Brave New World

I just finished reading the new DC preview book, Brave New World, and thought I would post some thoughts on it.

Now, I'm kind of predisposed to not liking any of it, so if I get a bit judgmental, keep that in mind. I'm not terribly happy with how the Big Two are trying to make their comic book universes suddenly 'relevant' so this 'change-for-change's-sake' attitude they have going on is leaving something of a bad taste in my mouth.

That being said, I will admit that my curiosity has been piqued (as evidenced by my previous post on the subject) and I'm going to try and keep an open mind about all of this. Somewhat open, anyways.

Okay, here goes.

Brave New World starts off with a preview of the all-new, all-different Martian Manhunter. Overall, this little vignette was enough to make me wonder how this series will turn out but not quite enough to make me actively seek it out, either. A.J. Lieberman earned the benefit of the doubt from me with his absolutely fantastic run on Harley Quinn, so it gets some points for that, too. I'll probably look at this one in the shop but, again, I don't see money exchanging hands over this one.

Next up is the new OMAC. If there was one thing I didn't like about Infinite Crisis it was the retooling of the OMAC concept and its execution throughout the event. It was one of the weakest Crisis tie-ins at the time and remains fairly weak in this brief promo story. The art by Renato Guedes is wonderful but unfotunately, Bruce Jones doesn't offer up anything of real value here. A definite passola.

Uncle Sam is a character I liked seeing in special projects like Alex Ross and Steve Darnall's US prestige mini from a few years back, but I am unsure as to how he (or any of the Freedom Fighters) will fit into current continuity. The story did manage to grab my attention for the length of time I spent reading it, and the art was very nice to look at (if a little dark, at times) so I'll probably pick this one up just to satisfy my curiosity, if nothing else. It could have some promise (which shocks me since it's written by Palmiotti and Gray).

The Creeper by Steve Niles and Justiniano. Nothing here interests me. I liked Justiniano on Day of Vengeance but I don't see anything redeeming in this particular vignette.

The new Atom has me torn. I didn't mind Byrne's pencils, and the character has always been one I liked, but Gail Simone's writing felt disjointed, gimmicky and, overall, kind of bland. I know she gets a lot of attention and kudos for being a great writer but you know, Villains United was also not one of the strongest Crisis tie-ins and none of her work to date has been able to grab my attention. The premise for the book is based on an idea of Grant Morrison's, so I may peer at it in the shop, but I'm not planning on having a copy in my house any time soon.

Lastly, The Trials of Shazam! looks all right but, again, just not enough there to really grab me by the ears and make me want to have a copy in my file every month. The artwork by Porter was good (his new painted style gives him a Kubert-esque feel) and Winnick's script has me wondering what has happened to the Marvel family so another one to peek at in the store but not something I'll actively seek out.

If you want to check out the book for yourself it's a steal of a deal at a buck a copy (a buck thirty-five if your a canuck like me), or you can snag a sneak peek from DC's website HERE.

Now I'm going to go and reread my copy of The Flash #1 by Bilson, DeMeo and Lashley since it has yet to make any sense to me. I'll be sure to comment on it here when it does.

mike