I’m really excited that the “legacy” is coming back to DC comics. For the past few years reading DC has felt sort of sterile and, because of that, I’ve cut down my DC reading to just a few titles I follow through the good and bad times. But I have some hope this change will bring back what seems to have been lost through the New 52. Here are a few wants (probably more like dreams…) I have for the reboot that isn’t a reboot.

I’m going to focus on my favorite area of the DC universe: The Green Lanterns. As far as I know there isn’t a term for the Green Lanterns of Earth other than saying ‘Earth Lanterns’. Since the New 52 we’ve been introduced to a few new Lanterns or Lantern like characters. However, we’ve also lost a few who were at least mild heroes and villains before Flashpoint and I believe having them back would add interesting elements to the GL books.

Obsidian

Since Alan Scott was reimagined as a homosexual DC removed his children from existence. Ignoring that Scott could still have adopted children or had children in a previous relationship, Obsidian went from being Scott’s child who happened to be gay to something different entirely. According to the Wikipedia page the Obsidian I know and love returned in Convergence. However, Convergence was not the best story and I ended up skipping all but the main story which wasn’t so compelling either. Here is hoping that Obsidian is back and gets some focus within the Rebirth.

Jade

Another child of the original Alan Scott, Jade seems to be missing from the New 52. It’s possible she exists but I haven’t read any books with her in any capacity but I have a feeling she was removed or, at the very least, down played to near non-existence. When I was getting back into comics as an adult Jade and her brother had at least major-minor character status in JSA and other books. I have a bad feeling that, since we have Power Ring maybe there isn’t the same space for Jade to occupy: A female with similar GL powers but not exactly a Lantern. Here is hoping I’m wrong!

Sodam Yat

Prophesied to be the last of the Green Lanterns in the future, and an important host to Ion, Sodam Yat has been pretty boring in The New 52. Pre Flashpoint he had created some kind of offshoot of the Lanterns where his own people, the Daxamites, follow him towards being less xenophobic. Heck, I thought we were seeing the birth of a new Lantern Corps that would less spectrum based and closer to a religion. An intriguing story line which seems to have been largely left dangling. In the previous universes he was one of my favorite characters.

Hank Henshaw

Also known as Cyborg Superman. You remember, one of the 4 Supermen that came to be after Superman “died”. Hank is one of the more interesting thorns in the Lanterns side yet has been pretty absent since the reboot even though he does exist in some form. I would love to have the emotionally upset and misunderstood Henshaw back. The man who who led the Alpha Lanterns and Manhunters trying to find his humanity (or lack of it) among the stars. There’s just something about the character that, when he emerges from the shadows in an arc, adds credibility and strings back in history to the story.

Hal Jordan

Ok, yeah, he was there through the New 52 but for at least a third of it he sure didn’t look, sound, or feel like Hal. I mean, look at this guy:

I’m hoping we get Hal back. Don’t get me wrong, it’s fine to try new things and take characters in different directions but what was done with Hal in the later New 52 just didn’t work in my opinion.

Blue Beetle

While not directly a Green Lantern character, Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle with the history of past Blue Beetles is something I have missed. Jaime is my favorite Blue Beetle, mainly because he was the first one I really took notice of, but without having a legacy to stand on his character is a bit boring. Not only that, but in the past the scarab has been noted as a weapon of the Reach (an enemy of The Guardians of the Universe). There has been some development around that in the New 52 as well as pre-Flashpoint but it seems like there is still a lot of stories that could be told to round out the Reach, Blue Beetle, Black Beetle, The Guardians of the Universe, The Controllers, and the Lantern forces.

So…

By this point Rebirth is has been running for a bit. I’ve purposefully been holding back from reading my issues so I can immerse myself in the rebirth story line in hopes it brings back the spark.

What is it you hope Rebirth will bring?

After posting a list of what I’ve been reading consistently over the last few months a reader noted I should give Team 7 a go. I had read #0 early on and thought the idea seemed interesting but didn’t end up following through. I used Comixology to pick up all available issues so far to give it a fair shake. These are my thoughts.

Note: these are overall thoughts for the current #0-#4 run.

