The next round of titles that DC released brought the total number to 46. 6 left after this post.
All-Star Western: So, I have never really been a huge fan of Westerns. Not in movies, not on television, (except you,
Brisco!) and not in comics. That said, I do like - and sometimes love - Justin Gray and
Jimmy Palmiotti's writing.
Moritat's art is great, and I think will suit the setting, too. And as mentioned before, I do like the fact that DC is branching out a bit from the straight-up super hero book. It's also a cool take to set at least this first story arc in Gotham (maybe not so west) as Amadeus Arkham tries to get Jonah Hex to work with the Gotham Police Department. Maybe this series will even touch on the creation of Arkham Asylum and how it ended up cursed. Gray and
Palmiotti did such a great job on the most recent Power Girl series, I practically feel like I owe it to them to pick this one up. I also do like books with back-up stories. That way you can get introduced to new characters, or maybe find a new favorite, and this one will feature back-ups about DC's other western heroes.
Blackhawks: "A set of contemporary tales that battle the world’s gravest threats." If these guys were working for the government and not mercenaries, it would almost feel like an updated take on G.I. Joe. And that is not a slam. I loved the original Marvel G.I. Joe comic series. I typically don't think of myself as a war comic fan, but G.I. Joe had drama, heroism, and was just enough over-the-top to get my escapism quote in. I've also always kind of liked the Blackhawks from DC's WWII titles - the opposed things like "The War Wheel." Over-the-top enough as well. Writer Mike Costa is currently working on IDW Publishing's G.I. Joe: Cobra. I think he has the sensibility I am looking for. I'm not really familiar with Ken Lashley's art, but I did find a
Hasbro G.I. Joe poster online, and it looks like he is well-suited for this kind of book. I imagine I'll be collecting this one for a while.
Deathstroke: Kyle Higgins will be writing, and Joe Bennet and
Art Thibert will be handling the art on this book. In the official description, it says "Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary." I'm not sure how he lost it. But I think that this will be great, as long as he is kept at the right level (or at least my opinion of what the right level is...). Deathstroke should be able to take Batman in a straight up fight. With preparation, he should be a team buster. But he should not, like in Identity Crisis, be able to take out the JLA on, basically, raw physical ability. Deathstroke has been a cool part of the DCU since he was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez to take on the Teen Titans. Hell, he is so cool that even the knockoff Deadpool has gone on to great things. This series could certainly be a good one, but I have concerns that Deathstroke works better as a supporting character. I'm hoping Higgins can change my mind. Oh,and if you were wondering where Batman's fins got to - looks like Slade picked 'em up.
Grifter: A title from the Wildstorm universe, Grifter is making it over to the New DCU. The high-action ex-black ops hero is set against the law when he goes around killing creatures in human form that only he can see. Grifter was one of my most-liked characters from the Wildstorm universe, and I am pleased to see him get his own title here in the mainstream DCU.
Nathan Edmondson is writing his adventures, with art by CAFU and Bit. CAFU and Bit have done good work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. I've not read any of
Edmondson's work. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to reading this book, and seeing how Grifter fits in to the New DCU. I hope that the initial storyline, while potentially intresting, isn't the ongoing theme. With all the super powers running around the DC Universe, for aliens or monsters to be able to hide from everyone but Cole would stretch my suspension of disbelief.
Men of War: The grandson of DC's most famous WWII soldier, Sgt. Rock will be leading Easy Company, a crack team under the auspice of a military contractor in this book by
Ivan Brandon. Artist
Tom Derenick's work is really engaging and dramatic. I expect this one to feature a lot of activity outside the US, since the description of the book refers to them braving "the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DC Universe’s super-villains." Unless the whold of the New DCU is going to be really dark, I would assume that the status quo of super-battles not leaving "battle-scarred landscapes" behind in the middle of Gotham and Metropolis will hold.
Brandon did announce on his site that he will be writing a new Sgt. Rock book, so it is clear that despite the name, the leader of the team will be the focus of this modern military story. This genre is not one of my favorites, but if I am right about most of it taking place internationally, then I will enjoy seeing the far-flung corners of the world in the New DCU.
