Zack Snyder tweets the first Justice League trailer.

The bits in the trailer are visually similar to Batman v Superman, even with the bluish hue, yet the tome is very similar to that of a Marvel movie.

Snyder might have taken notes from his critics, besides the humor, and more joyful attitude of the characters, Ezra Miller looks a lot les like a slacker and more like the TV version.

It is also noteworthy that Bruce Wayne is the one recruiting other heroes, not Batman.

It is also noteworthy that the Elongated Man is not included in this movie. Well, no, that's comes without saying, but I noticed anyway.

¡Viva los Superhéroes!: Yes, they have different names in Spanish

I was recently asked about my nickname (no, Rafa Rivas is not my real name). It comes from "Rafael Rivas", the real name the Elongated Man or El Hombre Elástico gets in Spanish translations.

Clark Kent is still Clark Kent, no Spanish name for him. However, most superheroes, villains and supporting characters have Spanish names like that.

So, just because, here is a list of the most notorious ones. I'll write in gray the most accurate they could have used instead (but didn't).

Superman / Clark Kent: Supermán / Clark Kent. 

Batman / Bruce Wayne: Batman / Bruno Díaz.
Robin / Dick Grayson: Robin / Ricardo Tapia.
Wonder Woman / Diana Prince: Mujer Maravilla (o Marvila) / Diana Pérez. Diana Príncipe.
Wonder Girl / Donna Troy: Chica Maravilla / Dina Rosas. Dona Troya 

Elongated Man / Ralph Dibny: Hombre Elástico / Rafael Rivas. 

Sue Dibny: Susana Rivas.
Supergirl / Linda Lee: Superchica / Linda Lara.

Aquaman: Aquamán (can't recall if there was any translation for Arthur Curry, but it's likely Arturo something). Arturo Curi (although it would make him a Latin Lebanese). 

Green Lantern / Hal Jordan: Linterna Verde / Raúl Jordán. Hal (Haroldo) Jordán.

Flash / Barry Allen: Flash / Bruno Alba. "Flushman" in Argentina (for some reason).

Kid Flash / Wally West: Flashito / Carlos Vela. Gualter Oeste.

Martian Manhunter / John Jones: Detective Marciano / Julio Jordán. Juán Juanez.

Hawkman / Carter Hall: Hombre Halcón / Carlos Lara. Carlos Salón. 

Hawkwoman / Shiera Hall: Mujer Halcón / Mirna Lara.

Green Arrow / Oliver Queen: Flecha Verde / Oliverio Reyna. 

Black Canary / Dinah Lance: Canario Negro / Diana Ríos. Dina Lanza.

Atom / Ray Palmer: Átomo / Ray Palmer. Raymundo "Ray" Palmera.

Adam Strange: Adán Luna. Adán Extraño.
Zatanna: Zitana. That one seems to makes no sense, as zitana is meaningless. Zatanna.
Batgirl / Barbara Gordon: Batichica / Bárbara Fierro.

Red Tornado / John Smith: Tornado Rojo / Juan Pérez. 

Flash I / Jay Garrick: Flash / Jorge Forcada.

Firestorm / Ronnie Raymond: Antorcha / Ronnie Raymond. Ronaldo Raymundo.

Captain Marvel / Billy Batson: Capitán Maravilla / Memo Batson. Beto Basto.
Guy Gardner: Gil Garza. Gil Jardinero. (G and J sound alike in Spanish).
Mr. Miracle / Scott Free: Sr. Milagro / Oscar Liberal.
Starman: Astro.
Hourman: Horario.
Wildcat: Gato Montés.
Johnny Thunder: Juan Trueno.
Sandman: Arenero.

Starfire: Nova.

Changeling: Mutante.

Raven: Corvina.
Darkseid: Oscuranto, Morbus or Penumbra.

With Superman characters they tend to keep both names or at least the last one in English:

Lex Luthor: Lex Luthor.
Lois Lane: Luisa Lane.

Jimmy Olsen: Jaime Olsen. Jaime Olmos.

Perry White: Pedro White. Pedro Blanco.

Lana Lang: Lina Luna.

Pete Ross: Pedro Ross or Fernando Suárez.

