DC You, Part Four

Week Four of the breakout month of DC You is here and, pains me as it does to say this, DC did not save the best for last.  With all four weeks down, let’s look at the statistics for a second:

21 new #1 issues were released in June.  24 books released were a continuation from pre-Convergence.  That’s a total of 45 books this month.  I read all but four of the #1 issues and five of the continued series’ that saw release this month (there are three more #1’s coming, Cyborg in July and two supernatural series in October, and Justice League United will return with issue #11 in July), coming to a grand total of 36 books.

So, having read 80% of DC’s output in June, I can honestly say, that my top five this month would look something like this:

5.) Constantine: The Hellblazer

4.) Action Comics

3.) Batgirl

2.) Justice League of America

1.) Tie: Batman and Justice League (it’s my blog, I make the rules)

On to the reviews for this week:

The Flash #41

Fans of CW’s The Flash would likely not be too lost picking this book up off the shelf.  I’ve not been reading this series since the launch of The New 52 back in September 2011, but the move to having comic series’ more streamlined with  their television counterparts is something DC seems to be doing more and more, and Flash is no different.  Henry Allen being in jail, a speedster in yellow being responsible, it’s all there.  Much like Green Arrow the comic is to Arrow the television series, The Flash is like its small screen adaptation to a point.  It’s still very comic book-y in nature, which is always a good think.  As stated, The Flash is not something I read on a regular basis, and this issue was not enough to hook me to come back for #42 in July.

Gotham by Midnight #6

You like procedural cop shows?  You like supernatural stories?  You’d probably like this series.  In addition to having maybe the coolest (silver medal, anyway) cover this week, Gotham by Midnight also leads the pack in demonic possession stories.  First launching last fall, the series captured my attention with its premise: a group of cops in Gotham City dedicated to supernatural and unexplained crimes in the city.  Sorta like The X-Files.  I struggled through the first five issues, but after reading #6 for the sole reason of reviewing it and thinking I would drop the book after, I’ve found a renewed interest.  The artist has changed, which was the biggest factor in why I thought this was as good as I do.  I love diversity, including diversity in art styles.  For example, I love ice cream.  Vanilla, cookies and crème, even sherbet.  I would not, however, like sardine ice cream.  The change from issue #5 to issue #6 was exactly like going from sardine ice cream to cookies and crème.  Night and friggn’ day.  Looking forward to #7 next month.

Teen Titans #9

Like The Flash, Teen Titans is not a book I read on the regular.  Knowing that this would be the only place to get my Tim Drake fix (that’s the third Robin, currently Red Robin, for those of you keeping track), I thought I’d give it another try.  Teen Titans is a book that I’ve tried to like for a long time.  Their last series, which ended in 2014, had a creative team that I just simply couldn’t get behind.  I was a little confused not having read issues #1-8, but I caught on quick.  Essentially, Superboy is wanted for mass murder of an alien race and the Titans have been split into two teams, one on Superboy’s side, the other looking to hunt him down.  This issue was good enough to make me want to read at least this story arc to its conclusion. 

We Are Robin #1

The only new #1 I’ll be reviewing (I did read Justice League 3001, but it was… Not good) this week.  The idea of this book is so intriguing.  Teens see that Gotham needs help and, rather that attempting to “become Batman”, they become almost a “legion of sidekicks”.  NOTE: While these kiddos are wearing the red, yellow, and green and have ‘R’s on their clothes, they are not actual Robins.  That honor is still held by Damian Wayne.  The first issue focuses on the team recruiting Duke Thomas, a Gotham City resident who has been seen over in Snyder and Capullo’s Batman book for quite some time (first appearing in Batman #21 almost two years ago).  Duke’s parents have been missing since the Joker’s rampage in "Endgame" (Batman #35-40), so true to Robin form, Duke is essentially an orphan.  This book is something I’ve looked forward to since it was announced.  The opening did not disappoint.  Looking forward to #2.

Superman #41

Rather than continuing the “Truth” storyline as the Superman books have for the last three weeks, Superman throws the story back to “Before Truth”.  Detailing the time leading to the Man of Steel’s identity being revealed, this story focuses mainly on Clark Kent at the Daily Planet and dealing with the mystery of someone knowing his secret identity and using it to blackmail him.  This was a good read, but it definitely felt like set up for the rest of the arc.  Which is not a bad thing, it’s just that we already known that it’s Lois Lane that reveals Superman’s secret identity.  It’s been mentioned a number of times, including in this cool piece of promotional material that was released alongside this week’s comics.

I know that DC is looking to have their titles be a little more divorced from one another, but a little uniformity in the Superman books (since they’ve been billed as a continuous story) would be nice.  Nevertheless, I’ll still be picking up #42 in July.

Grayson #9

Ever since Nightwing was unmasked and declared dead in Forever Evil, Dick Grayson, the original Robin, has been working undercover helping Batman take down the international agency known as Spyral.  This issue, I can say more than the other issues of this series, feels a little like a James Bond movie.  Grayson is a secret agent in every sense of the word.  He is suave, he’s deadly, and he even wears a tuxedo.  Deciding to turn the longest running member of the Batman Family from superhero to superspy last year was a choice I questioned, but the sales numbers don’t lie.  And, to be frank, the book is good.  He’ll put on a costume again in time- that much is nearly a guarantee, but for the time being, I’m going to keep reading the series and hope that at some point the former Boy Wonder introduces himself as, “Grayson.  Dick Grayson.”

Batgirl #41

Now is as good a time as any to come clean about this:  I have had a gigantic crush on Barbara Gordon my entire life.  All of the Batgirls, really, but Barbara especially.  From the Sixties show to Batman: The Animated Series, she’s been my favorite.  The new look and direction that Batgirl has taken since Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, and Babs Tarr became the creative team on the book has reignited that schoolboy crush tenfold.  I don’t even know what it is, but Fletcher & Co. just get Barbara Gordon. 

The variant cover theme for this month is celebrating the 75^th Anniversary of The Joker.  Almost every book this month has an alternative cover depicting its title character with The Clown Prince of Crime.  When these covers were first announced, there was an instantaneous backlash regarding the cover to Batgirl #41 (pictured below).  Barbara and The Joker have a storied past.  Most notably, however, would be that one time he shot her in the spine causing her to be paralyzed, then proceeding to photograph her naked (with implied sexual assault), all in an attempt to drive Jim Gordon, Barbara’s dad and Commissioner of the Gotham City Police, to a mental breakdown.  It didn’t work, but Barbara was left with scars both physical and emotional.  The variant cover is an “homage” to the cover of The Killing Joke, the graphic (pun intended?) novel in which the assault occurs.  DC and artist of the cover, Rafael Albuquerque immediately cancelled the cover and issued a statement apologizing to any fans that were offended by the cover.

As far as the actual story within this issue goes, I don’t think it would be possible for Jim Gordon to become Batman and not have to interact with Batgirl at some point.  To their credit, the creative team went straight for it.  I think the All-New Batman/Jim Gordon will be present in Batgirl for at least the foreseeable future, which will make for some great moments in upcoming issues.  I am most definitely looking forward to issue #42 next month.

With the first month of DC You under the utility belt, I hope that everyone who read these last four entries was able to find a book (or ten) that they could read and enjoy.

As always, thanks for reading!

-Josh

Sources: excerpts from primary source interviews; Wikipedia

 
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