DC's New 52: A Six Month Review Part 5

DC’s New 52: A Six Month Review Part 5

Mar. 26 Comic Books, Reviews 1 comment

Justice Leaguers of every shape and size… Here is part five of Word of the Nerd‘s six month review of the New 52 from DC Comics. In this fifth installment, we cover Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, The Fury of Firestorm and The Savage Hawkman.

Wonder Woman – review by Geek Faerie

Written by: Brian Azzarello

Art by: Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins

Wonder Woman gets another fresh new costume in her series reboot. Thankfully the most upsetting 90s look of the 600 series was set aside and a costume that lends a lovely head nod to her traditional and most iconic costume was created. Double thumbs up DC. I’ve been reading the full series and I have to say the change is not only refreshing, but treading on some very new territory for the amazing Amazon.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers but let us just say that the origin story is fantastic. The immersion of the Greek Pantheon into the pages gives the entire piece a new depth that begs the question: is blood really thicker than water? Wonder Woman is challenged to rethink her entire upbringing as an Amazon while dodging blow after blow thrown at her by the Greek Goddess Hera.

Brian Azzarello’s writing is gripping, making every turn of the page a delicious surprise. When he writes, I can hear Diana in my head, hear her voice in the words, hear every emotion and feeling. This same attention is translated across every character introduced; the font may be the same, but you know who is talking.

Artist Cliff Chiang gives an edgy feel to the piece, keeping the pages simple and understated but still full of life and drama. Wonder Woman is stunning and exotic, towering over everyone around her yet still somehow blending in. Truly a triumph. So much is said with so little and makes a beautiful marriage with the writing by Azzarello. If you are not reading Wonder Woman you need to. Buy it for yourself and buy it for your girlfriend or friend that is also a girl.

Aquaman - review by Nateal Erickson

Written by: Geoff Johns

Art by: Ivan Reis

Aquaman has been the butt of Superhero jokes since his introduction to the DC Universe in More Fun Comics #73 in September of 1941. A hero with the ability to talk to fish and swim really fast with ties to the ruined city of Atlantis, he was never as impressive or beloved as Superman or Batman. And even so, or perhaps because of that, I’ve always had a crush on Aquaman. Perhaps I have a thing for the downtrodden, the underdog.

DC’s new Aquaman series has only made my love for the orange and green costumed hero stronger.

Aquaman has gone through numerous changes over his lifespan in the history of comics. During the Golden Age, his ability to breathe underwater was made possible by gills and his ability to speak with fish was limited by the fact that the sea creatures actually had to be able to hear him, rather than the telepathic communicative abilities fans are familiar with today. During the Silver Age, his backstory was rewritten and he was revealed to have adventured with Superboy as a youngster (and subsequently called himself Aquaboy).

The Modern Age saw some unusual takes on Aquaman, including a “camouflage” costume from the 1980s that changed Aquaman’s iconic orange and green color scheme to one of deep blues, purples, and blacks. In 1994, the longest-running Aquaman series (running to 75 issues) began by giving the super-hero an entirely new look. Creator Peter David scrapped Aquaman’s clean-cut look and gave him sort of a wild-man appearance with long hair, a full beard, and a harpoon on his arm.

The New 52′s take on Aquaman is perhaps my favorite by far. No longer is Aquaman a character whom you can write off as a superhero-joke. Geoff Johns has taken all of that negative and unrelentingly neutral feeling comic books fans have had toward Aquaman and woven it skillfully into the world surrounding Aquaman. Aquaman himself is a strong, good-hearted man who truly wants to become the hero he knows he can be. He struggles with his heritage and his position as the King of Atlantis as much as he struggles to achieve the recognition and respect he deserves. And with Ivan Reis and Joe Prado doing the art for this comic, the trio are producing a truly unexpected, beautiful book.

And his new design is pretty freakin’ hot.

