DC's NEW 52-GRIFTER #1

Cole Cash, or as he is better know The Grifter, has been floating around the Wildstorm Universe since 1992, when he appeared in WILDC.A.T.S. #1. He has been a member of WILDC.A.T.S., Team 7 and I.O. and most recently was killed during the FLASHPOINT timeline. Proving you can't keep a good marksman down, the merged Wildstorm Universe presents THE GRIFTER as part of DC's NEW 52.

But maybe he should have stayed dead.

Cole Cash is on an airplane flight and hears voices in his head and proceeds to attack and kill the woman sitting next to him by plunging a long needlelike object into her left eye(of course, she did produce the weapon first). Cash threatens to blow up the plane and orders a flight attedant to open the cabin door. Then, hearing the same threatening voice as before, the attendant attacks Cash and they tumble out of the airplane.

We then get a flashback sequence where a con upon a con occurs. Cash is abducted by some sort of alien and ends up killing what we assume is one of his captors to get free. troubled by the whole incident, he decides to get on a plane and escape. According to his watch, he was unconscious for seventeen minutes.

We're back to the mid air leap and Cash and the flight attendant crash into the ocean below. Two hours later and he's on the phone with his female friends Gretchen who tells him he has been missing for seventeen DAYS. And his mid air hi jinx from earlier in the day has already made the news. As Cole Cash sits in a graveyard, hearing the demon voices and donning what has become his trademark red bandanna mask, the Pentagon has a briefing with another Cash: Colonel Max Cash who, in Wildstorm continuity, was killed by an assassin and came back as a zombie who was killed by Cole Cash.

Wow! I really don't know what to do with this book. It's not that it isn't bad, it's just I was a fan of the character and especially his later tenure with WILDCATS. But this goes nowhere except into a lot of places with a lot of plot holes. If I had to take a guess, I would believe the aliens and the voices are going to be revealed as either Kherubim or Daemonites and we';re looking at several key figures from the old Wildstorm Universe. Do we REALLY need that? No one read the books once DC got the imprint and those of us who did feel a little insulted that we're going down this road again. While Cafu tries to channel Travis Charest, Nathan Edmonson's story is just okay. Nothing fancy, nothing enticing and NOTHING about these characters makes me go "oooh...I can't wait until next month". Not saying it's a bad book, just not something I'm willing to drop three bucks on every month.

BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is in the third panel, seven pages from the end of the book. She's floating outside the window of the costume shop Cash is in stealing his disguise from.

DC's NEW 52-BATWING

Batwing is a representative of the city of Tinasha in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Batman of Africa was introduced by Grant Morrison in BATMAN INCORPORATED #5 and has been given his own book as part of DC's NEW 52. It's written by Judd Winick and illustrated by Ben Oliver.

And to be honest, I find it a beautiful looking book that does nothing for me.

It begins with a battle between Batwing and a villain named Massacre who attacks with his big, bad machete. We flashback 6 weeks where, in a nutshell, Batwing's alter ego, David Zavimbe, a police officer for the Tinasha P.D., is investigating a massive murder. We get greeted by a pile of decapitated bodies with the word WRONG painted in blood. Apparently it was a meeting place for someone named Blood Tiger. Batwing heads to his version of the Batcave, for lack of a better description, and we discover that one of the bodies belonged to a super hero named Earth Strike, who was part of the super hero team The Kingdom. Zavimbe goes back to the police station and discovers the police force massacred. The words STAY AWAY is painted on the walls in blood. That's the point where Massacre runs Zavimbe with his Machete. So how did he survive?

Turn in next month, I guess.

There isn't much here. Winick is such a great writer and there's nothing here. The writing isn't bad, there's just so little in these pages. The whole story could have been told in about four or five pages. The artwork is beautifully painted and every image just pops. But, like many of the books in the New DC Universe, it's a bloody romp. I found myself not caring about the characters and even an appearance by the original Dark Knight can't save it. BATWING is three dollars I can't get back and 10 minutes of my life I can't get back either.

BTW: the mysterious hooded woman is seen next to a police car, four pages from the end of the book.

DC's NEW 52-ALL STAR WESTERN

Jonah Woodson Hex made his comics debut in 1971 in an issue of ALL STAR WESTERN. He has had a tangled career in comics, including several cancellations, revivals(including one in the future) and a disastrous 2010 feature film. Now, as part of DC's NEW 52. the legendary bounty hunter is back in a new version of ALL STAR WESTERN in what is possibly the darkest tale this side of DEADWOOD.

