| DC Reboot; Also the Flashpoint topic | |
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| Topic Started: May 31 2011, 09:06 PM (4,141 Views) | |
 RPGZero
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Jun 13 2012, 04:39 AM Post #301 |
Break only rules created by men, uphold only what is true and everlasting
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The worst part about this and the whole DC Reboot thing for me is that the one Batman book I am interested in feels like it has become a confusing mess. I loved the concept of Batman Inc., but one of the things that made it work out so well was Bruce was serving as International Bat while Dick was serving as a Gotham-only Bat and with Bruce being what you typically expect from Batman and Dick being of a different flavor. And I was also enjoying Barbara/Oracle playing it up as the "Digital Batman". With Dick getting a demotion back to Nightwing and Barbara being able to walk again, a part of the appeal of a league of Batmen wanes. Not to mention the fact it took them practically a year to relaunch it hurt it. I don't read much else of DC, so knowing so little about what else is going on makes going from Volume 1 to Volume 2 of Batman Inc. feel as if it has inconsistencies. As someone who is finally breaking into comic books, the New 52 has actually pushed me away from DC rather than bring me in.
The funny part is about how counter productive this method is. By constantly making these things look like a big deal, you are also inadvertently exacerbating the problem because you're playing up the fact how rare it is. By making it still seem rare, you are never giving non-white heroes a chance to integrate and make it seem like a normal and acceptable practice. Really, it would be a stronger method to make a non-white hero and then -not- mention it, because then it gives off the feeling that it is perfectly normal to have a black and Hispanic hero on the team. Also, what further makes this a publicity stunt is that the hero must of course be black and Hispanic while there is still a massive deficit of Asian superheroes, or at least ones that are pushed to the forefront. It makes ridiculously obvious they are pandering to vocal groups and aren't really concerned with equality. Edited by RPGZero, Jun 13 2012, 05:06 AM.
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| Lowe Gear | Jun 13 2012, 06:36 AM Post #302 |
SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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I won't even get started on the fact that I've been waiting for a Native American superhero who isn't a stereotype my entire life. XD As far as Alan goes, if they keep his character more or less the same, I've got no issue with him being gay, though as 'ro pointed out the last few characters it's been done with haven't been so lucky. 'Zero: Just stay away from Detective Comics, whatever you do. Batman and Batwing have ended up as genuinely good books (been LOVING Court of Owls so far, and I am not a Batfan in most situations), but that one is so bad it's PAINFUL. |
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 NewtypeS3
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Jun 13 2012, 03:57 PM Post #303 |
The Rejected Spartan
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Detective Comics' first issue gave us ONE-FACE. That's all I figure needs to be said, frankly. As for the Earth-2 book itself... well, the first two issues aren't that bad. So to speak. The first issue is all about setting up our new world. Basically, those kinda cool Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman designs we saw were all for naught, seeing how they all bought the farm in the first issue. Although they did so saving the world from a Parademon invasion, so it's pretty obvious who was behind THAT problem. Still, the three die, with Supergirl and Robin And so we see Alan Scott delivering a touching speech about those heroes who died... and that's kinda it for him. He seems to own a news organization, but there's not much to him beyond "I narrated this thing and oh yeah, I'm Alan Scott" in the first issue. Cut over to Jay Garrick, 21 year old who looks remarkably like a grown up Bart. And the fact that he's currently breaking up with Joan, who's going off to college. My inner Flash Fanboy is seething at this, seeing how I thought Jay and Joan were very well written in the best time of Wally's run. He goes outside the city to mope, and does so until the God Mercury crashes at his feet, telling him he's going to become a hero. Issue 2? The God Mercury gives his speed and life-force to Jay, crafting him this somewhat awkward, but still cool, speed suit. The helmet he has is a bit of a tribute to Jay's old costume, but I really miss that awesome old helmet. Apparently, this Jay also did parkour, so his speed running is a little more flashy than just "run in a line on the ground," if you'll pardon the pun there. He then saves some people from evil demon rats... and that's it. Meanwhile, Mister Terrific crashes into this world too. And gets his ass kicked by a guy named Terry Sloan, who I totally thought was a less-molesty Terry Long for a minute there. Oh, and Alan Scott gets to meet his boyfriend, Sam! And promptly goes googly-eyed over the guy, it seems. And that's about it. There's two scenes featuring Alan Scott in this issue, and both issues have him all goo-goo ga-ga over his boyfriend Sam. And then, while they're riding a bullet train to their weekend getaway, Alan proposes. And the train explodes. Meanwhile, Jay runs