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Joe Zhang
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Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 1:41am | IP Logged | 1
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I'm going to judge each of the new books by their covers, because comics by their very nature is a visual medium.
Justice League - there are many little bits that annoy me about this cover. The "V" shaped collars that somehow represent the JLA. The three bolts of lighting that leap dramatically off of the Flash's crown. The flanges on Cyborg that suggest a robotic strain of mange. Overall, I dislike how static all the figures are, underneath all the busyness. Still, I like the underlying heroism that's they're at least trying to convey.
Wonder Woman - I like this cover a lot. There's a Frank Miller sort of starkness. Wonder Woman is savage, defiant and still elegant. I like the longer bracers.
Aquaman - at first glance this cover was momentarily confusing. Is Aquaman threatening the viewer while leading a group of Lovecraftian monsters? Yes, I do get the intended point, that Aquaman is mad as hell and he won'
t take it anymore (specifically, at not being taken seriously). I just wish he didn't seem so angry at me.
Flash - There are so many lighting arcs that the Flash actually looks fuzzy. But at least I get a sense of speed as well as determination in Barry's eyes (it is Barry Allen, right?)
Firestorm - There's a lot of fire on this cover. Smouldering fires, raging fires, fire that is somehow feathered (behind the two smaller Firestorms.) Despite all the furious energy, the figures are static, boring. Even worse, I don't get a sense of what the book is trying to be. Is it a team book, or a solo book that happens to have three main characters? Two of which are disinterested-looking, and a third who looks truly pissed off - but about what?
Green Arrow - At first glance this seemed like a standard Green Arrow cover, with Ollie knocking and aiming his trick arrow at an unseen foe. But there are some flourishes seem stupid to me. Why have bullet-craters formed a silhouette aroudn GA? Is the gunman trying to kill him, or deliberately shooting around him? And the smoke rising from the craters look more like cotton candy.
Justice League International - the cast is leaping, flying, running out of the light, led by Booster Gold. It's hard to imagine Booster Gold leading Batman or Guy Gardner, but that's my own prejudice because my first impression of him is as a weak character in the Joke League. I appreciate the inclusion of Fire, Ice and Guy Gardner. I'd be even happier if they brought back the Blue Beetle.
Mister Terrific - I like this character. He looks unchanged from the recent JSA stories. I want to see if the new stories are any good.
Captain Atom - this looks like a bad Silver Surfer cover, which is not a good way to start off a new Captain Atom series. I guessing the artist tried to convey atomic power. He came up with bizarre looking steam (and hair). And as we all learned in high school, atoms don't look like that at all. Is a power-bolt not a good enough indication of the awesome energies a hero commands? Or is it beneath the great sophistication of today's artists?
DC Universe Presents - Deadman still looks like Deadman, and not like a character from Tron. Which is a good thing.
Hawkman - I admire how this cover was drawn, but am less impressed with the costume redesign. It has the same problem with Red Sonja's chain mail bikini. What's the point of armoring up 10% of the body when the other 90% is left unprotected?
Green Lantern - This would have been a very powerful image for me, were it not for the weird nimbus of electrical energry. I've never associated GL with electricity. DC should really sit down with their artists and discuss their use of smoke and electricity.
Batman - a contorted-looking Batman is beating the hell out of contorted-looking enemies, surrounded by yet more funny looking smoke. Do smoke grenades give off luminescent multicolor fumes? I know the picture is by a long-time Spawn artist, and I can easily imagine Spawn in that picture instead. It's the next best thing to having McFarlane himself on the book, yes? Quibbles aside, this feels like the same version of Batman we have had for the past few decades.
Detective Comics - I can tell by the towered mansion in the background that it's supposed to be a homage to the earliest Batman comics. But those books never had to resort to this level of brutality to get their point across. Which is more powerful, the image of a Joker grinning cooly and diabolically, or a Joker up to his neck in the symbolic heads of decapitated children? I find myself as disgusted as Batman is on that cover.
