Wednesday Comics #1 (OF 12)

Um what?

I have a feeling this comic is going to turn out 50/50, half the material will be throw away, and the other half will be spectacular.

I didn't give a damn when I first heard about this, but now it's looking awfully appealing!

52 was amazing.

Countdown was TERRIBLE

Trinity was a snoozefest.

This my friends, and even if it isnt a whole 52 issues, will make a comeback for weekly DC series. I cannot wait for this. So excited!

Meh. Feh.  Still gonna buy it.  But meh.

its a slow week why not

I'm looking forward to the Batman, Metamorpho, Superman, and Supergirl stories the most.

What about you guys?

This has future pick of the week for me written all over it.

@theNextchampion  BATMAN/KAMANDI/THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN

I can't believe the creative teams on some of these. I don't care about Metamorpho, but where else could you see Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred together?

@theNextchampion BATMAN/ADAM STRANGE/KAMANDI/THE FLASH

@TNC - Paul Pope, Lee Bermejo, Azzarello & Eduardo Risso, Gaimin & Allred, Karl Kerschl, and Kyle Baker.

Metamorpho, Kamandi, Green Lantern, Flash

I've been rereading 52 and I now realize that the 52 trades made me truly fall in love with the DC universe.

I'm buying at least the first issue.

I can't believe the lukewarm reception to this.  Look at the creative teams!  I've been excited about this since they announced it.

I actually dont recognize some of the creators in this.

Like I dont know who Brian Stelfreeze, Dave Bullock, Vinton Heuck, Karl Kerschi is. But that's what makes me more excited, that I dont know who some of these people are and will be showcased to them for the first time.

This looks like it could be great, im in!

Im not sure if i'm gonna like this cause I don't see it being consistantly good with so many different people but Im picking it up anyway.

AHHH! i really don't want to buy this!! god damn it..... ok, you sumbitches

I'm F$&*ing HYPE for this book. I'm like skip the weekly give my the absolute right now!

wOw!  looks like fun.

i was super excited when this was announced...  there was no question i'd be getting every issue...  i am a little less excited now for some reason...   i'll definitely pick it up, but i can see myself dropping this after a few issues if too few of the strips are impressing me...

having read the batman page already, it will take alot to beat this as pick of the week.

Isn't this "Wednesday Comic" debuting on a Thursday instead of Wednesday because of comics being delayed due to 4th of July weekend?  Whoopsy DC!

I already said this elsewhere, but I expect Ron to either be furious about this, or laugh uncontrollably.  As he does.

I'm on the fence for this, I added it but not sure till I pick it up and flip thru it.

This just looks cool

The pulls are high but I'm shocked they aren't higher....   this is seriously one of the best looking things for superhero comic fans in a looooong time. 

I used to LOVE the treasury sized comics as a kid as well as Prince Valiant on Sundays, so this is a win win for me!!!! 

It's all going to come down to execution.  I'm expecting to love it.  The idea is both ancient and yet so new.  I love the idea that it's in a format that is basically the anti-collector. 

I can't fucking wait!!! Gaiman/Allred's Metamorpho, Paul Pope's Adam Strange, AZZ/Risso's Batman, Arcudi/Bermejo's Superman, Baker's Hawkman, Gibbons/Sook's Kamandi and many!!! I'm soooooo excited for this. It seems to have a real "Solo" vibe going for it.

So much talent on this, can't wait to see how the first issue turns out.

Nothing I'm really looking forward to other than the concept and little more Mike Allred and Amanda Conner in my life.

I just know DC is gonna get away with this because everybody is in love with them right now.  Blackest Night, Superman stuff, Batman stuff,

They wouldn't pull this shit out at a time when everybody is hating on them, but I'm gonna check it out regardless.

I'm really surprised by the reception here. The pulls are pretty high, but what's there to dislike about this? You're getting something that hasn't really been done much before, in a different format than you'd expect, featuring some top-tier creative teams on some very popular characters. I can see being upset about 16 pages for $3.99, but other than that I can't see why so many are getting upset about this. Most of the response I've seen elsewhere has been pure anticipation.

I can't wait for this, personally, probably the most anticipated book on my list this week.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am actually excited to read the Metamorpho story.  Can't wait to pick this up

Karl Kerschl drawing The Flash, I'm so in! I'm also looking forward to reading the stories about some of the characters I'm not too familiar with. I love the DCU obscures. 

want badly

@KickAss: Comics are out on Wednesday this week.

From Newsarama.com: “Has Marvel Comics stolen this idea from us yet?” Vansciver asked after Sattler’s presentation.

Uhm... What?