Aquaman #1

We are introduced to the first Aquaman arc and some of the most dangerous looking, deep-sea foes with teeth that are probably capable of snapping off my entire leg at the thigh without a second thought. Aquaman himself appears in an awesome costume made of a scaled material and carrying the meanest looking Trident I have ever seen. He is lean and muscled, blonde, and really just trying to be the superhero he could be. Humans don’t appreciate him and crack tons of jokes at his expense. Johns does a wonderful job of humanizing Aquaman. As a reader, I felt really connected with his struggle to be understood. His powers are not what people think they are, and he is not only useful in or near the ocean. He wants to do good. He is wonderfully noble, but no one wants to see that in him. The humans think they can handle everything that they come across and that Aquaman is only a nuisance, even when he saves the day.

Aquaman #2

The tale of the creatures come up from the deep, ocean trench continues, and readers are introduced to Mera, commonly known as Aquawoman. Mera is a wonderful character, completely devoted to Aquaman (who we learn prefers to be called Arthur). Their relationship is very sweet and loving, and I find myself loving them as much as I already love Aquaman himself. Mera is wonderfully drawn. Though her costume is very low cut and form-fitting, her body is well-muscled (she even has abs in most shots!) making her form very realistic (if a bit buxom). The writing and art are absolutely fantastic.

Aquaman #3

By this point in time, the situation with the trench creatures has reached a fever-pitch. They’re coming to land and taking away helpless victims, and Arthur and Mera are forced to visit someone Arthur would prefer to leave in the past in order to get the information they will need to stop them. At this point in the series, I also began to notice a unique trend in the way the comics are set up. Most comics I read (which is to say not as many as I should) have lots of panels that are taller than they are wide, but Aquaman seems to prefer very thin panels that span the entire page. The majority of the pages have these long, thin panels, usually four of them on a single page. It is a very interesting way to style the panels, and while I am not sure of the reasoning behind this decision, I like it.

Aquaman #4

This is the last book in the Trench arc, and Aquaman and Mera do end up saving the day, though I’ll spare you the details because they are actually pretty awesome. (Not to mention epic scenes of Aquaman in a ripped costume. Mmmmmm.) The arc wraps up well and gives us some good insight into Arthur and Mera as people, not just superheroes. They have pasts to be explored, and Johns makes that clear in this book.

Aquaman #5

This issue felt sort of like filler to me. Aquaman is suddenly in the desert, which is bad for him. We as readers are introduced to Aquaman’s greatest weakness, his kryptonite, if you will, an inability to function away from water after a certain period of time. Aquaman also proves how much of a bamf he is by pulling a spear out of his own thigh. It was pretty intense (and a bit graphic). Though while most of the issue felt like filler, there was a hint at something big to come at the end of the issue.

Aquaman #6

This issue is all about Mera. She seems to have adjusted poorly to life among humans. Though in this particular issue, we see how prejudice the human world is toward superpowered individuals. Mera is being sexually harassed by an owner of a grocery store, and she grabs him by the arm and tells him to stop, ending up breaking his arm in the process. Yet when the police show up, it is her being persecuted. I wasn’t so sure that this was a believable way to portray the human world until the end of the issue when a store worker who had also been harassed by the man Mera put in his place stopped by where Arthur and Mera live by the sea. That scene was very poignant and sweet and opened Mera up a bit. It was neat to see an issue focusing on this even lesser-known comic book heroine.

All in all, this series has been absolutely fantastic. The art is simply amazing, and the writing is always solid. This incarnation of Aquaman is regal, noble, strong-willed, and a force to be taken seriously. His life is one trapped between land and sea, and that pushing and pulling is felt by the reader so deeply that Aquaman not only becomes a relatable and lovable character, but one who can truly be taken seriously for perhaps the first time in his long career. I would highly suggest people start reading this book if you haven’t already. Give it a shot. Plug through the first arc especially and see what you think. It really deserves your support.

I know for me, I’m going to see this series through to the end.

Aquaman fangirling forever.

