The DC Thread

[deano_ue]

sweet

[daglob]

Just looked at the preview for Justice League: Rise and Fall.  All I can say is that the genre is officially dead. The big two are staffed by carrion feasting on the rotting corpses of the heroes of my childhood.

Naah... most of the writers nowadays are just trying to be the new Alam Moore and write the new Watchmen. They are just doing it with the mainstream characters rather than some "made up" characters based on pre-existing characters.

What they remind me of sometimes is a bunch of little boys who are trying to see how nasty they can be before some adult catches them.

[BentonGrey]

Blurb from JL: Rise & Fall:

?Green Arrow murdered Prometheus ? but it?s not over yet! With his city lying in devastation, his former sidekick dismembered and his granddaughter dead, the Emerald Archer continues to seek out his own brand of Justice from those responsible for the tragedies that have befallen him.?

Wow...that...well that speaks volumes.  Aquaman's return, plus the promises of Brightest Day had me considering checking out a book or two.  Lovely.

[deano_ue]

umm hate to tell you this but some of the newest books like rise and fall and the new titans are set after BN. and no bodies back

the titans are even putting up a statue for tempest

[BentonGrey]

Great. 

[thanoson]

Ok, I really need to pick up Blackest night. Lots of death and mayhem sounds great.

[DoctorDark]

Some of the most radical and interesting storylines came out in the 80's. For mainstream DC there was the first Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was about 13 years old when that series was in full swing, and I was growing up while comics were changing, becoming more grown up themselves. Back then, that was the first time anybody ever wrote a miniseries (or maxiseries) that literally re-wrote a comic universe's history. Pretty gutsy for it's time! Crisis really got me into DC big time; that, and my huge mega-crush on Starfire of the Teen Titans. *Ahem!* At any rate, I came onboard at a time when great ideas were in the offing. The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke changed the way I saw Batman, and Swamp Thing was going through some dark and gritty adventures, including a battle alongside the forces of Hell against a huge shadowy hand that was menacing Heaven. And, of course, Watchmen made us all think deeply about the role of superheroes in society... but a lot of other unique ideas came about around that time that a lot of folks might not remember. Here are some of those unsung DC comics that I recall reading...

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld, Camelot 3000, Cosmic Odyssey (miniseries), Doctor Fate, Invasion (miniseries), Justice League: International, Legends (miniseries), Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, Lords of the Ultra Realm, Manhunter, New Gods, New Guardians, Omega Men, Suicide Squad, Tales of the Teen Titans, The New Teen Titans, and Warlord (Just to recall a few)

Out of all of those, perhaps only Camelot 3000 has been kept reprinted, in trade paperback, even unto today. The rest exist now only as memories of a time when the experiments of talented writers and artists breathed new life into old heroes. Today's stories such as Blackest Night were made possibe by the dark and gritty tales of that bygone age and folks like Frank Miller, Allen Moore, and all those other talented folks who have come before and since. In recent years, I must say I have become much more interested in DC's universe than Marvel's due to the quality of the storylines at DC becoming more interesting again.

[thanoson]

Doctordark- Welcome to the boards and I love your avatar.

[The Enigma]

Some of the most radical and interesting storylines came out in the 80's. For mainstream DC there was the first Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was about 13 years old when that series was in full swing, and I was growing up while comics were changing, becoming more grown up themselves. Back then, that was the first time anybody ever wrote a miniseries (or maxiseries) that literally re-wrote a comic universe's history. Pretty gutsy for it's time! Crisis really got me into DC big time; that, and my huge mega-crush on Starfire of the Teen Titans. *Ahem!* At any rate, I came onboard at a time when great ideas were in the offing. The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke changed the way I saw Batman, and Swamp Thing was going through some dark and gritty adventures, including a battle alongside the forces of Hell against a huge shadowy hand that was menacing Heaven. And, of course, Watchmen made us all think deeply about the role of superheroes in society... but a lot of other unique ideas came about around that time that a lot of folks might not remember. Here are some of those unsung DC comics that I recall reading...

