Thoughts on the New 52 after 6 months

[evaD]

It's been 6 months, we've had time to try what we thought was interesting, reassess, switch to other titles or drop out completely. So let's hear it, what's working for you and what isn't?

I'm enjoying the new take on Superboy and the implication of a connection to Gen 13. I love the potential that the integration of the Wildstorm universe brings. I really like OMAC and Frankenstein, both titles feel fresh and are very active reads. A title like Animal Man has been missing from my reading list for two long, I'm glad they brought that title back and that it's been so good.
There are several titles I'm reading that continue to be great reads but don't have as much of that "new 52" energy. Batman, Batman and Robin, Superman, and the Flash have been plenty of fun, but despite some changes, they don't feel like they reside in a new universe. With them it feels more like I was away from the titles for awhile and just started picking them up again.
Of course, there are a few titles that just aren't doing it for me. Teen Titans is the biggest disappointment. I don't think it's poorly executed or anything like that, it's just that the story is moving too slowly for me and I don't like the two new characters at all. I've always been a Tim Drake fan and love how he's being written, but the rest of the characters feel flat and I feel like it's taking too long for things to gel. I don't really want to give the title up for a few reasons, mainly due to it's connection to Superboy and it's the only place to read Red Robin, but the book lacks a spark. The other title I'm disappointed to not be enjoying is Justice League International. Before the new 52 DC had really fleshed out Booster Gold, made him an interesting and unique character, he was instrumental in Flashpoint and introducing the new 52, but... He's not cutting it in JLI. The whole thing just isn't working. After 5 or 6 issues I feel very little for the characters, there is very little "chemistry" between them, the reason for their existence feels forced (which makes sense in context, but doesn't necessarily make for a good story), and I don't feel like the title has consistently given me a reason to come back month after month. I was mostly coming back to give it a chance.

[ThePatheticClub]

I'm still faithfully reading 4 titles out of a bout 15 that I sampled.

A-Man (A great read)
Wonder Woman (A mostly better read than A-Man in my opinion)
Catwoman (Reliably entertaining month after month)
Flash (gorgeously fun book)

I'm on the fence about Swamp Thing. I think it's actually a pretty boring and flat read but I stuck with it until now because of it's connection to A-Man. I think I'm done with that experiment.
I've temporarily dropped Action Comics. Rags isn't turning my crank. I'm pretty sure I "get" what they are going for script and layout wise but the rendering makes my eyes sad.
Aquaman is a mediocre, plodding story, dropped it.
JLA is a Michael Bay movie, dropped it.
Supergirl took a nose dive, dropped it.
JLI first arc ended with a wimper, dropped it.
I had tried a few others but am just naming those that I stayed with for more than 2 issues.

Shade isn't officially part of the New 52 but other than the Darwynn Cooke issue, which was nice to look at but a clunker in terms of reading experience, this series has been brilliant. I probably prefer Cully Hamner to Cooke on this title.

[Chester Alamo Costello]

Still reading 8, truly enjoying Batman, and the parallels in the Animal Man and Swamp Thing.

[Jon O]

I started by getting all 52 and have been tapering that down into a more manageable chunk:

I will be getting every Batwoman, Captain Atom, and Flash title without fail.  These three books have always impressed me in art and writing.  They get me excited about comics month after month.

Batman, Animal Man, and Frankenstein are always impressive too.  I'm worried about the creative switches coming to a few of these titles, but I'm going to stick them out for awhile.

Wonder Woman, Justice League International, and Demon Knights are all really fun for me, but I'm less jazzed on those than a few of the others.

I'm liking Action, Superman, Batwing, Swamp Thing, and some others, but as finances crunch down I'm going to be dropping more of these to pick up books I've really been enjoying from other places like Snarked, Usagi Yojimbo, and Conan.

So I think the 52 was a huge success, I'm not only reading more DC than ever, but I'm reading more floppies than ever. There are little disappointments here and there, but I think this was one of the coolest 'events' in my life of comics.

[RickV]

I will need to begin this with a preface but as a comics reader I only have gotten into single issues and buying them on a regular basis within the past year and a half. It has been collections and other means *cough* *cough* prior to that.

So I tried a majority of the first issues in the store and I enjoyed like 5 or 6 books enough to keep up but as the first story lines have been coming to a head and ending I have lost interest with every single one of them.

The other thing is right when these books were loosing steam Fatale, Prophey and Glory hit like a hurricane and I have basically washed my hands of DC & Marvel to a large extent (the double shipping inconsistencies was Marvel's nail) and I am happy just buying monthly Dark Horse & Image & Other comics saving money and using that for more interesting series.

