Green Arrow #1

Written by J.T. Krull
Art by Dan Jergens and Norm Rapmund
Cover by Brett Booth and Rob Hunter (This is according to Previews, but they have a different cover shown from the one that was actually released.)
On sale September 7, 2011 - 32 pages for $2.99
Rated T

My Rating: 2/5
Will this be in my pull list? Nope.

Previews Text: Green Arrow is on the hunt. Driven by inner demons, Ollie Queen travels the world and brings outlaws to justice... by breaking every law.

Now, armed with cutting-edge weaponry and illegally gained intel (courtesy of his team at QCore), Green Arrow is shooting first and asking questions later.

I'm going to say it up front. This comic wasn't for me. Some of my friends liked it, and I can see why they liked it, but it just wasn't my thing.

Oliver Queen - AKA: Green Arrow - is having to take down super powered kids who want to - wait for it - make violent videos to post on the internet. Yes, that really is their goal. And the fact that they so very often referred to the fact that they're taking the videos on their Q-phones makes me think that they have something to do with QCore, the branch of Queen Industries that Oliver doesn't want much to do with. Even though the Previews text said that's where he gets all his intel from. Yeah.

This issue kinda bored me. I found myself waiting for it to end. But that's just my opinion, not everyone is going to agree with it and I wouldn't expect them to. Hell, one of my good friends thought it was great. But I'm standing by what I said. Sorry, Green Arrow, you're not making the pull list.

Detective Comics #1

Written by Tony S. Daniel
Art by Tony S. Daniel and Ryan Winn
Cover by Tony S. Daniel
On sale September 7, 2011 - 32 pages for $2.99
Rated T

My Rating: 5/5
Will this be in my pull list? You better believe it.

Previews Text: DC's flagship title is relaunched for the first time ever, with new Batman adventures from acclaimed writer/artist Tony S. Daniel!

A killer called The Gotham Ripper is on the loose on Batman's home turf - leading The Dark Knight on a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Detective Comics. The title DC gets it's name from, starring one of their most iconic characters - Batman. The only Batman in the DCnU, by the way.

Unlike Justice League and Action Comics, this one actually takes place modern day. And according to interviews, this series will actually be based more in detective work than most recent Batman books.

Batman is going to be mostly facing off against two villains - Joker (duh!) and a new one we haven't exactly met yet, but I've got a feeling it's going to be a guy called The Gotham Ripper. Gee, where could I have gotten that idea from?

I can't say a lot about this one without giving things away, but I can say that this issue had some things in it that pretty much floored me. It's a dark book, which should be obvious considering the protagonist, but the ending is even dark for his line. That's saying something.

I can't wait for the next issue to come out - I have to see where it goes from here. Yes, this one is securely in my pull list and it will be for the foreseeable future.

Batwing #1

Written by Judd Winick
Art and cover by Ben Oliver
On sale September 7, 2011 - 32 pages for $2.99
Rated T

My Rating: 3/5
Will it be in my pull list? Hopefully. But it isn't a top priority.

Previews Text: Africa, a land of beauty - and of great horror. A land of creation and conflict. It is in desperate need of a defender, and from the ranks of Batman Incorporated comes a soldier to carry on the legacy of The Dark Knight in the most tumultuous region on Earth. Meet Batwing, the Batman of Africa!

Ah, Batwing. The first of the New 52 to not make my monthly pull list. But don't get me wrong, it was a fun read with absolutely fall over stunning art, but there was just so much good stuff that I couldn't keep it all. This is one that if I can manage another title in my pull list it'll be right back in there.

This is another branch of the Bat family. Batman Inc. is still up and running, and Batwing is the member in Africa. He's even got his own big bad - a man that goes by Massacre who enjoys killing drug dealers and former vigilantes.

Plus, Batwing takes places in the single most corrupt and crime ridden city in Africa. There's bound to be tons of stories to tell in a place like that.

Like I said, it was a good story and I would love to see out it pans out, and the art was absolutely amazing. I really do hope that my pull list has room for it next month.

Batgirl #1

Written by Gail Simone
Art by Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes
Cover by Adam Hughes
On sale September 7, 2011 - 32 pages for $2.99
Rated T

My rating: 3/5
Will it be in my pull list? Yes. But not for the reason you think.

Previews Text: Yes, it's really happening!

Barbara Gordon is back as Batgirl - and she's going to have to face the city's most horrifying new villains as well as the dark secrets from her past. You won't want to miss this stunning debut issue from fan-favorite BIRDS OF PREY writer Gail Simone!

Alright. Here's the thing. Right off the bat. I have a very love/hate relationship with Batgirl. The character, not the series. (Okay, the series, too.) I adore Stephanie Brown. She's one of my favorite characters in comics in general, especially her run as Batgirl.

I. Hate. Barbara Gordon. I always have. She's one of those characters that is just too perfect for me to like. And I especially don't like that she's out of the chair and has taken the Batgirl name back. Okay, her being out of the chair doesn't bother me that much, it happens a lot in comics. I'm over that. But I just want Steph to have the bat back on her chest. And to, you know. Be somewhere in the comics.

That being said, I still gave the first issue of Batgirl a chance. There was much eyerolling at her and many thoughts of wanting her to go away, but I got through it. And the ending made me laugh. A lot.