OMAC: There seems to be an agenda at the very top of the DC house to try and make OMAC work. I get that. Jack "King" Kirby designed the original character. The man was brilliant, and his creations deserve respect. Given that I have seen no mention of the New Gods in the New DCU, they may well still be gone after the events of Final Crisis. So it is nice that Co-Publisher Dan DiDio is writing this series with co-writers and artists
Keith Giffen and
Scott Koblish. Brother Eye will be present in this book to. Please, gentlemen, please. Do not have it refer to itself in the first person all the time as "Eye." I'll definitely pick up the first couple of these, but I haven't sen a good treatment of OMAC in some time. I don't know, for some reason the character just doesn't work for me. The creative team has an uphill battle in keeping this particular reader on board.
Stormwatch: Wow... this title is the very picture of integration of Wildstorm universe into DCU. Martian Manhunter is on this team. It is great to see that he will still be around. Jack Hawksmoor has always been a cool idea for a character, with his ties to cities, and it will be interesting to see Paul Cornell's take on Midnighter and Apollo. Having one of comics' most high-profile gay couples still around will definitely help with DC's work on stressing diversity. Artist Miguel Sepulvedas did great work on the Thanos Imperative. I am looking very much forward to reading this comic. I stopped reading the Authority because it was too mean-spirited for me. I'm not into characters raping each other, with or without jackhammers, particularly being treated as casually as it was in that book. If this book keeps the main characters good, but makes them dark, and willing to do what others are not, I will enjoy it. If it goes down that path where the main characters are just as reprehensible as the villains, but at least these guys are on our side, I'll be reading for a pretty short time.
Posts
All-Star Western: So, I have never really been a huge fan of Westerns. Not in movies, not on television, (except you, Brisco!) and not in comics. That said, I do like - and sometimes love - Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's writing. Moritat's art is great, and I think will suit the setting, too. And as mentioned before, I do like the fact that DC is branching out a bit from the straight-up super hero book. It's also a cool take to set at least this first story arc in Gotham (maybe not so west) as Amadeus Arkham tries to get Jonah Hex to work with the Gotham Police Department. Maybe this series will even touch on the creation of Arkham Asylum and how it ended up cursed. Gray and Palmiotti did such a great job on the most recent Power Girl series, I practically feel like I owe it to them to pick this one up. I also do like books with back-up stories. That way you can get introduced to new characters, or maybe find a new favorite, and this one will feature back-ups about DC's other western heroes. 
Blackhawks: "A set of contemporary tales that battle the world’s gravest threats." If these guys were working for the government and not mercenaries, it would almost feel like an updated take on G.I. Joe. And that is not a slam. I loved the original Marvel G.I. Joe comic series. I typically don't think of myself as a war comic fan, but G.I. Joe had drama, heroism, and was just enough over-the-top to get my escapism quote in. I've also always kind of liked the Blackhawks from DC's WWII titles - the opposed things like "The War Wheel." Over-the-top enough as well. Writer Mike Costa is currently working on IDW Publishing's G.I. Joe: Cobra. I think he has the sensibility I am looking for. I'm not really familiar with Ken Lashley's art, but I did find a Hasbro G.I. Joe poster online, and it looks like he is well-suited for this kind of book. I imagine I'll be collecting this one for a while. 
Deathstroke: Kyle Higgins will be writing, and Joe Bennet and Art Thibert will be handling the art on this book. In the official description, it says "Deathstroke will reclaim his fearsome legacy by any means necessary." I'm not sure how he lost it. But I think that this will be great, as long as he is kept at the right level (or at least my opinion of what the right level is...). Deathstroke should be able to take Batman in a straight up fight. With preparation, he should be a team buster. But he should not, like in Identity Crisis, be able to take out the JLA on, basically, raw physical ability. Deathstroke has been a cool part of the DCU since he was created by Marv Wolfman and George Perez to take on the Teen Titans. Hell, he is so cool that even the knockoff Deadpool has gone on to great things. This series could certainly be a good one, but I have concerns that Deathstroke works better as a supporting character. I'm hoping Higgins can change my mind. Oh,and if you were wondering where Batman's fins got to - looks like Slade picked 'em up.