[Farrell]

I have a lot of thoughts on the new 52 overall, but I'll limit myself to specific reactions to the books I've read so far.

I still like and plan to get Wonder Woman and Batwoman.  I haven't actually read either title for a few issues, but that's normal for me.  I let issues build up of even my favorite books.

I read the first issue of Batman and liked it fine.  I *might* continue with it at some point.  Like The Questyen, I'm not a particular fan of Capullo's artwork, though.

Swamp Thing and Demon Knights I tried and dropped.  I really wanted to like the former, but as a long time reader of Swamp Thing, I wasn't interested in the recapping/re-imagining being done.  It was boring.  It was like, "I already know who Abby is.  Tell a story now."  DK, I LOVED the art, but Cornell's authorial voice is just annoying to me.

The few others I tried, I didn't get very far with.  Detective Comics I only bought to sell on Ebay, to be honest (something I would normally never do, but I was super broke at the time).  I did read it, and thought it was terrible.  OMAC I liked okay, but haven't been compelled to revisit.  Other than that, I've read a few 4-6 page previews, and nothing else grabbed me.

EDIT:  I forgot about a couple.  Blackhawks was okay.  I certainly didn't hate it as much as many people seemed to, but the art wasn't to my taste, and ultimately I didn't care enough to keep going.  Jonah Hex had a great first issue, but (again, unlike most people) I really can't stand Moritat's art, so once the story quality dipped in the second issue, I found my enthusiasm flagging.

[JimN]

I tried over half of the line out of the gate but I dropped out completely months ago. That's due in part to a lack of funds for comics right now but mainly to indifference about the comics. I didn't stick with any new 52 titles past the third issue and most were one or two and done. There are just too many other comics I'd rather read and although there were some good reads in that initial blitzkrieg of releases, nothing grabbed me, held me riveted and had me eagerly awaiting issue after issue. 99% of it felt like the same old stuff in a shiny new package.

I'm excited about a few of the new Vertigo titles that are supposed to hit the shelves in March.

Jim

[Tom Morris]

I think the real problem from the start was that they launched 52 new titles.  They should have launched 35-40 instead.  Several of the new ones just had no chance to succeed and some of the creative teams didn't work.  I feel bad that OMAC got canceled but Firestorm stays?  Also some of the major titles like Superman have not kept the buzz going.

[JoeyN]

I still read as much DC as I did before launch (which is a lot), though some titles replaced all the Lantern titles I dropped. Biggest disappointment for me are the Superman/Action books. What was a hope for a good retelling of the character has become a mess.   Then there are other titles which got some bad press for the first issues like Catwoman, and Red Hood which have turned out to be some of my favorite books of the relaunch.

I feel bad that OMAC got canceled but Firestorm stays?

I love Omac, but it wasn't even in the top 100 of sales. Firestorm was, thus why it stays (and I did not like it all).

[slurmo]

As for OMAC & Firestorm, it's all about name recognition. The original OMAC lasted 8 issues, Byrne's take 4 issues (I think) and then this new series. Where as Firestorm has had more successfull series and a grater presence in the DCU through out the years. People will stiil buy Coke over Shasta or RC despite price differences because the name sells the product and not the other way. Some could argue quality of product but one could always argue conditioning to that product via advertisements and availablity.


I'm digging the new 52 thus far. I'm reading about 7 titles right now, although that may change a bit during the 8 month shake up. I'll probably be down to 6 but I have been trying other series in 3 issue chunks. Most surprising to me was Wonder Woman. I loved those 3 issues I'm just waiting until issue 6 drops price (digital) to $2 to pick up the next 3.

I think DC's gamble is working (for me at least) although I am weary and not to thrilled about crossovers so soon. But I'm skipping all things BAT so It's not really gonna affect me much.

[Kenney]

I tried over half of the line out of the gate but I dropped out completely months ago. That's due in part to a lack of funds for comics right now but mainly to indifference about the comics.

I feel pretty similarly. I'm indifferent to a great deal of the New 52 lineup. I do still read, and adore, Batman month to month. I read the first 4 issues of Animal Man, and the first issue of Wonder Woman, and liked them both enough to return to them in the future (I like to read most comics in chunks). Other than that? I just have very little interest in most of the books.

That, of course, is not a commentary on the quality of the titles. 

[The Questyen]

I've kind of dropped off comics for the last six months but I have read the first four issues of Batman (since I had a subscription) and I'm not that impressed. The story is decent but the artwork is not doing anything for me. Capullo cannot draw a face to save his life. There's a bunch of pages in the middle of issue 4 with Dick and Bruce talking where every other panel has a character either cross-eyed or looking "derped out".

