Brave New World **SPOILERS** [Archive] - Comic Book Resources Forums

MWGallaher

06-28-2006, 07:55 PM

There is no other Martian... yet. It was Jonn talking to a talking cardboard cutout of himself.
Thank you...I couldn't make any sense out of that story on my own--very poor construction if this 35-year veteran reader couldn't follow it.
I've been pleasantly surprised by Bludhaven and the US&FF preview, which I expected not to like. The Atom looks very promising, especially given the preview of #1 which has hit the web. I'll miss Ray, but if he's the one selecting his own successor, that's a nice (and refreshing) touch. I like Byrne's art, although he's not the best at capturing non-Caucasian facial characteristics, to my eye. Omac continues to bore me--that was the most tedious element of IC and its build-up--but with Bruce Jones writing, I'll probably give it a try. I haven't tackled Creeper or Shazam yet, but my cursory skimming has given me no particularly positive vibes. Creeper looks like it'll be even more "xtreme", which doesn't appeal to me. I'm kind of liking the premise behind the Shazam series, given that we'll never get anything that can recreate the feel of the original run.
As for the monitors, I hope they do something to distinguish these guys from Marvel's Watchers. So far, the concept looks shamelessly identical.

poraxan

06-28-2006, 07:59 PM

I wonder who the new Dr. Fate was?

stealthwise

06-28-2006, 08:05 PM

Wow, that issue stunk.

Like, really really stunk. The stories were flat, lifeless, and really just free previews of the series that are coming up. And I knew that they would be going into this thing, but... still, I can't believe how poor they were overall. Especially Niles' Creeper, talk about generic tripe, even with the "twist" at the end.

It's pretty telling that the reveal at the end with the Monitors is all that most people are willing to talk about.

Ultraman Max

06-28-2006, 08:18 PM

Was at the mall when I stumbled into a corner shop that sells sports cards and comics, saw this on the wall and decided to give it a go........ and if it weren't for the Atom section I'd probably want my dollar back. Seriously, aside from that one story (which was the only complete story by the way) this was a pretty dull, boring, and uninteresting comic. I knew it was basically advertising but even advertising is supposed to arrouse your interest in some manner and none of the hooks here, save the one, worked for me.

So a thumbs up for Gail Simone for her done-in one preview story, even if it is hurt a little bit by Byrne's facial detailings. He does make up for it with some really good action sequences, robot insect designs, and weirdish yet familiar background imagry though.

jerrymcl89

06-28-2006, 08:23 PM

I liked some of these. I thought the Atom was intriguing, and I kind of liked Martian Manhunter. OTOH, it removed any likelihood that I'd buy OMAC, or the Creeper.

glue

06-28-2006, 11:27 PM

Martian Manhunter - Not crazy about the new look especially if the conehead is permanent, but the art was solid. I wasn't expecting much from the story other than backstory and the unveiling of J'onn's new look. That's what I got. I'm definately getting this, though, because it's J'onn.

OMAC - I didn't like THE OMAC PROJECT and I didn't like this. Pass.

US&FF - The Uncle Sam character is ridiculous to me and the art was too dark. Pass.

The Creeper - Decent enough story, I guess. Seems like an 80s vigilante type hero and the seemed rushed and messy. Pass.

The Atom - I didn't like the quotes, but the story was really fun. I liked the art despite the fact that it made everyone look like aliens. I'll give this a go.

Trials of Shazam - I've gotten more out the three page previews in WIZARD. Good lord. The art kinda reminded me of CONAN, but something was off. As for the writing, I love BARRY WEEN but I don't like Winnick on superheroes. Pass.

I figured I'd probably end up only liking MM and THE ATOM and that's what happened.

titanfan

06-28-2006, 11:33 PM

You pretty much get what you pay for--it was pretty much like those "free comic book previews" to me.

Martian Manhunter -- Surprisingly hooked me. I wasn't planning on getting it, but this story convinced me. B+ for me.

OMAC -- Liked the art, but pretty average. It will depend on my comics load that week to see whether or not I try #1. C.

Uncle Sam -- I was planning on picking this up anyway--and while I wasn't drawn in, this didn't scare me away. Already reading Battle for Bludhaving and was glad to see a plot followed up on. C+

Creeper -- Wow, this was bad. Story AND art. Who green lighted this travesty of a series? It's doomed. The I can't believe a Creeper book with this as an angle would even make it to the callback stage. D+.

