I'm tapped out of ideas, so I thought I'd take stock of what I'm up to on my readership of the New 52 titles and share with you guys.
Justice League - Picking up monthly. I like this well enough, and I am actually a fan of Jim Lee's art. Its not exactly screaming "epic" to me at this time, but its a good enough read. I just wish it were $3.
Action Comics - Picking up monthly and still, likely, my favorite of the New 52. But I'm pre-disposed to Morrison, Superman, exploration of the character through a new lens, etc... But the art, story, etc... have all worked well for me.
Animal Man - Picking up monthly. This and Swamp Thing have been the biggest shockers of the New 52 for me. A great fantasy-horror read.
Batgirl - I'll try the trade of the first issues. The first issue was somewhat not in my wheelhouse, but I dug the energy Simone brough to the book.
Batwing - I was SHOCKED by how much I liked the first issue and may pick up the trade.
Detective Comics - No.
Green Arrow - Likely not, and the changes on the creative team by issue 3 tell me this isn't something I want to delve into.
Hawk and Dove - I'm afraid not.
Justice League International - I did not care for the first issue. I don't get why they launched this book now.
Men of War - I've seen some people rave about this book, but its a bastardization of DC war books, and I find the premise and carry through equally... not my thing.
O.M.A.C. - Another shocker. I'm picking this up monthly. How is it Dan Didio is associated with a book I find this wacky and enjoyable?
Static Shock - utter disappointment. I am not picking up this trade.
Stormwatch - no.
Swamp Thing - Monthly, and YES. This is a good continuation of the Swamp Thing I enjoyed in college and in trades with an all-new spin. I think it's advisable to read this book alongside Animal Man.
Batman and Robin - In trade. I liked the set-up for the first issue, so I decided to continue on with this, but as a collection.
Batwoman - Monthly. In Trade. I don't care. All of the above. The most strikingly beautiful book I can think of coming out right now. And I quite like the story, too.
Deathstroke - No.
Demon Knights - Trade. Absolutely. I'm hearing great things on this one from trusted sources.
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. - Ha ha ha. Yeah, I really, really like this book. Its crazy monster-laden mayhem. And I want to see more of The Bride.
Green Lantern - I went all trade on GL over a year ago, so... continuing on.
Grifter - This character has never done anything for me. So I haven't tried this out and don't plan to.
Legion Lost - I read Legion Lost 2, and didn't care for it, either. Disappointing. I'm done.
Mister Terrific - Also a disappointment, and no.
Red Lanterns - The first issue was a dud.
Resurrection Man - Nope.
Suicide Squad - Nada. Really, really did not like the first issue.
Superboy - This is a surprising take on the old "Superboy is a clone" idea, and I think its building on both comics and sci-fi ideas that are pretty keen. And giving me a Superboy who I WANT to see grow as a character. Give it a shot. I'm getting it monthly.
Batman - I liked the first issue well enough. Picking this up in trades.
Birds of Prey - No. I just... this sort of book with the faux-Mission: Impossible vibe is sort of much harder to pull off well than creators seem to realize. You can always feel the limitations of the writer all over these things.
Blue Beetle - Sigh. I'm getting the first trade out of solidarity with Jaime and my hopes that volume 2 will get more solid footing.
Captain Atom - I don't know. What should I do on this one?
Catwoman - Not really my bag of Meow Mix.
DC Universe Presents - Haven't read it. Opinions?
Green Lantern Corps - picking up the trade.
Legion of Super-Heroes - picking up the trade.
Nightwing - If someone tells me this is better than I thought, I MAY consider the trade, but the first issue was sorta bland.
Red Hood and the Outlaws - No. Good golly, nothing about this is anything I care about.
Supergirl - What a colossal disappointment. I don't think I'm getting the trade, even to have a complete Supergirl collection. And already DC's PR on this seems like its spinning the "no, you really like this! We swear!" angle on the series. I see a revamp by issue 12.
Wonder Woman - I confess, I really like this book so far despite my misgivings. I did not think I would. But I'm picking it up monthly. Its kinda good, ya'll.
All Star Western - Kind of not my thing after 2 issues.
Aquaman - I'll get the trade. Geoff Johns' relaunching stuff is almost a guilty pleasure akin to my secret love of Kanye.
Batman: The Dark Knight - No.
