The New 52s: One Year Later – Batman and Robin

This is how comics should be, DC launched 52 titles in September of 2011, thus far Batman and Robin is the predominant work coming out of the relaunch.   Peter Tomasi a veteran writer of DC usually writing on the B and C list titles finally given the shot to helm a premier book conceived for all intents and purposes by Grant Morrison through his “Batman & Son” story line Tomasi has excelled and written up to the level of Morrison.  Is Tomasi are great writer in hiding or has Morrison set up a story that almost anyone can write?  I think a bit of both.  Tomasi has talent, you don’t write a book like this without it, but Morrison has also weaved a tale that many writers can step into and succeed because the story has so much potential for direction he has made it almost too easy for new writers.

If there was any complaint with Batman and Robin it could only be the artwork.  Not because the artwork is bad, but it is just not at the quality of the writing,

The New 52s: One Year Later – Nightwing

A year ago I bashed Superman and praised Nightwing, now 12 months later the shoe is on the other foot.  Now we are not talking a complete role reversal in that I am despising Nightwing as I initially felt about Superman, but I am not enjoying the direction Nightwing has taken.  With Nightwing my issue is with how Kyle Higgins has conceptualized Dick Grayson/Nightwing but how the series has developed.

Nightwing has now gone through 12 issues and the only thing that has happened emotionally is that he has slept with an old friend a few times. I am not saying the comic is lacking a romantic angle, what I am saying is that the story is devoid of all emotional content: happiness, angry, joy, frustration,anything.  The issues are not bad, they are just BORING, like a horrible season of your favorite show boring.

Comic fans have long criticized Nightwing for its lack of independence because DC will not let him out from under Batman’s wing and just have the freedom to develop outside of Gotham.  For a short time in the late 90s and early 2000s  while Chuck Dixon was writing and even part of Devin Grayson’s run Nightwing was apart from Gotham, living in Bludhaven and moonlighting as a police officer taking down corruption and staying clear of

Gotham Chronicles Issue #0

DC Reboot or as DC is calling it “the New 52”

…Sounds like a Saturday Morning Cartoon ad. (I really hate it)

Let me just open up with a clear fence-walking statement.

While I am cautiously curious about the “New 52” project and I find so points of it a giant mistake, the return of Nightwing is completely worth it for me.

So DC still remains a bit tight-lipped about the project even following it’s launch, my guess is they don’t completely understand where it is going either. While I thought it was a complete wash and clean reboot like “Crisis on Infinite Earths” it seems to be more of a mid-season pickup on a t.v. series.

DC appears to have skipped over the “origins” and picked up as full-fledged, but sometimes still struggling to identify their innerselves-type superhero/villain.

The cons:
Unless they are going to clear this up the timeline is sketchy. I frankly didn’t want to re-read the origins…. AGAIN, but they are obviously referencing a timeline that we need to assume imports some of the previous DC Universe.

Example: In Issue 1 of Nightwing he states that he spent a year as Batman. Was Batman dead? Was his back broken?

Now it may turn into a Momento style fill in the blanks later and that is fine, but it leaves you wondering what to take with you from years of comic reading, or in some cases research.

The pros:

A clean slate.  Batwoman may not be shot, though she probably is or will be.  In any case the DC Universe was to complicated with deaths and resurrections, illegitimate kids, who hates who and who dated who.  Gives DC an opportunity to focus more on the superhero-story rather than the complicated and far-reaching spiderweb of soap opera drama.

DC sparked my interest enough for me to subscribe to 5 comics so far.

I hope this just does not turn out to be a year long storyline that will merge into crossover titles and reintroduction into the previous Universe.