News
Read Every New 52 Review Posted to Date, Stay Tuned For More
Sep 23, 2011
By Laura Studarus
This month DC Comics are relaunching all their titles in an ambitious project dubbed the “New 52” series. The whole DC Comics Universe is being relaunched in a new timeline/continuity after the events of the Flashpoint miniseries and every title is being relaunched this month under new numbering, each one starting with issue #1 again. We’ve been reviewing all of the titles. Check out all the reviews we’ve posted thus far. More
Read Every New 52 Review Posted to Date, Stay Tuned For More
Sep 14, 2011
By Laura Studarus
This month DC Comics are relaunching all their titles in an ambitious project dubbed the “New 52” series. We’ve reviewed a bunch of the issues and here are links to all our New 52 reviews thus far. More
Interviews
Creating a Metaphysical World
May 25, 2012
By Kyle Lemmon
DC Comics’ much-anticipated Earth 2 landed in stores this month as part of the Second Wave of the New 52. Earth 2 writer James Robinson spoke with Under the Radar about the his big plans for Earth 2’s metaphysical environment, the historical allusions in his latest work, the day-to-day struggles of being a comic book writer, The Shade, and his thoughts on friends Geoff Johns and Sterling Gates. More
The Psychology of True Horror
Jan 19, 2012
By Kyle Lemmon
Scott Snyder had a very successful year in 2011 with his creator-owned American Vampire comic, Batman: Gates of Gotham, and his excellent Black Mirror run for DC Comics’ Detective Comics series. He now writes for Batman and Swamp Thing in DC’s New 52 universe that rebooted last fall. More
Sep 21, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
We chatted with the DC artist extraordinaire Cliff Chaing (Green Arrow & Black Canary, Zatanna) about the overall tone of the new Wonder Woman series he is drawing, his thoughts on violence and female sexuality in comics, and the DC Comics - The New 52 Art Tour. More
Reviews
Writer: Howard Mackie; Artist: Ian Churchill
May 30, 2012
By J. Nisen
The Ravagers #1 from DC Comics is one of the more disappointing books I’ve read since the “New 52” relaunch, even coming in with staggeringly low expectations. The Ravagers is marred by generic ideas and confusing visual storytelling, and only slightly counterbalanced by a nice panel here or there. More
Written by Grant Morrison; Pencilled, Inked, & Colored by Christopher Burnham; Cover Color by Nathan Fairbairn; Lettered by DC Lettering
May 29, 2012
By Kyle Lemmon
Grant Morrison’s Batman, Incorporated returned last week with a bloody and action-packed debut issue. It’s essentially the crown jewel of DC’s “Second Wave” of New 52 titles in terms of writing, but artist Christopher Burnham is no slouch either. More
Written by Geoff Johns; Pencils by Jim Lee; Inks by Scott Williams; Colors by Alex Sinclair, Hi-Fi, Gabe Eltaeb; Letters by Patrick Brosseau; Cover by Lee Williams, & Sinclair
Nov 22, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
After an alright debut issue and an action-packed second installment, Justice League takes one step forward and two steps back as a marquee series this month. The cast of characters are almost assembled and Geoff Johns, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams hit their story and art beats with precision most of the time. More
Written by Geoff Johns; Art and cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams; Colors by Alex Sinclair; Letters by Pat Brosseau
Oct 25, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
In last month’s pretty solid relaunch of Justice League, the all-star creative team of Geoff Johns (Aquaman, Green Lantern) and Jim Lee (All-Star Batman & Robin) set up all the game pieces with just enough flair. More
Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, art by Francis Manapul, colors by Brian Buccellato, letters by Sal Cipriano
Oct 13, 2011
By Mark Redfern
The Flash #1 may just feature the best art of any of DC’s New 52 comics. Francis Manapul’s kinetic art truly captures “the fastest man alive” in movement, tapping into the speed force in a way few artists have. And Brian Buccellato’s gorgeous colors manage to somehow be both vibrant and muted at the same time. Even the lettering by Sal Cipriano is impressive. More
Written by Paul Jenkins; Art by David Finch
Oct 07, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Wish I could say it was burnout from reading all of DC’s New 52 that led me to think that Batman: The Dark Knight #1 was a subpar comic. So I waited a few days, cleared my palate, and tried again. Nope, still bad. More
Written by Mike Costa; Pencils by Graham Nolan; Inks by Ken Lashley; Cover by Ken Lashley
Oct 07, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Blackhawks #1 is a poorly drawn and written action-military tale with a team focus. There are five main characters introduced here, but the most interesting things about them are their cool code names. More
Written by George Pérez; art by Jesús Merino (pencils and inks), Brian Buccellato (colors), George Pérez and Brian Buccellato (cover)
Oct 05, 2011
By Mark Redfern
