So I figured, since I've given my opinions, I'd tell you what my pull list is:
Wonder Woman
Aquaman
Fury of Firestorm
Green Lantern: New Guardians
Batgirl
Birds of Prey
Justice League Dark
Animal Man
Legion of Super-Heroes
Legion Lost
Teen Titans
Hawk and Dove
Stormwatch
All Star Western
Suicide Squad
Action Comics
Demon Knights
No clue what I'm keeping and what I'm not keeping. I'll let you know my thoughts of the titles I get once I get them. :) How is that?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
DC relaunch Overview
So DC has officially announced their entire 52 initial titles. Thus far we've got a crap ton of really ugly costumes, a bunch of men, black and white running around, and a few white women here and there. The majority of the teams seem to be run by men and we've got a bunch of really stupid decisions. Look does ANYONE think OMAC or Frankenstein Agent of Shade are going to be major titles? Seriously? I'm also struck by the fact that they've taken out the JSA. I mean DC's greatest team has been removed from their line up all together. That's very sad to me that they couldn't have found a place for them in the first run if they plan to do a JSA at all, but could find a place for throw away characters like Bat-Wing (Seriously, the character has appeared TWICE in comics and he gets a title over characters who have appeared for YEARS and have a huge fan base?).
From a lot of the titles that are sticking around, it just seems like a typical transfer from new writer and artist. Some they didn't even do that. They just shuffled. We'll see how different things actually are, but on the surface? Not a whole hell of a lot.
I have major mixed feelings about this Relaunch. I think some of it will be good, but I think there is just a LOT of wasted time and energy in this relaunch. There are a lot of wasted titles that just don't need to be around. Why are we giving losers like Blue Beetle, whose title has failed, getting another chance? And why is the line up relatively monochromatic? Why don't we have more Latino/Latina characters? and there appears to be only ONE Asian character in the whole batch and she may not even be Asian at all. Of course, there are only a couple female minorities at all in this new line up and women have not gained any new titles, just new directions (I'm thinking of Catwoman as a new direction for Gotham City Sirens btw).
The last thing is the insanely frustrating is the creative teams. I was all excited about Hawk and Dove for instance then I see Rob Liefeld is doing the art. Are they TRYING to kill this title? He's a horrible hack. I remember when he did Teen Titans with the new Hawk and Dove. Sales went up for the initial issue then drastically dropped below previous levels for the second issue only to return back to normal right after that. Gail Simone was the writer, so you know it wasn't about the writing. The issues were just about unreadable because Liefeld's art took away from the story and made it IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what was going on. Not to mention that Domino magically appeared as a DC villain. Then we give New Guardians to Tony Bedard, who cannot write interesting women to save his life. Every time he does a title with women, they come out flat and boring. then there is a lot of Vertigo writers suddenly doing Superhero titles, which could be good or bad and the most dreadful thing of all, Smallville writers. Smallville, one of the single worst TV shows ever and had NOTHING to do with comics, are going to be writing comics? So we'll get teen angsty drama for no real reason. Joy rapture and bliss. I don't want to read comic after comic of who Kara is sleeping with or dating. There is also a lot of title, I've never heard of, so I don't know if I want to read them or not.
I think this whole thing could be a massive failure and I don't think it is going to be a runaway success. It's mostly going to be a mixed bag and all the existing titles will return to their pre-change levels (except maybe Action b/c of Morrison writing it) and the new titles will settle down to somewhere in the middle to low end, just like a lot of other comics.
From a lot of the titles that are sticking around, it just seems like a typical transfer from new writer and artist. Some they didn't even do that. They just shuffled. We'll see how different things actually are, but on the surface? Not a whole hell of a lot.
I have major mixed feelings about this Relaunch. I think some of it will be good, but I think there is just a LOT of wasted time and energy in this relaunch. There are a lot of wasted titles that just don't need to be around. Why are we giving losers like Blue Beetle, whose title has failed, getting another chance? And why is the line up relatively monochromatic? Why don't we have more Latino/Latina characters? and there appears to be only ONE Asian character in the whole batch and she may not even be Asian at all. Of course, there are only a couple female minorities at all in this new line up and women have not gained any new titles, just new directions (I'm thinking of Catwoman as a new direction for Gotham City Sirens btw).
The last thing is the insanely frustrating is the creative teams. I was all excited about Hawk and Dove for instance then I see Rob Liefeld is doing the art. Are they TRYING to kill this title? He's a horrible hack. I remember when he did Teen Titans with the new Hawk and Dove. Sales went up for the initial issue then drastically dropped below previous levels for the second issue only to return back to normal right after that. Gail Simone was the writer, so you know it wasn't about the writing. The issues were just about unreadable because Liefeld's art took away from the story and made it IMPOSSIBLE to figure out what was going on. Not to mention that Domino magically appeared as a DC villain. Then we give New Guardians to Tony Bedard, who cannot write interesting women to save his life. Every time he does a title with women, they come out flat and boring. then there is a lot of Vertigo writers suddenly doing Superhero titles, which could be good or bad and the most dreadful thing of all, Smallville writers. Smallville, one of the single worst TV shows ever and had NOTHING to do with comics, are going to be writing comics? So we'll get teen angsty drama for no real reason. Joy rapture and bliss. I don't want to read comic after comic of who Kara is sleeping with or dating. There is also a lot of title, I've never heard of, so I don't know if I want to read them or not.
I think this whole thing could be a massive failure and I don't think it is going to be a runaway success. It's mostly going to be a mixed bag and all the existing titles will return to their pre-change levels (except maybe Action b/c of Morrison writing it) and the new titles will settle down to somewhere in the middle to low end, just like a lot of other comics.
DC Relaunch SuperFamily
Action Comics - So Grant Morrison is taking over as the scribe for Superman for a bit. Normally I'd run in the other direction from Grant Morrison, but his All-Star Superman was OK despite some really stupid things like the Willy Wonka of Science in his Technicolor Dream coat. Other than that, I'm interested. I'll definitely be picking up the first issue. I think this will be a comic that people will want so badly.
Superman, Man of Tomorrow - Um, yeah. I love George Perez and I'd like to see what they're gonna do with Supes to make him interesting and relevant, but I don't think I can get past that HIDEOUS costume. It's one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. It's hideous and he doesn't need armored footies. He's indestructible!
Supergirl - I like the new cape, but the costume as a whole is a little blah. I like the concept of Supergirl being different than Superman somehow, but this is pretty much the same Supergirl we saw and finally got rid of to get a Supergirl with personality. Add to the fact that we've got Smallville writers on this, yeah I'm going to look at this title, but I'm probably not buying it. I was really excited to see it, but re-reading it and looking at it again? I'm not adding it to my def list.