Blackhawks - No. Airplanes now or I don't buy the series.
The Flash - I am doing Flash trades.
The Fury of Firestorm - No. The first issue was sort of terrible.
Green Lantern: New Guardians - Haven't read issue 1 yet. Man, I'm behind.
I, Vampire - I don't think so.
Justice League Dark - Again, I don't think so.
The Savage Hawkman - Yet again, I don't think so.
Superman - You know, screw you guys. I like this book. Its keen. Modern Superman with modern Lois? Sure. And I dig the world building they're doing.
Teen Titans - Not my cuppa. Also, it was kind of dumb.
Voodoo - You'd think "alien stripper" would be high on my list, but I didn't read issue 1 yet. Should do so.
THE TALLIES
Monthly: 10 titles. I don't know how many monthly titles I was getting before the New 52, but I think it was more than this.
Trades: 10 trades. This is more than what I was picking up as trades from DC before the relaunch.
No: 22.
So I guess that leaves roughly 10 titles upon which I have to do more research or make up my mind.
Some monthly titles I am picking up that aren't DC's New 52:
iZombie (Vertigo)
Punisher (Marvel)
Daredevil (Marvel)
Star Trek/ Legion of Super-Heroes crossover (IDW)
Moongirl (Red 5)
and other assorted titles.
I don't want to stray into the "trades" or "graphic novels" discussion here, because that looks significantly different, and will involve a whole conversation about my backlog of good intentions with trades.
Film. Comics. Sci-Fi. Superheroes. Pulp. Noir. History. Superman. 20th Century Archaeology.
6 comments:
Still sad about Red Hood and the Outlaws.
Superboy I dig.
I... just don't know if I can give Morrison a shot at Superman. And I'm still sad about so much of the new 52. I don't even know how to say what makes me sad yet.
Well, I'm well past the point of trying to hard sell someone on either Morrison or Superman, or any combination of the two. What I can say is that "All Star" more or less is the Platonic ideal of what I look for in Superman comics, so I'm curious to see what he does with a completely different take, and so far, I've been pleased.
Here's my take.
Justice League - I'm with it monthly for now. After the first arc is done, we'll see.
Action Comics - With you on this.
Animal Man - Absolutely. Probably my favorite right now, but I say that about a few others as you'll see.
Batgirl - I think I'm dropping this. Simone is apparently not for me.
Batwing - First issue was ok, but not enough for me to continue.
Detective Comics - Totally with you. First issue was pretty bad.
Green Arrow - No interest.
Hawk and Dove - Nope.
Justice League International - Total agreement with you here.
Men of War - No interest.
O.M.A.C. - First issue was ok. I wasn't as enamored as a lot of people were, so I'm out.
Static Shock - No. It's a shame. Would love to see more diversity done right in the DCU.
Stormwatch - I want to go back and catch up. First issue sort of confused me a little, but I've heard good things. Maybe trades.
Swamp Thing - Same as Animal Man.
Batman and Robin - I'm monthly on this so far. It's actually pretty good. Very solid.
Batwoman - Hell yes.
Deathstroke - No sir.
Demon Knights - This was a big surprise for me. I'm enjoying it a lot. I don't normally like this sort of thing, either.
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. - Yes. Probably my favorite so far. Well, one of them, I guess.
Green Lantern - I'm done with GL since blackest night. Maybe one day I'll be ready to come back, but it's going to be a long time before I can get back into the concept.
Grifter - No.
Legion Lost - Never been able to get into Legion in any form. Except the Star Trek crossover, but that's really because of Star Trek.
Mister Terrific - Horrible first issue. Another shame for the same reason as Static Shock.
Red Lanterns - No more Lanterns!
Resurrection Man - I liked the first issue ok, but the second I actually fell asleep reading and stopped caring. Maybe in trades because I like the concept.
Suicide Squad - No interest.
Superboy - I liked the first issue, but didn't love it. Second issue I liked a little less. Maybe I'll catch up later.
Batman - Snyder is THE MAN. If you didn't read his Detective run, please go back and do so. I'll read this guy's grocery list, so monthly for sure. This is my favorite book of the new DCU. What's that, 3 so far?
Birds of Prey - First issue was solid, but somehow I didn't pick up the second and I can't read everything, so I moved on. Maybe later.
