Justice League of America's Vibe #1

Comic writer Geoff Johns has an uncanny knack for taking over entire universes. He now commands the helm of the DC universe, which has shrunken by about fifty dimensions in the last few years, but which still comes with great responsibility. But he can see the forest for the trees. If his recent introduction of Simon Baz as the most recent earth Lantern in the monthly series Green Lantern didn't convince you of that fact, then his re-introduction of lesser known here Vibe in Justice League of America's Vibe #1 ought to bring the point home.

Vibe's origin brings many current political issues to the forefront. He is from Detroit, which is the only large city in America to do so poorly that the state has to take over the city government with an emergency manager. This is also the site of a catastrophic event, the invasion of Darkseid from another dimension, a terrifying moment in the DC universe that affects its characters in much the same way that September 11 affected us. The new DC universe, at its inception, has lost its innocense, as has Cisco Ramon, the boy who will one day be called Vibe. An inter-dimensional port claims the life of his older brother. The same act of violence gives Cisco a strange power that keeps him from being detected by cameras. In this first issue, we immediately understand who Cisco Ramon is, what motivates him, and we have a sense of what his future holds in store.

Not even Marvel's Brian Michael Bendis is capable of delivering something this emotional in his first issue. Johns has the advantage of having written the entire backdrop upon which Vibe's story plays out, but that doesn't necessarily make this kind of work easy. Any of the recently canceled DC titles could have fit into the events of the Darkseid invasion and delivered stories that touch the readers who read them, and yet many did not. But Johns is not just serious. It wouldn't feel as real without his brand of comedy. For example, when Cisco is asked to join a team that prevents further incursions from Darkseid and their beasts, he rightly notes the irony that the government wishes to make a border policeman out of a Latino.

In the end, I am skeptical about this series, but only for one reason. Johns has committed himself to the Justice League, and we know this because he has left Green Lantern behind in order to develop stories just like these. But will Johns continue to write Vibe after the first few arcs? Certainly, if the title is taken over by Tomasi, or another writer who works well with Johns, that could be really fun, but ultimately I want Johns to develop this character for more than just a year. I will stick with Justice League of America's Vibe for at least as long as Geoff Johns writes it. May that window last forever.

I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.

Threshold #1

Threshold appears to be a collection of stories from the far reaches of space, certainly not, as the title might suggest, from the entryway to your house or apartment. The main story at this point is called The Hunted, which follows a series of space characters who were introduced in Green Lantern: New Guardians Annual #1. The first set of backup stories features Orange Lantern Larfleeze.

Threshold is what I call a magazine-style comic book. It follows different stories, or at least, different back-stories, rather than one central driving story. In my experience with such titles as Men of War, Detective Comics, and All-Star Western, these books are often less than stellar. The only stand-out title that I can think of is Action Comics, and that's because the great and wonderful Grant Morrison writes it. Of course, even that title feels like Morrison crammed five years of story into less than two years of comic books, leaving readers like me yearning for more early social justice Superman stories. Considering the fact that Threshold is written by Keith Giffen and not some rockstar like Morrison, I can safely say it is already my favorite magazine-style comic from the new 52.

The Hunted really has everything going for it. Jediah Caul is a deep-space, abandoned and disgraced, deep-cover Green Lantern who is hunted on a televised reality TV show on the Glimmernet. Already, I can say he's one of the best new characters that DC invented since 2011, probably only behind The Shepherd and the talking cat from Animal Man. There's some depth to this guy, and I'm excited to explore who he is. Caul is one of 27 current fugitives in a Running Man-style battle for survival. I found this interesting because for the sake of safety, one would think that only one "criminal" would be hunted by the public, but one needs only to look to the myriad CSIs and NCISs and Laws and Orders to see why there might be a ratings benefit to having more. Of course, several of the hunted threaten to unite all of the current fugitives in hopes of taking down this corrupt system of "justice," and while this kind of story has been played out through the years I find myself drawn to it.

The writing is top-notch, especially considering that there are no big characters like Superman or Batman to draw readers. The language of the characters, which I would describe as space-British, is comparable to the innovative drawls of many of Joss Whedon's characters in his various television programs, movies and comics. Meanwhile, the story is highly kinetic, every conversation taking place during a chase or a fight. The result: this book is stunning, and highly unexpected.

As for the Larfleeze backup story, it suffices to say that the world's greatest horder gets robbed. I can't imagine anyone who has read Green Lantern in the last few years who wouldn't be interested in seeing what happens when the king of "stuff" loses his.

Threshold #1 is definitely worth reading. If it weren't released the same week as IDW's High Ways, it would have been the best new comic of the week. But don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment. Pick up Threshold today.

I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.

Insurgent #1

Designed to root out domestic terrorists, sleeper super soldiers are awakening in America and they're going nuts. When American soil is threatened by the government's mistakes, there's only one man you can turn to: bounty hunter John Ravane. Insurgent is an '80s Arnold Schwarzenegger action film without the Arnold Schwarzenegger and without the film.

Insurgent fits into two genres that DC comics is trying to incorporate into their main line comics: military and edgy anti-heroes. While some have had commercial success, the only good story written for either of these genres of DC comics was Peter J. Tomasi's story about the Haunted Tank in GI Combat right before it was canceled. If I can say anything about Insurgent, it is that it avoids many of the pitfalls of the military and edgy books. It is possible to distinguish one character from another because they don't look, act and talk the same. Rather than simply adopting a simple hawk or dove perspective about war, there appears to be some semblance of a story. Finally, there are more to the characters than killing, dark pasts, and first-person monologues about falling.

Unfortunately, too much information is packed into the first issue. The world is presented bluntly and quickly in hope that quantity of content might trump quality of content and keep you reading. As a result, characters who may have been interesting and stories that may have brought us to cool places feel empty. While the premise is directly from an '80s action film, Insurgent actually reads like a '90s political thriller much of the time. I wondered if the dialogue might have felt more important if there were an over-dramatic soundtrack alerting me to how dire the situation was. Alas, there was not.

Reading Insurgent #1 was like a dream. If I hadn't taken notes about it immediately afterwards, I would have forgotten it altogether. It is a better attempt than most, but ultimately not worth reading. You might be happier reading anything else that came out this week.

I've syndicated this review at Examiner. You can read it here. If you click on it a few times, spend some time there, or navigate to a new page, I might get some money. But I'm only asking that of you if you liked reading the article here and want to show your appreciation.

The State of Black Comic Book Characters: Conclusion

As is often the case, I started with a big idea and lost steam part of the way through. Whereas I originally thought I was going to review every current comic book for the quality and care the writers and artists gave to depicting strong black characters, I have now decided to conclude the series after two posts covering six comics. You may rebuke me for my lack of courage, but the ultimate reason has little to do with the amount of work that goes into a project like this and a lot to do with the emotional impact. If you're looking for strong black characters in comic books who have as much emphasis and universal importance as they deserve, you're going to be depressed by the climate of current comics. I don't need a thirty-blog series to tell you that.

I'm not sure if I made it clear when I started this blog series, but I'm white. I know Rodney was quick to point it out when he shared my first article on Twitter. I'm not certain if it makes me disingenuous to forget to remind my readers of my social context, but some readers might note that a white person is the only person who can just decide to end his racial criticism of the comic books that he loves. I'll be the first to admit it: if comic writers and artists are giving me great stories that I can connect to, I honestly think I could get away reading books that are entirely composed of white characters. This may have something to do with the severe lack of minorities in some of the places I've lived, but it also has a lot to do with what privilege and whiteness do for a person. I honestly think that it would take me out of a story if all of our good and upright protagonists were white and all of our villains were black gang members who spoke only in broken English, but beyond that stark of a distinction I could get by.

I think this probes at a deeper question: Is this sort of reaction all right? Can we call literature good if it has no sense of justice, if it ignores the things that the status quo already find much too easy to ignore in the first place? This is the line between aesthetics and ethics, between beauty and justice, if ever such a thing could exist. Is art even considered art if it has no content that challenges, if it only placates and brings comfort? Or is that something else entirely?

My home town of Grand Rapids decided that it wished to develop a strong sense of culture while I was enjoying my travels. I am often hearing national news items about things like Art Prize, where art installations are featured throughout downtown Grand Rapids for a span of several weeks or about Heritage Hill which is considered one of the best historical neighborhoods in the country. When I was young, the only thing I ever heard about Grand Rapids was that it was the second cloudiest metropolitan area in the nation behind Seattle. While this fact could lead to providing a handful of artists with motivation for a blue period, it was rarely anything to be proud of.