None of this is because of Gail Simone though, because she's a fantastic writer, or because of Adrian Syaf and Vicente Cifuentes's art, because they're pretty great too. It's simply because of the character. I just... I can't get behind her character. Seriously.

It's going in my pull list, but only because it's one of the books that Spoiler is rumored to be in eventually.

P.S. The mystery woman was hardest for me to spot in this issue.

Animal Man #1

Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Travel Foreman and Dan Green
Cover by Travel Foreman
On sale September 7, 2011 - 32 pages for $2.99

My Rating: 5/5
Will this be in my pull list? Oh hell yes.

Previews Text: Buddy Baker has gone from "super" man to family man - but is he strong enough to hold his family together when Maxine, his young daughter, starts to manifest her own dangerous powers? find out in this dramatic new series from writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and artist Travel Foreman (THE IMMORTAL IRON MAN).

I admit it, I'm a bad Vertigo fan. Animal Man isn't a title I'd read before. But that just meant I was able to go into the series with fresh eyes and few expectations aside from the fact that I know Jeff Lemire knows how to write a good story.

It may be in the DC universe now but Animal Man still manages to feel like a Vertigo book. And believe me, that's something I'm all for. I'm willing to give just about any title that comes out under the Vertigo brand name a shot.

In-story Animan Man hasn't been doing much heroing for the past few years. Mostly he's been a spokesman for various environmental and animal activist groups, and he recently took on his first acting hob, the lead in a movie we - the readers - know nothing about.

But one night he decides to put on his costume again to try to stop a hostage situation in the children's ward in a local hospital. He manages, but afterwards things started to go strange for him. I'm not going to say what went on in the second half of the issue, just that it threw me for a loop and introduced a new... I hesitate to say evil, but a new dark presence into the universe.

This was a great story all around, but that's no surprise considering Jeff Lemire wrote it (I'm a big fan of Sweet Tooth). Admittedly, the art took a minute to get used to, but once I did get used to it I felt like it fit perfectly with the type of story it was telling.

Action Comics #1

Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant
Cover by Rags Morales
On Sale September 7, 2011 - 40 pages for $3.99

My Rating: 4/5
Will this be in my pull list? Absolutely.

Previews Text: The one and only Grant Morrison (ALL-STAR SUPERMAN) returns to Superman, joined by sensational artist Rags Morales (IDENTITY CRISIS), to bring you tales of The Man of Steel unlike any you've ever read! This extra-sized debut issue is the cornerstone of the entire DC Universe!

Going into this comic I wasn't expecting all that much. I mean, I've never been a Superman fan. Like. At all. I think he's one of the most boring characters out there. He's crazy overpowered and invulnerable to everything but a "rare" rock. It's so rare that everyone and their mom seems to have some of their very own. He tended to be the ultimate boyscout and I'm just not a fan of the boyscout characters.

But that was before this reboot came around.

For Justice League, I'll just say he was snarky and leave it there. And that the Justice League series takes place five years ago.

Action Comics #1 seems to take place even before Justice League though. The tights don't exist, he's in jeans, a t-shirt, construction boots, and a short cape. He doesn't seem to have his full power set yet either, both his ability to fly and invulnerability appeared to be absent in this issue. Yes, he can still leap and speed run, but he didn't fly and didn't try to act like he could. And he's still really durable, but it is possible to hurt him without having Kryptonite in your hand.

But most importantly -- at least to me -- is the fact that he doesn't seem to be quite so boyscout. When you first see Superman in the issue he's standing on the ledge of a skyscraper balcony railing, holding a criminal over his head (very much like Batman's first appearance in Flashpoint: Batman: Knight of Vengeance) then proceeds to step off the ledge, falling down to the street head first and holding the guy out ahead of him the entire way down. No, he didn't kill the guy, he pulled him back before they reached the ground, but scaring the hell out of someone isn't really the way the previous universe's Superman worked.

But considering Superman seems to have three timelines going on at the same time what with Justice League taking place five years ago, Action Comics taking place before Justice League, and Superman taking place in the current time, there's no telling how his personality there is going to compare to his other storylines.

But hey, I can't say anything about Superman yet, but at least Action Comics will be joining Justice League in my monthly pull list!

Plus, Grant Morrison is, as always, a fantastic writer and the art by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant rocks my socks off.

From The Grave It Rises!

Alright, I know, I know. I haven't updated this thing in almost a year.

But guess what! I'm going to remedy that.

Tonight expect several incoming posts, all about the DCnU. I figure why not use this thing for something I really care about for a while? And comics are something I care a lot about. So, comic reviews it is! I'm going to try to post a review for every one of the New 52 books. Except for Justice League, but that's just because I feel like it's already been too long since it came out to post a review about it.

For those of you that don't know what the New 52 is, or what the DCnU is, it's the same thing. DC Comics has just rebooted their universe. Every title went back to #1 and it starts with 52 books. August 31st saw the release of Justice League and September 7th saw thirteen more titles: Action Comics, Animal Man, Batgirl, Batwing, Detective Comics, Green Arrow, Hawk & Dove, Justice League International, Men of War, O.M.A.C., Staric Shock, Stormwatchers, and Swamp Thing. I've already read through them and it's time for me to share my thoughts on the matter.

And for the record: Initially I was very anti-this whole reboot. But after reading the first batch of issues from it I find myself being swayed. It's quality stuff they're putting out and I actually like where they're going with it.