With DC’s New 52 re-launch the Superman books are shaking things up. In Superman #1 Lois and Clark are no longer together, The Daily Planet has questionable new owners, and Superman faces an alien made of fire. More
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov; Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Oct 04, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
I, Vampire is essentially a breakup story. Andrew and Mary—he’s a bloodsucker who wants to coexist peacefully with humans; she’s a bloodsucker who wants to fight for her right to consume them. More
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Ivan Reis
Oct 04, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
In Aquaman #1, the decision of having characters throughout the book making fun of Aquaman in the same manner he’s been mocked in real life on television and other media over the past few decades is funny at first, but gets old. More
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti; Art by Moritat; Colors by Gabriel Bautista
Oct 03, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Of all the books in DC’s “New 52,” a line-wide soft reboot, All-Star Western #1 came out of the gate swinging hardest for the fences, and managed to connect on all levels. Home run. More
Written by Ron Marz; Art and cover by Sami Basri; Colors by Jessica Kholinne; Cover color by Sunny Gho; Letters by Jared K. Fletcher
Sep 30, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Similar to last week’s controversial titles, Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws, Voodoo #1 doesn’t soft-pedal its exploration of sexuality. More
Written by Tony S. Daniel; Art by Philip Tan; Colors by Sunny Gho; Letters by Travis Lanham
Sep 30, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Carter Hall (aka Hawkman) is a DC character that benefits from his relative anonymity. More
Written by Scott Lobdell; Pencils by Brett Booth; Inks by Norm Rapmund; Colors by Andrew Dalhouse; Letters by Carlos M. Mangual; Cover by Booth, Rapmund, & Dalhouse
Sep 29, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
The past few runs of Teen Titans were either boring, gimmicky, or filled with sub-standard writing and art. Writer Scott Lobdell (Superboy, Red Hood and the Outlaws) and artist Brett Booth (Justice League of America) seem to understand this team of teenage super-heroes on a deeper level. More
Written by Tony Bedard; Art by Tyler Kirkham; Inks by Batt; Colors by Nei Ruffino; Letters by Dave Sharpe; Cover by Kirkham, Batt, & Rod Reis
Sep 28, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Apparently, not all the Green Lantern books are steaming ahead with the old continuity. Tony Bedard (Blue Beetle, R.E.B.E.L.S.) and Tyler Kirkham (Green Lantern Corps, Ultimate Fantastic Four) are working up a slightly reconfigured origin story for Space Sector 2814’s Kyle Rayner. More
Written by Peter Milligan; Art by Mikel Janin
Sep 28, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Justice League Dark #1 is a decent premise with a ridiculous title; a book with a beautiful cover (Ryan Sook!) and interior art that’s quite inconsistent; and a storyline that tries to inject the classic DC Vertigo history and sensibilities into the fertile NuDCU. What we get is a book that pulls you this way and that, and we’re not quite sure to what end. More
Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson; art by Mahmud Asrar
Sep 28, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Writer Jeph Loeb and artist Michael Turner already nicely reintroduced Supergirl into the DC Universe back in 2004 in Superman/Batman #8. That really wasn’t that long ago, so it’s curious that with the New 52, Supergirl is one of the characters they’ve decided to start from scratch with again. More
Written by Judd Winick; art and cover by Guillem March
Sep 27, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Catwoman #1 gets the series off to a solid start, mainly due to the dynamic art by Guillem March, rather than the breezy and not overly complex story by Judd Winick. More
Written by Duane Swierczynski; Art by Jesus Saiz
Sep 27, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
While this book may not be as technically proficient as, say, the very good Wonder Woman #1, there is a lot to like in Birds of Prey #1. More
Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion; Colors by FCO Plascencia; Cover by Greg Capullo; Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Sep 27, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Batman #1 comfortably sits alongside the relaunches Action Comics, Animal Man, Batwoman, Justice League, Swamp Thing, and Wonder Woman. It’s one of the best examples that DC’s New 52 relaunch is an out-and-out success. More
Written by J.T. Krul; Art by Freddy Williams II
Sep 26, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
As much as I was rather pleased to find that Kyle Higgins’ Nightwing #1 was far better than his Deathstroke relaunch, I was pleasantly surprised with J.T. Krul’s Captain Atom #1 in the face of his rather lackluster Green Arrow #1 from a few weeks ago.