so damned fast he circles the world and runs, more or less, into Hawkwoman. So yeah... while giving Jay powers from a god, who in this world was part of Wonder Woman's backstory... it kinda works. But I shudder to think of how poor Alan's gonna wind up. And really, considering how Alan Scott's been written here. It seems like the "he's gay" thing was a last-minute change, especially seeing how his dialogue is awkward as hell and the art for his pages seem kinda less-detailed somehow. But hey, at least it's a parallel universe and not a bullshit reboot like the rest of DC. Hell, even Action Comics is a bit of a trainwreck, seeing how nothing makes a bit of sense right now. First Superman has his t-shirt and pants. And then the Brainiac adventure happens, and he finds his 'armor' suit in an area dedicated to what was left of Krypton in Brainiac's museum. Which is a nice touch and makes more sense than a random suit of armor. But then he's back in the t-shirt and pants, and no one gives a shit again. I just don't get it, man. |
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| Lowe Gear | Jun 13 2012, 04:40 PM Post #304 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Yeah, AC lost a bit of edge with me, though what I've heard is that it's supposed to be nonlinear, which is supposed to explain the jumping around. And I like the Mercury thing, too. But then, I've been loving the new Wonder Woman, so it fits. |
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| NurikoBaka | Jul 7 2012, 04:20 PM Post #305 |
I'm 24 until I say I'm not
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Just read JLI #1-9. DC needs to get its head outta of its ass for cancelling JLI. JLI has been really good. |
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| Lowe Gear | Jul 7 2012, 05:08 PM Post #306 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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At the moment, my single biggest complaint about the DCnU is what they've done to Billy Batson. I was excited to see him pop up in Justice League, but the way they've changed his personality...he's a totally different character now, and NOT in a good way. I reckon they felt he wasn't terribly realistic, being so idealistic when his life is so shit, but making him into a troublemaking brat is just WRONG. Of all the changes that have occurred since this thing started, that's the one I just can't abide. |
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RPGZero
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Jul 10 2012, 06:44 AM Post #307 |
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Break only rules created by men, uphold only what is true and everlasting
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That really sucks. Billy/Captain Marvel represents a kinder, simpler time and that's what made his character so beautiful, especially in age where everything is expected to be "realistic". But I notice that Billy isn't the only one. Having looked through some re-imaginings, the cheerful sidekick or kid must become some kind of brat in order for the story to be "serious". In a way, it's sort of counterproductive. They attempted to escape old cliches, but in the process of turning so many children into brats, all they did was form a new set of cliches. Someone should let writers know that campy idealistic and angry brat are not the only two choices when writing kids. I like the saying, "There are no bad characters, just bad writers." Maybe in the end that's why they could never get Captain Marvel a successful comeback. |
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| Lowe Gear | Jul 10 2012, 08:55 AM Post #308 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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I'm still holding out hope that Billy will get over himself once Shazam enters the field. They've made a point of having people note that Billy seems to be trying to get people to stay away from him, so perhaps once things get going he'll act more like the real Billy. |
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RPGZero
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Aug 9 2012, 10:34 AM Post #309 |
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Break only rules created by men, uphold only what is true and everlasting
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I decided to go back and read Flashpoint. I'm in the middle of the third issue and feel that for what was supposed to be a huge crossover event, this feels like it's not compelling. It's weird. All of the ingredients are there - the shock factor of Aquaman and Wonder Woman engaging in an apocalyptic war, Europe has been sunk, Thomas Wayne is Batman - and yet, even with these and more I don't feel like my attention is grabbed. The storytelling and the way each ingredient is presented and the order in which they are presented just isn't doing its job. It's like you have the best ingredients in the world but the cook is only decent. In the end it's not bad. It certainly has its moments, namely, Thomas' facial reactions to everything Barry does and the way Barry attempts to go about getting his powers back, but it's not as great as it tries to make itself out to be. At least our two main characters are amusing. I've been meaning to get into the Flash lately with the way I always do which is by looking for a major storyline that's not too old but not too recent, but i'm actually not quite sure how to go about it. It's obviously a lot easier to get into the more top tier heroes' books since it's easy to tell what storylines in the past have been hailed as the greats. |