Our tale begins sometime in the 1880's in Gotham City. Gotham is dark and nasty but a bounty hunter has just ridden into town and by page three he is already graphically using his twin six guns to dispense his brand of justice. Across town, police are investigating the grisly murder of a prostitute. Above the shrouded, blood soaked corpse, the word METUS is written in the woman's blood. Metus is Latin for "Fear", so we are told by Doctor Amadeus Arkham-five murders and five times the word "Fear" had been at the crime scene...each in a different language. Hex arrives on the scene, much to the dismay of Police Chief Cromwell.

Hex and Arkham end up in a bar where the doc tries to unravel the bounty hunter's inner workings. Soon after, Hex spies an old lady friend named Belle and proceeds to defend her honor by pretty much busting up the place and laying waste to just about everyone in it. he quizzes Belle about the person being called "The Gotham butcher" and she reveals very little except he has a hand like a claw and a silver shaped skull ring. Hex advises her to leave town.

She should have taken his advise because several pages later she is found pretty bloodied up, strung up, eyes torn out and all. And a bloody message for bounty hunter: JONAH HEX LEAVE TOWN.

That's not going to happen.

That evening, Hex and Arkham attend a charity event at the home of Mayor Cobblepot. Among the guests are such members of Gotham's aristocracy as Cyrus Pickney and Alan Wayne.Members of the former Union Army, dressed in their finest, are not thrilled to see a bedraggled bounty hunter dressed in Confederate grey. but one thing is certain: they are all wearing skull rings.

Wow! This book was a total surprise. A big fan of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's previous work, I never thought the book could be this good and this entertaining. In fact, I picked it up on a whim, having decided originally not to read the title. I am so glad I did because this book rocks! The writing is crisp and I absolutely love the Gotham City reference points that appear throughout. C'mon: Arkham, Cobblepot, Wayne. It truly roots this boot, at least the introductory issues, in Gotham City mythos as opposed to Hex just wandering through the West from town to town. Maybe after the introductory story arc, that will happen. But for now, it's nice to see this take. As expected, Hex is a rough, tough cowboy that would have mopped up every Marvel Western hero.

But this book is so over the top in the grit and gore it's truly a Vertigo book brought mainstream. Blood and guts help but the fact the entire story is told in various degrees of sepia tone gives it that Old Time Western feel, where most photographs would have been in shades of brown and gray as opposed to black and white. I mentioned earlier it feels like DEADWOOD. All that's missing is the frequent four lettered words. I cannot recommend this book enough and truly look forward to where it goes from here.
 
BTW: the mysterious hooded woman appears in the crowded bar at the top of page 10.

DC's NEW 52-AQUAMAN

AQUAMAN has long been one of the most underutilized characters in the DC Universe. He has also had his share of baggage over the years. Lose a child, have your marriage crumble, have your brother be your greatest villain, lose your hand...have some really bad costume designs over the years(let's not forget the blue suit...). A founding member of the original Justice league of America, a star in his own TV show and a member of the Super Friends, he has had numerous comic series over the years but, except for some wonderful story arcs, never garnered a huge fan base.

Apparently in the New DC Universe, he is also one of the most unappreciated heroes. And Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are taking that theme and running with it.

The story begins with robbery when police in pursuit and all. That's when Aquaman arrives and takes out the bad guys in short order. What thanks does he get? Well, for one, a cop who asks if he needs a glass of water. A little miffed by the reception, Aquaman heads off for a bite to eat...at a seafood restaurant. You heard that right.And he orders fish and chips. Well, that turns some heads of the clientele. "You can't get fish and chips," he is told, "because you talk to fish." "Everybody knows that," says a guy who bears a striking resemblance to Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles. He apparently doesn't talk to fish, explains our hero, because their brains are "too primitive to carry on a conversation".
 
One customer comes over, plunks himself down and proceeds to interview the king of the sea for his blog, despite Aquaman's protests. He asks him about how he pays for things without a job, why he came here and where  his "redheaded mermaid" was. The kicker is his final tirade. "How does it feel to be a laughingstock? How's it feel to be NOBODY'S favorite superhero?"
Aquaman walks out after delivering a silent message., but tips his waitress well. He goes to the sea and meets with Mera and tells her he never wanted to be the leader. What he does want is a new life above the sea. She agrees to join him.
 
