Day-And-Date: Action Comics 2, Stormwatch 2, Justice League International 2

Action Comics 2
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Rags Morales, Brent Anderson, & Richard Bryant
Rating: 4 out of 5 Pixels

It's really unfortunate that Rags Morales can't handle a monthly comic for even two months, because he's a brilliant artist and this would have been a nearly perfect comic if not for the jarring disparity between the pages drawn by Morales and those drawn by Anderson. Anderson's not a bad artist, but he's no Rags Morales. The story's good enough, though, with cocky young Superman taking on the equally cocky Lex Luthor for the first time, that I think it's best they went with a fill-in artist rather than letting the issue be delayed. If only we could have our cake and eat it too...

Stormwatch 2
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Miguel Sepulveda & Al Barrionueva
Rating: 4 out of 5 Pixels

Yes, more of this, please. This book has a cast of nine, I believe, and every character comes across as unique and interesting. A review I read of the first issue complained that it seemed like it was trying too hard to be a Grant Morrison book, but I disagree. Yes, Stormwatch has that same over-the-top wacky sci-fi feel that Morrison's JLA or All-Star Superman or Final Crisis did, but whereas I had to read Final Crisis three times after the entire miniseries was finished and still I didn't totally get it, Stormwatch is much easier to follow. The only thing I do not approve of is J'onn's funky loincloth thingee. Because seriously, that's just weird.

Justice League International 2
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Aaron Lopestri & Matt Ryan
Rating: 3 out of 5 Pixels

I enjoyed this issue a little more than the first issue, mostly because I went in with lowered expectations. The plot is interesting, between the global threat that necessitates an international Justice League's involvement and the challenge Booster has in bringing his team together in order to meet the threat. I also appreciate that Jurgens cleared up a little of the characters' backstory, establishing that Guy and Tora have only been on a few dates, but Guy obviously cares for her--enough to bring him back to the team after abandoning them last issue. And the art is simply beautiful. The thing that makes this book difficult to read, though, is cringe-worthy exchanges like this:

Or this:

With the most truly international Justice League International roster yet, this book has the potential to be really cool. It's not going to get there, though, as long as it comes across as the Justice League of International Stereotypes. Please, Mr. Jurgens, flesh these characters out beyond squabbles over Russian vs. Chinese superiority, and pretty please, even if no one else on the team bothers to differentiate between the various countries of Africa, let Vixen do so.

Day-And-Date: Action Comics 1, Batgirl 1, Justice League International 1, Stormwatch 1

Today I was so anxious to read all four comics I bought, I had a hard time deciding which to read first. (I ended up reading them in alphabetical order, unintentionally.) This is what Wednesdays should be like. I hope the New 52 continue to hold my interest even after they're no longer new.

Action Comics 1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Rags Morales & Richard Bryant
Release Date: September 7, 2011
Rating: 4 out of 5 Pixels

Definitely an action-packed issue deserving of its title. I'm impressed that Grant Morrison has managed to give Superman a personality makeover that somehow still feels true to the character. I suppose it's because Superman is still all about truth, justice, and the American way, but it's no longer the truth, justice, and the American way of a 1950s suburban America, as it has been for the past sixty years. Rather it's truth in the face of a corrupt system, justice for the underdog, and the American way of the average American struggling to get by. This interpretation feels like a return to the character's Depression-era roots and wholly 21st-century at the same time. So far I'm liking this new Superman.

Batgirl 1
Writer: Gail Simone
Artists: Ardian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes
Release Date: September 7, 2011
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Pixels

This is a fun, upbeat comic, as you would expect from a comic written by Gail Simone and starring Barbara Gordon. Babs is back in action and enjoying it. This issue reassures readers that The Killing Joke did still happen and it remains an important part of the character's history, and it also tells us that some "miracle" has happened to allow Barbara to walk again, but it doesn't tell us what that miracle is, exactly. I hope it's explained before long, as this series really needs to move forward and so long as that mystery is unsolved then we readers will be stuck at "How did we get here?" I was also disappointed that we didn't see much reference to Barbara's time as Oracle--where are her computers, her hacking skills, her connections with everyone who's anyone in the superhero community? These aspects of the character need to be kept in order for this to feel like a move forward and not two steps backward. I do, however, like the new villain introduced in this issue, a man who flashes victims with the mirror under his trench coat, apparently making them see their sins before he kills them.

I was also shocked by this:

Has Jim Gordon been de-aged so much that he's a redhead again, or has he just started dyeing his hair? Inquiring minds want to know!

Justice League International 1
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Aaron Lopestri
Release Date: September 7, 2011
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Pixels

I really want to like this comic, as it has several characters I like, it's by a writer who's written stuff I enjoyed in the past, it has a great artist, and it's the first Justice League International that is not composed mostly of white Americans, but several things just aren't working for me:

• Andre Briggs, the guy who founded this League, comes off as Max Lord Lite.
• I'm totally cool with Rocket Red speaking like a Russian stereotype because that's his shtick, but when Russia's U.N. representative also says things like "Da, da! Now I must give to you the fine cognac," it makes it seem like the writer just doesn't know how to write Russians any other way. 
• I cannot get over the W on Booster Gold's collar. Why a W?

• I like that Booster is leading this League, but otherwise the return to Booster as glory hog feels like a regression for the character. 
• It's clear that none of these characters have been on a Justice League before, and that feels weird. I think it's more confusing that DC decided to do a soft reboot because at least if they'd done a hard reboot we'd know that everything is starting over from scratch. This way, I don't know who's met whom and who's done what before. As a result, the characters seem foreign.
• For a first issue, this comic doesn't do a good job of introducing the characters. I know everyone's names, but I know very little about who they all are. What does Godiva do? What is August General in Iron's deal? I have no idea. 

I hope Jurgens wows me in the next couple of issues, because I really do want to like this comic.

Stormwatch 1
Writer: Paul Cornell
Artist: Miguel Angel Sepulveda
Release date: September 7, 2011
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Pixels

Wow. This comic did several things that Justice League International failed to do. First, it introduced each of the characters in such a way that I have a good idea who each of them is, without being super-familiar with these characters before reading the issue. There are a few moments that border on too expositiony, with characters explaining things that they would not likely explain in real life, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. Second, Stormwatch has me interested in the conflict from the get-go. There's a sense that something very big is going down, and these characters are in the thick of it. Third, the cliffhanger actually left me hanging, wondering how Midnighter and Apollo are going to fit into the larger scheme of things. As an added bonus, Paul Cornell actually managed to pique my interest in the other New 52 series he's writing, Demon Knights. I have zero interest in medieval swords and sorcery, but there's a brief sequence that suggests a possible connection between Stormwatch and Demon Knights (is the connection that Etrigan's team of knights are really the first Stormwatch?), which just might be enough to get me to check out the latter.

After Superman: The Black Ring, Knight and Squire, and now Stormwatch, I haven't yet read a Paul Cornell book I didn't enjoy immensely. So maybe I'll give Demon Knights a try after all.