DC52 Pull List: Then and Now (Crabby style)

Almost nine months have come and gone since DC took the initiative and essentially rebooted their entire universe in hopes of reaching a broader crowd. At first fans, like myself, were worried and even upset at the idea of a DC reboot. Time passed though, and opinions changed. The past nine months have been rocky with some of my fears coming to fruition, and some being put to rest permanently. In the end, most of what I was looking for fell to the wayside, their place being taken by new titles that took me by surprise. Looking back, one title I absolutely was not looking forward too, Batwing, is currently one of my ongoing favorites! So, following Leia’s lead, here’s a list of my original pulls along with the new blood.

Justice League International (Kind of): Currently, I am still buying this title. However,  I would not recommend this to anyone, but die-hard Booster Gold fans. I had high hopes for this title thinking they would pick up exactly where JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST had left off. I was wrong. It would seem the entire JLI’s past has been re-written, and for the worst although their exact history, and influence, in the current DC Universe is not 100% known. Phrases from both the comic and editors, such as Dan Didio, seem to suggest the earlier JLI never existed. at least, not in the full-scale it had in the late 80s/early 90s series. It’s unfortunate, a real upset, seeing as the JLI and its members were critical to a large part of DC’s most emotional story arcs. From Ted Kord to the Dibny’s, the JLI line up was one made up of realistic heroes that showed us the humanity in those in costume. To throw away such a rich history is pointless. Yes, I’m still reading this series, but it is in no way what it should be. Sorry Dan Jurgens, but it’s just not what I was hoping it would be.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: Here’s a title that started out as one of the more controversial, along with Catwoman, for their portrayal of Starfire. Since then, however, the series has made a complete 180 degree turn and has really pushed forward as one of the better titles out there.

Static Shock: Eight issues in and the series was cancelled by DC. Although it started off on a highpoint, the series dragged and eventually took its place amongst the first to fall.

Green Lantern:

One of the few titles that seamlessly flows as if Flashpoint never occurred. If you liked Green Lantern prior to the DC52, then you will probably still enjoy it now.

Green Lantern Corps: I wanted to like this title so much, however I just couldn’t. Anything with Guy Gardner is usually a very entertaining read, and although it started off strong, the series has since then fallen into stagnation. John Stewart is a hard character to write for. When he is done right though, it is awesome. This is not one of those examples. He has all the potential to be great character especially now because he is dealing with the fallout from War of the Green Lanterns as well as the death of a fellow Corp member by his hands. Sadly, it’s just not fun to read.

Green Lantern: New Guardians: This has managed to stay  an interesting title from the get go, regardless of the fact that story progression can move slowly.

Red Lanterns: I may stand alone on this, but I still love this title. Yes, it’s for one reason only, but I love the idea of a permanent human Red Lantern. It’s not the best title, but it’s good enough to keep buying.

Batman the Dark Knight: This was a title I dropped after only the first issue. Boring storytelling and an ending twist that made me want to cringe. I’m not ashamed to say I judged the entire series by the first issue.

All Star Western: This series started off quite strong, and even when I dropped it was a decent title. However, with so many pulls already this title simply did not survive the cut. If you have the cash, keep at it, but if you must make cuts to save money this just might not be worth it.

Justice League: This is another one of those ‘sort of’ titles. Yes, it has been dropped. However, I have to admit the first story-arc is well worth the buy. It wasn’t a monumental story, or even the best of the line-up. It was entertaining, though. Unfortunately it just couldn’t keep me enticed. There is also the frustration that came with learning a majority of previous JLA titles were no longer canon.

Flash: Honestly, I love this title. Francis Manapul does the Flash the justice he deserves. Together with co-writer and colorist Brian Buccellato the two manage to bring a sense of nostalgia to the Flash, from their layouts to the simplicity of Francis pencil work. I love this title, mainly for the art, but the story is great as well.

Animal Man: Although not as powerful as it was in the beginning, this title intrigues me enough to keep me interested.

Nightwing: The one group of comics to come out of this reboot practically unscathed would be the Batman titles. Nightwing is not the most stellar of examples, but it still manages to entertain me enough to purchase it. Plus, I love me some Dick Grayson.

Batwing: This one truly came as a shocker to me. Expecting simply a fill in title to show that Batman Inc. was still occurring, I was overjoyed that my initial expectations were completely wrong. Batwing provides an interesting flavor to the Batman lineup. If you thought Gotham was a horrible place to live, wait till you see what Batwing is up against on the African continent.

Batwoman: Of the new titles to be introduced from the start of the DCNU, this is by far the best. The art is amazing, the story is amazing, practically everything about this title is a prime example of how comics are a form of art.

Batman: Scott Snyder is genius. Although the Night of Owls arc is far from perfect, it is still one of my favorite arcs involving Batman. Who wouldn’t like the Court of Owls? They’re just so damn creepy.

Batman and Robin: Papa Wayne tutoring his son to be more than the callous assassin his mother raised him to be. Please. This title sells itself.

Catwoman: Honestly, regardless of the overuse of Selena’s bust…this title does Catwoman right. Yes, it’s sexy, but it also shows an amazing side of Catwoman. She’s vulnerable yes, but she can more than take care of herself. She’s human.

Demon Knights: Medieval DC Comics. Sounds great, right? It is, and it also isn’t. The story is nothing to brag about, however; it has managed to keep me somewhat interested. Whether or not I’ll still be reading this in another nine months is up in the air.

Aquaman: Two words. Fuck. Yes.

Blue Beetle: This was a real let down. I love Jaime Reyes, and was hoping Blue Beetle would provide a nice jumping point for new fans. It didn’t. In fact, I feel the only thing it successfully did was push old fans away. It had a strong opening, but stalled about four issues in.

Batgirl: I stand by my original thoughts on this title. Barbara Gordon is not Batgirl. Yes, she was the original. However, through her trials she has not only been Oracle longer, but she was a better character as Oracle. This was not a wise decision.

Detective Comics: An interesting opening. What a shocker! The Joker dead, or some elaborate ploy? Well luckily it was all revealed….oh wait, that’s right, we’re nine issues in and still have no idea what is going on. Boring.

Justice League Dark: I love Zatanna. This title really misused her. In fact, three issues in and I still felt like I was only halfway through issue one. There just was no hook for this series.

Suicide Squad: I won’t lie, I almost dropped this title. I’m so glad I didn’t. Harley Quinn’s new outfit aside, this is quite entertaining.

Grifter:  This was a title I could honestly sink my teeth into. Sadly, about five issues in it just lost its spark. Such a shame.

There were a few titles I added, such as: Swamp Thing, Green Arrow (for two issues), I, Vampire (two issues), and Voodoo (four issues). Swamp Thing was the only one to last, and that’s mainly due to its connection with Animal Man. I still can’t decide whether or not DC made the right decision on this reboot, I’m buying more comics from DC than before the reboot, yes. Overall though, I feel less satisfied. What do you think?