Meanwhile, some rather hungry sea creatures feast well on a fishing boat and prepare to make their way to the surface. 

I was extremely hesitant about this book. After all, I had already read Geoff Johns' take on JUSTICE LEAGUE and thought it was absolutely abysmal. I was so afraid what he was going to do here. And yeah, this isn't your normal take on Aquaman. But I LOVE IT!!! He has made Aquaman the doormat of the New DC Universe. Cops make jokes about him, people don't understand him and apparently heavy hangs the head that wear the crown. Heavy enough to make him want to leave Atlantis and reside with the humans who don't respect him.

The writing is awesome with some of Johns best lines in a long while. The plot moves slowly, actually there are two plots: the undersea denizens making their way to our world and Aquaman having to deal with the inhumanity in our world. nothing complicated, but a great set up for our hero to fight the prejudice. It's a race relations story dealing with race versus color.

Ivan Reis' artwork shines with the help of Joe Prado. Every panel is a gem and Rod Reis' color work is top notch. you believe this is the King of Atlantis. you believe this man is humble and pissed at the same time. You believe the heartfelt memories he has of his surface world father. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

This book is a gem and again, with Johns at the helm, I never thought I would say that. Save your pennies and get this title. It looks to be a unique take on the sea king that should be in everyone's collection.

BTW: the hooded woman appears on the right side of panel four on page 12, head shot only.

DC's NEW 52-MEN OF WAR

I grew up in a very interesting era for comics. It was during the Vietnam War and some of my favorite comics, non-superhero that is, were what known as  War Comics. Sgt. Fury, Star Spangled War Stories, Jeb Stuart and The Haunted Tank, Mademoiselle Marie, Gunner and Sarge and Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert's legendary Sgt. Rock and Easy Company. In a violent era, it was a war comic with a heart that focused more on the people than the conflict. It was a shining star of the genre.
 
The book he appeared in was originally entitled OUR ARMY AT WAR. As part of DC's New 52, DC has created MEN OF WAR. Being a fan of the genre, I was looking forward to seeing a modern take on a classic character.
 
Man...was I both wrong and disappointed.
 
Like the old series, there are two stories in this issue. The first story begins with a soldier on the battlefield and in pretty rough shape. From there, we get the almost book length flashback of the soldier-Corporal Rock who is the attitude filled grandson of legendary Sgt. Frank Rock. He is sent out on a mission and what one would think was a missile takes aim and takes out the ground troops. Did I mention that the missile is probably a superhero or super villain(as revealed by a flying silhouette a few pages before the end of the tale)?
 
Well, Rock's Sergeant dies during the conflict and passes his dogtags to him, saying he is now "Sergeant Rock".
 
Good Lord! What a mess! I really can't go much further. Tom Derenick and Matt Wilson's art is great but Ivan Brandon's story is just god awful. The plot is light, the narrative is cliched and I really don't care about any of the characters. Sgt. Rock had heart. this Rock is just boring.
 
The back-up story is NAVY SEALS by Jonathan Yankin and Phil Winslade, Here's the story in a nutshell: Navy Seals Ice and Tracker are on a mission, they encounter a young woman with a gun and suddenly a guy with a bigger gun steps out from behind her and shoots. End story until next month. Okay-I know it's only an 8 page back-up but it is a stinker that just is boring AND offensive. First off, Ice got his nickname because his last name is Berg. Get it: Ice Berg? Lines like "what're you doing, yer makeup out there" and "don't act like I'm prejudiced" are just awful. Cliched? B movies of the 1940's didn't have dialogue this bad. plus these two are like good cop/bad cop with Tracker being the hawk and Ice being the dove.
 

Save your money and use it to buy some classic Kannigher/Kubert Sgt. Rock instead.
 
BTW: The mysterious cloaked woman appears in the last panel of page 17.

NEW DC 52-SUICIDE SQUAD #1

SUICIDE SQUAD has always been a mid level book for DC. Reintroduced in the 1980's in the LEGENDS mini series, the team that was once a replacement for the JSA during the McCarthy Era became a black op group of villains hired by the United States governemnt to take on those jobs that other teams can't handle. Set in Belle Reve Penitentiary, the team has been traditionally run by the rather rotund Amanda Waller. In a later series, Sgt. Rock ran the team, but the goals and concept of a rotating cast that could die during any mission remained a constant.


