Some of the September solicits and my first reaction to them. 

Justice League #1

Comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee make history! In a universe where super heroes are strange and new, Batman has discovered a dark evil that requires him to unite the World Greatest Heroes!

Justice League International #1

With the growing presence of super beings around the world, the United Nations resolves to create a new group called Justice League International.

These solicits worry me. If superheroes are “strange and new,” it implies that the Golden Age superheroes didn’t exist. This, along with a lack of a Justice Society book, has me worried that a lot of my favorite aspects of DC’s history are going to be retconned out of existence. (The All-Star Squadron, the Justice Society, the Seven Soldiers of Victory, and Infinity, Inc . . . among other books.)

This also worries me since some of my favorite characters are fairly old superheroes. Jay Garrick is my favorite Flash. I like the original Shining Knight (Sir Justin) and Vigilante (Greg Saunders). Ma Hunkel, the original Red Tornado, is awesome.

Aquaman #1

Aquaman has renounced the throne of Atlantis – but the sea will not release Arthur Curry so easily.
Now, from a forgotten corner of the ocean emerges… The Trench! A broken race of creatures that should not exist, an unspeakable need driving them, The Trench will be the most talked-about new characters in the DC Universe!

The problem with announcing that a group will be the “most talked-about new characters” is that DC will look really stupid if The Trench don’t catch on. (The name isn’t exactly intimidating, either. All I can think of is a ditch beside a highway.)

Wonder Woman #1

 The Gods walk among us. To them, our lives are playthings. Only one woman would dare to protect humanity from the wrath of such strange and powerful forces. But is she one of us – or one of them?

Ugh. Am I the only one who hates the stories that question Wonder Woman’s humanity? (Or devotion to humanity?) Next.

Captain Atom #1

Charged by nuclear energy, possessing vast molecular powers, Captain Atom has the potential to be a literal god among men – a hero without limits. But the question is: Will he lose himself in the process?

Very powerful hero must prevent himself from losing his humanity. It’s been done before, but with a good writer, it can be a great story. I’m reserving judgment on this one for now.

The Fury of Firestorm #1

Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond. These two high school students are worlds apart – and now they’re drawn into a conspiracy of super-science that bonds them forever in a way they can’t explain or control. The dark secrets of the murderous Dog Team and its Firestorm Protocol force them to put aside their differences to confront a threat so terrifying that it may lead to a new Cold War! Welcome to a major new vision of nuclear terror from writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone with astonishing art by Yildiray Cinar!

Gee. A nuclear powered  hero in a Cold War or nuclear scare comic. That’s original.

Green Arrow #1

Green Arrow is on the hunt. Driven by inner demons, Ollie Queen travels the world and brings outlaws to justice…by breaking every law.
Now, armed with cutting-edge weaponry and illegally gained intel (courtesy of his team at QCore), Green Arrow is shooting first and asking questions later.

So . . . grimmer and grittier Green Arrow? This is what . . . the third or fourth attempt at this? Pass.

The Savage Hawkman #1

Carter Hall’s skill at deciphering lost languages has led him to a job with an archaeologist who specializes in alien ruins – but will the doctor’s latest discovery spread an alien plague through New York City? No matter the personal cost, Carter Hall must don his wings and become the new, savage Hawkman to survive! Witness the start of a new action series from writer Tony S. Daniel and artist Philip Tan that will take Hawkman where no hero has flown before!

So, is he new to the role of Hawkman, or does he just have to become more savage?

Mister Terrific #1

The world’s third-smartest man – and one of its most eligible bachelors – uses his brains and fists against science gone mad in this new series from Eric Wallace (TITANS) and Roger Robinson!
Michael Holt is the head of a successful high-tech corporation and an institute that recruits and encourages the finest minds of the next generation to excel. As Mister Terrific he inhabits a world of amazement few others know exists, let alone can comprehend.

I like Mr. Terrific, but his new costume is pretty bad. And why do we have the blurb about “one of its most eligible bachelors?” I don’t mind love interests in comics, but this seems to imply that it will be a large part of the plot. And I do not want to see playboy Michael Holt. (It completely contradicts his character.)

DC Universe Presents #1

It’s the start of a new series spotlighting some of the DC Universes’s most exciting super heroes! First up is Deadman, straight from the pages of BRIGHTEST DAY, in a five-issue epic where the body-hopping hero meets his match in a new foe who wants to make sure the souls that Deadman helps out go straight to Hell!

I’m actually really excited about this book. Having a title that is specifically meant to introduce new characters - or give characters without their own books face time – is a wonderful idea that is rarely seen in today’s comics. I would have preferred an anthology format, with multiple stories, but I’ll take what I can get.

