In time for Convergence, Eye finally caught up with DC Comics' weekly series New 52: Futures End that ended with #48. Sadly, Eye was underwhelmed. The series ended with a whimper, not a bang.
It felt like the series had some direction at the beginning but then the creators and/or execs decided to just say "fuck it" and move on to the Next Big Thing (i.e., Convergence.) It didn't even offer much of a lead-in to Convergence. Brainiac started to come collect cities...but then they defeated him? And pretty quickly, too. Eye was quite confused.
Eye think what the series was also missing was interesting characters. Or maybe they just weren't used properly. Included were Batman Beyond, Shazam as Superman, Amethyst, Frankenstein, Grifter, Mister Terrific, Tim Drake (retired), and a new female Firestorm. Meh. Eye think DC did a much better job of using secondary characters in their 2006 weekly series 52. Eye was invested in the 52 characters, not so much in the New 52 Futures End ones.
Eye wasted about $150 and who knows how many hours of my time waiting for something exciting and big to happen, but it never did. And the series didn't even matter in the course of things.
Move along, folks, there's nothing to see here...
Ever since its announcement, I've been looking forward to DC Comics' Convergence series and spin-offs. Why? Like a lot of long-time readers, I have a personal history invested in the "old" characters (i.e., pre-New 52). Not only that, they seem to have more personality and character development than those in the New 52.
Of the main series, I've read Convergence #0 and #1 so far. It's been interesting, but even better have been the spin-off Convergence series. The ones I've read from week one have been:
- Convergence: Speed Force #1 - starring the (Caucasian) Wally West Flash and his two speedy kids
- Convergence: Superman #1 - starring Superman and his pregnant wife Lois Lane
- Convergence: The Atom #1 - starring an "I-Hear-Voices" Ray Palmer
- Convergence: Nightwing & Oracle #1 - starring a romantically involved Dick Grayson and wheelchair-bound Barbara Gordon
- Convergence: The Titans #1 - starring Donna Troy, Starfire, and Arsenal
- Convergence: Harley Quinn #1 - starring a fully clothed Harley
All of got to say is: FANTASTIC. This is what DC Comics has been missing for the past four years since the inception of the New 52 Universe. Not only does it bring back the characters that I know and love and that have an actual history, but it involves character development, human emotion/interaction, and decent dialogue. Maybe people (myself included) wouldn't dislike the New 52 Universe so much if it wasn't focused on dreariness, flat emotions, battles/fight scenes, and cheesy dialogue.
With these Convergence titles, I get Wally West worried about his kids and wife, Superman looking forward to being a father, the Atom wigging out, Dick Grayson proposing to Barbara Gordon, Starfire being jealous about Dick's romance, Roy Harper still agonizing over the death of his daughter, Donna Troy working her photographer job, and Harley Quinn interacting with Catwoman and Poison Ivy again. (Not to mention Captain Carrot's teammate Fastback chasing after Wally West!) These are real human traits, feelings, and emotions, and they're what's missing from DC Comics today.
The bigger question about Convergence is: Why is the storywriting so much better? Is it due to the return of the better characters? Or are they using writers who aren't fatigued and/or mandated to write crap?
I'm not sure what the future holds for the DC Universe, but I'm thinking that if they decide to stick with the flat, two-dimensional characters of the New 52 Universe, then I'll probably drop several titles and maybe even quit reading comics all together again. (And don't even get me started with the new Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman; I've already canceled those comics.) Until then, I'm going to enjoy seeing my old friends converge.
