Teen Titans: Earth One Vol. 2

Now this feels like the Teen Titans.  Jeff Lemire has crafted a great volume to what I thought was the weakest of the Earth One series.  No longer Teen Titans: Earth One definitely deserves its place at the table.  I like how the rest of the team was assembled together in this volume.  Impulse, Wonder Girl & Kole who start out as enemies of the Teen Titans fill out the rest of the team.  Slade Wilson demonstrates a heroic turn in this story-arc.  Raven & Starfire return in the end uniting all of the Teen Titans members together for the first time.  Finally Cyborg comes into his own & is revealed in a really cool way.  There is a very minor cliff hanger of a potential threat on the way but for now the teens just get to bask in victory & being teenagers.  I know that other than sequel planned to the current titles within the Earth One stable there are plans for an Aquaman & a Flash title.  For those I am equally excited but I also think there are a great many of DC Comics current heroes who could work well within the Earth One format.  For instance I would like see a Green Arrow, a Green Lantern, as far as the single heroes go but in terms of other team books go a Justice League, a Justice Society, a Freedom Fighters or a Green Lantern Corps.  I am sure there are other heroes that people would love to see join the Earth One series.

Teen Titans: Earth One Vol. 1

This is the first team book to come out of the Earth One series so far.  Jeff Lemire has done an excellent job crafting an origin story for the Teen Titans however this doesn't feel like the Teen Titans to me because Robin is missing it feels more like Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan.  However that is part of the enjoyment in this story it seems fresh.  One of the old members the original days of the Teen Titans back when Marve Wolfman was writing the book is back in this re-imagining, Terra.  Having Terra back throws in a nice dynamic to the team I don't really understand who Joseph also known as Jericho is so I found him to be kind of confusing but still interesting.  I really liked the idea of having Cyborg in this story especially since in mainstream continuity of comics & movies Cyborg is a Justice League member.  He is the only character to make the jump from the minors to the big leagues,  I like that Jeff Lemire reversed the gender role from Elias Stone to Elinore Stone for Victor's scientist parent who is not only a top S.T.A.R. Labs scientist in the story but the big bad in the end.  My favorite character of this whole new series is Raven I love how they of made her a Navajo girl who has visions also her character design is very cool.  Overall the artwork is top notch Terry Dodson is an amazing artist but I did have some problems with some of art.  First off his panels don't seem to flow as nicely as Jeff Lemire's story but it is still beautiful to look at.  Next I found that some of his character designs just seem off for the character.  Victor Stone for example just seems a little scrawnier than I was expecting him to be & it bothered me throughout the story.  Deathstroke was another one I liked the overall character design for Slade Wilson but when he got into costume as Deathstroke that he just kinda looked goofy.  Finally the reveal of who has brought them all together, Starfire.  However there are still several questions left unanswered first & foremost who did this to them.

Wonder Woman: Earth One Vol. 1

Wonder Woman is an amazing character for all of comics & this addition to DC Comics Earth One line is a breathe of fresh air in many respects.  Now Wonder Woman has had countless origins since she was created her New 52 origin being the most memorable to date.  With a Wonder Woman movie just on the horizon which has an awesome trailer released over the summer.  This volume again explores Wonder Woman's origin but its not just the retelling of the origin that is amazing its everything else in the book.  The inclusion of the tale of Hercules & the Amazons, the re-imagining of Steve Trevor as an African American Pilot on a recon mission even the artistic style that is used to portray Diana is echoes the origin as a warrior woman instead of busty female form that people associate with women in comics.  All of this adds to the tale that master storyteller Grant Morrison has crafted.  Grant Morrison is known for delving into a characters rich history & mining it for everything it is worth.  Wonder Woman is no different & she has a very rich history in this instance I think that Morrison has not only researched her past but the life of her creator.  There is a lot of symbolism in this book many of which can be taken in a negative light when taken out of the context of the story especially when viewing Wonder Woman in chains.  If you are at all interested in Wonder Woman pick up this book, after reading this I am interested in what inspired her creation in the first place.

