Birds of Prey #1, Duane Swierczynski (w), Jesus Saiz (a) [Print]

THE PITCH: Dinah Lance, AKA Black Canary, is wanted for murder--but that's not going to stop her from putting together

HOW WAS IT? After Gail Simone's stellar work with the team over the last few years, I was a little iffy about the New 52 incarnation of BoP. It wasn't the fairly dramatic redesigns of the characters (maybe it falls into the body armor same-y-ness of the rest of the line) or the change in lineup (the whole point of this exercise was to mix things up, right). But there's a particular kind of trap a book like Birds of Prey can fall into, dragged into the same kind of quippy tough girl comic that exhausts its charm before you've even closed the book. Imagine if every character was a variation on Pam Anderson as Barbed Wire, and you've got the terrible book in you brain that I have in mind.

Thankfully, writer Duane Swierczynski didn't write that book, but that's not to say his introduction of the team to new readers doesn't go over as smoothly as I'd hoped.

First off, this is one of quite a few books in the relaunch that uses a fractured timeline to tell its story. We start with a Gotham reporter who's been trailing Black Canary in her civilian guise for a mysterious source who wants to expose the Birds as "some covert ops team run by a bunch of supercriminal hotties" (actual words, used, people). Cue the reporter's source deciding he's better off without the reporter and next thing you know, Black Canary and her new teammate Starling (civilian identity, Ev Crawford), come in with punches flying and guns blazing.
Read more...

Tags Birds of Prey, DC Comics, Duane Swierczynski, Jesus Saiz, New 52

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.

Read more...

Tags Batman, DC Comics, New 52

Catwoman #1, Judd Winick (w), Guillem March (a)

THE PITCH: Sexy thief who dresses like a cat is sexy, and also, sex.

HOW WAS IT? If you look at the cover of this book, I think it’s pretty clear what you’re in for: a sexy good time, of sexual proportions. Also? Catwoman.

Okay, to get a little more specific, and talk about the unequivocally good: Guillem March draws some sickly slick comic book art, full of repulsive gangsters, sexy women, and some of the clearest, most dynamic action in comics today. If you read Gotham City Sirens, you’re already pretty aware of his talent with the villainesses of Gotham City, but I imagine this issue – being part of the New 52 – will win him a ton of new fans. At least, I hope so: not that Judd Winick doesn’t bring anything to the table, but as far as this reviewer is concerned, March drawing Catwoman is the main draw (no pun intended).

It’s also pretty clear that Winick is writing for March, amping up the inherent sexuality in Selina Kyle, and bringing her back to a basic approach we haven’t seen since Batman Returns. The plot, as it were, involves Selina getting attacked in her own home, grabbing all the bras and pussies she can (cats, you guys), and jetting out of there. Then, she’s hot on the trail of a new job, which takes her face to face with a man from her past. And then, before the night is done, she’s face to other parts with another man from her past.

I think – and I don’t want to make a generalization here – but Winick is the wrong writer for this series. Or maybe he’s the right writer, and it just isn’t apparent. I don’t even remotely share the hatred about fifty percent of comic fandom seems to show the author; I’ve actually loved a fair amount of what he’s written, and even in this issue, he writes a fun story that moves briskly, and introduces Catwoman’s new/old status quo through action… Something many of the other New 52 titles have forgotten about. Guy is a pro, is my point… Read more...

Tags Catwoman, DC Comics, New 52

Green Lantern Corps #1, Peter J. Tomasi (w), Fernando Pasarin (a) [Print]

THE PITCH: The Green Lantern Corps has thousands of galaxy protecting billions of lives. Guy Gardner and John Stewart are a couple of the regular Joes from Earth who protect Sector 2814.

HOW WAS IT? This book, you guys. I half really like it and half want to throw it out the window. I don't know, it's probably because it was the last book I read this week and seeing another person get killed in a pretty terrible way and then seeing an act of genocide and what I thought was at first an homage to the poster for Cannibal Holocaust... I was put off a little, alright? And that's a shame, because after the first couple of pages of lingering, incredibly detailed slaughter, Peter J. Tomasi has a pretty decent little story to tell you about Guy Gardner and John Stewart trying to figure out what to do in between calls as Lanterns.

This issue--the unfortunately titled "Triumph of the Will"--spends the bulk of its time on Guy and John trying to get steady jobs while not being called on to battle intergalactic color-based calamity. Guy's angling for a job as a high school coach and Stewart is pitching a building design to a bunch of developers and both of them kind of blow their respective gigs.
Read more...

Tags Blue Beetle, DC Comics, Eddy Barrows, Fernando Pasarin, Green Lantern Corps, Ig Guara, Kenneth Rocafort, kyle higgins, New 52, Nightwing, Peter J. Tomasi, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Scott Lobdell, Tony Bedard

A mythic superhero. A broken astronaut. A revenge tale told over one hundred issues. Writer Brian Azzarello couldn’t be accused of writing the same thing every time out. Or could he? On the eve of the release of his new series, Wonder Woman; and with his new Vertigo series with Eduardo Risso hitting a month later, we chatted with the author about his take on the future, why “the crime guy” is tackling Princess Diana, and whether he ever looks back at 100 Bullets (spoiler: he doesn’t):

MTV Geek: Let’s start off talking about Spaceman… I’ve read the story in Strange Adventures – which I liked – but what was the germ of the idea for the story?

