Reviews of SWAMP THING VOL. 1: RAISE THEM BONES, RESURRECTION MAN VOL. 1: DEAD AGAIN, and THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS VOL. 1: SCIENCE BAD

Science. Science and madness. Science and madness and monsters. All come into play in today’s line of books which include the revitalization of two languishing DC properties — a woe begotten creature from the bogs of Louisiana battling the forces of decay and ruin, and a man of many lives and many deaths and many a superpower questing for lost memories and answers — and a new series from Image which takes us down an alternate route through history powered by unadulterated feats of SCIENCE!

Swamp Thing Vol. 1: Raise Them Bones

Created by writer Len Wein and artist Berni Wrightson, Swamp Thing first appeared in the anthology series The House of Secrets in 1971 but soon received his own ongoing series exploring the desperate battle between man and monster. Featuring botanist Dr. Alec Holland chemically transformed into a vegetative monstrosity, the series naturally gravitated toward horror — the body horror of Holland’s transformation, the horrors of man’s hubris both scientific and supernatural, and, of course, the the simple horror of a monster-of-the-week. And, in many respects, Swamp Thing has enjoyed a far more illustrious career than some of DC’s more well-known characters with two theatrically released films (the first, and by far the more worthwhile, directed by Wes Craven) and a seventy-two episode television series under his belt.

In comics, however, Swamp Thing’s most definitive run came in the wake of his film adaptation under the tenure of Alan Moore who established the most long lasting aspects of the character. Sweeping aside the previous series’ cast of secondary characters, Moore deemphasized the Alec Holland side of Swamp Thing in favor of the monster, reminiscent in many ways of the eponymous creature of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, especially in Swamp Thing’s grandiose narration and dialogue. Moore introduced the Parliament of Trees, a supernatural group of elementals who speak for the Green, the force governing all vegetative life, for which Swamp Thing became guardian and champion.

Building upon the mythology originated by Alan Moore while tying into Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man mythos, Scott Snyder — author of American Vampire and the New 52’s highly acclaimed Batman series — revitalizes the Swamp Thing name once again. And rather than wiping previous Swamp Thing continuity out of existence, Snyder’s series assumes those events transpired (at least in broad strokes) while reintroducing us to an untransformed Alec Holland — the memories of his monstrous years made fuzzy and foreign to the now human Holland. This has the advantage of creating an entry point for new readers without disregarding previous continuity in its entirety (so for a second time Snyder proves why the reboot may have been unnecessary).

Snyder draws a clear line between Alec Holland and the Swamp Thing of previous comics as Holland’s reclaimed humanity makes him a radically different character. Thus, he can act as the audience’s voice when encountering new, strange sights while not being completely uninformed as well — a good example of Snyder having his cake and eating it too. The only hiccup here comes through an exposition scene early in issue 2 which fails to derail the book’s plot but is nevertheless stilted and awkward. That aside, the book hits all the high points one would expect from a Snyder-penned horror title.

All over the world animals are spontaneously dying in large groups — birds falling from the sky, cattle collapsing in the field, entire schools of fish sinking to their graves — and the superheroes of the world take note. Alec Holland, meanwhile, works construction outside the swamps he once roamed as a monster, tormented by memories he can’t bring himself to call his own. The Green still calls to him but Alec, having finally rid himself of the monster and reclaimed his humanity, will have nothing to do with it. That quickly changes when the Rot, supernatural embodiment of decay and death, gathers its undead forces for yet another war against the Red and the Green, setting sight on Holland, the man destined to be the Green’s greatest champion.

Much like Animal Man, Swamp Thing emphasizes supernatural body horror to chilling effect. As an emissary of the Rot forces an archaeologist’s neck to twist and snap of its own accord while said archaeologist can only wait and scream as his own body turns against him, the hairs of one’s own neck will be standing on end. Emissaries of the Rot (alternatively, the Black in keeping with the color theme) are more frightening than ever, quite the accomplishment considering how well they were rendered in Animal Man. All glory in that regard goes to Yanick Paquette’s artwork which integrates beautiful linework with creative layouts and arrangements that evoke J.H. Williams III. His monster designs give Travel Foreman’s a run for their money but aren’t nearly as spine chilling as the Rot’s supernatural ability to manipulate dead or necrotized flesh, turning tumors and diseases into mutant abominations that kill from the inside out.

