Round One

Voodoo vs. iVampire – If there was ever a book created for a 15 year old boy then that book would be Voodoo. With more cleavage and half naked women per page than any comic in The New 52 to date – the book is set in a strip club, need I say more? iVampire seems to have tapped into the Stephanie Meyers vampire craze. This book has a mini-series feel as vampires try to take over the world Winner: iVampire

Teen Titans vs. Green Lanterns: New Guardians – Teen Titans was a fast read and clearly Red Robin is the team leader while Kid Flash comes off like a jerk and Wonder Girl is a teen who is burdened with meta-powers but just wants to be left alone. This book looks to tie in closely to the storyline of Superboy, another Scott Lobdell scribed DC Comic. Green Lanterns: New Guardians opens with the death of all but one of the Guardians and the passing on of a Green Lantern ring to Kyle Rayner. A bunch of other color Lantern rings that all leave their owners and fly off to Kyle Rayner and we are left hanging in the end as to what will happen next. Winner: Teen Titans

The Fury of Firestorm vs. The Savage Hawkman – The Fury of Firestorm starts with an act of violence and terror, but there was also a scene that looked almost the same as the one with Cyborg in Justice League #1. Ultimately this was another angst ridden teen comic book with racial and bigotry overtones that did not connect with me at all. Carter Hall tries to rid himself of the Hawkman mantle but the energy from the suit turns him into The Savage Hawkman. With alien life forms, UFO wreckage, and power hungry villains this tried to tap into every perceived requirement of a comic book. Winner: The Savage Hawkman

The Flash vs. All Star Western – The Flash was a quick read but I kept looking for a Flashpoint reference and was unable to find one. There was a glimpse into the world of The Flash but I did not find a fully developed story in the first issue. All Star Western was set in Gotham in the 1880’s and introduced us to both Dr. Arkham and Jonah Hex who work together to find the Gotham Butcher. This was a really fun story that blew me away because it was not on my radar before I read it. Winner: All Star Western

Batman The Dark Knight vs. Blackhawks – Bruce Wayne is being investigated for funding Batman in Batman The Dark Knight. This story seemed to tie into Detective Comics with prisoners breaking out of Arkham Asylum and had incredibly detailed art and backgrounds. Blackhawks is a special ops team funded by the United Nations and an additional investor. The story was choppy and I’m not sure why I should care about nanocites.  Winner: Batman the Dark Knight

First round byes were randomly granted to Justice League Dark, Aquaman, and Superman. Each of these three books will compete in round two.

Round Two

iVampire vs. Justice League Dark – iVampire had a mention of going to war with Superman and Wonder Woman so it is clearly set in the same DC Universe. After I finished I thought that the book was not done as well as, or as compelling as, American Vampire by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. Justice League Dark did a great job of getting new readers up to speed by giving each character a multiple page introduction. The book had an interesting set up with a lot of open avenues to pursue into the future. Winner: Justice League Dark

Teen Titans vs. Aquaman – Though an interesting first issue, Teen Titans was the only book I was really looking forward to in week four. Maybe my hopes were too high, but the book was just okay and I had a minor problem with the cover art not matching the interior art, the costumes were noticeably different. Aquaman was a truly fun read with great word play about why Aquaman was not in the water but helping out on dry land. It was a surprisingly great first issue. Winner: Aquaman

The Savage Hawkman vs. Superman – The Savage Hawkman was an intriguing character as a cryptologist and a super hero but I feel he was poorly utilized in issue number 1. Sadly, Superman was only slightly better. Superman centered on establishing the title character in the New DC Universe with the destructions of the Daily Planet building and the rebuilding of a new headquarters. The issue ends with proof that Lois and Clark were never married. Winner: Superman by the length of a bullet.

All Star Western vs. Batman The Dark Knight – All Star Western includes a evaluation by Dr. Arkham of Jonah Hex that really gives the reader great insight into both characters. It reminded me of watching a documentary with a voice over that tells you the background of the imagery you’re seeing. In Batman The Dark Knight Batman focuses most of his attention on Two Face as the highest priority villain in Arkham Asylum. It was odd that Two Face ends up being a huge muscle bound character that does not match what we saw in Batman #1. Winner: All Star Western by a country mile

Round 3

Justice League Dark vs. Aquaman – Justice League Dark was a book that was different than what I would have expected. In the end it was way too gory for my liking – one of the quotes “the smell of skinned babies and sliced eyeballs” really turned my stomach. Aquaman had a darker side as black monsters rise from the ocean depths in the introductory panels. Aquaman was also a much stronger character than I’d imagine him, having never really read an Aquaman comic book. Winner: Aquaman by the depths of the oceans

Superman vs. All Star Western – Superman had a scene that was referenced in Stormwatch #1, a book I did not like, which established a bad taste in my mouth. There were way too many panels and words packed into each page and the story seemed to wrap with an “it never happened” feel. All Star Western was my first Jonah Hex story and I found it very well written with a great pace to the story. It is well worth picking up more issues to see where the story progresses. Winner: All Star Western

Round 4

Aquaman vs. All Star Western – Aquaman had a great character introduction through interviews, a technique that has worked very well in establishing back story in The New 52. Aside from really liking the book, Aquaman had a story that I wanted to continue reading (unlike most of the other books this week) and can’t wait to pick up the second issue.  All Star Western had story points that referenced the Gates of Gotham mini-series (from the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe) as well as imagery (the Gotham Train Station) that we see in Justice League #1. This was a story that really took full advantage of the additional pages of story and art to really get the reader involved in the characters and plot. The mysterious hooded woman who has been seen in every comic book of the new 52 also appears here in 1880’s Gotham further deepening the mystery of who this person is. I can’t wait to read about the further adventures of Jonah Hex and Dr. Arkham in this book.

Week 4 Champion: All Star Western