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld, Camelot 3000, Cosmic Odyssey (miniseries), Doctor Fate, Invasion (miniseries), Justice League: International, Legends (miniseries), Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, Lords of the Ultra Realm, Manhunter, New Gods, New Guardians, Omega Men, Suicide Squad, Tales of the Teen Titans, The New Teen Titans, and Warlord (Just to recall a few)

Out of all of those, perhaps only Camelot 3000 has been kept reprinted, in trade paperback, even unto today. The rest exist now only as memories of a time when the experiments of talented writers and artists breathed new life into old heroes. Today's stories such as Blackest Night were made possibe by the dark and gritty tales of that bygone age and folks like Frank Miller, Allen Moore, and all those other talented folks who have come before and since. In recent years, I must say I have become much more interested in DC's universe than Marvel's due to the quality of the storylines at DC becoming more interesting again.

I've got to say that I'm kinda insanely jealous. I was mostly being born in 1986, not reading Watchmen. In the same way that I'm extremely jealous of my parents for living through the total social upheaval of the 1960s, I really envy anyone alive for comics in the 80s. I recently started going along to a local comic discussion group and one of the members is a proper old-school fan who's been collecting since he was a child in the 50s. Still, it's not all bad. I've been able to follow Planetary and Transmet and plenty of Vertigo titles since they began. I'll never be able to experience Crisis on Infinite Earths month by month as it happened, but I'm sure that Infinite Crisis is far from being the last in the line of DC's crossover "Crisis" events.

[daglob]

I can see it becoming a tradition like the old annual JLA/JSA team-ups: Crisis Month.

[marhawkman]

Some of the most radical and interesting storylines came out in the 80's. For mainstream DC there was the first Crisis on Infinite Earths. I was about 13 years old when that series was in full swing, and I was growing up while comics were changing, becoming more grown up themselves. Back then, that was the first time anybody ever wrote a miniseries (or maxiseries) that literally re-wrote a comic universe's history. Pretty gutsy for it's time! Crisis really got me into DC big time; that, and my huge mega-crush on Starfire of the Teen Titans. *Ahem!* At any rate, I came onboard at a time when great ideas were in the offing. The Dark Knight Returns and The Killing Joke changed the way I saw Batman, and Swamp Thing was going through some dark and gritty adventures, including a battle alongside the forces of Hell against a huge shadowy hand that was menacing Heaven. And, of course, Watchmen made us all think deeply about the role of superheroes in society... but a lot of other unique ideas came about around that time that a lot of folks might not remember. Here are some of those unsung DC comics that I recall reading...

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld, Camelot 3000, Cosmic Odyssey (miniseries), Doctor Fate, Invasion (miniseries), Justice League: International, Legends (miniseries), Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, Lords of the Ultra Realm, Manhunter, New Gods, New Guardians, Omega Men, Suicide Squad, Tales of the Teen Titans, The New Teen Titans, and Warlord (Just to recall a few)

Out of all of those, perhaps only Camelot 3000 has been kept reprinted, in trade paperback, even unto today. The rest exist now only as memories of a time when the experiments of talented writers and artists breathed new life into old heroes. Today's stories such as Blackest Night were made possibe by the dark and gritty tales of that bygone age and folks like Frank Miller, Allen Moore, and all those other talented folks who have come before and since. In recent years, I must say I have become much more interested in DC's universe than Marvel's due to the quality of the storylines at DC becoming more interesting again.

Yeah, then what?  That seems to be the problem modern books have.  what hasn't been done yet?

[DoctorDark]

Doctordark- Welcome to the boards and I love your avatar.

Thanks for the welcome, Thanoson! Your avatar is pretty cool itself, Thanos being one of my all-time favorite Marvel villains. I kind of always saw Thanos as being the Marvel equivalent of DC's Darkseid, the Eternals and the New Gods being kind of similar races of beings.