And, again, much like Animal Man, the book’s greatest strength is its characters. While Holland’s reluctance to become Swamp Thing again leads to some damnable consequences, you nevertheless sympathize with his situation and never blame him for the tragedies that ensue. The sacrifice of Holland humanity holds greater weight because it’s no longer an accident of science and mutation, and his guardianship of the Green feels more grandiose because it’s something he must choose to uphold rather than a duty foisted upon him by a higher power. As well, Holland’s relationship with longtime Swamp Thing supporting character Abigail Arcane rings true despite the relatively short interval the characters spend together, evoking the romantic connection shared between the characters from previous continuity while also developing into circumstances that can seemingly only lead to tragedy. However, Snyder gives the reader enough hope and establishes the characters so well that one can’t help but root for Holland’s triumph over the Rot.

Scott Snyder brings us another must-read book, especially for any fan of supernatural horror or Swamp Thing’s previous incarnations. Suspense, horror, and action deliver in equal measure, never once battling for a greater share of the spotlight but blending together seamlessly (something which won’t be shared by our next title). As well, Swamp Thing is essential reading for any fan of Lemire’s Animal Man as the two’s intertwining mythologies will soon have them crossing over in the “Rot World” event where the forces of the Green, the Red, and the Rot will finally wage war.

Resurrection Man Vol. 1: Dead Again

Conceived by British writing duo Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with American Jackson Guice, Mitch Shelley, alias Resurrection Man, originally appeared in a self-titled series in 1997 which lasted until 1999. Written as a “non-traditional” superhero, Mitch Shelley possessed a seemingly immortal body following experimentation by your typical clandestine super-science organization; after each apparent “death”, Shelley resurrects with a new superpower based on how he previously died. Eschewing colorful costumes and superheroics in general, the original Resurrection Man series focused on Mitch’s journey across the United States in search of the truth behind his past and rebirth as Resurrection Man. After cancellation, Shelley made sporadic cameos in other DC books but never received any spotlight attention until eleven years later when Abnett and Lanning returned with a rebooted Resurrection Man for the New 52.

Featuring a rewritten origin that ties Shelley into the larger DC universe, the new Resurrection Man once again follows Mitch Shelley battling amnesia as he struggles to uncover the secrets of his past and his powers. Along the way he’s accosted by a rather demonic looking angel, a pair of lesbian assassins, a retired supervillain, and even crosses paths with some of Gotham’s mentally disturbed denizens. And as exciting as those things sound, the execution largely disappoints.

Next to nothing of the previous series’ continuity remains although enough changes have been made that the book doesn’t retread old territory. Rather, the book’s failings stem from its general lack of focus, the plots aimless meandering, Shelley’s weak sense of agency, and an unnecessary amount of fan service.

With the introduction of the Body Doubles, the aforementioned lesbian assassins (characters introduced in the original Resurrection Man), the book seems to start moving in a plot progressive direction as we learn more about Shelley’s revamped past and his relationship to the Doubles, Bonnie and Carmen. But the narrative swiftly abandons these threads as one of Shelley’s eponymous resurrections spirits him away to Arkham Asylum. Following that diversion, the book then decides it’s time for Shelley to learn the value of heroism as he confronts some meth manufacturers held up in an abandoned Metropolis apartment complex.

