According to a press release from the major comic book publisher, the New 52 relaunch has set records and shown the company has experienced its best sales number in over two decades. While the relaunch has drawn praise and scorn from readers all over the world, it is clear that DC Comics has achieved what they were looking to do in the short term at the very least. With over 5 million comics sold in the six weeks of the relaunch, the publisher is claiming the exercise a success. “We are thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response from retailers, fans…
Read More…

The single thing I was most excited about with DC Comics’ New 52 initiative was the way that Vertigo was clearly bleeding into the DC Universe. With the inclusion of Swamp Thing and John Constantine into the DC Universe, the publisher declared that all the things that go bump in the night were going to make their way back into DC Comics in a big way. Over the years DC has featured some amazing magic and supernatural characters, and just like Justice League has been their flagship superhero title, nothing embodies this new DC magic like Justice League Dark. Justice…
Read More…

Cole Cash is having a really bad day. He’s hearing voices in his head while being pursued by an enemy only he can see and he’s got no one to turn to. That’s rough, buddy. Just for some transparency, I’m going to say up front that I have almost no history with the Wildstorm characters other than reading Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark’s magnificent Sleeper. That being said, I’ve always liked the idea of some of the characters and have been looking for a fun place to dip my toe in. Luckily,  the new 52 is letting me do just…
Read More…

Secrets can really mess things up, you know? They can also make a story that much more fun. Superboy #1 is a massive web of people keeping secrets from each other. Definitely not a bad way to start off a book chock full of crazy big sci-fi ideas. This issue is only 20 pages long, but Scott Lobdell and RB Silva have crammed in enough ideas to fill out at least the first arc of your average sci-fi comic. They even do this while playing in the well-worm field of the “clone stuck in a tube” story. Yes, when I…
Read More…

Regardless how you feel about DC Comics’ relaunch, it must be conceded that they are attempting to expand their scope. While their Vertigo imprint has always pushed the boundaries with comics like V for Vendetta and Transmetropolitan, DC Comics proper usually stuck to the mainstream. With this relaunch we’re seeing a lot of comics coming out that are being referred to as “DC Dark.” Animal Man and Swamp Thing have made their way to DC and soon even Vertigo mainstay John Constantine will be joining the magic version of The Justice League in Justice League Dark. While stuff like this…
Read More…

All Jason Blood and Madame Xanadu wanted was a drink. A nice, quiet drink. Apparently that’s just too much to ask in the hamlet known as Little Spring. Demon Knights is one of the easiest sells of the New 52 for me. You’re telling me the guy who wrote Captain Britain and MI:13 gets to play around with The Demon in the Dark Ages and act like I’m not going to want to pick that up? Fine, but you’re crazy. Paul Cornell is at his finest when he’s playing with the zany and it’s here with bells on this time…
Read More…

I want to preface everything I’m about to say in this review with a simple statement: I always have and always will love Batman. Okay, lets get to it. Batman is easily DC Comics’ Wolverine. Both have been criminally over used to the point that they have become a comic book meme. The biggest and most unfortunate result from this is that a lot of the Batman content starts to become “samey.” This is fine for some people, but I personally can only stomach the same story so many times before I require something new. Most of the “Bat” books…
Read More…

The war comic is an interesting genre. Often based on actual arenas of conflict and rooted in fairly authentic military doctrine, the war comic tells the story of a handful of combatants who have a mission and will strive to complete it in the face of sometimes overwhelming adversity. Men of War #1, released as part of “The New 52″, is one of DC Comics’ efforts in bringing the war comic into the modern era. This title follows Joe Rock, grandson of the famous Sgt. Rock, as he assumes command of Easy Company, a team of ex-military men turned contractors. These…
Read More…

For the ~18 years that the WildStorm Universe was around, Stormwatch and its later offshoot, The Authority, were two of the linchpin teams of Earth-50. Stormwatch, created by Jim Lee, was a United Nations-sponsored team that acted as a powered international police force, while The Authority, created by Warren Ellis, was a rogue team that enforced the higher law as they perceived it, by whatever means they felt appropriate. Both of the eponymous titles were dark and gritty, full of mature content, and often commented in some way on societal issues and politics. When DC announced that the WildStorm Universe…
Read More…

Whenever Grant Morrison is involved with a Superman title, it’s safe to say it’s going to be unique. Lets be honest, Superman or not, Morrison is never business as usual. In my mind, business as usual is the problem with a lot of the major titles in comic books right now, so I was excited to hear Morrison would be taking over Action Comics after the DC relaunch. Luckily Action Comics #1 fails to disappoint. The basic premise of the new volume is that Superman has just recently arrived in Metropolis and is making a name for himself. Not quite…
Read More…