CAINEv2

Haha, o man, everything's pretty much already been covered.

Batman has always been held near and dear to my heart, so reading it in the New 52 was really fun for me, particularly when you see Bruce Wayne use his Batcave's face-recognition technology to meet and greet the various socialites at a shindig he's throwing at his mansion. Not to mention that seeing the whole Bat-family ensembled together warmed my heart a little.

Catwoman was absolutely disappointing. I seldom like female characters, but Selina Kyle is one of my absolute favorites. To see her turned into an excuse to toss in some sexy times into DC's franchise admittedly upset me more than I'll ever admit, mostly because I was initially really looking forward to reading it. So sad.

Justice League was a really fun read. Realllllly fun. Seeing Bruce and Hal's interaction with each other made me extremely excited to read the next issue.
Some examples: upon first running into Batman, Hal said, "Batman? You exist?!". Or how Bruce referred to Hal's ring as a flashlight. Or when Hal was noticeably disappointed that Batman was "just some guy in a batsuit" and couldn't even fly. It's camaraderie like this that makes me keep coming back to comics.

Animal Man was absolutely a surprising read. To be honest, I'd never even heard of him before, so when I first came across it, I could only think that he had a lame superpower. When they got into the whole "life after being a superhero" schtick in the first half, I became intrigued. But when he started tripping out in a dream, I was immediately hooked. And O MAN, that ending...yea. I really want the next issue right now.

Green Lantern Corps and Green Lantern were both good, but not amazing--but they're still something I want to continue to check out.

Red Lantern Corps was all rage. Serious rage. I actually kinda liked it, but it's not in my top to-read list.

Red Hood and the Outlaws was, to me, kinda a fun read. Sure, Starfire was all sexy times with whoever she wanted, but it was done in more of a light(ly comedic) tone than Catwoman so I can overlook it. If anything, I like the interaction between Speedy and Red Hood, and will probably keep coming back to it for this reason alone.

Nightwing was a pretty good read. I'm biased, though, because Dick Grayson is one of my favorite Batman characters (second only to Bruce Wayne). It's nice to see him on his own, though, and touch his roots a little.

Batman and Robin was another "good, but not great", but still something I intend to continue checking out. But that's also because I personally like how much of an ass Damian Wayne is. What a punk, haha.

Demon Knights was another nice surprise. Never expected something filled with so much fantasy for a DC title.

But the only thing I haven't read that I want to read is probably Swamp Thing. I have heard really good things about it, but I can't find it anywhere. Everywhere I go, it's always sold out. So much sadfacing. So much....


_________________
"there's pancakes..."

I've had difficulty finding Swamp Thing, Supergirl, and Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.  I browsed all of those at one point, but when I came back hoping to pick it up and give it a proper analysis they were never there.  I might wait for a second printing. 

And I'll agree with you on Justice League, but to a point.  The dialogue was great.  The action, when present, was acceptable.  I just feel we didn't see enough for me to be sold on it.  Only four out of the cover characters even make an appearance, and I really want to see the whole team together.  I think I'll buy #2 when it comes out in a few weeks, but I'm going to hold off on a subscription until I see some more. 
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

Oh man, time for me to jump onto this dogpile.

An earlier visit I made to Atlas Comics to preview the New 52 didn't pan out, so I decided to bring the comic book store to me and get my reads on via DC's iPad reader App. This means I'm only able to preview a few pages per issue, but I have gotten to check out every single one of the New 52 titles in brief.

Here's what's standing out to me:

1. Action Comics - Superman in boots and jeans beating up rich bastards and ordinary jackasses? I can get behind that in a big way. Seems like a ton of vicarious fun.

2. Animal Man - Is the ending really THAT good? Because nothing on the pages I saw really grabbed me at all. I'd disregard this if people on these boards weren't so excited about it.

3. Static - Notable for having the worst, most unfunny superhero dialogue I could ever have imagined. I threw up in my mouth about 2 pages into it.

4. Batman - I have a physical copy of this one already thanks to Sollosi. It's rock-solid entertainment that starts with Batman fighting a ton of baddies right off the bat and then sets up some cool twists and hooks for next time. Also, artwork is great throughout.

5. Red Lanterns - I know it's just going to be RAGEKILLRAGE until it gets cancelled 5 issues in, but I kinda like it anyway. I dunno.

6. Blue Beetle - Hard to capture what I liked about this one after I initially cast it aside. It had... heart, I dunno. The characters seemed very relatable to me. I guess I like the idea of having a mechanical alien powersuit, too. No surprise there, I guess.

7. All the Green Lantern stuff - I love the IDEA of Green Lantern, but I'm on the fence with which one - if any - of these series to choose. Anyone got a suggestion?

8. Supergirl - So much action in the 3 pages I was allowed to read. METEOR EXPLOSION!! SIBERIA!! PUNCHING ROBOTS IN THE FACE!! I want this... not sure if it's $3 worth of want, though.