Brainiac: Cerebro ("Brain"). Cerebrático.

Metallo: Metálico ("Metallic"). Metalo.
Parasite: Parásito.
Mr. Mxyzptlk: Senor Mxyzptlk (pronounced misleplik).
Bizarro: Bizarro (And "bizarro" is Spanish for "bizarre").
Krypto: Krypto.

Batman characters:

Commissioner Gordon: Comisionado Fierro.

Catwoman: Gatúbela (close to "Catarella", like Vampirella or Barbarella).

Joker: Guasón or Arlequín.

Penguin: Pingüino.

Mr. Freeze: Capitán Frio (Somehow they gave him the name that should be used for the enemy of the Flash —sometimes they use "Señor Gélido", a better translation).

The Riddler: El Acertijo.

Egghead: Cascarón (meaning "Eggshell"). Cabeza de Huevo.
King Tut: Rey Tut.

Gotham City: Ciudad Gótica.

Poison Ivy: Hiedra Venenosa, or Hortiga.

Two-Face: Dos Caras or Doble Cara ("Double Face").

The Ventriloquist / Scarface: Ventrílocuo / Cara Marcada.

Clayface: Cara de Barro.

Harley Quinn: Arlequín (sometimes Arly Quin).

Teams

Justice League of America: La Liga de la Justicia de América ("de América" is rarely said).
Justice Society of America: Los Defensores de la Justicia ("de América" is rarely said).
Doom Patrol: La Patrulla Salvadora o El Escuadron Suicida (that last one is "Suicide Squad", lol).

Teen Titans: Los Héroes Juveniles o Los Jóvenes Titanes. Los Adolescentes Titanes.

Wonder Twins: Gemelos Fantásticos.

Cities, places, and stuff
Gotham City: Ciudad Gótica ("Gothic City").
Metropolis: Metrópolis.
Krypton: Krytón or Kriptón.
Smallville: Villa Chica.
Coast City: Ciudad Costera.
The Watchtwer: La Atalaya.
The Batcave: La Baticueva (a made-up word).
Batmobile: Batimovil (another made-up word —since "bat" is "murciégalo", and that's too long, anything Batman-related is translated with the meaningless prefix "bati-", as in Batichica, Batibúmerang, Bati).
The Daily Planet: El Planeta ("The Planet").

Marvel:

Spider-man / Peter Parker: El Hombre Araña / Pedro Márquez.
Dr. Octopus: Dr. Pulpo.
Green Goblin: E Duende Verde. El Orco Verde.
Sandman: El Arenero.
Fatastic Four: Los Cuatro Fantásticos.
Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards: Sr. Fantástico / Enrique Ricardo.
Invisible Woman / Sue Storm: La Mujer Invisible / Susana Sánchez.
Human Torch / Johnny Storm: La Antorcha Humana / Juan Sánchez.
The Thing / Ben Grimm: La Mole / Benito Gris. La Cosa.
Dr. Doom: Dr. Muerte. Dr. Perdición.
Galactus: Alberto el Hambriento (Hilarious! That means "Hungry Albert").
X-Men: La Patrulla-X, Los Hombres X ("X" or "equis" is a bit funny, because the word modern slang for "generic", "indifferent", or "it's ok").
Wolverine / Logan:  Guepardo / Leonardo (keep in mind that "guepardo" is Spanish for cheetah). Also: Emilio Garra, Lobezno, Carcayú, Glotón, Aguja Dinámica ("Dynamic Needle") and Aullador ("howler"). Carcayu. Carcayú or glotón are the right way to call a wolverine (gulo gulo), and "lobezno" is only ok for a wolf pup).
Morpho: Morfo.
Professor X / Charles Xavier: Profesor X (the X is pronounced "equis") / Carlos Xavier (prounounced "ha•vee•er"). He is often called "Profesor Xavier" instead of Profesor X.
Magneto: Magneto (although "a magnet" is "un magneto" in Spanish).
Rogue / Titania. Pilla.
Daredevil: Dan Defensor ("Dan Defender"), or Diabólico (Diabolic). Tough one. Dan Defender is pretty bad, but the translation would be "Temerario", which has no D or anything to do with "devil".
Dr. Strange: Dr. Centella. Dr. Extraño.