Anyway, this book seems to boast big characters and big creators, but I would prefer some less well-known creators. Like in Mavel's upcoming "Strange Tales" anthology, made by all-indie creators. DC likes putting big names on their big books, but does that mean that a good comic will be the result? DC has already proven that that is not case.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm picking this up regardless of my somewhat lacking expectations and admitted anti DC-bias.They've been impressing me as of late, so why not? Though I must say a few extra pages would have been nice. Shutting up

Can't wait to see how this turns out. Anyone know if its printed on matte paper to match the newspaper style?

MAN, I hope there's some Ziggy panels.

Really surprised this doesn't have more pulls. I really see no reasons why this won't be awesome. I love the fact that each feature was it's own look and feel: it's like getting 15 different books! Sure it's only 16 pages for $3.99, but those are some pretty big pages.

So, will these issues be connected in any way or like 12 one-shots?

Ok wait, after re-reading the solicit -- every issue will have one page of story from all those creative teams?

I'm also surprised the pulls aren't higher.  In my store, this book already has numbers that place it in the top 10 sellers in my store!  I blame the preview page they sent out, it was a great idea, and it really grabs attention when it's hung on a wall.

I am looking forward to this, but it seems like it's getting overly hyped. That probably has to do with me listening to the Around Comics guys though. I'm not sure what they are expecting from this but they just about cream their pants every time it is brought up. I'm sure this will be a good series, but not the second coming of comics like they seem to believe.

@wadewilson: From what I can tell, it's going to be like one of those adventure strip comics you see. Where each end panel will have a 'to be continued' and the story will continue until the 12th (and final) issue. So it'll be a continuous (and seperate from one another) for 12 weeks.

Hell I dont even like Metamorpho, but somehow they got Gaiman/Allred to work together on it.

@Toshimoko:  It's number 2 on this site, what do you want?  Hard to impress much?

I'm excited for everything but the Deadman and the Sgt. Rock, but curious nonetheless.  I'll read them all and I'm very curious to read Dan DiDio's writing on Metal Men. What's that gonna be like?

13 and a half more hours

from what I understand, these are newspaper sized pages that you unfold, right?  guess we'll find out in a few more hours.

@J4K3: Not sure what Van Sciver meant by that. But, the Strange Tales anthology seems, to me at least, to be a rip-off of the excellent Bizarro's Comics/Bizarro's World series of GN's DC put out years ago. Strange Tales sounds like its going to be ace, though.

I've never seen a comic be 100% POTW. That was fun to see this morning.

@TNC - Thanks dude. I don't think I will be on board for this. If it was 12 one-shots, there is a few I'd be interested in, but $3.99 for 16 pages (even if they are giant) of story doesn't sound too good. Seems more like a stunt than anything else.

But, having said all that, there's a chance I'll flip through it in the shop & not be able to resist!

Fucking amazing!

That's all I should say about the best new series for 2009. Finally, DC did a great idea and executed perfectly. Loved every single story in this and I am on board for the next 11 issues. Just fucking fantastic. POTW for me.

I was expecting greatness and we got it! Standouts for me include Kamandi, Hawkman, Metamorpho, Superman, Sgt. Rock, and The Flash. But I loved all of these.  

I haven't read it yet, but it gets bonus points for the paper quality.  I love it when low production makes me go "oooh!"

Damn, now I REALLY can't wait to get to my LCS after work! Two more hours until I can leave!

This was OUTSTANDING. I loved most everything in the book-- although I mostly skimmed through the Wonder Woman story... maybe because this was the last book I read, and I just couldn't squint my dry eyes enough to read all that text.  But really fun all throughout-- and real work of art, literally.

So apparently the entire city of Toronto got short shipped and everybody (or at least the three stores I went to) sold out this morning. I usually buy my comics in the morning. Today I bought them in the afternoon. >:(

Haven't read it yet, but just something I noticed when I bought it this morning...$3.99 for a book printed on newsprint seems a little high. I don't want to get into the whole price of issues debate or anything, but I was shocked that the low paper quality would still warrant a top level price point. I mean, i think it looks good done in newsprint, and it's something a little different, but I would really have been nice to see this come in at $2.50 or something. I mean, you can buy a whole newspaper for less than $4 on weekdays, and it's a lot more content (although, not good content) than this issue.

Regardless, this looks to be really fun, and I've already pretty much decided to go ahead and get all 12 issues. Really looking forward to the Batman story! 

I thought this was FANTASTIC.  It was nice to see characters other than Batman, Superman and Green Lantern get some attention.

@Brian: Paper quality has little to no effect on price.  The book was likely $3.99 because of the larger format, and to pay all those big name creators.