Writer: Scott Lobdell; Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Sep 25, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 is disappointing. Scott Lobdell employs strong and appropriate first-person narration from two different characters, which is a tricky thing to pull off. Kenneth Rocafort’s art is sort of like ‘90s-style done right; it’s very scratchy in parts, uses exaggerated proportions to its advantage, rather than to an annoying extent, and has lots of personality. And we have three strong, pre-existing DC characters as the main players and some pretty interesting brand new ideas. But there’s one thing that makes this book just go off the rails. More
Writer: Paul Jenkins; Artist: Bernard Chang
Sep 24, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
DCU Presents: Deadman #1 nicely splits the difference between honoring what came before and going off in a new direction. More
Written by Paul Levitz; Art by Francis Portela; Colors by Javier Mena; Letters by Pat Brosseau; Edited by Chris Conroy; Cover by Karl Kerschl
Sep 23, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
There are at least 16 protagonists in the first issue of Legion of Super-Heroes and writer Paul Levitz (Adventure Comics) fails to make us care about most of them. It’s not quite the train wreck of sloppy art and Michael Bay-esque action that was Legion Lost #1, but this story leaves much to be desired. More
Written by Peter J. Tomasi; Art by Fernando Pasarin; Inks by Scott Hanna; Colors by Gabe Eltaeb; Cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy
Sep 23, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Peter J. Tomasi’s work on Blackest Night, Brightest Day, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors, and the “New 52” relaunch of Batman and Robin, showed readers that he knows drama. More
Written by Tony Bedard; Pencils by Ig Guara; Inks by Ruy Jose; Colors by Pete Pantazis; Letters by Rob Leigh
Sep 22, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Writer Tony Bedard (Green Lantern: New Guardians) and artist Ig Guara (Marvel Adventures: Avengers) spin a no-nonsense origin yarn for Blue Beetle #1. More
Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Cliff Chiang
Sep 21, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
For those who appreciate a book that’s immediately accessible, yet rewards a close read, Wonder Woman #1 is the best-in-class of DC’s New 52 relaunch initiative to date. More
Written by Kyle Higgins; Artist by Eddy Barrows
Sep 21, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
A few days ago, I proclaimed that Deathstroke #1 was the dog at the bottom of DC’s “New 52” pile. Kyle Higgins, who wrote that questionable use of paper and ink, is also the writer on the new Nightwing #1. I’m very happy to say that Nightwing is much, much better. More
Written by Scott Lobdell; Art by R.B. Silva (pencils), Rob Lean (inks), Eric Canete (cover)
Sep 20, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Is Superboy a clone? An experiment? Half-Kryptonian, half-human? A ticking time bomb? A creature totally lacking human empathy? All of the above? Superboy #1 introduces all of these elements in a truly surprising first issue—surprising in that it’s quite good. More
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning; Art by Fernando Dagnino
Sep 19, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
One of the more intriguing prospects in the DC New 52 relaunch was the return of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning to Resurrection Man; they were the original writers on the first series, which was on balance pretty good. In terms of quality of concept and characterization, they picked up right where they left off, though things have taken a turn for the Biblical that may dampen some enthusiasm for what feels like more of a sci-fi concept.
