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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.