In order to kick off Art Prize this year, Baltimore film director John Waters spoke at the Civic Theater and my girlfriend - who brags about her step father Cliff seeing one of the first scratch-and-sniff film experiences Waters ever put on - was quick to get tickets. Waters was introduced as a film maker but also as a collector. I didn't know if this meant that he collected strands of hair from his victims in his strangely successful second career as a serial killer or if he simply enjoyed his attic full of pogs, but after thinking for a moment I became aware that the announcer wanted the audience (many of whom were artists themselves) to know that Waters likes to buy art. Waters explained that he has never bought a piece of art that didn't originally repulse him. This might be an overstatement of art's connection to what is good and clean and moral and conservative, but I think it is a good starting point. I believe, with Waters, that art should trouble, disturb, move or de-center you.

I absolutely could get by reading comic books without thinking about issues of race. But it would be a little ironic to read the stories of superheroes constantly dealing with complex issues of justice without forcing myself to think of issues of justice, be it social, economic, racial or otherwise. At the end of the day, however, I would be reading comic books for the same reason my mother reads romance novels: it helps her pass the time between work and sleep and it conforms to an easy-to-predict formula. That just wouldn't fly for me. I am one of those armchair revolutionaries. When I see how much time I've spent watching reality TV on Netflix and think of all the adventures I could have gone on and art I could have made, be it literature or music or whatever, I hurt, and I want to rebel against myself. If I am going to be spending my time reading a comic book, one of two things has to happen: the book has to challenge me, or I have to challenge the book, preferably both.

I may have teased the idea of going back to a life where I can ignore issues of race in comic books, but I feel like the people who know me know that I could never do this. If it were possible before I began this short-lived blog series it certainly wasn't afterwards. I was able to humbly enter into a dialogue with people who don't have the option to check out when it comes to these characters. They will be made fun of if they dress as black Wolverine for Halloween. And I do believe that is a worst fate than being made fun of for being fat Spider-man, although I have only experienced the latter. In addition to this, I did an audit of every current comic book by the big two, Marvel and DC, from the New DCU/X-Men: Schism until present and gave all of these comics an incredibly subjective grade. I know where all of these comics stand when it comes to their black characters, and although it is a much better place than that of Asian, Latino/Latina, and individuals who belong to the dreaded "other" checkbox, it is not a good place. If I'm allowed to quote The Jeffersons, these people need some "movin' on up", and they need it fast.

If depression and white guilt weren't enough, the final reason that I need to end this project is because I have grown to despise articles where I find myself as the arbiter of what is good and bad. With an issue of race it is especially bad to place yourself on the top of the food chain, as judge, jury and executioner, because here's a gruesome fact: there have been white people who have made this decision and black people who have been lynched, enslaved, tortured and oppressed as a result. And that can't be me.

Continue the conversation. Bring questions and statements to this blog in the comments section. Challenge me on my Facebook. Hit me up. I want this to go on either forever or until everyone is hunky dory and there are no divisions of power. Look at your comic books differently. Learn to enjoy them not just for the intrigue of their plots, the development of their characters and the beauty of their illustrations - learn to love comics for their justice.

The State of Black Comic Book Characters: Astonishing X-Men, Fury of Firestorm, Legion Lost

After the publication of the first installation of the "State of Black Comic Book Characters" series, Rodney and I received a tweet from a blogger named BWilliams who just happens to be a black writer and independently publishes a comic with a strong black lead called Lucius Hammer. He pointed us to a blog post of his in which he criticized DC's history with black superheroes. While we have some differing opinions of the treatment of certain superheroes by both DC and Marvel over the years - and this is an issue I'd like to address in future posts - we agree that DC should hire more black writers and artists.

Flash forward a couple of weeks (it has been a while since I've had time to write) and the world of comic books is completely eclipsed by the Twittersplosion of veteran comic book writer and artist Rob Liefeld. If you don't know Rob Liefeld, then you're probably not reading up on DC's New 52. If the new set of monthly comic produced by DC were a deck of cards, Rob Liefeld is the guy who is in charge of the diamonds. Not really, but he is writing a lot of books. Or at least he has been: Liefeld announced that he is quitting all of his titles and will be leaving DC comics shortly. He cited problems with his editors including "massive indecision," "last minute changes that alter everything" and "editor pissing contests" as the reason for his departure. Other industry rockstars like Gail Simone (formerly of Fury of Firestorm), Paul Cornell (formerly of Stormwatch) and John Rozum (formerly of Static Shock), have spoken of similar problems, and one can only wonder if the recent announcements of Grant Morrison, Ed Brubaker, and Judd Winnick leaving the big two come from similar problems with the industry.

My point is that many of these big shots are working on multiple comics for DC or Marvel, which means that there is going to be a giant talent vacuum. Already, Scott Snyder has shown that he's ready to put in the work. Although Liefeld had some choice words to say about the Batman scribe, it is hard to argue against the brilliance of this young talent. Maybe this is also a chance for DC and Marvel to pick up some new black writers and artists. They may have to work for publishers in dire need of a change in methodology and they may get pigeonholed doing comics with already established and poorly handled black superheroes, but they may also have the resilience to weather this and give black characters some better representation. Here's to hoping.

On that note, I'd like to begin our discussion of black characters the Astonishing X-Men, Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, and Legion Lost.

The State of Black Comic Book Characters: Green Lantern Corps, Mister Terrific, Voodoo

About a month ago, I spoiled the fun of my good friend Rodney. He was unfortunate enough to be celebrating something that I had an issue with. As a good friend, I made sure to put a stop to it.

Rodney was excited at the return to the DC universe of black comic book character Black Lightning. I want to emphasize that he's black, because I wasn't sure that you would pick up on this fact by hearing only the character's name. As of October, Marc Andreyko will be writing a mini-series for DC Universe Presents revolving around the unlikely team-up of Black Lightning and Blue Devil.

"If Black Lightning is so important to DC," I spewed at my unsuspecting buddy, "then why does he need to share a title with someone else instead of getting his own story? And on that token, why is he only given a short run in DC Universe Presents as opposed to his own title?"

Rodney fired back that sharing the title doesn't necessarily mean that Black Lightning can't hold his own. Rather, he suggested, and I agreed, the combination of "Black and Blue" could lead to a really entertaining and endearing sort of supernatural buddy cop drama, starting with how apart these characters are and ending with what can be accomplished if they can put aside their differences. As a fan of Rush Hour and the quintessential Schwarzenegger comedy Red Heat, I thought I would give DC a chance to do Black Lightning right.

The second thing to come out of this discussion was a commitment between Rodney and I to write a series of blogs that serve as a State of the Union for black characters in comic books made by the two major publishers (and also Spawn, at Rodney's request, which I will not be able to comment on for lack of experience with the character).

Today, I want to talk about three DC comics that feature black main characters: Green Lantern Corps, Mister Terrific, and Voodoo. I think I should warn you that there is likely to be minor spoilers in these descriptions.

Guano (Huge Bat-Related Crap)

I open up the Facebook application on my iPhone. It takes a really long time and I'm still not completely certain all of my notifications have loaded properly. As I read the updated status of a certain "Optimistic" friend from my favorites list, it feels as if something is caught in my throat. He writes, "Geeeesh. I just ignored a spoiler warning and spoiled one of the biggest shockers in pop culture history. Dang me." I become frightened, wondering if I might stumble upon this same tidbit in much the same way while hoping that this friend is not doomed to eternal dangnation for his transgression. Shortly thereafter I receive a group text from a similarly named individual with a simple warning: "Warning: Stay away from ALL comic-related web sites and beware spoiler warnings. HUGE bat-related crap just went down today. I recommend getting caught up on the Batman title." (Editor's note: While I have edited these quotes for capitalization, punctuation, and a few other things, I have left the original phrase "bat-related crap" intact despite the word "guano" being a much better fit.)

Nary a "comic-related web site" have I visited since these grave warnings on Wednesday (comic book day), June 13, 2012, despite having caught up on "the Batman title" in question. I now understand what "Optimistic" (for your ease, just consider this analogy - "Optimistic" is to Justin Tiemeyer, the publisher of Cavemen Go as "Deep Throat" is to Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein and the American public) was referring to when he spoke of "one of the biggest shockers in pop culture history," and because I don't want anyone else to tread the obsidian path of doom that my friend recently walked I'm going to warn you now not to read this post if you don't want the great Bat-secret spoiled for you as well.

