So last time I excoriated Marvel, this time let’s see why the DC New has created problems for me.
First point is what I have already canceled. Static Shock, this was a function of the character. I never enjoyed the character and the first issue did nothing for me. Men of War, I went in with high hopes and it added super hero stuff almost from the jump. It felt like it was a book that had no real direction. Next up is Hawk and Dove all that needs to be said is Rob Liefeld but we can add the de-aging of the characters. Captain Atom, they killed him and my interest in the book with issue #2. Savage Hawkman by Tony Daniel was all I really needed because Tony has good ideas but is not a solid writer from what I have seen. Still I tried three issues and Daniel needs a co-writer to help smooth out his work or at least a strong editor. Fury of Firestorm was just a horrible story that was all over the board and the art was weak. Deathstroke was over redesigned and his armor and sword were a joke, he is a great character and this was a waste of the characters potential. Also the writer played the mysterious game with a briefcase that bored me. The character knows what is in the briefcase, let me know. If your idea is good let the reader know. Blue Beetle felt like a rerun. JLI was so generic I could have written it. OMAC was just too much Kirby homage and not enough willingness to give us a straight story. Legion Lost was a bad idea. LOSH is too much Levitz. This is the new DCU, let’s get started anew and get a fresh voice. Red Hood and the Outlaws was apparently a comedy book. Batwing was tied to Batman Inc, that does not seem to exist in the new DCU or it does but it is a confused mess. Green Arrow was too new; Mister Terrific and Blackhawks were aborted by DC.
All in all Snyder, Lemire and Tomasi are producing great books and others have some hits with Batwoman, I Vampire, Supergirl and some others, but the underlying issue is that this was too hard of a break from what come before and I no longer have a bond with the characters. When you break that bond it becomes easier for me to drop a book. The characters are familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time. Well written and strong art books like Suicide Squad has hooked me back in, but except for Deadshot and Harley Quinn Adam Glass is not using familiar characters. You could say Amanda Waller is, but she is now Angela Bassett and the hard break from the fat body style of before tells us this is a different universe. The other side of that coin is characters like Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon and Tim Drake all have a totally different vibe and I was bonded with those characters. Marvel over the years destroyed all the love I had for the characters and stuff like One More Day cut all loyalty I had to Spider-Man, this break has severely damaged the bonds I had with the DCU characters. It has not broken my bond with Batman 100% like OMD, but it has hurt it.
