DC Comics announced on Thursday that they would be setting up the second wave of “New 52” releases while also canceling six ongoing comics that were released in the initial run of the DC Relaunch.
Resting in peace are six comics that were quite good and enjoyable or had a lot of potential to be great, so they will definitely be missed. Those comic books are Blackhawks – a war comic focusing on a group of militaristic mercenaries in the vein of G.I. Joe; Hawk and Dove – the only DC book written by the extremely talented Sterling Gates with art from Rob Liefeld (more on him in another article); Men of War – a war book that was one of my favorite comics of the relaunch that took a realistic approach to the military in a world full of superheroes; Mister Terrific – one of the very few DC comics with a person of color as the leading role. Also, the main character was highly intelligent and, interestingly enough in a comic, atheist. O.M.A.C. – this to me is a tragedy considering that it was a fan favorite even in the light of poor sales. Sure it’s bizarre and nutso, but it was a complete blast to read. And finally Static Shock – one of, if not the only book that could be considered “youthful” and “fun,” and also one of the few books starring a person of color. All of these titles will see their last issues in April.
As most of you may know by now, DC Comics is relaunching their entire line of comics this Fall alongside a day and date digital comics initiative. What you might not know, however, is that it all started two weeks ago with the releases of the last issue of DC’s summer event Flashpoint, and the beginning of the new universe with Justice League #1.
This Wednesday is the second big week of releases. I’m picking up a lot of these books, and there are still a lot of books to look forward to in these upcoming weeks, as well as plenty that you and I will probably want to stay away from for varying reasons. So, in the order of kindness and assignments from my editor, I will be breaking down each title with their creators, what they’re about, and what you can expect from each of the new books. And, guess what? I’m not in love with a lot of the decisions that they’ve made, so this should be fun!
Every Tuesday through the end of September, I will be writing another installment so you know when you can get yourself to the store, or to your mobile app, and purchase your new #1s from DC Comics! Also, it’s worth noting, dear reader, that since you’re coming to the game a little late, you can’t be guaranteed an issue at the comic book store, so call ahead to see if they have it. Or if you go the store and they don’t have any copies left of these DC books, you could always buy an indie comic like 27 The Second Set, Baltimore: The Curse Bells, Pigs, and Moon Girl, which all come out this week, coincidentally. There’s more to comics than just superheroes from DC and Marvel, you know?
But that’s probably why you’re here, and now that I’ve gotten the indie comics alternative plug out of the way, let’s talk about the universe that I’d rather live in, the DC Universe!
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press