My Favorite DC: Nightwing

Very soon, very, very soon, the epic sequel to Batman: Arkham Asylum titled Batman: Arkham City will be released, and earlier today there was a press release which featured a picture of Nightwing, one of three new playable characters (Catwoman and Robin are the other two) who will be accessible via an upcoming DLC pack. Coincidentally, I was reading through my blog notes and the next project that I was planning on writing about was how much I love the character of Dick Grayson, once Nightwing, once Batman, best known as Nightwing, and always fantastic.

On a road trip to Detroit, I mentioned to my girlfriend Amy that most of my friends have three superheroes or superhero teams that they are thoroughly committed to. Mine are the X-Men, Batman and Green Lantern. My friend Josh's are Spider-man, Superman and Green Lantern. My friend Chad's are Green Lantern, Hulk and Flash. My friend Zac's are X-Men, Daredevil and Flash. But who were Amy's favorite? The first was obvious: Amy loves Batman probably more than anyone else. She generated her second favorite pretty quickly, though it was kind of surprising to me. Amy really likes Captain America. We thought for a minute about who would complete her trinity, but the answer was obvious: Nightwing.

But in order to understand why Nightwing is fantastic, you have to begin by flashing back to his origins. As Robin, Dick Grayson provided a little bit of light in the world of Bruce Wayne / Batman, and this balance of light and darkness has been an essential part of Batman's success ever since. When Joker killed the second Robin, Jason Todd, that darkness was blotted out. Batman fell down a disturbing rabbit hole, became reckless and nearly killed himself. Years later, though he had a third Robin by then, it could be said that the destruction of Bruce Wayne that lead to his defeat at the hands of Bane was still connected to Todd's death. But Bruce Wayne would never have chosen to take on bright souls such as the various sidekicks that he's worked with if not for the tragic murder of Dick Grayson's parents. When the Flying Graysons were gunned down right before Dick (and right before Bruce, for that matter), Bruce Wayne saw two things: 1. someone he could finally relate to after all of those years, and 2. someone he could divert from becoming a dark creature of the night like himself.

I think one of the greatest questions one has to ask is how Bruce Wayne became a haunted beast of the night and Dick Grayson became a symbol of hope and happiness and mental health. I think that a lot of people would credit Bruce Wayne for being there for Dick Grayson. This is certainly part of the issue. But Bruce always had Alfred there for him. Sure, Alfred didn't go through the same difficulties that Bruce went through, but he has always been a positive, guiding force for the young man. Others might simply suggest that Grayson has always been more of a happy-go-lucky kid, whereas Bruce, even before his parents died, must have had some darkness in him. This is also possibly true. The story I go with revolves around when each learned to fly and what circumstances brought them there. Bruce Wayne experienced the death of his parents, had difficulty making right what went wrong, and as a result, punishing himself for surviving, he traveled the world in order to learn how to avenge, how to serve justice. When Bruce Wayne learned how to fly from one building to another, it was of necessity: he simply had to be the good that the city of Gotham needed. Dick Grayson learned how to fly from trapeze to trapeze long before his parents were murdered. Why is Dick Grayson a brighter soul than Bruce Wayne? Because Grayson's every-day antics as Robin / Nightwing remind him, perhaps simply through muscle memory, of a good time when he had the time of his life surrounded by friends and family. When Bruce Wayne does the same he can only remember the assignment he gave himself after his parents died.

When Dick Grayson became a man of his own right, he moved out of Gotham and donned the costume of Nightwing. On his own, he was based in the city of Bludhaven, that is, until Bludhaven got completely destroyed by Chemo. As the leader of the Teen Titans, he operated out of New York City. Nightwing was to Bludhaven what Batman was to Gotham, and this is essentially the first bit of evidence that Grant Morrison's concept of a Batman, Inc. would work out. If Nightwing could be the Batman for another city, why couldn't you have a Batman for every city, state, nation and continent? Why couldn't you have a Batman for another planet? Where Nightwing really distinguished himself as his own hero, not merely mimicking Batman, was when he was with the Teen Titans. As leader of the Teen Titans, Grayson evolved Bruce Wayne's detective training into a kind of military leadership. His intelligence told him where every member of the team could be best used and his bright personality inspired morale and motivated those around him to do what needed to be done. In this way, he was to the Teen Titans what both Batman and Superman, and to some degree Green Lantern are to the Justice League.

Some years later, Dick Grayson won the battle for the cowl and became Batman while Bruce Wayne was presumed dead. With Damian Wayne as his Robin, Grayson turned the dynamic of the Dynamic Duo on its head. For the first time, there was a hopeful Batman and a haunted Robin. Bruce Wayne has returned to the role of Batman and he certainly has his hands full with his own son as Robin, and in the meanwhile Nightwing has returned to Gotham City in order to fight crime. I've read the stories of Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne in the new 52 reboot of the DC universe, and I feel that the success of most, if not all, of the bat-books is directly related to the influence of Dick Grayson.

Nightwing can stand on his own. Let's just hope that when he does he's not played by Chris O'Donnell.

My Favorite DC: Green Lantern

The story of my relationship with Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814 Hal Jordan is also the story of my friendship with a guy named Chad. Whereas Hal Jordan proved that he would be the proper Green Lantern candidate when his father died before his eyes and he no longer feared anything, I first met Chad when our Hebrew Bible professor was over fifteen minutes late to class and he proposed that we take a moment to get up out of our seats and dance. I thought to myself, "Why didn't I think of that?" Little did I know, but the entire previous summer Chad had worked his way into my group of friends and turned them all to Dungeons and Dragons. It was only a matter of time before I was a part of this group, and Chad was one of my best friends.

While Chad was infiltrating my video game playing group of seminary friends, I was spending my time in Michigan getting introduced to the woman of my dreams, Amy Bolan. When I met her, I said that my comic book interests included Marvel Comics plus Batman. The fact that she was a Batman fan made me delve into Batman all the more. I'm still working on a Batman reading list that I had originally intended to be a kind of book club for Amy and I. But when I returned to school, Chad's passion for Hal Jordan converted me from Marvel plus Batman to Marvel plus Batman and Green Lantern, and eventually to Marvel plus DC. "The cool thing about Hal Jordan," Chad would say, "is that he would be a hero even if he hadn't gotten a Green Lantern power ring." Having read the recent Green Lantern #1 from the DC reboot, this fact has been proven. A de-powered Hal Jordan jumps from balcony to balcony in order to save someone who appears to need help. But I knew this before I read Green Lantern #1, because Chad had given me a must read list for Green Lantern comics.

While Chad has adored Green Lantern for some time, it is largely the work of Geoff Johns that makes Hal Jordan one of my most favorite comic book characters. Another friend of mine, Zac, was once commenting on how complicated Hal Jordan's story was at one point. After all, when his home town of Coast City was destroyed during the events of Reign of the Superman!, Hal Jordan's fear opened him up to an ancient entity named Parallax, the enemy of the Guardians of the universe who was once imprisoned in Oa's power battery and supposedly responsible for the fact that Lanterns are historically weak to the yellow element. Hal dies in order to reignite the Earth's sun in Final Night, only to be brought back to life as the Spectre in Day of Judgment. The entire thing was way over the top and completely over-complicated. But it gave Geoff Johns a chance to shine. In the Green Lantern: Rebirth mini-series, Geoff Johns pits Hal Jordan against both Parallax and the Spectre. When both the Spectre and and Parallax are purged, Johns re-introduces Hal Jordan as Green Lantern in the fourth volume of Green Lantern, one of the most wildly successful comics of the last decade. In many ways, it was a reboot of the entire Green Lantern story (making it unnecessary to reboot Green Lantern with the events of the new DCU). All of the inconsistencies were made consistent. All of the evils of Hal Jordan's and the Guardians' past were returned upon them. And now Green Lantern is known for great stories.

