So the DC reboot will soon be upon us

[Batman]

Sorry, by now I thought everybody knew the real reason for me keeping a Robin around in such garish colours was that he'd make a much easier target than me so the hoods would shoot at him, not me.

[Superboy]

The reboot starts tomorrow with Justice League #1. For those curious, spoilers follow:

It's not a bad start to the new line. The issue begins with the words "5 years ago" and Batman is chasing an alien through the rooftops of Gotham, with Gotham police following. Apparently the world isn't used to the idea of Superheroes yet and they try to shoot them on sight. Green Lantern, having detected the alien, shows up to help Batman. Hal Jordan is cocky as all hell and surprised to learn that Batman doesn't actually have any super powers. The alien blows itself up while yelling "Darkseid" and leaves behind what I'm guessing is a MotherBox.

Since the only other alien on the planet that they know of is Superman, they go to interrogate him to see if he knows anything. When they track him down, Superman knocks down Green Lantern and the issue ends with the teaser "Next Issue: Batman vs Superman". Through out the issue, you see Cyborg (before he's a cyborg) playing football and attracting the attention of scouts. There's a throwaway line about how his father studies superheros.

It wasn't a bad issue, but not much really happens. I was surprised that Superman's new costume actually looks pretty good on the page. Hal Jordan seems annoying and overly cocky, but being arrogant has always been his thing. Batman seems a bit Frank-Miller-ish, calling the police and Green Lantern idiots and generally being grumpy and badass.

[JME2]

Sorry, by now I thought everybody knew the real reason for me keeping a Robin around in such garish colours was that he'd make a much easier target than me so the hoods would shoot at him, not me.

I will admit, I am curious to see Johns' take on Darkseid.

[Justice]

Supremely enjoyable. After Flashpoint's mess of an ending (outside of the last few pages, which were actually pretty touching), Justice League made me feel really, really good. The story is solid and while it focuses on Green Lantern and Batman, the characterization and banter is fun and worth it. I know that some people really wanted to see the entire league get together immediately, but I'm okay with seeing only a few members starting. The last page with Superman looks awesome; he could be saying "Restrain me? Are you dense? Are you retarded or something? I'm the Goddamned Superman!" and it'd still be great. The look, the pose, it all comes off with a confidence and swagger I haven't seen from Superman in a while. Also excited to see what Johns intends to build up to for Darkseid.

From what I've been hearing for next week, the reboot sounds like it has really reinvigorated the line. A lot of good stuff is being said especially regarding Action Comics. Apparently he's got a book of the year there. The only bad things I've heard is that Suicide Squad plays the characters up too much as heartless psychos, which is disappointing.

At the very least, I'm much less worried about things than I was a week ago.

[JME2]

The only bad things I've heard is that Suicide Squad plays the characters up too much as heartless psychos, which is disappointing.

Yet another reason Secret Six should have survived the reboot.

[mr friendly guy]

So what sort of happens to the old DCU storylines? Green Lantern still had a lot of potential to go, with Hal Jordan stripped of his ring and all that jazz. They should have tried to tidy up such that there was a proper ending, the same way epic fantasy eventually has an ending. I can't help but feel that intentional or not, it inevitably left a big fuck you to the fans who had grown accustomed to the current DCU.

At least they keep LSH, so thats something.

[JME2]

So what sort of happens to the old DCU storylines? Green Lantern still had a lot of potential to go, with Hal Jordan stripped of his ring and all that jazz. They should have tried to tidy up such that there was a proper ending, the same way epic fantasy eventually has an ending. I can't help but feel that intentional or not, it inevitably left a big fuck you to the fans who had grown accustomed to the current DCU.

We've been told that Green Lantern's recent continuity is more or less intact -- and it was the right move because the fans would have mutinied. Same with Batman Inc., so Grant Morrison can bring his run to a close.

[Batman]

Spoiler

Clark's new duds would definitely look better with a yellow belt and the collar adds absolutely nothing, but other than that it's business as usual so not too terrible. The constructs Hal used to save the helicopters were a nice detail, as was the confirmation that the costume's still generated by the ring. (Oh, and me snagging it off Hal was pretty funny).
And is it me, or does the alien whatever we faced in Gotham being an 'unauthorized' extraterrestrial presence sort of mean there are authorized ones? Anybody else get MIB vibes from that?
A propos the alien. He yells 'Darkseid' as he perishes and leaves behind something that I identify as an 'alien computer' (because apparently, I'm that incredibly smart-realistically, I shouldn't be able to tell if this is a paperweight, a 5-dimensional Rubik cube, or an extremely bulky IPod) and looks suspiciously like a Mother Box used to in the old continuity. Things are certainly off to an interesting start.

