Rebirth Reactions....

Rebirth ... It's what has been on many comic blogs since Saturday and as I'm exited about some of the books I have to get in my say too. The announcement a couple months back has focused a lot of comic speculation and chatter leading up to the big wondercon panel on Saturday that revealed the creative teams and a bit of the initial planning. As an old comics fan and one who is sometimes a bit jaded I found myself oddly curious, actually downloaded the DC all access app to watch the live stream. I'll be candid that I have mixed feelings as I have been on the DC revisions ride since Crisis on Infinte Earths right up through Final Night and missed some of the better steps forward since then. I rejoined the DCU with Secret Six just before Flashpoint having been intrigued by images of Blackest Night and flipping through the legacy JLA James Robinson wrote. The New 52 was well... honestly ideas would hook me and lose me when the endless crossovers would derail the stories I was involved in. DCYou was honestly more my thing and I'm more invested in DC now then I have been in a good long time so well Rebirth worried me. Before getting on with the books that have me hooked at the moment I have to point you to a post panel interview that reinforced the hope that I found for DC soon Dan Dido talked about the actual impetus for this round of change... Go here to The Beat and read about his experiences at NYCC last year...

Though the panel opened with the Batman family titles and I have a few on this list it was this announcement that full on hooked me...

A monthly Supergirl Title...

Steve Orlando who signed an exclusive contract is relaunching Kara El's book; she was one of the mainstays of one of my favorite team books the Legion of Superheroes. Though I am saddened at the loss of Midnighter sometimes an ending is ok as a short amazing run is better then a story outlasting its writers/artists or fans enthusiasm. Steve and artist Brian Ching look to be bringing back the classic look with the skirt which makes me happy and are keeping to classic story elements having her raised on Krypton. The initial arc appears to be a be careful what you wish for as her father, the new 52 version of the Cyborg Superman, may just give her her wish to leave her adopted home for the one she recalled... Steve Orlando's writing on Midnighter and his personal project Virgil gives me great hope for a many layered complex story.

 

Also in the Kryptonian House is ..

The New Superman also a monthly book..

Gene Yuen Yang, who's books Boxers/Saints and American Born Chinese I very much enjoyed, is continuing his relationship with the Superman family of books after his run on Superman with the Truth story. He and Victor Bogdanovic will be introducing a new character in the city of Shanghai who who gains the powers and "heart" of the man of steel and becomes a the New Superman. I for one love stories that expose us to the viewpoints of cultures we are little exposed to beyond Hollywood stereotypes by people invested in the stories their telling and Gene is certainly that...

 

The last from the Superman offices (and this still confuses me) is Wonder Woman who I've loved as long as I have bought comics hers were among the first

Greg Rucka is returning to DC to pen this twice monthly book with the art chores split between an old favorite of mine Liam Sharp and a new favorite Nicola Scott. Respectively Liam's illustrated stories will be about Diana in the present learning about the lies she has been living and Nicola's will be set in the past giving us initially Wonder Woman year one. Yes we have seen origin rehashes but this is Greg Rucka... not only does he write he teaches this stuff from time to time. I missed out on the last good WW story as I didn't pick up the early new 52 version so I'm giving this a shot.

 

I know what no Action comics, don't I like me some Mr. Luthor, no Superman, no Trinity and what of Super Sons... I am reserving a bit of judgement and I don't have infinite funds so I have to be a bit choosy. That said the idea of Lex declaring himself the Super-man of Metropolis bears a certain ring to it so I will at least be looking at it and there are other cool toys being played with by cool people..

 

All Star Batman ( thankfully )a monthly...

