Greetings to the Geekdom,
Hoping this post finds all of the geek royalty well and good health.
About a year ago, DC Comics did a mild reset to their line of comics. Each member of the Justice League was sporting a new costume and were taken in very different creative directions. DC also launched a bunch of new series and mini-series, experimenting with characters and creative teams and story tones.
And I walked away from reading comics.
I wasn't angry or upset or anything like that. While I have been very vocal of my dislike on Robert Venditti's control of The Flash and Green Lantern books, I was not upset with DC. I just needed a break. It was the final year of college for me and I was not wanting to spend so much money on comics. I figured the DC You, as that relaunch was dubbed, was a good place to take a break. I had read every New 52 book (with the exception of finishing Klarion because that book just took too much effort to read). I have been a DC fan all my life with a mild love of Marvel's X-Men, Spider-man, and Deadpool. I have been a fervent comic buyer since spring of 2006.
When DC Universe Rebirth was announced, I responded like most of the fandom: "Really? Another reboot? Another Crisis? Another relaunch?" DC had just done this a year before, so it seemed a bit desperate. It was no surprise that sales numbers were dwindling, so any such move is smart, even if it smacks of the corporate control that DC is under.
So, I began to read some of the DC You titles I would normally have read every month to catch up and see where the "rebirth" was needed. I read all Flash and Green Lantern books, which weren't as terrible as I had expected. Then I read Justice League, which I loved, especially for Jason Fabok's art. I read Constantine: The Hellblazer and Midnighter, which were books I bought every month, but didn't read. I had to support LBGT lead books. I wish I had been reading them while they were coming out, I am so in love with those series. Then I read Batman and Grayson, and I caught up on most of the Superman books. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading those books in large chunks. Which re-affirmed that I need to be reading trades and not monthly issues.
Which leads us to DC Universe Rebirth by Geoff Johns and friends. And in true Geoff Johns fashion, the story was beautiful and moving and exciting. There were heartbreaking moments and jaw-dropping reveals. I think it is hard to be a true fan of DC Comics and not love this issue. It let readers know that things were changing even if the timeline was mostly staying the same. The classic things we loved were returning and probably staying for the foreseeable future.
Now, I haven't picked up a lot of the titles, as I am trying to make my way through more of the DC You issues to catch up on where things were before things were "rebirthed". I will say that I have read all of the Green Lantern titles and have been very satisfied with the stories so far. I have trouble with the writers still. Venditti does not work as a writer for Hal or the Green Lantern Corps, he seems to miss the point and threw out all the things that made the GL books so unique and fun in the first place. Humphries tells a fun story but his character's dialogue and narration are jarring. Baz and Jess tend to be written in uneven extremes from text box to text box. The art has been good, even great at moments. The fill-in artists are sufficient. Overall, I have liked the first issues.
I am looking forward to reading Wonder Woman with the return of Greg Rucka writing for Diana. I started The Flash and was intrigued with the direction of the book. As much as I enjoyed Grayson, I am glad Dick is back as Nightwing. I am sad at the loss of the New 52 Superman and am perplexed at the move to bring back the Post-Crisis/Pre-Flashpoint Superman. Although, if you didn't read the Lois and Clark series, go pick that up, it was amazing. If the book continues like that, I will probably love the Superman books. I am especially happy with the Chinese Superman and his Justice League coming up, as well as Steve Orlando writing Supergirl. My baby sister and I will have to read that together.
As it stands, I am happy with DC Universe Rebirth and have hope that the DCU will have a strong future. As I finish the DC You and catch up on Rebirth, I'll probably write more about what I think. I am sure there will be a lot of positive feedback coming.
Remember:
All will be well
and
May the Force be with you.
King Buck
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