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NewtypeS3
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Aug 9 2012, 11:53 AM Post #310 |
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The Rejected Spartan
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Well, Flash might be a little harder to get into at the moment, seeing how DC's determined to run with Barry Allen once again. It's not like, yanno, we had a successor for the last 20 years who came into his own and did a damned good job of it or anything... In fact, the best-written Flash comics, frankly, come from that 20 year period. Jay Garrick is awesome, but he mainly comes from the Golden Age, with some stories in the Silver Age as well before the first Crisis. This leaves him with a lot of nonsensical adventures... but there is one that just features him that comes to the top of my mind. Issue 134 of The Flash from 1998 is a solo Jay Garrick tale called "Still Life in the Fast Lane," and it works well. Well, that, and the issue "The Flash of Two Worlds!" from 1961, issue 123, which features Barry Allen and Jay Garrick meeting for the first time. But he's mainly a minor character outside the Silver and Golden Ages, sadly. Barry Allen... he's the Flash from the Silver Age, period. His character is pretty damned bland, and most of his stories were crazy-ass shit that made little sense. As the Silver Age gave way to the Bronze Age, we got some better stories that focused on character development... but they're still insane as fuck. The only really fantastic story I've seen with him, aside from the one mentioned above, is the actual Crisis on Infinte Earths. There might be some really good individual issues here and there, but ugh. I just don't like Barry much. Sure, the stuff since his return hasn't been bad, but I just can't get into it. Wally West, though, is a Flash I really enjoyed. Yeah, he had a really rough start (and his comic doesn't start getting really good until about issue 62, where we get a flashback series that fleshes out Wally's time as the Silver-Age Kid Flash), but the comic winds up not only dealing with being a hero, but also living up to another's heroics as Wally tries to fill Barry's shoes. Really, Wally's run tended to be just top-notch, even when the writing was confusing and the art was meh. As a side-note, Wally's run was also when Bart Allen was introduced - otherwise known as Impulse. He's the new sidekick, but is actually a rather awesome character in his own right. Bart was quickly given his own solo book, but more of his good stuff came from his time in Young Justice. With Young Justice and his own book canned, though, Bart was shoehorned into the role of Kid Flash for Teen Titans, but it worked decently in the Flash comics. Once the Infinite Crisis happened in 2006, though, Bart was forced into becoming the Flash on his own. His 13 issue series wasn't bad in the long run, but quickly got canned due to poor sales from a slow and poor start - and then shoved off into the background in the most harsh possible way. Wally returned for a bit as a result, but then Dan Didio decided FUCK THAT, NOT MY FLASH and dragged Barry out of his grave. And now? Bart's back (his return was rather awesome, in the Final Crisis tie-in: Legion of Three Worlds), Wally's MIA (and we have no fucking clue where he is), Barry's running around... and oh, Jay Garrick has been 'reimagined' for Earth Two. Sigh. |
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Homeless One
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Aug 9 2012, 01:40 PM Post #311 |
Your One Stop Evil Shop
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At least Bart's brief run as Flash led to some kickass moments for the Rogues. |
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| PhoenixGundam13x | Aug 9 2012, 08:26 PM Post #312 |
The Angel with Charcoal Wings
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The Rouges run in Countdown that was a direct result of what happened during Bart's stint as the Flash was one of the few good things about that series. |
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NewtypeS3
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Aug 9 2012, 10:41 PM Post #313 |
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The Rejected Spartan
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Oh, indeed. Especially with what Piper did. |
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 Arado Balanga
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Aug 10 2012, 07:09 PM Post #314 |
SIE SIND KARTOFFELN UND WIR SIND DIE JÄGER
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I've always wondered. Was Piper playing "The Show Must Go On" the most damage even done to Apokolips in DC's history (canon, retconned, or otherwise)? |
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NewtypeS3
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Aug 10 2012, 11:56 PM Post #315 |
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The Rejected Spartan
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Honestly, I think so. I'm not up on the New Gods for the most part, but it was certainly the biggest bit of damage done ever, so far as I know. |