You know that my initiation into Green Lantern was the result of a fantastic friendship with Chad. You also know something about the history of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. But I don't think that tells you why Green Lantern is one of my favorite DC characters. The truth behind that has something to do with the balance of will and fear in the Green Lantern books. Sometimes I believe that I have the will to overcome great fear. But mostly I fear that I do not. Every time I read a Green Lantern story, I am forced to know if I have what it takes to do the right thing, and honestly to do magnificent things beyond the abilities of normal people. Because if I am conquered by fear, I am conquered entirely. The question of whether I am ruled by will or fear has become very important to me, and I honestly think that it has built me into a better person. Sure, I compared myself to Batman in my previous entry, and Batman was offered a Sinestro Corps ring. Does that make me a character who is ruled by fear? I don't think so. Maybe it just makes me smart and unrelenting, if not a little bit haunted. But I think I can be something better. I think that I can inspire. After all, the way that Green Lanterns overcome the taint of the yellow element is to feel the fear and then to defeat it.

Green Lantern has actually been a driving force toward my personal betterment, and I'm not sure that there are a lot of characters who will ever do that for anyone else. I have to say that I've held high a variation of Professor Charles Xavier's dream for nearly all of my life, but the person of Charles Xavier does not do for me what the person of Hal Jordan has done. He is the man without fear and he lives in the city without fear. But none of this would be true if fear had not once been there only to be conquered.

The New DCU: September 28, 2011 - A Simulblog

The following is a simulblog with Chad P. of Political Jesus, Josh Toulouse of Fat Train, and Arthur of Arthur the Lesser. You ought to be forewarned: there will be spoilers.

Chad's article, "Savage Nerdery: Week Four of DC's new 52: Simulblog Reviews," can be read here.

Josh's article, "The New DCU: Sept. 28, 2011, A Simulblog" can be read here.

Arthur's article may or may not exist in the future.

The final set of thirteen new titles were released this week: All-Star Western #1, Aquaman #1, Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Blackhawks #1, The Flash #1, The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1, Green Lantern: New Guardians #1, I, Vampire #1, Justice League Dark #1, The Savage Hawkman #1, Superman #1, Teen Titans #1, and Voodoo #1. If you've been following along and dedicating yourself like I have, then you've just finished reading all fifty-two of the new first issues. What do you think? As you know, I don't do issue-by-issue run-downs, but I'd love to hear your opinion. Let's get some good discussion going today.

Like my first post, the only thing that this post is concerned with is the Justice League. And there was a lot of Justice League this week. Aquaman, The Flash, The Fury of Firestorm, and The Savage Hawkman are all considered Justice League titles by DC's web site. Justice League Dark is not included on this list, but it features a recent variation of the Justice League (Batman, Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Superman and Cyborg) while also replacing the Justice League in a way with magical individuals. Batman: The Dark Knight, Green Lantern: New Guardians, and Superman feature individuals who have, at least at one point in time, been quintessential members of the Justice League. Teen Titans is like a baby Justice League. And finally All-Star Western gives the background of Gotham City, potentially impacting the back story of Justice Leaguer Batman.

I do not believe that we get a lot of important information this week regarding the battled between Superman and Batman this week. But I think this week was the best at filling in the gaps for the people on the cover of Justice League #1. Furthermore, I think that two of the greatest successes from the reboot came out this week: The Flash #1 and Aquaman #1. The reason that I think these books are successes is that I knew almost nothing about either Barry Allen or Arthur Curry, but after reading the first issues they have become two of the most interesting characters for me. Considering the fact that the goal is to bring in new readers, I think the reboot is at the very least a partial success. Barry Allen is the kind of superhero that I'm not familiar with. Batman is smart. Superman makes you believe. Green Lantern is strong of will. But Barry Allen is a sweetheart. One of two moments of strong emotion for me this week was when Flash was asked, "These things - It's as if they're personal to you?" And Barry responds, "They all are." (The other was the horrible feeling when Clark Kent went to Lois's door and met her boyfriend in Superman #1.) We can tell that he feels the troubles of the people he deals with. And it also seems clear that he's looking for love, which will probably be a really big point for this book. While the plot of the first issue did not intrigue me, I am incredibly intrigued by the character and where he is going.

Aquaman may be one of my favorite books of the entire reboot. Much like Justice League #1, the book is kind of subtle. There are no enormous earth-shattering battles. There is just Arthur Curry, the Aquaman, a half-Atlantean who wants to get to know his human half. The issue begins with Aquaman fighting crime not in the ocean, but in the middle of town. He then attempts to dine with the people only to be interviewed and made fun of. The book is incredibly comedic. When Aquaman orders fish everyone thinks that it is tantamount to cannibalism because they believe he talks to the fishes (and not in the "I got on the wrong side of the mob" kind of way), and when he's interviewed he's asked, "How's it feel to be nobody's favorite hero?" Aquaman #1 gives us an underdog story with a little bit of Little Mermaid added for zest, and it almost steps beyond the fourth wall insofar as it addresses our questions and mockery regarding Aquaman. I'm happy to see that Aquaman is Geoff Johns' new baby. I'm expecting that Aquaman is going to be the best DC comic within the year. I know it's bold. But so is my prediction that the Lions are going sixteen and oh this season. Boldness does not denote impossibility. It makes possibility.

Before giving you my scorecard for the entirety of the DC reboot, I want to tell you which comics from this week I am going to continue reading. All Star Western, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Superman and Teen Titans easily made the cut. And who here loves how they're handling Kyle Rayner in New Guardians. I do. I do. There were a few shaky titles this week that I am at least going to read the second issue of, but likely no further. Batman: The Dark Knight was by far my least favorite Batman title, destroying Harvey Dent's brilliant Two-Face by transforming him into a titan serum Arkham Asylum video game wannabe. Ick. But I'm giving it one more issue because I'm biased toward Bat-books. Justice League Dark had an interesting villain and I loved seeing the current incarnation of the Justice League getting torn apart, sometimes literally. But I have little concern for the characters who are going to be the leads in this book. Well, except Zatanna. She's pretty awesome. The Savage Hawkman starts with an interesting idea and then turns it into a stupid mix of X-Files and Spider-man symbiotes. And while Voodoo has a lot of sexual exploitation, I felt like it told a decent story. I'm completely done with Blackhawks, The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men, and I, Vampire, though. It was hard for me to complete those first issues, let alone go out and get the second issues next month.

THE SCORECARD

All books are ranked from best to worst within their division of the reboot.

SUPERMAN

1. Action Comics #1*
2. Supergirl #1
3. Superman #1
4. Superboy #1

BATMAN

1. Batman and Robin #1*
2. Nighwing #1
3. Batman #1
4. Catwoman #1
5. Birds of Prey #1
6. Batwing #1
7. Batwoman #1
8. Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
9. Batgirl #1
10. Detective Comics #1
11. Batman: The Dark Knight #1

GREEN LANTERN

1. Green Lantern #1*
2. Green Lantern: New Guardians #1*
3. Red Lanterns #1
4. Green Lantern Corps #1

JUSTICE LEAGUE

1. Aquaman #1*
2. Justice League #1*
3. Wonder Woman #1*
4. The Flash #1
5. DC Universe Presents #1
6. The Savage Hawkman #1
7. Justice League International #1
8. Green Arrow #1
9. Mister Terrific #1
10. The Fury of Firestorm: The Atomic Men #1
11. Captain Atom #1

THE DARK

1. Animal Man #1*
2. Swamp Thing #1
3. Demon Knights #1
4. Resurrection Man #1
5. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
6. Justice League Dark #1
7. I, Vampire #1

THE EDGE

1. All Star Western #1
2. Voodoo #1
3. Stormwatch #1
4. Men of War #1
5. Grifter #1
6. Deathstroke #1
7. Blackhawks #1
8. Suicide Squad #1
9. O.M.A.C. #1

YOUNG JUSTICE

1. Teen Titans #1
2. Static Shock #1
3. Blue Beetle #1
4. Hawk and Dove #1
5. Legion Lost #1
6. Legion of Superheroes #1

Well, that's it for The New DCU Simulblog. You know what's up. Make sure you leave some comments here and check out Josh's post, Chad's post, and Arthur's posts if/when it goes up. I think I'm going to feel a little bit more lonely with this simulblog out of the way. The question now is: What's next?

Anybody up for a simulblog on X-Men Regenesis?