Blue Beetle - Another diversity disappointment for me, especially since I'm hispanic. Better than Static or Terrific, but not great. I didn't mind the first issue, but when the second came, I just wasn't into it. Maybe later.
Captain Atom - I actually liked the first issue quite a bit, but, again, I can't buy everything. Maybe in trades.
Catwoman - First issue was a turn off for me, because it was really just boring and used the sex thing for shock value. I've heard it's gotten good though, so maybe later.
DC Universe Presents - It'll depend on what's featured, but for now, no.
Green Lantern Corps - Go away GL!!
Legion of Super-Heroes - No.
Nightwing - I can see what you say about the first issue, but I actually liked the fact that it was just a basic story. Each issue since has really gotten better. I'm enjoying this quite a bit. It's not world shattering, but it's solid. The art is very good too.
Red Hood and the Outlaws - I was so bored by the cheapness of the first issue with the hacky one liners, over the top 90's style violence and the whole Starfire pin up thing. So, no. NO!
Supergirl - Completely disagree with you on this one. This is likely one of my fav- well, not that much, but it's really surprising how much I've enjoyed this so far. It's the small moments that make it work for me. The first issue might be one the best single issues of the year for me. And this is the beauty of the new DCU, where they really succeeded, because they didn't try to make every book be for everybody.
Wonder Woman - Ok, this is really my favorite. Well, one of them. Damn it. I just love this book. Azzarello has really found a way to make WW work. And the art. Chiang's art is just so classy. I love this book and can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to read this.
All Star Western - No interest.
Aquaman - Loved the first issue. Second issue, not so much. Felt like the jokes got thin, real fast. I'll try number 3 this week, but we'll see.
Batman: The Dark Knight - Yeah, this was pretty bad. No.
Blackhawks - I really wanted to like the first issue, but didn't, so no.
The Flash - I really wish the writing were better, because the art is AMAZING. Maybe later.
The Fury of Firestorm - I felt like the first issue had potential, but never really got thought through enough. No.
Green Lantern: New Guardians - Enough with the GL!
I, Vampire - The first issue had me wondering if I'd had some sort of stroke because I had no clue what was going on. So, no.
Justice League Dark - First issue was ok, but I'm not big on magic, so no.
The Savage Hawkman - Horrible first issue. HORRIBLE. NO NO NO!!!
Superman - You're on your own here.
Voodoo - I'm actually pretty surprised by this. Give it a shot. It's solid, not groundbreaking. The art is great. I'm with it so far.
I might have gone monthly on Batman as well as Batman & Robin, but I like my little trades library at home, and I like the progression of a good Batman story read in one or two sittings rather than spread out. But, yeah, I am picking up Black Mirror soon, and everything I've heard sounds very promising.
I suppose I'm glad folks are finding Supergirl. I'll check in with you at the 5th issue so I can consider grabbing the trade if they seem to build a story rather than a series of images in sequence. But, yes, it is VERY new reader friendly, I think.
I started with:
Animal Man
Batgirl
Justice League International
Swamp Thing
Batwoman
Demon Knights
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
Blue Beetle
All Star Western
The Fury of Firestorm
Justice League Dark
I dropped these titles before the second issue.
JLI - because I'm too in love with the old JLI
Blue Beetle - just wasn't that good
The Fury of Firestorm - pretty horrible, the two writer experiment is a bad idea on this title.
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. - I couldn't get into the art at all
After 4 issues I've dropped...
Batgirl - end of story line and haven't been all that impressed.
Demon Knights - going digital for monetary reasons
All Star Western - $3.99 is a lot to pay for a book
Justice League Dark - going digital for monetary reasons
After 5 issues I'm dropping Batwoman. It's not that I don't love that book, cause I do but I don't want to constantly double dip. I'll pick up the HC when it comes out which will have issues 0-5 and all subsequent HC's.
So once we get to month six of the DCnU I'll only be getting floppies of Animal Man and Swamp Thing which have been absolutely great and I want to keep their numbers up. Other than that I'll be looking for things like Action Comics (I think Morrison reads better in trades), Batman, Demon Knights and Frankenstein as trades or digital purchases.
Outside of the DCnU I love getting Atomic Robo, Chew, Sweet Tooth, Morning Glories and Unwritten in trades. A lot of my other reading comes from books I pick up from my excellent public library. Currently, I'm working my way through B.P.R.D.
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