Superboy - You'd think because I was interested in Teen Titans, I'd pick up this one. Yeah, not going to happen. I like the cover, but that's about it. I like Kon-El, but I've never really dug his solo title except when he was mixing it up with Cassandra Cain. Their chemistry was AMAZING to me.
Superman, Man of Tomorrow - Um, yeah. I love George Perez and I'd like to see what they're gonna do with Supes to make him interesting and relevant, but I don't think I can get past that HIDEOUS costume. It's one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. It's hideous and he doesn't need armored footies. He's indestructible!
Supergirl - I like the new cape, but the costume as a whole is a little blah. I like the concept of Supergirl being different than Superman somehow, but this is pretty much the same Supergirl we saw and finally got rid of to get a Supergirl with personality. Add to the fact that we've got Smallville writers on this, yeah I'm going to look at this title, but I'm probably not buying it. I was really excited to see it, but re-reading it and looking at it again? I'm not adding it to my def list.
Superboy - You'd think because I was interested in Teen Titans, I'd pick up this one. Yeah, not going to happen. I like the cover, but that's about it. I like Kon-El, but I've never really dug his solo title except when he was mixing it up with Cassandra Cain. Their chemistry was AMAZING to me.
Stephanie Brown
I've never been a fan of the chick named Spoiler. She's been shown for 10+ years to be completely incompetent, but she doesn't give up so that somehow makes her amazing? People are all upset that the chick who was FORCED by editorially mandate into the Batgirl costume is somehow losing a mantle she never earned to begin with. I just don't understand this. Stephanie has never EARNED a single one of her mantles. She's just gotten them all by default.
She got the Robin mantle because Bruce was pissed at Tim at the moment. Steph saw Tim flirting with another girl, so she went to try to steal the mantle and hurt him and Bruce wanted to punish him as well. The man that has consistently told Stephanie to give up crime fighting suddenly decides she's the perfect match for his replacement sidekick? I'm sorry if I'm not sold on her being the best Robin ever and she deserves to be remembered as a great Robin and she was so amazing and all this other rubbish.
Fast forward a few years, she got killed, comes back to life, and learns absolutely nothing from her experience as Robin where she failed so miserably.. Cass is standing there and suddenly for no reason anyone can explain that makes ANY sense, throws off the Batgirl costume to Stephanie and disappears supposedly forever. So Stephanie becomes Batgirl by default just because Cass didn't want to be it anymore? Seriously? That makes her a great character? I just don't understand that.
So, she has fans, great. I don't understand it, I don't get how she is this amazing character. She's never gotten anywhere on her own, she's never earned a title, she's just been handed them and often times because someone at DC loves her. It's funny that this same guy hates a strong powerful woman like Linda Danvers (and apparently Cassandra Cain), but he loves this whiney, childish little girl who can't earn her own way, it has to be given to her. Amazing character!
She got the Robin mantle because Bruce was pissed at Tim at the moment. Steph saw Tim flirting with another girl, so she went to try to steal the mantle and hurt him and Bruce wanted to punish him as well. The man that has consistently told Stephanie to give up crime fighting suddenly decides she's the perfect match for his replacement sidekick? I'm sorry if I'm not sold on her being the best Robin ever and she deserves to be remembered as a great Robin and she was so amazing and all this other rubbish.
Fast forward a few years, she got killed, comes back to life, and learns absolutely nothing from her experience as Robin where she failed so miserably.. Cass is standing there and suddenly for no reason anyone can explain that makes ANY sense, throws off the Batgirl costume to Stephanie and disappears supposedly forever. So Stephanie becomes Batgirl by default just because Cass didn't want to be it anymore? Seriously? That makes her a great character? I just don't understand that.
So, she has fans, great. I don't understand it, I don't get how she is this amazing character. She's never gotten anywhere on her own, she's never earned a title, she's just been handed them and often times because someone at DC loves her. It's funny that this same guy hates a strong powerful woman like Linda Danvers (and apparently Cassandra Cain), but he loves this whiney, childish little girl who can't earn her own way, it has to be given to her. Amazing character!
DC Relaunch the Lanterns
Green Lantern - Same thing we've already been reading with a new "Shake up". We needed a relaunch to get a new artist and writer? Seriously?
Green Lantern Corps - See above except this time it's now about Jon Stewart and Guy Gardner. It's just a shuffle again. Don't see the need for a relaunch for this.
New Guardians - I'm excited about the New Guardians getting their own title. The problem is that this title is probably going to be all about the Kyle and Atrocitus even though they have other venues to tell their stories. That means that all the other Guardians be in the background except Indigo and Carol Ferris since Tony Bedard is writing them, they'll be boring background characters. He's not good at writing women. That makes me sad about this title. Before Bedard took over GLC, Soranik Natu was one of the major characters. She was strong, powerful and just an amazing character. Bedard took over and she is Kyle's gf, Sinestro's daughter, and she's a major background character. She has not come to life at all. I'm sad to see what happens to Carol and Indigo.
Red Lantern - Not sure how you're going to have a whole title about people overcome with rage and have no real personality other than Atrocitus. Most of them just filled with blind rage and can't really talk. I'm not sure about this. I'm really not sure about this.
Green Lantern Corps - See above except this time it's now about Jon Stewart and Guy Gardner. It's just a shuffle again. Don't see the need for a relaunch for this.
New Guardians - I'm excited about the New Guardians getting their own title. The problem is that this title is probably going to be all about the Kyle and Atrocitus even though they have other venues to tell their stories. That means that all the other Guardians be in the background except Indigo and Carol Ferris since Tony Bedard is writing them, they'll be boring background characters. He's not good at writing women. That makes me sad about this title. Before Bedard took over GLC, Soranik Natu was one of the major characters. She was strong, powerful and just an amazing character. Bedard took over and she is Kyle's gf, Sinestro's daughter, and she's a major background character. She has not come to life at all. I'm sad to see what happens to Carol and Indigo.
Red Lantern - Not sure how you're going to have a whole title about people overcome with rage and have no real personality other than Atrocitus. Most of them just filled with blind rage and can't really talk. I'm not sure about this. I'm really not sure about this.
DC relaunch the Bat-Titles (or rather the massive 12 issue line up)
Detective Comics, Batman, Batman and Robin, and Dark Knight - Forgive me for lumping these 4 titles together, but I do not see how you cannot. No other character is getting 4 titles and well it's all about Bruce. They'll sell because Batman sells. Honestly, all that's really happened is that they've got new numbering and the regular switch of artist/writer. There really is nothing bold and new about this at all except that Bruce will have to deal with his own brat for a bit.
Batwoman - the long awaited title is finally comes to life. I've made it rather clear I'm not a fan of Kate Kane. I wish the team the best, but I have no desire to read this comic. It will sell like crazy since straight boys like lesbians, but this is not a surprise to anyone.