Atom -- Probably the best story as far as self-containment goes, but didn't tell me too much about the characters or the cast. Probably will give the first arc a try. B.

Captain Marvel -- On the fence. Meh story that didn't really tell us much, but I did like the art. More likely to get this than OMAC. B-.

Aaron King

06-29-2006, 12:16 AM

For a more in-depth look...
Martian Manhunter: Ugh. Are you kidding me? Ostrander, Mandrake, and company did the "more Martians survived" story great in J'onn's last series. This just seems like it's trying to make J'onn way too "hardcore." He's always been calm, understanding, and a great detective. Now he's pissed and gritty? I don't really like it. I would recommend passing on this title.

OMAC: Guedes (on art) deserves a consistent assignment, but the setup in this story seemed pretty generic, pretty summer blockbuster. While I wouldn't tell someone not to buy this, I'm not personally interested.

Uncle Sam: I'm not a fan of Acuna's art, but it seems like Palmiotti and Gray are telling another solid story. I liked the balance of political views in the story and felt that Uncle Sam could represent a number of them. The Ray was kind of annoying, but... is Senator Knight related to the Starman Knights?

Creeper: The thing that bothered me most about this story was George Bush on TV. I thought the DCU had a fictional president (as seen in the Atom). Was Jack Ryder's show featuring Governor George Bush of Texas or what? Once again, something that was personally boring but not offensive enough for me to completely disavow it.

Atom: I liked this. I've added "The All-New Atom" to my pull-list. Byrne's art seems to get mushier as time goes on, so I'm just hoping he'll get angry at DC and someone like Stuart Immonen will take over.

Captain Marvel: This was cute. Lots of mythology and the implication that Captain Marvel Jr. will now have to yell "Shazam" to transform. Who knows what Mary Marvel will have to say, though.

Paul Newell

06-29-2006, 12:34 AM

but... is Senator Knight related to the Starman Knights?
She's cousin to Ted.

And when I read this I immediately had in my head for some reason:

"She's Senator Sandra Knight."

"Of the Opal City Knights?"

"Merely related."

Creeper: The thing that bothered me most about this story was George Bush on TV. I thought the DCU had a fictional president (as seen in the Atom). Was Jack Ryder's show featuring Governor George Bush of Texas or what?
President Horne has always been portrayed as looking like George W.

Brack360

06-29-2006, 07:06 AM

I bought Brave New World even though the only series that looked interesting to me was the Atom, mainly because of Gail Simone's writing. However, I found the Atom story to be a little underwhelming, particularly because of Byrne's artwork, and now I'm not sure if I'll bother to pick up the ongoing. Surprisingly, I enjoyed both the OMAC and Martian Manhunter stories despite absolutely hating Lieberman's run on Gotham Knights and not being that crazy about Bruce Jones' current Nightwing run either. I think the OMAC story was my favorite.

DMike

06-29-2006, 07:07 AM

I don't think tihs Phantom Lady is related to the Knights, despite having the last name of Knight. We would have seen this (male) Senator Knight or his daughter Stormy by now if he were, if only because it's way too coincidental to Manhunter just finding out she's one of the Knights this month.

tjarvis

06-29-2006, 09:31 AM

Not horrible, but not great either. The only story that caught my attention might be the Captain Marvel one. The rest were just too chaotic or uninteresting for me.

Jkid099

06-29-2006, 09:58 AM

She's cousin to Ted.

And when I read this I immediately had in my head for some reason:

"She's Senator Sandra Knight."

"Of the Opal City Knights?"

"Merely related."

President Horne has always been portrayed as looking like George W.

Hmmm ... actually the few times I've seen him, he's looked nothing like Bush, and has brown hair with some white in it.

ducklord

06-29-2006, 09:58 AM

Without getting into the actual merits of the stories themselves (overall verdict: a seriously mixed bag), does anyone else find it kinda ironic that a book touting DC's "Brave NEW World" features a (pointless) reboot of a forty year old character (Creeper), a sixty-five year old character getting grey hair (Shazam), a fifty-year old character learning (for the third or fourth time) that "everything he knew about his planet is wrong" (J'Onn), two stories featuring third-and-fourth generation makeovers of golden age characters (Atom and Freedom Fighters), and a reimagining of a thirty year old Kirby concept that didn't get past twenty issues the first time around (Omac)?

For such a "brave new world" it certainly has a lot of familiar and shopworn wonders in it.