Grifter: A title from the Wildstorm universe, Grifter is making it over to the New DCU. The high-action ex-black ops hero is set against the law when he goes around killing creatures in human form that only he can see. Grifter was one of my most-liked characters from the Wildstorm universe, and I am pleased to see him get his own title here in the mainstream DCU. Nathan Edmondson is writing his adventures, with art by CAFU and Bit. CAFU and Bit have done good work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. I've not read any of Edmondson's work. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to reading this book, and seeing how Grifter fits in to the New DCU. I hope that the initial storyline, while potentially intresting, isn't the ongoing theme. With all the super powers running around the DC Universe, for aliens or monsters to be able to hide from everyone but Cole would stretch my suspension of disbelief. 
Men of War: The grandson of DC's most famous WWII soldier, Sgt. Rock will be leading Easy Company, a crack team under the auspice of a military contractor in this book by Ivan Brandon. Artist Tom Derenick's work is really engaging and dramatic. I expect this one to feature a lot of activity outside the US, since the description of the book refers to them braving "the battle-scarred landscape carved by the DC Universe’s super-villains." Unless the whold of the New DCU is going to be really dark, I would assume that the status quo of super-battles not leaving "battle-scarred landscapes" behind in the middle of Gotham and Metropolis will hold. Brandon did announce on his site that he will be writing a new Sgt. Rock book, so it is clear that despite the name, the leader of the team will be the focus of this modern military story. This genre is not one of my favorites, but if I am right about most of it taking place internationally, then I will enjoy seeing the far-flung corners of the world in the New DCU.
OMAC: There seems to be an agenda at the very top of the DC house to try and make OMAC work. I get that. Jack "King" Kirby designed the original character. The man was brilliant, and his creations deserve respect. Given that I have seen no mention of the New Gods in the New DCU, they may well still be gone after the events of Final Crisis. So it is nice that Co-Publisher Dan DiDio is writing this series with co-writers and artists Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish. Brother Eye will be present in this book to. Please, gentlemen, please. Do not have it refer to itself in the first person all the time as "Eye." I'll definitely pick up the first couple of these, but I haven't sen a good treatment of OMAC in some time. I don't know, for some reason the character just doesn't work for me. The creative team has an uphill battle in keeping this particular reader on board. 
Stormwatch: Wow... this title is the very picture of integration of Wildstorm universe into DCU. Martian Manhunter is on this team. It is great to see that he will still be around. Jack Hawksmoor has always been a cool idea for a character, with his ties to cities, and it will be interesting to see Paul Cornell's take on Midnighter and Apollo. Having one of comics' most high-profile gay couples still around will definitely help with DC's work on stressing diversity. Artist Miguel Sepulvedas did great work on the Thanos Imperative. I am looking very much forward to reading this comic. I stopped reading the Authority because it was too mean-spirited for me. I'm not into characters raping each other, with or without jackhammers, particularly being treated as casually as it was in that book. If this book keeps the main characters good, but makes them dark, and willing to do what others are not, I will enjoy it. If it goes down that path where the main characters are just as reprehensible as the villains, but at least these guys are on our side, I'll be reading for a pretty short time.
2 comments:
Interesting stuff. I didn't think they'd be going with a western kind of thing.
I'd checked out one or two of Grifter's issues, but it was long enough ago (not that it takes much, mind you) that I don't recall if I liked it. Interesting idea, though. But yeah, as you point out, it'll necessarily be tempered by others with powers let them see that which no one else can.
Stormwatch. I don't know much about the Martian Manhunter, but don't really see a need for him to join (nor a smooth transition into) this group. Be interesting to see how it plays out.
And I still think an Authority movie would have some decent potential... :)
I agree an Authority movie has potential. I really enjoyed the idea and the execution of the first story arc or two. As I said, it lost me around the time that I felt like it became about the villains doing horrible things to the heroes, then the "heroes" doing things that were just as horrible to the villains. I'm not a big fan of torture porn movies like Hostel - they just aren't my cup of tea. I felt like Authority was becoming similar in the comic book world. And that kind of thing can do very well and be very popular. Just not with me.
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