Change comes to DC Comics; The New 52

The New 52 from DC Comics. What’s it mean, let’s take a gander

52, yes fifty-two! DC Comics, on August 31st 2011, will do something very bold and release, renumber the entire DC Universe line of comics. This means 52 issue #1’s and a new look, a more updated and relevant look for Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Justice League and more. It’s a radical idea but just how radical is it really? How many offshoots, one time stories and re-tellings have readers seen over the years? The core mechanics for each character and their universe are set; this is not a combining of a Super Batman type hero but a new telling. So what’s it mean, what are some of the details? Let’s take that gander we mentioned.

New Issues – 52 x market value = get to work and earn some dough for a slew of new comics that allow readers to get on from the first floor. Action Comics, Detective Comics … who has a copy of #1? It’s a new beginning but not a new venture like Image Comics back in the 90’s. These are established characters that are getting revamps and if readers are fans of the various animated shows for DC properties then these new issues will feel warm, comfy and cozy.

New Costumes – Jim Lee, Cully Hamner and Mark Chiarello are the minds behind over 50 new costume designs that make modern those that are iconic. Easy task, not quite but with these three doing the heavy lifting the faith is there.

Diversity – Interesting angle from DC, but the focus on a diversified cast across the board means minority characters are not just throw ins but solid primary characters. As DC points out they include; Cyborg, Static Shock, Blue Beetle, Batwing (aka the Batman of Africa), Firestorm, Mr. Terrific, the Atom and Voodoo, and LGBT characters like Batwoman, Apollo, Midnighter, and Voodoo.

Imaginations Unleashed – Creative minds such as Geoff Johns and Jim Lee are just two of the folks behind these new 51. There is a ton of top level, bright, brilliant and amazing minds collaborating on these various titles. They bring their own takes and re-takes to each series so this is a lot of experience and plain awesomeness put towards these new #1’s.

Going Digital – DC Comics has long been available on smart phones and tablets and this reach makes the consumption by readers all the easier, portable and easier on the pockets.

Overall the future looks very bright and exciting. Personally I’ve always loved the Elseworlds, ‘what if’ stories found annually for established characters and now fans get a chance to see this concept in a standard format which plain rocks. It’s a new take on so much, so many characters that it’s close to overwhelming so get ready DC fans, the future is about to get very wild with the new 52.

Is Marvel getting ahead of DC with their anime series?

You know, there was always this question in the back of my mind over if ultimately manga and anime have taken over Western comics.

Nothing further from reality as Western comics still have the largest demand in the world and Manga style comics are a genre/niche that is growing as we speak, but it's still far from being mainstream.

The day we see a manga published in the United States by either DC or Marvel, that'd be the day we can say that manga is mainstream.

That being said, what is Marvel's interest in making X-Men, Blade and Iron Man anime series?







The answer can be in the fact that Marvel is looking to get the younger audiences or younger generations that are wayyy more interested in manga/anime than they ever will in Western comics.

Or they just want to experiment what could be the result of a crossover between these two radically different styles and approaches for diverse audiences.

Or even a simple wish to join creative forces for the sake of going beyond, such as Stan Lee and Hiroyuki Takei in their series Karakuridoji Ultimo, which is serialized in Jump SQ magazine and is being sold as a graphic novel on Amazon.

Western comics are all about realism and being anatomically correct as possible, yet at the same time with a certain degree of styling of forms and figures, but manga is expressionistic and relies more in characters, but that doesn't mean that the story can't be equally complex. You can say that manga is realistic in its own way because of the expression it conveys in each panel.

Right now, a crossover of these two styles of visual storytelling (and cultural approaches to life, actually) have either proved to be succesful or simply a failure, as in the case of the Wolverine anime, so it is still an ambigous land.

And DC is doing nothing? 


DC is just not being as vocal, but series like 'Young Justice' and 'Teen Titans' show a certain shift towards anime style, without necessarilly abandoning the traditional animation style of 'Superman: TAS', or 'Justice League Unlimited'. They want to cater to younger audiences without compromising too much of themselves.



And don't forget about the 'Batman: Gotham Knight' animated shorts, that was already a mild insinuation towards anime style in 2005, with studios Madhouse, Studio 4 °C and Production IG working with David Goyer, Brian Azzarello and Greg Rucka.

As for the upcoming comics relaunch on September and the new character design? It may be only me but I'm already seeing mecha influences in Superman's new suit.

Who's not to say that with the upcoming Superman movie in 2012, directed by Zack Snyder, and assessed by the Nolans, we may get anime shorts of Superman?

The answers are still in the open for open minds.

Robin is playable in Batman: Arkham City

The Boy Wonder looks a bit tougher as he makes his Arkham City debut

That’s the new, it’s time for Robin to get in on the action along with Batman and Catwoman in Batman: Arkham City. Here are the official details …

Tim Drake Version of Robin Confirmed as Playable Character in Batman: Arkham City Challenge Mode: Pre-Order at Best Buy North America for Exclusive Access to the Robin Pack!

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment today confirmed that Robin will be a fully playable character in the new and improved challenge mode in Batman: Arkham City. The Tim Drake Robin pack is currently available exclusively to North American fans who pre-order the game from Best Buy on any of the platforms for which the game will be available: Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

Robin will come complete with his own unique gadgets and special moves, and will be playable in all challenge maps in the game, as well as two additional challenge maps that are included with the pack – Black Mask Hideout and Freight Train Escape. The pack will also contain a bonus Red Robin character skin.

Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City – five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum – and the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new, all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.

Batman: Arkham City is based on DC Comics’ core Batman license. Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game and join the discussion on the community site at http://community.batmanarkhamcity.com to participate in forums, read upcoming developer diaries and stay abreast of all the latest Batman: Arkham City news.

