Announced in USA Today this morning DC Comics announced the first cancellations in the first wave of the New 52. O.M.A.C, Men of War, Mister Terrific, Hawk and Dove, Blackhawks, and Static Shock are all being cancelled with their eighth issues being released in April. Rising out of the ashes of those titles are six new series launching in May setting up the second wave of the New 52. One series launches out of Superboy,Teen Titans, and Legion Lost, another expands upon what Men of War started, two explore another Earth, One gives us a new look on a legendary device, and the last but not least is Grant Morrison’s return to Batman. Now for further information, here’s the press releases from DC Comics on the second wave of the New 52.
Batman Incorporated – Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of Action Comics, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on Batman Incorporated, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.
Earth 2 – Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.
Worlds’ Finest – Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2. Perez and Maguire will be the artists on alternating story arcs.
Dial H – Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.
G.I. Combat – Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, The War That Time Forgot, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including The Unknown Soldier, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and The Haunted Tank, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.
The Ravagers – Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from Teen Titans and Superboy, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.
Each of these titles explore different aspects of the DC Universe, to quote DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras from DC’s The Source, “The second wave of the New 52 is all about world building.”
Batman Incorporated is a concept that I for one is a fan of seeing come back within the New 52. How Grant makes this concept work within this new DC Universe is anyone’s guess. What’s going to be fun is seeing Grant back on Batman once more following the Leviathan Strikes one shot that was released back in December. I would say this one was one of the more anticipated books even before the official announcement. I’m excited, the reveal at the end of the one shot was one of, “How did I not see that coming,” so to say the least I want to see how Grant follows this one up. The best part being as well that Chris Burnham is doing the art on this series and they gave him the lead time to be able to make sure he doesn’t need a fill in. If Grant’s return to Batman isn’t enough, having Burnham on for the duration of the run, sets this series on the right direction.
The books focusing around Earth 2 are comics that inspire a lot of excitement from me, at least for the most part. James Robinson has been on a resurgence as of late with The Shade in critical acclaim. On the other end though his critical acclaim hasn’t resulted in strong sales, it remains to be seen how Earth 2 will fare in the New 52. Looks like now it’s going to be the JSA (Justice Society of America) with other aspects of Earth 2 yet to be mentioned. It’s a concept that’s up Robinson’s alley and I think he’ll make Earth 2 a series to look forward to. I just hope it translates into fans having the same excitement.
On the other hand Worlds’ Finest is a mix of two factors that could push this series in either direction. Paul Levitz bringing together Huntress and Power Girl in their quest to get back to Earth 2 is a good thing. Having Kevin McGuire and George Perez as your rotating artists is even better. Two fan favorite characters together, two revered artists, and how can this go wrong? Paul Levitz has had a mixed reaction in the scheme of the New 52. Huntress has so far been the book that’s been the most well received so that gives me high hopes on this title. Though there are fans who just really can’t get into Paul’s writing. It’s a toss up but I find myself wanting to see just where he takes these characters and having Power Girl back is a good thing.
Dial H is going to be the book that’s all at once anticipated and some fans are wondering what the heck it is. China Miéville writing this title has already made fans excited and sadly I haven’t read any of his books yet. I will say 
this though I do like the concept of the Hero Dial and want to see how he handles it. With a striking Brian Bolland cover, it’s going to set itself apart from the rest of the New 52 in strong fashion. Interestingly enough this is also going to be in the same part of the New 52 as Animal Man and Swamp Thing. Even more interesting is Karen Berger, who’s known for being the Executive Editor on DC’s Vertigo Imprint, is editing Dial H. Taking the Hero Dial in directions that are going to be exciting to read. I’m hopeful about this series.
Out of the ashes of Men of War comes G.I Combat and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this one yet. The War That Time Forgot with JT Krul and Ariel Olivetti could go either way considering that the last time it was revived it didn’t do that great sales wise. Though the backup stories could make G.I Combat with The Unknown Soldier by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti with Dan Panosian and the Haunted Tank by John Arcudi and Scott Kolins. Could this comic be a big hit for the New 52 and bring the war comic back to prominence? Who knows honestly how this will end up being received at this point. We’ll see what happens, since overall it has a good group of people working on the series. At least DC Comics is still giving war comics a chance.
The Ravagers is the series I could see going either way with the fan base. Superboy, Teen Titans, and as we learned through interviews today Legion Lost all have a tie to this series. Considering the wide range of reactions to all three of those titles, The Ravagers is going to be a tricky title to predict in the New 52. Howard Mackie and Ian Churchill make for an interesting team on this book, which has also made a case for the comic coming straight out of the 90′s. Before I make my final judgement on this title I’m going to be looking at any material coming my way on it before I even dare say too much. I’m not totally looking forward to the series, yet at the same time I want to give The Ravagers a fair shot.
It’s a mixed reaction from me with all the titles appearing in the second wave of the New 52. So far fan reaction has been a mix of sadness for losing their favorite book or books from the first wave of New 52. While others aren’t exactly crying themselves to sleep over losing the titles and want to see what the second wave holds. What will the future hold even after this second wave of New 52 titles? Each title serves a unique place in the new DC Universe and helping to build up the world of the New 52 further. The response is going to be interesting and hopefully these new titles will resonate with fans. May is going to be an interesting month for DC Comics and the New 52, only time will tell if the second wave can hold up the momentum from the first.
Another fine piece of writing!! Hope you are having fun doing what you love!
Earth2 looks amazing!
Love Earth 2 news but the Batman Inc isn’t. It’s always been known to Batman fans that Morrison was going to finish Batman Inc in 2012 but it’s not a new series just a continuation of what he’s doing and is set before the events of Flashpoint.
Too bad about Mr. Terrific but I was only reading it to see what they were doing with Karen Starr (Power Girl).
Now they just need to bring back Stephanie Brown.
Do you remember the action movies in the 90s? There was a Rambo – as leading character (usually acted by Stallone himself, or by Schwarzenegger) forced to fight against innumerous enemies: any other man would have been doomed, but our hero, with his guns, muscles, fight techniques and (last but not least) brain, was always able to find a way out. “Grifter” has the same storyboard, it is the exact translation of those movies in the comic book language: no matter how many enemies he has to face and how complicated their plans are, you can be sure Grifter will find a solution to all his problems. The stories are easy but cleverly written, and the drawings are simply explosive. It is definitely one of the best DC comics right now, so I can’t understand why it doesn’t sell: it should be at the top of the list of every comic book lover.