The Elongated Man rocks MAD!!

Ralph's back, baby! 

The 20th episode of the 2nd season of MAD, first aired February 27, 2012 (sorry for being late, I somehow missed it) features a short titled "That's What Super Friends Are For", in which the most notorious all-time members of the Justice League (and then some) sing complaining about -- well, just check it out:

 

The creators went with the most classic members and their most classic look as well - which I guess lead them to include the Elongated Man, who was a member for 20 years and in 3 incarnations. All I can say is "kudos DC, Mad and WB! Way to celebrate what made you what you are!". 

I like that Ralph was recognizable even in the part in which his body is not shown. All the song is full of fun references to DC history, so there's a lot to enjoy, specially for those who, like me, really enjoy DC and parodies.

Some oddities include some JSA members and Teen Titans that have never been part of the team, like Bart Allen and Dr. Mid-nite. However, their bits were pretty cool. Firestorm and the Atom are mysteriously missing. Oh, well, we can't have it all. It was great seing Ted and Ralph anyway.

DC Nation will feature some DC-related MAD shorts, so expect it to be reran. 

Have a Merry Christmas, everybody!

Merry Christmas, Jean, Sue, Ralph, Iris, Barry and Ray!

Merry Christmas Julie, Gardner, John, Carmine, Murphy, Joe, Len, Dick, Gerry, Mike, Ty, Keith, John Marc, Bart, Mark and Brad.

Merry Christmas Frank, IndiaInk, Shag, Jay, Michael, Matt, Saranga, Rafael, Aleus, Martin, Busterella, Daniel and the rest of my very appreciated readers.

... and very Elongated holdays!

I tried to find a decent Christmasy picture of the Elongated Man and all I got was a weird Justice League story from the issue #152 of the original run and the one you are seeing, which comes from Earth-51, from Countdown to Final Crisis #19. I guess a better pic of Ralph (or Ralph and Sue) would be in my X-mas wish list, haha. By the way, I'm not sure about Jean, but there's one tiny Jew in that party, so the pic also works for the season holidays in general.

Elongated Art: The Elongated Man Vs. Darkseid!




Missed him, Fartseid!


Believe it or not, somebody thought it would be a good idea to portray the Elongated Man fighting Darkseid (the ultimate and most powerful villain of the DC Universe) for the Justice League Unlimited promotional art. If that wasn't odd enough, Ralph seems to have the upper hand, and we could only assume that if he decided to attack the most powerful being is because he his brilliant detective mind determined that he has the advantage.

This odd match never actually happened in the comics. There are few degrees between them: The Elongated Man inspired Mr. Fastastic, who was created by Jack Kirby, who also created Darkseid. Even shorter, Darkseid is enemy of the Justice League, of which the Elongated Man is a member. However, they never met and Kirby never even drew the Elongated Man.

I might be wrong, but I don't believe that kind of promotional art comes from Bruce Timm (creator of Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Unlimited , and the rest of the series in that continuity), the quality does not match his pin ups. At least I don't think he does more than rough sketches, completed by other people. However, this is still a pretty good pic. Darkseid's body looks odd, but Ralph looks awesome. It's rare to find great poses for him, but they just hit the right spot with this one.


 

The Elongated Man and Wife: Embargoed?!

As I mentioned before, the Dibnys had a brief period of hype from 2003 to 2004; however, since 2007 they have been making less and less appearances. I'm talking comics, animation and action figures. For a while, I have been suspecting that the respectable DC powers that be were avoiding him, and now I just learned something that seems to back that. Brian "Pendragon" Isaacs posted this at his blog:

"I got a chance to talk to Scott [Neitlich, AKA Toy Guru, from Mattel] at New York Comic Con about when, we the fans will be seeing Ralph in action figure form. If DC Comics has anything to say about it, it’ll be never.

"For those who don’t know, or can’t tell, Scott himself is a comic fan, and a big fan of the JLA Satellite Era. He went to bat for us collectors and got shot down. Mattel’s hands are tied, as this is a license they have to pay for.

"DC Comic’s reasoning…They don’t feel Ralph is a significant character, not deserving of an action figure, and don’t want to invest any more money into him."

(Read the full article at his blog).

