My 52 cents...

Hey Folks,

I am OBVIOUSLY not a regular blogger. Honestly I don't really believe anyone cares what I think, mainly because I really don't care what anyone else thinks, so I tend to not spout off on a regular basis like the rest of the incredibly narcissistic blog-O-sphere.

That said, I am now going to put in my 2¢, or rather 299¢... or 399¢ as the case may be, on DC Comics' "New 52". A little late, but whatever...

First of all, I have NOT read ALL of the 52 initial releases. I simply don't care about all of them, and I really don't have the money to buy crap.
So...
JUSTICE LEAGUE #s 1 & 2 - Big, overblown action sequence after big, overblown action sequence. Beautiful, if not the "same" artwork we always get from Jim Lee. I understand, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," but maybe, just maybe Jim Lee could try something a bit different at some point. You know how you can look at a comic from the 80's or 90's and say "that's 90's book'... ? Well, Jim's art, while absolutely beautiful, is getting dated. Change it up. Move on.
As for the writing... well, there's really not much to go on. Not sure what Geoff Johns is getting paid, but I hope it's not hourly. He couldn't have spent more than five or ten minutes on either issue. Sure it's fun, kind of like a Michael Bay movie, but devoid of substance (kind of like a Michael Bay movie)... and text. Consisting of a bunch of large panels with two or less word balloons per (and especially the wordless 2-page spread in #2), these books are an incredibly quick read. And for $3.99 I would really like to spend more time in my comic. Sure I can stare at the pretty pictures, but that still doesn't give it substance. I think this one would be better read, for substance and financial reasons, in trade paperback.

DETECTIVE COMICS #s 1 & 2 - Another pretty book, but with a bit more substance. This one I really enjoyed, until I realized why. I realized I was looking at Tony Daniel's version of Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns. Panel after panel, it seems that Daniel is lifting images from DKR. Hey, why not? We all loved DKR. Why not re-live the experience? Did he think we wouldn't notice? Really? If you're gonna rip something off, try not to make it the most popular thing in the genre.
The story, also by Mr. Daniel, is intriguing, though, especially the ending of issue #1, which is conveniently, yet not surprisingly unresolved in issue #2. This one I will try for a few more issues.

BATMAN: DARK KNIGHT #1 - Again, very pretty, but this is a story that I feel I've read before. I love David Finch's art. It is a very gritty, if not overly line-heavy, style befitting the Dark Knight. I haven't gotten to #2 yet, but I will. I was compelled enough for two issues. We'll see how much more, though.

BATGIRL #1 - This was an interesting concept from the outset. How were they going to explain Barbra Gordon being able to walk again? Well, they really didn't. Basically, like the old man in Monty Python and The Holy Grail (Look it up! You damn kids and your rock-n-rap...), she "got better." Apparently, she was crippled for three years and had surgery so now she's not only "all better," but she can swing from a rope and kick criminal ass. Wish the real world worked that way. It hurts for me just to get out of bed in the morning. Anyway, the art is very nice and the story is... interesting. The characterization of Barbra seems a bit off, but I will go another issue or two on this. Hopefully, it'll gain momentum.

BATMAN #1 - Honestly, it felt like a regular Batman book. Nice art, fairly interesting, if not compelling, story... your basic Batman. Nothing really to report here. If you like the recent comic version of Batman, you'll like this.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 - Boring. I don't care about Damian, I didn't like the art, I'm not buying any more of it.

As for:
BATWING, BATWOMAN, CATWOMAN, BIRDS OF PREY and RED HOOD...
I couldn't care less and didn't waste my money on them.

This also goes for all of the LANTERN books, GREEN, RED, CORPS and GUARDIANS.
I liked the movie (I really don't see what all the complaining was about. You're going into a movie about a guy that can create anything he can think of with his glowing green ring. What the hell do you want?), I just don't care about the tangled back story of the books.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1 - I actually liked this one. It had a few "wait, what?" moments for me, but it was fun and well drawn. I'm giving it another issue or two before I bail.

