Here I round out the first month of the New 52, with one sentence reviews of each title released this week. They are scored out of five and at the end I have a cumulative leader board (averaging the scores of each title) to show which are consistently excellent, which are on the rise, and which are circling the drain.
There could be spoilers ahead (although I try to avoid them).
Aquaman #1
Much more self-aware than I was expecting, this highly entertaining first issue tackles head-on every snigger and slur fanboys (and even the general public) have slung Aquaman’s way over the years and turns them on their head … some readers might be surprised at Aquaman’s power level in the New 52 because he can seriously kick ass – 4
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Justice League Dark #1
Beautifully illustrated but terribly named (even ‘Dark Justice’ would have been better), if this debut issue was a meal I’d say it was tasty, nutritious and filling … and I not only want to read the next issue but also re-read this one a few times to better absorb its deliciousness – 4
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Green Lantern – New Guardians #1
Despite being a Kyle Rayner fan, I was very nervous about this new title, but this first issue really works, providing a nice retelling of Kyle’s origin before bringing the book’s ensemble (and thoroughly mismatched) cast together in a way I wasn’t expecting but enjoyed immensely – 4
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The Flash #1
Flash Fact – There’s a lot to like in this first issue, which looks great (even the new suit with all those weird seam lines, which artist Manapul uses to very cool effect) and tells an appropriately fast-paced and engaging story, with the only real drawback being some bizarre dialogue for Iris West – 3.5
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I, Vampire #1
It looks, smells and tastes like a Vertigo book (apart from a somewhat jarring reference to Superman, Green Lanterns and Wonder Woman) and, as such, is a fitting component of the New 52’s “Dark” range, which does justice to gothic vampire lore that has more in common with ‘Dracula’ than ‘Twilight’ – 3.5
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Superman #1
Definitely not faster than a speeding cliché (and they must have used every Supes cliché in the book), this was an old school, self-contained story in which Superman saves the day, but it felt more like a Daily Planet yarn, with the Man of Steel just a supporting character, and mightn’t be what some readers were hoping for – 3
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Blackhawks #1
Sure, it’s hard to read this one without immediately thinking of G.I. Joe, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was mostly a well-written, nicely drawn and all-round entertaining comic book, with plenty of action and good character intros – 3
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Teen Titans #1
Despite the facts this felt more like an Image book from the 1990s than a Titans story and it represents a complete (some might argue unnecessary) reboot of the title, it was an okay debut issue for DC’s premiere teen team – 3
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All Star Western #1
An enthralling – almost Holmesian – murder mystery plot, very tidy artwork (including great colouring) and other elements of a great comic book were undermined by having the character of Amadeus Arkham providing long-winded, psychobabble narration – 2.5
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Voodoo #1
Nothing amazing or particularly surprising unfolds in the pages of this debut issue and I’m growing tired of DC’s apparent commitment to the “sex sells” strategy, but at least this comic looks good (except for the big reveal, which looked awkward and ugly … and not the kind of ugly I think it was supposed to be) – 2.5
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The Fury of Firestorm #1
A real mixed offering, this debut issue was okay when it was introducing the two main characters, but everything else was utter drivel, and the story shanks when it’s revealed that some super scientist has entrusted an uppity teen with a “god particle” (WTF?) and he’s keeping it safe and sound in his high school locker (double WTF?), with it only getting sillier from there – 2
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Savage Hawkman #1
A bit of a train-wreck, this featured an angsty and mostly unlikeable protagonist and a completely predictable and uninteresting plot, but was arguably saved from complete failure by the fact that the creators played it safe – 2
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Batman – The Dark Knight #1
I could probably make this a one-syllable review with a simple “meh”, because this hopelessly clichéd and utterly forgettable opening issue is far and away the weakest Bat-book in the first month of the New 52 (and arguably the worst DC book of the week) – 2
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If you haven’t already, check out previous weeks here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
LEADER BOARD
=1. Animal Man 4.5
=1. Batwoman 4.5
=3. Aquaman 4
=3. Batman and Robin 4
=3. Birds of Prey 4
=3. Green Lantern Corps 4
=3. Green Lantern – New Guardians 4
=3. Justice League Dark 4
=3. Resurrection Man 4
=3. Static Shock 4
=3. Swamp Thing 4
=3. Wonder Woman 4
=13. Batgirl 3.5
=13. Batman 3.5
=13. Blue Beetle 3.5
=13. Demon Knights 3.5
=13. Detective Comics 3.5
=13. Green Lantern 3.5
=13. I, Vampire 3.5
=13. Justice League 3.5
=13. Nightwing 3.5
=13. Superboy 3.5
=13. Supergirl 3.5
=13. The Flash 3.5
=25. Action Comics 3
=25. Batwing 3
=25. Blackhawks 3
=25. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. 3
=25. Justice League International 3
=25. Men of War 3
=25. Mister Terrific 3
=25. O.M.A.C. 3
=25. Suicide Squad 3
=25. Superman 3
=25. Teen Titans 3
=36. All Star Western 2.5
=36. Captain Atom 2.5
=36. Deathstroke 2.5
=36. Green Arrow 2.5
=36. Legion Lost 2.5
=36. Voodoo 2.5
=42. Batman – The Dark Knight 2
=42. Catwoman 2
=42. DC Universe Presents 2
=42. Red Hood and the Outlaws 2
=42. Red Lanterns 2
=42. Savage Hawkman 2
=42. Stormwatch 2
=42. The Fury of Firestorm 2
50. Legion of Super Heroes 1.5
=51. Grifter 1
=51. Hawk and Dove 1
read/RANT! 
Not bad, but I still think Detective Comics was worse than Batman TDK. Also, Teen Titans does not represent a complete reboot of the Teen Titans. There still is some previous Teen Titan history in this universe, just nothing involving volume 3 which is Tim’s team with Cassie, Bart, and Conner.
Good point about the Titans.
I thought Detective was much, much better than TDK. The end of Detective alone was at least something different. A hulked up villain is such a comic cliche.
Yeah, DC did have the better ending, but in my mind its not enough to make up for the rest of the story. At the same time TDK’s ending wasn’t enough to destroy what I thought was overall a good story if you ignore the other 3 Batman centered comics.
It didn’t help TDK that Batman already had Bruce speaking at an event and that speech was much better than this one.
The only thing new that TDK seemingly brought to the table was the IA cop on Bruce’s back for funding Batman.
I normally like Finch’s art too, but I didn’t think this was his best.
I think you misprinted All-Star Western’s score – it should be 5.2.
Haha. I’m glad you enjoyed it. But between the Arkham narration, which bugged the hell out of me when it wasn’t boring me, and a plot – while good – that was a little too reminiscent of From Hell, I couldn’t score it higher than 2.5.