Category New 52

Apr 30 2012

Green Lantern: New Guardians 8

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Green Lantern: New Guardians 8, originally released April 25th, 2012.

Patrick: After seven months of telling a fairly insulted story about a band of emotional misfits zooming across the galaxy, Green Lantern: New Guardians has to remind us that these characters don’t really work for the same team. They serve seven different masters, and most of that leadership is in various states of decay. So there are a thousand different motivating factors at play, and writer Tony Bedard handles what could be an incredibly complicated issue with aplomb.
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Apr 26 2012

Aquaman 8

Today, Shelby and Patrick are discussing Aquaman 8, originally released April 25th, 2012.

Shelby:  Geoff Johns first impressed me with Rebirth, the retold origin arc of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern. His narratives combine epic, sweeping action with a much closer, personal look at the characters. He has a knack for writing emotion that doesn’t diminish the super-humanness of these characters. Lately, I haven’t been quite as impressed; both Justice League and Aquaman have felt a little….pedantic. It’s true, I have fallen away from Johns somewhat with the relaunch, but I feel like this Aquaman arc is beginning to get back to what it is I first liked so very much about his writing.
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Apr 26 2012

The Flash 8

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing the Flash 8, originally released April 25th, 2012.

Check out Drew’s exclusive interview with Francis Manapul here!

Drew: Last month, Patrick voiced some concerns about objectively judging this title. Maybe we want to like it too much to say whether we actually do. After putting this issue down a little disappointed, but deciding that it was brilliant before starting this write-up, one could conclude I’ve already crossed the line of objectivity. However, I’d like to make the case for why this seemingly eventless and exposition-heavy issue actually carries the torch of thematic unity that has made this title so fantastic.

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Apr 24 2012

Birds of Prey 8

Today, Patrick and Drew are discussing Birds of Prey 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.

Patrick: Birds of Prey found such a strong, clear voice early in its run. I knew who Dinah was, I knew who Eve was and I understood their dynamic. They even had a cool villain that could control minds and make heads explode. As the team grew, so did my enthusiasm for the series. But the narrative waters are getting murky, and when my expectations grind so violently against the book that was delivered, my enthusiasm wanes. Continue reading →

Apr 23 2012

Green Lantern Corps 8

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Green Lantern Corps 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.

Shelby:  We talk a lot on this site about the balance of action and plot in the titles we read. Comic books have a fine line to tread, between providing enough action to keep things interesting and also creating a plot that’s deep enough to keep things interesting. Last month’s issue of Green Lantern Corps was one of those action-light issues, and I thought it was boring. More specifically, I thought the necessary plot points that were executed were done so in a overwrought and cliched way. This month we have another action-light issue, but happily Peter Tomasi has written a story that advances the plot into the next arc in a way that keeps me interested.
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Apr 23 2012

Captain Atom 7-8

Today, Peter and Patrick are discussing Captain Atom 7 and 8, originally released on March 21st, and April 18th, 2012.

Peter: As we continue in the post modern world of Captain Atom, we are seeing a lot of references to time and not-so-intuitive nature of cause and effect. The running clock which accompanies every scene-change ensures that this theme remains pervasive throughout. Time is ever moving around us, but in the world of Captain Atom, it’s something entirely different.
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Apr 20 2012

Wonder Woman 8

Today, Patrick and Shelby are discussing Wonder Woman 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.

Patrick: Last month, we were promised a trip to Hell. Given all the characters in-play in Wonder Woman, I foolishly assumed we’d get something of an Orpheus story. But that assumption proved too narrow and too literal: Brian Azzarello may have been given license to explicitly alter the Wonder Woman mythos, but he takes the same liberties with Greek mythology. The result is a trippy adventure through the underworld that is recognizably epic (in both the traditional and modern sense of the word) and wholly, boldly new.
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Apr 20 2012

Nightwing 8

Today, Drew and Peter are discussing Nightwing 8, originally released April 18th, 2012. This issue is part of the Night of the Owls crossover event. Click here for complete NotO coverage.

Drew: Scott Snyder has said that, for Batman, the Night of the Owls is all about his relationship to Gotham. That singular focus on a theme so close to Bruce’s identity can be felt throughout that title, and all of our favorite books have a similar thematic focus; Wonder Woman on family, The Flash on time, etc. While these themes all focus on aspects of their heroes’ identities, Kyle Higgins has managed to refract the events of the Night of the Owls onto identity itself, Nightwing’s own pet theme. Last month’s reveal that Dick had been earmarked (okay, toothmarked) to be the next Talon struck a powerful blow to his sense of self, which was still on the mend from his recent costume changes (plus the inherent issues of being a kind of unmoored twenty-something). Continue reading →

Apr 19 2012

Batman 8

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Batman 8, originally released April 18th, 2012. This issue is part of the Night of the Owls crossover event. Click here for complete NotO coverage.

Drew: Batman 8 begins with a tight shot on a Gotham City manhole cover. As the camera pulls up and out, revealing the city around it, Bruce’s voiceover questions whether his attention to detail has prevented him from seeing the bigger picture. This attention to detail explains why Bruce could have  been unaware of the presence of the Court of Owls in what he thought was his city, but it also acts as a cutting interrogation of our own experiences with Batman (and superheroes in general). I’ve long lamented the favoring of point-by-point plot details over “bigger picture” concepts like character and theme, but writer Scott Snyder seems to suggest that the devotion to the minutia may actually prevent us from truly understanding what is going on. It’s a bold suggestion, and one that would risk alienating fanboys if it weren’t so deftly handled. Continue reading →

Apr 19 2012

Justice League 8

Today, Shelby and Peter are discussing Justice League 8, originally released April 18th, 2012.


Shelby: I love a good mystery. As a wee lass, I loved Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys; though my tastes have strayed somewhat since then, I still believe there is nothing better than mystery (big or small) to hook someone into a plot. Apparently, Geoff Johns agrees with me, because this month’s Justice League is loaded with mysteries of varying height and weight. Even though I’m not crazy about the actual events that took place in this issue, the mysteries Johns is beginning to uncover are tantalizing to a curious cat like me. Continue reading →