Good Starting Points For the DC Noob

OK Folks, Yet another plug for my show.  I am part of a fucktastic Podcast called the F BombCast. You can get it by going to www.comicbooksavant.com and clicking the link on the bottom right of the home page.(i like putting all differnt ways you can get tot the show in each thread.)

Well we have a very loyal listener named Becca.  She is also a very loyal Marvel reader (don't judge people she has to start somewhere). But she has expressed a willingness to broaden her horizon in to the Wonderful World Of DC Comics.  She made a little mistake though. She decided to pick up a random issue of Green lantern and start there.  Now if there is one main stream character i would never suggest starting randomly on it is probably Green lantern.  his history i a slight bit convoluted and he is a little unknown, not like superman or batman where you would have to be a complete waterhead not to know their back history even a little bit. I mean sure you may not know what robin we're on or if this is Pre or post Crisis Superman (or even what the hell pre or post crisis even means) but the essence of the character is still the same. Not so with characters like Green Lanter, Flash, and don't even get me started on Hawkman or Legion.

So here is what i will do for all you marvelites that want to try the real capes company. You know the one that doesn't hold your hand with the "previously in" page and expects you to do a little homework to understand what the fuck is going on.  I have put together four tra

des that i think would kick start you into a life of good comics.  I should and probably will do more eventually but i do these at work and it really does take me a little bit to put these post together. So here we go:

Emerald Dawn-This is the retelling of Hal Jordans origin for only the second time.  This book is masterfully written by Jim Owsley, Keith Giffen, and Gerard Jones and drawn pretty well by MD Bright and Romeo Tanghal. This was released in 1988-1989 and was s six issue mini series to re introduce people to the character that before this point was relegated to the horrible Action Comics Weekly series.  This was suppesed to be a post crisi reboot just like Frank Miller's Batman: Year One and Satan's... oh i mean John Byrne's Man of Steel.  This is a really great read and will fully introduce you to Hal. Also pay attention to the name of his lawyer he 

happens to be a fave of mine (i think that is in this one but it may be

 emerald dawn 2).

Identity Crisis: This is probably my favorite book that has come out in the last five years. This Is written by Novelist Brad Meltzer and Drawn by fan favorite (but i hear writer hated) Rags Morales.  This book is basically a murder mystery and love story all tied into one demented bow.  So Much that is happening now in the DCU is related to this book, be it the mind wipe of Batman, to the spoiler of who the killer is, this book is awesome.

Next up is Superman For all seasons- This is a Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale collaboration.  As much as i am not really a superman fan, i love this book.  This book deals yet again with the origins of superman but relates all eras of his life with a particular season.  the writing is simple yet beautiful and the line work by tim sale can be described the same way.  A little side note about this book, this is the Trade that I gave Kev that got him to start buying comics again.  So some would say i am to blame for his lack of money but I would blame Loeb and Sale.

Last up for today is Flash: Born to Run.  This is by Mark Waid and drawn by Greg Larocque, Jim Aparo, Pop Mhan, and others.This story is about Wally West.  it begins with his time as  Kid Flash and learning how to be a speedster from Barry.  It follows his life up until he actually takes the mantle as the Flash.  really

 humorous and dramatic book of an adolescent not knowing what to do with his life and searching for the people that can help him.

So there are four books to start you on your way folks.  i didn't put a batman title because i already gave you five good ones last time out.  I may have to do one on Batman Year one and Dark Knight Returns Eventually but to be completely honest with you i don't hold those in such high regards as others (shhhh don't tell the DC Gods)

Talk to y'all later, 

TJ

JLA Vol 1 New World Order

OK people today's review is for the First volume of the Morrison JLA run "New World Order"

This book is Written By the Sober Grant Morrison and drawn by Howard Porter.

The art is great but a little early 90's. That makes sense being that this is when this book came out (well 1997 but its still the 90's right). All the superheroes are a little bulky and muscular and everything is a little over the top.  That being said it is still very pretty to look at and it is done better then some that were famous for this style did it.

The writing is a little different then the Morrison then I'm used to. Very straight forward.  Not anything like Animal man or definitely nothing like the Invisibles (but i don't think my brain can take another invisibles).  But man can Morrison right superheroes.  His batman is great and his Martian Manhunter is amazing (and i hate the martian manhunter so that is saying something).  The only thing that killed this volume for me was the version of supes being used and this is more art then writing. Whoever decided to give superman a mullet should be shot.

This story centers around the formation of the new Justice league and there first mission together.  A new superhero group is on earth and is giving the people what they want; death to super villains. Supes tries to explain that death is not always the way to do things but the human culture doesn't want to hear it.  We learn more and more about the back history of these new "hero's" and what they really are (how's that for not spilling the beans on anything.) The beauty of Morrison's writing is that he gets who is who in the group and you can tell it by the first four issue arc.  He has Batman as the brains and he is the one who first figures out who everyone is.  you can tell by this initial story the love that Grant has for this character.

If you like the JLA then i would definitely suggest giving the Morrison run a whirl. If you are a Morrison fan then this may not be for you. like said before this is not Morrison's normal writing style and it straightforwardness may be a little of putting.  I find that after reading a lot on his stuff, when you are reading him, you are constantly trying to find the meaning behind things.  There is no meaning behind this stuff.  Just a good old fashioned superhero story.  Morrison for beginners is what I like to call it and I found it fantastic.

Talk to y'all later,

TJ