series I read is on a clock. A post at CBR (where I lurk) pointed out that "Squadron Supreme", and "Hyperion" are among several titles that are not doing so well. Gonna miss both of them. But, I can see how SS might be a difficult for people to get behind. ("Nighthawk" was not mentioned. But, I would guess that it cannot be doing much better.) "the Vision" is not doing great. But, that is irrelevant, as it was likely getting cancelled when Taylor left.
All of the "non-standard" series I like are (probably) getting cancelled.
Dominic wrote:Some stuff needs to be relegated to the Silver Age. Having the main character talking to fish opens up several cans of worms if the comic is going to be written to a modern standard.
Like I said, as recently as the 90s he was still talking to them, so the concept survived well past the Silver Age. They just had more fun with it in the 90s.
On another note, how did DC resolve the question of what Superman needs to do about/with Henshaw?
He did not become the Cyborg Superman. The Lois and Clark series left his plotline unresolved. He had a small portion of the "Oblivion Stone" that the alien queen was after, and it had done something to him, as well as allowing him to survive a mission where everyone else was killed. But his storyline, and that of the stone and the Queen are still unresolved, so presumably Jurgens will pick them up in Action Comics at a future date.
All of the "non-standard" series I like are (probably) getting cancelled.
I realized this week that everything on my pull list was ending, or had already ended. But I'm replacing them easily enough now that I'm enjoying DC again. At the moment, I'm going with:
- anything Batman '66
- Superman
- Action Comics
- Detective Comics
- Titans
- Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps
I think four of the six are biweekly, so that's ten books a month. I might add Justice League or Aquaman to the list, but that's as many comics a month as I want to pay for. If a Justice Society book comes along at a future date, I'll almost certainly add that to my monthly reading. Batman '66 only has one more mini-series on the horizon at the moment, so that's a short term commitment.
Dominic wrote:When is DC going to have a definitive "Rebirth" event that sorts out what is what?
They aren't as far as I am aware. Instead they've said that all of the individual Rebirth storylines will interconnect as part of the larger overall story. Although so far the only real connection I've seen is in Flash Rebirth, which picked up where Rebirth left off with more of Barry and Wally's reunion after Wally's return, and Barry goes to talk to Batman shortly after he discovers the Comedian's pin in the Batcave. And in Titans, apparently touching Wally helps restore people's memories of him.
It sounds like DC does not have a real plan so much as they are trying to figure out what they are going to do (based on audience reactions). I cannot blame them for being cautious. But, their approach does not inspire confidence.
From what I gather, the barometer titles are "Superman", "Action Comics", "the Flash" and "Titans".
But, so long as whatever I end up reading is good, I really do not care.
Like I said, as recently as the 90s he was still talking to them, so the concept survived well past the Silver Age. They just had more fun with it in the 90s.
I read some 90s Peter David (Marvel 2099). It has not aged well, in part because David was constantly trying to prove how whimsical and clever he was. I can see DC wanting to discard a hold-over from the Silver Age. (Does "talks to fish" really add that much to the character?)
I realized this week that everything on my pull list was ending, or had already ended. But I'm replacing them easily enough now that I'm enjoying DC again. At the moment, I'm going with:
For me, it will come down to when certain series actually end and what else is out. I am in for King's run on "Batman". Schadenfreude about fantrums aside, I cannot say I am terribly interested in current "Superman". (DC needs to resolve things in a more baggage-light way before I am willing to buyin.)
I am sticking with "Earth 2". But, the cliche heavy ending of the most recent issue cannot become a pattern.
I might give IDW's re-launched "GI Joe" a try. ("MASK" is tempting. But, the writer makes me wary.)
Dominic wrote:It sounds like DC does not have a real plan so much as they are trying to figure out what they are going to do (based on audience reactions). I cannot blame them for being cautious. But, their approach does not inspire confidence.
How does it sound like they don't have a real plan when they're planning on covering the story over the next two years? Sounds like a long term plan to me...