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| Lowe Gear | Aug 11 2012, 07:16 AM Post #316 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Sorta random question, but after reading Demon Knights #12, I've come to what may be a long overdue revelation, and I wanted to ask if anyone else had already deduced this or not.... Is Al Jabr supposed to be Ra's al-Ghul? I'm pretty sure the Horsewoman is supposed to be the Avatar of the Red like Animal Man is in the modern times, and most of the others are pretty obvious, but I never quite figured him out until we had that "magic pool" that they encountered near the ruins of Camelot. |
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RPGZero
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Aug 13 2012, 09:04 AM Post #317 |
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Break only rules created by men, uphold only what is true and everlasting
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@S3: Thanks. I knew some of that stuff, but the rest was informative. I decided to go with Wally's run and had a blast with Terminal Velocity and Emergency Stop. Emergency Stop was thoroughly enjoyable. No one ever thinks that the Flash's worst nightmare might be a pair of broken legs. This is only made more enjoyable by Wally who mentions he attempted to speed up the wheelchair only for it to find it can't keep up with the speed, and then him just deciding to make a suit out of pure speed force. The entire concept of Flash saying "NO U" to broken legs is the kind of stuff I really enjoy. |
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| Lowe Gear | Aug 25 2012, 09:16 AM Post #318 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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http://www.newsarama.com/comics/judd-winick-leaves-batwing.html Bummer. |
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| Lowe Gear | Sep 6 2012, 09:21 AM Post #319 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Checked out the #00 issue of Phantom Stranger. It builds on the Free Comic Book Day New 52 #1 by showing three people (who are referred to as the Trinity of Sin) being judged by the council of Wizards (which is almost hilariously multiethnic) for various unforgivable crimes. The one we know the least about is almost certainly Vic Sage, who has his name and face taken away, presumably for his arrogance (he definitely shows traits of the original Charlton version of Vic) and probably for trying to discover something "man was not meant to know" or whatever. At this point, there's no way to know, so I'll just leave it at that. The second person is Pandora, who is the character that kept showing up in all the #1 issues, and is (surprise, surprise) the ACTUAL Pandora, who is apparently being called evil because she opened a box. Stupid, maybe, but I can't quite wrap my head around "evil", and neither can she, since apparently her schtick is going around trying to prove that what she did was good. I haven't really read any of the other stuff she appeared in, but this is all supposed to be leading up to the first big New 52 crossover, which is called the Trinity War. So, maybe the Council is being super-harsh because of the (admittedly heavy) consequences of these three's actions, or maybe they're just super-powered pricks. You be the judge. *rimshot* But anyway, back to the subject at hand. While it's never flat-out stated, the descriptions given finally tell us who the Phantom Stranger actually is.... z0mg SPOILERS Now, on the one hand, I'm one of those who actually LIKED the Phantom Stranger's identity being up in the air, so having it confirmed is sort of a bummer. On the other hand, of all the different options that have been mentioned, I like this one the best. It fits with the general feel of the others, but has far greater weight to it, and gives a real reason why this character is doing what he's doing. So, much like with the new Captain Marvel, I both like it and don't like it, but overall I don't hate it. Incidentally, while I'm still not all that happy with making Billy Batson act like a little prick, the actual story he's been in has been great, and they've started having him show his "true colors" in the most recent parts, so I can accept it. Especially since I love the new Black Adam and Dr. Sivana and how everything is being tied together. So anyway, back to the PS. He apparently wanders around for a few thousand years until the present day, when he gets his first "assignment" to assist a hair-trigger Gotham detective named Jim Corrigan. Hmmm, now where do I know that name from.... Anyway, Corrigan's fiancee has been kidnapped, and he's desperate to save her, so PS shows up and offers to help by showing Jim where she's hidden, though of course he can't aid directly, because he's the Phantom Stranger. They both go to where she's supposed to be...and she's not there. It's a trap, and Corrigan is gunned down while PS looks on dumbstruck. Then, guess who rises from Corrigan's body swearing to be a Spectre that will unleash his wrath? PS then realizes that this "betrayal" was what he was meant to do, and that he has (presumably) 29 more missions to complete to serve the greater good. And given the emphasis on the phrase "greater good" I'm guessing each one will involve some sort of perceived failure or betrayal of someone that ultimately leads to something good. Which PS realizes is very appropriate, given his past. So...I liked the set-up for the book, and overall I'm okay with the new (and totally non-mysterious) origin for PS. However, the actual book seemed...unbalanced. So much attention was focused on the first half (most of which was already covered by the earlier FCBD story) that the second part (yannow, the actual STORY) felt really rushed. REALLY rushed. Still, it's a decent enough set-up, and hopefully with all that out of the way, the actual #1 will have a chance to shine on it's own merits. |