Batgirl - I've stated my opinions on this title already. The few rabid fans will be excited and happy and it has a good staff, but it's pissed off a lot of fans, so..
Catwoman - Selina is back in her own title. Yeah! Then Judd Winick is writing it, so.. that means Selina will be having sex with everyone and anyone for countless issues. Are we thrilled? Not particularly. Look I love Selina, but this team is a horrible idea. Selina's title will sell and it will hopefully survive the initial bad writing. Then again, some people absolutely love Winick.
Birds of Prey - New writer, that I don't know all that much about, new team that looks interesting except for the hideous Black Canary costume.. this could be a great comic. I'm on a wait and see on this one. I'm going to collect it, going to read it, but the actual series is all about the writing and how well Canary, Ivy, and the other two that nobody is 100% sure who they are. Like I said, this title can be a great comic or a failure. Let's hope for Dinah's sake that it is a solid title.
Nightwing - Dick Grayson is back as Nightwing! That's the good news. The Bad news? His costume looks evil and menacing. I hate his red eyes. I just hate that. The cover is very red. It'll be interesting to see Bruce, Damien, Selina, Kate, and Dick all running around in Gotham. I think it'd be HILARIOUS to see them all on the same case and stepping all over each other.
Red Hood and the Outlaws - Hate Jason Todd, hate Red Hood. I still do not understand how Under the Red Hood was a huge success. Jason so angry that Bruce broke up with him was gaggy and crappy. I honestly cannot stand it. I'm glad to see Roy has both his arms back and Starfire is on this team. I'm sure Jason Todd and Kory are going to hook up just to make it work. Yeah! This looks like a really bad attempt at Outsiders. I'm totally skipping.
Bat-Mite - I don't understand this. I'd have much rather seen Orpheus get his own title. This character has only appeared what two times and he's suddenly popular enough to get his own title? I don't understand that at all. I also don't know how well this will sell completely separated from the rest of the DCU. Maybe he could have appeared in JLI instead? I want to say this will fail, but it's a Bat-title, so.. it'll be strangely popular.
Batwoman - the long awaited title is finally comes to life. I've made it rather clear I'm not a fan of Kate Kane. I wish the team the best, but I have no desire to read this comic. It will sell like crazy since straight boys like lesbians, but this is not a surprise to anyone.
Batgirl - I've stated my opinions on this title already. The few rabid fans will be excited and happy and it has a good staff, but it's pissed off a lot of fans, so..
Catwoman - Selina is back in her own title. Yeah! Then Judd Winick is writing it, so.. that means Selina will be having sex with everyone and anyone for countless issues. Are we thrilled? Not particularly. Look I love Selina, but this team is a horrible idea. Selina's title will sell and it will hopefully survive the initial bad writing. Then again, some people absolutely love Winick.
Birds of Prey - New writer, that I don't know all that much about, new team that looks interesting except for the hideous Black Canary costume.. this could be a great comic. I'm on a wait and see on this one. I'm going to collect it, going to read it, but the actual series is all about the writing and how well Canary, Ivy, and the other two that nobody is 100% sure who they are. Like I said, this title can be a great comic or a failure. Let's hope for Dinah's sake that it is a solid title.
Nightwing - Dick Grayson is back as Nightwing! That's the good news. The Bad news? His costume looks evil and menacing. I hate his red eyes. I just hate that. The cover is very red. It'll be interesting to see Bruce, Damien, Selina, Kate, and Dick all running around in Gotham. I think it'd be HILARIOUS to see them all on the same case and stepping all over each other.
Red Hood and the Outlaws - Hate Jason Todd, hate Red Hood. I still do not understand how Under the Red Hood was a huge success. Jason so angry that Bruce broke up with him was gaggy and crappy. I honestly cannot stand it. I'm glad to see Roy has both his arms back and Starfire is on this team. I'm sure Jason Todd and Kory are going to hook up just to make it work. Yeah! This looks like a really bad attempt at Outsiders. I'm totally skipping.
Bat-Mite - I don't understand this. I'd have much rather seen Orpheus get his own title. This character has only appeared what two times and he's suddenly popular enough to get his own title? I don't understand that at all. I also don't know how well this will sell completely separated from the rest of the DCU. Maybe he could have appeared in JLI instead? I want to say this will fail, but it's a Bat-title, so.. it'll be strangely popular.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
DC Relaunch Welcome to the Edge
Stormwatch - So DC is bringing Stormwatch into the DC universe. I am totally not sure about this title, but.. It has Martian Manhunter, a character I have grown to love in teams. The biggest reason for me picking up this title is Midnighter and Apollo. Not a fan of some of the sketches I've seen of Apollo's costume, but that's not a final design and not by the actual artist, so things can change! I'm just hoping they don't make the two of them straight, but Paul Cornell is writing it and I've loved his team titles. I have faith in this title, I really do, but I do question the need of another globe trotting team dealing with international superheroes. We have Justice League, JLI, Stormwatch and JLD. It may be a tad much.
Blackhawks - Umm.. yeah. I just don't know what to say about this title. The big thing is that Zinda hasn't been mentioned at all in the promo. We have been told that Zinda will potentially appear, but if she's not in the first issue, ANYTHING can change and the series can be cancelled before that ever happens. So without Zinda CONFIRMED as a part of this series, I'm DEFINITELY not buying. Not to mention the whole concept of a highly trained army of flying mercs doesn't really work for me.
Sgt Rock and the Men of War - Totally skipping this comic. I'm not a fan of military stuff and a whole military comic all about war? Sounds insanely boring to me. I'm sure this will satisfy some small niche, but I doubt this will be a long running title.
All-Star Western - All I have to say is Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. That is the reason you HAVE to read this comic. Not only do we get their Jonah Hex, but we get to see them handle countless other western heroes. The best thing? This title has been a solid seller for a long time, so this relaunch will keep the title alive and hopefully get new people, like myself, on board. Now I'm NOT a fan of westerns, but these two amazing writers have proved themselves time and time again to me, so I HAVE to give them a chance. I have to!
Deathstroke - I figured based on Frankenstein getting his own title, that Deathstroke would be getting his own! I was hoping they'd keep Palmiotti on the title since that would have made it AWESOME, but they didn't. I was excited about this title until I saw it. Now I'm just NOT sure. The costume is hideous and it could be a hit or miss thing. It's either going to be great or a massive failure. We shall see. I will look at it at least. I doubt I'm going to be buying this one.
Grifter - Yeah! the Wildstorm Wolverine/Batman gets his own title! JOY! How many months until he gets 20 bazillion titles like Deadpool? I've never really gotten into Grifter, wasn't a fan of WildC.A.T.S., so yeah, I'm not that sure about it.