Written by Nathan Edmonson; Art by Cafu
Sep 19, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
While Grifter #1 certainly doesn’t inspire awe, it’s enough off the beaten path, and the pencils are interesting enough, that it could be worth your time if the premise sounds like it’s in your wheelhouse. More
Written by Kyle Higgins; Art by Joe Bennett (pencils), Art Thibert (inks)
Sep 18, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Deathstroke #1 is easily my least favorite thus far of DC’s New 52. More
Written by Jeff Lemire; Art by Alberto Ponticelli
Sep 16, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
With a serviceable plot, cool characters, decent interaction of such, and fun, mad concepts, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 sets up a premise that has potential for producing a winner. More
Written by Fabian Nicieza; Art and cover by Pete Woods; Colors by Brad Anderson
Sep 16, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Legion Lost #1 is by far the worst of DC’s “New 52” titles that I’ve read so far. It’s also just a poorly plotted and drawn comic in general. More
Written by Peter J. Tomasi; Art and cover by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray
Sep 16, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
One of the most-anticipated New 52 titles this week is the new Batman and Robin, which continues the excellent series launched by Grant Morrison. Lapsed Batman fans hoping to jump into this title with a quick introductory story or narration bubble might be left in the dust. More
Written by Peter Milligan; Art and cover by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter
Sep 15, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Mega-rager Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps have their own series now. It’s bloody, horrific, and every other badass adjective you can imagine. More
Written by Eric Wallace; art by Gianluca Gugliotta (penciller), Wayne Faucher (inker), and Mike Atiyeh (colorist); cover by J. G. Jones
Sep 15, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Mister Terrific (aka Michael Holt) is the third smartest man in the world, but towards the end of the old DC continuity a villain had reduced his intelligence in the final Justice Society of America issues to the point that he couldn’t even read anymore. More
Written by Paul Cornell; Art by Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert; Cover by Tony S. Daniels
Sep 15, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Demon Knights is set in DC Universe’s Dark Ages, with Jason Blood wrestling with a very angry demon (Etrigan) inside of his body. Vertigo’s Madame Xanadu and the last Knight of the Round Table, Excalibur, make an appearance. More
Written by Adam Glass; Art by Federico Dallocchio, Ransom Getty, and Scott Hanna
Sep 14, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
As I neared the end of Suicide Squad #1 from DC Comics’ New 52 relaunch, the very last page raised the most important question of the issue: What have they done with Amanda Waller?!!? More
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Doug Mahnke, Christian Alamy, and Tom Nguyen; Colors by David Baron; Letters by Sal Cipriano
Sep 14, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Green Lantern #1 picks up right where Geoff Johns left off, in the wake of his War of the Green Lanterns story arc. This bestselling title isn’t being rebooted because of “The New 52.” More
Written by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman; Art by J.H. Williams III; Colors by Dave Stewart
Sep 14, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
With a bit of the “weird,” a nice set up of the new supporting characters, and a flashback to what’s come before for the character intermingled tastefully with the plot, Batwoman #1 is a promising kick-off. More
Writer: Sterling Gates; Artist: Rob Liefield
Sep 14, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
It’s a pretty obvious sign that the first issue of Hawk & Dove didn’t especially grab me when the two things that most stuck with (and bothered) me about it were, 1. the new grey and red costume for Hawk (admittedly a dumb criticism, but it looks stupid vs. his classic red & white); and, 2. Rob Liefield draws a crappy Deadman. I mean, Deadman is one of the coolest looking dudes in DC’s menagerie, and in his supporting role here as Dove’s romantic interest, his face looks like a weird blob. More
"Joseph Rock"—Writer: Ivan Brandon; Artist: Tom Derenick; "Navy SEALs: Human Shields"—Writer: Jonathan Vanking; Artist: Phil Winslade
Sep 13, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Men of War #1 seeks to reset the Sgt. Rock war stories in a modern age, complete with DC Superhero trappings. The backup story (concerning Navy SEALs and meriting an extra buck over most DC Comics prices), is a story without those trappings, more of a conventional military specialist tale. One’s okay. The other’s not. More
Written by Scott McDaniel and John Rozum; Art by Scott McDaniel (pencils), Jonathan Glapion and Le Breau Underwood (inks), Guy Major (colors); cover by Scott McDaniel with Guy Major
Sep 13, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
In setting up the new status quo for Static, the electro-magnetic powered youth from the Milestone line of comics, as well as the star of a well-received cartoon, Static Shock #1 does a fine job. In generating interest beyond that, Static Shock #1 is surprisingly average. More