[JME2]

I do like that...
Spoiler

...Johns didn't take the easy way out and use the World's Finest or the Trinity as the catalyst. I like that Batman and Green Lantern, men of fear and willpower, are the foundation of the story and the new League. It's something different, but it should be interesting.

[Batman]

Spoiler

I always felt Diana and Clark (especially Clark) would be the least likely to be at the core of a team-up. Given their powers they'd likely think they're better off working alone because thanks to their immense powers, other team members would just slow them down/get in the way/need protection. IIRC Clark more than once said as such when asked to team up in his solo books by somebody but a big-name Leaguer. World's Finest essentially worked because by the time that came around, both of us were long-time acquaintances (at least for the Loeb iteration). At the very beginning of a new continuity? No way. To me he's the untrustworthy alien (especially with the alien invasion meance undertones they seem to go for with the initial reboot), and unless they've massively altered my personality, method of operation or Clark's personality, to him I'm a borderline psychopath.
Hal, on the other hand, is something of a team player already thanks to being part of the Corps, and as I have no powers whatsoever (as Hal so incredulously finds out in this issue (that sequence was beautiful BTW) I might be grudgingly forced to admit I have to team up, at least occasionally, because of the magnitude of the threats we face (at least as a part-timer )

[Superboy]

The preview for the new Action Comics has been released.

It's hard to read some of the smaller text, but basically Superman is a badass now.

[Batman]

Is it me or does Clark sound a lot like me in this?
Also, I know they're only provisional, but Clark's duds still stink.

[Crazedwraith]

The preview for the new Action Comics has been released.

It's hard to read some of the smaller text, but basically Superman is a badass now.

More like a jackass.

[Batman]

Like I said, he sounds a lot like me

[Force Lord]

The preview for the new Action Comics has been released.

It's hard to read some of the smaller text, but basically Superman is a badass now.

More like a jackass.

But the question is, is he now a superdick?

[JME2]

I think Morrison said the intention was to make post-Flashpoint Supes a little more self-confident, i.e. cockier. It's kinda amusing given he does sound and act like Bats.

[TimothyC]

I think Morrison said the intention was to make post-Flashpoint Supes a little more self-confident, i.e. cockier. It's kinda amusing given he does sound and act like Bats.

Presumably Post Flashpoint Supes hasn't had to deal with the loss of New Krypton recently. On that note, I'm not unhappy with the way that they ended his story with Grounded, Lex Luthor's Action Comics [The Black Ring Saga], and Reign of Doomsday/Reign of the Doomsdays. They provided some nice conclusions to the plot threads that were left, and they returned thing to a semblance of normal (normal being pre-IC in some respects).

[Enigma]

The preview for the new Action Comics has been released.

It's hard to read some of the smaller text, but basically Superman is a badass now.

More like a jackass.

But the question is, is he now a superdick?

Didn't you know? Supes always been a dick, no matter which era.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Excuse me if I muscle in on this (counts) weeks old thread and mark out, but...

I've been following the DC reboot, and I must say, from what I've read and seen I'm really, really pumped on this.

First off, I loved the new JLA book, and the "For Darkseid" thing really made me very excited. I'm definitely following this story. Jim Lee's art is SO FUCKING GOOD and is bringing back 90's Image vibes for me. I loved 90's Image, and I approve of this.

I've seen some of the stuff they're rolling out and so far several of the books look to have awesome story openings, so far (time will tell if it pans out tho). Blackhawks looks like it'll be G.I. Joe vs. the Legion of Doom, and just typing that gave me a stiffy. Sgt. Rock and the Men of War looks beyond badass too and that too gives me a smile. I'm a FUCKING HUEG!! military nerd, and I've been waiting for this "Delta Force vs. Cobra" kind of stuff for a long time. So it's officially on my new pull list. So is the new Teen Titans which looks like "Teen Titans: As Imagined by Rob Liefield in 1991" which, as I said, I approve of.

