This week was your
week if you’ve ever wanted to own a first edition Action or Detective
Comics because this was the week DC launched the ‘New 52’ en masse by giving us eight
new titles to choose from.
But because most blogs will be reviewing the new Superman and Batman titles, I decided to review four comics that might not otherwise experience a deluge of traffic. These books: Green Arrow #1, OMAC #1, Batwing #1 and Swamp Thing #1 were also in the $2.99 price category which made them easier on the wallet and held to DC’s earlier promise to ‘hold the line at $2.99’: a welcome development for an increasingly expensive hobby.
Let’s begin with Green Arrow #1. The
story starts by ret-conning Star City into Seattle and presenting Queen
Industries as a massive conglomerate with a Q-Core division personally operated
by Oliver Queen. It isn’t quite clear where the namesake officially stands
within the larger company, but it's clear he's at odds with a prominent
member of the Board of Directors and this will lead to problems. The main action comes with Green Arrow chasing villains through Paris, and
eventually prevailing with the help of high-tech arrows and a team back
in the USA. By the end of the book we also meet a nasty group of rogues.
Seattle in DC's Green Arrow #1, November 2011 |
This comic was okay. The new Green Arrow
is sharply modernized and resembles Smallville’s Oliver Queen rather than the goatee wearing Errol Flynn-like fellow of the past. Beating
three baddies simultaneously seemed to be a little formulaic, as did the ineptitude
of the French super-authorities towards the end, but the story laid a foundation for another socially-conscious Green Arrow that will be as political as he is heroic. Because of this, I am curious as to where this comic will go and will possibly buy #2.
From DC's Green Arrow #1, November 2011 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiRC7jEO13zC3pUGJ_S4OhyJMXDAs2D6P-FTjUihVSfZUfu3JKcgTuCarBAUdwKvCbc8AVrX0htolcoqIPgvY9m5azvIzV-hqxaBDKGOn-GvJStJMXgWUi-vBdy83E-UtpJJYwIXVrrk/s320/omac1-600x922.jpg)
Our second book
is OMAC #1, a reboot of the original ‘One Man Army Corps' series by
comics legend Jack Kirby. OMAC first appeared in 1974 and had Buddy
Blank, a nobody in the ‘The World That’s Coming’ become a futuristic
super-soldier working for the Global Peace Agency. If you’ve ever read the
original 70s OMAC, you will remember a very strange comic with faceless
men, mechanically made women and a big orbiting satellite called “Brother Eye”.
In 2005, the OMAC was changed into a group of fierce looking cyborgs for the Infinite
Crisis event, but this new book is clearly a throwback to the earlier Kirby
title.
From DC's OMAC #1, November 2011 |
The story introduces Cadmus Industries, a
'corporate leader in genetic research and medical technologies', a rogue OMAC
doing damage to that business, 'Brother Eye' and an underground group of villains who have the same faceless and
mechanical features we saw in Kirby’s earlier rendition. Indeed, this book is clearly a Kirby throw-back and as you can see from the posted panels, Keith
Giffen, Dan Dido and Scott Kiblish have worked hard to emulate 'The King', all
the while updating this OMAC in ways that will satisfy newer readers who may
not know Kirby or appreciate his work. Like the earliest OMAC, I suspect this will not be integrated into the larger DC Universe, which is both a
blessing (no crossovers!) and curse (no crossovers!) and will have to
stand on its own stories. I am curious to see where it goes, but don’t think it
will be a regular purchase and will probably not buy #2.
Kirby's influences are legion in DC's OMAC #1, November 2011 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXZeGW9ZItCG8PCBDVdxVPCLwVVZTAzSgTe4KpuKnF4Zp_7oXuE9KMkeg0iQgxxrUszVLL7BLwvLNI1104MUf_kjNVv90V83qUEWihyphenhypheng9ECN1mTgJvK5exMpOF16UN2A3LZzJyF6UJp8/s320/IMG_0048.jpg)
Batwing #1 was another title that
caught my interest. Batwing is a new character to the DC universe, appearing
only last year in Batman: Incorporated #6. When he made his debut, he
received some media attention because he operated out of Africa, making him one of the few comic superheroes from that part of the world.
From DC's Batwing #1 November 2011 |
Of the comics read,
this was by far the most gruesome and mature themed. It features a villain
named Massacre, who seems both appropriately named and is quite good at what he
does. Batman also makes an appearance and while we were not completely
introduced to how Batwing became friends with his Gotham-based benefactor, we
see a bond and should expect further cameos by the Caped Crusader. I actually found the comic quite captivating and the explicit violence aside it was quite a cool
experience. The story involves a young police officer turned costumed crime-fighter named David Zavimbe who works both within and outside a corrupt justice system to fight organized crime. I expect this comic will
be a mixture of African travel, world politics and superheroes and because of this will certainly buy #2.
From DC's Batwing #1, November 2011 |
The final comic reviewed is Swamp Thing
#1. Now, this was a hotly anticipated book, but I put in into the non-famous category because
I hadn’t really read Swamp Thing in the past (including Alan Moore’s
legendary run) and wasn’t sure what to expect. Of the four reviewed, I have to
say this was my favourite. The story begins with the mass death of animals
across the DC universe and we then meet Dr. Alec Holland, a former botanist
turned construction worker who is hiding from a troubled past. When Superman
arrives to check on our hero, we learn about Dr. Holland’s previous work and his ideas about plants. At this point we are also
introduced to his mentor’s ideas and are given some insightful commentary into the natural world. We are
also introduced to a elemental villain, but this was not a major focus to the
story.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigDNeoBLu2IqRyaznqtb3J5QSvi5uVNJGCTMDwTeH6FIe91ErK2_t3dfMFAOOG0iIrO5XK9FrvaNEnX8rEAMAXte88QJ6WL7UfifmYHyHpyzmnbAX_GYyJlJgnsMlolwxzjRORRYVaizc/s320/SwampThing_1_TheGroup_001.jpg)
Above panels from DC's Swamp Thing #1, November 2011 |
This comic was truly an educational and
enjoyable experience. The discussion about botany was above and beyond what is usually found in comics and the Swamp Thing himself looks very well done. Because of this, I
will certainly buy #2 and finally get back into earlier Swamp Thing
stories, especially those written by Moore.
That is it for my reviews today. I will be travelling for the next little while and will probably not have much to say about the next batch of the New 52. As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave some comments or feedback.
That is it for my reviews today. I will be travelling for the next little while and will probably not have much to say about the next batch of the New 52. As always, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave some comments or feedback.
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