Batman: Earth One Vol. 2

Geoff Johns has topped even himself with this volume.  The second volume of Batman: Earth One introduces a slew of Batman's rogues in new ways.  The big bad of this volume is the Riddler while Killer Croc, Two-Face & Catwoman appear in the story as well.  The Riddler in this story is just as crazy & deranged as Dennis Hopper in Speed.  There are also two Dents in this book like there were two Luthors in Superman: Earth One.  A Jessica Dent & Harvey Dent which are twins throughout the story.  Both are injured in a prison riot which one will ultimately become Two-Face remains to be seen.  I think that Johns will follow J.M.S.'s take on Luthor & turn Jessica Dent into Two-Face.  Killer Croc in also in the story but not as a villain just a misunderstood man with a skin condition.  While Catwoman is just a woman whose balcony Batman crashed onto while chasing a criminal only to be revealed at the end of the story as Selina Kyle.  I love this take on Batman however its hard tell if any of Batman's rogues will survive their initial meeting with the Dark Knight.

Batman: Earth One Vol. 1

This is the most grounded Batman story I have ever read, Geoff Johns has created one of the greatest early stories of Batman's career.  This book retells the origin of Batman the death of Bruce Wayne's parents who each from the two most influential families of Gotham.  The big bad of this story is the Oswald Cobblepot the mayor of Gotham City.  As it turns out Cobblepot was trying to orchestrate the death of the Waynes so he could become mayor but instead a common mugger beat him to it.  Other characters who appear in this story are Jim Gordon, Barbara Gordon, Alfred & Harvey Bullock.   The characterization for all of these characters is simply amazing & spot on.  This is also the most intense version of Alfred to grace the page a war veteran who seems to have trained Bruce Wayne to some extent, he looks like Sam Elliot I know that Jeremy Irons was in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice which is awesome on its own but it would be just awesome to see Sam Elliot appear as Alfred after reading this book.  So far this is better than Superman: Earth One & I am looking forward to reading the rest of Earth One titles.

Superman: Earth One Vol. 3

The third volume of Superman: Earth One brings everything full circle & still hints at things to come.  This is the template that Zack Snyder should have used for Man of Steel.  I believe he did use some of it but he didn't use enough of it.  The big bad for this volume is Zod each volume has upped the villain threat but has seemed to downsize the collateral damage.  I really like the Luthor dynamic as a science couple.  There are lots of strong female characters in these Superman: Earth One stories so far.  The introduction of Lisa the neighbor of Clark's & how she finds out his secret is done really well.  So far there hasn't been a bad Earth One title yet.

Superman: Earth One Vol. 2

The second volume of Superman for DC's Earth One series of graphic novels is simply an amazing leap forward in the early days of Superman.  I like how J. Michael Straczynski has changed some of the characters but they are all instantly recognizable.  The main villain in this book is the Parasite an awesome  & in some cases underused Superman villain.  I am really looking forward to more of the Earth One series of books in the future.  It is a shame that J. Michael Stracynski will be leaving the comic book medium his writing & characterization has been one of a kind.  He has lent his voice to so many characters over the years and defined so many different comic book runs, he will be truly missed.

Superman: Earth One Vol. 1

This is the first Earth One title I have read by DC Comics this is a nice updated re-imagining of the man of steel.  If you are a fan of the new DC Cinematic Universe take on Superman with the Man of Steel & Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice movies this is a title for you.  I really liked this take on Superman I wouldn't mind seeing DC Comics broaden this line & this version of the universe.  In this book Clark Kent is trying to find his place in the world much like in Man of Steel.  It is only when the earth is threatened by an outside presence does he dawn the cape to combat the alien invaders.  However this story has heart where much of New 52 Superman work has lacked in that department.  Shane Davis's art gives this story a more grounded feel to Superman.