OMAC - Did this title sell the FIRST TIME? Let's relaunch it and make it ridiculous. I mean, seriously? Even with Jack Kirby's name behind the original series, this didn't sell. this has been tried a couple times now and it just hasn't worked, so why do we keep doing it? I just don't understand the thought behind this title. I just think this is going to be an amazing failure.
Blue Beetle - Another failed title, getting a second chance for really no reason. So we've finally gotten another minority in the DCU other than a black male, but once again he's a guy and I just don't see why we're rehashing Blue Beetle again. The series just didn't work and it wasn't a major seller even with Giffen backing it. Throw Tony Bedard behind it who is a so-so writer. I just don't understand this.
Suicide Squad - I like Suicide Squad, but this means the death of one of the greatest titles DC has, the Secret Six. I like that Deathstroke and King Shark are sticking around and Harley Quinn is an interesting X Factor, but I hope other characters join in and I hope it is half as good as Secret Six, though it has MASSIVE shoes to fill. This is going to be by far the most bittersweet title for me and if it sucks, well.. I'm going to be so pissed. I mean DC cancelling a decent selling title for a shitty one? Yeah.
Blackhawks - Umm.. yeah. I just don't know what to say about this title. The big thing is that Zinda hasn't been mentioned at all in the promo. We have been told that Zinda will potentially appear, but if she's not in the first issue, ANYTHING can change and the series can be cancelled before that ever happens. So without Zinda CONFIRMED as a part of this series, I'm DEFINITELY not buying. Not to mention the whole concept of a highly trained army of flying mercs doesn't really work for me.
Sgt Rock and the Men of War - Totally skipping this comic. I'm not a fan of military stuff and a whole military comic all about war? Sounds insanely boring to me. I'm sure this will satisfy some small niche, but I doubt this will be a long running title.
All-Star Western - All I have to say is Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. That is the reason you HAVE to read this comic. Not only do we get their Jonah Hex, but we get to see them handle countless other western heroes. The best thing? This title has been a solid seller for a long time, so this relaunch will keep the title alive and hopefully get new people, like myself, on board. Now I'm NOT a fan of westerns, but these two amazing writers have proved themselves time and time again to me, so I HAVE to give them a chance. I have to!
Deathstroke - I figured based on Frankenstein getting his own title, that Deathstroke would be getting his own! I was hoping they'd keep Palmiotti on the title since that would have made it AWESOME, but they didn't. I was excited about this title until I saw it. Now I'm just NOT sure. The costume is hideous and it could be a hit or miss thing. It's either going to be great or a massive failure. We shall see. I will look at it at least. I doubt I'm going to be buying this one.
Grifter - Yeah! the Wildstorm Wolverine/Batman gets his own title! JOY! How many months until he gets 20 bazillion titles like Deadpool? I've never really gotten into Grifter, wasn't a fan of WildC.A.T.S., so yeah, I'm not that sure about it.
OMAC - Did this title sell the FIRST TIME? Let's relaunch it and make it ridiculous. I mean, seriously? Even with Jack Kirby's name behind the original series, this didn't sell. this has been tried a couple times now and it just hasn't worked, so why do we keep doing it? I just don't understand the thought behind this title. I just think this is going to be an amazing failure.
Blue Beetle - Another failed title, getting a second chance for really no reason. So we've finally gotten another minority in the DCU other than a black male, but once again he's a guy and I just don't see why we're rehashing Blue Beetle again. The series just didn't work and it wasn't a major seller even with Giffen backing it. Throw Tony Bedard behind it who is a so-so writer. I just don't understand this.
Suicide Squad - I like Suicide Squad, but this means the death of one of the greatest titles DC has, the Secret Six. I like that Deathstroke and King Shark are sticking around and Harley Quinn is an interesting X Factor, but I hope other characters join in and I hope it is half as good as Secret Six, though it has MASSIVE shoes to fill. This is going to be by far the most bittersweet title for me and if it sucks, well.. I'm going to be so pissed. I mean DC cancelling a decent selling title for a shitty one? Yeah.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
DC Relaunch: The Next Generation
Legion Lost - Ok, they're breaking the Legion up.. Fine, I guess. Dawnstar, Wildfire, Chameleon Girl, Tellus, Gates, Invisible Kid II(?) and Timber Wolf on a team together. OK. I am just not sure about this title. I don't know why they're taking a portion of the Legion away and it does bother me that Levitz isn't handling it, which means Legion Lost can go nuts. I'll definitely be buying this, I'm just not sure I'm excited about it. I've never been a fan of Gates and if he's whining for the entire time, it'll DEFINITELY get old fast. I love the other characters though, so it could be good, but the Legion in the past hasn't worked out very well in the past and didn't the Legion just save the future during the Lightening Saga/New Krypton? Yeah..
Legion of Super-Heroes - I saw Legion Lost first, which totally shouldn't have been first. THIS should have been first. I cursed DC all up and down when I saw Legion Lost (at first I thought it was a new Legion.. the art is difficult to tell). Of course, I'm over the top enthusiastic about this title. I love Levitz, I love the Legion and well.. it looks like as with a good portion of the "relaunch" to be a continuation of the current Legion title, which is fine by me. If it isn't broken (and considering this has probably been one of the most popular Legion series in a LONG TIME), don't fix it!
Teen Titans - the cover has me so interested. It looks like they're retooling Bart and Cassie, which mildly annoys me, but I like the costumes and I like the changes. I love that Kon-El has a Superman "tat" now. I dig the cover, though the chick on the ground is creepy and she reminds me too much of Wolverine. I have a feeling she's going to be our typical crazed feral member. I wish they'd come up with a better codename for Tim than Red Robin, but the costume is pretty freaking awesome, so I will forgive this. This will be the first Teen Titans comic I'll be buying since the teen Titans relaunched all those moons ago.
Static Shock - Well.. I've never been a fan of this character. I hated his TV show, I tried reading his comic but Milestone struck me as reverse racism. All the white people are evil and the minorities are good? And of course, the only white person on any team has to be a lesbian just to make it ok. I personally want minority heroes to stand on their own in a mixed world, not just in a world of minorities. So on to Static, well.. they've apparently taken out the fact that he has Static powers and gone straight to electric abilities, which is fine I guess, but it was interesting that he flew on a disc. The costume is hideous and well given the fact that we have Jakeem Thunder in the DCU, whom I think of as the same character as Static, I just don't understand why we need both. That's just me. I'm skipping this title obviously.