Batman and Robin - I kind of like the sleekness of this cover. I like Robin's wing-like cape. I've read that this Robin is still Damien, Batman's son. That's not what I wanted out of this reboot, but it seems DC counts giving a Batman a bastard son as one of their finer recent accomplishments.
Batman: The Dark Knight - too bland for me to have an opinion.
Batwoman - The cover is stylish but doesn't tell me much at all. Some of the best received comics are like that: pages and pages of blank spaces, mostly empty word balloons, and storylines that go nowhere. It's as if all that nothingness renders those stories immune to criticism, thereby making them wonderful by default.
Batgirl - The return of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl is the very best thing that will happen from the reboot. I like this cover and look forward to the comic itself.
Birds of Prey - Looks sort of static and boring. A book with Black Canary in it should never be boring.
Catwoman - I like this cover a lot. Very cheese-cakey, but I find cheese cake delicious.
Nightwing - I don't share the immense passion that fans of this character have. But I'm sure they are glad that he's unchanged, at least in appearance.
Red Hood and the Outlaws - This is a really difficult book for me to get excited about. Jason Todd was a placeholder character. Giving him the Red Hood guise only reinforced his placeholder status. To add insult to injury, on the cover the Red Hood could be mistaken for Deadpool.
Batwing - DC trumpets this character as the first African American to wear the Bat-mantle. While he is certainly Black, but he's really not Batman. Just as Steel was really not Superman. Somehow comic book companies perceive "not really and could never be" status is an immense honor to bestow, worthy of immediate interest. There's virtually nothing on this cover that makes me think this character or book is interesting.
Swamp Thing - the cover speaks to me. I might actually try this title.
Animal Man - this cover speaks to me as well. It says "buh bye".
Justice League Dark - is a silly name, but I like cover and kind of like the idea. I'm willing to give a more mainstream version of Constanine a try.
Demon Knights - It would be hard to enjoy another Demon series after JB's excellent turn. But I won't dismiss this one out of hand. The Demon is still recognizable in form and attitude.
Frankenstien, Agent of Shade - the cover is forgettable. Wouldn't it be cool if every character were a secret agent? Clark Kent, agent of Checkmate. Bruce Lee, agent of U.N.C.L.E. Snoopy, agent of the KGB. Makes you wonder what that beagle was hiding in his doghouse, doesn't it? Turning an established character into a spy is a cheap stunt.
Resurrection Man - I've read that it was a good series, but I wasn't interested in it enough to follow it the first time around. Restarting the series all over again doesn't change anything for me, but I'm sure the original fans will be pleased.
I Vampire - Not sure about this one. I like the Queen's dress.
Voodoo - I think Voodoo is representative of the legion of super-characters that inundated the pages of Diamond Previews for a while and were then forgotten for good reason. The cover, though inoffensively drawn, does not change my mind about this character.
Legion Lost / Legion of Superheroes - The LSH must hold the all time record for the number of reboots, not counting dramatic reformulations. These two comics have attractive covers. But sorry, I'm a jaded comic book fan with a long memory, and it will take more than pretty covers to overcome my cynicism of yet another Legion reboot.
Teen Titans - if the female body is one of the most beautiful forms in nature, then the female body pursposefully disfigured must be among the most repulsive. The black-lava and muscle/insect girl makes me want to avoid this book. Even if they weren't there, there's little to hold my attention. By the new, edgy look of Superboy, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash, DC obviously sees the future of Titans not as superhero sidekicks, but as juvenile delinquents. As I understand it, the Robin featured here is Tim Drake. They really must form an alumni association to keep track of one another other.
Static Shock - I've never read a Static comic or seen the cartoon. I wouldn't mind trying this one out.
Hawk and Dove - Does DC expect us to reboot our brains and forget the past twenty years of wretched comics from Rob Liefeld? "He's back at Hawk and Dove, where he started!" And that's supposed to be a GOOD thing? In fact, the involvement of so many artists and characters originally from Image makes me wonder which universe, exactly, are they rebooting?