Brian Azzarello: I got the germ like where I get so many germs: in a bar. [Laughs] I was having drinks with a friend of mine, he’s a bio-engineering professor in Chicago. It was about the time when NASA announced that they and the Russian space program were going to work jointly to get to Mars. So we were talking about that, and he – being an engineer – said, “It’s not going to happen. The human body can’t make that journey yet, because we lose too much bone density, and our skeletal systems will be compromised by the time we make it to Mars – the amount of time it would take.” And they really don’t know, at this time, to change that. Him being a bio-engineer, I said, “Couldn’t NASA engineer that? Couldn’t they take some kids then make the trip?” He said, “Yeah, that would be possible.” And that was the germ.

Geek: You’re working with Eduardo Risso again… How has your working relationship changed over the years, or is it pretty much the same as when you started 100 Bullets?

BA: It’s definitely gotten – not a lot more comfortable. There’s just a familiarity now. We’ve gotten to the point where we can finish each other’s sentences. We’ve done thousands of pages by now. Read more...

Tags Brian Azzarello, DC Comics, New 52, Spaceman, Vertigo, Wonbder Woman

MTV Geek is pleased to present you with an exclusive preview of The Fury Of Firestorm #1 -- hitting stands September 28 -- written by Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone, with art by Yildiray Cinar:

Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond. These two high school students are worlds apart – and now they're drawn into a conspiracy of super-science that bonds them forever in a way they can't explain or control.

The dark secrets of the murderous Dog Team and its Firestorm Protocol force them to put aside their differences to confront a threat so terrifying that it may lead to a new Cold War!

Welcome to a major new vision of nuclear terror from writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone with astonishing art by Yildiray Cinar!

Read the exclusive preview of The Fury Of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men right here!

Related Posts:
New 52 Review: Supergirl #1
New 52: 'Wonder Woman' #1 Is An Adventure in Fast-Forward

--

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!

Tags DC Comics, Fury of Firestorm, New 52

Supergirl #1, Michael Green and Mike Johnson (w), Mahmud Asrar (a)

THE PITCH: She’s sixteen years old, has all the powers of Superman, and no idea where she is – or why.

HOW WAS IT?Well, it’s basically one big action sequence, so if you like that sort of thing? Awesome. Asrar knows how to stage a scene, and from Supergirl first figuring out how to use her powers, to her initial crash into the Earth, everything is clean and clear.

Also clean and clear? Green and Johnson’s writing. The duo are known for their work on Smallville(the TV show, not fictional construction projects), but their comic writing is even better, with crisp, clear concepts than come across simply. Here, Supergirl crash lands on Earth, though she doesn’t know how she got there, where she is, or why. And immediately, through a bit of a misunderstanding, she’s attacked. And then fights back. And then someone else (you can probably guess who) is thrown into the mix.

That’s pretty much it… Like I said, it’s a bit tough to talk about this book, because other than introing our main character’s confusion and visible vaginal lines, there’s not a whole lot going on here. It’s Asrar’s show, and for the most part, he handles it nicely. Read more...

Tags DC Comics, New 52, Supergirl

Wonder Woman #1, Brian Azzarello (w), Cliff Chiang (a) [Print]

THE PITCH: When monsters from Greek mythology attack you in your home, you don't call the police. You call... Wonder Woman.

HOW WAS IT? There's a narrative hiccup early in Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang's take on Wonder Woman that threatens to derail the whole book. There's a a transition--or lack of one--between two scenes, starting with a moment in a barn and ending with a character looking out of a farmhouse window, and in between maybe the second and third panel of the farmhouse scene, there's a lack of story and visual information and two characters are seemingly abruptly in the same space. To a certain extent this reflect the confusion of one of the characters, a woman named Zola, presented with a random blue guy in her living room, but somehow it feels like a panel or a page is missing and it becomes a big deal when you're trying to orient yourself to unfamiliar characters, spaces, circumstances, etc..

If I'm harping on one page, it's because it hurts the flow of this first, relatively straightforward issue that finds new character Zola (like Wonder Woman, she has no need of pants) requiring the protection of the Amazon princess. Also: murderous centaurs.

Honest up front: I've never been a big fan of Wonder Woman stories, which is weird because I love tough women and Greek mythology. But since trying to get into the character around Infinite Crisis or so, the character has come in two flavors: "trying to find herself" and "not Wonder Woman." I'm hoping that Azzarello isn't heading in the latter direction here with Diana at one point correcting Zola when the latter calls her by her superheroine identity. And if I never read another "Who is Wonder Woman" story again, it'll be too soon.
Read more...

Tags Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, DC Comics, New 52, Wonder Woman

If I had to pick one series out of DC’s "New 52" I'm most looking forward to, it would probably be Wonder Woman #1 -- out this Wednesday 9/21!  -- from the team of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. For years, Chiang has been turning in some of the best comic book art ever, with a unique look characterized by thickly inked lines, and clean simple compositions. And fans have responded, snapping him his always welcome mash-up drawings (Teen Titans as The Breakfast Club! Batgirl on the Purple Rain poster!) and Con exclusives like hotcakes.

Read more...

Tags Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, DC Comics, New 52, Wonder Woman

Those guys just brought knives to a photon fight.
Read more...

Tags DC Comics, Jamal Igle, Jimmy Palmiotti, justin gray, New 52, The Ray