Why indeed. Their importance is being recognized both by Flash and Geoff Johns, but what's the point to this scene? Why leaving the Dibnys out of this scene if there were not going to be part of another story? 

I once managed to get a direct confirmation from Dan DiDio that there are no plans for the Dibnys; however, according to Brian, this has nothing to do with him or Jim Lee, this one comes from upstairs.

Brian's proposal is to have a respectful letter writing campaign, asking to make the Dibnys part of the DCnU and Mattel's DC Universe Classics collection (I'll add DC Universe Online and Young Justice). So please spend $.44 on a stamp and send your letters to:

Diane Nelson
President
DC Comics
1700 Broadway # 7
New York, NY 10019-5905

It's also important to spread the word and figure out other strategies to get Ralph back. Remember that we should avoid pointing fingers; disrespect won't get us anywhere.

Here are some reasons to restore Ralph and Sue:

• He was a member of the 3 first incarnations of the Justice League and was one of the longest staying member (about 20 years). At one point around the mid 90s, he was the member with the longest mileage. Not even Lois belongs to the JL, Sue became bureau chief (this means control outside the field, like Max).

• They are a silver age legacy. Their most important stories were handled directly by Julius Schwartz, John Broome, Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino. Len Wein put Ralph in the League, Keith Giffen in JLI, Mike W. Barr created the modern version and Mark Waid and Grant Morrison gave him his ultimate mystery.  
• They are both basic to the Flash (Barry) mythos, which is not that rich without the Gallery. During the first decade of Barry, only Iris and Wally were more recurring than Ralph (Mirror Master matched him when he got his 'tec feature). Barry's supporting cast are basically Iris, Wally, the Allens, Dexter Myles, Hal, Fiona and the Dibnys. They were on his last thoughts before he "died" and on his first thoughts after Brightest Day. 

• The Elongated Man is a Detective Comics classic. He had the most recurring feature after Slam and the Martian Manhunter. 

• The Dibnys belong to DC's top social circle. They knew the secret identity of anybody who's somebody (Bruce, Clark, Diana) and double dated with the Allens, the Halls, the Palmers, the Stranges, Ollie and Dinah.

• Ralph offers diversity to the DC pantheon. He's the only hero that truly represents the classic detective genre (which TV still capitalizes in series like House, Monk, the Mentalist, the Murdock Mysteries, etc.). He's one o the few heroes that never lost the lighthearted spirit of the Silver Age. Just read the first 5 issues of his 'tec run, no DC couple has ever been as charming as the Dibnys. They are like Mad About You, The Dick Van Dyke Show and Columbo rolled into one.

• They are not obscure yet, much less with their notoriety from Identity Crisis, Formerly Known as the Justice League and 52. 

•  If Morrison pulled a series lead by Animal Man, a detective superhero modeled after Nick Charles and Sherlock Holmes writes itself. Just get DeMatteis, Barr, Dixon, Giffen, Morrison or Waid on it, I know as a fact that all of them love those characters.
• If the Japanese managed to make a franchise out of a stretchable pirate who gets his powers from a fruit (Luffy D. Monkey from One Piece), I think a ductile detective superhero set in the DC Universe has great chances.
• Ralph makes crowd scenes look pretty cool.

And that's right, Timm and McDuffie thought he's awesome enough to go against DC's toughest villain! 

Update - 10 / 24 / 11

Scott Neitlich released the following statement on his Facebook page:

"Okay. 100% not true. I must have made a statement (as has always been the case) reconfirming that, yes, it is still true that DC and Warner Bros has final say on our character selection, but in no way have they ever bared us from doing a character like Elongated Man! "In fact just the opposite; DC and Warner Bros. have been amazing partners, always helping us to push the limit on character selection like Lobo in JLU and Swamp Thing in DCUC!
"Ralph is in no way off limits. In fact we have already done him several times. We even did an Elongated Man figure in JLU in an outfit he didn’t even wear on the show. That is how cool he is. There always seems to be one figure “we haven’t gotten to yet” that fans have thoughts was off limits or wasn’t going to happen. Be it Martian Manhunter, Flash 1 or now Elongated Man. The answer is always; just because your favorite figure is not out yet does not mean he or she won’t be in the line one day, keep your suggestions coming!
If any websites reported a quote from me stating the opposite, I did not give any sit down interviews at NYCC, so this “quote” may have been strung together from different things orally overheard in the booth to different people. No statement of this type was officially announced or provided by Mattel or given to any site as a quote or interview. It sounds like it is a misinterpretation of a few things overheard in passing and then attributed (falsely) to me as a direct quote.
"Hope this clears this one up! Ralph is not banned in the least and we are really excited to get to him one day!"

