What’s New in the DCU – 10/05

It’s Tuesday.  The day before new books hit the shelves.  Let’s look at what’s in store for the new DCU:

In Defence Of Starfire And Red Hood And The Outlaws

Hey, looks like I’m not alone!  Some other people thought the internet over-reacted to Starfire’s portrayal in Red Hood and the Outlaws too!  Scott Lobdell explains Kory’s “memory loss” etc and (what do you know?) it looks like I was right about what he was trying to convey!  That happens so rarely, I feel the need to point it out.  He also confirms that Jason was lying about some things.  Yeah, some people at the DC Forums are going to be eating crow in two weeks when the next issue comes out…

Round-table Rant: DCnU #1′s Summary

For the last several months, we’ve been buzzing about the DC relaunch.  Now that we’ve read the first 52 issues, the read/RANT team weighs in with our thoughts.

Review: Blackhawks #1

I’m too old for GI Joe.  I missed the 80′s toy craze by a few years.  My younger brothers were into it.  But for me, it was Star Wars and the Superfriends.  Blackhawks #1 owes a lot to GI Joe.  But then GI Joe borrowed from just about every military-minded action story ever written.  So, I suppose turnabout is fair play.

Review: Voodoo #1

This book is going to get me in trouble.  Last week, I defended Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outsiders against pretty much everybody.  In fact, my defense of Starfire has been linked to every comic book forum I know of just so people can shoot holes in it.  (I stubbornly stand by my argument for these books!  Political correctness be damned!)  Voodoo #1 arguable has more T&A than both of those books combined.  And I liked it too.

Yeah, I’m never going to get rid of that dirty old man label, am I?

Review: The Savage Hawkman #1

I haven’t been fair to The Savage Hawkman.  I’ve been poking fun at the book for months.  There’s something about dubbing Hawkman “savage” and then making him all spikey that is just hysterically desperate.  It’s almost like DC is hoping that readers will mistake Hawkman for Wolverine with wings.  Little did I know when I was cracking those jokes that I was on to something.

Review: Fury of Firestorm #1

I know this will be hard to believe, but sometimes I am wrong.  Heck, I’m wrong a lot.  This is easily verified because I go on record here with alarming regularity.  So, when I’m wrong I try to make a point of coming clean.  All this is build-up to me saying: I was wrong about Firestorm.

Review: Aquaman #1

There’s a lot to like in Aquaman #1.  I think the book delivers a lot of what Aquaman fans want from a first issue.  Geoff Johns and company go to great pains to make Aquaman cool.  And they largely succeed.  Unfortunately, Geoff Johns does this will all the subtly of a sledgehammer to the skull.

What’s New in the DCU – 09/28

It’s Tuesday.  The day before new books hit the shelves.  Let’s look at what’s in store for the new DCU:

All-Star Western #1 - I have never read any of Gray and Palmiotti’s Jonah Hex, but I have heard good things.  Truth is, I’ve never been a fan of the writing team or the character.  And I’m not much of a fan of westerns either.  So, this is kind of a tough sale for me.  But, in the spirit of the relaunch, I’m giving everything a try regardless of my personal biases.  I’ll split the difference and give this one a neutral rating.

Level of Anticipation – 5 of 10 

Review: Legion of Super-Heroes #1

I’m not a dumb guy.  At least I like to think I’m not a dumb guy.  Comic books don’t typically test the limits of my reading comprehension.  But Legion of Super-Heroes #1 made me feel like I should be wearing a dunce cap.

Review: Captain Atom #1

I really wanted to like this book.  I’ve been holding out hope for a good version of Captain Atom for a long, long time.  But for some reason, DC consistently misses the mark where Captain Atom is concerned.  This issue is another case of a near miss, I’m afraid.

Is Starfire a Bimbo?

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 has fan boys in a frenzy.  This isn’t surprising.  Any book that stars the Red Hood is bound to be a target.  Adding DC whipping boy Roy Harper is just chumming the water.  But what has a lot of fans foaming at the mouth is Scott Lobdell’s treatment of former Teen Titan, Starfire.

Review: Supergirl #1

*spoilers*

Review: Catwoman #1

*spoilers*

Review: Green Lantern Corps #1

*spoilers*

Review: Birds of Prey #1

*Spoilers*

Review: Wonder Woman #1

*Spoilers*

Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #1

If you’re not already a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that ship has sailed.  Joss Whedon and company make no effort whatsoever to convert you.  Whedon’s writing directly to the fanbase.  Fortunately, I am a card carrying member.

Review: Mr. Terrific #1

This book came out last week.  But I’m just now getting around to writing my reviews of it.  This isn’t a case of procrastination.  The truth is, I’ve been dragging my feet because I’m still making up my mind about the book.

What’s New in the DCU – 09/21

It’s Tuesday.  The day before new books hit the shelves.  Let’s look at what’s in store for the new DCU:

Batman #1 - Once again, we start off with a Batbook which means there’s no dramatic changes here.  If you liked Scott Snyder’s run on Detective Comics (and who didn’t?), odds are you’ll enjoy his take on Batman.  I have no strong feelings on Greg Capullo’s art one way or another.

Level of Anticipation – 7 out of 10