Books from THE DARK in DC's NEW 52

DC's NEW 52 Universe is divided into segments representing core titles. They are JUSTICE LEAGUE (which encompasses most of the classic heroes like Batman, Superman, Green Arrow, etc.), THE EDGE(encompassing the former Wildstorm titles along with DEATHSTROKE, SUICIDE SQUAD, OMAC, BLACKHAWKS, MEN OF WAR, and ALL STAR WESTERN), YOUNG JUSTICE(the next generation of heroes like TEEN TITANS, the Legion books, STATIC SHOCK, HAWK AND DOVE and BLUE BEETLE), and THE DARK(the supernatural books or, as I like to call them, Vertigo Lite). This time around, I'll examine those books. NOTE: FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E., RESURRECTION MAN and ANIMAL MAN have already been reviewed, so see those reviews elsewhere).
 

DEMON KNIGHTS brings together some of my favorite characters into this weird melange of genre twisting goodness. It all begins on the last night of Camelot with who we assume to be Lancelot tossing Excalibur back to the Lady of the Lake. Well, someone has thoughts about that and Madame Xanadu, in a previous incarnation, jumps off the boat bringing Arthur to his final rest in an attempt to purloin it. Meanwhile, Merlin is busy toying with the demon Etrigan who he proceeds to bind to young Jason(the once and future Jason Blood). And, of course, half his hair turns white.
 

Time passes and Mordru is up to his old tricks(actually, new tricks as the Mordru we know and love ends up menacing the Legion of Superheroes in the distant future) trying to do something or someone. He channels a demon through a baby, which explodes(yuck!) and decides his army most proceed to the town of Little Spring. As it so happens, that is where Madame Xanadu and Jason O' The' Blood are heading. When they get into town, they hook up with Vandal Savage and also The Shining Knight, who is now a woman or a really effeminate man. Then Exoristos shows up and it's pretty obvious she has probably come here from Paradise Island. Mordru's troops arrive, Etrigan busts loose from his human form and he swaps some spit with Xanadu(literally!).
 

And when the going gets tough for the bad guys, what do you do? You throw some dinosaur at our heroes.

This book rocks! I was kind of scared when I thought of taking the Demon from his modern day roots and thrusting him back into Medieval times. But I admit I was totally wrong. And by throwing in some of the classic magical characters, it adds that much more depth to it. I love Paul Cornell's story, especially some really creative dialogue! And Diogenes Neves artwork is equally as impressive. This book is one of my favorites and can't wait to see where it goes from here.
 

BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is hiding in plain sight on page 7.
 

JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK also features Madame Xanadu but in a modern setting. She is watching the changes in the world and awaiting the end of all things. So, through manipulation, she manages to bring together a team of mystical heroes. June Moone is one of many June Moones and she arrives at Dove's door seeking the help of Deadman. Shade the Changing Man dissolves his made up girlfriend and heads to Xanadu's. John Constantine drops in to the middle of London...literally! Zatanna, in a much hotter outfit than we are accustomed to, informs the Justice League that The Enchantress is responsible for all the changes occurring in the world. 

Oh, did I also tell you that the Justice League gets it's backside handed to it? Yeah, when Superman gets shredded by witches' teeth, you know things are bad.
 

Madame Xanadu has seen the way the world ends and it ends with a lot of bodies, including the soon to be formed Justice League Dark(and Etrigan...is this tied into DEMON KNIGHTS somehow).
 

Intriguing little book. Take some classic Vertigo heroes, some classic DC Universe heroes and blend them together into a superhero team and you get something magical. Oh wait: it's Peter Milligan writing it!!! Mikel Janin's artwork is cool enough too. This book has some lofty goals and it looks like it can attain them. Buy it. It's a better read than the "real" Justice League title.

BTW: The mysterious hooded woman is standing next to the Enchantress' house on page 11. 

The legend of the Swamp Thing has taken many different forms, moving from scientist turned into plant creature to plant elemental that absorbed the consciousness of scientist Alec Holland. In the NEW 52 SWAMP THING, Alec Holland has been recently resurrected, as he was at the end of BRIGHTEST DAY: THE SEARCH FOR SWAMP THING. He has some memories of his time as a plant elemental but has given up his career as a scientist and become a construction worker.He gets visited by Superman, who references how he knows how hard it is "coming back"(okay...so SUPERMAN #75 DID HAPPEN!?). Holland confesses having memories including one of a white haired woman(long time fans all know who this is...).
 

Some major weird and creepy stuff goes on with three scientists getting their heads twisted around by flies and there's this big ugly creature leading them. Meanwhile, at Totleben's Motel(nice nod to one of Swampy old creators), Alec is troubled by dreams of his first death and rebirth as the creature. When he awakes, he decides to get rid of his batch of the Bio-Restorative formula. But before he can chuck it in the swamp, the Swamp Thing stops him. So, I guess they truly are separate entities.
 

SWAMP THINGMillar, Rick Veitch, Brian Vaughan and Andy Diggle, it created a tapestry of brilliance. Scott Snyder starts the ball rolling right away with some big shoes to fill. But it looks as those he's on the right track. Yanick Paquette pays tribute to the styles of Bernie Wrightson, Tom Mandrake, Steve Bissette, John Totelben and others with his work. It's eerie where it needs to be and crisp and clean in other places. The whole book has that classic feel right out of the gate.
 

Can't wait to read more of this. And I truly can't wait to see what kind of a wild ride Snyder and Paquette take us on. Save some of your comic money for this book. As a fan of horror comics, I think you'll find this right up your alley.
 

BTW: The mysterious hooded woman is standing in front of the pickup truck in the third panel on page 5.
 

I, VAMPIRE appeared in HOUSE OF MYSTERY for two dozen issues back in the early 1980s. It told the tale of Lord Andrew Bennett: a vampire who turned his lover into a vampire queen named Mary, Queen of Blood. She followed him into the modern day era and the stories told the tale of Bennett's attempts to take down Mary and her coven known as the Blood Red Moon. DC has resurrected, pun intended Bennet for a truly weird take on this classic character.
 

The story weaves back and forth between present day and a time in the past. In the present, Bennett is in Boston and hunting vampires sent towards him by his former lover. In the past, the pair debate their differences: Mary kills humans and Bennett only animals.
 

Okay, so it doesn't seem like much on the surface, but this is a book with layers, just like the original series did. But this is much darker and much more violent, owing more to TRUE BLOOD than it's Gothic roots. Joshua Hale Fialkov does a nice job of setting the table for future issues while Andrea Sorrentino does a nice turn on the moody art. Again, the first issue pretty much is the setup and I would expect future issues will have some sort of payoff. Either way, it's temping enough to keep me reading for a while anyway.
 

BTW: The mysterious hooded woman is truly well hidden in this book. She is standing in front of a tree in the upper left corner of the first panel on page 11.