DC You, Part One

Several months ago, I wrote about reboots.  What they are, how they impact the characters we love, and ultimately what they mean to us as the audience.  In the case of DC’s line-wide “reboot”, it’s not so much of a wiping away of the old and ushering in the new, but more of what those in the comic industry call a “jumping on point”.  Typically, a #1 issue is the place to start with a book, and if you don’t, you’ll pretty much be lost in the story.   That’s not a 100% guarantee either, though, as many writers try to make each issue (or at least every other issue) easily accessible to readers.  On the flip side, Marvel is keen on re-launching their titles every 12 or so issues, but the story stays fluid.  So, if you picked up, say Daredevil #1 that came out about a year ago, you’d have found that not much changed and it could have very easily been issue #37.

In prepping for this post (and in reflection of some events in my own life), I’ve seen how easily people come in and out of our lives so seamlessly at times.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve discussed a situation with someone new in my life and felt the need to give copious amounts of back story to give the full effect.  Ultimately, that’s not always necessary, is it?  Oftentimes it’s easier to just jump right into the thick of it and move on with the story rather than detailing, often painstakingly, how we got to where we are today.  I think about myself as a person over the last eight or ten years, or the last three or four specifically, and if I took a snapshot of my life from each of those years, they would be markedly different.  2006 or 2007 would see a brasher, less forward thinking version of me.  2010 would be a stark comparison to that, as I had matured quite a bit at that point – in fact, I was maybe trying to be more mature than I should have at that age.  2012 would paint the picture of a very emotionally and mentally broken person.  2015 is a complete turnaround of that.  I said all of that to say that while the sum of our experiences define us as people, never should you judge a person based on one day or one action or one day of their life.

In that post all those months ago, I previewed several books that would be published by DC Comics beginning in June.  DC has since rebranded the initiative as “DC You”, basing the marketing of these new series’ on the idea that there’s something for everyone.  With the first Wednesday in June down, I’ve read eight of the books and I have to say that I was impressed with (mostly) each one and in very different ways.  I didn’t rate these with letter grades or based on a scale of 1-10, but I did list them in order of how much I enjoyed each one.  Let’s take a look.

Omega Men #1

I honestly couldn’t tell you what happened in this book other than the fact that the Omega Men are super-powered (?) criminals who are imprisoned on a planet that is not Earth.  Essentially, the entire comic is the story of a prison-break whereby a giant tiger (aptly named Tigorr) is released.  A quick search on the Google machine tells me that the team was originally created by famed writer Marv Wolfman and first appeared in Green Lantern #141 in June 1981.  The entire issue felt sort of like the prison scenes in Guardians of the Galaxy, but without Rocket.  And not funny.  Or Good.  I do not believe I will be picking up Omega Men #2 when it drops in July.

Batman Beyond #1

Originally, I wasn’t going to read this book.  Yes, it’s Batman, but it’s also not Batman.  It’s Batman Beyond.  In 1999, the DC Animated Universe (aboutwhich I’ve written at length) launched a new series titled Batman Beyond, the story of a teenager who takes up the mantle of the Bat when Bruce Wayne becomes too old to continue.  I never really dug the show as a kid, but I’ve watched a few episodes recently and it’s not bad, it just hasn’t quite hooked me like the other DCAU shows did.  In any event, because of my apathy toward the character and concept in general, I had not initially planned on reading this, but when I saw an awesome variant cover (not the one above, but you can see the one I’m talking about on Instagram @joshvess1) I couldn’t say no.  It was an intriguing read.  After reading 40-something issues of Future’s End between this year and last, I’m a little burnt out on post-apocalyptic, dystopian futures, but this was decent enough for me to be inclined to give #2 a read next month.

Bizarro #1

True to their marketing, DC is indeed trying to offer something for everyone through DC You.  The premise of the story is Bizarro, the clone of Superman gone wrong, and Jimmy Olsen, Superman’s pal, on a road trip across the United States.  This is very much a comedy series and, in that vein, is perfect for kids.  It’s only a six-issue mini-series, so I’ll probably stay the course and read the whole thing, not only because it was surprisingly good, but because the central villain of the first issue is King Tut, one of the wackier D-list villains from the Sixties Batman television series.

Green Arrow #41

Being the fan of CW’s Arrow that I am, I actually started reading this volume of Green Arrow way back in issue #17.  The comic had a stellar creative team (writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino) at the time and it offered something similar to the show, but with grander scope.  After Lemire and Sorrentino left, Andrew Kreisberg and Ben Sokolowski, who are executive producer and staff writer for CW’s Arrow, took over.  It became way too much like the show and not in good ways.  This issue, complete with new writer Ben Percy, who penned two issues of Detective Comics late last year that I loved, is great.  It’s the beginning of a gritty crime story, the art is fantastic, and it has ties to the greater DC Universe.  Definitely picking up issue #42 in July.