9. Aquaman - As Sollosi suggested, it's got a lot of really funny tongue-in-cheek moments. I didn't get to see any scenes of him kicking ass though. Is he even good at kicking ass? If not, I'm not on board.

10. Justice League - Our heroes are being hunted by special forces? I did not get to see enough of this comic in my DC-prescribed preview. Someone tell me moar.

11. Red Hood & Outlaws - A preview is not enough. I must track this thing down and experience all of its awfulness for myself. Fuck if I'm gonna pay $3 to do that on my iPad, though. Need to find a physical copy of this one to leaf through.
_________________
Literacy is the best tech.

Double-posting with a request:

I'm planning on taking the opportunity DC's created with the New 52 to become a regular comic book reader, too. Unfortunately, I'm a little short on funds for the forseeable future so I can probably only keep up with 3 series.

From the list above, I'm inclined to ride with Batman, Blue Beetle, and Supergirl, but feel free to talk me into or away from other stuff. Or maybe I should wait one more month?
_________________
Literacy is the best tech.

Supergirl is one of the ones I haven't really analyzed yet.  The internet reviews are undecided on it - everyone says that it's just nonstop action and takes place in too short a time, but eventually she will calm down and figure her shit out to get a story going.  I need to track down a copy. 

Blue Beetle's new origin story from several years ago (introduced Jaime Reyes) was very well-received.  He's the favorite non-Batman DC hero of Amanda, the Gamers webmaster. Jaime is a non-offensively Latino superhero, whose identity is known by his entire family and a number of people in the community, all of whom keep his secret.  People are saying that the Blue Beetle #1 is emulating that successful origin, but I wasn't really entranced.  Might be worth it. 

Aquaman hasn't kicked a lot of ass... yet.  The first issue has him thwarting a robbery in only two or three pages, and then has dialogue, introductions, and expositions for the rest.  A ohshitohshit-scary enemy is shown entering the city on the very last page, and hopefully other issues will be more action-packed once Aquaman and his wife Mera encounter them.  Honya read the issue in my car earlier, he can tell you :P. 

I'd go with Batman, Action Comics, and maybe Supergirl or Blue Beetle.  First impressions are important, and if those two made it good on you then they might be worth it in the long run.  I'm excited about Action Comics because Grant Morrison is awesome and I love the interesting direction(s) the story might take.  Batman is maybe the most complete comic book in the entire New 52 set.  If you're interested in reading a comic with some GL in it, I'd recommend Justice League, Green Lantern Corps, or Green Lantern New Guardians over Red Lanterns or the main one with Sinestro and Hal JOrdan.  There are so many that I would consider (Animal Man, Aquaman, Wonder Woman) that I wouldn't know where to begin.  I mean, I'm subscribing to 8 of them and will probably buy #2s of at least a couple of others.  I'm not being a model of restraint, here. 
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

I haven't had a chance to check out Supergirl yet, either, so I couldn't really tell you anything about that. Let me know how it works out for you--I'll check it out if you recommend it :)

As far as Animal Man is concerned...well, I guess I was just thrown off balance from how unexpectedly...dark (? I'm not sure that's the right word...) it becomes in the second half of the 1st issue.
At first I thought that it might've just been a way for them to stand out to the reader; that it wouldn't be like that all the time. But then I picked up the 2nd issue today and it was like that--all the time. And it was fantastic. So fantastic.
But maybe that's just me? I dunno. I realize not everybody likes this kind of thing, so I guess my only suggestion is to look at the cover--if you don't like it or it doesn't capture your interest, chances are you probably won't like reading it. I guess...? I dunno, haha.

As far as GL, I think it'll take a couple more issues for me to make a solid opinion on any of them yet, but I agree--if you're interested in some GL, read Justice League.

On another note, I finally got my hands on Swamp Thing--I haven't read it yet, but I'm admittedly excited to finally check it out. I keep hearing really good things about it.
_________________
"there's pancakes..."

I got a second printing of Swamp Thing and Supergirl, and read a few #2s.  Thoughts:

Detective Comics #2 wasn't bad, but I'm starting to have reservations.  Dollmaker is a gruesome, violent serial killer and his signature is less a quirk, motif, or psychological compulsion that you'd see in a classic Batman villain and more of a sick fetish.  The issue ends on a cliffhanger again, but this seems less intriguing than it did last month and more of a cheap sell like the ending to a Goosebumps chapter.  I might drop this one; not sure yet.  Wait until #3. 

Action Comics #2 was good.  Sure, a good 80% of it is Lex Luthor torturing Superman, but I like this comic's version of both Superman and Lois Lane and I look forward to next month's inevitable giant robot battle.  My one fanboy beef is Lex Luthor - he isn't exhibiting any charisma or even anything terribly distinctive, and is about as boring as I've ever seen him.  If they gave him a more magnetic personality and let him pull off badass shit like the end of Action Comics #1 regularly, then I would have zero qualms.  But qualms > 0. 

