20
Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps
Rob Venditti, Ethan Van Sciver, & Rafa Sandoval
Sadly, there is no Red Lantern Cat in this book. However, there are more Green Lanterns than before, and the Sinestro Corps actually seems pretty cool. I gotta say, I’m not very excited about this particular story, although Venditti can write some great, villainous monologues. I’m interested in the dynamic between Sinestro, his corps, and his daughter, but I’m still not into Hal Jordan. I was, however, really excited to see Kilowog and John Stewart, and Sandoval does a pretty good job with his characters. Most of the time I think DC characters look a little silly, and maybe it’s because this book is in space with aliens, but I really like the art. I’d love to see this guy draw some evil red lantern cats… – tyrannoflores
First collection: Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps Volume 1: Sinestro’s Law (February)
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19
Superwoman
Phil Jimenez & Emmanuela Lupacchino
I’m less into all the Superpeople than I am all the Batpeople, but this story, at least, is interesting. And, despite Matt Santorelli’s efforts at mucking up Phil Jimenez’s pencils with blotchy inks, the art is pretty great. The twist at the ending is good enough to make me want to read on, but I still feel like I’m reading one giant confusing mess of SuperBatComics, and I’m starved for some variety. – MMDG
Is it weird that I thought Lana and Lois were gonna make out in the beginning? It felt like a porno setup. Lois wants to know how Lana taught Clark Kent how to control his powers (how would an Earth girl do that anyway?) I imagine being intimate with Superman is difficult so it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that cuddling and making out helped Clark learn to keep his powers under control… – tyrannoflores
First collection: Superwoman Volume 1: Who Killed Superwoman? (May)
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18
Teen Titans
Ben Percy & Jonboy Meyers
While I feel like the art panders to teenagers and their love of anime, I gotta say, I like where this is going. All of the Titans seems to be dealing with personal wounds, tapping into the whole X-Men-angst thing that Teen Titans could benefit from. Plus, who doesn’t wanna see Beast Boy with a drinking problem? Drunk changelings are funny. I hadn’t realized Drake had died, but I think Damien being the “leader” of the team is going to be way more interesting. I could do with a story where flawed Titans have to come together, just lose the whole anime thing. Teen Titans Go!, the show, is fun, but let that be its own thing. – tyrannoflores
Clearly more design school than comics school. If this guy figures out how to tell stories with his panels, rather than just make everything slick and pretty, he’ll be something special. – MMDG
First collection: Teen Titans Volume 1: Damian Knows Best (June)
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17
Supergirl
Steve Orlando & Brian Ching
There are some, potentially, really cool things going on in this book. Just recently I was reminiscing about how much I loved the original Death of Superman books, the way other “Supermen” worked to fill the void or take his place. This story has great potential to use the same angle. In the original story, Supergirl was mostly a non-factor; instead we saw Son of Krypton, The Cyborg, Steel, and Superboy. In this new iteration of Supergirl, she has only just recently arrived on Earth to join the original Superman, and gets to encounter what seems to be a new addition from her own homeworld. I’m a little worried, however, that DC is seemingly emphasizing quantity over quality, resulting in a lack of continuity and story oversight. – D!
First collection: Supergirl Volume 1: Reign of the Cyborg Supermen (May)
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16
Batgirl & The Birds of Prey
Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, & Claire Roe
I am a huge Batgirl fan, and this book does a great job setting up a new Birds of Prey, another favorite of mine. The art is kinetic and easy to follow; the dialogue is about as sparse as a piece-setting issue can be, and the tone feels just right. – IP
I appreciate DC putting together an all-female creative team, but I’m still puzzled at what sort of dynamic the Bensons are going for here. The badass, the eye-roller, and the A-student. So far, it’s a dumb high school comedy with stupid villains. – MMDG
First collection: Batgirl & The Birds of Prey Volume 1: Who Is Oracle? (April)
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The Institute of Idle Time 