This shift isn’t wholly without setup and Shelley never acts out of character, but it nevertheless feels underdeveloped and unearned. Mainly due to Shelley’s poor sense of agency leading up to that point. The book’s narrative primarily focuses on things happening to Shelley rather than him taking any sort of action of his own. We understand the motives of those hunting him more so than his own motivations to avoid them. Supposedly, he’s trying to find answers to his past but he inevitably happens upon those truths by accident rather than discovering them himself. The only time he takes any sort of action is in self-defense against the Body Doubles or his supernatural hunters. It’s also telling that, while other characters reveal personality through dialogue, Shelley’s character mainly emerges through narrative captions rather than his interactions with others. Consequently, Shelley comes off as bland and uninteresting — an ironic contrast to his former life, prior to amnesia, which reveals Shelley’s unfeeling, malicious past as a bastard, a more compelling characterization for no better reason than at least he has a personality.

Abnett and Lanning can’t seemingly decide if they want the series to have a linear narrative or indulge in episodic adventures. As such, the book becomes unfocused and even a bit confused as to what it wants to be, fluctuating between supernatural horror and action thriller, ultimately failing to terrify while the action feels unmotivated and pointless. An extended sequence features the Body Doubles trying to take down Shelley for the sake of transporting him to their boss, but dialogue reveals that Shelley would have come with them willingly just to learn about his past and lost memories. So, basically, the Doubles murdered dozens of civilians and caused millions of dollars in collateral damage over a failure to communicate. Fucking hell.

Pencils by Fernando Dagnino are nothing spectacular though neither are they terribly lazy or incompetent. At worst, panels can seem a bit cluttered or crowded and certain visuals rely heavily on poorly integrated CG and Photoshop effects, particularly any “energy” effects or powers exhibited by certain characters. The colorist puts a heavy emphasis on black ink and darker tones, a trait common to many New 52 books, but here it’s especially overdone despite the darker shades matching the general feel of the book. However, as soon as the Body Doubles emerge on scene, the artwork perks up for a good helping of fan service, including a full page spread of the girls in their underwear, and some panty shots during their action scenes. The spread had to be a request of Abnett and Lanning — a particularly fetishy request, at that, as the girls are surrounded by guns and ammo, posing seductively for…well, no one since they’re alone and seemingly not in the mood to entice each other — but the panty shots are no doubt Dagnino’s choice and completely unnecessary. I’m not normally one to get uptight about fan service, especially in books obviously aimed at a more mature audience, but when the person being eroticized is an unrepentant murderer and generally repugnant in every other regard, I find it difficult to get hot and bothered.

As of issue thirteen, the series has been slated for cancellation and it’s not difficult to see why. While there are certainly worse titles still under publication, Resurrection Man fails to recapture any of the qualities that garnered critical acclaim for its original series. Shelley isn’t an engaging character, the mysteries at play aren’t particularly enthralling (or have obviously telegraphed conclusions), and the whole affair reeks of blandness. I doubt we’ll be seeing another resurrection out of Resurrection Man. (Had to get that pun in there eventually.)

The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1: Science Bad

SCIENCE!

Delicious, delicious science.

Science stays crunchy, even in milk!

The internet certainly loves its enthusiastic exclamations of “Science!” While one could hope that this enthusiasm represents a growing affinity for critical thinking in popular culture, more likely it proves that some spirit of the ‘50s and ‘60s era of limitless scientific discovery and accomplishment still lingers in our society. And likewise, the latent fear of science — the potential unwelcome truths and weaponization of grand notions — still pervades. The Manhattan Projects proves a perfect vessel for both, reimagining the program that would eventually give the U.S. the atomic bomb as a cover story for even deeper explorations into the untapped realm of super-science, leading down heretofore unexplored realms of war, death, and madness.

The book brings together some of the most well-known scientific minds behind the historical Manhattan Project — Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, Richard Feynman, Wernher von Braun (an unhistorical addition to the team), and project director Major General Leslie Groves — and recasts them as a troupe of inglorious bastards, paving the way for America’s future through the paranormal, extraterrestrial, and whatever preternatural means they can get their hands on.

These first five issues focus on the introduction of our cast, each issue giving focus to a different member of the Projects while delivering revelations and secrets that will no doubt play bigger roles later in the series. Indeed, author Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News, Fantastic Four, Future Foundation, and S.H.I.E.L.D.) hints at future plot developments and grander schemes via excerpts from fictionalized records of the Projects which precede and conclude every issue. These excerpts simultaneously build character and expand upon the nature of the world at play, hinting at a vast and marvelous history.