My Favorite DC: Batman

A couple of the most interesting relationships in the DC universe are that which exists between Superman and Batman and that which exists between Green Lantern and Batman. Both of which are being explored in the first story arc of the new Justice League. While this particular comic won't deal with the relationship between Batman and Superman until the second issue, we know that Superman believes Batman to be fighting the right cause but that Superman does not like Batman's methodology, and vice versa. Justice League #1 does have plenty of time to deal with Batman and Green Lantern by showing that Hal Jordan wants to shine bright and let his enemies see him coming whereas Batman wants to stick to the shadows. Batman sees Superman as a boy scout and Green Lantern as a glorified police officer (and let's face it: Batman has a pretty bad idea of what police officers stand for from living with the corrupt police of Gotham), while they see him as a mistrusting misanthrope dwelling in the darkness. And yet all parties deem the others necessary.

When I lived in Fort Worth, Texas, I was attending a Divinity School. If you don't know what that is, then I guess it's pretty similar to a Seminary. I was attending a Master's degree program aimed toward Christian service, toward service of for the sake of God and man. The further I got into the program, the more I became skeptical and even cynical of Christian ministry, not because of the ministers, or, at least, not for the most part. I was surrounded by people training to be ministers who were incredibly thoughtful, critical and brilliant. They cared about people and were willing to devote their lives to them. But the people in the churches wanted their churches to support their laziness, their decision not to help their fellows in need, their businesses and their political parties. They wanted the Christian message to cater to their needs rather than allowing the radical ideas to unsettle them.

Each and every one of us was given a choice. We could serve in a church and project the light and the hope. We would be constantly hurt by those who chose selfishness of Dallas Cowboys football games over the socially conscious message of the Bible. And we would be paid better and have better job security if we didn't rock the boat. Or we could rock the boat. We could say what we felt called to say. We could do the right thing by suggesting that we ought to help those who have no protector, to do whatever we can to make sure those who have never had a voice can speak for themselves, to question the powers on this planet, the government, the wealthy, etc. Most of my friends have chosen to serve in churches, to hold the banner up, and to do the right thing in the brightest, most visible way. But I felt like I couldn't do that. I couldn't be paid for my service, because I feared that it would corrupt me and silence the voice in my ear that tells me what is right. I had to be able to point out hypocrisy wherever it arose, be it in my country, in my school, in my church, in my apartment complex, in my family, or inside of me. For the longest time, I felt alone because of this. I wondered why I couldn't just be like the other people. I felt sick to think that I was pursuing another degree and adding money to my student loan debt only to emerge without viable job options.

Batman was my way of making sense of all of this. Batman was the individual who was willing to put everything else aside for the sake of what must be done. And I'm not talking about the ends justifies the means sort of stuff that Kiefer Sutherland is always doing when he's Jack Bauer on 24. (Batman does not use firearms. Batman does not kill. And Batman does not torture. He takes the high road, even when it makes everything harder for him. He chooses the smart option and the right option over the expedient option.) I'm talking about the fact that sometimes people have to sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of doing the right thing, the fact that sometimes you have to risk losing friends and you just have to be a prickly individual because justice hangs in the balance.

Now, I am making my way in life. I continue to look for teaching and writing positions, but until then I just have to do hard work where work can be found. I'm starting a family with my girlfriend Amy. And I'm doing everything I can to stand up for what I believe is right. You may say that all of this diverges from Batman's identity, but I think you're wrong. Batman's life is devoted to hard work in the form of preparation and confrontation. And though he's something of a rough individual, he has one of the biggest families in the DC universe. He's mentored a variety of Robins, Batgirls and Batwomen. He's loved, truly loved, a couple of women. And after all of his time playing the surrogate father and mentor to orphans, he now has his own son named Damien to father. Though he's a difficult man, Batman is a beloved member of the superhero community.

In all truth, I think I kind of agree with Green Lantern and Superman. Batman shouldn't exist. He shouldn't have to exist. But, like them, I think it is a better idea to fix the world that created such a difficult man than to try and "reform" the Batman himself. Batman is a mechanism of our broken world, our corrupt world, and his purpose is to right the wrongs of a sick society, not by any means necessary, by the right means. This is why I look up to Batman, and this is why he is one of my favorite DC characters.

Why You Couldn't Be Batman, Part Four: Crime Alley

Part One: Introduction can be viewed here.
Part Two: Those Wonderful Toys can be viewed here.
Part Three: Of Fists and Feet can be viewed here.

A really big thing happened within the last couple of weeks. DC rebooted its entire universe and released fifty-two brand new issue ones, fifty-two ongoing series restarted from scratch. Of course, "from scratch" isn't exactly accurate. All of the Superman books, as well as Wonder Woman and Aquaman, it seems, have been completely re-imagined, but some of the other, more successful books, have been rebooted in a different way. The series Batman and Robin begins after the events of Grant Morrison's ever-so-long run on the series. This reboot is more subtle, but in ways it is more profound. Throughout the narrative of Batman and Robin #1, Bruce Wayne / Batman describes to his son Damian that he will no longer return to crime alley in order to mourn, that the entire community is about to be transformed. Batman will no longer dwell on the past or the present, on the sadness and the anger and the need for vengeance. Instead, he will focus on hope, on life. In other words, he will emerge from the darkness.

Of course, if you're not a huge Batman fan, this takes a little bit of context to understand. The reason Batman has been known as the Dark Knight is that something horrible happened in his past. The reason he was offered a Sinestro Corps ring for his ability to strike fear was because he experienced a moment of great fear when he was only a child, a moment that is only now potentially ending. When Bruce Wayne was young, his parents took him to see "The Mask of Zorro" at a theater in the district that was once called Park Row. As Bruce and his parents exited the theater, a petty thief with a gun, a man named Joe Chill, attempted to rob the wealthy family. When his father Thomas showed courage and stood up to the thug, both parents were shot, leaving orphaned Bruce Wayne to cry over their dead bodies. As a result of this incident, Park Row was transformed into Crime Alley. As for the boy Bruce Wayne, he was transformed into something else entirely.

The DC reboot also brought us Nightwing #1, which features Dick Grayson as Nightwing, protecting the streets of Gotham after the destruction of Bludhaven and the completion of his time as Batman due to Bruce Wayne's "death." In this issue, we are given an interesting perspective into what happened to Bruce Wayne after the death of his parents. Dick Grayson reflects on his time as Batman by saying how different it was to maintain Bruce's two personae. What he suggests is that both Batman and the public image of Bruce Wayne are masks that Bruce Wayne wears, and that both require work to stay up. After Bruce's parents were shot down in front of him, it seems like his identity disappeared. An angry boy, amorphous and ever changing, left Gotham City in order to learn how best to protect her. He returned with a mask, a banner for justice but also a dark avenger, and this Batman that he created became wed to Gotham, in sickness and in health until death do them part. But also, in order to protect the Batman and free him to do the most good for the sake of his bride, Bruce Wayne put on the mask of the playboy millionaire. He became exactly what everyone always expected a spoiled millionaire to become. Though he had found his destiny, it seems like any real identity was completely sublimated. He had no person any more. All he had was a spouse and a duty.

This pushes us directly into the question that ought to be asked, "Is Batman crazy?" If crazy is defined by acting against the status quo of society, Batman is certainly crazy. If crazy is defined as taking risks in order to accomplish something that, for all intents and purposes, can never be completely accomplished, then yes, Batman is crazy. If crazy is defined as a mental aberration, then we have an interesting discussion. Batman certainly could be crazy. All of the ingredients are in the right place in order to cause a mental instability. He witnessed the brutal murder of his parents. He left the rules and confines of society and trusted only the voices and images inside of his head (including a terrifying bat that has haunted him since childhood). He continues to risk his life on a nightly basis. He wears a costume and lives a life entirely composed of pretending. His second sidekick, Jason Todd, was murdered by The Joker. And on that note, Batman is surrounded by the criminally insane. He is not just kicking and punching them daily and bringing them back to Arkham Asylum. He engages in games with them, conversations. He is pushed by them. And in the end, there is a serious question of whether or not their insanity and criminality is merely an extension of his insanity. Would there have been a Joker if there had never been a Batman? Are they two sides of the same coin? (Yes, that was a blatant reference to Two-Face. Harvey Dent ought always to be thought of when it comes to Batman and insanity.)

In the end, perhaps we need only read Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, where it is suggested that insanity is just one bad day away. The Joker may not know who Batman is or what created him, but he does know that Batman had a bad day once.