The whole thing was the top trending topic on Sunday at Bleeding Cool, its own Mark Seifert said:

"The Elongated Man too obscure to have a new action figure? I don’t think so.  First, there’s an excellent case to be made that there are no insignificant characters in post-internet comic book fandom — I mean, Geoff Johns could turn him into one of the stars of the New 52 by ground hog day, if he wanted to.  And second, he’s not an obscure character at all.  A classic of the Silver Age and beyond.

I hope that's true. Ralph and Sue's absence in the DCnU, DC Universe Online, Young Justice's Justice League and even in the DC Universe Classics still makes me glad I wrote that letter and I hope other Elogated Man fans do the same. Ralph is still absent without a reason.

For more information, go read the  "The Mattel - DCUC - Elongated Man quagmire" at Comics-X-aminer, or read the Toy Guru's original facebook note.

Update - 10 / 26 / 11
Friend of this blog, Frank Diabolu, from the Justice League Detroit blog (among other awesome blogs, like The Idol-Head of Diabolu) noticed that the Elongated Man pic from the Bleeding Cool post about the embargo is the same that he modified from a Kevin Nowan image from 52, week 13 for his blog and that I kind of stole for this blog:

Which makes it very possible that Rich Johnston, author of that post, was tipped by this very blog before reading the original and now deleted post from Pendragon. So, if I'm right, Rich, you're welcomed, ha, ha.

Update - 10 / 26 / 11

It turns out that the outcries for Ralph and Sue's return started a bit earlier, and that the clamor is not only for action figures. Roughly at the same time, while Brian "Pendragon" Isaacs was encouraging people to demand the Elongated Man action figure, Robert Eddleman, from Panels on Pages, wrote a column asking DC to use the Reboot possibilities in favor or the Dibnys, restoring them among the living. In his words Retcon This! The Deaths of Ralph & Sue Dibny, a thought that I couldn't support more.  

Update - Nov 21, 2011

Comics Nexus confirms that DiDio claims there are no plans for Ralph Dibny.

According to John Babos, DC Comics Co-Publisher, Dan DiDio conirmed on Facebook that there are no plans for Ralph Dibny, Ted Kord and Garth (Aqualad). 

A while ago I managed to get the same confirmation from him.

This is doesn't mean that they are gone forever, but at leat that, for the time being, DC's Co-Publisher claims (he could be misleading people) that there are no plans for them. He didn't say that they are gone forever.

  

The Elongated Man Action Figures!

Kenner screwed up by not including the Elongated Man (and Zatanna) in the the famous Super Powers Collection (oddly enough they didn't forget about freaking Red Tornado), and there were no more chances after that. Enter Mattel and DC Direct, who made 3 action figures between late 2004 and 2006, and then one repainted edition in 2009. Let's have a brief review: 

DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection

Manufacturer: Mattel
Wave: 1
Released In: Fall 2004 (3-pack), 2006 (single) and 2009 (comics uniform in 6-pack).
Size: 4" tall
Accessories: Gauntlet
Notes: "From Mattel's Justice League Unlimited action figure line. Like most Justice League figures, this has five points of articulation. This figure can be found on both the orange and purple carded DC Super Heroes packaging" (DC Collector Universe).
It was first released as a 3-pack deal along with Batman and Hawkgirl. This Elongated Man action figure, Green Arrow and Dr. Fate were the first superheroes to be released after the big 7 and Aquaman.
It was released again as a single pack in 2006, as part of the 4th wave, and then again, as part of a six pack with his satellite era red uniform (which didn't appear in the series) in 2009.

It looks great; however, the character looks taller and slimmer in the cartoon. This figure has a huge chest for someone called "The Elongated Man". I have no clue about the weird weapon.

