In the second wave of DC's New 52, we
said goodbye to the bottom of the barrel and said hello to six new
titles that really freshened up the universe. Batman Incorporated,
G.I. Combat, World's Finest, Earth 2, Dial H, and Ravagers are all
getting thumbs up from readers, but how will the new third wave
titles hold up?
Writer, Justin Jordan and artist, Jesus
Merino revive Team 7 from the WildStorm archives. Team 7 stars
WildStorm characters John Lynch, Grifter, and Alex Fairchild along
with DC characters Amanda Waller, Black Canary, Steve Trevor and
Deathstroke. Justin Jordan's previous works include Hack/Slash and
The Strange Talent of Luthor Strode, which means the Team 7 is bound
to be an enjoyable collection of grit and violence.
Sword and Sorcery is written by
Saturday morning cartoon scribe, Christy Marx and illustrated by
Justice League International artist, Aaron Lopresti. This title
brings back Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld. I'm a fan of Lopresti's
work on JLI and Marvel's Planet Hulk, but I'm not sure if I'm ready
for a book in DC's dark line to read like an episode of Thundercats.
I'll check it out, though. And if it's a winner, I will be the first
to say so.
Out of the four books coming from wave
3, the one I'm most anticipating is Phantom Stranger. I'm just a
little worried about a few things. The title is written by Dan Didio
and illustrated by Brent Anderson. Anderson's art is always awesome,
but I'm less confident about Didio's writing. I still can't forget
how he killed the New 52's O.M.A.C. for me and later sunk the whole
series. Also, I'm worried about the promises he's made for the
series. He offers us answers to the question, “Who is the Phantom
Stranger?” Isn't the point of the Phantom Stranger, to be a
stranger? If we knew who he was, he might be the Phantom Joe or the Phantom
Willis. I like my phantom a stranger, thank you. You have one last
chance Dan Didio... don't mess this up.
Another new book that looks promising
is Talon. Talon is right out of the "Night of the Owls" storyline that
ran through the Batman titles. In this new series, Calvin Rose
leaves the Court of Owls and decides to lead a normal life... that
is, if the Court of Owls doesn't kill him first. This book could be
the hottest thing in the New 52, so keep your eyes peeled. It's
written by Scott Snyder (Swamp Thing) and James Tynion IV and drawn
by Guillem March (Catwoman), so it should be intense and beautiful.
Those are the four new titles coming
into the New 52, but doesn't that mean there should be four books
getting canceled? Here's what got cut:
Captain Atom... What I read was ok,
but the art and the story didn't keep me interested enough to read
more than three issues.
Resurrection Man... I really like the
idea of a guy who dies and comes back to life with a different
superpower, but the art and writing weren't strong enough to hold me
and with Dial H ringing up a new super hero persona for whoever uses
the magic phone booth, Resurrection Man seems unnecessary.
Voodoo... It's said to have been on
the bottom as far as sales. Another book that didn't really hold my
interest. I didn't care much for her when she was a WildStorm
character and I don't care so much now.
And the last book in this wave of
cancellations is Justice League International. This is something I
find odd, since Dan Didio claims that it was selling really well. He
said, in an interview, that even though the book was doing well in
sales, DC wasn't seeing the characters go in a direction they wanted.
Personally, I think it has to do with Didio putting O.M.A.C. in the
series. He admitted that he wanted to write the character “just
one more time.”
We'll see how these new titles stack up
next to the rest. Books being canned and introduced will all be a
part of DC's “Zero Month” except for JLI which is getting the axe
this August.
No comments:
Post a Comment