Brave New World

Zombipanda

My Boom-Boom's mostly gay
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
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So, I picked this up yesterday with my other comics. For those that don't know, it's an 80-page comic that reviews 5 upcoming minis and one upcoming ongoing. Most of them are hit and miss, but it's still definitely worth a dollar. Everyone even slightly interested in the DCU should pick it up. Anyway, here's my feel for the stories.

Martian Manhunter by AJ Lieberman, drawn by Al Barrionuevo, eight issues

I dig the Manghunter, but the preview doesn't provide an incredibly interesting hook. There's an evil green martian on earth. Manhunter is isolated from his team mates. Blah blah blah. It could be good, but it just reads as retread. There is a cool part where it looks like Jonn is standing with the classic Justice League until the panel rotates to show them as cardboard stand-ups. The mini could be interesting, but this really provides little indication o that.

OMAC by Bruce Jones and Renato Guedes, eight issues

It's Terminator 2, with really atrocious writing, and unbelievably awful banter between the two main characters. And in the end "It was all a dreaaaaaam!" Just awful, all around. Plus, Jones' writing of drug culture characters is hilarious.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, drawn by Daniel Acuna, eight issues

Maybe it's just a sour taste left over from Battle For Bludhaven, but this really doesn't grab me. Father Time's an interestnig character, and I've always liked the idea of a public government group of superheroes, but these guys were introduced in Bludhaven, and are pretty much the farthest thing from interesting. On the other hand, Uncle Sam is straight up Clint Eastwood with a top hat and beard. It's a real shame that we only see the titular character in one panel, because the antagonists who take up most of the preview aren't really interesting at all.

The Creeper by Steve Niles, art by Justiniano, six issues

I went into this skeptical, but it's actually one of the more promising minis. The art's pretty slick, kind of reminding me of early Spawn, and the character could be interesting. A strongly opinionated left wing hero could be damn interesting if played right. The whole angle of him discrediting heroes in his news personality while secretly fighting crime as one is classic, but really not believable in the situation. Either way, I'll probably pick up the first ish of this.

The Atom by Gail Simone, art by John Byrne, ongoing

This is awesome. Wacky super-science in the DCU. The science quotes sprinkled throughout are fun, the banter's amusing, and the premise of the villains is killer. The art isn't particularly distinctive, but it's technically good. This book's definitely a keeper.

The Trials of Shazam! by Judd Winnick, art by Howard Porter

Thoroughly awesome. In a few pages, it establishes the new role of magic in the DCU, which is dynamic and chaotic. We get all sorts of magical monster weirdos, and a good set-up for the role of the Shazam family post-Crisis. And I can't get enough of the art. It's simply amazing. Definitely a keeper.

Out of all the previews, the only two definite winners are Shazam and Atom. They both look incredibly solid, and provide interesting perspectives on super-science and magic in the post-Crisis DCU. They also give us fresh and interesting antagonists. OMAC is completely awful. Everything else is pretty much a toss-up. But either way, it's definitely worth it for the Shazam and Atom previews.

Not to mention, the mystery reveal at the end of the issue. I think a lot of people saw it coming, but it doesn't change the fact that the guest appearance of
THE MONITORS!!
is great.
 
The Atom - Oh my yes. A new Atom, with a support team of crazy scientists, written by Gail Simone? I'm there.

Shazam - Still stoked about this one. Loving Porters new style.

Freedom Fighters - I think I'm one of 3 people who thought battle for Bludhaven got progressivly better each issue. I'll be picking this up. And I love the new Human Bomb.

The rest are kinda ho-hum. I might check out The Creeper, but don't plan to get any of the others.

Oh yeah, and
The Moniters. I wonder what thier deal is going to be. And doesn't one look an awful lot like our old buddy the Anti-Moniter?
 
Baxter said:
The Atom - Oh my yes. A new Atom, with a support team of crazy scientists, written by Gail Simone? I'm there.

You know, she named the new character Panda after me.
 
Shazam still, no more Atom. Just not for me. Surprisingly, I enjoyed everything except OMAC and Atom. Trades maybe....
 
yuck what a crappy magizine thank god i got it for free from a friend at the comic book store
 

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