Quick Thoughts: DC’s New 52 Wave Three

So, along with the #0 origin issues in September, DC is also launching four new ongoing series. Here are my first thoughts:

Talon – Spinning out of “Court of Owls.” Sorry, but I tuned out right there. I’ve never been a big fan of the Bat-verse (heresy, I know), so a Batman spin-off doesn’t really do much for me.

Sword of Sorcery – A genre book similar to All-Star Western and G.I. Combat. At least to start with, it’ll be headlined by a revival of Amethyst, with backup stories about a post-apocalyptic Beowulf. This is the one I’m most interested in, not for Amethyst or Beowulf in particular, but to see what DC does with the fantasy genre. Demon Knights has been a fun read, and is currently the DCU book I’m most eager to read when a new issue comes out.

Team Seven – Set shortly after the Justice League’s debut, about a special-ops team put together to counteract superhuman threats. The team features characters from all over DC and Wildstorm, including younger Deathstroke, Grifter, Amanda Waller, and others. This seems like something I would have been fascinated by 10-15 years ago when I was more heavily into the DC Universe itself, rather than seeing the DCU as just the setting for some comics I read.

Phantom Stranger – His origin and connection to Pandora. Um…no. In my opinion, the Phantom Stranger should be left mysterious. He’s the Phantom Stranger, not the Phantom Guy that the Audience Gets to Know Well. The fact that they decided to re-introduce him by giving him a definitive origin suggests they’ll be taking the character in…I don’t want to say the wrong direction, but certainly a direction I’m less interested in reading.

IGN contacted DC and confirmed that they won’t be canceling four books right away, though in a Newsarama interview, Dan Didio reiterates the plan to stick with 52 ongoing series in general, so we’ll probably see a brief bump in September followed by a few books getting canceled in the next couple of months.

I’ve noticed lately that the less connection a book has to the mainstream DC Universe, the more appealing I find it. That’s kind of sad, but I think it’s partly the fact that DC is actively courting an audience I’m not part of, and partly a consequence of my slow drift away from the super-hero genre and toward sci-fi/fantasy.

So how about you? Which of these books do you find most interesting?

Flash #0 Coming in September

Flash #0 Promotional Art

Promotional art for the Flash #0 issue – yes, the zero issues, going back to look at character origins and history, have been confirmed for September. Asked about surprises, Dan Didio lists several books that have done better than expected, finishing with, “And honestly, ‘Flash’ has been doing stronger now than it did prior to the launch of the New 52.”

Checking in on the Flash Movie

By now you’ve probably heard that the Justice League movie is back on, with Will Beall (Gangster Squad, Castle) as the screenwriter. The Variety article name-checks The Flash script by Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim (the Green Lantern film), but says nothing about its status. Basically, nothing has changed (as far as an outsider can tell) since 2010.

You can read up on the history of the film’s years in development hell at Flash: Those Who Ride the Lightning, or check out past articles here at Speed Force.

This Week: Jay Garrick in Earth 2 #2 and Digital Wally West in Flash #19-24

Earth 2 #2

  • MR. TERRIFIC – Michael Holt – lands on EARTH TWO!
  • Don’t miss the origin of the Earth Two FLASH – and the first time he uses his powers!
  • What could be a bigger threat to Earth Two than APOKOLIPS? Jay Garrick is about to find out!

Written by: James Robinson
Art by: Nicola Scott & Trevor Scott
Cover by: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado
Variant Cover by: Ivan Reis & Joe Prado
U.S. Price: $2.99

Digital Back-issues

» Flash (1987-2009) at ComiXology

I missed the fact that Flash v.2 #19-21 went up at ComiXology last Wednesday sometime over the last week. Flash #22-24 will be up this Wednesday. These six feature the (in)famous Rogues Gallery party (the Trickster invites Wally West to Captain Boomerang’s Cold’s celebration of his Suicide Squad-earned pardon, figuring the Flash wouldn’t dare show his face…and he does), the Invasion tie-in issues where the Flash and Manhunter fight shape-shifting aliens in Cuba, a creepy appearance by Abra Kadabra, and the lead-in to the Porcupine Man storyline.

Unfortunately, it looks like the two Manhunter issues that the Flash crossed over with during Invasion aren’t available yet. (Neither is Invasion!, but at least that’s available as a trade paperback.) The two Flash issues read well on their own, but Flash #21 and Manhunter #8 are an interesting pair of stories, in which you see the same events from two different perspectives.

If you ever do manage to track down the Manhunter and Invasion issues, I’d recommend reading them in this order:
Flash #20
Invasion #1
Flash #21
Manhunter #8
Invasion #2
Flash #22
Manhunter #9
Invasion #3

As usual, thanks to comics.org for the older covers.

Young Justice: Legacy Screenshot Featuring Kid Flash

Flash video game news keeps on coming! This past Friday the upcoming game, Young Justice: Legacy’s Facebook page reached 2000 “likes” and as promised the developers, Little Orbit,  revealed a special screenshot featuring Kid Flash (Wally West):

The screenshot depicts Kid Flash facing down perennial Batman villain, Bane on the island of Santa Prisca, a fictional locale from the animated series. It is unclear what console this screenshot is from but I’m hoping that it is either from the Wii or just a really early build. I am by no means someone easily swayed by pretty graphics (a lot of my favorite games are 2D and from the 16 bit era or below) but I’ve just come to expect more in 2012; Especially when games routinely start out at 60 bucks a pop! This looks like something more akin to the Playstation 2 than a Playstation 3 or xbox 360. I can only hope that playing as Kid Flash will be as awesome as I think it will be.

Little Orbit has released 3 other screenshots throughout the month of May featuring various other members of the team that can be found at the Young Justice: Legacy Facebook page.

The game itself is due to be released in February of 2013 for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.

What do you all think of the newest screenshot? Must buy, stay away, or too early to tell? Please let us know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Devin ‘Flash’ Johnson