Posted 9/22/11 4:47 pm ET by Alex Zalben in DC Comics
Batman #1, Scott Snyder (w), Greg Capullo (a)
THE PITCH: Bruce Wayne is back… But so is his old enemy: crime.
HOW WAS IT? I think it’s fair to say that between Tony Daniel’s Batman: Detective Comics, and Scott Snyder’s Batman, The Dark Knight has never been in better hands. Not that I had my doubts about Snyder, necessarily, but after his stupendously fantastic run on Detective, the writer had a tough act to follow on this new title: his own. Luckily, he doesn’t try to recycle the same ideas, or even use the same tone. Instead, he creates something new, exciting, and fun. Yes, Virginia, you will laugh out loud at a Batman comic.
Snyder has created something unique and special here – fun, funny, excellently structured, and an exciting mystery from top to bottom. This is also a dense comic book, full of character, wit, and plot that works as a great reintroduction to the world of Bruce Wayne, while not ignoring continuity that’s come before. My only caveat? Greg Capullo’s art.
I’m a little conflicted, because at times, his Batman in particular is reminiscent of Batman: Animated Series, which is never a bad thing. And the characters have a ton of fun and life to them… It’s mainly his villains, from The Joker to Killer Croc that seem weirdly off. They look like designs for a new Batman cartoon, rather than belonging in a comic book. Granted, Snyder matches Capullo’s art by injecting his words with humor and fun, but its still a little jarring on the visuals.
That said, this is easily one of the best of The New 52, and meets – on the story side – any expectations you might have, and surpasses them. I imagine that Capullo’s art (which is really good, I want to clarify, just not what I expected) will grow on me, but story-wise, I’m 100% on board.
BEST BIT: The intro scene with the robins was a delight.
WORST BIT: Like I said, not crazy about The Joker design, he looks like Prince in a Halloween costume.
EASTER EGGS: James Gordon and Professor Pyg show up briefly… Which is awesome.
ACCESIBLE TO NEW READERS? Does a bat have wings? Yes.
WILL YOU BE PICKING UP ISSUE 2? Yes sir.
RATING: 51/52
Captain Atom #1, J.T. Krul (w), Freddie Williams II (a)
THE PITCH: Nathaniel Adam has nearly immeasurable powers over matter… Except they may be killing him.
HOW WAS IT? So Captain Atom is Firestorm now? I mean, maybe he always was, but I’m pretty sure this tweak has made the two character’s powers exactly the same. That’s just the first part of the derivative plotting that plagues this issue, from the “powers so great they can kill,” to a mysterious, possibly evil scientist who may have something to do with the creation of Atom’s powers. On the art side, occasionally, it’s impossible to tell what’s going on! I usually like Freddie Williams II, but something went wrong here, and I’m not sure where… It’s improperly and inconsistently colored and shaded, and I hesitate to place the blame in any one direction.
BEST BIT: There’s some sort of insane mouth monster that randomly shows up in an alley. I’d love to read more about that guy.
WORST BIT: There’s far too many uses of, “I am, as you know, your brother,” type dialogue in this book.
EASTER EGGS: More like goose eggs, am I right?
ACCESIBLE TO NEW READERS? Sure, this is a brand new Captain Atom.
WILL YOU BE PICKING UP ISSUE 2? No.
RATING: 17/52
DC Universe Presents: Deadman #1, Paul Jenkins (w), Bernard Chang (a)
THE PITCH: Boston Brand was a jerk while alive, but as a ghost, he may just have the chance to redeem himself.
HOW WAS IT? This felt like three or four episodes of the Deadman TV show, all jumbled together…. From the origin story, to several adventures in between, to an ongoing mystery, there’s a lot going on in this book, and unfortunately not a lot of stakes for the main character.
The biggest problem is, it would have been nice to see him on at least one adventure. We get to see him do things, but without any sense of continuity, or how they turned out. I know I’m probably being frustratingly vague, too, but honestly? I’m just confused about how this book was structured. I wish the writers had taken any one approach, and stuck to it, because there’s germs of interesting things here, but perhaps not enough to get me tuning in for episode two.
BEST BIT: Brand jumping into far too many bodies at a carnival.
WORST BIT: The montage sequence of people he’s leaped into, which is frustratingly light on details.
EASTER EGGS: None that I could see.
ACCESIBLE TO NEW READERS? I guess? All the info is there, I’m just not sure it’s ordered in a way that makes sense.
WILL YOU BE PICKING UP ISSUE 2? The last page does promise that things are going to get going in a logical order, so maybe.
RATING: 31/52
Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Paul Levitz (w), Francis Portela (a)
THE PITCH: In the future, there’s waaaaaaaaay too many superheroes.
HOW WAS IT? Okay, so first off, I should say that other than Mark Waid’s excellent take, I haven’t been a huge fan of Legion. That said, by any standard, this is a mess.
If there’s any title that deserved a total reboot – and I get that that’s happened several times before with Legion, to much anguish from the fans – its Legion. With dozens of superheroes, an insane amount of plotlines, and continuity that would give any reader a headache, there’s always just too much going on in this book. So what do they do with a new number one? Why, just pick up exactly where they left off, dealing with the fall out from the previous storylines. Not only that, but by making references to a “Flashpoint wall,” and the events of another series – Legion Lost – this book is impenetrable.
I don’t want to spend too much time trashing this book, but after already introducing nearly a dozen characters, and several different locations, all with their own plotlines, the book cuts to Legion HQ, where a character laments how small their roster is… While the double page splash introduces about a dozen MORE new characters.
That said, the art is solid, but because of the script, there’s far too much going on. Francis Portela – who is usually an ace at action – is reduced to drawing characters standing around. That’s a shame.
Like I said: a mess.
BEST BIT: Chameleon Boy turns into a space bee. I guess that was okay.
WORST BIT: Too many to count.
EASTER EGGS: This book is literally nothing but wall to wall easter eggs. Everything is a reference to something that’s happened before.
ACCESIBLE TO NEW READERS? Nope. No, no, no. No way. Nope again.
WILL YOU BE PICKING UP ISSUE 2? No.
RATING: 5/52
Related Posts:
New 52 Review: Catwoman
New 52 Reviews: 'Green Lantern Corps,' 'Red Hood and the Outlaws,' 'Nightwing,' and 'Blue Beetle'
--
Discuss this story in our Comics forums! Follow @MTVGeek on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more!
Posted 9/27/11
Posted 9/27/11
Posted 9/27/11
Posted 9/27/11
Posted 9/27/11
Comments