Hawk and Dove - OK I saw this, I got SUPER excited. I've been enjoying Hawk and Dove in Birds of Prey and Sterling Gates is writing it, so that peeked my interest. Then I saw Rob Liefeld is the artist. DC are you TRYING to kill this comic? SERIOUSLY? Rob Liefeld is by far one of the WORST artists in comics today and he's going to take AWAY from Gates's writing the same way he did with Gail Simone's run on Teen Titans. Hopefully he won't be able to keep it up and we'll get a new artist relatively quick or this title is dead in the water and that makes me sad.
Legion of Super-Heroes - I saw Legion Lost first, which totally shouldn't have been first. THIS should have been first. I cursed DC all up and down when I saw Legion Lost (at first I thought it was a new Legion.. the art is difficult to tell). Of course, I'm over the top enthusiastic about this title. I love Levitz, I love the Legion and well.. it looks like as with a good portion of the "relaunch" to be a continuation of the current Legion title, which is fine by me. If it isn't broken (and considering this has probably been one of the most popular Legion series in a LONG TIME), don't fix it!
Teen Titans - the cover has me so interested. It looks like they're retooling Bart and Cassie, which mildly annoys me, but I like the costumes and I like the changes. I love that Kon-El has a Superman "tat" now. I dig the cover, though the chick on the ground is creepy and she reminds me too much of Wolverine. I have a feeling she's going to be our typical crazed feral member. I wish they'd come up with a better codename for Tim than Red Robin, but the costume is pretty freaking awesome, so I will forgive this. This will be the first Teen Titans comic I'll be buying since the teen Titans relaunched all those moons ago.
Static Shock - Well.. I've never been a fan of this character. I hated his TV show, I tried reading his comic but Milestone struck me as reverse racism. All the white people are evil and the minorities are good? And of course, the only white person on any team has to be a lesbian just to make it ok. I personally want minority heroes to stand on their own in a mixed world, not just in a world of minorities. So on to Static, well.. they've apparently taken out the fact that he has Static powers and gone straight to electric abilities, which is fine I guess, but it was interesting that he flew on a disc. The costume is hideous and well given the fact that we have Jakeem Thunder in the DCU, whom I think of as the same character as Static, I just don't understand why we need both. That's just me. I'm skipping this title obviously.
Hawk and Dove - OK I saw this, I got SUPER excited. I've been enjoying Hawk and Dove in Birds of Prey and Sterling Gates is writing it, so that peeked my interest. Then I saw Rob Liefeld is the artist. DC are you TRYING to kill this comic? SERIOUSLY? Rob Liefeld is by far one of the WORST artists in comics today and he's going to take AWAY from Gates's writing the same way he did with Gail Simone's run on Teen Titans. Hopefully he won't be able to keep it up and we'll get a new artist relatively quick or this title is dead in the water and that makes me sad.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
DC Relaunch: Initial release titles
So a few days ago, DC announced it's initial release titles for the DC Reboot/Retool/Relaunch. So let's start at the beginning:
Justice League - Good news Geoff Johns and Jim Lee and Cyborg is on the team! YEAH! I'm sure this will be a great flag ship title and a lot of people will read it, but honestly the Justice League has typically left me rather cold and this line up doesn't do much to change that. It's pretty typical except for the nice addition of Cyborg who seems to be there just to represent the POC slot that needs to be filled. I mean, I LOVE Vic, but every OTHER character has their own solo title.. so he just seems a little odd in that line up. Let's hope it's good, but I won't be reading it.
Wonder Woman - yet another disappointment. First of all, the hideous costume is still around. It's been modified, but it's still here and still ugly. Second, DC seems to think Wonder Woman is Xena Warrior Princess again. Look at that cover! Look at it! She's got a huge sword covered in blood! HOW IS THAT Wonder Woman? It just seems to be the exact opposite of what Wonder Woman stands for to me and the cover makes me think she's going to be the accepted killer in the DCU which I loathe. Once again another title I was looking forward to and hoped DC would take Diana into a NEW direction, not the same old failed one.. but hey DC knows what they're doing right? After all, Diana has been a top tier character consistently under their watchful eye. I will check out this title out, but I don't have high hopes at all.
Aquaman - Eh.. OK, so Aquaman is getting a title again. Once again good news that Geoff Johns is on the title. He seems to like Arthur and that's a good thing. Aquaman's appearances in Brightest Day were pretty good and an Aquaman title means the one thing EVERYONE really wants to see.. MORE MERA, QUEEN OF THE SEA! I'll look at this title too especially if I get more Mera. I think she's more interesting than Arthur, but Geoff could actually MAKE him relevant and enjoyable again. I look forward to seeing that, but he is Aquaman lol.
The Flash - Didn't read the Flash before, won't now. Sorry. I liked Flash Rebirth, but Flash in general is not a comic I'm drawn to. Wake me up when they re-introduce Pied Piper, other than that.. I won't be buying this comic. I'm sure Barry fans are thrilled, but it's still the same title, so it's not really a retool/relaunch, just a continuation.
Fury of the Firestorm - OK Gail Simone is writing it.. That means I HAVE to buy it. Yup, have to. I love Gail's work. I really do. The thing is.. Is Firestorm a compelling enough character? I've tried to get into various incarnations of Firestorm and he's OK, he's got great powers, but.. well he's never really drawn me in. I'm sure Gail will fix all that and clear up some of it. The interesting thing will be that Firestorm will be both white and black depending on who is in charge (Jason is the brains of course, Ronnie is just.. IDK what Ronnie is and why we need him.. but he's there). It'd be GREAT if villains and people react differently to Firestorm depending on if he's white or black and it'd be AWESOME to see people try to tell them which one is the real Firestorm :). OK, I'm starting to see more and more comedic genius in this comic. Now I wanna read it. Damn you blogging lol.
The SAVAGE Hawkman - I love Carter Hall and I loved the previous title, but with Kendra/Sheira dead, this title leaves me cold. I also like that it's called SAVAGE Hawkman, but the blurg doesn't make him seem all that savage lol. This could be the great sleeper comic, but I doubt it.
Green Arrow - Relaunched, same writer.. yeah, big Reboot and bold new direction. Didn't like Ollie before, won't like him now :) Move on.
Justice League International - It's nice to see Justice League International return. I'm excited to see a good portion of the original team return, though Guy Gardner in 2 titles is well.. 2 too many. I'm also glad to see a member of the Great Ten joining the team, August General in Iron, so it is becoming a tad more international, though it is still America heavy, I can live with the line up. I'm sure the title will be interesting and I may check it out. I'm just not sure about the creative team. Am I the only one that was hoping Giffen would get this title? Oh well. The line up looks really good and we can ALWAYS use more Vixen, but.. what is Donna Troy doing there? Am I the only one that finds her rather out of place? Maybe they're going to reinstate her again as part of the Amazons? If so that'd be nice, but then why not throw Mera on the title to represent Atlanis? I love that idea.. We need more Mera!