Meanwhile, the characters themselves resemble little to nothing of their personalities (actual or perceived) in favor of gross caricatures which fit the twisted, paranormal world they inhabit. Major General Groves is the hard-nosed, Doc Savage-esque man-of-action never without a live grenade strapped to his lapel. Oppenheimer is the off-putting eccentric masking a dark secret. Feynman, a successful popularizer of science and physics in real life, is an utter narcissist. And Wernher von Braun is your classic only-in-it-for-the-science madman, willing to poison his peers and betray the Cause just for a whiff of steel and rocket fumes. Each enthralls and enriches the story in their own way and the book could easily follow any one of them while working equally well as an ensemble cast.

Summarizing the plot proves difficult because only the inklings of a larger narrative reveal themselves in this volume, opting more for episodic adventures and stories while hopping through the Projects’ timeline. Suffice to say, it involves a lot of science, madness, aliens, and a good dose of reckless abandon.

In the vein of Frank Quitely, Nick Pitarra’s art is detailed, fantastical, and perfectly suited to the madcap nature of the book — especially as a teleporting Japanese Torii gateway spews mechanical samurai into the Projects’ underground Los Alamos base — but will nevertheless be off-putting to those who don’t like his particular stylization. Personally, the art took a moment’s adjustment for me but soon felt perfectly natural for the cartoonish and outlandish nature of the book.

If any make-or-break fault can be found in the book, it’s that it has no relatable protagonist. No one speaks for the audience or acts as the conscience of the book. And while the cast is not without their sympathetic aspects, all of them possess some quality that fundamentally dissociates them from the reader. Whether it’s Feynman’s simple narcissism or General Groves’ fanaticism or Von Braun’s…well, being a Nazi (he never removes his uniform and no one else seems to mind) or the more radical fates of Oppenheimer and Einstein, there exists no character who acts as the series’ moral compass. Rather, the book opts for the unfiltered madness and lunacy that ensues when all these personalities are thrown into a room and given fantastical tools of super-science to play around with.

So, any objections against the book devolve into a matter of taste more than anything. Hickman has the story he wants to tell, knows the audience it will appeal to, and is more than comfortable with how narrow that audience will be. Nevertheless, The Manhattan Projects is compulsively readable if only to see what strange sights and abominations will emerge out of Los Alamos next.

The final 18, probably containing the best and the worst of the lot.

Looking back, I really should have chosen books that I was going to buy a bit more sparingly. Ending up with 19 out of 52 seems like far too much. Most of my friends are keeping it under 10 books. I like to pretend that I’m Mr. Moneybags (read: outdated reference to a rich guy) but I work a part-time job and have bills and really probably can’t afford all of these books. That is the sacrifice I make for you, faithful reader. I do this all for you…and me. Well, mostly for me. Well…yeah, all me.

35. Grifter #1
Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON
Art by CAFU

I really liked Who is Jake Ellis? when I could get a hold of it, but its the only exposure that I’ve had to Edmondson. Cafu, I’ve had even less exposure to, only remembering him from his cover work on Superman and Action comics, which, admittedly, I liked quite a lot, but I’ve not seen his interior work outside of what a quick google search shows me. I’m a bit hesitant about picking up a series with such big unknowns.

That being said, I’m a bit of a sucker for Grifter. When I was about 10 or so, I inherited some of my brother’s collection of comics. It wasn’t the largest collection on Earth and it was a bit piecemeal due to rare visits to the comic book store with our uncle, but I loved WildC.A.T.S. with a foolish passion. My comic book knowledge at that point was sparse enough that I didn’t see where the team was pulling from existing comic ideas, I just thought that they were cool dudes and looked awesome. Its the same childish passion that made me tolerate and even enjoy the Green Lantern movie on at first that makes me want to read this book so very much. Grifter was particularly interesting because he didn’t really have powers, his costume was fairly simple, and he was a loner. I quite liked pretending to be him in my younger years. I will pick up this book because it has a hell of a lot of potential, an almost guarantee of being an enjoyable read, and not a lot of risk of being bad.

