The Outhouse - The Greatest Comic Book Forum

by **LOLtron** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:23 pm

Hello there hot stuff! DC's big month has arrived and not surprisingly most of my random picks came up DC since I bought twice as much of their books than I did Marvel's.

Also if any of my tens of fans did not know, check out the special reviews that The Outhouse's very own Blue Streak is bringing you! You won't be disappointed!

1. Animal Man #1
Buddy Baker is back with a brand new series, one of fifty two for the all new all different but still kind of the same, DC Comics. If more of the new titles are like this, DC could be on to something. Blending Grant Morrison's Vertigo run with his more recent appearances, the folks at DC have their first potential hit on their hands. Jeff Lemire has put a definite stamp on the tone of this book. My gut tells me this is not going to be for the faint of heart and that's fine with me. I'd like to see DC have a few titles that push the envelope of mainstream comics, and Jeff Lemire and Travel Foeman are perched to do just that. My Score: A

2. Batgirl #1
Why did I even doubt the skills of the Devine Ms. S? As much as I personally detest the idea of Barbara Gordon taking a step back into the role of Batgirl, I admit that Gail Simone can keep me coming back for more. Of all the characters that she has written in her illustrious career, there is a connection that she has with Babs that no other writer in the history of DC has been able to achieve. This book also has the best cliff-hanger so far this month. Taking Barbara back to the shooting and reworking her back story from that point on makes as much sense as any and I'm looking forward to watching a younger Barbara grow back into her original role. This is also a must read for DC fans. My Score: A-

3. Stormwatch #1
Jack Harksmoore, Midnighter, Jenny Quantum, Apollo and Martian Manhunter; who would have thought that blending Wildstorm's premier hero group with a DC stalwart like J'onn J'onzz could work in this world, but they do! Paul Cornell is a perfect fit for this book and bringing the last Martian into the equation could be a smart move to help introduce these characters to new readers. Then I would hope he would eventually move back to his Justice League International friends but that might be a fanboy's wishful thinking. Definitely worth the money and I'm very much looking forward to this series as well. My Score: B+

4. Thunderbolts #163
Another terrific issue refuses to be anything but consistently good. I love the Fixer being front and center in the storyline and the inevitable team up with The Invaders is going to be some real fun stuff. Parker and Walker are steering this ship beautifully and I can't see any reason why there won't be calm waters for a very long time. My Score: B+

5. Action Comics #1
I was really kind of hoping this one wasn't going to pop up on my list because if I didn't like it I would once again be disappointed in a Morrison comic. Good news is I did like it, very much so. However, I'm not quite sure why this more aggressive version of Superman doesn't mesh up with the Superman in Swamp Thing #1 who seemed much less aggressive and much more like the Clark we are used to. I enjoyed Luthor and General Lane together. Everything that I never liked with Grant's Batman work is exactly what I enjoy with his takes on Superman. It works for me and I'm very excited about this book. This is one to jump on board and enjoy a wild but super ride! My Score: B

6. Swamp Thing #1
I bought this because Scott Snyder is my new favorite guy to read right now. Not being a Swamp Thing fan I figured if this guy could get me into the character then he is almost God like in his ability. Relax everyone; he's just a regular guy with great writing skills. I'm still not a fan of this character and though the writing was top notch and the art by Yanick Paquette was beautiful, I found nothing here to want me to come back. I guess if you are a fan of this character than you might want to check it out. I'm still not interested. My Score: B-

7. Wolverine One Shot #1
Written by David Lapham this book lacks in a lot of ways. Perhaps because it falls right on the heels of a brilliant Wolverine story in his regular series, this extra story has nothing new to bring to the already over abundant table. What did save it from a horrible grade was the art by David Aja. I'd love to see more of his work on Wolverine. It seems that the man's style feels perfect for the most over used mutant on the planet. My Score: C-

http://173.199.169.70/index.php/reviews/comics-reviews/starlord-top-to-bottom/15621-starlord-top-to-bottom-9711.html/

by **mrorangesoda** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:34 pm

Starlord wrote: However, I'm not quite sure why this more aggressive version of Superman doesn't mesh up with the Superman in Swamp Thing #1 who seemed much less aggressive and much more like the Clark we are used to.

I think it's because of the time difference. Morrison's run seems like it will be about Superman growing up into the one we're seeing in "present day" DC.

by **chap22** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:18 pm

sorry, Star, but for once we completely disagree. Batgirl was freaking awful. just awful.

by **Starlord** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:35 pm

chap22 wrote:sorry, Star, but for once we completely disagree. Batgirl was freaking awful. just awful.

was it the cliff-hanger you didn't like or the fact that suddenly Barbara is a bit dumber and way more immature than she was?

by **Starlord** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:36 pm

mrorangesoda wrote:
I think it's because of the time difference. Morrison's run seems like it will be about Superman growing up into the one we're seeing in "present day" DC.

You are correct and I didn't realize that until this morning. Not sure how much I like that idea but Morrison has not let me down with a Superman story yet so I'm in for the long haul.

by **chap22** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:40 pm

Starlord wrote:
was it the cliff-hanger you didn't like or the fact that suddenly Barbara is a bit dumber and way more immature than she was?

all of the above. everything was bad...the dialogue, the painful execution of teasing around the paralysis and however it was "fixed", the supposed-to-be-creepy-and-menacing-but-just-came-off-lame new villain, the trying-too-hard-to-makeher-interesting new roommate, all of it.

and you knowi LOVE me some gail. but this ranked right up there with those 2 Teen Titans issues as her worst professional output. blargh.

by **Starlord** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:42 pm

chap22 wrote:all of the above. everything was bad...the dialogue, the painful execution of teasing around the paralysis and however it was "fixed", the supposed-to-be-creepy-and-menacing-but-just-came-off-lame new villain, the trying-too-hard-to-makeher-interesting new roommate, all of it.

and you knowi LOVE me some gail. but this ranked right up there with those 2 Teen Titans issues as her worst professional output. blargh.

Ouch. Sorry you didn't like it. Maybe I need to read it a third time and take my Gail Glasses off.

by **Zenguru** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:54 am

I liked all the DC #1's you read. Except for Stormwatch. For some reason, it just doesn't resonate with me anymore. I'm a big Swamp Thing fan, so I'm on that book for the long haul. Batgirl intrigues me. I'm hanging around at least long enough to find out how she came back from the wheelchair.

by **Starlord** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:59 am

I'm glad you liked Swamp Thing. I don't doubt Snyder's ability at all so I figured it was more of my lack of interest in the character.

I think with Batgirl is that I have to keep in mind this isn't the Barbara Gordon that I grew up with. This is a new Babs with about a quarter of the old continuity. Though I do see the flaws that Chap pointed out, there was something about it that still intrigued me enough to keep getting it for a while.