Written by Paul Cornell; Art and cover by Miguel Sepulveda
Sep 12, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
I guess this is how DC is fitting in the Wildstorm characters into their revamped “New 52” universe. Stormwatch is the first of the titles featuring Wildstorm characters now integrated into the new DC Universe. The original ‘90s series centered on the eponymous, United Nations-sponsored super-team. That run eventually fell apart under the writing guidance of Warren Ellis and morphed into The Authority. This new issue is a sloppy amalgamation of both books and we learn next to nothing about these characters. More
Written by Jeff Lemire; art by Travel Foreman (penciller, co-inker, and cover), Dan Green (co-inker), and Lovern Kindzierski (colorist)
Sep 12, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man #1 ties Grant Morrison’s Action Comics #1 as the best issue of the first full week of DC’s New 52 re-launch, which is fitting, since Morrison’s late ‘80s/early ‘90s run on Animal Man was so amazing. More
(Written by J.T. Krul; art by Dan Jurgens (penciller), George Pérez (inker), and David Baron (colorist); cover by Dave Wilkins)
Sep 12, 2011
By Mark Redfern
Green Arrow #1, written by J.T. Krul, is a by-the-numbers superhero/vigilante comic filled with all too familiar tropes. Globe-trotting billionaire who moonlights as a costumed avenger and doesn’t always see eye to eye with his board of directors—check. More
Writer: Dan Didio; Pencils: Keith Giffen; Inks: Scott Koblish
Sep 11, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
What a pleasant surprise. DC Comics’ publisher Dan Didio’s turns at writing have been a mixed bag. His run on Superboy when back when was pretty good, but his recent efforts with The Outsiders were, simply put, not good. Didio and Keith Kiffen team up to start exploring how fun a guy with a huge blue mohawk can really be. More
Written by Judd Winick; Art by Ben Oliver; Colors by Brian Reber; Letters by Carlos M. Mangual
Sep 10, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
It seems as though Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorprated concept is part of DC’s new continuity. Good idea. For those that didn’t catch it, Batman, Inc. was the excellent series where Bruce Wayne opened Batman franchises around the globe. Batwing is an OK spinoff from that well-done series. More
Writer and Artist: Tony S. Daniel; Inks: Ryan Winn
Sep 10, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
It sure is a good thing that Batman is already popular. The venerable Detective Comics relaunched with a new #1 this week, and it’s just bad. More
Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Yanick Paquette; Colors by Nathan Fairbairn; Letters by John J. Hill; Cover by Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn
Sep 09, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Vertigo’s Swamp Thing is a treasured series for many comic book readers. Alan Moore’s iconic run is untouchable in my opinion, but the yarns spun by Rick Veitch, Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughan, Andy Diggle, and Joshua Dysart left a strong legacy as well. Scott Snyder (American Vampire, Batman) knows this and isn’t screwing with too much continuity. You can tell, even from this debut issue, that he has plans for an epic story arc all his own. More
Written by Gail Simone; Art by Ardian Syaf (penciller), Vicente Cifuentes (inker), and Ulises Arreola (colorist); Cover by Adam Hughes
Sep 09, 2011
By Mark Redfern
When it was announced that Barbara Gordon would be returning as Batgirl in DC Comics’ New 52 universe, the main question comics fans had was how they would deal with her being paralyzed back in The Killing Joke, if they’d deal with it at all. More
Written by Dan Jurgens; Art by Aaron Lopresti & Matt Ryan
Sep 09, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
Fans of the original Justice League International from 25 years ago will be pretty familiar with the overall story arc for this new issue #1. The proposed JLI roster and the pre-approval via U.N. sanctions are old hat. New fans just being introduced to a lot of these second and third string characters will most likely be lost. Unlike Justice League #1, Dan Jurgens (Booster Gold) does very little to acquaint you with this team or give you a strong reason to root for them. More
Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Rages Morales & Rick Bryant; Cover by Rags Morales and Brad Anderson; Variant Cover by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, & Alex Sinclair
Sep 08, 2011
By Kyle Lemmon
The unstoppable writing machine that is Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Animal Man, Batman and Robin) returns to the Man of Steel this week. Alongside him is bold artist Rags Morales (Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Batman Confidential, Identity Crisis). Their postmodern vision of The Man of Steel with Action Comics #1 is obviously one of the most-anticipated New 52 #1 titles this month. More
Writer: Geoff Johns; Artists: Jim Lee, Scott Williams
Aug 31, 2011
By Jeremy Nisen
Justice League #1 is the first salvo in DC’s line-wide relaunch, and how better to relaunch a line than with a book by storied DC muckity-mucks Geoff Johns (Creative VP; writer of a ton of stuff, some of it very good) and Jim Lee (Co-Publisher; penciller of more best-selling books than you can shake a rolled up comic at). It’s a flashback tale of how the world’s greatest super-team formed. More