Don't get me wrong -- I don't mind a good reboot/remimagining/reconstruction every now and then. Heck, some of my favorite comics of all time fall squarely into those categories. Still, there's only so much nostalgia porn a guy can take before his retro-kewlness gland begins to chafe, y'know? It's great that DC's giving a stage to guys like J'Onn, Captain Comet, and Omac, but where are the J'Onns, Comets, and Omacs of THIS generation?

Sorry about the whine,
Mike

PS For the record, I quite enjoyed the Atom story, and found the splash page with Uncle Sam to be damn cool.

DDM

06-29-2006, 01:51 PM

Since John Byrne is only the penciler, I have added The All New Atom to my pull list. If Byrne was going back to writer/penciler status quo, I more than likely would not pick up the book due to Byrne's penciling shortcuts. And his storytelling ability seems more dated now.

What's the deal with the multiple Monitors? One of them looks like the Anti-Monitor.

DoctorDoom

06-29-2006, 02:04 PM

Dudes..dudettes..am i the only one who assumed ahead of time that the shadowy figure on the cover (which they released months ago) was the Monitor? I'm sure others did, but I barely heard anyone talk about it on here.

As for the book itself, I was kinda hoping for something like the Countdown issue,a cohesive story with elements from all those titles. I felt a little underwhelmed with what I gt but hey..it was just a buck.

And God bless Gail Simone. A saving grace she is. I never would have thought i would be intrigued enough to buy the Atom.

Sean Walsh

06-29-2006, 02:27 PM

Dudes..dudettes..am i the only one who assumed ahead of time that the shadowy figure on the cover (which they released months ago) was the Monitor? I'm sure others did, but I barely heard anyone talk about it on here.

Once I saw that ol' golden planetoid of his show up, I knew it was him. Practically flipped thru the rest of the book to check out the ending.

Only til later did I think about that preview image, and boy did I not see it coming before yesterday.

"The most unexpected character" indeed.

GoGo Yubari

06-29-2006, 02:47 PM

I liked the Atom story, and I didn't care for absolutely anything else. Steve Niles' Creeper was especially disappointing; I liked the Jack Ryder stuff to an extent, but his actual writing for the Creeper himself was so damn bland.

AaronJ

06-29-2006, 03:11 PM

Edited for my not being able to see what I saw properly.

Paul Newell

06-29-2006, 06:17 PM

Hmmm ... actually the few times I've seen him, he's looked nothing like Bush, and has brown hair with some white in it.
In his (What I presume to be) first appearance in Superman Secret Files 2004, he was a Bush character. I haven't seen him appear in any others so I couldn't really say. But he was Bush when he first appeared, at least.

Paul Newell

06-29-2006, 06:19 PM

Dudes..dudettes..am i the only one who assumed ahead of time that the shadowy figure on the cover (which they released months ago) was the Monitor? I'm sure others did, but I barely heard anyone talk about it on here.
There was a thread about it on the Infinite Crisis Board. The debate was whether it was the Monitor or J'Onn J'Onzz.

starri

06-29-2006, 08:35 PM

Can I have my dollar back?

I mean, I knew it was going to be a bunch of promotional type stuff, and I was prepared, but I was hoping something would capture my attention. Atom has potential, and so does Trials of Shazam, but everything else seemed seriously lame.

Especially Creeper. That was really not good.

Buried Alien

06-29-2006, 10:26 PM

Can I have my dollar back?

No, caveat emptor, and no matter what any writer writes, there are going to be whole bunch of people screaming for their money back because it wasn't exactly what they wanted.

Why should it be, anyway? If I'm going to read exactly what I wanted, I might as well write it myself.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

starri

06-29-2006, 10:43 PM

No, caveat emptor, and no matter what any writer writes, there are going to be whole bunch of people screaming for their money back because it wasn't exatly what they wanted.
I was mostly kidding. I'm not screaming in frustration, more disappointed because I had high hopes for some of the series, and if they're at all indicative of the LS and on-goings, I can spare my larger $2.50 investments.

shaxper

06-30-2006, 10:31 AM

I'm only halfway through at this point (taking my time), but I thought I'd post my thoughts thus far. I'm sorry to see so many people disappointed with this title. I think it's trying to take on some very different kinds of stories that we're not used to seeing on a superhero comic's page, and I respect that. Granted, of the three stories I've read so far, I only liked one, but I do respect DC's attempt to stretch their boundaries a bit instead of just pumping out more generic superhero titles. Lord knows we need another character like the new Blue Beetle....