Even if we decide that Batman is certainly insane, the discussion does not end there. There is now the question of whether Bruce Wayne merely suffers from psychological issues or whether there is something more, some metaphysical / spiritual entity in Gotham that has chosen him, that has haunted him and even possessed him. There are many sources that refer to some evil bat entity existing in the thoughts and dreams of residents of Gotham. The Arkham family, famous for making the Arkham Asylum in order to treat the criminally insane, have a taint of insanity in the blood, and they speak of some ancient bat beast. It is entirely possible that Arkham Asylum itself houses this spirit and others in much the same way that the Overlook hotel in The Shining housed so many psychic impressions. Scarecrow, the fearmonger scientist, has also been haunted by the bat, and if what I mentioned above is true, such is also the case for every villain Batman has ever sent to Arkham.

In the end, however, it is hard to tell whether Batman is insane or merely dedicated. I believe that sanity and insanity are always in tension in the mind of Batman. Neither truly takes complete hold over his mind. Both are needed. Both are also detriments. I want to believe that the good in Batman will win, and I believe that it has time and again, but I also do not believe that the issue will ever be settled.

If you still want to be Batman, then you had better be ready to have your loved ones taken from you and to be haunted, either by memories or by real ghosts, for the entirety of your life. Perhaps you may not be affected for your entire life. After all, it seems that the new 52's Batman has turned over a new leaf, but at the same time he is already completely broken. It is unlikely that he can gain any personal advantage from changing his life at this point. Of course, I believe that this change is not for the sake of Bruce Wayne. It is for the sake of trying to give Damian Wayne a better life than Bruce Wayne enjoyed. Damian was an orphan too, once, after Bruce Wayne was "killed." But that's the cool thing about comic books. Bruce Wayne / Batman is back, and he has a second chance at life. He is a broken man trying to unbreak the world. It's foolish and admirable, and it is ultimately doomed. And that is who you'll have to be if you're going to be Batman.

In the end, the reason that you can't be Batman is because you want to be Batman. In order to be Batman you have to have tragedy thrust upon you, against your will. You have to exist in a state of mental disrepair that pushes you into believing that you either become Batman or you become The Joker. You are the lesser of two evils, and you exist for a purpose. You do not get to have a life, but you are necessary for the sake of the lives of others. If these things happen to you, I feel sorry for you. It looks like you can be Batman. May God have mercy on your soul.

Superheroes, Cheating and Resurrection

My good friend Arthur over at Arthur the Lesser wrote a comic book related post titled "A Little Less Bright" on his non-comic book blog recently, and it deals with the idea of death and resurrection in comic books. He details that there are some characters who are dead, and who must remain dead for the sake of the story and lists Uncle Ben, Bucky Barnes, Gwen Stacey, and Barry Allen as his examples. Aside from characters such as these and characters who don't really matter (thank goodness there are no such thing as people who don't really matter in the real world), there's a high likelihood that a character is going to come back from the dead. He then cites a series of comic book characters who have come back from the dead (sometimes despite being on the don't touch list) - Bucky Barnes, Jason Todd, May Parker, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Flash, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter - and this list is nowhere near exhaustive.

Arthur's post was really about a boy in the real world who was dying of cancer. His last wish was to be a superhero, so he died a superhero. His name was Electron Boy, but the people close to him knew him as Erik Martin. Erik Martin's story is important, and as close as we may get to our comic book heroes they will never be as real as Erik Martin was when he was alive, as he is in the hearts and minds of those who were able to be a part of his life. I do not wish to disrespect Erik, but I really want to focus on another ethical issue, so let us shift now from the fact that heroes like Electron Boy don't get to come back to life and rejoin their families, at least not in "this life," to the fact that the unwritten code for what one must do when a loved one dies must be re-written in a world where the people who surround you consistently come back from the dead. I'm not talking about zombies. I'm talking about your beloved wife coming back from the dead if you're Cyclops and your wife is Jean Grey. I'm talking about your aunt coming back from the dead if you're Spider-man and May Parker is your aunt.

The focus of this post is a discussion that I was a part of on a comic book web site called Comic Vine. The message board topic was about how Cyclops cheated on Jean Grey. I started writing on what has happened during the numerous times when Jean Grey was dead and Cyclops tried to move on with his life. In fact, I argued, it would be much easier to say that Cyclops cheated on Madelyne Pryor with Jean Grey than that he cheated on Jean Grey with anyone else. Of course, I was way off topic. It seems that they were talking about how, during the Grant Morrison run, Cyclops telepathically cheated on Jean Grey with Emma Frost and the ethical implications. (Is it really cheating if it's all mental?) And I think that's why I'm focusing on the other side of the discussion here. Yes, Jean Grey was dead and Cyclops was trying to move on. He dated Aleytys Forrester, the daughter of a ship captain, after she died and then he married Madelyne Pryor and had a very important child with her. (But, let's face it, Cyclops had proposed to Jean Grey, a woman who was then going by the name of Phoenix. We'd already seen death and rebirth by that time and her name was Phoenix. He had to - and I believe he did - know that she was going to come back.) But when Jean came back he left his wife and child and everyone seemed to be okay with it because we believed that they were meant to be.

Is there a new rule in comic books that if your true love comes back from the dead your responsibility belongs to that person alone? I can't help but to think of the movie Castaway, where FedEx executive Chuck Noland returns from a deserted island, only to find that he was believed dead and that his true love has moved on with her life. In the end, Chuck Noland simply has to find another way, another love. But Cyclops returns to Jean Grey. Now, nothing of this new rule excuses Cyclops from wrongdoing. It's more like the daughters of Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth: If Roman Catholicism is true then Mary is the true-born daughter and Elizabeth is a bastard; If Protestantism is true then Elizabeth is the true-born daughter and Mary is a bastard. No matter how you look at it, someone's a bastard. The same is true for Cyclops, only he is the bad guy in both cases. If the normal rules of society, marriage and the unwritten rules of love hold true, then he cheated on Madelyne Pryor when Jean Grey returned to life. But if there is some comic book clause regarding resurrection then he should have waited for Jean Grey and marrying Madelyne Pryor was the act of cheating. In all likelihood, however, both are a kind of cheating.

I know there are some people who think this is ridiculous. But I want you to think about this. Some of you don't have to think too hard: you've already had this experience. You have loved someone very deeply and then you have lost that person. It took years, but you found the courage to move on with your life, to love someone else, because that's what the other person would have wanted. Now, imagine you live in a universe where you experience the return of lost friends and enemies quite often. You might not have any reason to be certain that your lost loved one will return to life, but the chance alone seems to warrant a different way of acting, a different unwritten law of love. Some will live forever without taking another significant other, simply because of love, because of an impossible belief that you might once again share a bed. Some think this is crazy. I really don't. The way I love Amy, I can't imagine ever being able to love someone else again. But if Amy passed and there was a real hope, maybe a one in three chance, that she'd be returned to me in a few years, that impossible hope would be possible, maybe even probable. And if, in that time, I took on another significant other, I would consider myself the most wretched of the wretched.

It makes me want to write letters. Dear Kitty Pryde, you say Colossus died? Just wait longer. Dear Colossus, you say Kitty Pryde is no longer with us? Have hope. She shall return. Dear Cyclops, you say Jean Grey is dead? Again? The Phoenix will probably return like she did last time. Dear Black Canary, has your beloved Green Arrow left you? Just wait longer. Dear Lois Lane, has your protector fallen? He's effing Superman. Do you really think he can die? Without being insensitive, I want to tell these people in the world of abundant resurrection that they need to stay true to the people that they love. They do not have the choice to move on. A death is not a kind of breaking up. Because when they come back, they still often act as if nothing has changed. As should you, the living of the comic book world. Our lost loved ones aren't returned to us in "this life," but yours often are. Find a way to be true to them. Don't just hook up with the blonde who wears lingerie all the time, reads minds, and turns to diamond.

The New DCU: September 21, 2011 - A Simulblog

The following is a simulblog with Chad P. of Political Jesus, Josh Toulouse of Fat Train, and Arthur of Arthur the Lesser. You ought to be forewarned: there will be spoilers.

Chad's article, "Savage Nerdery: Week 3 of DC's new 52: Simulblog Reviews" can be read here.

Josh's article, "The New DCU: Sept. 21, 2011, A Simulblog" can be read here.

Arthur's article, "The Next Post is Not About Comic Books, I Promise" can be read here.