Verdict: DOOM!

36. Legion of Superheroes #1
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by FRANCIS PORTELA

Paul Levitz is a name that’s nearly synonymous with the Legion of Superheroes with about 100 under his belt. He has written consistently solid comic books in a company that often goes awry. Portela has worked with Levitz before on Legion, so I think we have a good team here, but I’m not really a fan of Portela’s art, which doesn’t win this title any points.

To me, Legion has always been a book that’s easy to drop. Its always fun and it is always written pretty well, but its just not a story that I could ever get invested in. Even less so now with the reboot making everybody’s back-story so unclear and having so little confirmation that this will be the team that is familiar or a splinter group as it seems it will be. Covert-Ops is obviously a theme in this reboot. There are at least 7 comics out of the 52 that are advertised as such, or some other vague sort of secret agent team doing a job that nobody else can do. Lots of secret, very specific villainy going on post-Flashpoint. I might pick this up if it gets good enough reviews, or I get one of my vehement friends telling me how good it is.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

37. O.M.A.C. #1
Written by DAN DIDIO and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by KEITH GIFFEN and SCOTT KOBLISH

The only thing at this point can make me read a book that DiDio wrote would be morbid curiosity. He hasn’t really done something that would draw me to a title he’s writing and his recent actions and words have confirmed that he’s the craziest person at DC. I do immensely regret that a writer and artist of Keith Giffen’s quality is attached to this book too. Koblish isn’t overly impressive, in my estimation, but even if he was amazing, I doubt I’d pick this book up.

O.M.A.C. hasn’t been something that I’ve enjoyed reading in comics. I don’t know how or why the heads at DC decided that this book deserved to be done rather than continuing/rebooting Red Robin, or Power Girl, or Superman/Batman, or Adventure Comics, or even Tiny Titans, or maybe even BRING BACK STEPHANIE BROWN YOU ASSHATS!.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

38. Batman: The Dark Knight #1
Written by DAVID FINCH
Art by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND

I feel like I’ve talked about this before. Maybe that its the same situation as any Tony Daniel book that dips in quality of both art and story because the one man is working both jobs, but Finch is also notoriously late. I still haven’t seen any of the last few issues of The Dark Knight that he promised that he was going to finish before the reboot, and after having read his other The Dark Knight #1 not too long ago, I’m not looking forward to the story.

This is a Bat book that doesn’t need to be made. There’s better ideas that could have been put into action and better teams that could be doing it. Finch is a great artist, and a good writer, but not a great writer/artist.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

39. All-Star Western #1
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MORITAT

Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti knoww how to write period work, they wrote the hell out of Jonah Hex and they did a pretty good job on the Freedom Fighters.Moritat has done a damn good job pulling art duties on Elephantmen and the less known Outlaw Territory. This book has a good team on it, and I can find nothing that says it won’t be a top quality book.

I do, however, have little interest in reading a Western comic book. I’ve never been too much of a fan of Western’s in general (I know how un-American it is to not like Cowboys) but they’re just not my game. I’m a sci-fi kid, and I just don’t know if I care enough to read this. This might end up being a book that I try out from a friend. I want to read it, its just probably going to end up being a casualty of budget.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

40. Justice League Dark #1
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by MIKEL JANIN

Peter Milligan, yes. Mikel Janin, I don’t know. I really have no idea what he’s done before. His raw pencils and cover work is great stuff, but I haven’t seen any of his interiors. I hope the quality carries over. I do see Heavy Metal on his credits which is either a good thing or a very bad thing. I’ll have to wait and see.

I would pick this book up based on Milligan writing Constantine, but the fact that the book also has Shade and Zatanna put it immediately on my pull list. It seems like a great idea for a comic, and it also seems like a comic that won’t get the attention it deserves and will likely be a book that dies a quick death. I want to read it as long as I can.