Martian Manhunter: When all else fails with a time-honored character, change the costume and give him a bad-ass attitude. This always manages to sell comics for half a year or so, but ultimately becomes that chapter in the character's history that everyone would just as soon pretend never happened. I can't think of a single time this sort of move has ever worked, so I don't expect this time to be any different. No

OMAC: Very different for a comic book premise, but very generic as a sci-fi premise in general. It almost sold me, but the characterization was weak and I saw no signs of a more intricate plot developing. No

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters: Twenty years from now, comic historians will look back and praise this comic for embodying the political tensions that are slowly ripping this country apart in real life. I really respect USatFF for that. This is decidedly different territory for a comic book. I think my intense desire to see a conclusion to these tensions in real life fuels my need to keep up with this title. I'll definitely give it a try/ Yes

dupersuper

06-30-2006, 11:40 AM

I'm looking forward to more on the Monitors, The Atom, and Martian Manhunter, I'll probably try the fist 1 or 2 Omac and Freedom Fighters issues, & pass on Creeper. I'll also pick up Captain Marvel, if only to learn...um...did Mary Marvel fall to her death???

Thnikkaman

06-30-2006, 12:59 PM

OMAC: Pass

The Amazing Adventures of Beldar Conehead: No. Please god, no.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters: This actually looks interesting.

The Creeper: Pass.

The Atom: This looks pretty good.

Shazam: Not really grabbing me.

Kent H

06-30-2006, 01:52 PM

Come on people, admit it. That splash page of Uncle Sam was badass.

wtnrradio

06-30-2006, 02:01 PM

That atom BS ...I'll never pick it up again

Martian- only 8 issues,I'll pull

Creeper - the same (6)-although not a big fan of Steve Niles past work.

Omac and Uncle Sam - I could really care less...

Shazam - why not

I like Birds of Prey but this new Atom,to me is stright garbage.

Haunt

06-30-2006, 03:17 PM

Come on people, admit it. That splash page of Uncle Sam was badass.

yes, yes it was. i know that it's not everyone's cup of tea but it was the art that made me pick it up/give it a chance. and i really like all of the characters i've seen, so far. i'll be picking up Uncle Sam's title when it debuts. i'd love to pick up the Atom but i really don't like the art. if it were Ray Palmer, i might be able to get over it. alas...

DoctorDoom

06-30-2006, 06:29 PM

There was a thread about it on the Infinite Crisis Board. The debate was whether it was the Monitor or J'Onn J'Onzz.
There was? DAMN!

*explodes*

Paul Newell

06-30-2006, 06:42 PM

There was? DAMN!

*explodes*
Yep. Right here (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=114216). :)

Cayman

07-01-2006, 08:47 AM

Martian Manhunter: This one just looked awful. What's with J'onn's Skrull chin? I've no interest in reading the J'onn J'onnisher. No chance I'll be getting this.

OMAC: No interest in ever seeing those doofy OMACs again. It just seems like a rip-off of Wanted. No chance I'll be getting this.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters: This one I'd been intrigued about when it was first announced, but almost immediately lost all interest once I read the awful first issue of Battle for Bludhaven. This preview actually regained my interest as it looks like Uncle Sam is actually going to be taking down these Authority-derivative Freedom Fighters. I'm hoping the real Ray comes back. Art is interesting but the coloring is murky.

The Creeper: Plummeted from a must-buy to a sure miss with this preview. It felt like someone unfamiliar with comics coming in with an idea they thought was completely original and new, not realizing it'd been done to death. Very disappointing.

The All-New Atom: Gail Simone is a good writer, but this preview didn't amuse me at all. I appreciated the brighter tone, compared to the rest of the previews, but I can't feign interest in getting this book.

The Trials Of Shazam!: The art style Porter is going with is an interesting departure for him. The overall story sounds promising, but I don't have a lot of faith in Winick to pull it off. His writing has been very sub-par lately. "Change is a weighty beast." - the hell? Might consider the TPB.

The Monitors. Meh. It's not a character that interests me. I guess it does show that the new continuity of the DCU is still in flux and some other retcons are coming up.

Can't really complain about a book like this with a dollar price-tag. Probably saved me the price of Creeper #1.

