When the New 52 launched last year, we did an extensive, and sometimes scathing, look at them, and came up with four books we could not freaking stand. At the time, a few people pointed out that you can’t judge a comic by its first issue, and that’s fair. So instead we’ll judge it by its first arc. Here are the four we hated, from worst to best.
Catwoman
Yeah, those issues are money we’ll never get back. This book is a train wreck.
The problem is that Winick seems intent on delivering absolutely everything fans have ever hated about his work. He gets on his soapbox on a regular basis, over things a five year old knows are not good. He’s constantly introducing new characters and refuses to flesh them out or even give them any dimension. The nicest thing we can say is that it doesn’t suck any worse from issue one onwards.
Red Hood and the Outlaws
Our big problem with this book was that it flung a whole lot of backstory with little explanation, and rebooted Starfire in about the dumbest way possible. It does at least have an advantage as a DC team book in that the team is small enough that Scott Lobdell can better define the characters, but we still have no idea why Jason Todd is so ticked off and we honestly don’t care, either.
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I like Red Hood, tolerate Catwoman, and hated Voodoo and Green Arrow.
I didn’t read DC main canon before the New 52, so I don’t really have a preconception of Starfire to be upset over. I also like the banter and art in Red Hood, which goes a long way for me. And call me a douche, but I thought the part where *SPOILER* it revealed Todd’s fondest memory was Bruce staying in and watching TV with him when he was sick was very touching.
I think since most people’s exposure to Starfire comes from the show Teen Titans, that’s the character people envision.
Also, that character was waaaaaaaay better written. Actual depth and conflicts, non-cartoonish proportions, lacking shitty amnesia plots, etc.
I did like that bit, but the overall plot of the book is “Eh” at best.
At the risk of being all “Internet”-y, is there anyone out there who still rides the Winick train? I guess I just sort of assumed that we’d all agreed that he doesn’t really have any skill. No? Was I out of line here?
Winick is a capable writer, when he pulls his head out of his ass. But he seems to want to shove it deeper and deeper, especially lately.
In the words of Lewis Black “… Are you kidding me?”
This new “Green Arrow” DC has introduced us to is beyond weak. Excluding the addition of Q-Core, i hate almost everything about him now. From his corny 90′s one liners to his stupid over sized swimmer goggles. Sometimes i’m reading it and i feel it was made for 8 year olds. WHERE DID MY GREEN ARROW GO!? Did the people who are writing (and i use that term VERY loosely cause it is truly the worst) ever even read books like Identity Crisis!?!??? I swear to god, Rob Liefeld might as well have drawn for this crap so we could at least just dump it in the 90′s (most agree a terrible time for comics) where it belongs.
Change his outfit entirely it just looks stupid, as well as his dumb wolverine sideburns. trade the boring slacking off at work crap for some rough training scenes.
I was literally kicking myself when they introduced him in Justice League. “AWWW Shucks guys! AH come on, just lemme join? I swear i wont get in the way! Ahhh geez! Pretty please? Ca’mon guys! Ah gee-wiz fellas!”
DC has truly murdered my favorite, quirky, ass-holish, clever, (doesn’t need oracle type people holding his hand) insanely liberal, will unimpressed and un-intimidatingly poke superman and batman in the chest telling them they’ve “Fucked up, BIG time on this one.” then storm out, archer.
Voodoo was also a bust. I tried giving it to a friend for free, he wouldn’t take it.