This book has exceeded every expectation I had for it.  Truly fantastic and a victory for Chiarello and everyone else involved.  And you know, if you take the folding into account, you're really getting a 64-page comic for $4 :)  I mean come on, Wonder Woman alone has almost 50 panels!

Oh my god, do we have to complain about the friggen price point!?

It's 15 stories with a mix of big name writers and aritsts. Plus you have a mix of other creators most people probably havent heard of. Then your using a format that has never been tried before (at least with my knowledge) to make it as authentic as possibly to newspaper comics.

But no we have to complain about the goddamn price point. I'll be in the car....

The cost of paper is nothing compared to paying creators. I haven't bought it yet (tomorrow) but $4 seems fair.

I dont even care how much this was! I would've bought it if it was .99 cents or $10!

This is a once and a lifetime chance to read something never before done. To read stories unqiue to the entire industry. With the help of many major writers/artists and also up and coming creators.

But what do we get instead of praise/hate of the actual comic? We get: 'Duh I would pick this up but it's $3.99 so fuck that!!'

Unbelievable....

The Wonder Woman story seemed to have missed the point: Write a one page story, not a 5 page story and shrink it to one page... I didn't bother finishing it.  Most of the other stories were pretty mediocre (Flash and Metal Men come to mind) but the Supergirl and Batman pages along with the concept itself saved this book.

I mean come on.... "Every time I turn this on, it's like I'm signaling failure."   Best single panel in a long time.

Great book. 5/5, POTW for me. A novel idea, and a better approach than similar attempts like SOLO or such. 

However, that 5/5 was pretty close to a 4 for me. It didn't have the WOW factor for me. And there were a couple stumbling blocks for me, as well. Here's my quick list of good, mediocre and bad. (Though, none of them were terrible.) It essentially came down to stories that read/looked like Pulps as opposed to stories translated from comics to this format.

Good: Kamandi, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Strange Adventures, Supergirl, Flash/Irish Allen (Nice touch!), Demon & Catowman

Mediocre: Batman (Sorry, that one line does not redeem it), Superman (It looked so good...), Deadman, Metal Man (It wasn't great, just not stellar), Sgt. Rock (Nothing happened), Hawkman (I had my highest hopes on this, it looked great, but didn't hook me)

Bad: Teen Titans, Wonder Woman (the artist was obviously gifted/intricate why waste that on panels barely a centimeter tall where the printing process/paper quality distort it)

Bear in mind, this could all change next week!  

Great book.  It would have been a 5, except a few of the stories seemed odd to me.  They didn't all hook me as much as I would have hoped.  Still, great great stuff.  Loved Metamorpho, Kamandi, Hawkman, Flash, Sgt. Rock (Kuberts!!!!), and Strange Adventures.

@prax - How could Hawkman (in my top 3) not hook you!? It was narrated by BIRDS!

@TNC: I just want to be clear--I wasn't bitching about the price, I was just addressing someone's thoughts on the price point.  I thought this was a steal at $3.99.

Deadman & Metal Men were very well executed (although Tin is such a lame-o). Wonder Woman was truly awful.

@Paul My problems with the "mediocre" stories were not that they were bad, they just didn't invest me in the characters or, in the case of Batman, Superman, Sgt. Rock and Hawkman, they felt like the first page of a comic book and not the first part in a serial. While many of them were set-up, there were creative ways around it. Where the other stories truly shined was that they felt installment based. 

I think I just hate the word 'mediocre'. 

Can you say 'MONEY WHORES'?

This was FANTASTIC!! I've been looking forward to thus since they announced it and boy it deliver. Easily my pick of the week.

@paul Yeah, I didn't want to use it... I just couldn't think of a good term that was "Not-quite-bad, but not that great"

you know a great book when lots of people think it's great for different reasons. it's doubtful everyone will like everything in this, but i can't imagine anyone not loving a good part of it.

and since i haven't seen it said, paul pope's adam strange was completely fantastic.

Here's the shocker of the year: Dan Didio wrote a comic book and it was actually pretty good.

It wasn't even: "Oh wow a guy who never wrote a comic before and it was decent". It was a really good start to a Metal Men story.

I mean the only problem with this comic was the Wonder Woman story. The text was almost impossible to read and the art kinda bugged me. But it's still 14/15 for me in terms of quality so what's one bad story?

@prax I don't necessarily think that this was intended to 'hook' you per se.  I feel if you're going to argue the 'mediocre' angle, then all of it was mediocre.  But I don't think that's what this is about.  I think it is intended to be a fun weekly read.  None of these stories strike me, at first glance, as something intended to be deep and profound or so gripping that you'll be sweating profusely until next Wednesday.  I thinks it's just a smooth way of serializing comics in strip format and giving the reader a little something different for their buck.  I realize I'm stating the obvious with my final point here.