Mister Terrific - An AMAZING character, I'm just wondering how he's going to support his own title. I've really liked Mister Terrific for a long time and I've been sad that he hasn't been used to his full potential, I just don't know if a solo is his full potential. This title will either be an amazing success or a failure.. the biggest road block on this title? His costume is by far one of the most hideous costumes in a long time.
Captain Atom - I only cared about him when he was part of the New Krypton Cross-over. That stuff was great, but that doesn't mean I wanna read Captain Atom NOW. He's had his chance at a title numerous times. Heck, they even took him OUT of DC, sent him to Wildstorm, then brought him BACK and I still don't think he's all that popular. wish him and this title luck, but I won't be reading it and I don't think anyone is excited about this one.
DC Universe Presents - a grab bag title of just random DC stuff similar to Showcase Presents and DC origins. Both titles had good issues and bad issues and this will be the same thing. I don't think many people will sign up for a book like this with a constantly rotating roster, after all they haven't worked out too well lately but hey maybe THIS time it'll catch on.
Justice League - Good news Geoff Johns and Jim Lee and Cyborg is on the team! YEAH! I'm sure this will be a great flag ship title and a lot of people will read it, but honestly the Justice League has typically left me rather cold and this line up doesn't do much to change that. It's pretty typical except for the nice addition of Cyborg who seems to be there just to represent the POC slot that needs to be filled. I mean, I LOVE Vic, but every OTHER character has their own solo title.. so he just seems a little odd in that line up. Let's hope it's good, but I won't be reading it.
Wonder Woman - yet another disappointment. First of all, the hideous costume is still around. It's been modified, but it's still here and still ugly. Second, DC seems to think Wonder Woman is Xena Warrior Princess again. Look at that cover! Look at it! She's got a huge sword covered in blood! HOW IS THAT Wonder Woman? It just seems to be the exact opposite of what Wonder Woman stands for to me and the cover makes me think she's going to be the accepted killer in the DCU which I loathe. Once again another title I was looking forward to and hoped DC would take Diana into a NEW direction, not the same old failed one.. but hey DC knows what they're doing right? After all, Diana has been a top tier character consistently under their watchful eye. I will check out this title out, but I don't have high hopes at all.
Aquaman - Eh.. OK, so Aquaman is getting a title again. Once again good news that Geoff Johns is on the title. He seems to like Arthur and that's a good thing. Aquaman's appearances in Brightest Day were pretty good and an Aquaman title means the one thing EVERYONE really wants to see.. MORE MERA, QUEEN OF THE SEA! I'll look at this title too especially if I get more Mera. I think she's more interesting than Arthur, but Geoff could actually MAKE him relevant and enjoyable again. I look forward to seeing that, but he is Aquaman lol.
The Flash - Didn't read the Flash before, won't now. Sorry. I liked Flash Rebirth, but Flash in general is not a comic I'm drawn to. Wake me up when they re-introduce Pied Piper, other than that.. I won't be buying this comic. I'm sure Barry fans are thrilled, but it's still the same title, so it's not really a retool/relaunch, just a continuation.
Fury of the Firestorm - OK Gail Simone is writing it.. That means I HAVE to buy it. Yup, have to. I love Gail's work. I really do. The thing is.. Is Firestorm a compelling enough character? I've tried to get into various incarnations of Firestorm and he's OK, he's got great powers, but.. well he's never really drawn me in. I'm sure Gail will fix all that and clear up some of it. The interesting thing will be that Firestorm will be both white and black depending on who is in charge (Jason is the brains of course, Ronnie is just.. IDK what Ronnie is and why we need him.. but he's there). It'd be GREAT if villains and people react differently to Firestorm depending on if he's white or black and it'd be AWESOME to see people try to tell them which one is the real Firestorm :). OK, I'm starting to see more and more comedic genius in this comic. Now I wanna read it. Damn you blogging lol.
The SAVAGE Hawkman - I love Carter Hall and I loved the previous title, but with Kendra/Sheira dead, this title leaves me cold. I also like that it's called SAVAGE Hawkman, but the blurg doesn't make him seem all that savage lol. This could be the great sleeper comic, but I doubt it.
Green Arrow - Relaunched, same writer.. yeah, big Reboot and bold new direction. Didn't like Ollie before, won't like him now :) Move on.
Justice League International - It's nice to see Justice League International return. I'm excited to see a good portion of the original team return, though Guy Gardner in 2 titles is well.. 2 too many. I'm also glad to see a member of the Great Ten joining the team, August General in Iron, so it is becoming a tad more international, though it is still America heavy, I can live with the line up. I'm sure the title will be interesting and I may check it out. I'm just not sure about the creative team. Am I the only one that was hoping Giffen would get this title? Oh well. The line up looks really good and we can ALWAYS use more Vixen, but.. what is Donna Troy doing there? Am I the only one that finds her rather out of place? Maybe they're going to reinstate her again as part of the Amazons? If so that'd be nice, but then why not throw Mera on the title to represent Atlanis? I love that idea.. We need more Mera!
Mister Terrific - An AMAZING character, I'm just wondering how he's going to support his own title. I've really liked Mister Terrific for a long time and I've been sad that he hasn't been used to his full potential, I just don't know if a solo is his full potential. This title will either be an amazing success or a failure.. the biggest road block on this title? His costume is by far one of the most hideous costumes in a long time.
Captain Atom - I only cared about him when he was part of the New Krypton Cross-over. That stuff was great, but that doesn't mean I wanna read Captain Atom NOW. He's had his chance at a title numerous times. Heck, they even took him OUT of DC, sent him to Wildstorm, then brought him BACK and I still don't think he's all that popular. wish him and this title luck, but I won't be reading it and I don't think anyone is excited about this one.
DC Universe Presents - a grab bag title of just random DC stuff similar to Showcase Presents and DC origins. Both titles had good issues and bad issues and this will be the same thing. I don't think many people will sign up for a book like this with a constantly rotating roster, after all they haven't worked out too well lately but hey maybe THIS time it'll catch on.
DC Relaunch: The Dark Side
I'm a HUGE fan of magic and supernatural, so I'm all for more supernatural titles, but.. once again, DC releases a huge MESS of titles. I'm still not excited about this in the least. Let's start with what I believe to be the flagship title:
Justice League Dark - Ok, so we get Peter Milligan on the title. That could be a good thing, but look at the line up! Shade the Changing Man (non-magical mind you), John Constantine, Deadman, and Madame Xanadu. Ok... I like a lot of these characters and think they have potential but none of these characters are really TEAM characters. Add to that that there is NO power house, no one on the team that can truly deal with an enemy, well.. what the hell is this going to be? Shade can pull out things from his M-Vest, but last we saw.. he was completely driven crazy by the vest, so what will he do? Constantine is suppose to be this great magical powerhouse, yet every Hellblazer issue I've read is mostly about him getting drunk, smoking a bunch, and weaseling himself out of a bad situation. Deadman is well.. dead and possess people, I'm not really even sure how he'll communicate with the other members of the team and Xanadu while very powerful in her now cancelled on-going, she was rarely the main character and her focus was more on seeing the future and working her way AROUND situations, not fighting baddies. I just don't know how this title will work without someone with a more direct approach.
