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New 52 Quick Hits: Flash, Resurrection Man, Justice League Dark

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September is over, and DC’s New 52 comics have all debuted. Halfway through the month I reviewed four of the New 52 launches. Now that the month is over, it’s time to look at the rest of the books I picked up.

Flash #1

Judging by this issue, The Flash may finally be getting back on track. The book was focused, moved quickly, and managed to lay out the ground rules for new and returning readers alike without getting overly bogged down in exposition. Most importantly, Manapul & Buccellato understand that a book about a guy who runs fast should be fun, not serious and full of angst.

See my full review for more.

Resurrection Man #1

I thought this book was technically very good, but for some reason it didn’t really grab me. It did a great job of setting up the main character, establishing his powers, and setting up a hero-on-the-run dynamic, without ever getting too expository. Critically, rather than letting people wonder how badly Mitch Shelley can be injured before he can’t resurrect, in this first issue he’s…well, let’s just say killed very thoroughly, and he still comes back to life. I think it’s also the only New 52 debut issue I read that’s actually a complete, done-in-one story.

Still, I got to the end feeling vaguely unsatisfied for some reason. I’ll certainly check out issue #2, but I’m on the fence.

Justice League Dark #1

I wanted to like this more than I did. Partly I’m more interested in the characters as a dark fantasy team than as a group of broken people. (I’m not a fan of Madame Xanadu as drug addict, for instance.) Partly I was hoping that, despite the title, it would stay as far away as possible from the main Justice League. Partly I didn’t think Milligan balanced exposition and story very well. A lot of characters wound up saying things for the sake of the reader rather than for the sake of what they might have been saying. I think I’m on board for the first arc, but I’m not sure if I’ll stick around past it.

Overall: How Did the New 52 Do?

  • On board: Flash, Demon Knights, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
  • On the fence: Resurrection Man and Justice League Dark.
  • Didn’t make the cut: Stormwatch, Justice League.

So… which New 52 comics did you pick up? Which ones did you love? Which ones did you hate?

More Flash (and Other Stuff) at WonderCon: Saturday DC Editorial

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I attended the DC Editorial presentation at WonderCon today. I don’t have nearly as detailed a report as Newsarama’s, but I posted a few items to Twitter over the course of the hour and a half Q&A session:

  • JT Krul: There’s not a lot of bright colors in [Rise of Arsenal]. Brian Hitch(?): Well, there’s red…
  • Geoff Johns: No “Teen Lantern.”
  • On Superboy Prime returning: “He’ll eventually be back. He’s like a cockroach.”
  • Spoiler Lad is at the mike right now…
  • Why aren’t Rip & Booster dealing w/ Zoom & Batman? GJ: They will.
  • How soon will we see Captain Cold & Mirror Master in the new Flash series? GJ: In issue 1. And 2, and 3, and 4….
  • The Geoff Johns/Scott Kolins Wally West stories that were going to be backups: We’ll probably see them eventually.
  • Jim Lee: It’s a lot harder to get digital comics signed at cons…
  • Fan asks about bringing Mortal Kombat chars into DCU. No plans. Geoff Johns adds: Captain Cold would kill Sub-Zero so fast…

I have a few photos as well, including both the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh and Jim Lee coming up to the microphone to ask questions.

Update: CBR’s write-up is online now.

Update 2: I’ve posted my write-up on the whole convention.