As the world prepares to begin another year, there is still one matter left to examine from 2011- how it’s final month found the DCnU. And aside from a few slowly emerging bright spots and a major downward spiral, there is precious little that has changed in DC’s new universe. The company enters the new year still trying all the stories it can, hoping that something will gain readers attention.
Overview
Much of what has been over the last few months has remained the same. DC’s books have ranged from good to interesting to horrible, as they slowly make their mark in this new universe. Highlights continue to include the Batman and Green Lantern titles (save for a pair of titles to be discussed later), while Justice League ended on a bang with the reveal of Darkseid. That event will jumpstart the chain that will explain the DCnU and bring the League into modern times.
The Good
Again, there is little change from previous months. Most of the truly good books (aside from the lines mentioned), such as Animal Man and Wonder Woman have established themselves, while the middle of the road books like Teen Titans might not be breaking new ground but are least consistent. However, an emerging highlight of the DCnU has become New Guardians of the GL line. This book is making it’s way to be the best of it’s line, and it is well deserved. Wisely creating it’s core group out of mostly unknown Lanterns of varying Corps, the writers have made a diverse cast of characters slowly banding together under the leadership of Kyle Raynor, while developing a massive threat and highlighting the current brainwashing of humanistic Guardian Ganthet. The story continues to be engaging as this group now begins to face off against its true enemy, with the Guardians in hot pursuit and the universe on the line.
The Bad
At this point, a statement must be made that may upset many long time fans, but it needs to be said- Geoff Johns must stop writing Green Lantern. Despite the incredible work Johns has done with Hal Jordan in the past, he seems to have become increasingly tired of writing him. It began with the uneven Brightest Day and has culminated in this current run of plot hole filled stories (Yellow Central Power Battery, anyone?) and endings designed to force readers to buy next month. Johns has put considerably more effort into his Aquaman stories of late, and they are among the best DC can offer right now. But his boredom with GL is apparent even in Justice League, where Hal Jordan comes across as a vain, self-righteous idiot. DC needs to remove Johns from Oa and let a new, hungry writer revamp the story.
And many writers should follow, as the revamp continues to ruin classic characters (Catwoman, Deathstroke) and produce reviled books that simply make readers ask, "Why?" Deathstroke is already DC’s most hated comic, and Catwoman is bouncing between violence and sex with no understanding of the character herself. But on the plus side, DC seems to slowly be redeeming Starfire, as the Red Hood and the Outlaws heroine is showing signs of her early personality with her new sexbot persona. But even Superman is lagging, despite the effort of Grant Morrison, who has yet to catch fire with any of his stories for the Man of Steel.
Final Verdict
There simply isn’t much to say other then this - if DC wants to make 2012 really have meaning, they need to pick up the pace. The slow stories are dragging them down, and the revamped characters are a mixed bag. Even with highlights, there is still no real sense of an overreaching plot this universe, and a good deal of it seems like rehashes from Marvel’s Ultimate Universe. In fact, some fans are bringing up Marvel’s Pocket Universe Storyline, in which various heroes were killed, only to be brought back years later by explaining they were trapped in another dimension. In other words, Marvel tried something, it didn’t work, and they used a reset button. While DC might not be there yet, they may want to check their escape plan if they can’t get this cooking by the end of the year.
Eric Nierstedt - Mr. Nierstedt studied English at Kean University. He's written at the Leader newspaper of Westfield NJ for five years.
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