Justice League: Throne of Atlantis

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis ~ Throne of Atlantis is the first sequel to Justice League: War, which in turn was a result of the New 52 continuity created by The Flashpoint Paradox.  Confused?  Don't be.  Suffice it to say, the DC Comics Universe used to be different and fun, and now it's not.  These are the adventures of what passes for the Justice League in that new world. 

This is a Justice League that doesn't get together for meetings, doesn't look like themselves from the comics (or the ones I fondly remember), and doesn't particularly even like each other - except for Superman and Wonder Woman of course, who are romantically involved.  This team dynamic is a darned shame because the cast has great chemistry.  Nathan Fillian's Green Lantern joins Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Jerry O'Connell as Superman, and Sean Astin as Shazam (who is again sadly neither the wizard nor the real Captain Marvel). 

Thankfully this is not really a story about the Justice League, but more of a(nother) retelling of Aquaman's origin, something done much better in the comics, and in the animated "Justice League" episodes "The Enemy Below."  I really didn't care for the re-jiggering of characters like Mera, Black Manta, Atlanna, and Ocean Master however.

I liked the pseudo-anime style animation and the majestic score by Frederik Wiedmann, who had previously composed for "Beware the Batman" and the much-missed "Green Lantern: The Animated Series."  But that's really about it.  Like previous entries in this new series of animated features, there's a lot of violence, both bloody and lethal, not something I watch superhero cartoons for, at least not to this extent. 

Look for a cameo by pre-Steel as John Henry Irons and a reference to "Mercy Reef," the cool Aquaman spin-off from "Smallville" that never got past the pilot stage.  Not recommended unless a hardcore fan, or you like the New 52 Justice League. 

More DC Rebirth

DC Rebirth continues, so do my reviews. If you want to see what I've said before, click here, here, and here. Today I'm looking at a few more, enjoy.

Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps - When I looked at the Rebirth issue of Green Lanterns I expressed disappointment at not really seeing much of Hal Jordan. While he's not my favorite (that would be the Golden Age Alan Scott), he's a close second, and it's good to see he's at least headlining a title. After an intriguing opening with an aged Sinestro, we get the convoluted recent history of Jordan, which frankly put me to sleep. We get Hal Jordan reborn finally, and possibly a call out to a new Corps, but it seems too little, an attempt at hope, but not quite enough.

Nightwing - I wanted to like this, I really did, but like the first title here, it is bogged down in unnecessary continuity. I have always liked Dick Grayson. I thought he was a bit of a dope on the 1966 TV series, but when I read his solo college stories in the comics, I was all in on Dick, he was cool. I dug him as Nightwing in the Titans, solo not so much, and I did enjoy the comics when he was a spy in Grayson when I picked them up. This comic didn't have any of the stuff I liked in it, and I really wish it did.

Red Hood and the Outlaws - I hated this book and concept the first time I read it waaay back in The New 52, and it does not seem to have aged well since then. At least we get a solid origin for Jason Todd all in one place, but that's about the best I can say about it. I still don't know what Bizarro and is that Circe? have to do with this title.

Suicide Squad - With the specter of a bad received movie haunting this one, I don't know what to think of this one. Why is Harley Quinn here? This is like going to a remake of a movie you loved and having it be nearly unrecognizable. I probably won't be back.

New Super-Man - Unlike those above, this one was probably so good because it was refreshingly new - new character, new situation, no baggage - more like a birth than a rebirth. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun. I want to read more. This one is a keeper.

DC Comics Rebirth Continues

A couple weeks back, I looked at the introductory comic, DC Universe Rebirth, and since then more than a few first issues of this new continuity dynamic have come out. Here I'll look at some of them briefly.

Superman - One of the bits in the above-mentioned comic that I didn't care about was the death of the New 52 Superman. This comic picks up on those hanging threads as the pre-Flashpoint Superman visits the Fortress of Solitude and reminisces about Doomsday with the New 52 Lana Lang. It was more fun and much better than I expected. I want to read more, despite the huge amount of baggage here to move forward.

Batman - Much like Superman, I'm not thrilled with the new Batman costume. Sorry, I'm a traditionalist and resistant to most change. If it was an alternate Batman, I'd be cool, but not the 'real' Batman. Much of the issue is taken up by the Calendar Man and his antics, including a weird new supernatural twist of his aging and rejuvenating through the seasons. There is also the inclusion of Duke Thomas, who may or may not be a new Robin, or perhaps a Lark, or something new. Darker and more sociopathic than I like my Batman, I'll pass.

Wonder Woman - Greg Rucka returns to the Amazon Princess in this issue, and while his run was critically acclaimed, it was not by me, as you can see here. This Rebirth issue, while well done, enticing, and encouraging, is one of those 'everything-you-know-is-a-lie' stories that may or may not return Wonder Woman to what I consider greatness, or create yet another version of the character I won't be reading. It's a great start, let's hope it's the former and not the latter.

Titans - I miss the Teen Titans, and yeah, I'm in get-off-my-lawn-mode, but I was never a big fan of the New Teen Titans that everyone went gaga over in the 1980s. They were cool, yeah, but my Titans were the Nick Cardy teen hero generation of the early 1970s. What's weird is that these Rebirth Titans are twisted versions of the ones I dug. I looked forward to this book as Wally West was the best thing about DC Universe Rebirth and I wanted to see more - what I got instead was a distorted revisionist history of characters I thought I knew. It isn't the same, as a matter of fact, it's all-new. I don't know who any of these people are, and I'm not interested.

