A Less New World

As you've probably already heard, the axe has fallen upon the New 52 and six books have been cut. And although I predicted it would be the first book cut well before this debacle began, I'm still pretty upset that OMAC was cancelled. It ended up being a really cool homage to the really old Kirby monster stories along with the really weird Fourth World stuff he was doing in the early 70's. I think I read somewhere that OMAC's story was going to continue in Justice League International (which makes sense. It's written by Giffen's recent writing partner Dan Jurgens), I didn't really care too much about the story of Kevin Kho. I liked the retro style monster fights. If you missed it check it out in a few months when it gets reprinted in one volume. If you need more Kirbyesque stuff check out the American Barbarian webcomic by Godland artist Tom Scioli. It's really cool. I've skimmed through it but plan on waiting for it to be released in book form next month.

In related news, OMAC co-writer Dan DiDio (along with Jerry Ordway on pencils) is scripting another story featuring Kirby characters. The current arc of the anthology series DC Universe Presents features a Challengers of the Unknown tale. I picked this up, and it's a lot of fun. I'm starting to really enjoy DiDio as a writer. Nothing incredibly groundbreaking but he's producing some really solid enjoyable comics.

One more DC recapping note. I got the New 52 HC for Christmas. It's 1200 pages with every single number one issue. I'm slowly making my way through it and have to mention that it turned me on to the new Flash series which I was not interested in at all. The story is solid and action packed, but the artwork is amazing with some of the most creative layouts in comics. And they just re-introduced Captain Cold!

And finally on to the new titles. As sad as I am to see OMAC go, it looks like DC is keeping up on the quality side of things. They have some pretty top-notch creators attached. Most of these look pretty interesting, and I'll probably try all of them out. But what I'm really excited for is Dial H by China Mieville with Brian Bolland covers.

One odd thing is that we're only half a year into the new paradigm, and there are already a lot of creators leaving and swapping books. Sometimes for unspecified reasons. I don't know. Maybe it will keep the books fresh, but it doesn't seem like a good sign. But I guess we'll see. It's been pretty good so far.

A Whole New World

So this is the big week. The first real wave of new 52 books. The first Sunday as opposed to the Thursday night football game tonight if you will. This is what I got:

Action Comics
Action focuses on a young Superman who's kind of dumb and violent. Kind of like the new Star Trek, it's modernizes something that isn't really popular with the younger generation. I guess it could go either way. It could be interesting to see Superman grow into the iconic hero that he is, or it could be a Spider-man ripoff which is the tone the first issue set. He's a single young kid (drawn like a teenager actually) living alone in Metropolis trying to working for a newspaper. It's a decent first issue that introduces all the main characters. Not sure if I'll be back next month. It is Grant Morrison, so I may give him a couple more issues.

OMAC
This was my favorite book that I read all week. It's Giffen penciling Kirby-era weirdness with all-new OMAC Kevin Kho.This issue's pretty light on story and character. There's maybe two pages of setup. The bulk of the book is action and some really crazy fucking things. Then maybe another two pages of exposition and a setup for the series. Not necessarily bad for a first issue. What I'm hoping for in subsequent issues: (a) a little more story and character development if its quality or (b) stories focusing around batshit action. Could that get boring? Maybe. But probably not for me. I'm a sucker for any Kirby-styled retro.

Swamp Thing
This series brings Alec Holland back into the DC universe proper. This issue is very character-based and shows where Alec Holland stands in the new status quo. This is not a reboot and takes place after all Vertigo series. There's a conversation with Superman that reminds us that even though this is a horror book, it takes place in the DC universe. The B story is where the real horror lies, and Yanick Paquette's art really shines on these pages. I will definitely pick up the next issue.

A Whole New World

Well hello there. It's been a while since I've posted, and it's been a really long time since I've actually written anything here. It's not that I haven't had any ideas. I just haven't had any time. Well as of two days ago the NHL playoffs and the job I was working ended. So I have nothing but time, and I plan to get back on this site. And since YDLH originally started as a comicbook blog, I'm going to kick it off with a comicbook post.

News broke a couple weeks back, but if any of you don't read comics, DC decided to reboot their entire line this September with 52 first issues (which, a friend pointed out, means there will be 52 number twos in October). As far as I know, DC hasn't stated whether the old series will continue or if everything's starting over. As with anything, a lot of people are pretty upset by this. But let's be honest: This will make things better.

Hear me out. I know there's a long tradition with a lot of these titles. A couple months back, I was talking about how cool it was that Action Comics reached its 900th issue without any renumbering or gimmicks. But let's face it: This is a business. A struggling business. Sales boosts are good. The more books sell, the longer DC will publish them. And really the big two are really only putting out books as something to sell when the movies come out. Although there is some really quality stuff coming out that I enjoy quite a bit, it's hardly art.

I think my only problem with what they're doing is that all 52 books are coming out in one month. That's a strain on the wallet. There's a lot of interesting-looking stuff coming out at once, and I'll have to pick and choose. As of now, there are seven books that I think I'll be picking up in September.

Action Comics
All-Star Superman is the best Superman and just one of the best comics ever. I'm very excited to see Grant Morrison writing Superman again. Although this series will be in continuity, and Frank Quietly is replaced by artist Rags Morales, I have high hopes for this series.

OMAC
Although this title looks so awful that I might pick it in a DCNU deadpool to be the first comic cancelled, it's a reworked Kirby character co-written and co-penciled by Keith Giffen, and for that I will give it a chance.

Swamp Thing
Although I'm not as in love with his Detective as everyone else seems to be, Scott Snyder's American Vampire (or AmVamp I feel should be the official brev) is a very solid book. It's cool that they're bringing these characters back since Vertigo isn't really using them.

Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE
I've never read anything Jeff Lemaire has written, but I'm a sucker for anything with Frankenstein except for the Mary Shelley novel where he hides in a hovel the whole time crying and learning to speak. Boring.

Red Lanterns
I'm not a big fan of Peter Milligan's mainstream work, but I do love the Red Lanterns. They're fueled by rage, come from Sector 666, and vomit a napalm-like blood on their enemies. What's more metal than that?

Resurrection Man
This is the one comic in the batch that I'd stake my reputation on. Abnett and Lanning returning to a character they created. This should be really great.

Wonder Woman
I don't think I've ever really read much Wonder Woman, but the creative team of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang is pretty stellar. I'm curious.