Verdict: DOOM!

41. Demon Knights #1
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT

Cornell is a damn fine writer. I’ll give everything he writes the benefit of the doubt until it proves itself to be less than good. The team of artists were a close second on having the best names of the reboot, but are also artists that I haven’t seen a lot of. Albert did a lot of cover work on Green Lantern that I’ve seen, and Neves I just can’t bring to mind anything of his I’ve seen. Google tells me he does solid work, so I’ll believe that.

The idea for the book had me worried at first, mostly because I heard rumors that it wasn’t, in fact, Etragian on the cover but some other demon. It didn’t make sense. It also taught me that I should pay less attention to rumors. I am glad to see Etragian in a more regular station in the DCU. This also seems like a book that they might be able to pull together with Justice League Dark very easily as they’re both on “The Edge” and that might be the idea that saves one or both of them if it comes to cancellations. This is another book that I want to read for as long as I can, until DC management realizes that they have a good thing going and decides to get rid of it.

Verdict: DOOM!

42. Frankenstein: Agent Of SHADE #1
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI

I’ve already spoken of Jeff Lemire, so I won’t do it again here. Ponticelli, I know from Unknown Soldier and therefore will trust him unreservedly…but there is those Heavy Metal credits again.

This is one of the few Flashpoint books that I picked up (the others being the main series and Batman). Mostly because I was a fan of Lemire, but it also seemed like it was a bit more interesting than the other ones. After finishing the 3 parter, I’m not so sure that I want to read this. It didn’t sell me. The team that it developed was lost, and Frankenstein wasn’t treated as a main character or even a character with a distinct personality. I’m hesitant about this one.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

43. Resurrection Man #1
Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING
Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO

If one thing can guarantee I’ll look at a book, its seeing DnA on the cover. Their Marvel cosmic work, for a while, was the best thing that I was reading. Annihilation is still one of my favorite arcs and I was absolutely frustrated with Marvel and the comic-buying public in general when the cosmic line was cancelled and these two are machines, boasting credits longer than most writers can dream of, so there’s no worries about scheduling. Dagnino did a great job on Generation Lost and I think that this will be a great title with him on it.

I don’t know a lot about Resurrection Man. I know that he is an older property and what I’ve read about him seems like it can make for some damn good comics. This was one of the few comics that really killed me, because the more I read about it, the more I really want to get it, which is really putting a strain on my budget. I suffer so much for you, so that you can know comics vicariously through me.

Verdict: DOOM!

44. I, Vampire #1
Written by JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
Art by ANDREA SORRENTINO

No clue what to say about this team. I’ve heard a lot of people excited about Fialkov but I haven’t really seen why. Sorrentino gets a lot of acclaim too but all that’s credited is Gears of War…so there’s that. I just don’t know

The story doesn’t seem very compelling to me either. Vampires are starting to frustrate me. Guillermo Del Toro made me love them again with The Strain, but forcing them into the main DCU, like Marvel did with X-Men, just doesn’t feel lovely enough for me to pick this one up.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

45. Voodoo #1
Written by RON MARZ
Art by SAMI BASRI

Ron Marz will always have a little bit of my heart, a little bit that will always try to convince the rest of me that he can do no wrong.That piece is not always correct, but it is very insistent and I usually don’t have the energy to beat it in an argument. He has this bit of my heart because he created Kyle Rayner, and because he performed an ancient ritual to steal that bit of my heart and put it in a jar that he keeps in his bottom drawer. Basri, I like because of Power Girl, but I really dislike Witchblade for some reason, and both he and Marz have done a lot of work on that.

A concept that I can’t understand about Voodoo and Grifter is that Grifter never had that extrasensory perception of beings, that was more of Voodoo’s gag. She could detect the Daemonites. Grifter could use his senses a lot better. Even wikipedia knows that much. It makes me wonder why they’ve given him that power. I’m interested to see why she’s on the run though.The promos imply that she’s probably doing her Daemonite thing and the people she kills are really just them in disguise, but I’ll pick it up to find out.