Animal Man - Def hit or miss title for me. I just don't know if it'll be worth reading until it comes out. I just can't say that it's definitely something I want to read.
Swamp Thing - don't care one iota bout this title. DC has tried relaunching and getting Swamp Thing out there countless times. It hasn't worked before, so.. LET'S TRY AGAIN! Definition of insanity.
Frankenstein agent of SHADE - This series sounds like a horrible disaster. I've read that some think his was the best of the Seven Soldiers series, but well.. I read the whole thing and his is the one I honestly can't remember much about. I don't see this title lasting and all I can think is FrankenCastle.
Demon Knights - I don't think ANYONE is sure about this title. We know less about this than any of the others. This one could be a cult success or a massive failure.
I, Vampire - DC's attempt to capitalize on the Twilight/Blade fandom. I just don't get this title and it scares me since the title is very much like one of my favourite Vertigo titles, I, Zombie, which is of course vastly better. I also don't get it since we have American Vampire and other vampire titles.. so I don't know why we need this or what place it holds in the DCU.
Voodoo - Ok this one I was mildly excited about. The character is apparently a Wildstorm character being brought over to the DCU and she sounds interesting to say the least, my problem? Ron Marz is writing it. Yup, the same guy who stuck Kyle's girlfriend into a fridge. The same guy who wrote those HORRIBLE PSA Green Lantern issues that I don't think ANYONE could stand (there was one on drugs and drinking, one on homosexuality and gay bashing, and probably others). I just don't find him to be a solid writer and this title will fail because DC put him on it.
Oh yeah forgot Resurrection Man - This is a character I just don't know anything about. I know his power and I know he did a crossover with Peter David's Supergirl, but I don't think this is a title that once again draws people in.
So.. the supernatural line up? Weird and random. I think DC has had better supernatural offerings in the past and if they wanted Madame Xanadu back in the DCU, why not just relaunch the title with Wagner and Reeder as a DC title? It would have been better than this. We've also got Zatanna axed for really no reason (was it a best seller? No, but do you REALLY think Resurrection Man or Swamp Thing v10 or I, Vampire will be?)
Justice League Dark - Ok, so we get Peter Milligan on the title. That could be a good thing, but look at the line up! Shade the Changing Man (non-magical mind you), John Constantine, Deadman, and Madame Xanadu. Ok... I like a lot of these characters and think they have potential but none of these characters are really TEAM characters. Add to that that there is NO power house, no one on the team that can truly deal with an enemy, well.. what the hell is this going to be? Shade can pull out things from his M-Vest, but last we saw.. he was completely driven crazy by the vest, so what will he do? Constantine is suppose to be this great magical powerhouse, yet every Hellblazer issue I've read is mostly about him getting drunk, smoking a bunch, and weaseling himself out of a bad situation. Deadman is well.. dead and possess people, I'm not really even sure how he'll communicate with the other members of the team and Xanadu while very powerful in her now cancelled on-going, she was rarely the main character and her focus was more on seeing the future and working her way AROUND situations, not fighting baddies. I just don't know how this title will work without someone with a more direct approach.
Animal Man - Def hit or miss title for me. I just don't know if it'll be worth reading until it comes out. I just can't say that it's definitely something I want to read.
Swamp Thing - don't care one iota bout this title. DC has tried relaunching and getting Swamp Thing out there countless times. It hasn't worked before, so.. LET'S TRY AGAIN! Definition of insanity.
Frankenstein agent of SHADE - This series sounds like a horrible disaster. I've read that some think his was the best of the Seven Soldiers series, but well.. I read the whole thing and his is the one I honestly can't remember much about. I don't see this title lasting and all I can think is FrankenCastle.
Demon Knights - I don't think ANYONE is sure about this title. We know less about this than any of the others. This one could be a cult success or a massive failure.
I, Vampire - DC's attempt to capitalize on the Twilight/Blade fandom. I just don't get this title and it scares me since the title is very much like one of my favourite Vertigo titles, I, Zombie, which is of course vastly better. I also don't get it since we have American Vampire and other vampire titles.. so I don't know why we need this or what place it holds in the DCU.
Voodoo - Ok this one I was mildly excited about. The character is apparently a Wildstorm character being brought over to the DCU and she sounds interesting to say the least, my problem? Ron Marz is writing it. Yup, the same guy who stuck Kyle's girlfriend into a fridge. The same guy who wrote those HORRIBLE PSA Green Lantern issues that I don't think ANYONE could stand (there was one on drugs and drinking, one on homosexuality and gay bashing, and probably others). I just don't find him to be a solid writer and this title will fail because DC put him on it.
Oh yeah forgot Resurrection Man - This is a character I just don't know anything about. I know his power and I know he did a crossover with Peter David's Supergirl, but I don't think this is a title that once again draws people in.
So.. the supernatural line up? Weird and random. I think DC has had better supernatural offerings in the past and if they wanted Madame Xanadu back in the DCU, why not just relaunch the title with Wagner and Reeder as a DC title? It would have been better than this. We've also got Zatanna axed for really no reason (was it a best seller? No, but do you REALLY think Resurrection Man or Swamp Thing v10 or I, Vampire will be?)
DC Relaunch Re: Bat-Diversity and Batgirl
I've stated countless times that I'm seriously NOT a fan of this DC relaunch. Everyone out there seems to be excited about a title that has been announced, but yet it is looking like NONE of the titles I love will still be around. Here is a nice list of the break down of titles and how they're placed in the 52 new titles.
iFanBoy DC reboot
So.. DC is going through this massive transformation and one of the first things they announce is 11 Batman titles. Yup, 11 out of 52 titles are related to Batman. Seems like we're going to get a really diverse title line up here with well a crap ton of Batman. We've got Old Batman (Bruce's 4 titles), young Batman (Nightwing), African Batman (Bat-Wing), gay Batman (Batwoman), teenage Batman (Robin), Outlaw Batman (Red Hood), woman/teenage girl Batman (Batgirl), female Batsquad (Birds of Prey) and Batvillian (Catwoman). If this is diversity, well.. it's not very diverse. I mean, the African Batman has to LITERALLY be in Africa to exist (and how many people think this is actually going to be a big seller?) and the gay Batman and only gay character to appear in the entire new line up thus far HAS to be a lesbian (No gay man has yet to be mentioned or thought about in this entire new line-up). No other minorities are represented yet except MAYBE an Asian character as the unknown samurai/Katanna/Judomaster/potentially even a robot character appears (and notice she's completely covered, if there is a person in there, so none of her Asian qualities are actually SHOWN). Now I'm not huge on the whole "need more minorities" aspect of comics, but I have to point out something that I have noticed. We do have a nice collection of African and African-American characters though with Cyborg joining Justice League, Vixen on JLI, Jason Rusch being half of the new Firestorm, Mister Terrific and the new Bat-Wing (though I'd much rather see Orpheus return than the African Batman, but that's personal preference).
