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DCnU Week 3: Nightwing, Deadman, and Blue Beetle

nightwing 1 567The DC reboot is upon us, comic book sniffers! Welcome to the new DC universe! In an effort to help bring new readers into the world of comics, the Fanboy Comics staff has decided to review at least five new #1 issues each week of September, DC’s reboot launch month.

 

Nightwing, Deadman, and Blue Beetle have all been rebooted for the new DC 52. I should say that I haven’t read any of these books before; in fact, the only one of these characters I had ever seen before was Nightwing. I liked them all, even though they have little in common other than the sense of a new beginning and that crazy purple lady. Seriously, she freaks me out.

 

Nightwing, which is less of a reboot than any of the others, was a very enjoyable bat-title. Oh, by the way, Nightwing is former Robin, Dick Grayson. Grayson has just finished a stint as a substitute Batman, when his origin story comes to town. After visiting the circus where he learned to be awesome, he encounters a hitman who has standard comic book reflexes and wolverine steel claws. [Ed: Wolverine has three claws, this guy only has two.] So, a fight ensues and a cliff is hung. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. The villain was much more interesting than I’ve suggested, and the messy business of introducing a well-established character was handled very neatly. I thought the writing and art were both good; neither was a real standout, but both were perfectly serviceable.

Deadman felt a little more like a reboot; there was an origin story and everything! I thought the character was pretty cool, and the story was well told. I will now deliver the CliffsNotes for the character. Deadman is dead. He was a jerk when he was alive and gets to atone by living other people’s lives and solving their problems. He leaps from person to person, hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home. Wait, sorry, that was Quantum Leap. Deadman does try to solve people’s problems, but Dean Stockwell is nowhere to be found. Instead, he deals with a god, called Rama. She is his conscience and boss. I really enjoyed the book. The plot was odd, and the premise wasn’t the most original thing I have seen, but the pacing was great and I enjoyed myself.

 

blue beetle 1 866The biggest surprise for me this week was Blue Beetle. This is the rebootiest issue I have read so far and I couldn’t be happier. This issue really takes its time establishing the most important aspect of the character, the kid who has the powers. I should say that I have no idea what his powers are. Actually, I don’t know anything about the suit or the mechanics of the Blue Beetle. El Paso teenager Jaime has a blue scarab fuse to his spine at the end of the comic, and I have no idea what that means for the kid. The thing is, I like this kid and want to see how he copes with the power he has just accidentally obtained. In fact, the entire issue is the origin story. We don’t see any Beetle-on-villain action, but we see what kind of person this kid is. I thought the writing was good, and the art was really cool. It had a different feel than standard comic book city, but didn’t feel fake or forced. I really loved this book. Actually, I enjoyed everything I read this week and will check out all three of these next month.

It’s nice to see DC taking the risk and committing to the reboot a little more, even if it’s mostly on their lesser known heroes. So far, the books that have impressed me the most have been the B-team. I guess it’s harder to risk losing fans of Batman than the fans of the minor league heroes. I do know that, while I will pick up Detective Comics and Green Lantern #2, I am more excited about Deadman and Blue Beetle #2.

 

Ben Rhodes, Fanbase Press Senior Contributor

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Favorite Book:  Cryptonomicon Favorite Movie:  Young Frankenstein Favorite Absolutely Everything:  Monty Python

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