Justice League

Manufacturer: DC Direct

Wave: 2
Released In: November 2004
Size: 6 3/4" tall (with a 1" neck extension that makes him 7 3/4" tall)
Accessories: JLA base and is
Notes: Multiple points of articulation. Packaged in a 4-color blister

Now we're talking! This figure was part of the second wave of Justice League members, focusing on the satellite era (including the Atom, Firestorm, and honorary member, Adam Strange). Not bad at all, considering that the first wave only included Aquaman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Kyle Rayner and Flash. Although he kind of have chubby cheeks, this one looks a lot better. I like that they made him almost the tallest figure, few people remember that about him. The only taller guys are Firestorm (because of the flames, i suppose) and, for some reason Adam Strange (I wonder why). The stretching neck makes more sense than the weird arms of the Identity Crisis figure, but I wish the arms stretched as well.

The art from the package is awesome. I think it really captures the nature of those four characters. Ralph looks like a bit of a smart class-clown.

Identity Crisis 

Manufacturer: DC Direct

Wave: 2
Released In: 2006

Size: 6 -7" tall
Accessories: Gauntlet
Notes: "Diamond Select Toys produced this line of highly detailed 6-7 inch scale action figures based on the characters and events introduced in the DC Comics". 

All the closeups indicate that his face was messed up, specially with the ugly eyebrows. He looks like he escaped from a Monty Python skit:

DC Universe Classics

-- Is still not going to happen...
However, I see that the idea at least has a number of enthusiasts. They started a surprisingly large thread at the Fwoosh action figure forum:

Elongated Man Support Thread

Their main concern seems to be that the Elongated Man is essential to complete the JLA roster of the satellite era. I'd add that he's also a JLE and Super Buddies essential and a notorious silver ager, handled by the big names of that era: Scwartz, Broome, Infantino, Fox and then Wein.

I'd actually love if it came with a Sue. Along with Oberon she's the only supporting cast that became a JL member.

Thoughts

Its funny, the Elongated Man kinda had a bit of well deserved hype around 2005 to then disappear around 2007 from all media.

Formerly Known as the Justice League started in 2003. In 2004 he also appeared in Identity Crisis, the first season of JLU, and had his first and second action figures. In 2005 appeared in I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League (a story that takes place before Identity Crisis) and the second season of JLU. From May 2006 to May 2007 he appeared in 52, they released the Identity Crisis action figure that year. After that there's only a couple of cameos as a ghost, one in Batman: The Brave and the Bold (January 2009), and the Zombie thing in Blackest Night.

I insist, it seems to me that there's a mandate to avoid the character -- Which would be outrageous! Or maybe Warner just feels uncomfortable working with death characters.

The best of the new 52

POLL: "The best of the new 52"
I have to say, personally, I find more uncomfortable changes about the DCnU than cool ones. However, I'm not going to get into that ranting now; instead, I'm going to recommend the best stories I read of the "new 52". Whether we like the DC reboot or not, some stories are good and some are bad. Here is my ranking of the best issues:

10. Justice League Dark
My rating: 8 of 10.

I'm not sure about the concept. It reminds me of those themed Justice League teams they made for a 2001 story. Having heroes with diverse backgrounds and powers is kind of the point of Justice League. Having said that, this story feels like it's going to be good, but like Aquaman #1 and most of the 52, this first issue doesn't stand alone. We do get to see more than two of the members gather (take that, Justice League #1!) and the introduction of an interesting threat that justifies a team like this, though.

9. Aquaman

My rating: 8 out of 10.
I can't believe it, but Geoff Johns did it once again. Aquaman #1 might have that fanfic aftertaste that characterizes its writer, long with the feeling that nothing happened; however, it feels really solid and it got my attention. This is the cool Aquaman portrayal I've been waiting for ages. He's not just some guy who talks with fishes, but a true superhuman king. I just wish he didn't have the bitter attitude. If it were a perfect world maybe he wouldn't be like the version from Batman: The Brave and the Bold, but he would be a bit like Destruction (from the Endless).