[David]

As for OMAC & Firestorm, it's all about name recognition. The original OMAC lasted 8 issues, Byrne's take 4 issues (I think).

It was a prestige format miniseries.

[evaD]

I'm excited about a few of the new Vertigo titles that are supposed to hit the shelves in March.

Jim

Me, too.

[Dean S.]

Me, too.

Me three.  I'm still reading Batman and am excited about it.  I stuck with Batwoman until JHWIII rotated away from the art, but I was losing interest in it.  The art was beautiful, but it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before from him.  I'd rather see him tackle something new.

I feel like I SHOULD check out Animal Man and Swamp Thing since I enjoyed the first 2 issues and like the creators, but I don't feel a burning desire to read them.

I'm a bajillion times more excited about the Vertigo series and some of the other new things coming out of Image.

[DGoodhart]

As for OMAC & Firestorm, it's all about name recognition. The original OMAC lasted 8 issues, Byrne's take 4 issues (I think) and then this new series. Where as Firestorm has had more successfull series and a grater presence in the DCU through out the years. People will stiil buy Coke over Shasta or RC despite price differences because the name sells the product and not the other way. Some could argue quality of product but one could always argue conditioning to that product via advertisements and availablity.

I tend to think the cancellation of OMAC is also a little more than name recognition as well and beyond just poor sales too... Out of all of the New 52 titles, OMAC screamed "comic book" and embraced all of the conventions associated with a fun comic book of past generations, and obviously with the exception of a lot of us here (it was my absolute favorite of the entire New 52), I tend to think that was a huge turn-off to the "new reader."  Looking in around the DC Comics forum, I tend to see some posts from people who damn near resent it that older creators like Perez, Jurgens, Ordway and Giffen are still even given the chance to work on titles just because they're "old school" (and if someone can ever explain the difference to me about that, well, I'd appreciate it- Giffen himself said he didn't know what that means).  OMAC's cancellation was really dismaying...

[Steve Raker]

I've cut the wheat from the chaff and am left with Batman, Batwoman (in collected form) and Swamp Thing (also collected form). 

I read the first few issues of almost everything and these are the only few to stick.

Any of them could've easily existed as or nearly as is in the old/new/second DCU.

[Tempo House]

I am still head over heels for Animal Man, Wonder Woman, and Batwoman. I still enjoy Batman, I Vampire, and Frankenstein tremendously, and find the Legion titles, Red Hood, Resurrection Man, Aquaman, Swamp Thing, and the Flash to be fun reads, and I follow a couple of more titles because I either expect that they will click with me at some point, or that they are not below the threshold that warrants dumping them.

That said, the greatest change the new 52 brought into my life is that (like others mentioned) I started buying monthlies. They are 90% DC at this point (10% Image), because I follow only some Marvel titles and because they have better trades policy, I usually pick them up in trades.

But what this does to me is now is that I am even more aware of the pervasiveness of decompressed storytelling and I am wondering whether buying these stories in single issues really makes any sense at all. I would love to follow these stories in trades and consume them in the larger chunks that they are apparently designed to be consumed in, but with DCs track record of waiting forever before they release their volumes....

So I think I am getting to a point where I too will start piling them up in 6 to 10 issue chunks before I start reading them ... and that to me is the ultimate "marshmallow test" that I am bound to fail.

Back to the new 52: I think there are some excellent lines in that bunch that are well worth the anticipation and since I never expected all of them to be awesome, as far as enjoying and having fun with them and more is concerned, I think they have about 25 to 30% hit rate and I think that's pretty damn good.

Just my $0.02.

[TimmyWood]

I loved
Animal Man
Swamp Thing
Wonder Woman
Flash
Batman
All Start Western
OMAC
Frankenstien
All Star Western

I like
Suicide Squad
Deathstroke
JLI
Action Comics

However I am like 3 issues behind on ALL of these titles. So I am not loving them that much obviously. I think I am going to drop Deathstroke after this arc and those other three are on the fence.

[RickV]

But what this does to me is now is that I am even more aware of the pervasiveness of decompressed storytelling and I am wondering whether buying these stories in single issues really makes any sense at all. I would love to follow these stories in trades and consume them in the larger chunks that they are apparently designed to be consumed in, but with DCs track record of waiting forever before they release their volumes....

That is also what the Image titles did for me, Bulletproof Coffin, Prophet, Glory, Fatale etc etc all feel like they have more going on in each issue so it feels like the single issue is still working with those. The DC books feel like parts of a story more than they should.