Justice League Dark #1

The witch known as The Enchantress has gone mad, unleashing forces that not even the combined powers of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Cyborg can stop. And if those heroes can’t handle the job, who will stand against this mystical madness?
Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna and John Constantine may be our only hope – but how can we put our trust in beings whose very presence makes ordinary people break out in a cold sweat?

I like Enchantress. I do not like the idea of her going insane (she’s already gone evil enough times, thank you very much). And I find it weird that this group is described as making ordinary people “break out in a cold sweat.” It implies that ordinary people are perfectly okay with everyone who can bench press small moons, but get nervous around the word “magic.” I wish that they’d gone with a relaunch of Shadowpact instead, but I’m probably the only one.

Teen Titans #1

Tim Drake, Batman’s former sidekick, is back in action when an international organization seeks to capture, kill or co-opt super-powered teenagers.
As Red Robin, he’s going to have to team up with the mysterious and belligerent powerhouse thief known as Wonder Girl and the hyperactive speedster calling himself Kid Flash to stand any chance at all against a living, breathing weapon with roots in another world! They – along with a few other tortured teen heroes – will be the Teen Titans in this new series from writer Scott Lobdell (WILDC.A.T.S, Uncanny X-Men) and artist Brett Booth (JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA)! 

Wonder Girl as a thief? Fail. And why must all Teen Titans be “tortured” heroes? The Titans already have one of the highest death rates of any team in comics. They don’t need more angst.

Hawk and Dove #1

Hank Hall is not happy. He’s not happy to have Dawn Granger as a new partner in his war on crime. He’s not happy that she’s dating the ghostly Super Hero, Deadman. He’s not happy to learn that someone is trying to plunge the United States into a new civil war! Now it’s up to Hawk and Dove to root out the forces behind this conflict and stop them before they turn the U.S. into a wasteland!
And who is the monster lurking in the shadows, watching Hawk and Dove from afar? Find out in this new series from Sterling Gates (FLASHPOINT: KID FLASH LOST) and artist Rob Liefeld (X-Force, Youngblood)!

A new Civil War? Seriously? And having Dawn be Hank’s new partner means a lot of history is probably getting retconned.

Blue Beetle #1

It’s not easy being Jaime Reyes. He has to deal with high school, family and all the drama that comes with being a teenager. Also, he’s linked to a powerful scarab created by an alien race known as the Reach who seek to subjugate planets – or annihilate them. It’s up to one teen hero to turn this instrument of destruction into a force for good.

Woohoo! Jaime Reyes is awesome! Enough said.

Stormwatch #1

They are Stormwatch, a dangerous super human police force whose existence is kept secret from the world Directly following the ominous events of SUPERMAN #1, Adam One leads half the Stormwatch team to recover the [INFORMATION REDACTED] from deep in the Himalayas. Meanwhile, Jack Hawksmoor and the rest of the Stormwatch crew look to recruit two of the deadliest super humans on the planet: Midnighter and Apollo! And if they say no? Perhaps the Martian Manhunter can change their minds…

Okay, confession time. I hate The Authority and the universe they inhabit. I am praying that this doesn’t take place in Earth-1. I am not happy to see Martian Manhunter working with them, either. The poor guy has suffered enough without sticking him in that hell hole of a universe. 

Suicide Squad #1

They’re a team of death-row super villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous – they’re sheer suicide!
Harley Quinn! Deadshot! King Shark! Defeated and imprisoned, they’re being interrogated about their mission – and about who’s pulling the strings behind this illegal operation. Who will be the first to crack under the pressure?

If you thought the Dark Knight get-up for Harley Quinn was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet. That is officially the worst new costume I have seen so far. If that’s the same Harley comics’ fans know and love, I predict a lot of angry fans.

Superboy #1

They thought he was just an experiment – and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?

So either this isn’t Kon-El, or we’re retconning his past. Joy. /sarcasm

I generally don’t like retcons, so these solicits give me a lot to be nervous about. I’ll hope for the best, but I’m betting a lot of my favorite characters are going to suffer from this retcon. (It’s one of the unfortunate side effects of having most of my favorite characters be B-list and C-list heroes.)

No post today.

I’ve had a rash of spam comments (46 in a 24 hour period), which is eating up my time. My spam filter is catching most of them, but I still have to read each one to make sure a legitimate comment doesn’t get deleted. (Or a spam comment let through by accident.) If you post in the next few days, I apologize if it takes me awhile to approve the comment.

Tomorrow’s post will be more information about the DC Reboot. See you then.