Authority - This is the most perplexing title of all the reboot. Created as one part homage and three parts FU to the JLA, the Authority rubbishes the entire superhero genre and yet somehow has a place in the DC universe. And as if to highlight their brilliant creative decision, they include a core member of the JLA, the Martian Manhunter.
Blackhawks - looks like any other video-game inspired comic. If I should follow it, it will have to be a damn good video game comic.
Sgt. Rock - no opinion, other than I find the WW II era more interesting than today's battles.
All-Star Western - Jonah Hex in Gotham could be quite cool.
Deathstroke - Deathstroke, originally a Titans villain, could actually be a mentor to the current version of the team. There are so many interesting ways to stab, shoot and/or pan fry their victims. Snark aside, I like Deathstroke and may give this title a try.
Grifter - he looks the same as Jim Lee originally designed. So Superman's iconic costume required multiple drastic makeovers, but Grifter's was perfect as it was?
OMAC - Giffen is my favorite Kirby imitator (I mean this seriously). I'll try to this book.
Suicide Squad - take a charming imp of a cartoon character, put her through the creative meat grinder of comic books and you inevitably end up with a breasty knife-wielding maniac. I say "no thanks" to this iteration of the Squad.
Blue Beetle - same as Resurrection Man.
Action Comics - for years fanboys have been itching to get Superman out of his red trunks. But did any of them consider what they would do when confronted with the glorious blue bulge that had been hidden underneath? They'd probably just die of fright. So DC, in their Solomnic wisdom, has given Superman a pair of Lil' Abner jeans, and in the process saved the lives of their few hundred readers. Creative brilliance, through and through.
Superman : the Man of Tomorrow - appearances can be deceiving. It may SEEM like Superman has gone postal at his place of of employ. But MAYBE he's just saving the Daily Planet globe from the towering inferno that's engulfed the building. MAYBE that's not his heat vision he's using to incinerate his former friends, but INSTEAD his X-ray vision to find his trapped colleagues.
Supergirl : I like this cover because I'm a sucker for beautiful superheroines. The costume is funny looking around the hip area, but it's not the worst they could have done. But the artist has checked his intelligence at the door. Why would Supergirl be hovering calmly about with her back turned to hail of meteors? Those things can hurt!
Superboy - so this incarnation is a cyborg. Maybe they'll do something clever like power him with a chunk of Kryptonite. So what keeps him alive ... kills him. Wowww.
No I will not be reading any of the Superman books.
Edited by Joe Zhang on 11 June 2011 at 3:49am
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Michael Lee
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Australia
Posts: 1133
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 1:48am | IP Logged | 2
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Given the solicitation for Action Comics #1 & a couple of others, plus the lack of any JSA-related books (except maybe Mr Terrific), I'm hoping we're returning to a DC Universe where Superman was the first super-hero of the modern era.
And Chad - how much suck will be on the shelves from Marvel & other companies in September? You can't please all of the people all of the time, and diversity rules.
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Knut Robert Knutsen
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Joined: 22 September 2006
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 1:51am | IP Logged | 3
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"and so DC would only need to change the origin, not Superman's visual design or powers." The visual design is Shuster's work, which lapses in 2013. No, everything essential to making up the original Superman character as Siegel and Shuster presented it, is off the table. Well, saying that they have to change race AND gender is perhaps a bit hyperbolic, but the character couldn't be recognizable as based on the Original Superman. But even if possible, continuing with "Superman in a moustache" does not solve the problem of the 75 years worth of archived, cheaply reprintable material that would instantly become worthless. Every Superman comic, Justice League, DC crossovers like Crisis and Legends. Classics like Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns (+sequel), Every comic book with a Superman cameo. Even licensed stuff might become unavailable, like the movies, animated shows and Smallville. But it's a moot point, anyway. Neither party wants to render the property worthless by dividing assets that have little value independently. They're arguing about percentages of the co-mingled product. And from what I can tell, the Siegel/Shuster estates are pushing for at least a 51% interest that would be controlled by their lawyer. (At least Time Warner alleges that the lawyer is after control of the property). Time-Warner probably wants 100% of the character against a set royalty. Either way, the ridiculous new Supersuit is not likely to be connected to the lawsuit.