There were twelve new titles this week: Batman #1, Birds of Prey #1, Blue Beetle #1, Captain Atom #1, Catwoman #1, DC Universe Presents #1, Green Lantern Corps #1, Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Nightwing #1, Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Supergirl #1, and Wonder Woman #1. Since there was one last title than the previous two weeks, I consider that a break. At this point, I think you know the drill. I don't like doing individual reviews, so I pick up on some trends in this week's comics and how they construct the new DC universe. As always (Are two previous posts considered always?), leave me some comments if you want to talk about what is going on in the individual comics. And heck, leave me some comments if you want to talk about anything I cover in the post.

The first thing I'd like to discuss is a conversation that you should be familiar with. It revolves around who Batman and Superman are. And why is it so important? Because on October 19th, we're going to see the two battle in Justice League #2. While Week One gave us a good understanding of Superman, neither Week One nor Week Two gave us any significant details as to who Batman is. Batman is Batman. My friend Zac told me, however, that the definitive Bat-book is Batman and I just read #1 this week.

At first, I was unsure whether Zac's proclamation was correct. Batman and Robin wowed me a lot more last week than Batman did, but I learned two of the most important things in this Bat-book. For one, all of the Bat-books are tied together in a really interesting way. When Batman brought Damian to crime alley in an attempt to give up living in the past (and even dwelling on the present) in Batman and Robin, it is because, as Bruce Wayne, he has decided to renovate the city and give it another golden age in Batman. Furthermore, in Nightwing #1, Dick Grayson is described by an unnamed villain as "the fiercest killer in all of Gotham. And he doesn't even know it." In Batman #1, Harvey Bullock shows Batman a victim who was tortured and killed with knives that have pictures of owls on them, and the DNA under the victims fingers, which should tell who his killer was, is that of Dick Grayson. (And let's not forget that when Kara's powers kick in during the action of Supergirl #1, she overhears the same conversation in which Grayson is declared a killer in Nightwing.) For another, I realized that I should stop trying to figure out who Batman is and try to figure out who Bruce Wayne is. In Batman #1, there are a couple of important scenes that tell us exactly who Bruce Wayne is. Reporter Vicki Vale calls him "Gotham's own Man of Tomorrow," which calls to mind the title of the first issue of Action Comics: "Superman vs. The City of Tomorrow." Also, Harvey Bullock describes Wayne as someone who doesn't see Gotham the way the people see Gotham. If, by the time of Justice League #1 and 2, Superman is the blur proper, with the ability to see through costumes and see the real person, he'll see Bruce Wayne. He's a newspaper man, so he'll know exactly who Bruce Wayne is. He's an industrialist, much like Lex Luthor, and as such, he's going to be an enemy of Superman. After all, Superman battled a wrecking ball in order to save poor people from being demolished with a building. Won't there also be wrecking balls and gentrification as Wayne attempts to clean the streets of tomorrow. Superman stands for the poor, who are not receiving equal protection of law, and Bruce Wayne stands for the wealthy, and though he speaks of high ideals, his programs could possibly make things worst. And for the sake of covering over his horrible past.

What we learn of Superman takes place in the pages of Supergirl #1. The take home message seems to be that the entire Super-family is different. Amazingly different. This reboot of the entire universe is first and foremost a Super-reboot. It could be said that the Green Lantern reboot happened when Geoff Johns took over the series and brought Hal Jordan back. It could be said that the Batman reboot never really happened, that Batman never really needed to be rebooted. Or perhaps it simply happened at Crisis on Infinite Earths. But my point is that some things are staying the same and some things are changing drastically. As for Superman, Superboy and Supergirl, it seems like their powers are drastically different, and judging by how long it takes Supergirl to realize her powers versus Superman, it seems like she might actually be more powerful than Kal El in this universe. And since her first appearance is traced to DC's present day (unless she can hear the future, because she certainly heard the events of present-day Nightwing), some other things must be true. Whatever huge role she played in Crisis on Infinite Earths must have been played by someone else if the Crisis remains canon (perhaps the original Dove of Hawk and Dove?). I am excited for two things more than anything else in this new reboot: 1. the Batman/Superman battle as a battle of the people (Superman) vs. the man (Batman), and 2. the new shape the DC universe will take with such a different Super-family present.

Whereas last week was family week and rage week and old DCU week, I think that this week is closer to ladies' week. Birds of Prey is an all-women's team. Catwoman, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman were a couple of the strongest titles. And even in the book Red Hood and the Outlaws, which surrounds the exploits of bad boy Jason Todd, the main character was actually Starfire's Tamaran body and the fact that she has loveless sex with anyone she encounters without ever really remembering so much as their name. While the new DCU has a whole lot of exploitation similar to this, from the clothing changing scenes in Batwoman to the flashy Harley Quinn on the cover of Suicide Squad to the half-undressed battle and escape scene in Catwoman, it also features some of the most interesting female leads and female stories I've seen in comics. I'm incredibly interested, for example, to see how Catwoman explores the confusing and erratic relationship of Batman and Catwoman. And Wonder Woman may be the single most necessary reboot since Morrison's take on Action Comics and what I expect to see in Johns' take on Aquaman next week. (Part of me thinks that we're going to be talking about Aquaman and Action Comics more than anything else throughout the next few months, but we'll see.)

Before I move on to my recommendations and what lies ahead, I want to make a note about the Legion books. Last week, I read Legion Lost #1 and this week I read Legion of Super-Heroes #1, and I really didn't like either book. Already, at the beginning of the new DCU, they are engaged in something of a crossover, and it honestly feels like we're entering both stories in the middle of a very confusing arc. Legion Lost had a manageable amount of characters, but the issue went by so quickly and I felt like we had little to no character development. In fact, I think some really important people may have died, but there is no emotional weight because I don't really know anything about them. I remember trying to keep track of the team members of Legion of Super-Heroes. I wrote down Chameleon Boy, Dragonwing, Phantom Girl, Ultra Boy, Chemical Kid (that was a particular favorite name for me), Colossal Boy, Mon-El and Brainiac 5, but I had to stop because every single page introduced at least one new character. My trouble with these books was that I was completely incapable of getting into them, but I also happen to know that they are simulblogger Arthur's favorite books. You don't see why this is troublesome? You see, Arthur has really fantastic taste, and he has great reasons. He is one of the few people in my life where if I disagree with him I feel like I might not understand something that everyone understands, like something went over my head. I understand that the word legion means a lot of effing characters, but is it possible that the Legion books require a pretty heavy investment prior to reading? Must you be familiar with the Legion in order to enjoy the books? Of course, the other side of these questions is: Are any of these books accessible to readers who don't know anything about the characters? I've found that I don't like books as much simply because I don't know the characters sometimes. Not all the time, of course. Animal Man was fantastic and I know nothing about him.

Well, I think those questions could keep us discussing for the rest of the history of the DC universe. Between now and then I think I should let you know which comics I'm going to keep reading. I think that Wonder Woman was the absolute best book that came out this week. I also suggest reading Batman, Birds of Prey, Catwoman, Green Lantern Corps, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws andSupergirl. I am a little on the fence about DC Universe Presents. There is something really deep going on in this book that currently surrounds Deadman, but sometimes it can be a little too wordy. I think I'll give it another issue or two at the very least. I think I'm definitely going to skip Legion of Super-Heroes, Blue Beetle, and Captain Atom. They didn't do much for me.

Check us out next week for All-Star Western #1, Aquaman #1 (with Geoff Johns), Batman: The Dark Knight #1, Blackhawks #1, The Flash #1, The Fury of Firestorm #1 (which sounds pretty tight), Green Lantern: New Guardians #1, I, Vampire #1, Justice League Dark #1, The Savage Hawkman #1, Superman #1 (so excited), Teen Titans #1 (even more excited), and Voodoo #1. Until then read the Josh's article, Chad's article, and Arthur's article, and leave some comments here. Perhaps about this...

The New DCU: September 14, 2011 - A Simulblog

The following is a simulblog with Chad P. of Political Jesus, Josh Toulouse of Fat Train, and Arthur of Arthur the Lesser. You ought to be forewarned: there will be spoilers.

Chad's article, "Savage Nerdery: Week Two of DC's new 52: Simulblog Reviews" can be read here.

Josh's article, "The New DCU: Sept 14, 2011 A Simulblog" can be read here.