OH and Rob Liefield is back! He escaped from "angry internet comic nerd hate-magnet" prison again and hopefully will evade the sweaty, nerdy authorities for a while longer this time.

Fury of Firestorm's story sounds awesome, for the first time I'm actually interested in JLI, and the new Superboy and Supergirl seem to be going in interesting directions. Also, thank CHRIST they finally gave Mr. Terrific something to do! He's got a great look, great powers, very hi-tech and iPod stuff, he's already over with fans, thank goodness someone had a brain. And I don't know what they're doing with Green Arrow but for the first time in my life I give a fuck about GREEN ARROW. The Authority...I'm sorry "Stormwatch" is looking awesome, I'm impressed by the way Deathstroke seems to be going (finally, someone is bringing back 90's antiheroes, because apparently DC read my fanfics I guess ) and for some bizarre reason I find myself giving a fuck about Superman. I'm not sure how to properly express what a huge change that is for me, but imagine if I was a Klansman and I said "for some bizarre reason, I find myself in love with a black woman" to get the impression of how big a sea change that is in my concern for the character. There are others that don't impress me as much, but so far none have brought on more than a "meh" in terms of turning me off.

All in all, DC sold the hell out of me on this reboot. So far. Fingers crossed, it'll hold up all the way through and they don't pull any snap back, Heroes Return bullshit (if that time travel chick shows up in Flash or something I will personally beat Dan Didio unconscious) but if it does take and DC goes through with this, for perhaps the first time IN MY LIFE, I will have more DC comics in my monthly pull than Marvel. Again I don't know how to properly explain what a huge change that is for me, but let me put it this way: if Marvel and DC were the Confederacy and Union, I'd have fought FOR slavery. So yeah, DC sold me on the reboot.

I'm cautiously hoping they don't fuck this up.

Don't fuck this up DC!

Don't! Fuck! This! Up!

[Batman]

Um-the last post before yours was six days old. I wouldn't exactly call that weeks.

Babs is officially back as Batgirl (so much for the Bat books coming through unscathed-it's not like you're throwing out some 20+ years of established history or something with that, DC) and I don't think I like where they're going with Ollie. Nevermind that he just doesn't look right without the hat/hood and the beard, high tech gadgets and tech support a radio call away is me, not Ollie. That worked for Smallville because Smallville didn't have me and essentially ended up using him as Batman painted green with a smattering of Iron Man thrown in for character background.

[Justice]

Babs is officially back as Batgirl (so much for the Bat books coming through unscathed-it's not like you're throwing out some 20+ years of established history or something with that, DC)

They didn't throw it out. She was Oracle, and she was paralyzed. She simply no longer is... for reasons not adequately explained. Of course, it's not like you yourself didn't come back from a back injury under sketchy circumstances.

So, I've gotten all 13 comics, and here are my opinions.

Action Comics #1 - Pure fun. Superman's early career, but not Superboy. More likely Super-Young-Adult, which is actually far more interesting. It's really wonderful, and it's nice to see a Superman who is not only proactive, but is a little sloppy and not above taking a position on things. The art is equally good, minus a few missteps here and there. An absolute buy.

Animal Man #1 - Very good. I wouldn't call it as entertaining as Action Comics, but it's a great read. It was interesting hearing about how more than a few of the new 52 launches were going to be horror, and this is definitely there. It also feels like there is a connection (loose, perhaps, but still there) with Swamp Thing. It's really like a vertigo series set in the DCU.

Batgirl #1 - It's okay. I mean, there's a basic level of craft that Gail Simone brings, and the art is definitely good. It's less like the last Batgirl series and carries a darker tone in-keeping with Secret Six. But overall, I just didn't have nearly as much fun with it as other people have. I kind of have a problem with the ending, and think it could have been executed better... but I'll give this one more issue before I drop it. Simone has earned as much with her writing in the past.

Batwing #1 - I'm not a Winick fan, and I was kind of worried at how he was going to do this. The guy has a habit of being preachy, and AIDS is his favorite pet topic (And I understand his history with it). That said, I loved this book. It's an interesting concept and it looks like Winick wants to develop a larger mythology to the continent of Africa beyond the DRC. I'm really interested in seeing more of that. Along with this is great art, but sadly it's lacking detailed backgrounds. Definitely a series to watch.