Verdict: DOOM!

46. Static Shock #1
Written by SCOTT McDANIEL and JOHN ROZUM
Art by SCOTT McDANIEL and JONATHAN GLAPION

As I said to my good buddy ol’ pal Colin, Scott McDaniel hasn’t done a lot of stuff that I’ve been interested in. His writing credits are sparse to say the least, and while I’ve liked a bit of the Nightwing and Batman work he’s done, his art isn’t enough to make me trust him as a writer. Rozum, on the other hand, wrote Zombi, which I liked very much and wish was still around. Frazier Irving is also a talent that I’m sad is missing from DC’s roster. I very much hope that Rozum gets the lions share of the writing duties. And while Galpion has done mostly inking work,and very good ink work at that, I wonder why they need two men for this team when Rozum could probable handle the writing on his own with McDaniel doing the art. Its a funny kind of system DC is working with.

As for Static, I really want to read this book. To be more accurate, I really want to want to read this book. There is little interest for me here though. They haven’t shown me anything that would be different from how they treated him in the special earlier this year or any of the last few times they’ve tried to bring him into the DCU and not known how to handle him as a character. It really makes me miss Dwayne McDuffie.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

47. Hawk And Dove #1
Written by STERLING GATES
Art and Cover by ROB LIEFELD

I’ve been reading Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost via a friend and haven’t really been impressed. How much of that can be contributed to Johns’ creative insight forcing him to push the character(s) in certain directions is unknown, but it just hasn’t been very great. Rob Liefeld…is a walking joke. Sadly, he is a walking joke that consistently sells comic books. Much like I loved WildC.A.T.S. when I was younger, I loved Youngblood and Youngblood still has those characters that I’ll love. It does not, however, have art that I love. All I see are footless angry people with lots of detail lines for no good reason (read:because detail lines = awesome).

Hawk and Dove, similarly, fill me with little confidence. If DC wasn’t putting out O.M.A.C., I would call this the worst book out of the 52. At least this book has the potential to sell some copies. To be fair, I think its a good idea to give Hawk and Dove a fresh start as superheroes, because I’ve read back, way back into the DC catalog and I still don’t know exactly why Hawk and Dove have always been treated as these absolutely pivotal characters during big events and then disappear for a good 8 years before they’re needed again. I’m going to be avoiding this one like the plague that it is.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

48. Sgt. Rock And The Men Of War #1
Written by IVAN BRANDON
Art by TOM DERENICK

I’m not sure if the title is going to be just Men of War or Sgt. Rock and the Men of War, but I like the latter. It at least pays homage to the book and it might bring in some nostalgia business. Men of War just sounds too generic and, honestly, not very comic book. I’ve never read Viking or Doc Savage, so I’m going off of Brandon’s Streets of Gotham books which were, actually, pretty good. I know Derenick did JLA with Bob Harras back in the late 90’s which were some fun comics and I know he did work on Countdown and Trinity, but I can’t quite pick him out of the swath of writers on both of those.

This Sgt. Rock is not the WWII Frank Rock. This is his grandson Joe, in modern day, fighting in the “battle-scarred landscape carved by the DCU’s Super-Villains”. I think its a great concept, just like Gotham Central or Damage Control for Marvel, where the average people deal with superhuman problems. I’m not as much of a fan of them being “contractors” instead of soldiers, but I suppose they do need a certain amount of freedom of action that military life wouldn’t offer. I can imagine some great stories coming out of a military unit trying to contain a minor villain or a secondary villain while a superhero takes on a major threat. This book will likely be a casualty of budget, though.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

49. Stormwatch #1
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA

I want this book to be so much better than I think it’s actually going to be. Cornell, I’ve already shown my love for on Demon Knight, but it might not be enough to bring me to this title. I absolutely adore Warren Ellis’ run on Stormwatch back on Wildstorm as well as The Authority and Planetary, but again, it might not have a place in DC as it stands. Miguel Sepulveda has drawn some of the best splash pages I’ve seen in recent years during The Thanos Imperative and he’s definitely an artist on the scale that Stormwatch needs.