WONDER WOMAN #1 - I kinda liked this one as well. The story was interesting, and I have been a fan of Cliff Chiang's art for a while. I loved his Green Arrow work. Also, I really like the new logo. It was designed by a former student of mine from when I taught at the Joe Kubert School, Jared Fletcher. Check out his other comics and logo work at Stranger Fictions.

AQUAMAN #1 - Oddly, this one I REALLY liked! The art (if you can't tell, the art is a big sell for me) by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado is wonderful. (I never liked that stupid lantern symbol that he drew coming off of Green Lantern's chest, but that may have been an editorial decision. Like the ridiculous red and blue blur coming off of Superman's cape in the late 90's early 2k's that was thought up by that moron Eddie Berganza, DC's little Napoleon. Dick.) Where was I... Oh yeah..
The art was great and the story was wonderful. I really like how they addressed the public's opinion of Aquaman. I have to admit, I have even written a song about Aquaman that isn't very flattering. But this book had some real out-loud laughs in it, and was compelling. This one I will continue to buy.

ANIMAL MAN #1 - A lot of people were crazy about this book. I enjoyed it, and it had a really creepy twist(ed) ending, but I won't say I was crazy about it. The artwork by Travel Foreman was kind of odd and, I would think off-putting, for regular comic buyers, but I'm interested in #2.

ACTION COMICS #1 - So, apparently in the "new" DC Universe, Superman is a dick. I guess that means, to be more relevant and appeal to today's comic book audience, the hero has to be a dick. Interesting. I got a chance to watch the Captain Marvel serials from the 40's recently, and he was kind of a dick, too. He has no problem gunning down "natives" from India, or pitching gangsters off buildings to their deaths. I suppose they deserved it, they were trying to kill him. I just hope there's a point in this new Action story that Superman realizes what it means to be a hero and begins to value human life. It's interesting enough, and the art is nice, but at $3.99 I'm not giving it long to get better.

SUPERMAN #1 - Lois is dating a new guy who seems to be a douche. Lois herself is kind of a bitch. And Clark seems a bit clueless. And, I'm sorry, but if it took this long to get rid of the underwear on the outside, why bother? I just looks wrong, now. I understand some Hollywood douche-bag decided that Superman's costume needed to change for the movie, but why can the Time-Warner folks never say "NO." Seriously. We had to go through an entire decade plus of horrifying Batman movies before we were blessed with Chris Nolan. Where's the integrity? And then to parley that stupidity into the comics? Wow. Just wow. The art is nice, but the characterizations are off. I'm still buying this one, but it's close to the chopping block.

SUPERBOY #1 - Interesting take. The last Superboy and the new one have a lot in common. I actually like the new one's back story better than the old one. It's got a bit more intrigue. We know he has Kryptonian DNA, but we're not sure of the human part. The costume is interesting as well. I'll stay on this one for a few issues to see where it goes.

SUPERGIRL #1 - Another interesting take. Similar to the last version, but with a few tweaks. What's difficult is that we don't really know who Superman is yet, so we can't really judge if he's going to do right by Supergirl or not. So far, Supes has been a dick in his recent appearances. Going to wait and see. I'll give it one or two more.

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1 - Weird concept. I like most of the characters, especially Zatanna, so I'm giving this a try. So far, not bad. I don't really like the Eighties Goth look on Zatanna, but I'm interested enough for a few issues.

GREEN ARROW #s 1 & 2 - I F'ING HATE THIS BOOK!!!!! Am I clear? This is the WORST take on Ollie EVER! I am, and have been a Green Arrow fan for a long time, so this comes from a very subjective place. The fact that they erased the old GA and completely reworked him into the "Smallville" TV show version is an outrage. I really didn't mind the TV show. It was cool seeing different takes on old characters made specifically for TV. But THIS? No. They have turned Ollie into a douchier version of Tony Stark with a scooby-crew. What the hell is the difference between this guy and Bruce Wayne? The colors? The bow? This was far more than a costume tweak. This was a rape. A complete destruction of everything that came before. I understand that people are up in arms about Superman losing his pants, but this is the real outrage. GA doesn't deserve this. This book is C R A P!!