Detective Comics #1 - Most people have already said what I could say: It's probably Tony Daniels best Batman story, and it has one hell of a cliffhanger. To me, this was a perfectly acceptable Batman book outside of a few odd points in art and narration. Worth keeping if you like Batman, though I think I might drop it if I am getting too many books as is.

Green Arrow #1 - I like the concepts behind this version of Ollie, but the story is pretty by-the-numbers. Ollie's relocated to Seattle (Which is pretty appropriate for him), and he feels a lot more tech-based than he previously was. He really feels kind of like Tony Stark with his support team. Another book like Batgirl which I will give a second look, but it needs to impress me or it's gone.

Hawk and Dove #1 - Liefeld's art works for some people. Not me. I really giggled my way through this comic. It felt really odd and I don't think the story is the best that Sterling Gates could have delivered. It's not abysmal, but with all the other titles which interest me I'm just not picking this up.

Justice League International #1 - Oh, Dan Jurgens. You never write a bad story, just a competent-but-boring one. This is sort of the opposite of JL #1, with the entire team coming together and getting into the thick of it. The art is good, there isn't any suspect writing (outside of blatant Russian stereotyping)... but it just bores me. I love the cast, but I just got nothing out of the story they gave. I'll wait on the next issue and see what type of reviews it gets.

Men of War #1 - I enjoyed it. I know this is one of the $4 pickups, but it comes with two stories. The first story is about Corporal Rock, grandson of the famous Sgt, who has apparently been keeping himself at Corporal one way or another despite his skills. He goes on a mission which ends up having a super-human fight in the middle of it, turning everything to chaos. The backup is a Navy Seals story which feels like it could be in modern Iraq. The art is nice, the story is serviceable, and it's nice to see things how metahumans have a great effect on the world at large.

OMAC #1 - It's a big tribute to Kirby. There's appearances from a New God, Cadmus, and all sorts of Kirby stuff. Giffen out-did himself on the art. It's good enough, though again it's kind of on the border as to whether I pick it up again.

Static Shock #1 - A lot of fun, though a really... odd cliffhanger at the end. The villains are kind of bland, but the character is fun and energetic. Had a real Spider-Man feel. And if you like Milestone, apparently Hardware is his mentor as acclimates himself to New York City (Though Dakota still exists). To me, feels like it could be another fun run like Blue Beetle had after Infinite Crisis.

Stormwatch #1 - A little disappointing, but Cornell is definitely setting up interesting stuff. The art is middle-of-the-road; sometimes it feels off, sometimes it feels fine. I'm definitely interested in where they go from here, especially with that cliffhanger, but the first issue was didn't wow me as much as I wanted it to.

Swamp Thing #1 - I liked this a lot more than Animal Man, despite having similar ideas and moods. Alec Holland is back from the dead... and he doesn't want to embrace what he once was. I like the idea of someone who comes back and is like "Okay, I just want to be left alone". It's all done very well, and Snyder shows throughout the book, all the way up until the cliffhanger, that the Green just won't let him leave. Probably the best-written book of the week, and this from a guy who is going to Swamp Thing with no prior knowledge of the character.

[Batman]

Babs is officially back as Batgirl (so much for the Bat books coming through unscathed-it's not like you're throwing out some 20+ years of established history or something with that, DC)

They didn't throw it out. She was Oracle, and she was paralyzed. She simply no longer is... for reasons not adequately explained. Of course, it's not like you yourself didn't come back from a back injury under sketchy circumstances.

They most certainly did. As per the new Batgirl#1, the timeframe between her being shot by the Joker (not her recovering, not her becoming Oracle, but her being shot) and her being Batgirling again was three years, including several months in which she would panic at the sound of the doorbell (as per her own thoughts). When she was Batgirl to see two Robins on the job and Oracle for the other three. Unless they moved The Killing Joke up to where Tim got the job that's a tad hard to reconcile with established history, which the Bat books allegedly are trying to keep.

[Molyneux]

I have only one question:
Where the hell is Power Girl?

[JME2]

I have only one question:
Where the hell is Power Girl?

I believe Karren Starr will be a supporting character in Mr. Terrific, but she will no longer be Power Girl.

[Batman]

What, exactly, is the point of keeping her, then? Despite the dance they've done since Crisis of Infinite Earths, she's effectively Earth Two Kara, and always has been. Hell Team Timm probably gave her a better origin than the post-Crisis writers did.