Supergirl Vol. 1: Last Daughter of Krypton

I was just getting used to the old DC Universe continuity of Post-Crisis & then DC decided to reboot everything again for a new generation with Flashpoint.  I imagine there was a similar resentment towards the company back in the 80s when Crisis on Infinite Earths happened.  However I was just starting to like the Superman family of titles near the tail end of that continuity The whole World of New Krypton, Last Stand of New Krypton & War of the Supermen is one of my favorite Superman trilogy stories of the few that I have read.  I loved the torn characterization of Supergirl in that event because she had most recently come back from the dead a few years before & was still adjusting to being back in the world.  She was a blend of heroic awkward naivety which was a breath of fresh air.  Along comes the New 52 & wipes all that away or so I thought, this new Supergirl is just as awkward as the old one.  Really its the same character just tweaked a little she has a new costume but at her core she is still coming to terms with her situation.  If your a Supergirl fan or a Superman fan give this a shot I'm still on the fence about the costume change but I like the direction the title is heading. 

Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Guts

It took me awhile to return to this character but I finally made room for it in my reading schedule.  The volume was a quicker read than the previous one & I am really beginning to like where everything is leading.  Wonder Woman & company head to hell, again the re-imagined gods of the Greek Myths are a real selling point for this title.  Azzarello's writing is only improving with each issue.  The cliffhanger at the end of this volume make the previous one seem like a drop in the center of pond instead of glass of water. 

Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Blood

For someone that is unfamiliar with Wonder Woman beyond that fact that she is an amazon & has magic bracelets.  This is one of the titles of the DC's New 52 that it is a perfect jumping on point.  This title reads a lot like a Greek myth set in modern times, similar to Fables; mixed with just a few God of War story elements.  The re-imagined gods look & work well within this artistic style & Brian Azzarello’s writing is the best its been since 100 Bullets.  The cliff hanger at the end is a really a nice set up for next volume.

Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection

For me Barbara Gordon is always going to be Batgirl, mostly due to Batman the Animated Series.  But I also have a soft spot for the other characters Cassandra Cain & Stephanie Brown that have taken up the mantel over the years.  One of the biggest differences between Marvel & DC is that DC is all about legacy where several prominent heroes have passed on their mantels to younger characters to continue their alter egos role in the shared universe.  I am of the generation where Barbara Gordon is known mostly as Oracle.  The story that changed the character for an entire generation was Alan Moore's amazing story The Killing Joke which came out in the late 80's when I was a mere child.  So everything I have read of the pre-New 52 DC Universe depicts her as Oracle a wheel chair bound heroine.  This was an ok read for someone who has some idea of Barbara's previous history.  My biggest problem with this new series is not that it has put Barbara back under the cowl, but that it cut Bryan Q, Miller's fabulous run on the heroine to an untimely end which I am a huge fan of.  The first story in this volume is kind of weak in terms of getting me excited about the character it was the second story in this volume that I felt was a true return to form for the character.  It reminded me of Chuck Dixon's Batgirl: Year One which is an essential read for anyone who wants to know the pre-New 52 origin of the character.  One the selling points for this series & really a selling point for returning Barbara Gordon to the Batgirl persona is fact that DC gave the series to Gail Simone.  Gail Simone is know primarily for writing Barbara as Oracle so if there was any other writer that could possibly due this re-introduction justice it would be Chuck Dixon.  If DC had handed project to another writer it might not have gone over as well or still be going as strong as it is today.  I look forward to reading more because I love all the characters of the Bat-Family & Batgirl has a unique legacy within that family that is trumped only by Robin.  

Big Fish

I have come to realize that the last couple of fiction titles I have picked up have had the same underlying theme.  That theme is of course death or the concept of loss for an individual.  First off I did not like this book but I did like the metaphorical story telling process it used though out the story.  I like the concept of a son preparing to deal with the passing of his father.  I fully agree with the back cover of the book that this is very much in the style of Mark Twain but overall this book while making me feel nostalgic at the same time it left me feeling hollow.  I look forward to sitting down & watching the movie.  Hopefully I will have more an appreciation for the book through that much like I did with The Great Gatsby & A Princess of Mars.

Batman The Dark Knight Vol. 1: Knight Terrors

Out of all the DC characters Batman is my all-time favorite to read its pretty much every collected story I have picked up has been gold, even the mediocre ones.  That's not to say I haven't picked up some sub-par stories because I have but they are few & far between.  This is one of the many Bat-Titles included in the New 52.  This volume reads like an episode of Batman the Animated Series. From the get go it is fairly predictable as to who the villain is but it is the way that it is played out that makes it intriguing.  There are parts of the story the don't seem to work within the context where Batman's actions seem some what out of character but they are small in comparison to the overall book.  Batman along with Green Lantern are two of the only if not the few characters unaffected by the New 52.  This title is no exception it requires some brief knowledge of the Dark Knight's history.  This volume does introduce a new character in the White Rabbit, she herself seems an odd fit for the Dark Knight's rogues gallery.  The second last story in this volume is the reintroduction of the Mad-Hatter & it is one of the creepiest tales I have read involving him. There is also a story in this volume that ties into the Night of the Owls story arc by Scott Snyder.

Aquaman Vol. 1: The Trench

I am a big fan of Geoff Johns Green Lantern run it is sad to see that that that has come to an end, but now at least I will be able to catch up on it.  I liked Aquaman as a black lantern in the Blackest Night story so when I heard Johns was working on a new Aquaman book I put this on my short list of books to read in the near future.  This first volume did not disappoint it put all the Aquaman jokes right out in the open.  It showcased him as a superhero that is trying to find his place in the world knowing full well that the world thinks he is a joke among the superhero community.  Even though his secret identity is public knowledge Aquaman still tries to find solitude & anonymity living in a lighthouse on coast of the Atlantic Ocean.  The first arc in this volume is The Trench it brings creatures from the depths of the ocean that would make anybody hesitate going into the the water again.  These creatures are reminiscent of the monster in Peter Benchley's White Shark which make them equally terrifying since they can walk on land.  The second arc works as a nice set up to the next volume of this title.  I know that Johns is off the book soon which I think sucks because he redefined Green Lantern for a generation of readers I wished he would have been able to do that for Aquaman as well hopefully whoever DC has chosen to take on the title will due just as much justice to the character as Geoff Johns work has done so far.    

Earth 2 Vol. 1: The Gathering

I just finished reading this reinvention of the heroes of the golden age from DC Comics New 52 initiative.  I have to say I really enjoyed parts of this title but I also have some complaints.  The elimination DC's trinity in the first couple of pages was a nice touch but it also felt a little rushed.  One of my ongoing problems with reading anything in the New 52 is that I have all this prior knowledge of the characters & concepts of the DC universe for the last twenty years.  Since I didn't have a lot of prior knowledge about these particular characters in the DC universe so this was a pretty good book that didn't clash with my prior knowledge except for the revamp of Solomon Grundy as the main villain in this opening arc.  I really liked James Robinson's writing with the New Krypton story arc.  But his writing on this title seems to be sub-par; the art is definitely on point though.  My second major gripe with this title is the change that DC made to Green Lantern it seems like a slap in the face of the character especially since he is a legacy character.  The first half of this title read as a bunch of origin stories.  While the second half of the title is a big first ever team up to defeat the villain.  I am interested to see where the storyline with Mr. Terrific is going and there where several other nods to other Justice Society characters like Sandman & Red Tornado.  This volume also shows how Huntress & Power Girl escaped Earth 2 even if it was accidentally.