Animal Man #2 lived up to the shocker at the end of #1.  We're getting deep into his mythology and it's cool as hell.  The villains (which I know are called "The Hunters Three" from previews on DC's website) are downright chilling, and am already wigging out about seeing more.  My MVP of the week. 

Swamp Thing #1 was better than I remember from first glancing at it, but I'm still not 100% sold on it.  I should probably read some of the Alan Moore Swamp Thing for educational purposes, because I've heard it was his career-maker and reinvented the character, but I have no idea how or why.  Anyway, Swamp Thing #1 had a lot of exposition and dialogue and its villain is some fucked-up biznass, but I dunno if want.  I think I'll buy the #2 soon, but hold off on a subscription. 

Supergirl #1 was non-stop action.  Supergirl lands, has no idea what the fuck is going on, and beats up soldiers in mech suits while yelling in Kryptonian.  I would have liked to see some scenes of Krypton or more insights into her character (which right now is pure raging teenager), but I can't really complain about what I saw.  I'll keep an eye on this one, probably read reviews of #2 when it lands next week (or two weeks from now?), and judge it later. 

That's all.  Considering dropping Detective Comics if it doesn't improve, considering picking up Swamp Thing.  Next week I'll read Demon Knights and Batwoman, but the week I'm looking forward to the most is probably Week 3 (the 19th), because that's Batman, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. 
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

I never did get back to this board with my purchasing decisions. Time to weigh in.

I was already committed to Batman, but I decided to go with Supergirl and GL: New Guardians to round things out.

I don't really have anything to say about Supergirl #1 that Sollosi hasn't already said. Not as spectacular a first issue as some of DC's other series, but nothing wrong with it either. It's been criticized for being too action-heavy, but you know what? I'm okay with that. It's like comic book comfort food. I probably had the most FUN reading Supergirl #1, even if it wasn't the BEST option out there. For that reason, I'm on board for #2 and probably beyond.

I went with New Guardians for my GL fix after doing some process of elimination. New Guardians gets credit for actually doing an origin story in its first issued (unlike the other two GL features), and I honestly think it has the most interesting premise and the most potential of all the GL stories. Of course, it could also end up as a total clusterfuck with the large cast it's assembling. First issue didn't leave me thinking that one outcome was any more likely than the other (Kyle joins the Corps, other Lanterns are mysteriously drawn to him from all over the galaxy, end of issue), so I'm buying the second issue by default. Gonna keep up with this as long as it doesn't cause me to fall into despair.

Thought about buying Action Comics, but decided against it for now. Maybe some other time.

Also, holy shit Animal Man. Read a preview of #2 and was totally interested. Keep hearing buzz that Animal Man is clearly the best of the New 52. I'm sure that reading it would alter my perception of what comics can be, but... I wonder if it's a little TOO dark and deep for my still fairly casual reading sensibilities.
_________________
Literacy is the best tech.

I'm going to stop polluting your nice forums here with my ramblings and move them to my blog like a responsible internet citizen.  If you want some more of my thoughts on this week's comics and manga chapters, then check it out here: Week ending October 7th
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

Tomorrow is comic day! And Shounen Jump scans day! Why am I so excited!?

I'm definitely going for Demon Knights, Batwoman, Resurrection Man, and I think Mister Terrific.  Might subscribe to one of the latter two if they're good.  Also thinking about #2s of Batwing and OMAC, since they randomly received multiple good reviews for their #2 issues.
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

I was excited, until I realized that none of the series I'm currently committed to will see new issues tomorrow. Get back to me next week.
_________________
Literacy is the best tech.

New comics post on my blog.

Quick-reviewed #2s of Batwing, O.M.A.C., Demon Knights, Batwoman, Mister Terrific, and Resurrection Man, plus a bunch of mangaz.  Also a hardcover collection of Spider-Man: Blue. 
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

Dunno how relevant this is, but I opened a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch to discover a Justice League mini-comic inside.  It's #3 of 4.
_________________

Twitter | Blag | MAGFest 12 - January 2-5, 2014, at the Gaylord (National Harbor, MD)!

^Not sure whether the cereal box comics are New 52, Earth-2, a different one of the Infinite Crisis earths, or their own universe.  You can probably tell by who The Flash is. 

DC Week 3 is my favorite.  Batman #2, Wonder Woman #2, and Justice League #2.  Will also check out Supergirl and maaaaybe Captain Atom. 
_________________
Abandon all hope, ye short of attention span

I decided to make up for my crimes of downloading all this stuff by purchasing JLA #1

For a dollar

In other news while I've been putting most of this stuff off in favor of Marvel Ultimate backissues I read All-Star Western #1 today and it was awesome. Jonah Hex putzing around Gotham with Arkham running around behind him was great
_________________
http://www.roboawesome.com/?author=57 I write about video games, check it out
http://twitter.com/#!/HokutoNoRucas because Twitter is cool, right