DC finishes some of their first story arcs for the New 52 while soliciting the final trade paperbacks from the Pre-Flashpoint Era. The New 52 attempts to use various official and unofficial crossovers between issues to solidify the DC Universe. DC Comics wants a shared universe however crams too much in making it more complicated than it needs to be. DC Comics releases their collections of Flashpoint crossovers however the point seems mute as none of those stories actually matter due to the new 52.
Stories that have carried over from the Pre-Flashpoint Era, seem to be doing well as they have a strong foundation to build there characters including Batman and Green Lantern. Some of the best writers have told the best stories with the DC characters. Now a new generation of writers must be as good or better to be relatable to a new generation of comic fans who are smarter readers.
Praise: Building a Strong Foundation
Writers Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato bring another dimension to the Flash expanding on what previous writers have told including Mark Waid and Geoff Johns. The dialogue alone from Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) of Wonder Woman makes the title worth picking up. Green Lantern seems like the only DC franchise worthy to hold water as their stories have carried through from the Pre-Flashpoint Era thanks to Geoff Johns. Johns is also continuing to bring new adventures to
Aquaman and creating back to the heights of writer Peter David when he was on the title.
Aquaman and creating back to the heights of writer Peter David when he was on the title.
The Batman franchise gained some boost thanks to Grant Morrison building up Batman Incorporated. Batwing bring another version of Batman with different origins and ethnicities giving this character a new dynamic in storytelling. Detective Comics has brought a sense of mystery to keep the average Batman fan entertained until the next issue arrives. Batman: The Dark Knight by Paul Jenkins and David Finch brought eye candy to Batman and the other characters. Scott Snyder carries the main Batman title with artist Greg Capullo (Spawn).The Batwoman title whose main character was the brought forward during aftermath of 2006’s Infinite Crisis carries strong story arcs for the future as well as Batman Beyond Unlimited which gives us a glimpse of Bruce Wayne’s legacy.
Both Swamp Thing and Animal Man have interesting stories to tell as the qualities are on the levels of Alan Moore and Grant Morrison’s stories. I, Vampire brings the vampires face-to-face with the heroes of the DC Universe and fully integrating the characters.
Writer Scott Lobdell is blessed with his artists R.B. Silva on Superboy, Brett Booth on Teen Titans, and Kenneth Rocafort on Red Hood and the Outlaws. The fresh storytelling with breathtaking art brings life to these DC titles.
Complaints: Fill-Ins Artists andWriters
Both Action Comics and Justice League are slow burns as their stories are placed in the past. Their “real” stories will not be told until next year so fans will not be able to judge their present stories with upcoming story arcs. Both titles have earned help from other artists to continue the stories until the regular artist catches up.
When writers and artists are changed within the first six months, it shows the publishers have not planned things out properly. Superman writer George Perez is replaced with Kieth Griffen and Dan Jurgens (Death of Superman). The first of Superman two issues are extremely verbose and crosses over with Stormwatch for one panel. The seventh issue begins with a Wildstorm invasion of Daemonites. Superman needs fresh blood for a new generation not writers of the past who are too familiar with the character to progress him forward.
The Wildstorm title Stormwatch gets guest writer Paul Jenkins (Batman: The Dark Knight) to substitute for Paul Cornell after the first six issues. The first three issues of Voodoo by Ron Marz may be read through pictures. The words add very little to the story as the art gives a good narrative. Marz gets to play with his Kyle Rayner Green Lantern character by issue three, which has little effect on the story other than incorporating the title into the DC Universe. DC needs to focus on providing full story arcs within one to three issues to keep readers focused than waiting six months for an entire story they may forget.
MARCH 2012 PULL LIST
3/7
Batwing #7
Detective Comics #7
Red Lanterns #7
3/14
Batwoman #7
Green Lantern #7
Superboy #7
3/21
Batman #7
Batman Beyond Unlimited #2
Green Lantern Corps #7
Justice League #7
Red Hood and the Outlaws #7
Wonder Woman #7
3/28
Aquaman#7
Batman:The Dark Knight #7
The Flash#7
I,Vampire #7
Teen Titans #7