Cay

protege

07-01-2006, 09:33 AM

I have to admit, I've been reading "Battle for Bludhaven" And while i'm glad to see the Monolith again- kind of sorry i didn't pick up his series before- all these random heroes and different political idealogies is making this book hard to follow for me. Am I supposed to root for the FF? Most of them I don't like all that much, particularly Firebrand. I'm not sure i'm going to enjoy the book, if it's just going to be more of the same.

drwho

07-01-2006, 10:50 AM

Since there are now 5 Monitors can we expect there to be more Antimonitors. I just hope they give it like a 10 yr rest. I guess I'm one of the few when I saw the reveal I was like so what, but does make for a nice pin up.

Cash Lone

07-01-2006, 04:52 PM

The Creeper: Plummeted from a must-buy to a sure miss with this preview. It felt like someone unfamiliar with comics coming in with an idea they thought was completely original and new, not realizing it'd been done to death. Very disappointing.

Can't really complain about a book like this with a dollar price-tag. Probably saved me the price of Creeper #1.

Cay

oh maaaan.. that suxxx. I was such a nut for the last Creeper series in the late 90's. Everyones busting on this preview so hard... outlook, not good.:(

DonC

07-01-2006, 05:04 PM

I'm guessing the purpose of this book was to get readers interested in these six new series. It had the opposite effect on me. Until I read this I was interested in Martian Manhunter, Uncle Sam and Co., the Atom, Captain Marvel and Co., and the Creeper.

Now I'm only mildly interested in Uncle Sam.

What happened to Jeff Smith's Captain Marvel miniseries? That I would have bought.

Mon-el

07-01-2006, 05:09 PM

What happened to Jeff Smith's Captain Marvel miniseries? That I would have bought.

Funny you should ask.

According to yesterday's and today's news from Hero's Con from Dido.

Jeff Smith was in the DC offices this week, Didio said, and has tow and a half issues of his Captain Marvel miniseries done, so DC is looking at a November or December release.

Jack Ketch

07-02-2006, 03:16 AM

The art was nice in this book. However I don't tend to buy comics for the art alone.

Martian Manhunter - Nothing horrid, but the whole "there might be another Martian alive" plot isn't something that is going to get me to buy a book.

OMAC - Did this contain any hook to get you to read the series? Horrid.

Uncle Sam and The Freedom Fighters - Wasn't expecting to like this as the portrayal of the new FF that I'd seen so far wasn't my cup of tea. However with it looking like Uncle Sam and the new Firebrand not being on the same page has piqued my interest.

Creeper - Again nothing here to grip me. Pleasant enough superheroing, but nowt special.

Atom - Slightly more enticing than Creeper and Martian Manhunter due to the wittier script, albeit one that seemed to be mainly in service of the gag in the last page.

Trials of Shazam - Pretty much not what I want from a Captain Marvel story, but Porter's art here is a revelation.

DonC

07-02-2006, 09:55 AM

Thanks, Mon. I'm looking forward to that a hell of a lot more than I am Judd Winnick's take on the character.

jadegiant77

07-03-2006, 03:47 PM

Hate to be a negative nan(scratch that, I LOVE being negative:evilsmile ) but this Brave New World wasn't all that new. It was ok, but it wasn't that revolutionary. What's the big deal with there being like 5 Monitors(one who looks suspisciously like the Anti-Monitor)?

The sneak peeks at the books--meh. Has the Creeper's past stories been retconned from existence ? He said he'd only been the Creeper for a few months.

Martian Manhunter--I had to read that thing twice b4 I figured out the other Martian Manhunter was a cardboard cutout.

Atom--looks slightly interesting.

Freedom Force--One question, has Sandra Knight been "youth-ened?" Or does Senator Knight have another daughter?

DMike

07-03-2006, 04:19 PM

That's a different Knight altogether (and I'm assuming a different Knight family unrelated to the regular Knights). Sandra just appeared in Manhunter alive and well (albeit old) about a week or two ago.

LiNo

07-05-2006, 11:43 PM

MM: Confusing. Had to re-read it, but the art was laid-out badly from the start.

Omac: Meh.

Creeper: Loved the art (Reminded me of Joe Q's earlier stuff) but the writing was average.

Atom: Good art, so-so story.

US/FF: Interesting enough in the context of a 1 dollar comic, but I wouldn't buy it.

Cap. Marvel: ditto.

Worth a dollar? Sure. Will I buy any of the series first issues? Nope.