Back unto the main topic, though... I think the trickiest thing in comics must be trying to come up with fresh ideas after so many decades of ideas that have come and gone, or been done already. That's why in the Superman comics there are so many different takes on Krypton and the story of Kandor. I think the most recent involved Kandor being rescued from Brainiac by Superman and the inhabitants of Kandor creating a "New Krypton" literally grown out from the city of Kandor itself. So now there is the old Krypton and New Krypton, which was a unique idea. Instead of being a dead people, now Kryptonians are major players in Superman's storyline... an event which had the Guardians of Oa worried about the New Kryptonians becoming a race of interstellar conquerors once their powers reach Superman's level, most especially since General Zod is the head of their army, which didn't work out so well on old Krypton.  

Regarding Crisis and it's legacy, I believe we've had two more Crisis events since then: Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis. I won't spoil the ending of Final Crisis for those who haven't read it but consider the idea of Batman vs. Darkseid for a moment. 'Nuff said! I'm still just a little surprised by the Superboy being the Time Trapper reveal from a while back, in I forget which comic... but the outcome of Final Crisis is even more surprising in it's own way. It is less epic than the previous two crisis endings, though; less universe-altering. But even at it's worst it was like Shakespeare compared to Marvel's Secret Wars I and II. There was just something way too humerous about the Beyonder, to take him seriously as a villain!  

[bat1987]

Agreed about the Crises, liked all of them, but first one was the most epic by far.

Batman vs Darkseid was totally hardcase. Glad Bruce is coming back soon.

[herodad1]

since this is the DC thread ive got a question someone may be able to help me with. captain marvel is equal to superman in power but when all the marvel family is transformed is his power lessened because its divided amongst them? thought i read that long ago.

[The Hitman]

Yep, that's the deal with Cap. Marvel. For a while I thought that was retconned out, but when Black Adam powered up Isis and Osiris in 52 he mentioned he felt a little depowered.

[marhawkman]

yeah, but apparently it's not that much....

[daglob]

Yeah, like after the Sand Thing Saga in Superman: Supes power was supposed to be halved.

What IS half of infinity, anyway?

Yes, yes, I know that has all been retconned out of existence, and even after the event they fudged a bit on his power level.

[murs47]

Bad news: http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/04/02/greg-rucka-done-with-batwoman-and-dc/

I finally decided to give Detective Comics a try and was pleasantly surprised. The first arc, while bizarre, was entertaining. The following arc, Batwoman's origin, was excellent. And the current arc, "The Cutter," has been nothing short of amazing; being very reminiscent of a Gotham Central story. Sucks to hear Rucka go solely on this title alone.

[Previsionary]

Guess who's taking over writing duties on ACTION COMICS? Paul Cornell! Hold your applause.

I know what you?re thinking ? ?Didn?t they just announce a new ACTION COMICS writer?? Well, we did. But stuff has changed and we?ll get to that in one second.

Firstly, starting in June, HUGO award-nominated writer Paul Cornell will join interior artist Pete Woods and cover artist David Finch on ACTION COMICS. Cornell comes to DC with a very shiny resume, including work as a novelist and in comics and television ? notably, for the Dr. Who series. Cornell steps in at a critical point for our hero, coming out of THE WAR OF THE SUPERMEN. So, what does he have in store? Well, let?s ask him. Take it away, Paul:

?I?m proud and honored to be taking on such a historic title. It?s particularly great to begin by featuring Lex Luthor, who?s always been one of my favourite characters. So many legendary creators have written this title in the past that I?m giddy and frankly terrified at the prospect of following in their footsteps.?

And who wouldn?t be psyched to work with artists like Woods and Finch? As you can see from the Luthor image above by Mr. Finch and the Woods images below, ACTION promises to earn its title in spades.

[murs47]

Does this mean you'll start reading a DC comic?

[AfghanAnt]

Batman and Robin #12 was New X-Men #146. Nuff said.

