We’ve asked the Comics Nexus staff to weigh in on their very favorite of the New 52. The replies are varied – it seems like some book is everyone’s favorite, even among this small sample.
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #1: Ignoring the absolutely hokey title, this is Milligan (my favourite writer in comics) at the top of his game, on a book tailored to his strengths, with characters he was born to write. The concept is an alluring one to any fanboy, a kind of justice league made up of a Who’s Who of DC heroes who had made a bang in Vertigo all these years, Shade the Changing Man, Constantine, Deadman, Zatanna, Enchantress, Madame Xanadu. What a wet dream! And they haven’t even properly met each other and interacted yet, but watching Milligan throwing all these genius and daring and touching ideas around in each of their little introductions, ideas that would normally fill an entire story arc in another solo title, I’m all a-tingly with anticipation.
James Fulton:
I find it hard to announce a favourite after only one issue – first issues are little more than introductions and hopefully promises of what is to come. However, I’d say the books that worked best for me were either Batman or Batwoman; in other words, the ones that worked with established characters, with only a minimum of unnecessary changes. Batwoman is by far the prettiest of the New 52, while Batman is the best written.
Animal Man #1: Absolutely evoked the best of Vertigo as I remember it from the early 90’s. I really liked Lemire’s tone for the Baker family. The pacing of the book. Buddy undertsanding and use of his powers when he finally puts on the suit. And then you have That dream. Scary as heck. Talk about foreboding. Then to be jarred back to your daughter summing zombie pets through a hole in the picket fence. Great stuff.
Babos:
Fury of Firestorm #1: While I enjoyed many of the New 52 such as Suicide Squad, Deathstroke, Stormwatch and others, the book that I think best exemplifies the New 52 DC Comics Relaunch is Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1. The book felt true to previous incarnations, but evolved for a new generation – a new and true take of Firestorm. FOF #1 had action, suspense, drama, “super-science” and more. Totally fun! The writers crammed a lot of story into the book, but it was fluid and didn’t feel crammed like Batman & Robin #1. The pencils were dynamic and the pastel coloring really gave the book a unique and vibrant look. Can’t wait for issue #2.
Matt Graham:
Supergirl #1: This is exactly what I was hoping for with The New 52. A reimagined character by fresh talent that didn’t hinge on the old DCU or keeping up with the changes. Supergirl gave us a straightforward origin, a classic debut and showcase of super powers, some awesome fight scenes, and was a perfectly paced narrative to whet the appetite. Some of the best art DC has by Mahmud Asrar certainly doesn’t hurt. The solicitations didn’t excite me, but now that I see the book in action, this is my pick of the litter.
Starman Morrison:
Aquaman #1: As Ookla the Mok once said, “Even Peter David can’t make (Aquaman) cool.” Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis don’t make Aquaman cool either. They don’t need to. They’ve shown us that Aquaman that doesn’t care if we think he’s cool or not… and to my mind there’s nothing cooler than that!
Mike Maillaro:
Superman #1: Perez came out swinging here and put together one of the greatest Superman stories I have ever read. This is a more alien Superman and taps into some great ideas. And the villain in the first place was just plain cool looking. There were a lot of books I really liked from the New 52, but Superman is my favorite.
Grey Scherl:
What can I say about Resurrection Man #1 that I didn’t say in my review? It’s a unique title featuring a great lead character have never heard of. It’s a guy who dies and comes back with super powers, and now he has both Heaven and Hell out to claim his soul. The original Resurrection Man is one of my favorite books (and thankfully DC is finally going to put it in trade), and after one issue I’m already getting the feeling that not a lot is going to change here. A great lead character with unique powers, a very unique supporting cast (that the sexist brigade will probably assault for containing two former strippers who want to be porn stars, since they’re assaulting every other woman with cleavage), and a hook that no other book really has right now. It had the best fight on a plane out of the several we’ve had this month. Oh, and it’s Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, making their return to the core DC Universe (even if it’s the New DC Universe). This book is a gem that everyone owes it to themselves to scope out.
