My Life As A Geek Issue #6: The New 52!

Hello Geeks, today is cool day for Geek World Order. We’ve partnered up with our buddy Ryan MacDonald of the Spread the Nerd movement to have some more original content on the site. So from time to time you’ll see his blogs re-posted here to help reach as much of the geek community as possible. Also he may be writing some blogs that will only be seen here. Today we bring you his latest as he gives some opinion on the DC New 52 Relaunch. So read on and leave some feedback on his opinions.

Issue #6: The New 52!

by Ryan MacDonald

Since the Flashpoint event started at DC we’ve been hearing about The New 52.  Comic Con was completely buzzing with news and information revealing tidbits here and there of art and story in regards to the new books.  I’ve been hesitant when it came to these new books.  I will admit I wasn’t and am still not 100% on board.  I just read Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1 back to back and the transition was smooth.  I’ll give them credit for that.  It didn’t feel like a cop out, it didn’t feel forced.  It was a well planned progression into a new era for the same heroes and it was executed well enough.  What I don’t like is that we’ve lost Power Girl, among other heroes, in lieu of titles that hold no narrative for the heroes that belong to DC but instead tell stories of war and the old west.  Which is just fine, I like a good war story, and I love a western good or bad.

I like that we were lead into the new DCU in some areas by ongoing stories, like in the case of the Green Lantern.  We were taken down this road through the three ongoing Green Lantern titles (Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, and Emerald Warriors) and when the War of the Green Lanterns ended the status was no longer quo.  If you don’t know what’s going on, the short version is that Hal Jordan killed Krona.  The guardians revoked his status as a lantern and sent him hurtling back to earth.  Stripped of his yellow ring, as it found a new more worthy host, Sinestro was standing by to receive Hal’s ring and become the new Green Lantern of Sector 2814.  The last thing we see is Hal standing on the side of the road in the desert and the words Green Lantern Returns in GREEN LANTERN #1!

For me it solidified a reason to have a new #1, a reason to start fresh.  It didn’t make it feel arbitrary at all, like I felt it was when I first heard the announcement.

When it all first started pouring out, I admit I met it with a slack jaw and keystrokes so swift they could melt plastic.  My nerd rage fuse was primed, lit, and ready to blow.  I mean, 14 Batman books, 6 Green Lantern books, Static Shock, wars and westerns, and not one single sign of Power Girl.  I’m a little sore about not having her around, I honestly did love her ongoing story, it wasn’t ever heavy handed and was rather light-hearted and genuinely fun to read.  There were a lot of things to be met with anger at first, the Teen Titans look ridiculous to begin with.  Every iteration of Robin has wings, Superboy looks like a frat boy, I don’t even know what the thing on all 4s is, this is hard to accept.  DC has a lot that’s hard to swallow across the board, Deadman looks like he borrowed and modified Nightwing’s disco suit.  Barbara Gordon is Batgirl again, even though she’s been in a wheelchair since The Killing Joke.  All in two weeks we had a LOT of stuff thrown at us that didn’t quite sit right.

Still, I’m not signed up for anything except Green Lantern and Batman & Robin.  As I stated earlier, I read Justice League #1 and the first time through I finished it confused about who it was written for.  It felt like the first episode of yet another Justice League animated series, and at the same time it felt like the transcribed playtime of a bunch of kids playing super heroes.  Batman was pitch perfect.  Green Lantern, who, despite the Green Lantern story line, is Hal Jordan, is grating.  Like they re-wrote the character to better match Ryan Reynolds.  There was even a little dispute, started by Batman about what city belongs to who, and it seemed…I don’t know…out of place.  I couldn’t tell if this book was for long time fans, kids, adults, new readers, or what.

 

Don’t get me wrong, it was action-packed and fast paced, I do wish it had been a bit longer and showcased the other heroes more than just Green Lantern and Batman.  There was a bit featuring Cyborg, but he wasn’t Cyborg yet.  Just Vic.  Superman makes an appearance in the last 2 pages and then we’re left with a cliffhanger.

But, let me pose this, if you read or have read Flashpoint #5 pay attention towards the end, there’s a visage of a hooded woman with markings all over and glowing eyes.  She speaks of there being three time streams, obviously these are the DC of old, Flashpoint, and DCnU.  Clever as it is to include this, it offers an obvious opportunity to revert back to the old DCU.  Anyway, I mention this glow-eyed woman for a reason, in the crowd at Vic’s football game in Justice League #1 it was pointed out to me, and his Twitter followers, by Jon Kovalic (Dork Tower) that the very same woman is sitting in the stands watching.  I suppose over the next few months (or years) this will be revealed to us.

But I’m not going to nay-say the new universe, I’m willing to give it a shot and let it fan out before I pass my judgement on the whole thing.  I’m going to read Justice League, Batman, Batman & Robin, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman up through January of 2012 and give my words on the DCnU then.  We’ve been given a Batgirl preview and we learned that The Killing Joke happened and she was crippled, but we still don’t know how she’s up and moving around, did she recover? Anyway, right now, I’m hopeful.  I don’t fear what’s to come, I’m not mad about it anymore, I don’t feel it’s arbitrary.  I get it now, and I welcome the change.

Bring it on DC.  Just, don’t turn everything around for a milestone issue that would’ve been. *coughfantasticfourcough*.  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to spread the nerd.