MK1 News

Nov 26The Mat Signal: 12/52 +1 (part one)

The Mat Signal: 12/52 +1 (part one)

Unless you’ve been living in a cave (of the non-Bat/non-Mat variety) you’re well aware that DC has undergone a massive shakeup – rebooting its entire line in a move that, without (much) hyperbole, must surely be one of the biggest events in comics history. Flowing out of the ‘Flashpoint’ mini-series DC has combined the DCU, Wildstorm, and parts of Vertigo into a new universe and timeline and launching or re-launching 52 titles under the creative banner of…uh…’52’.

The new comics are a combination of re-booted mainstays, re-launches of cancelled titles from years past and entirely new offerings. While the reading would be fun – reviewing all 52 books would take up more time and space than is practical (“Dammit Chris, I’m a reviewer, not a Time Lord!”) so the Master of MK1 suggested a quick fire look at a cross-section of what’s on offer. So here we have 12 of the DC 52 titles (+ 1 Marvel one thrown in for all y’all DC haters out there)

Green Arrow #1

A much younger gajillionaire, Oliver Queen uses his archery skills and mega riches to fight crime with the assistance of some skilled employees. If you’re a fan of the Smallville version of the character you’ll feel right at home here. The art is by Dan Jurgens and George Perez there’s no surprise in the fact that it looks fantastic.

Batman #1 and Detective Comics #1

A couple of years ago Frank Miller & Jim Lee’s ‘All Star Batman’ stirred up all sorts of controversy with its dark, ultra-violent, sexualised take on the caped crusader and criticism for how far removed the character was from his depiction in the ‘in continuity’ version. It now seems like that book was just a foreshadowing of things to come because DC have definitely decided to go all Dark Knighty with all of its bat related titles (Dark Knighty: just one of the many items of lingerie worn by Selina Kyle in her  T&A fest  first issue).

There’s some brutal stuff in the pages of DC#1 – gory enough that I wouldn’t let my kids read it. Not only have they ratcheted up the violence but New Batman is a also a ho – shacking up with a new love interest not long after getting his freak on in a 4 page rooftop tryst with Catwoman that makes the 2 panel equivalent in All Star Batman & Robin that set the net on fire look positively tame in comparison (the titles appear to be loosely tied together with the Catwoman hookup being referenced in both DC and Batman).

So ok, you get it, the tone is dark and it’s for mature readers, but are the stories any good? Yep. No worries there. Both Scott Snyder on Batman and Tony Daniel on DC hooked me in good with the set up for their first story arcs. There’s some great dialogue in both books and little touches like the Dark Knight’s circle of trust ratings of the members of Team Batman provide cool insights into where his head is at. Detective Comics in particular finishes on a cliff hanger that could potentially signal a big change for a major character and had me grabbing for the next issue.

Art-wise it’s interesting to see both Greg Capullo and Daniel eschew the smooth bold lines that both of them have been known for and take on a looser, sketchier look. Whether this is an artistic choice or just a by product of them trying to maintain a monthly schedule, it definitely works well with the new tone of the titles.

Green Lantern #1

Reboot? What Reboot? Geoff Johns keeps on truckin’ with one of the best super-hero books around. The story carries straight on from the ‘War of the Green Lanterns’ story line without missing a beat and has all of the great dialogue, characterisation, and ‘wow’ moments that we’ve come to expect from this title. Green Lantern was a must read before ‘52’ and looks to continue to be so now.

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1

When I was a lad (more years ago than I care to admit) we didn’t have pop/pulp culture emporiums like our beloved MK1.  Comics were obtained from local dairies and dodgy book exchanges where there was never any rhyme or reason to what was stocked or in what quantities. It was pretty much impossible to guarantee that you’d get your favourite title every month (which is probably why most stories were only 1 or 2 parts) so a young comic junkie had to develop pretty eclectic tastes and just choose something from what was on offer. Anytime there was a Spider-man, Batman, X-Men Avengers, Green Lantern, Flash, Superman etc. in stock was a great day. If you couldn’t get one of the big guns (more often than not) you would have to pick from what was left in order of preference, with the likes of Firestorm being right at the bottom of the list. You’d still buy/read it if there really was nothing else, but it wasn’t ever your first choice.

Green Lantern, New X-Men artist extraordinaire, Ethan Van Sciver, obviously has quite different memories of the character because given his choice of characters in the DCU to play with he went with Firestorm…Firestorm??! Yellow and red suit with flames coming out of the top of his head Firestorm?! Yep. That Firestorm.

Well, I read it (last of course) and…wow! It’s actually really good! The art is typically great from Van Sciver (though the fact that he’s not inking his own work this time around makes his linework look looser than usual), but he (as Co-plotter) and Gail Simone also do a great job of introducing and establishing the premise and characters in a way that is high on action and low on exposition. The Dialogue is Snappy, Conspiracy Abounds, Characters Conflict, Stuff Happens, Things Go Boom, and even the yellow/red costume suddenly doesn’t look so wussy! (though there’s now a yellow costume, a red costume, and a yellow and red costume…it’s called ‘the nuclear men’…just read the book…)

Now….where’s issue 2?! (actually already on the MK1 shelves!) I can’t believe that I actually like a Firestorm comic! Next thing you know I’ll be saying I like Aquaman (*snigger*)!…

…*cough*…well…um…now that you mention it…

Aquaman #1

Somewhere along the line, Aquaman has become the joke of the DCU. I don’t know if it was the old Super-friends cartoons or maybe it was all those old school JLA comics (Batman: “ Ok – Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and I will go into space and face the [insert name of interplanetary threat of the month]. Aquaman – you go and talk to the fishies and ask if they’ve seen anything”), but somehow the King of Atlantis just hasn’t seemed to have the same cool factor as the other big guns of the JLA. Some really great writers (Peter David, Kurt Busiek, Erik Larsen) have tried and  failed to generate enough buzz to keep an Aquaman solo title going but it always seems to go porpoise shaped in the end.

Then Geoff Johns strides in like Clint Eastwood to Sort This Crap Out.

I’m convinced that Geoff Johns has a real to goodness Superpower – namely the ability to pick up a tangled mess of continuity and spin it into gold. In this first issue he takes Aquaman’s audience (or lack thereof) baggage head on with the King of Atlantis being faced with people who verbalise all the reasons for his perceived un-coolness.  His responses provide for some great comic moments but also opportunities to reveal nuances to his character. “Aquaman walks into a fish shop…” sounds like the start of a joke, but it’s actually the set up for one of the best and most memorable scenes I’ve read for a while – skewering preconceptions, bringing the LOL, and revealing a touching memory that, along with Arthur’s reactions provides a surprisingly poignant moment.

Johns ignores the usual suspects from Aquaman’s rogues gallery to introduce a brand new serious and decidedly gruesome threat that looks like it could be as big to Mr. Fishy as his creation of the Sinestro Corps and other Lanterns was in his other famous reboot. I’m looking forward to see how it all plays out. Most of all I’m looking forward to finding out more about the Dude From Atlantis – turns out he’s not who I thought he was.

Join me soon in The Mat Signal: 12/52 +1 (part two) where I’ll take a look at:

• Suicide Squad
• Deathstroke
• Swamp Thing
• Resurrection Man
• Animal Man
• Justice League International
• + Moon Knight

Tags: Mat Signal, Review