Scott Snyder that has almost get me back on the Batman bandwagon for the first time in little over a decade may have left the biweekly titles but is in no way done with Bruce and his world. He came on stage with John Romita Jr. Who will partner with him for a Two-Face story in this anthology-y kind of book that will let Scott play with the delicious Batman rogue gallery his run kind of didn't get to. He will be pairing with different artists along the way but the names that sunk the hook Tula Lotay, Afua Richardson, Sean Murphy, Paul Pope...So guess count me in for this one

In terms of the rest of the Bat Family books there are aspects of them that are attractive; Tom King's going to write a hell of a good and very different Batman book, the plans for Detective as a team book intrigue me, Tim Seeley on Nightwing with his "Better then Batman" story I find nearly impossible to pass up but the ones I know I will most likely cave and pick up are Batgirl and Birds of Prey

 

Batgirl again a monthly

Hope Larson is a name I to my discredit didn't know before the panel and had to look up and I'm actually familiar with some of her pretty fantastic work, the adaptation of Wrinkle in Time to comics. What she and Raphael Alberquerque have in store sadly depart from Burside and her glorious supporting cast and send her on a trip to Asia. It's sure to be a great story and I'm willing to give it a go because I have had a great fondness for her going way back to the early Oracle days and the art is going to be a treat as I have little of Raphael's work to date.

Birds of Prey (yeah again monthly)

The team behind this is all new to me and the writers are new to comics coming from the CW show the 100 Jim and Shawna Benson with art by Clair Row. I'm wavering on the fence a bit with this as the initial story arc will involve Batgirl, Black Canary and the Huntress on the hunt for someone using the Oracle identity. The recent Batgirl which was one of the books that finally got me buying DC again seemed to be heading towards a new cool Oracle and well count me as skeptical but interested. Oh and how can you refuse the look on DD's face there in the background. Oh how I will miss the Black Canary Band book too....

And... Now for Harley Quinn

This is one of the two bi weekly books I'm in for right now. I will commit as Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner (who signed an exclusive contract) are still on the book and have no plans to break what isn't broken. Harley I have read on and off but got hooked by issue 25 when she dealt with the whole Mr. J issue and pulled that scab off finally. It's the good word of mouth I was seeing on Twitter that finally did it and had me look... crap I knew it was a good book but... well I'm a bit of a fool for good dark humor... And the art by Chad Hardin and Chuck Timms is pretty outstanding and well time till tell but I love the idea of a character being able to play in the big leagues mainly because she just plain does not know that she can't match the likes of ..... filli in that blank with anyone you like...

Suicide Squad is the other double ship book

Oh look there is the cinematic two tone hair and makeup again... I love the makeover even if it's a bit of an obvious reference to an excellent movie trailer. Task Force X I go way back to the post Crisis days and John Ostrander with and through thick and thin I do love this team of ner-do-wells on a possible path to redemption. Rob Williams proved to me on Martian Manhunter he's got the sarcastic black humor and bent for the violent that is right for this book. The addition of Katana from the old Batman and and Outsiders is another big hook for me as I have such fond memories of the Mike Barr title. I'm willing to give it a go and the art team of Phillip Tan and Jim Lee will look pretty coherent so there is that.

 

Beyond that there is a lot to really root for, the fact that the Green Lanters for earth and for one of the GL titles are Simon Bas who I think really got the short end of the crossover stick right after his introduction and Jessica the current Power Ring as his partner is really of so tempting in their title and in the Justice League being written by Byran Hitch. Christopher Priest writing Deathstroke is all to good a thing not to at least pick up for a look and though I'm dissapointed that David Walker is off Cyborg I'll look at the new one. These are the initial titles and only the sales and the vagaries of the Direct Market will tell just how well they fare; Gotham Academy apparently is getting a second semester, there were hints of Legion of Superheros in the early Rebirth mentions, we are getting both Blue Beetles back in one book and I suspect Firestorm may be out there waiting in the wings. If you missed that Panel it's actually worth watching even just for a lark.

I remember issue seven of Crisis and the death of Supergirl so it's kind of fitting if at least for me the new Supergirl was the one that clinched my interest with the creative team at the reigns.

If you saw it let me know what you thought I'd love a conversation about it...

 

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