Bat-Mite #1

This series is a kindred spirit of Bizarro.  Both are comedy books, both are linked to one of DC’s “Big Two” (Batman and Superman), and both are mini-series.  Bat-Mite, for those of you (everyone, possibly) that don’t know, is a magical Imp from the Fifth Dimension.  One of the things I love about comics is that the answer to a question is “magical Imp from the Fifth Dimension” and I have to say that with a straight face.  Bat-Mite idolizes Batman, but his child-like nature causes the two to come in conflict.  Based on an interview with series writer Dan Jurgens, Bat-Mite will feature a little bit of a team-up dynamic, with Hawkman and Robin (and more than likely others) to be featured throughout the series.  I had the lowest expectations for this book than all of the others and came out if the read glad that I was wrong.  Like Bizarro, I’ll likely pick up the entire mini-series.

Green Lantern #41

I stopped reading Green Lantern a long time ago.  With the main title (as well as Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro, and New Guardians) moving from one giant crossover to the next, I just got tired.  Combine with that the fact that the whole “space cop” thing can get old pretty quick, and the Green Lantern title got the axe from my pull list.  So, when I read that the new direction of the book going forward was going to feature Hal Jordan as a renegade without his Green Lantern ring (he’s got this cool gauntlet that uses energy from the GL Central Power Battery or some such nonsense), I was sold.  This was a great read.  Focusing on Hal and not bogging the story down with ancillary GLs or all the other Rainbow Lanterns is a fresh take on the character and the right move, in my opinion.

Action Comics #41

Speaking of “fresh takes”…  The world knows Clark Kent is Superman.  His powers have diminished.  He’s riding a motorcycle.  The “Truth” storyline, which is set to run the entire summer, I believe, will detail the how’s and why’s of the Man of Steel’s change in status quo.  One of the big things I miss from the 90s is the Superman books and how they crossed over into one another.  Each book featured the ‘S’ logo (“on my world, it means ‘hope’.”) with a number denoting the reading order of the books.  Having an internal continuity with the Superman line of titles, I think, allows for better storytelling and having that level of organization helps keep the narrative on a path.  In the era comics are in today, there are entirely too many crossover stories and very little is done to keep the reader on the right path.  This summer, the “Truth” storyline will continue, not just in Action Comics #42, but into next week’s Batman/Superman #21, the week after in Superman/Wonder Woman #18, and the end of the month in Superman #41.  Having those four titles contain their own story brings us a step closer to the mid-to-late-90s, which was the height of Superman storytelling.  Of course, I am biased, as that was (along with Batman, Detective Comics, etc.), the bulk of my reading list in my formative years.  This particular issue got the story off to a strong start.  If you’re a Superman fan, pick this book up.

Justice League #41

After more than a year of build, "The Darkseid War" has started.  First teased in Forever Evil #7, Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor (of Crisis on Infinite Earths fame) are on a collision course.  With wildcards such as Mister Miracle, the mysterious Myrina Black, and the newly introduced Grail (who is Darkseid’s daughter) in the mix, it’s hard to predict where this story will lead.  DC’s Free Comic Book Day issue, titled Divergence, and last month’s Justice League #40 offered sneak peeks at both where the story is headed and from whence the beginnings of this story came, but picking up Justice League #41 offers the reader a sufficient entry point into the story.  Three things essential for you to know going into this story:

• The Anti-Monitor is a bad dude.  He goes from universe to universe destroying them and ours is next on his list.
• Darkseid is also a bad dude.  The Justice League defeated him roughly six or seven (in storytelling time) years ago and he hasn’t been back on Earth since, but he is amassing an army for is eventual return.
• Lex Luthor is a member of the Justice League.  He and Superman still aren’t best buddies, but Luthor is part of the gang.

Justice League writer Geoff Johns has said that the story is really Darkseid vs. Anti-Monitor and the Justice League is caught in the middle.  Going into the story, I got the impression that Wonder Woman and Batman would be the main focus of the story, but after reading Justice League #41, I’m convinced that each and every member of the team will get their moment in the spotlight.  I am eagerly waiting Justice League #42 in July.

I’m going to follow the same format for the next three posts to cover the rest of the DC You books coming out the rest of this month.  I hope each of you go out and pick something up!

Thanks for reading!

-Josh

Sources: excerpts from primary source interviews; Wikipedia

 
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