I really had a good time with this newspaper format.  Kind of a similar feeling that I get from reading Viking in that it's so much larger than what I'm used to.  It felt cool to be reading my comics like I was reading a newspaper. 

@vadamowens You mistake my intention by saying hooked. I mean general interest in their ongoing storyline. I do not mean to say that they need to be ground breaking, genre-shattering stories to "hook me." But that, in all honesty, if none of the stories I label as "mediocre" were continued next week, I wouldn't be bothered. Certainly some were pretty, for most of them I would like to see where they're going, but if not... no big deal. For what I considered good, I want to read more. I want to see where this is going, what can happen to these characters. I know it's not going to be a big shake up, but a good story needs to grab me from page one. I have a friend who buys books only if he likes the first sentence. This is what I liken my feelings.

As I said, part of my problem with this is that many of these seem badly paced, as if someone wrote a 12 page comic and split it up over 12 weeks. That defeats the purpose of serializing something, in my eyes. The ones I cottoned the most were the ones that felt like pulp, 50s serials. Kamandi and Strange Adventures did that the best, for me. Metamorpho did a good job of circumventing the serial format while still conforming to it.

Alas, by no means do I wish to diminish anyone's enjoyment of the book. I certainly loved it. But I was a bit let down that it doesn't *feel* like what I thought we were getting by having a book in this format. Who knows, perhaps next issue I will feel like we've settle into each story? 

Anyone get USA Today yesterday?? Apparently they're gonna run the Superman strip from this in print and then online for the rest of the run.

http://ow.ly/gSU8 

wasn't gonna pick it up but i'm glad i did it was great

I'm still sniffing mine. 

My favourite story was The Flash. Damn, this smells good.

am i the only one who thought this was a generally mixed bag? it was like getting a lap dance for a second. im not really sure how these stories will work, bacause it seems like we barely got a glimpse at any of them.

and the wonder woman story was terrible.

I liked the Wonder Woman story. It's better than the current WW book.

This was great. I was nervous it would suck because we were just getting a page of story at a time but I was very impressed. The art was great and I thought the writers responded to the 1 page challenge' rather well.

You know I'm still not sure how i feel about this, I'll give it another couple of weeks to win me over but there's still that hefty four dollar pricetag.

I'm really glad I took a 2nd trip to the comic store this week to pick this up.  It felt like a lot of stories for 3.99.  Sometimes, a whole regular issue that's 3.99 can really be told in one page.  But in this, you get 15 stories (or the set up of stories). Highlights were Superman, Batman, Kamandi and Deadman.  I hope this format catches on for a bit.  

Some great; some bad.

Well, my LCS was sold out so I couldn't get this, but with all this strong praise I'll have to chase it down.

@TNC -- Yeah, you can tell people not to complain, because you NEVER do :p

I really liked this newspaper format, I hope DC starts pushing this format. Maybe instead of looking for this in a LCS, I can go to any newsstand and find my Wednesday Comics. The price really bothered me too but 15 pages of artwork you can hang up on your wall or read on a train isn't a bad deal. Print doesn't have to die, it just needs to be remade to fit in a changing world.

im having storage issues with this

For those wondering how to store or preserve these issues, there are some great resources onlnine about newspaper archival. A quick google search should pull the relevent information. Bags are not a must. Various places sell acid free folders. I would suggest unfolding the comic once when storing, as the paper will become brittle more quickly along the folds. Newsprint is certainly more 'disposable' than standard modern comics, but my grandparents still have articles from WWII that they keep for obvious reasons. I don't see why WC can't be similar (As a former WoW addict, this abbreviation holds different connotations to me).

Over priced for a thin newspaper. Wait for the trades.

Wow. This was absolutely fantastic. 5/5.

I didn't have the love for this that so many others seem to have. I'd go absolutely apeshnits over a single issue form of the Metamorpho, Flash, and Green Lantern stories (with lesser apeshnits for Hawkman and Metal Men) but mixed in with stuff I wasn't so jazzed about (the Wonder Woman was impossible to read for me, too), I kept feeling like reading some pages was a chore.

I appreciate the experiment, however and will stay on board if the mid-level quality stuff (in my opinion) stays on level or gets better to the point where I'm not just getting this for three or four pages.

I'm finding it hard to single out favorite stories here. My pants got tighter reading the Paul Pope section. I want to have all of his babies forever. Forever.

The Batman page, alone, makes this a 5.

Oh how I wished they got George Perez do the Wonder Woman comic.
Could a comic get 6 stars?