March 2014 DC Comics Diamond Previews Review
Let’s pay a visit to DC Comics and what they will be shipping starting in May 2014. With Forever Evil finally over the DC Universe heads into the next chapter of it’s editorially controlled story. Where Marvel seems to be allowing more creative freedom and very different takes on its characters DC seems to be going for the opposite. Most titles are serious and generic superhero titles.
The prime example for me is Wonder Woman, which is one of the rare titles that launched with the first wave and has maintained a strong independent voice on the comic stands, but that is even coming to an end when the creative team is changed and they bring the book more in line with her Justice League character. What this means to me is that DC is losing the one book that has truly shone a light on a character that has struggled in the past to find her own voice and identity, and turning it into another generic superhero book.
This limits my excitement for DC, who does not seem to want their characters to be different from each other, but instead they are all to be cut from the same dark and serious superhero mold. Not all of DC is like this and the creators are doing what they can with what little freedom they are allowed but as a fan I am just sharing my impressions. With that out of the way let’s look at some of the more interesting solicitsin Previews.
A second weekly is joining the lineup in May. Futures End begins with a bang as a Justice League member dies. With that being said I am looking at this series as more of an Elseworlds as fans know DC would never make such drastic changes permanent. Grifter appears in the first issue and Stormwatch and their fate are discussed in the fourth issue. This is a relief as with the cancellation of Stormwatch (not surprising considering the title never found a voice through its entire run) there are no Wildstorm characters of prominence in the DCU in the regular line, and many of those characters have so much potential that has been thoroughly wasted since the launch.
One other exciting story point is the introduction of Batman Beyond into DC continuity. He is on a mission to stop whatever dark future will presumably envelop the DCU. As a self admitted geek I can’t help but wonder about the conundrum this will create. If Batman Beyond goes back in time to prevent a dark future, and ends up being successful then in the future Batman Beyond would not need to go back in time creating a paradox. I know this may not matter to most and that time travel is not a real thing (at the moment) but my logic cannot shake this point, hence the Elseworlds view I have of this title. It may sound like I am bad mouthing the title but it will be on my pull list because, logic aside, this book has a list of strong creators involved (Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire, Aaron Lopresti, Art Thibert, etc.) and should be a fun read. The first 4 issues drop in May.
Animal Man by Jeff Lemire may be cancelled but his adventures will continue in Justice League United #1 written by Lemire and drawn by Mike McKone. While Justice League of America seemed like nothing more than a really drawn out Forever Evil prelude where the characters were driven purely by the crossover, United will hopefully allow these characters to grow, plus they are in Canada, which has been ignored on a regular basis by DC Comics. It will be nice to see our country represented. Issue #1 follows up on the April shipping 0 issue and will be added to my pull list, for the time being.
Secret Origins #2 is out in May and its lead story is Batman. A strange addition, and really a wasted edition as Batman’s origin is being played out in his main title written by Scott Snyder. The other two origins could hold promise though as we will be treated to the beginnings of Aquaman and Starfire.
The other weekly continues in May with issues #5-8 of Batman Eternal hitting stands. I will pick this up for the entire run as long as Scott Snyder stays involved.
Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE was one of my favorite books when the New 52 launched but since it did not feature Batman, or Superman it wasn’t supported by readers (readers who still claim to want something different, and still do) and the character is relegated to occasional appearances. He makes a surprising appearance when he joins Batman on his search for Robin in Batman and Frankenstein #31. Anytime Frank appears and mutters “Hurrrmmm” I am onboard.
The Movement comes to a close in May with its twelfth issue. This is a solid book that didn’t have a chance in a market where new DC concepts are rejected by readers in favor of more of the same. Here is hoping that the characters that Simone wrote will make appearances elsewhere.
Sadly that brings an end to our look at DC Previews for May. With the recent announcement of more launches in the coming months I look forward to potentially having more books to highlight.