DC's New 52 Six Month's Later

It has been over six months since DC Comics released their reboot line called The New 52.  52 brand new number 1 titles covering DC's flagship heroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and The Flash) and their not so publicized heroes (Red Hood, Firestorm, and All Star Western).  Either way the news was big, this wasn't just another reboot, this was a total recall on how we take comics and it got me back into the comic scene.  So now that we are 6 issues in, with issue 7 coming out this month, some series are good, while others fall short, and this is my own personal critique on how DC is doing.

Lets start with the good.  The series I mostly buy are the Superman/Batman titles yet I have read other titles as well.  One hero actually has gotten me really happy to read and that hero is Aquaman.  Yes, I said Aquaman, the one guy who talks to fish and was lame back in the 60's (don't believe me?  Watch a episode of "Super Friends" and you will understand) yet turned kinda awesome in the late 90's early 2000's when Justice League was turned into a DC animated series.

OK, they ALL look kinda lame in this photo.

  Problem was Aquaman hardly showed up in the series and wasn't a "official" member of the league.  Even in the first issue of the New 52 Aquaman they poke fun at him, hell they even make him go to a seafood joint!  Long story short DC turned a superhero who was constantly labeled "worthless" and turned him awesome.  I  mean just look at that cover for #1.

A series I also wasn't expecting to be good was Red Hood and the Outlaws, which chronicles the tale of Jason Todd, a former Robin who was killed by the Joker and brought back to life.  It's beautifully written and has quite a few jokes in it too, but the main story on how Jason is trying to make sense of his second life is just awesome.

One of the main things that the new 52 started some hell raising was the events of past books.  If they were to be totally forgotten or twisted, obviously neither.  Take Batgirl for example.  In the famous graphic novel, "The Killing Joke", Barbara Gordon was shot and paralyzed by the Joker, and hung up the Batgirl mantel and became Oracle.  In the New 52, she recovered and roams Gotham once again.  Same thing with Red Hood, he was killed in "Batman: Death in the Family" and they still refer to that incident.  Also some origin stories have been changed.  Wonder Woman is prime example number one, pre-New 52, Diana was formed from clay and given life by one of the Olympian Gods.  Now, she grew up believing that story and it turns out she is one of the many ill-legitimate of Zeus and Hera wants revenge.

Now for the not so good.  My biggest problem is that some of the artwork in the books doesn't look good to me.  The 2 big ones are Action and Detective Comics featuring Superman and Batman.  I can let Batman slide but I much prefer the artwork in the plain old "Batman" line, yet Action just doesn't look good to me.  The story line is great for it deals with Superman's first time in Metropolis.  Not only that but some books have actually gotten cancelled for their drop in sales and bad reviews.  However, in keeping with the number 52, a new wave of comics will come out in May dubbed Second Wave.  Some titles include Batman Incorporated, Earth 2, World's Finest, and Dial H to name a few.

  So, with that being said, how is the new 52 reboot?  I say it was a smart move.  A new start can be a good thing and a bad thing, but a lot of these heroes have had long histories and issues spanning over 700 and spin off series.  Now I can walk into a comic shop and not be confused on what happened in past issues.  Also I can finally say I own the first issue 50 years from now when those number ones are worth a huge sum of cash.  I love these new books, even though I don't read all of them, DC did good, and the Second Wave is something I look forward too.