What if DC Never Restarted Title Numbering?

DC’s May Books (If they had never rebooted series with new #1’s)

The Week of May 7

The All-New Atom #23
Detective Comics #844
Infinity Inc #62
Jonah Hex #123
Nightwing #148
Supergirl #133

The Week of May 14

Batman Confidential #17
Booster Gold #34
Green Arrow/Black Canary #8
Green Lantern Corps #48
Simon Dark #8
Superman #676
Titans #52
Wonder Woman #575

The Week of May 21

Batman and the Outsiders #39
Birds of Prey #118
The Brave and the Bold #219
Catwoman #177
Checkmate #59
The Flash #485
Robin #179
Shadowpact #25
The Spirit #143
Superman/Batman #48

The Week of May 28

Action Comics #865
Batman #677
Blue Beetle #129
Green Lantern #393
JSA Classified #38
Justice League of America #407
Justice Society of America #119
The Legion of Super-Heroes #260
Teen Titans #136

Nightwing 134 - 142

Nightwing #134
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Jamal Ingle

Hmmm…this was an interesting set up for the mystery of the new Vigilante. It isn’t someone who knows Dick and Nightwing are one and the same but it seems like it is someone who has dealt with Nightwing in the past. I am glad to see Dick isn’t sporting the rudiculous hair dough he had when Bruce Jones was on the title. Anyways, I liked this issue but I am wondering if I am really going to care when the Vigilante’s identity is going to be revealed.

Nightwing #135
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Jon Bosco

Now this was a good issue. I liked show it showed Dick’s glass half full view of the world and how that makes him different then Batman and the Vigilante. I liked it especially because I see things the same way as Dick (But I haven’t experience evil in the way Dick has so Dick is definitely a stronger person then I am). The art was good too, especially for fill-in.

Nightwing #136
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Jon Bosco

Um kinda confused by this. Do Eddie and Liu work for the HIVE? What is the new Vigilante’s connection to Adrian Chase? And why do they want Dick Grayson’s DNA, do they think he’s a metahuman? Hopefully we will get answers next issue.Nightwing #137
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Jon Bosco

Damn…a cliffhanger. Wolfman is leaving this book and writing a Vigilante Series…I will pick it up but geez that’s a big cliffhanger just to leave people hanging. Anyways, I loved the 321 days and the missing years between the end of the Teen Titans and the beginning of the New Teen Titans….I totally get the timeline now. But anyways, Wolfman’s run was decent, better then Jone’s run. I look forward to see what Tomasi does with this book. Oh and the last page of this issue was awesome!

Nightwing #138
Written by Fabian Nicieza Art by Don Kramer

DC’s go to fill-in guy Nicieza tackles this issue of Nightwing, part 2 of the batbook crossover “Ressurection of Ra’s Al Ghul”. It was okay….this crossover is just okay. Nothing too exciting to write home about. I like Ra’s Al Ghul but he isn’t my favorite Bat-villain (Not even close) so nothing here really excites me. It it is totally in character for Nightwing to try to save the villain’s lives though I liked that. Oh and Nightwing using a teleporter is too easy and lame for a Bat-book.

Nightwing #139
Written by Fabian Nicieza Art by Don Kramer

This is part 6 of the Ressurection of Ra’s Al Ghul crossover, and I did like this a lot. Although it was more a Robin story then a Nightwing story it was good to see Nightwing’s thoughts on what Robin has been through. You can’t blame Robin for wanting to bring his friends and family back but I think he made the right choice in the end.

Nightwing #140
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Rags Morales

Peter Tomasi’s first issue of his Nightwing run was a real treat. I have never read any of the former editor’s stuff (I think?) and he is really good. This blows Bruce Jones and Marv Wolfman out of the park. Of course, Morales’s amazing art helps as well. I love the characterization of the bat family and the idea of Nightwing building his base in a museum he is now the curator of. This was just awesome! The only problem I had is he always refers to himself as Richard, not Dick, in this issue. Huh?

Nightwing #141
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Rags Morales

Tomasi is quickly turning this into one of DC’s best monthly books and that is an amazing turn around from what it was before. Tomasi takes the time this issue to show what is going on with Nightwing’s relationships with different people in the DCU including the Flash and Batman. Tomasi knows how to use the DCU effectively and doesn’t forget that the JSA operate out of New York as well. Awesome! All writers should follow Tomasi when it comes to utilizing the shared universe concept.