Green Arrow - One of the tragedies of the new 52 in my opinion was the rejuvenation and Tony Stark-ization of Green Arrow, as well as the removal of Black Canary as his romantic and 'business' partner. Their reunion is about all I liked about this new start, I disliked the art and the story as well.

Green Lanterns - I'm sure Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz are someone's favorite Green Lanterns but I'm just not that into them. This book is more about them than Hal Jordan, and if I'm going to read a Geoff Johns Green Lantern comic, I want Hal Jordan. Pass.

Aquaman - Speaking of Johns, another great bit from the original Rebirth comic was Aquaman proposing to Mera, thereby breaking the unspoken rule about no happy marriages in the DC Universe. The problem of course is that Johns is not writing the new Aquaman series, so who knows what happens next. Dan Abnett, who had been writing the regular series, feels right at home with this soft reboot. I look forward to more of this, and more of Black Manta.

Flash - As I said, Wally West was my favorite part of the book that started all this, so like Titans, this was another I was looking forward to. The first thing that struck me was the art. It's not bad per se, but it's definitely not suited to the character of The Flash. Carmine Di Giadomenico is a terrific artist, and I admire his attempts to pay homage to Carmine Infantino, but for me, it just doesn't work. We don't get much more in the way of story than we did in the initial Rebirth book. It reminded me very much of the retelling going on in Marvel's Civil War II. I'm still on the fence with this one.

DC Universe Rebirth

This was supposed to be the book of the week, the big comic book event, but Marvel Comics trumped it by making Captain America a Hydra agent. Yeah, it sounds like a headline from the Bizarro World doesn't it? I guess that clinches it. Marvel Comics hates superheroes more than Fredric Wertham. But while Marvel is stumbling backward into darkness, DC Comics is forging forward… to rebuild their broken universe, their broken characters, and reach out to readers old and new, rather than drive them away.

On point with this endeavor is writer Geoff Johns, who after fifteen pages of DC Universe Rebirth had me smiling. I don't smile at DC Comics, not in a long time now. The story follows Kid Flash, the real Kid Flash, Wally West from the old days, as he tries to find his way out of the Speed Force, and contact his old friends to warn them. Yeah, warn them of a danger that may have caused the New 52 Universe, and apparently no, it wasn't Flashpoint.

And about that, for those who haven't read it, here come the spoilers, so act appropriately. While I loved Watchmen, even the movie, the videogame, and a few of the prequels even, I have never been one of those fans that held it up as holy and untouchable. Alan Moore has written a few good comics, yes, but he is not a god. So the core thrust behind what caused the New 52 Universe and stole a decade from my favorite heroes and sliced and diced their memories is okay with me. I actually kinda dig the idea, and can't wait to see it further explored.

Now that that is out of the way, I can talk about how much I enjoyed this book. I loved seeing Wally again, and his tour of the New 52 Universe made things even better as we got to see Batman, Johnny Thunder, the Atoms, the Blue Beetles, maybe Saturn Girl, and so many others. I loved seeing Wally's origin relived through new artists' eyes, and the mystery of the three Jokers, the sadness of a Green Arrow and Black Canary who don't know each other, Aquaman's proposal to Mera, and really, who didn't cry when Wally encountered Linda Park, and then Barry Allen.

I honestly don't know which, if any, of the new DC Comics I will be picking up, but I will say this - they have my interest, and I sure as hell enjoyed this issue, and want to see what comes next! What did you folks think?

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox ~ Flashpoint is both the last storyline of the old DC Comics universe, and the prologue to what's become known as The New 52 DC Comics universe. It's a time travel tale that centers on The Flash, alters his past and sets into motion an entirely new timeline, and not necessarily a good one. In the comics it is the fixing of this time travel tampering that creates The New 52.

I find it really odd that this would be a story the folks at DC would want to make an animated movie of. It's complex, it's confusing for newcomers, and in that the Reverse-Flash murders young Barry Allen's mother as the catalyst, and I'm not even including the bloody war between the Atlanteans and the Amazons - this is not for kids. Why this? I'm not even sure it was all that well received sales wise. Nevertheless, here we are.

The animation has a very anime feel, much like Superman Vs. The Elite, not that I mind it, but let's just say I've been spoiled by the Paul Dini DCAU. It starts with Nora Allen's murder, although we don't see it and moves to present day with a regretful Barry Allen. He's still the Flash and heads over to Flash Museum to fight a handful of Rogues.

I dug this part a lot. It made me wish for a straight Flash animated series. The scarlet speedster takes on Captain Cold, Heatwave, Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, surprisingly The Top, and of course the original Reverse-Flash. Some of the costumes are tweaked a bit, I hate Mirror Master's chunky suit, but the rest are cool. Look close and have a finger on your pause button and you'll see Inertia. Too bad the Justice League had to show up.

The voice casting is classic, some of it dating back to the Dini days. Kevin Conroy returns as Batman; Hynden Walch, the voice of Harley Quinn, plays Yo-Yo, her new timeline alternate; Dana Delany reprises Lois Lane; and Nathan Fillion plays Hal Jordan again. Also on tap this time are Ron Perlman as Deathstroke, Cary Elwes as Aquaman, Kevin McKidd as 'Batdad,' and C. Thomas Howell as Professor Zoom. Starring as Flash/Barry Allen is Justin Chambers from "Grey's Anatomy."

While it is a bit violent for my tastes and it gets a bit tedious toward the middle (obviously from trying to squeeze in ever detail from the comics), all in all, it's not bad. The beginning in the Flash Museum and the end in the Batcave are my favorite parts. And while it is not said aloud, the Batman and Flash seen at the end are The New 52 versions, which marks the division for later animated movies to come. The New 52 is now the status quo for the DCAU.