[lugaru]

Batman and Robin #12

This is the only DC book I read that is non vertigo. At least with any regularity. So far it has been mostly good and the art has been great (I'm a big Quietly fan but the current artist is really challenging Quietly). Only prob:

Spoiler

I love that somebody completely incapable remaining seated for more than 30 seconds turns out to be Oberon Sexton. At least when Bullseye was Hawkeye he still killed people left and right and required a 24/7 cover up team. But the biggest serial killer ever? Sanity is an on and off switch.

[marhawkman]

O_O'

I didn't think the editors would go there but did you guys see what happened to Mirabai?

Spoiler

Seraglio = Harem
IE Mordru is going to use her for a concubine....

[Glitch Girl]

So.. there's going to be a male Star Sapphire.
 
I admit, I didn't expect the "skimpy costume" rule to apply if/when they finally did, and my expectations were pretty low to begin with, and I am aware that there is a level of sexism/double standard in comicdom...

And yet, I actually felt insulted when I saw this:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/if-predators-a-star-sapphire-wheres-all-his-skin/

Gads...

[daglob]

So.. there's going to be a male Star Sapphire.
 
I admit, I didn't expect the "skimpy costume" rule to apply if/when they finally did, and my expectations were pretty low to begin with, and I am aware that there is a level of sexism/double standard in comicdom...

And yet, I actually felt insulted when I saw this:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2010/05/if-predators-a-star-sapphire-wheres-all-his-skin/

Gads...

Maybe Afghan Ant will release his Sapphire Ant skin and you can use that one instead.

[DrMike2000]

Tt! DC had the perfect opportunity to re-introduce Cosmic Boy's old magnetic man-corset here with a male Star Sapphire, and passed it up!
What the Grell!!???!!

Seriously, that design sucks.


On a brighter note, Birds of Prey is back, with Simone and Benes. When I picked this up last week, I shoved aside Return of Bruce Wayne and McCarthy's Fever to read this first. And I'd forgotten how dense Simone's writing is. Its not like Morrison, where on a good day he's blown your mind by page 2. Simone takes her time rationing out information bit by bit to provide something thats not immediately obvious but rewarding. She's definitely at her best with this kind of street-level real world crime writing (compared to say Wonder Woman). Her other strength is characteristaion. Zinda is fantastic in this issue, newcomers Hawk and Dove are definitely an intriguing addition to the mix, and the core three characters are portrayed as well as ever.

I am really glad to see this series back in the hands of the team who made it great the first time round.

[marhawkman]

the costume is good, except for the SHOULDERPADS!

[Glitch Girl]

Maybe Afghan Ant will release his Sapphire Ant skin and you can use that one instead.

I've seen that one.  Personally, I think Ant's is far more fitting (if he'd just tone back the lipstick ) than the thing they seem to be using.

Here's my gripe...

They came up with the uniforms in the first place for an all girl group of lanterns.  Suddenly, the fans start calling for a male member and that uniform design came back to proverbially bite them in the butt.  But rather than try to run with it, we get this "I'm too macho to be pink" thing that doesn't even look like it belong in the same corp, and naturally the new guy is the dominant player (at least, judging from the cover).  Brilliant.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it's a bit like the race in comics thread, except with gender.

[Talavar]

On a brighter note, Birds of Prey is back, with Simone and Benes. When I picked this up last week, I shoved aside Return of Bruce Wayne and McCarthy's Fever to read this first. And I'd forgotten how dense Simone's writing is. Its not like Morrison, where on a good day he's blown your mind by page 2. Simone takes her time rationing out information bit by bit to provide something thats not immediately obvious but rewarding. She's definitely at her best with this kind of street-level real world crime writing (compared to say Wonder Woman). Her other strength is characteristaion. Zinda is fantastic in this issue, newcomers Hawk and Dove are definitely an intriguing addition to the mix, and the core three characters are portrayed as well as ever.

I am really glad to see this series back in the hands of the team who made it great the first time round.

Seconded.  I'm very happy that Birds of Prey is back, and with Simone at the helm.

[marhawkman]

The cover makes sense when you consider Carol's history with the Predator.