Flash - review by Chris Tresson

Written by: Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul

Penciled by: Francis Manapul

The Fastest Man Alive returned in September looking fresh and exciting. The book has been done so far by the writer/artist team of Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, and has seen Barry Allen realize the extent of this super powers, as well as pitting him against an old friend by the name of Manuel Lago. Well, not pitting him against his friend exactly, but a collective of clones known as Mob Rule. This story arc lasted five issues and the latest issue of The Flash has seen the return of an old school Flash enemy, Captain Cold. The stories thus far have been amazing with some incredible art from the team. I would go as far as to say it is one of the best drawn books of the new 52, and the team of Manapul and Buccellato seems to be one of those partnership that was just meant to be. I can’t wait to see what they come up with in the coming months; I’m sure it will continue to be an amazing book for a very long time.

I was really surprised by the way Manapul and Booch tackled the scarlet speedster, and I actually enjoyed it. Before the relaunch I mainly read bat family titles and thought characters like The Flash were a complete waste of time, but it’s been quite good so far, one of my favourites of the new 52 in fact. The series can only get stronger and I told Francis Manapul a while ago on twitter that the series would remain awesome and I hoped he and Buccellato weren’t going anywhere anytime soon. He replied to me and told me he wasn’t going anywhere and that he had a good amount of stories and ideas that should see him stick with the title for quite a long time. Here’s to hoping! Go buy it if you aren’t reading it already, and if you are reading it, continue to do so. It can only get better!

Nerd Verdict: Good

Fury of Firestorm - review by The Nerd

Written by: Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver

Penciled by: Yildiray Cinar

The Fury of Firestorm had all the makings of a mega-title hit for DC Comics. With the legendary Gail Simone writing for the title, along with art by Yildiray Cinar, this was one book I was looking forward to reading. Unfortunately even with great potential, this title fell flat for me and I lost interest after three issues.

Ever a Simone fan, I was saddened by this series and the lack of any cohesive plot. The duality of the Firestorm character is what makes him so appealing for me. I was disappointed that it wasn’t used to its fullest potential. The introduction of other Firestorms really ruined the overall feel of the series for me. Rather than having a single, unique character, the decision to introduce several of them was a poor one.

Much like Batman Inc., this was a bad direction to take this series and I feel that it would have been better served by taking a more simple approach. I am all for grand scales, especially in comics but some stories are better off kept smaller at least within the first six issues.

The one thing that I felt this series had going for it was the fantastic artwork by Yildiray Cinar, along with Norm Rapmund. Particularly in the first few issues, the art was some of the best I’ve seen in any of the New 52 books. I only wish the artwork could have saved this title for me. With Gail Simone’s departure from the series after issue six, I am fearful that Firestorm may not make it through another round of cuts by DC.

The Grade: Sadly this is my least favorite of the New 52 books. Although I am unaccustomed to giving bad reviews of anything and my love for Gail Simone withstanding, I have very little praise for Fury of Firestorm. Yildiray Cinar’s artwork is top-notch but it clearly could not save this series. Perhaps with a fresh writing team, it might be salvaged.

The Savage Hawkman - review by Geek Fairie

Writer: Tony S. Daniel

Art: Philip Tan

New 52’s The Savage Hawkman finds Carter Hall weary of his mantle as Hawkman and setting out to put the mantle aside. However, like all things in life, foes will not allow such things and Hawkman must face a mysterious new foe who seems to gain strength from the Nth Metal in Hawkman’s armor. Written by Tony Daniel and Jimmy Bonny (issues 1-5) and artwork by Philip Tan, The Savage Hawkman has been getting some really good reviews. Critics have received the changes to his mace well and the introduction of the Nth Metal into the story appears to be providing a good deal of plot to work with. Readers are enjoying Hall’s more down to earth life, making him more normal and relatable. The artwork has been hailed for its edgy and stunning quality. All in all fans seem to be very pleased with the results thus far.

Check out our previous installments here - 1, 2, 3, and 4

About Jason Padua

Jason Padua - JP is the creative genius here at Word of the Nerd as well as being a contributing writer. When he's not being the best dad in the world, fixing someone's computer, working on his masters degree, or recording a podcast, he is imagining a better, nerdier world for us all.