The Fridge's DC Top Five: October 2011
It’s month two for the New 52 and everything’s getting really exciting. Nearly every story is hotting up and the explosion is ready to happen in November and December. Any of you eagle-eyed readers will have noticed a strange lady in every single comic. Yes, you heard me. Every. Single. Comic. For those who read Flashpoint, you’ll recognise her from the section when Flash travelled to the new DC Universe. What part does she play in this new universe? Who is she? Why is she here? Only time will tell.
5. Green Arrow #2 (Up from 7 to 5)
“They killed him... and posted it online?” - Oliver Queen
Green Arrow is one of my favourite superheroes of all time. I first read about him in the amazing Hush Returns and he really clicked for me with his Year One story and in Blackest Night. I was really disappointed with his first issue, but number two was great. Its opening fight with Lime and Light is quick, fast and easily drew me in and his fight with Rush really set me up for number three. The art style has also grown on me. At first it seemed cartoony, but now I realise it suits the character well. The story also grabs me because it’s realistic. I didn’t think about it this way when I read it the first time but I realised it later. People would want to watch people beat up superheroes online because it’s basically just the same as watching WWE, except not choreographed .
4. Green Lantern: New Guardians #2 (Same position)
“That is a... Green Lantern rule! WE’RE NOT ... GREEN LANTERNS!” - Bleez
I have one major complaint with New Guardians. There is a strange orange lantern on the front cover and as all Green Lantern fans now, there is only one Orange Lantern. This is just a small thing compared to the good things about New Guardians. Also if you didn’t read Green Lantern #1, you won’t understand what happened to Ganthet. Still, the art style is brilliant, the story is great and it perfectly sets itself up for number three.
3. Batwing #2 (Down from 1 to 3)
“I AM BATWING.” - Batwing
Batwing #2 is basically one huge fight scene. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but I prefer my comics with a bit of talking. The fight between Massacre and Thunder Fall is one of the greatest fights I have ever read. There fight is fully realised and visceral, especially the bit when Massacre cuts off Thunder's arm. Ben Oliver’s drawings are astonishingly good, with nothing coming near to it in any other comic (except possibly The Walking Dead). Judd Winick's story is also one of my favourites but, unfortunately, there were better fight scenes and better stories in the DCU this month.
2. Justice League #2 (Up from 3 to 2)
“Anyone get the number of that train? It was wearing a cape.” - Green Lantern Hal Jordon
It’s a fight scene made in heaven, Batman, Green Lantern and Flash all up against Superman. Seeing Flash dashing around Superman and dodging his punches brought a smile to my face and I actually laughed when Superman just flicked him away. This is one of the few New 52 that is actually an origin story. If Nolan ever decides to make a Justice League film, he best take this story. Unfortunately, it doesn't explain how Green Lantern and Flash know each other, but that was probably in a comic I missed or DC just don’t have enough time to make a Green Lantern/Flash mash up. Cyborg's Dad says something near the end that really clicked with me. “Look at the world we live in today! We’re witnessing the birth of a new race of people. Super-humans. Beings who can fly, tear through buildings and outrun race cars. They will make what you can “do” obsolete! Do you understand? Scoring touchdowns and catching footballs is a joke!”
1. All Star Western #2 (Up from 5 to 1)
“The shootin’ is ‘bout ta start.”- Jonah Hex
There is one simple reason why ASW is at the top. It’s because it isn’t just one story, it’s two. I don’t mean like in Justice League where there’s the story of the Heroes and Cyborg, I mean the cover story finishes halfway through then a new story starts. The first story continues Jonah and Arkham’s fight against the followers of the crime bible and the second is about a man called Lazarus Lane and his demon inside, El Diablo, freeing a town from a zombie infestation. Jonah's story is still the best with October’s second best fight scene, a whole four pages of good old fashioned western gun fights. The coiled enemies reminded me of Cillian Murphy when he played Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Jonah makes me wish I had Red Dead Redemption so I could go around and play out all of my wild-west dreams. The second story is good, with the zombies once again reminding me of Red Dead Redemption, but wouldn’t last long as a standalone story.
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