First, here’s a look at what I’m getting this week:
- Adventure Comics #5
- Booster Gold #27 (I think I ordered this)
- R.E.B.E.L.S. #11 (again, I think I ordered this)
- Secret Six #16 (for Black Alice!)
- Unwritten #8
I really wanted to try Daytripper, but I’m spending way too much and need to cut back. And woot!, the next Ex Machina trade is out. That, sadly, will have to wait.
News! It was announced that DC will be releasing two original graphic novels featuring Superman and Batman “with their first years and earliest moments retold … on a new earth with an all-new continuity”. While I dig the idea of original graphic novels, do we really need “Ultimate” Superman and Batman? And do we really need to reread their origin stories again? As a fan, I’m torn. I want to support this concept (much as I did with Wednesday Comics), but I’m a little leery of it. However, to be fair, I should take a look at the creative teams behind this. Superman has J. Michael Straczynski writing and Shane Davis as artist. Not bad, I suppose. Batman has hot superstar Geoff Johns as writer and (gag!) Gary Frank as artist. Why, oh great and powerful DC, why?! Maybe because said superstar writer had this to say about his partner-in-crime: “The fact is, Gary Frank is the single best Superman artist of this generation, but he’s actually a Batman guy”. Oookay. I’ll chalk that one up to personal preference, Mr. Johns. Despite my misgivings about the artist, I am very curious what Johns will do with Batman, since he’s yet to tackle the Dark Knight in any real sense.
Also troubling me is the title for these works: Superman (and Batman): Earth One. Earth One? Why go there, DC? I think it’s confusing. They’re harkening back to the Silver Age even though this is outside established (or even preexisting) continuity. Not to mention we already have an Earth-1 in current DC (52) multiverse continuity.
Longbox Review 