Arthur's article, "Sill Not Quite a Simulblog" can be read here.

This week's list of number ones was just as numerous as the previous week, with Batman and Robin #1, Batwoman #1, Deathstroke #1, Demon Knights #1, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1, Green Lantern #1, Grifter #1, Legion Lost #1, Mister Terrific #1, Red Lanterns #1, Resurrection Man #1, Suicide Squad #1, and Superboy #1. Another similarity between this week and last week is that I intend to tackle a couple of interesting trends in the re-construction of the DC universe that have popped up this week rather than doing individual reviews. Again, that does not mean that I don't want to talk about the individual issues. I read them all, so by all means, let's talk. In the comments section, we shall discuss everything and anything, and you don't have to be a member of this simulblog community to ring in.

It is my observation this week that while the old DCU focused on Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman as their top three heroes, the new DCU has officially changed its focus to Batman, Superman and Green Lantern. On DC's home page for The New 52, the 52 comics are divided first into three families, the Superman family, the Batman family, and the Green Lantern family, and then into four larger groups, the Justice League, The Dark, The Edge, and Young Justice. There are four Super-titles, eleven Bat-titles, and four Lantern-titles. Wonder Woman does have her own comic book, but it doesn't come out until next week. Wonder Woman was not featured in Justice League #1 and even though there was a perfect place for her in Swamp Thing #1, we instead saw Superman, Batman and Aquaman. The only references that we can trace to Wonder Woman is that of a woman named Exoristos in Demon Knights #1 who appears to be an Amazon from Themyscira and a possible appearance of Wonder Girl at the end of Superboy #1. Rather than having a family of comics featuring Wonder Woman, Donna Troy, and Wonder Girl, the entire Wonder story is confined to one title listed under the Justice League heading.

Another thing worth noting about the various families is that there is a fairly strong emphasis on family in these comics. In Batman and Robin #1 the title characters are father and son, embracing their family tree and their interpersonal relationships difficultly ("You were easier to look up to when you weren't around." - Damian), and possibly making the same mistakes (Did the story remind you of the Joker's backstory just a little bit? I have half of a mind to believe that Damian may have just created his own arch-nemesis.). Furthermore, there is a mysterious villain wiping out members of the extended Bat-family, the Batman, Inc. heroes from around the world, starting with a Muscovite Batman who looks like a mix between Azrael, Bane and Man-Bat. In Batwoman #1, Kate Kane is joined by her cousin Bette Kane, and though part of the focus on this book was enough costume change scenes to make a 1980s Dazzler book seem sane, the other part was devoted to the tragedy surrounding Kate's sister. And let's not forget last week's Batgirl #1 where Barbara Gordon is considered the brightest of the Bat family, Batwing #1 which is inevitably going to tie into the Bat-hunt of Batman and Robin #1, Detective Comics #1 (I'm so glad that Alfred is real in modern-day Batman and Robin. The possibility that he was dead and replaced by a holograph in Detective Comics was frightening.), and Damian's teasing of all the other Robins.

Regarding the Super-family, we meet a boy who is a clone of both Superman and some human DNA donor in Superboy #1. While much of the audience can probably guess that the human donor is Lex Luthor, part of me wonders if the negative qualities described aren't also qualities we might find in Lois Lane from time to time. Regardless, the question of Superboy's parentage is a serious issue in this first story arc. And though neither Green Lantern #1 nor Red Lanterns #1 focused on the Green Lantern family we'd expect - Hal Jordan, Kyle Rayner, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and possibly even Alan Scott - there is a similar sense of cohesion, of a family defined sometimes by opposition and enmity. Sometimes a family member has to deal with the fact that he/she doesn't trust another family member to do the right thing. Through the Bat-family, Super-family and Lantern-family, the new DCU is developing a really interesting emphasis on family being more than just an easy method of categorization.

If I had to give a name to this particular week of the New 52, it would not be "Family Week." I think it would be something closer to "Anger Management" week. Though Batman and Robin #1 deals with a murderer who is trying to erase all of Batman, Inc., and some thieves dealing with some dangerous chemicals, the theme of the issue is that Bruce Wayne is taking responsibility for his son and attempting to turn into a Brighter Knight. Rather than obsessing over death, he wishes to ponder life. Rather than fear, he wishes to value hope. Of course, Damian is not going to have any of this. Batman and Robin continues the reversal of roles between Batman and Robin that we saw when Dick Grayson was Batman. Whereas the original combinations featured a dark Batman with a bright Robin, Bruce Wayne attempts to be a bright Batman to his son the dark Robin.

While Batwoman #1, Deathstroke #1, Demon Knights #1, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1, Grifter #1, Resurrection Man #1, Suicide Squad #1, and Superboy #1 all feature characters dealing with their darkness and rage and the potential for redemption, it might be that Green Lantern #1 and Red Lanterns #1 take the cake in this category. Rather than following Green Lantern Hal Jordan, Green Lantern #1 purports itself to be a Sinestro book. And we're not talking about the Sinestro who was originally chosen by the Green Lantern Corps before the time of Hal Jordan. This is the Sinestro who was chosen by the Green Lantern Corps to wear Hal Jordan's ring after Jordan was booted from the Corps. He is the same one who committed atrocity upon atrocity and who lead his own Sinestro Corps in the hopes of destroying the Green Lantern Corps. But now that Sinestro has rejoined the Corps, he seems willing to do the right thing. He even kills a member of the Sinestro Corps, a former ally. When he appears to Hal Jordan in order to give him his ring back, he almost seems frightened of how the Guardians' decision to have faith in him has changed him. Red Lanterns #1 follows the struggles of Atrocitus who is attempting to get his groove back after the passionate anger that used to fuel him has begun to wane. By the end of the issue, we see that Atrocitus has decided to become a kind of righteous avenger, his rage fueled by injustice and his victims all victimizers. Of course, there are two twists. First, it is going to be hella difficult to get the rest of the Red Lantern Corps behind this decision, and second, a young man on Earth is beginning to head down the path that Atrocitus once walked toward rage and he's going to need a mentor.

Finally, I think that we need to talk about this Mystery Woman who keeps popping up. She was there at Victor's football game in Justice League #1 and apparently she showed up in Flashpoint #1, which I didn't read. Chad has mentioned that some people are calling her the Time Trapper, and I've read that there are some calling her Red Raven. There is mention that she can be found in every single first issue of the New 52. I opened Demon Knights #1 as a test case, mainly because I love the art, but found myself confounded by the multitude of women wearing hoods in that book. When I opened up Superboy #1, I was not expecting to have an easy time finding her, but sure enough, she was there. I feel a little like there is pie on my face because I didn't notice this character a single time until I opened up my comic books and looked specifically for her.

So, who is the Mystery Woman? Is this who Superboy describes as "someone else, no, something"? No doubt the Mystery Woman is meant to tie together these comics and provide an upcoming bridge between stories. But what will that crossover look like? We've already got a Grifter comic, and rumor has it that the redheaded woman in Superboy #1 is Caitlin Fairchild from Gen 13. While many people are probably digging through their DC back issues and trying to explain this woman away as some kind of Monitor or variation on Raven, maybe the answer actually lies in former Image/Wildstorm properties. Keep your eyes open. This is bound to turn into something significant.

As for this week's picks, I am definitely going to keep reading Batman and Robin, Batwoman, Demon Knights, Green Lantern, Red Lanterns, and Superboy. I'm going to give Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. and Resurrection Man at least one more issue despite the fact that I disliked Frankenstein's art and am a little shaky about how much I care about the character of Resurrection Man. As for the comics I'll be happy never to read again (or, at least, not until they get a new creative team or an interesting arc), their names are Deathstroke, Grifter, Legion Lost, Mister Terrific (I wanted to like this comic, but found it impossible to connect to the main character and his compressed back story), and Suicide Squad (a sexy cover of Harley Quinn does not a good read make, but it is a fantastic cover; part of me thought that they'd take the team on more of a Suicide Girls, hot punk-goth girls, path - that was not the case).

Tune in next week for Batman #1, Birds of Prey #1, Blue Beetle #1, Captain Atom #1, Catwoman #1, DC Universe Presents #1, Green Lantern Corps #1, Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Nightwing #1, Red Hood and the Outlaws #1, Supergirl #1, and Wonder Woman #1. Until then read Arthur's article, Josh's article, and Chad's article, and leave some comments here.