DC: 52 Weeks Later

Do you hate DC's New 52 as much as I do?  Do you miss your favorite characters?  Are you disappointed that they took all of your DC Comics' childhood memories away?  Do you feel cheated reading comics now?

Take a Nielsen survey and tell them so before voting closes! 

The Silly X-Men

I've been reading the new Wolverine and the X-Men comic that resulted from the team "Schism."  Now, it doesn't take a marketing genius to know that the split of the 500+ issue series Uncanny X-Men into two new series (a new Uncanny X-Men series and a Wolverine and the X-Men series) was just an excuse to increase sales because X-Men-related comics are the biggest sellers.  I guess DC was offering more Batman monthly titles and Marvel had to find a way to compete.  

Naturally, I'm one of the gullible souls who was reading only the original Uncanny X-Men (no X-Men Legacy, Astonishing X-Men, or even just X-Men) but now have been purchasing Uncanny X-Men and Wolverine and the X-Men at $3.99 each, so they got me for an extra $4 per month.  And lately, they've been releasing each comic twice monthly, so they're making an extra $12 from me every month. 

The extra money spent wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the awful product I'm getting in return.  I'm speaking specifically of Wolverine and the X-Men, which should really be retitled as The Silly X-Men.  Yes, Wolverine does appear in the comic (although seriously, what comic doesn't Wolverine currently appear in?).  However, it's primarily about a bunch of young silly mutants that I don't even know or care to know.  Quentin Quire?  Who the hell is he?  Isn't he the oversexed dude on Family Guy?  Oh, no, wait.  My bad.  He's a stupid punk-ass kid with pink hair, a la Perez Hilton.  Or, as I like to refer to him, the Danny Chase of the X-Men.  (See: When the New Teen Titans Went South.) 

I liked the concept of the "Schism" storyline wherein Cyclops would lead a team of X-Men off the coast of San Francisco on Utopia and Wolverine would start up a new school in Westchester, NY.  I also liked that Wolverine and the X-Men promised to feature Wolverine, Kitty Pryde, and the Beast teaching at the new Jean Grey School.  Sadly, we barely get glimpses of Kitty Pryde, Beast, or even Wolverine (!).  We mostly see these younger X-Men in training.  And they're not even the good Young X-Men.  Where are the characters from the Young X-Men short-lived series?  Dust?  Anole?  Graymalkin?  These characters had depth and personality.  The current motley crew consist of a bunch of whiny, annoying brats whose names I don't even know.

So, Marvel, I'm taking my $4 (or $8) and putting it toward the new Astonishing X-Men.  With Marjorie Liu scripting and Northstar making headlines, it's bound to be the better pick. 

DC's Newest Comics

DC Comics announced today four new monthly series beginning this fall:  “Night of the Owls” spinoff Talon, the fantasy Sword of Sorcery (anchored by “Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld” with a “Beowulf” back-up), The Phantom Stranger, and the DCU/Wildstorm-merging Team Seven. I've already commented on Sword of Sorcery, so now I'll take a moment to comment on the others based on the information DC provided in their press release and images: 

Team 7?  Seriously?  A group of Punishers?  Pass.  

Does anyone really think that the Phantom Stranger can carry his own comic book series?  He may be okay as part of a team-up book, but no one's ever said, "The Phantom Stranger is my favorite superhero," have they?  

I will point out, though, that his newest look somewhat resembles one of my favorite character's costumes, Obsidian, who apparently doesn't exist in DC's New 52 because of his now-gay dad, Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.  Sigh... :(

Of the four new announced series, Talon probably has the greatest chance of survival.  It has a good title and an interesting new character and scenario.

So, will I pick these up?  I probably will, except for Team 7, just to see what they're about.  But I don't imagine staying with them unless they're exceptional.  I'm already considering dropping a lot of my favorite pre-New 52 mainstays like Teen Titans because I'm not particular fond of the new vision.

The Return of Amethyst (but probably not for long)

DC Comics announced today four new series that will begin in Fall 2012.  One of them features the return of Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld (happy squeal!). 

When I was a teenager, I loved the 1983 twelve-issue maxi-series of Amethyst, followed by the sixteen-issue monthly series.  After Amethyst became this weird mystic and Lord of Order, though, Amethyst's subsequent appearances (and mini-series) were pretty lame.  She was no longer youthful and innocent.  She was just another other-worldly being.  She was at her best being this teenage girl who (like Billy Batson) became an adult superhero.  Her situation was different than Captain Marvel/Shazam's in that she only became Amethyst when she stepped into another dimension, the dimension of Gemworld with its twelve individually gem-themed kingdoms.

From DC's press release:

SWORD OF SORCERY – Writer: Christy Marx. Artist: Aaron Lopresti.
Featuring the return of Amethyst, Amy Winston leads a strange life on the road with her mother and resents it. She’s about to learn it’s all been necessary when she discovers she’s the lost princess of Gemworld—and she’s being hunted by her murderous aunt. With a back-up story written by Tony Bedard with art by Jesus Saiz, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the monstrous warrior Beowulf is charged with finding and defeating the evil Grendel.

My first impression?  The comic's title sucks.  A good title is the first key to success.  I get that DC is trying to revive their old, old titles (and probably keep their copyrights), but this title alone will drive it into cancellation.  Example: the first Sword and Sorcery from 1973 only lasted five issues. 

Worse than that, there's a back-up story, which means the comic will most likely cost $3.99 instead of $2.99.  How many $3.99 comics out there survive today, other than X-Men or Batman-related titles?  

With all these obstacles stacked against her, DC isn't even giving Amethyst a fair chance to start.  I also hope they don't fuck up her origin/story like they have with so many other characters during this recent New 52 reboot.  I have too many fond memories of the Princess of Gemworld.