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Tim Farnsworth
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 1:53am | IP Logged | 4
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Interesting analyses, Joe. Thanks for posting them!
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Joe Zhang
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 3:39am | IP Logged | 5
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Thank you for bearing with my moanings, Tim.
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Tim Farnsworth
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 4:01am | IP Logged | 6
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I think it's interesting to see how people react to the individual offerings. Some I agree with, others I don't, but the thoughts are all interesting. And maybe it's just me being self-serving because I work part-time at a funnybook shop, but I appreciate that you're giving DC a chance here. I've run the gamut of reactions myself this last week, from hope to disgust, and in the end I'm just going to have to let the books speak for themselves.
I like Giffen's Kirby homage too, by the way. Saw him doing it the other week on some book, I think Outsiders, that had writing by Dan Didio. The art looked sooooo cool, but I couldn't bring myself to read a Didio book.
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Kip Lewis
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Joined: 01 March 2011
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 6:04am | IP Logged | 7
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Knut, couldn't they have seperate deals, one deal covers past
merchandise and licensing, but as far as current and future production,
they go their separate ways? It might be a bad finicial decision for the
family, but there is a great deal of bad blood here and either party
might want to stick it the other and try to recreate the future
Superman brand.
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Dave Phelps
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 6:33am | IP Logged | 8
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I don't see it. Most of the legal posturing I've been seeing just seems based on the idea of determing who owns what. The Siegels lawyers are of course grabbing for all they can, as are the Time Warner guys. But it's all a necessary part of the process. Can't negotiate if you don't know what you're negotiating with and for.
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Dave Phelps
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 6:36am | IP Logged | 9
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"What else is missing that should be there?" Bryan, the only thing I'm missing from a "list of titles" standpoint is a JSA book. For the others I care about, the names are all there. It's the concepts and/or creative teams that have left me unenthusiastic.
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Knut Robert Knutsen
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 6:54am | IP Logged | 10
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"Knut, couldn't they have seperate deals, one deal covers past
merchandise and licensing, but as far as current and future production,
they go their separate ways?" That would require some sort of solomonic judgement, giving each party parts of the property that they don't have a legal claim on. Now, if DC Comics had secured just the rights of either the Siegel estate or the Shuster estate, they'd be set, because then they could continue with the current Superman, and be in control as long as the other estate got a "fair" share of the profits. Their problem is that the Siegel part has lapsed and the Shuster part lapses in 2013, so there's a deadline. And the closer it gets to a deadline, the greater the problems. But there is really no need to panic. The Siegel/Shuster estates just want money, and the property without the work-for-hire parts DC fully owns is next to worthless. DC probably want to settle this once and for all with full rights against a lump sum or residuals. All the haggling about what was part of the original property may be about the illusion that they might take it elsewhere (but Time Warner would sue their asses off if they tried to use DC intellectual properties in future stories). But in effect it's about a percentage of the profits. Now, DC alleges that the attorney for the other side wants a controlling interest out of it, but if he thinks that's actually going to happen he's more insane than the joker.
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Kip Lewis
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 7:07am | IP Logged | 11
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No panic, but we could see DC wanting to protect their interest if
things go against them when they are trying to launch a new line.
(And of course DC is expecting this new launch to suceed.) They can
always return to old things if things work out, but if they don't...I can
understand them having plans.
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Shawn Kane
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| Posted: 11 June 2011 at 7:28am | IP Logged | 12
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Well, everyone was talking about the Virginia Tech mass murderer a few years ago. When something is deliberate, and horrible, you have to talk about it. Doesn't mean there's any success to be had here. In fact, I'm sure of it. ____________________________________________________________ _ Comparing what DC is doing with their comics to mass murder is taking it too far. Nobody wakes up tomorrow without a loved one because DC rebooted Superman. No matter how much you love Superman.
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Topic Closed)