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| Lowe Gear | Oct 15 2012, 06:20 PM Post #320 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Well, good news/bad news time. First, the bad: Frankenstein is being canned. I'm impressed it lasted as long as it did, but it still sucks. Grifter, GI Combat, Blue Beetle, and one other I don't remember off hand are also going, though I really don't care much about any of them except BB, and quite frankly it was about as good as Static Shock was. As in, not very. Hopefully, when he crops back up, they'll be able to do a better job. Now, the good news: one of the new books is called Threshold, and will focus on outer space shenanigans NOT involving the GLs. It'll be an anthology-type series, with the first issue dealing with Larfleeze trying to find someone who stole all his stuff. Looking forward to that. |
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NewtypeS3
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May 17 2013, 08:28 PM Post #321 |
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The Rejected Spartan
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Well, decided to download pretty much every NuDCU comic in a batch file, and I've been leafing through them. So far, my thoughts... Under Morrison, Action Comics is fantastic, and I really loved the 5th Dimensional story arc. Without Morrison, it's ok. Blackhawk was shit. As I stated years ago, I miss the WWII crazies with the racist Chinese sidekick who fought war wheels. Demon Knights is incredible, but has become more like an insane game of D&D than anything DC would actually put out. I'm not against this, mind you. GI Combat was also bad... except for the final story arc. Where the fucking WAR WHEEL FIGHTS THE HAUNTED TANK. I mean Jesus tap-dancing Christ, I would have bought this had it been that from the start! Again, we could have had this just be a showcase for the eccentric stuff of the Silver Age being brought to life. But no, we needed grim and realistic combat. Grifter, I really didn't care much for. It was basically gunsgunsgunsguns with the Animorphs/Invasion of the Body Snatchers alien angle. It ended on a cliffhanger so they can bring back the villain-behind-the-vilain-we-only-see-on-the-final-page, but that just reeks of "his adventures will continue without our book! We swear!" Justice League. While the story works, and I like that Hal Jordan has an actual personality... the book really feels like it's lacking in the essence of the characters we once knew. Really, it feels like an Ultimate DC where people are ultimately more dickish and outfits are "ultramodern." Sure, I've enjoyed reading through it, but I highly doubt much is going to stick with me past Hal Jordan somehow not able to believe that Batman is the real thing, despite using a power ring from a dying alien so he can be a space cop. Justice League International... while I wasn't a massive fan of it, the book was a neat way to use lesser heroes. And the dick move pulled in the final books was a dick move to end all dick moves. Men of War was stupid. I'm glad it was canned, considering how generic it was... until the last issue. Where we had Frankenstein and G.I. Robot killing giant monsters in World War II, and then fighting in Korea. Why was this not the concept of the series. Have it be older DC heroes fighting as war vets - like the Jay Garrick Flash being a scout for the Allies in WWII, or Alan Scott helping turn the tide against Hitler's War Wheels. And that's all I've covered so far. But really... it just makes me miss the last universe. |
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| Lowe Gear | Yesterday, 3:09 AM Post #322 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Sadly, Demon Knights is about to end. Though, it IS supposed to get an ending, at least. I've already stated that Earth-2, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman are great, but you should also check out Stormwatch #19. Nothing before it is worth a damn, but it starts getting good there. And the Shazam short in the back of JL has been almost universally better than the main book. |
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NewtypeS3
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Yesterday, 4:09 AM Post #323 |
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The Rejected Spartan
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[Reads through Stormwatch 19.] Lobo, eh? Well, that can only improve things. Also, I kinda like the "News 52" segments at the back of the books. It gives a brief overview of a major event in another book, and features freaking Ambush Bug and Vartox while being entirely tongue-in-cheek over the whole 'fourth wall' business. DC needs more fun, and that helps. EDIT And even though I've never been into Captain Marvel in general, yeah, I have to admit the Shazam backup has been fantastic. I'll admit, if they'd gone that route to introducing Marvel to the DCU, I'd have been sold on him period. Again, though, it's a shame this all feels like a lesser universe somehow. Edited by NewtypeS3, Yesterday, 4:11 AM.
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| Lowe Gear | Yesterday, 6:15 AM Post #324 |
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SPIDERS GONNA SPIDE
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Oh, Lobo isn't the good part. It's what comes AFTER he shows up. |
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