Welcome to another edition of What Looks Good: DC and Marvel! We’ve got a smaller batch of books this week, with plenty of interesting debuts.
DC
Dark Knight III The Master Race #1 (Of 8)(Andy Kubert & Klaus Janson Regular Cover), $5.99
Writer: Miller, Frank and Azzarello, Brian
Artist: Kubert, Andy
Cover Artist: Kubert, Andy
And so it begins. My expectations for this series are as low as could possibly be. I don’t trust Miller to produce anything remotely nuanced or even not overtly offensive at this point in his career. Still, he has a solid co-writer, so maybe we’ll see some balance.
Small diatribe: Yes, Miller has done great things and produced some of the best comics of all time. He changed the game. But people need to realize that just because he did something genius in the past, doesn’t mean we can’t criticize his work in the present. So many people got their knickers in a knot over the shots being taken at that Superman image. Whether you liked it or not, you have the right to criticize it no matter what its creator has done up until now.
Grayson #14 (Mikel Janin Regular Cover), $3.99
Writer: Seeley, Tim and King, Tom
Artist: Janin, Mikel
Cover Artist: Janin, Mikel
This is the best comic DC publishes. This is kind of funny, simply because in the past that wouldn’t have been much of a statement, but these days DC is finally putting out some quality books. Grayson still tops them all. This book is equal parts camp, adventure, and Global Frequency. I loathed DC’s decision to kill of Dick and make him an undercover agent. I will eat that crow all day long.
Jacked #1 (Of 6), $3.99
Writer: Kripke, Eric
Artist: Higgins, John
Cover Artist: Fabry, Glenn
Eric Kripke is best known as the creator of a great TV show that should have ended years ago aka Supernatural. In Kripke’s defense, he left the show exactly when he should have. I’m willing to give this a shot, allow the premise is cliche: “Josh Jaffe, a neurotic family man mid-midlife crisis, buys an online ‘smart pill’ to increase his focus and jolt him out of his slump. But to Josh’s surprise, the pill gives him incredible strength and power-but its cost is that it’s extremely addictive.”
Omega Men #6, $2.99
Writer: King, Tom
Artist: Bagenda, Barnaby
Cover Artist: Hutchinson, Trevor
Newly revived! DC did the right thing in postponing the cancellation of this book, not just because they’re honoring their original commitment, but because it would have driven fans insane to lose out on the last 5 issues of this 12 issue arc. I’m hoping that the increased awareness of the book will translate to sales, because I’d love to see it live beyond a year. That said, I’m glad Tom King planned it out as a year long story, so at least we’ll get some closure.
Superman Lois And Clark #2, $3.99
Writer: Jurgens, Dan
Artist: Weeks, Lee
This is weird. I couldn’t be happier that Superman is back. I couldn’t be happier that he and Lois are married. The idea that Superman can’t be married is so wrong to me. There is no other single character in comics as intricately linked to another character as Superman is to Lois Lane; she’s unique in all of comics that way. And this isn’t Peter Parker we’re talking about here; Superman has never had dating problems. Being married suits him perfectly.
But what is going on with this book? Why does it take place in the New 52? Couldn’t we have gotten a title that just picked up in the pre-New 52 universe? Why incorporate him into the main continuity? And why is he wearing dark colors when part of the appeal of THIS version of Superman is that he’s a big, bright, hero?
This should be an easy sale, DC. You are, theoretically, giving older fans new stories featuring their favorite characters. But you’re tarnishing it by forcing it into the new continuity.
Marvel
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur #1 (Amy Reeder Regular Cover), $3.99
Writer: Reeder, Amy and Montclare, Brandon
Artist: Bustos, Natacha
Cover Artist: Reeder, Amy
Go read Rocket Girl and then just buy this book. Yes, I’d love it if Reeder were doing the art, too, but the samples I’ve seen of Bustos’ work look great.
Honestly, this could be the best new book Marvel puts out this year, or at least the most exciting.
Silk #1 (Helen Chen Regular Cover), $3.99
Writer: Thompson, Robbie
Artist: Lee, Stacey
Cover Artist: Chen, Helen
The first volume of Silk was pretty solid. Thompson and Lee did a nice job addressing the fact that Silk has spent most of her life locked away, and that building a new life for herself is impossible until she’s able to deal with her past. The push and pull of that is the crux of her character. So the fact that we’re supposed to believe she’s gone bad isn’t that far fetched. At a certain point, you could see her doing whatever she needs to do to start over, and if a life of crime is what it takes, so be it.
I also really liked her dynamic with the Black Cat, so I’m hoping the aforementioned move to crime is a result of that.