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November 16, 2011 3:39 am Darkseid was always sufficiently confident in his sexuality to rock the mini-kilt look.

October 17, 2011 3:11 pm JL, GLC, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom. All #2's!

October 15, 2011 7:14 am You may be right about Robinson on team books, although I do hope that the new JSA book disproves the theory! Personally, I liked The Golden Age - it set a foundation for the later JSA title (under Robinson, and later Geoff Johns) to build upon. I had such high hopes for the JLA under James Robinson, and there were hints of what could be possible (the Starman/Congorilla one-shot for example), but overall the run it was quite a disappointment. What combination of author & editorial made it so, I couldn't possibly know. For now, I'm just glad of a years worth of Shade to look forward to!

October 13, 2011 6:55 pm I found the Liebermann min really difficult to follow. Not that it was a bad story, it's just that nearly all of the names for the minor supporting characters were lifted from the players of the Manchester United Football team! I found it completely distracting from the plot, and the whole book became about trying to spot which was the next soccer start to get namechecked!

October 13, 2011 11:39 am I bought the American Secrets books in the early '90's, and I agree that it's a wonderful book. A good story with a pulpy feel, and great artwork. I'd also recommend the storyline that ran early in the Justice League Task Force book where J'onn had to shapeshift into the form of a woman (I think it was because the mission was on Themyscira). It also addressed his weakness to fire. The Mandrake / Ostrander series was also very good. I doubt if any of these are available in trade!

October 6, 2011 1:13 pm I certainly don't think it is as awful as it's being portrayed. There are plenty of things that could be done better; the villains are lacklustre, the relationship with the boss running Queen Industries feels forced and the backup team need better definition. That said, I think it's got good action sequences and I like the art. It has potential, and I'm going to give it an arc or two to find it's feet.

September 30, 2011 3:52 pm What's the alternative? The mainstream comics medium (regardless of publisher) is withering, slowly but surely. Sales numbers are down month after month after month for the large publishers and something has to change if the decline is to be halted (dare we hope for a reversal of fortunes?). My LCS reports brand new readers coming into the store to demand sold out copies of Justice League, as well as regulars who have previously shied away from DC dipping a metaphorical toe into the DCU waters. Will it work? Will those new readers stick around for issue #6? Or #12? Or #200? Who knows. But this is a bold move and one that every comic reader should hope pays off. Indeed, we all have a vested interest in DC's reboot - perhaps it'll be the thing that stays the execution of the funny books we all love.

September 28, 2011 1:19 pm It's a big surprise Lobo hasn't shown up yet, especially given how DC is mainlining comics & creators of the '90's as a major inspiration for the look and feel of this reboot...

September 22, 2011 2:21 am I second that, but I'll certainly give this new mini a chance...

August 28, 2011 12:47 pm Thank you for the thought provoking article, Josh. I'm afraid that I disagree with your opinion, and here is why. For me, character is not a marginal factor, it is central. I enjoy following the stories of the characters I care about. That, for me, is a key factor in what makes a "good comic". I may not like the art, I might not find the characterisation quite right, but the characters endure, and it is their stories that I follow. I don't join a book if the creative team is "hot" (there have been plenty of those who have come and very rapidly gone in my comic reading career), nor do I leave if the team is perceived to be poor. The creatives document the tales of the characters I like and that is sufficient. It's true that I may be missing masterpieces of the storytelling art. But I treat comics as escapist soap opera, and it is the characters in those dramas that interest me. If the story is presented in a novel and ground-breaking way, or if the art is outstanding, it's a bonus. But it's not a reason to hop on or off a book. Loyalty is not the lazy, unthinking, unimaginative quality it is made out to be in the article. Loyalty (in my case to a group of characters) is a consumer choice I exercise week in and week out at my LCS. I buy what I enjoy, and if others do not enjoy the same thing, I am content to disagree with them. There is nothing "wrong" with this approach. Indeed, if every comic reader only read the "right" books, this site and the world of comics in general would become very dull, very quickly.