Adam Glass and Federico Dallocchio have combined to bring us a surprisingly fresh take on the concept. It begins with Deadshot being chewed on by some rats. no-he's not in an alley somewhere: he's being tortured by some sort of misshapen jailer. But he's not alone. El Diablo is here, having buckets of slat poured into an open wound on his chest.Harley Quinn, looking a lot more Goth than we remember her, is here too, with clamps from a set up jumper cables attached to her face. And Killer Shark is taking his licks too, but actually gets to inflict a little payback in the form of a good arm chewing on one of his captors. And Savant is here too, covered in creepy crawlers as he begs for mercy. 


Welcome to hell for these villains and a couple of unnamed ones. Of course all of this gets told with some nice flashbacks from each of the principals, including Harley's which ties in directly to DETECTIVE COMICS #1. We also learn that they are part of the new Task Force X and how there first mission  went down.So we get to the point where it appears that these villains are going to be executed for the involvement in Task Force X. 


In actuality, this has only been a test to the loyalty of the new Suicide Squad. Amanda Waller, looking more like Beyonce than she ever did, gives them an assignment: kill 60 thousand people at a sports arena in Mississippi in 6 hours. 


Welcome to the anti-hero version of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.


This book blew me away and was one of the more pleasant surprises from DCnU. I had totally expected to pass on it and bought it on a whim. And damned glad I did. Glass' writing is cool and crisp, revealing just bits of story and leaving a lot of ground to play with. There are so many places this story can go and as far as I'm concerned it can only continue to go up. Dallocchino's artwork is stark and troubling and the graphic degree of violence is way over the top. It fits this book. After all, this is a black ops government sanctioned team of psycho villains. Shouldn't they be pretty much without conscience? Marvel was obviously inspired by the concept when they created THUNDERBOLTS, but they have always(recently) been trying to atone for their acts over the years. The Suicide Squad was never about making amends-it was always about avoiding the death penalty.


Pick this book up. If you a fan of the anti-hero, it will fit your bill and whet your appetite for insane action.

BTW: the hooded woman is in the middle of the torture of Deadshot on page 3.

THE NEW 52-DETECTIVE COMICS #1

As part of DC's NEW 52 relaunch, Dc ended the run of DETECTIVE COMICS, the book which introduced Batman in issue #27, and relaunched it in September. With all the changes in this new universe, the Bat titles were those that had some tweaking but no major changes...at least not that we know of yet. Tony S. Daniel, long a favorite artist of mine who has developed into quite a talented writer, pairs with inker Ryan Winn to bring the continuing adventures of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego.


Issue #1 begins with Batman searching for his arch nemesis The Joker, who is in the process of dealing with a "fan". First thing we note, besides the change of a costume including the spiffy new razor sharp wrist gauntlets, is that the Joker has only been operating for 5 years. Oh yeah: that's right-this is NEW CONTINUITY. But, it's nice to know, he's the good old psycho we know and love and proves it by ripping out the jugular of his fan and proceeding to slice and dice this guy wearing a skull cap stitched from skin. Yeah-this ain't your daddy's Batman. 


Batman shows up too late but rescues a girl frightened by the whole incident. Then, as if on cue, the Gotham City Police show up with guns drawn to take down the vigilante hero. remember-he's a vigilante and operating outside of the law. A much younger than we're used to James Gordon shows up and chides them.


The next thing we notice different in this continuity is that the entrance to the Batcave isn't him by normal methods. Yeah-it's a hologram. But Alfred is still there as the faithful butler, so everything is fine. 


Bats meets with Gordon, the cops stake out The Joker and get burned in the process. hey-Detective Bullock is still here. Not as fat and ugly as he's been drawn in the past, but at least he's still here. Bats pursues Mr. j and after a savage beatdown, takes him in. He ends up in what I can assume is the version of Arkham in this continuity. There he meets someone who proceeds to fix The Joker. And, in a stunning last panel, the flesh from The Joker's face is seen cut of his skull and mounted on the cell wall. Gory? You betcha! Leaving me wanting more? You betcha!


This is great stuff and I am so glad the architects at DC left this book mostly intact. It's dark and gritty and downright violent. Daniels' artwork is top notch and his writing is crisp. Batman is still the driven detective fighting the good fight despite having most of the police not in his corner. The Joker is still one sick villain and the last page is a winner. Again, this book made me want to keep turning pages and left me waiting for the next issue.

BTW: the hooded woman...yes...she has boobs...is in the 6th panel of page 15 in a crowd shot.