8. Action Comics

My rating: 8.5 out of 10.
Grant Morrison is taking Superman back to the basics. The new Action Comics #1 echoes the original one of 1938, showing a Superman that makes no apologies to fight injustice and corruption and a Clark Kent that still has a lot of character to develop. In a role that echoes his cameo in Alan Moore's Swamp Thing #52 and 53, Lex Luthor is introduced as the idea man who helps the army to take down Superman. We also get the start of his envy of Superman. All in all, this issue didn't blew my mind, or showed something unseen before, bu it is definitively a nice setting for the rest of the series.

7. Superman

My rating: 8.5 out of 10
An old hallmark building is not demolished (never) but sold, changing the timeline can't possibly make white people black and I'm already tired of the drama that we're going to have between Lois and Clark before they move in together. With that being said, Superman #1 is a terrific issue. It completed an adventure, worked as a great story arc hook and introduced Clark Kent's world. The rest of the 52 rarely accomplished the three things. The story focuses on the new Daily Planet and its coverage of a fight between Superman and a strange alien; and while doing so, George Perez took the classic Superman supporting cast to the modern world.


6. O.M.A.C.

8.5 out of 10.
Keith Giffen and Dan DiDio rock! This book is pure Kirby fun. It mixes all previous versions of O.M.A.C., a bit of TVs Freakazoid! and some Hulk, which is probably why it feels like a Kirby power punch. This is the only book that truly stands on its own. Yes, it leaves a lot of unresolved issues, but it freaking feels like a complete story, something I didn't get from any of the other issues I've read so far. The story is basically about the mysterious O.M.A.C. hurricaning his way through Cadmus in order to get some secret files for Brother Eye. We learn that the blue hulk is Kevin Kho, a nerdy researcher for Cadmus who is dating his coworker, Jody Robbins. The rest is intelligently left as the mystery that will get us to buy the next issue.

5. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.



My rating: 8.5 out of 10
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 presents a world that is as much of a pastiche as the body of the main character itself. This campy cocktail includes classic and modern horror, battle, disaster, super spy fiction and super science; so, what's not to love? This issue we learn about the Super Human Advanced Defense Executive (S.H.A.D.E.), a really weird super government organization that manages a network of strange creatures (the Creature Commandos) who take care of super natural situations. Once the introduction is over (as simple as that sounds, a lot of the new 52 didn't get past that) this issue truly delivers the sensation that the survival of the World depends on the super bad-ass Frankenstein and his awesome team.

4. Wonder Woman

My rating: 9 out of 10.
I've waited so long for the Wonder Woman title to be great! The only reason this issue doesn't go higher in my rank is because it felt a tad short. The storytelling is solid, bold and interesting. Azzarello just made Wonder Woman rock by setting her in a very contemporary world that is still being manipulated by creepy and menacing supernatural forces from Greek mythology and by presenting her as a seasoned warrior that can defeat them. I know this had been done before, but this time you can't take the supernatural for granted. She's not a strong woman anymore, she's just strong, period. Strong compared to men, women or gods. You name it, this Wondie is going to kick its butt, so go buy it... Now, b*tch!
...Sorry, I got carried away.

3. Swamp Thing

My rating: 9 out of 10.
This issue makes it official for me: Scott Snyder is the king of horror and suspense, and the master of creepy introductions. Swamp Thing allows his macabre tales to finally go supernatural within the world of DC and, contrary to Batman #1, this time he skips the introductions to go straight to the first mystery of the series, which is masterfully presented. After resurrecting, a more cynical and pessimistic Alec Holland is dealing with his new life - a one day at a time sort of deal. He is not the ecologist he used to be. Meanwhile, the world is plagued by a really bizarre and eerie force that could give the Linda Blair a run for her money.

2. Animal Man

My rating: 9.5 out of 10.
Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Travel Foreman are people to watch. I applaud DC for picking this creative team. They are reinfusing DC line with the good old postmodernism that was lost when a number of properties became Vertigo territory in the mid 90s. Following the tradition established by Morrison with the original series, Animal Man #1 mixes elements of horror, suspense and action to present the life of Buddy Baker, a "regular" Joe that has to balance his everyday family issues with the hard and frequently surreal situations and dilemmas he faces as a superhero. Foreman plays with the format to take away the typical sense of balance we would get from conventional comic art.
In this issue, we learn that Buddy has reached fame as an environmental activist / actor / superhero, and that he is not quite sure about the career path he should take. He has not been very active as a superhero, but he goes on to save the day after hearing a report, anyway. However, in the process, he finds out that really strange things are going on with his powers and with his daughter, Maxine, who develops her own.