As for the rest of this stupidity, I didn't even bother wasting my money.

You want to read something good?
Read the new TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES. You read that right. The Turtles are back from IDW. But this time, there's no pizza, no cowa-bunga, and no Be-Bop. Just ass-kickin' Turtle goodness. Kevin Eastman style, bitches! 'Nuff said.

Also, I would recommend Atomic Robo from Red 5. This book is the most consistently good comic produced today. Great art AND story. Fun and funny characters, all in all a great read. There are 5 volumes at this point (or more...), so check them out. Spend your $3 wisely.

And don't think I have nothing to say about Marvel. I'm just tired as I'm sure you are from reading all this. I'll harp on them next time.

Go buy stuff at Comic Explosion. And tell Scott you like his blog. It'll probably piss him off. Everything else does.

-R

Once more, with feeling...

Hey Guys,

I know it's been a while. Sorry. I'm the kind of guy that only speaks when I have something to say.
Therefore...

As a comic fan, it's impossible not to be aware of the DC re-launch coming in Sept. But in case your rock doesn't have wi-fi... At the end of Flashpoint, the current big event running through all DC titles, every DC title will be cancelled. Then, beginning the last week of August and fully in September, DC will be releasing 52 titles, all bearing the #1 issue numbering. Including Action Comics, Detective Comics, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more. for an entire list and the company's "line" on the matter, click here.

Well, I have a few thoughts on this.

Remember when "52" ended and we were re-introduced to the Multi-verse? It was revealed that there were 52 alternate universes, or some such crap, but we only knew what was up with 38 of them.

Also, as we all know, Detective comics is coming up on it's 900th issue in about a year. There is no way DC Comics is going to let that pass without the rightfully due hooplah. Therefore, most likely we will see a return to original numbering sometime around then.

So, what if we are given these all-new 52 titles for about a year, only to find out at the end of that year, that we've been poking in on one of the unknown alternate realities, a la pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths? How many fanboy heads would explode then?

Another thought: DC also announced their new "Day and Date" release, (don't Day and Date mean the same thing?) where both the digital and printed copies of the comics will be released on the same day. Wouldn't it be interesting if, when we return to the "real" DC universe, that they keep the "alternate" universe comics going, but only release them in digital format... no print copies? (More fanboy brains splattered on the wall) That way, if they actually do bring in new, younger readers, these customers would probably have no problem just buying the digital comics. That's what they're used to. Buying music and games through a digital medium.

One last thought (sorry for the tome): Why are digital comics so expensive? I am a graphic designer by trade and I have published my own comics. I understand printing costs. If you aren't actually printing a comic book on paper, you are saving the cost of printing (paper, ink, plates etc.) and distribution. You are literally cutting out between a third to half of your costs. How is it necessary to charge the same amount of money for an intangible copy of a comic that I will have to wrestle with the concept of holding an expensive piece of technology to read while sitting on the toilet, as opposed to a paper copy that is light and easy to hold, even upside down while lying on the couch?

Digital comics, like digital music, should cost about a dollar. 99c is plenty for a 22 page digital comic. Seriously, some websites give them away free. Maybe $1.50, $1.99 AT THE MOST. But not full price. These freakin' price increases are killing this industry. $3 & $4 is too high a price for a digital file that I am most likely going to enjoy once, maybe twice. I can buy a song that I will listen to many, many times in a number of places for only a dollar. 

All this said, I didn't even address how the digital thing is going to kill the local comic shop.
That's a whole different rant.

These are my thoughts. What are yours? Email us at: ComicEx@gmail.com

And if you would like, please check out some of my work on my websites:
www.RickmanArt.com  and  www.RickmanGrafx.com
You'll see some of my comics at the bottom of the "Illustration" link on the second site.

Thanks for your indulgence,
-Rickman