Characters

Amanda Waller
Man is she boring. I really miss the old 52’s chubby, smart and powerful Waller. Yeah, she wasn’t an action hero but she was more interesting than fit, strong analyst Waller. Some one please give her a cheese burger! It only takes a bad diet for her to be awesome.

Slade Wilson
Slade makes a lot of sense on this team (and he isn’t the only one). I’ve found his character interesting over the years but find him most interesting when he is a part of the story (and not the story itself). He adds that rougher merc style which adds balance to the team.

Cole Cash
As someone who never read many Wildstorm comics (before my comic reading time) I know little about Cole. Of everyone he is closest to the understating jokester of the group and it works. So far I put him in the same camp as Slade: really good on a team book but not sure solo books would be interesting.

James Bronson
This guy is probably my favorite on the team. He’s the big guns and us without the in your face attitude. Of all of them he seems the most trustworthy and most eager to do things right. It’s nice to have that kind of presence on a team.

Dinah Drake
Black Canary but so far not a whole lot from her. She is there but, other than her dynamic with future husband Kurt Lance who is stated as her team weakness, there isn’t much to pick her out in the story (yet?).

Kurt Lance
In some ways he seems like the new kid. He has talents for finding things but no real field operations experience. In issue #1 he almost dies falling during a landing maneuver… something no one else had an issue with in the slightest. Not sure what this finding talent or background that Waller eludes to is yet but I’m positive it will be revealed in time.

Summer Ramos
Seems like the hot shot pilot who knows she’s the best. With exception to the very start of the arc she has been absent.

Alex Fairchild
Another Wildstorm original. Apparently a coworker of Slade who is more about money and having fun. Not a ton about him yet but he does seem to have a jokester personality not too different from Cash.

Dean Higgins
Strategist with the amazing ability to change ethnicities. He acts in some ways as the voice of the boss when in the field. Not much else yet except really silly glasses that make him look like a 90s character.

Thoughts

So far there is a good balance of personalities but there is still a lot to learn about the team members. As long as the writer focuses on the team dynamics more than highlighting previously known and popular characters I can see this working. I also can’t help but wonder if at least one character is here just to he can be knocked off….

Story

In a nutshell the story is a lot like a science fiction/military action movie mashup. It’s pretty fast moving, lots of weapons and much less focused on super human abilities at this point.

Issue #1 is all about starting the first arc while getting quick bios on the cast. If you know much about DC bad guys there are some really strong hints dropped about who they will be up against. I called it at that point and was validated at the end of issue #2.

Issues #3 and #4 lead up to and down from this arcs main villain who seemed to take a fall a little to quickly. Not too easily mind you, just too quickly. I’m not sure if this is due to some pacing issues or if there is a reason that will be disclosed later on in the stories.

Art

The art in issue #1 and #4 is quite good though some of the character designs the artist is working with doesn’t always help. Again, Higgins. Issue #2 is not bad but issue #3 seems like it’s, for lack of a better term, over Inked. It also has a bit of a rushed feel. Thinking back on issue #3 Cole’s hair stands out as looking rushed as it is too angular and stiff.

Don’t misunderstand me, none of the art is bad. I’d love to have half of the artistic talent of any of them.

Longevity

Based on its premise I’m pretty sure this will run for a few years at best. That’s not a bad thing but it may also scare some readers away being that it is not billed as a limited series. It should be obvious that there is only so much time to explore between the formation of this team and the start time of the Justice League. If the book gets canceled rather than ending on its own it can mean that a story drags on longer than it should with tons and tons of tie ups condensed in a few issues in an attempt to finish the overall story. I can’t think of a time in which that was a good thing. Let’s hope the writers have a specific ending in mind.

Conclusion

It’s not a bad book especially if you like the action team style stories. If you were a big fan of Wildstorm there is no reason to avoid this book assuming you can accept it as a new take on a previous idea. I can see this being read best in trade form but picking up the current back issues via Comixology can give a similar feel. It’s worth the read and I will be following it for at least another few issues to see how things pan out for the team.

Tag: DC Comics

DC Rebirth Hopes