In conjunction with the latest podcast here’s my end of the year list of the best, the worst and the guilty pleasures of DC’s reboot dubbed The New 52.
The Best
1) I, Vampire
Yeah that’s right, this is the best DC book right now and it has nothing to do with the normal DCnU at all! If the first two issues didn’t hook you on this love letter to all vampire stories, then the hook at the end of the third issue should have. I, Vampire is to the vampire genre as The Walking Dead (1-50 only) is to the zombie genre. If you’re not reading it then shame on you!
2) Wonder Woman
Let’s be honest the first issue was just good, but the next two were amazing and reinvented Wonder Woman in a way she’s never been done before. The second issue was boom she’s a Greek and Zeus’ daughter; then the third issue had her giving the Amazonians the finger and denouncing her name! Seriously this is the best she’s been in years! She’s so good I don’t even mind that fact that she doesn’t have pants (actually I still do).
3) Demon Knights
This book is crazy and I have no idea how it can keep the momentum it has right now, but I don’t care. It’s good and it uses characters that have resided on the “C-list” in the DCU. Knights is almost a team book, but at the same time it just feels like a huge story that you’re reading and these happen to be the players for that particular page and because of that I love it.
Honorable Mention – Grifter, Supergirl and All-Star Western
The Worst
1) Superboy
I know everyone probably thought I was going to go with either: Green Arrow, Omac, Hawk and Dove or either Legion book, but those were all too easy. They go without saying that their terrible. Superboy is a whole different suck. This book was basically an expanded version of the Young Justice cartoon and frankly came across as if an editor wrote it. The fact that it ties into Teen Titans forces this story to be generic and feel like a tie-in book, meaning that everything it does is just to further the story in the other book.
2) Batman
I know we said we weren’t going to list them, but after removing the obvious ones that I wrote off at the beginning I had to put this one on. Seriously, why does Batman suck? I’ve never cared less about reading a Batman book in my life. This book should have had everything going for it, up and coming writer hot off his run on Detective Comics. The best Spawn artist ever doing mainstream work for the first time ever, but alas it was crap.
3) Flash
Yeah, mother fucking Flash is on this list. Man that book was so disappointing. Out of all of the DC characters Green Lantern and Flash are my favorites so to not be able to read a Flash book because of how terrible it is… is just heart breaking. I will give this book a shot once the creative team finally changes, until then—no thank you.
Honorable Mentions – Men at War, Green Arrow, Legion Lost, Legion of Superheroes, Omac, Hawk and Dove, Batgirl… yeah Batgirl.
Guilty Pleasures
1) Catwoman
I know, I know, but I can’t stop reading this book! It’s completely anti-feminist and yes Catwoman would totally be a sexual predator if she were a man, but it’s a train wreck I can’t stop looking at. I just have to see how far Judd Winick is going to go in order to please the fans. Seriously when’s her first threesome? Soon?
2) Voodoo
You know what? I think DC is making a mistake taking Ron Marz off this book. Sure it's just Species like Kevin said, but how can anyone not read this book and just want to see what the hell happens next. If Catwoman is a train wreck, then Voodoo is the plane the crashed into! There is just something stupidly fun about this book and yes its a bit slutty, but let's be honest there are a lot of male comic readers that are looking for this type of book. If you don't like it buy one of the other 51 titles available, it's not like you don't have other options.
3) JLA
Every fiber of my body says that I should be disgusted with this book and its blatant fan service… but I can’t help but really enjoy it. In fact I wish more of the books took place in the same world, because really they don’t. JLA is fresh and it honestly feels like a rebooted DC whereas a lot of the other titles, even the new ones, just don’t. I don’t love everything about this book and sure it’s destined to mediocracy once the creators leave the book, but for now I’m enjoying things like Superman saying, “You’re strong” and Wonder Woman responding, “I know.” It makes me gitty even while I hate it.
Honorable Mention – Mister Terrific
We’ll there you have. These are my picks for what you should be reading and what you shouldn’t be reading as the year closes on the New 52. Sure we’ve got one more month of newness, but really by the third issue you should know whether a book is a keeper or not.