1. Batman

My rating: 9.5 out of 10.
Scott Snyder takes us for a full joy ride of the Batman universe. In a single issue he delivered a fight against most of Batman's rogues gallery, a couple of twists, a new situation, a mystery, and introduction to most of the supporting, a description of Gotham City and a the start of a new story arc. If the homework for the writers of the new 52 was to produce 52 comic book issues that introduce new readers to the DCnU and leave them hooked along with old readers, Snyder aced it with Batman #1.

Other readings that were decent or OK for me were:

• Stormwatch: 7.5 out of 10, your typical recruitment story with another otherworldly threat. However, I think it delivers and that its very well worth a shot.
• Demon Knights: 7.5 out of 10. The story was OK, but I thin Paul Cornell got most of his ideas from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In my mind I was hearing its music in my mind the whole time - maybe that's why Jason Blood (the bearer of the Demon) and Madame Xanadu didn't seem to use horses. The baby scene reminded me of this:
• Batgirl: 7 out of 10. I liked the new take. Barbara Gordon can once again start his career as a tap dancer. -- Wait!... I'm being told she used to be a superhero / librarian, not a tap dancer. So, just eliminate the mental image of the tap dancing ginger. Anyway, Gail Simone used DC's universal timeline alteration to imagine a compelling comeback for Barbara as Batgirl, complete with the challenge that victims from extremely violent crimes usually suffer. Perhaps this was what Alan Moore originally had in mind for her after making the Joker shoot her in The Killing Joke. 
• Justice League: 6.5 out of 10. Yes, wonderful art, great cinematic scenes, but this is barely more than a teaser, which doesn't really work for 22 pages. As an issue, it feels exactly like this:

         I think the South Park kids truly have the same reaction as most of te JL fans, though.

• Justice League International: 6.5 out of 10. When people read "Justice League International", they expect to see campy and maybe surreal superheroics with tons of great sitcom type of humor. However, since DC seems to have something against humor after 2004, this time we only get a bunch of talking bureaucrat heads and a generic superhero team. I trust Jurgens, so I wouldn't be surprised if it gets better, though.

For different reasons each, I strongly recommend avoiding Catwoman, Detective Comics, Red Hood and the Outlaws - since I don't like to rant in this blog, I won't bother you with the details.

One flaw that I bet DC didn't see coming was the number of mysterious threats that are happening at the same time: the Swamp Thing plague, the Aquaman creatures, the Frankenstein creatures, the Greek gods thing in Wonder Woman, whatever is going on in the Outlaws, the Justice League Dark things, the Stormwatch cosmic menace, etc. The theme was a bit more repetitive with the Dark line of comics. I hate huge crossovers, but would be a bit more credible under an overall event that is related to the Mayan Apocalypse of 2012.

In general, all the issues that I've read seem to follow a similar format. We get a general introduction to the main characters, their setting and to the story of a first arc, leaving in a cliffhanger. I find extremely disappointing that there seems to be no stand alone issues and that a lot of issues don't even finish with the introduction. A constant problem that I'm seeing, perhaps due to the influence of Brightest Day and Justice League: Generation Lost, is that a lot of issues are mere teasers in which little happens. I understand that they are thinking about the way they are going to look when they compile them as trades, but the single issue format demands that, whether it is part of a longer story or not, it has a three act structure (setup, confrontation, resolution) so that the readers get something out of it. Multiple part stories in a comic book shouldn't feel like a mere story that has been elongated and randomly split. Each issue should be an adventure, even if it's part of an arc. Take any trades of great series like Swamp Thing, Sandman or Animal Man  to see what I mean. I invite everybody to back to The Anatomy Lesson and see how it's done. As Stephen King described them in his introduction to Sandman: Worlds' End, these issues should be "installments in a longer, unified tale", "eggs in a single basket", not bits of an installment or "an egg".

POLL: "The best of the new 52"

Related articles:

• The Best of the New 52 - October 2011