Nightwing #142
Written by Peter Tomasi
Art by Rags Morales

With three great issues, Tomasi has proven himself as a great writer for Nightwing. This issue was full of awesomeness with the art and the story perfectly awesome. Robin and Nightwing’s brotherly relationship was great to see and it is always nice to see Ma Hunkel! Tomasi better be on this book for a long time to come. I don’t know that I care for the use of Talia so soon but o well, that’s only one problem in a book of awesomeness.

Batman 665 - 668

Batman #665
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Andy Kubert

Not sure why but the first time I read this I was very confused. Now I get it. It seems Batman is being visited by three ghosts- or versions of himself. The first one was the crazed cop Batman who shot the Joker, the second was the prostitute killing Bane-like Batman, and their is a third he has not yet met. That’s pretty crazy stuff. I think Morrison’s run is finally picking up after all.

Batman #666
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Andy Kubert

While I don’t normally enjoy stories that aren’t in continuity- this was pretty good. We meet the third ghost in this issue. It is Damian Wayne, who in the near future, long after his father is dead, has become an evil Batman who sold his soul. It was really cool and it was cool to find out what has happened to certain characters since Batman’s death. I still have no idea how this is all going to play out, but that’s typical Morrison fashion. It won’t all make sense until the end.

Batman #667
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by J.H. Williams III

We take a break from the Black casebook storyline for this story, Morrison’s new take on the silver age Club of Heroes concept. I loved it. I am not a big silver age fan but this update was really cool. We learn that their are a bunch of Batman-like heroes around the world who meet every so often as the Club of Heroes. They have really goofy names and such but Morrison write them in a completely serious murder mystery. It was almost CLUE-like in how they all meet at this house and have to solve a mystery. Awesome.

Batman #668
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by J.H. Williams III

Part 2 of the Club of Heroes story arc was in this issue. I didn’t really enjoy this one as much as the first issue mainly because I had forgotten who was who. I will have to go back and read this story arc as a whole when its over. But it was good. The art is amazing. Williams is a great artist and perfect for this storyline.

Brave and the Bold 1 and 2

Brave and the Bold #1
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Pérez and Bob Wiacek

This is the first issue of DC’s new team-up book (inspired by the old Brave and the Bold book from the sixties, seventies, and eighties) and Mark Waid proves right off the bat that this is going to be the most fun and most exciting book that DC puts out each month. He really hit it out of the park. Batman and Green Lantern may not have been my pick for the book’s first team-up but I would be wrong, because Waid shows how great these two work together. The fight in the batcave was sensational, seeing that big penny finally being used almost brought tears to my eyes….well, I wouldn’t go that far but it was cool. The idea of the book of destiny getting into the wrong hands is cool and I am shocked nobody has thought of this before. Great start for a great series.

Brave and the Bold #2
Written by Mark Waid
Art by George Pérez and Bob Wiace

Okay when I saw that Green Lantern and Supergirl this issue I was thinking okay well Supergirl is a little overexposed. But Waid pulls it off perfectly, I mean he writes her great over in Legion and here he writes her perfectly as well. She is an intelligent yet a little nutty girl. I loved the moment where she dresses up in a little girl costume to fool the spectators. And did I mention that a Las Vegas-like gambling planet is one of the coolest ideas ever. I am just ga-ga over the series. I love it!

Uh….What?!

Robin #158
Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Frazer Irving

Wow! This story could have been good, it I wasn’t distracted by the weirdest art I have seen in a long time. Irving barely even draws backgrounds or anything, Gotham City is apparently just a big orange light in Irving’s eyes. I really really really really did not like the art this issue. It really takes away from the enjoyment of the story and the story isn’t that strong to begin with. I liked that Klarion and Robin have struck up a sorta friendship but that was about it. I am glad this arc is over and we can get to some more Robin action. Oh and maybe some normal art. Robin has been really good since Beechen took over (minus the Cassandra Cain thing) but this arc was not his best, and I think the art made it a lot worse. Hopefully next month things will start looking up.