With the Batman titles though, comes my biggest complaint thus far with the DC line-up, the fact that DC is destroying Barbara Gordon. You notice I'm not saying DC is destroying Oracle, which they are, but they're also completely throwing out 20+ years of development and evolution with Barbara Gordon. So let me explain something I have not seen explained anywhere on the 'net, and I've LOOKED, People are upset (and rightfully so) that Oracle may be healed and they will lose one of the few disabled heroes in all of comics. I agree that would be a loss, but I'm more worried about the fact that we're taking a character and we're reverting her back to a time and a person that she has stated she's out grown. I would like to point out that no one is shouting, jumping up and down for joy or excited to see Dick go back to being Robin (in fact, many are upset he's going back to being NIGHTWING since they think he was a good progression as Batman. I disagree on that because Dick was not his OWN Batman, but rather pretending to be Bruce, but that's my opinion). No one is screaming for joy that Donna Troy get reverted to being Wonder Girl (and there is no implication she will be), Garth turned back to Aqualad (OK, so he's dead at the moment, but still), Wally back to being Kid Flash, Roy back to Speedy, or Bart back to Impulse. Yet we celebrate and jump for joy that Barbara Gordon go BACK to being Batgirl? Barbara Gordon, the character who RETIRED as Batgirl, became a Congress Woman, faced and overcame great tragedy and forged herself into a new, stronger person. Babs has mentioned several times that she was past that she was over being Batgirl and that it was a point in her life that she didn't want to return. Now she's reverting, turning back into someone she out grew and everyone all over the internet is celebrating this reversion to an adolescent stage. That ANGERS me. We're going to throw 20 years of development and growth just to satisfy a few rabid fans and to sell yet ANOTHER Batman title. Let's not forget we're taking Oracle, one of the most unique characters in the DCU, a position that she was practically built for with her photographic memory, and force her to take a role that ANYONE can fill apparently. I mean look, Stephanie Brown was the last Batgirl, a chick who got herself killed (literally) after being warned that it would happen countless times by Batman, Cass, and Canary then when given another mantle that was clearly over her head, she just threw it on and jumped into battle again. This is why it's such a travesty that Babs is being FORCED back to being Batgirl. It's not organic, it's not part of the character, and it's NOT something we should be celebrating. We should MOURN the death of Barbara Gordon or Oracle
iFanBoy DC reboot
So.. DC is going through this massive transformation and one of the first things they announce is 11 Batman titles. Yup, 11 out of 52 titles are related to Batman. Seems like we're going to get a really diverse title line up here with well a crap ton of Batman. We've got Old Batman (Bruce's 4 titles), young Batman (Nightwing), African Batman (Bat-Wing), gay Batman (Batwoman), teenage Batman (Robin), Outlaw Batman (Red Hood), woman/teenage girl Batman (Batgirl), female Batsquad (Birds of Prey) and Batvillian (Catwoman). If this is diversity, well.. it's not very diverse. I mean, the African Batman has to LITERALLY be in Africa to exist (and how many people think this is actually going to be a big seller?) and the gay Batman and only gay character to appear in the entire new line up thus far HAS to be a lesbian (No gay man has yet to be mentioned or thought about in this entire new line-up). No other minorities are represented yet except MAYBE an Asian character as the unknown samurai/Katanna/Judomaster/potentially even a robot character appears (and notice she's completely covered, if there is a person in there, so none of her Asian qualities are actually SHOWN). Now I'm not huge on the whole "need more minorities" aspect of comics, but I have to point out something that I have noticed. We do have a nice collection of African and African-American characters though with Cyborg joining Justice League, Vixen on JLI, Jason Rusch being half of the new Firestorm, Mister Terrific and the new Bat-Wing (though I'd much rather see Orpheus return than the African Batman, but that's personal preference).
With the Batman titles though, comes my biggest complaint thus far with the DC line-up, the fact that DC is destroying Barbara Gordon. You notice I'm not saying DC is destroying Oracle, which they are, but they're also completely throwing out 20+ years of development and evolution with Barbara Gordon. So let me explain something I have not seen explained anywhere on the 'net, and I've LOOKED, People are upset (and rightfully so) that Oracle may be healed and they will lose one of the few disabled heroes in all of comics. I agree that would be a loss, but I'm more worried about the fact that we're taking a character and we're reverting her back to a time and a person that she has stated she's out grown. I would like to point out that no one is shouting, jumping up and down for joy or excited to see Dick go back to being Robin (in fact, many are upset he's going back to being NIGHTWING since they think he was a good progression as Batman. I disagree on that because Dick was not his OWN Batman, but rather pretending to be Bruce, but that's my opinion). No one is screaming for joy that Donna Troy get reverted to being Wonder Girl (and there is no implication she will be), Garth turned back to Aqualad (OK, so he's dead at the moment, but still), Wally back to being Kid Flash, Roy back to Speedy, or Bart back to Impulse. Yet we celebrate and jump for joy that Barbara Gordon go BACK to being Batgirl? Barbara Gordon, the character who RETIRED as Batgirl, became a Congress Woman, faced and overcame great tragedy and forged herself into a new, stronger person. Babs has mentioned several times that she was past that she was over being Batgirl and that it was a point in her life that she didn't want to return. Now she's reverting, turning back into someone she out grew and everyone all over the internet is celebrating this reversion to an adolescent stage. That ANGERS me. We're going to throw 20 years of development and growth just to satisfy a few rabid fans and to sell yet ANOTHER Batman title. Let's not forget we're taking Oracle, one of the most unique characters in the DCU, a position that she was practically built for with her photographic memory, and force her to take a role that ANYONE can fill apparently. I mean look, Stephanie Brown was the last Batgirl, a chick who got herself killed (literally) after being warned that it would happen countless times by Batman, Cass, and Canary then when given another mantle that was clearly over her head, she just threw it on and jumped into battle again. This is why it's such a travesty that Babs is being FORCED back to being Batgirl. It's not organic, it's not part of the character, and it's NOT something we should be celebrating. We should MOURN the death of Barbara Gordon or Oracle
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