Our series reacting to DC’s September relaunch is almost complete. So far we’ve covered the Justice League, Green Lantern, Batman, Dark and Teen books. This time around we’re looking at the “edge” series.

Stormwatch · Blackhawks · Sgt. Rock and the Men of War · All-Star Western · Deathstroke · Grifter · OMAC · Suicide Squad · Blue Beetle

Greg: DC seems to be sticking with creative teams that have worked on various levels, hence the DiDio/Giffen OMAC and Palmotti/Gray on Hex. I look at some of the books here and wonder why we haven’t seen the Marvel Family yet, and who saw Cole Cash as a jumping-on point. Still, at the risk of repeating myself, some bold choices. That is a good thing, especially when dealing with some of the world’s most recognizable characters.

Kelson: I thought DC was taking risks with the “Dark” books, but they’re really going out on a limb here…which, frankly, is what you have to do to find a breakout.

Stormwatch

Kelson: Several things strike me about this book. 1. They’ve returned to Stormwatch rather than The Authority, which may be more recognizable — but then, to work properly, The Authority has to be the preeminent super-team on the planet, whereas Stormwatch is a bit more of a traditional super-hero team. 2. They’ve put Martian Manhunter on the team. 3. They’ve brought Apollo and Midnighter into the DCU. 4. The Elite is now redundant, since it was a riff on the Authority to begin with.

It should be interesting to see how this plays out. It can probably fit a niche for a Justice League-level team with heroes who are willing to get their hands dirty. I don’t anticipate picking it up at this point, but it’s on my radar.

Devin: I have to wait and see who is going to rounding out this roster before I decide if I care enough. I just know these three (Apollo, Midnighter and Martian Manhunter) aren’t doing it for me.

Lia: Regarding the Wildstorm titles, see my opinion on Voodoo. I don’t think they’re a good fit for the DCU (for example, if they don’t tone down Midnighter’s ultra-violence he’ll look out of place in the DCU — and if they do it would make him rather pointless), and would rather see more focus on actual DC characters anyway. The Wildstorm books should be kept as a separate line and in another universe.

Grifter

Devin: Cool to see them melding the Daemonite war into the DCNu but at the same time, it is strange to see Grifter as the ambassador of the WildC.A.T.S., but not a total surprise as Grifter is one of Jim Lee’s babies. Then again I haven’t followed the series or any of the characters in years so what do I know? I always thought his mask was pretty cool.

Kelson: It’s an odd choice, and doesn’t really appeal to me, but I can imagine it finding an audience.

Lia: More Wildstorm, still not budging.

All-Star Western

Greg: One of the guests from The Return of Bruce Wayne shows up, as Jonah Hex’s All Star Western places the gunslinger in Gotham.

Lia: Not much into Westerns, although I admit to enjoying the one Jonah Hex story I’ve read. This could be good, especially by Gray and Palmiotti.

Devin: I made the horrible mistake of watching the movie. That definitely made me care even less.

Kelson: Glad to see that Jonah Hex gets to stick around, though I have to wonder about a western set in Gotham City — isn’t it on the Eastern seaboard?

Blackhawks

Lia: This sounds pretty generic. Not that it couldn’t turn out well regardless, but it seems far removed from the original Blackhawks concept, and merc teams in comics aren’t exactly unusual.

Devin: I like superhero comics. No thank you.

Kelson: Isn’t the core concept of the Blackhawks that they’re elite pilots? I only see one plane on that cover, and it’s in the background.

Sgt Rock and the Men of War

Lia: The solicit intrigues me with the premise of regular soldiers dealing with crises caused by supervillains. I don’t usually read war titles, but this one has promise.

Devin: Don’t get me wrong, I like that DC is expanding their stable of titles and getting into different stuff but again I like superhero comics.

Deathstroke

Devin: Here we go. I don’t know why they tried to do that whole thing with Deathstroke’s team of Titans. Deathstroke is a loner and he has never needed a team to deal with the Titans or any enemy before. Should be fun just to see what direction they decide to take him in. This is definitely worth checking out but I probably won’t be picking it up in the first wave. Probably wait and hear how good it is. Definitely a strong possibility though. Not really digging the Batman/Azrael elements of the costume but that isn’t all there is to the character. We will see.

Lia: He’s one of those characters I ought to love due to my fondness for villains, but Deathstroke has always left me cold. Not sure why, maybe it’s because he’s so hyped and badass that he seems too perfect, or maybe it’s because of overexposure. Whatever the reason, I don’t follow his stories.

Kelson: I liked Deathstroke back when he was a mercenary with his own code of honor (the post-Titans Hunt era and the Marv Wolfman solo series). Since then he’s just been bloodthirsty and violent, with no real redeeming qualities in anything I’ve read him in…and from the description, it sounds like this will be more of the same.

OMAC

Lia: I’ve never liked Dan DiDio’s writing, and OMAC has never held any interest for me, so this is definitely a pass.

Devin: I really don’t understand why this character is so popular. Pass.

Suicide Squad

Lia: Huge Squad fan here, but am leery of what little we’ve seen so far. Only three members on the team? And what’s with Harley’s ridiculous fanservice outfit? She’s not even recognizable. I’ve never read anything by Adam Glass, but maybe I’ll change my mind (or not) after reading the Flashpoint: Legion of Doom series he’s writing, which also stars villains. If he turns out to be good at writing bad guys and has a handle on these ones, then I’ll get this.

Devin: With so many different covert ops teams available why is this team relevant again? I used to love reading the old series (mainly because of Bronze Tiger and Deadshot), but not only would I never trust Harley Quinn on any team (even with a bomb strapped to her) but really this is it? Let’s hope they reveal some more members along the way. *Crossing fingers for Boomer*

Blue Beetle

Devin: I’m pleased to see this title but I can’t really figure out why. I liked the old series o.k. starting out but I forgot about it and then it was cancelled because of I would presume poor sales. Maybe all the JLI exposure and that rumored TV series have put him back into the spotlight for now. Who knows? I just know that I will be picking it up. C’mon Jaime!

Lia: Not much to say about this, although I hope it retains some of the humour of Jaime’s original series. Tony Bedard should be able to capably handle that.

Kelson: It was a pleasant surprise to see Blue Beetle not only included in the reboot, but spotlighted again. I’m a little concerned that this series was announced along with the edgy books and not the teen books, and I wonder what that means for the tone.

Part 1: Justice League
Part 2: Green Lanterns
Part 3: Batman
Part 4: Dark
Part 5: Teen
Next up: Superman

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