The Double Chin Lex

Superman Confidential #3
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art and cover by Tim Sale

This was a good issue, mostly because it is cool to see how Lex is so suspicious of Superman. Tim Sale draws Lex pretty fat, in fact he has a double chin in this issue. It kinda made me laugh. It was funny to see Lex get mad when Superman crashed his benefit party, but you can kind of sympathize with Lex in that scene. I mean it was about Lex and then Superman just shows up and steals all his thunder. Sick Kid’s Fun Day seems like a pretty uninspired name though, I think Cooke could have come up with better. It is kind of a negative title for a benefit for Sick Children. I am not sure what Gallo is doing at the end of this issue and I am not sure if I dig the whole sentient Kryptonite idea, but this issue was still good. The moment where Superman is talking with the polar boy because he is so lonely was very nice. I liked that a lot.

The (Modern) Debut of The Spirit

The Spirit #1
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art by Cooke

I have absolutely have no familiarity with the Character of The Spirit. I am a complete newbie and I have to say I am a fan of the character after reading this issue. My first introduction to The Spirit was on that History Channel documentary about comics from a few years back. He looked kinda interesting but nothing I would seek out. Now, I wanna read everything the character has ever been in. Cooke writes a wonderful little adventure for the Spirit and unlike most new series, he does not recap the Spirit’s origin, which I don’t mind at all. I suppose he will tell it eventually but it is not important right now. I think this series is supposed to slowly intergrate The Spirit into the DC Universe but I am not sure. I hope it does. The story is a lot of fun. I expected that The Spirit would be a dark and grim character like Batman but it turns out he has a sense of humor and a good one at that. His little comments to Ginger Coffee were very funny. I hope her character will make a return. Cooke manages to reintroduce The Spirit’s Sidekick, Ebony White, without being racist. That is pretty incredible. The villain in this issue is pretty gross, his name is The Pill and I don’t know if he is a new character or not. Great start to what looks like will be a great series, highly reccomended

Very Very Boring

Robin #157
Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Frazer Irving

This issue was just boring. I mean, I really enjoy Beechen’s writing on this title (besides the whole Cassandra Cain bullshit) but this was just blah. Nothing really happens in this issue. Robin makes a date with a girl and finds a cat who get attacked by a monster. I could see where something like that could work, but it doesn’t work here. It is just boring, I finished the issue thinking what the heck happened here…it did not seem like anything occured in the entire issue. Lame effort by Adam Beechen and definitely decompressed. The cover announced Klarion is in the issue, but he doesn’t appear till the final page! If DC really wanted to make it exciting, they shouldn’t have announced it on the cover.The art, while not bad, is a little dissapointing compared to Freddie Williams’s art on this title.

The Old Guys Are Back, And Better Than Ever

Justice Society of America #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Dale Eaglesham and Art Thibert

Yes, this series is as good as everyone has been saying. In fact, it was better than I expected. Geoff Johns knows how to write teams books. Especailly considering this and Teen Titans are the best teams books on the market right now…and he writes both. He manages to incorporate into the first issue of this new JSA series while at the same time leaving it accessible to new readers. That is what Geoff Johns does best, continuity without confusion. I ate up every moment of it. Cyclone and Starman are two new characters and I love them both already. Having a mentally unstable superhero like Starman on the team is great and the fact that he looks nothing like he acts makes it so much better. The old JSA series was great and this one looks like it will end up bring just as great if not better. Oh and the art is fantastic as well. Highly Recommended.

Batman Begins, Oops I Mean Confidential

Batman Confidential #1
Written by Andy Diggle
Art and Cover by Whilce Portacio and Richard Friend

This is the start of a new series that will focus on the early days of Batman’s career….and like many before me, all I have to say is…..haven’t we seen this a million times? Isn’t this what Legends of the Dark Knight is supposed to be about? Aren’t like half the mini-series focued around Batman about his early days? I suppose you can make the arguement that Batman’s early days have been changed a bit since Infinite Crisis but I mean…come on. Now ignoring all that, Andy Diggle’s story is not bad. It wouldn’t be the type of first I would choose to start off the book but it isn’t a bad choice. This is the story of the first meeting between Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor. I have always wondered about Wayne Enterprises and LexCorp and if they have any competition between eachother and this story shows that they do. This story bars plenty of Batman Begins which isn’t necessarily bad but you don’t want to make it seem like it is copying it, which Diggle kind of is. Lucious Fox is in the tech department here much like he was in Batman Begins and Bruce’s banter with Fox is very similar to the film. But I guess since it was a great movie, there is no reason why elements of it shouldn’t be brought to the comics. The art wasn’t my cup of tea, they draw Bruce really weird in this. He looks deformed or something.