However. HOWEVER, this book doesn’t really need to exist. This is, again, and excuse for Jim Lee to keep his properties alive and shoehorn big heroes like Apollo, Midnighter, Jack Hawksmoor and Adam One into the main DCU. It all feels unnecessary and I think that every book in the 52 is going to suffer because they’re trying so very hard to be unified. I like Martian Manhunter, but if you have these other universe characters and they never deal with the same problems that the other big heroes deal with, then its still just Wildstorm and DC doing their own, isolated thing. The only thing that will keep me from getting this is how very unsure I am about the story. Maybe on issue 2 or 3 I’ll pick it up, but not now.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

50. Deathstroke #1
Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT

This is probably the book that I want to read most right now. Wonder Woman might have given me the least worry, but this book has a lot of awesome potential; that is to say, potential to be awesome. Higgins hasn’t done a lot, but I’ve liked everything of his that I’ve read. Gates of Gotham is pretty amazing right now, Supreme Power is great, his Batman annuals were damn fine comics and even his issue of Captain America was pretty great. I have nothing but confidence that he’ll bring The Terminator back into the spotlight.

I’ve always liked Slade. His portrayals have been less than consistent in the cool factor, but I like the mercenary. I think he might have been a great guest star on Secret Six or something similar. I’m just really excited to see him get his own running series because this can and will probably be the funnest thing DC puts out next month.

Verdict: DOOM!

51. Suicide Squad #1
Written by ADAM GLASS
Art by MARCO RUDY

Don’t know much about Adam Glass, but Deadpool: Suicide Kings was fun at least, so he has the right sadistic sense of humor for this kind of book (though he’s no Gail Simone). Rudy goes good work in everything I’ve seen of his so I don’t have a lot of worry about the creative team. There are other issues with the book though.

So…Harley’s new costume, eh? Its very much…not Harley. Neither is Deadshot really. He looks more like a nameless goon in some cyberpunk anime and until I read it, I wasn’t sure if that was King Shark or not. He’s not supposed to be a hammerhead, right? That being said, I like the idea of Sucide Squad, not as much as Secret Six, but its still fun to see villains doing their thing.

Verdict: POSSIBLE DOOM!

52. Blackhawks #1
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by KEN LASHLEY

Costa has written a lot of Transformers, which is sure to make Sharp-O giddy with anticipation, but its always been kind of drag-out writing for me that takes way too long for something to happen. I have nothing bad to say about Ken Lashley, though, but that’s kind of the general tone for the reboot. A lot of artists that are good, but they don’t stand out as amazing or even unique.

I don’t know what to think about the Blackhawks team. I can’t get a lot from the promos other than the “Real American Heroes with a Vengeance” vibe, and I’ve heard some rumors about it being a super-science police. Like DC’s reverse version of Marvel’s A.I.M. but I don’t know. Its another legacy reboot from WWII days and it seems like it might be fun, it just won’t be for me.

Verdict: NO DOOM FOR YOU!

TOTALS FOR BOOKS:

DOOM! – 19
POSSIBLE DOOM! – 17
NO DOOM FOR YOU! – 16

THE BOOKS I’M PICKING UP:

JLA #1
Action Comics #1
Batman #1
Batwoman #1
Nightwing #1
DC Universe Presents #1
Green Lantern: New Guardians #1
Swamp Thing #1
Blue Beetle #1
Wonder Woman #1
The Fury of Firestorm #1
Aquaman #1
The Flash #1
Grifter #1
Justice League Dark #1
Demon Knights #1
Resurrection Man #1
Voodoo #1
Deathstroke #1

Next week I take on JLA #1 and will start on my weekly reviews. Or maybe I won’t and instead write a 5,000 word diatribe on why Hal Jordan sucks and Kyle Rayner is awesome…you never know.