Having already covered Superman #1 and Batman #1 in more detail, I’m going to look at a few more issues from DC’s New 52 line, starting with:
Batman: The Dark Knight.
I couldn’t help but feel a little bit disappointed. Where Batman #1 brought the city and main characters to life through it’s narratives, The Dark Knight feels…alright, but nothing special. Following on from watching Batman Begins, it’s theme of fear feels…alright, but nothing special. It’s not that the comic is is doing anything wrong, it’s just that it lacks that “special something”, that spark of energy and excitement that Batman has. One interesting scene in the first issue comes when a character called Forbes accuses Bruce Wayne of being in league with Batman, who is now considered to be more of an outlaw than a vigilante. Forbes spends two panels talking down to Wayne and I did have a momentary “Oh, shit” feeling. Sadly, before Wayne could respond to any of this, the conversation was cut short by a woman called Jai. I took an instant dislike to her, probably because the first time we get a proper look at her, it was the typical sexualisation of women – the big boobs, the tight dress and the provocative stance.
Lady, I’m the most un-feminine woman I know, and even I can tell you the shoes are suppose to match the handbag.
The first issue ends with Two-Face overly muscle-y, obviously the result of some kind of drug. Issue two sees a lot more of them and ends with the Joker in the same state. It surprises me that at no point does any one bring up the subject of venom which now makes me wonder if Knightfall has been wiped from continuity.
Will I read any more? No. Batman is doing a much better job of telling an interesting, well written story and right now, The Dark Knight feels average.
Birds of Prey
While I have heard of Birds of Prey, I know nothing about them. After reading issue #1, I’m none the wiser. The whole comic is essentially one big fight sequence with one or two flashbacks. We’re told the main character is putting together a new team, but not really told why or what the goal of the team is to be. We’re told she’s wanted for murder, but we aren’t given any backstory on why. We’re shown that a journalist has been tailing them for several weeks and yet the main character doesn’t seem too worried.
Oh, I don’t know…BECAUSE YOU’RE A SUSPECTED MURDERER?
It’s not until they talk face to face, that the journalist even realises who she is. I know that in the DC world a pair of glasses are all it takes to cover up your identity, but this is ridiculous, he was trailing her for weeks. And we’re not even told why.
You know what? Sod this comic. There’s a difference between telling a story over several issues and doing nothing with the story in the first issue, the issue that is meant to get people interested enough to stick around. It has done nothing to interest me in the characters or the story and is made of stupid.
Will I read any more? You must be joking.
Batgirl
Having now seen not one but two instances of Barbara Gordon no longer confined to a wheelchair but walking freely, I had to check out Batgirl for the explanation. Of course, your don’t get one and are only told that she recently regained her mobility. Does a person get better from a gunshot wound that damages their spine and leave them paralysed from the waist down? Yes, Bruce Wayne got better from his broken back, but his recovery was explained. Okay, it was bullshit magic-science, but at least it was something. In the New 52 line up, we are honestly meant to think she just got better.
What they probably should have done was just take The Killing Joke, the comic in which the Joker shot Barbara, out of continuity. The Killing Joke was written by Alan Moore and drawn by Brian Bolland, so maybe the DC editors believed they couldn’t erase it’s existence. But here’s the thing about The Killing Joke – it’s not that good. It’s a comic that it stronger on it’s reputation than it is when you actually read it. Even Alan Moore doesn’t like it. Paralysing Barbara was never anything more than a shock moment that takes up about three pages. Taking it out of continuity and saying she’s Batgirl again would have made more sense than saying she got better.
Having said all that, the writer, Gail Simone, actually uses the events of The Killing Joke to make for a much richer story. The first issue seems to be setting up a story about a woman who is living with a traumatic memory and having to work through her pain and fear to come out stronger. Issues two and three do a great job of carrying this on, with Barbara failing to stop a train from exploding. We also find out that while her back has magically healed itself, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way and all this running along rooftops and being hit real hard isn’t doing much to help. All of this makes Barbara Gordon a far more interesting character . I so rarely come across women writing in mainstream comics and it’s nice to see a woman write a female “super-hero”. She comes across much more realistically way and not the overly sexualised, emotional drama queen she could have been if written by a lesser writer.
Will I read any more? Absolutely.
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EDIT: Two other New 52’s I’m sticking with:
Nightwing
As with Batgirl, Nightwing too goes for a more character focused story, looking at Dick Greyson’s past without falling back on an origin story. It focuses on the Circus Dick was a part of as a child. The last time the circus was in town was when Dicks parents were killed and it naturally brings back a lot of painful memories for him. None of this is made any easier by the presence of a new bad guy who is out to bring down Dick Greyson – not Nightwing – calling him “the fiercest killer in all of Gotham”. While the writing isn’t as strong as it is with Batgirl, it’s strong enough to keep me interested.
Green Lantern
This is a lot of fun to read. Sinestro gets a green ring back, manipulates Hal Jordan into helping him and very tense hijinks ensues. Sinestro is a villainous type who isn’t pure evil, Jordan is a hero who isn’t purely good and forcing the two to work together makes for some interesting scenes and dialogue exchanges.The writing is strong, the art for the most part is good, but close ups of Hal creep me out…
I will eat your heart. I will eat your children.
…and the cliff hangers – particularly in issue #3 – always leave me wanting more. Issue #4 has a strong stink of ‘filler’ about it, but for the most part this is a well made comic that I actively look forward to reading.
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