Green Lantern Blackest Night hardbound Impression

With Green Lantern hitting theaters it’s time to go back and take a look at Blackest Night, an excellent tale of the various Lantern Corps.

The new Green Lantern feature film is getting reviews that are … less than spectacular which is sad for both Ryan Reynolds and Hal Jordan. Green Lantern is so much more than the film shows and for viewers new to the franchise do not judge on the film alone. The collected comics found in hardbound form for Green Lantern: Blackest Night is an excellent read that recounts what the Green Lantern Corp is all about while setting up the other seven corps of Rage (red), Avarice (orange), Fear (yellow), Hope (blue), Compassion (purple), Love (pink-ish purple) and Death (black). These seven along with Will (green) make-up the seven corps and Death as technically Death is not a corps in the sense of the others but that will be explained. Blackest Night is not an introduction as the film is but rather a telling of a great story with excellent art and pacing that is wonderful for fans both old and new.

The Story – Writer Geoff Johns takes readers into a world where there are seven corps formed from the emotional spectrum. Hal’s reason for wielding the ring are revealed and as the dead begin to rise a new battle and revelations loom on the horizon. The dead rise and confront those they left behind and behind it all is the mysterious black lanterns and each of the dead wear their rings and wiled a power born of aggression. As this darkness engulfs the entire galaxy the various corps must come together as only the full emotional and color spectrum can overcome the blackness created by death.

Consisting of a solid introduction, prologue and eight comic issues there is much more to Blackest Night than the paragraph above reveals but reading is the joy of revealing so no ruining here. Johns shows his chops and history with a tale that shows deep history for so many DC Universe characters from Hawk to Aquaman and the sheer number of characters involved never gets to be too much which is a true accomplishment. Johns manages to keep the story centered on Hal while branching just enough to bring in primary story threads and hinting at much more going on. This is the central tale in a large branched tree. For fans and noobs alike the movie may be fun but to see the true power of the rings, of the corps, well it does not get any better than Blackest Night, a well told story.

The Art – Ivan Reis makes the dead look gross-alicious. Skin hanging off and limbs bent each direction, oh yes this is no easy look at the dead heroes of the DC Universe, it’s not pretty or nice, it’s just dead. There are times readers can almost smell the decay and dirt, it’s just a well drawn comic that Reis brings to life. Each hero and villain looks as iconic as ever and the style is overall rock solid but that’s not the most impressive aspect. Nope, it’s the large group shots from all the Lantern Corps to all the heroes of earth in large action packed shots. Hours must have been spent on these layouts and they look outstanding. The included cover gallery collection and a scattering of the pencil drawings just enhances the overall experience and seeing pencils vs. final product also shows off the chops of the inkers and colorist. It’s a rock solid story well told and brought together with awesome art that is very poster worthy.

More Green Lantern – While Blackest Night does a good job of recounting the core points in Hal’s past if readers are looking for more check out the Green Lantern App with movie trailer, comics, previews and tons of features that will leave nobody and I mean nobody lacking in Green Lantern lore.

Overall, there is a ton of history to Green Lantern and not just Hal Jordan. The movie has its focus and picks its core story points to explore but keeping it simple may have helped. How about a Star Wars style scrolling recap of what’s happened? Can’t change the past but for those who love DC comics and Green Lantern, well they should already own Blackest Night but for comic fans in general and those who had to see the move then go out now and buy or download this story. It’s only part of the larger DC Universe but so much fun to read and enjoy.

Batman: Arkham City Comic Book Miniseries by DC Comics

The Dark Knight gets even more back-story for the upcoming Batman: Arkham City video game

Batman fans, get excited, get very excited. The upcoming Batman: Arkham City is receiving its own six-issue comic series from DC Comics. This series will help bridge the gap from 2009’s excellent, nay amazingly amazing Batman: Arkham Asylum to Arkham City. The writer is Paul Dini who’s handled the two games as well as Batman: the Animated Series. What this means is the story is in very rock solid hands. The first issues land in May, yes two issues a month, in both digital and print modes. The accompanying image is by concept artist Carlos D’anda and it’s a thing of beauty that moves the gritty realism of the Arkham games into comic form.

Here are some official detail but needless to say this should make the wait for Arkham City all the easier.

“BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY comic book miniseries announced!

Written by Batman: The Animated Series writer Paul Dini (who also penned both Arkham games) and drawn by Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City concept artist Carlos D’anda, BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY picks up one year after the original game, where former Arkham Warden turned newly elected Mayor of Gotham City Quincy Sharp has decided to close down the infamous institution. In its stead, he establishes “Arkham City,” the new maximum security “home” for all of Gotham City’s thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, inmates can roam free and do whatever they want as long as they don’t try to escape. To run this urban prison, Sharp has appointed Dr. Hugo Strange, a man who knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman.

Each issue of the miniseries will be available day-and-date digitally worldwide for $2.99 each. These releases will alternate with 8-page digital-first interludes that will expand on the story included in the miniseries. Written by Dini and drawn by a variety of artists, these digital stories will focus on The Dark Knight’s many enemies as they vie for power in this new city within a city. Each eight-page digital-first interlude will be available for .99 cents, releasing in between issues of the miniseries, and will later be included in print in the BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY collected edition.

“The digital first stories offer a unique incentive for fans to experience interesting and exciting stories beyond the pages in the printed comic,” said Jim Lee, DC Comics Co-Publisher, “The additional pages will serve as interludes within the regular issues and won’t be necessary to follow the main story of the miniseries. Fans will also be able to read these interludes in print later, when we publish the collected edition.”

Read the comic before you play the game, and keep an eye out for the issue #1 variant cover, utilizing in-game graphics. BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY will double-ship in its first month, with issues 1 & 2 landing in May.”