Year: 2017

Writer: Kyle Higgins

Penciler: Trevor McCarthy

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Publisher: DC

 

Coming off the heels of the controversial Marvel event comic Secret Empire, now DC is toying with the concept of turning one of its heroes into a fascist symbol. Yet whereas Secret Empire is a canonized book, making the idea of an evil Captain America all the more difficult to swallow, the new Nightwing title is a self-contained miniseries that exists outside the main DC continuity.

In Nightwing: The New Order, writer Kyle Higgins imagines an alternate future in which Dick Grayson is hailed as a hero for ridding the world of superpowers. To him, metahumans have become nothing more than an unnatural threat to humanity’s existence; and as such he becomes part of a “Crusader” organization to hunt down the last of the supers. Told from the perspective of Dick’s son Jake, the debut issue is less interested in the origins of this new world order, and is more about how it affects Dick’s character and his relationship with his son. Also set up here is the mystery of who Jake’s mother is.

If there’s any book to compare this one to, it’s the Mark Millar graphic novel Superman: Red Son. Both are speculative superhero stories, with Red Son imagining what it would be like if Superman had been raised in the Soviet Union instead of in America. Even the art in this Nightwing comic by Trevor McCarthy and Dean White is reminiscent of the subdued linework in Red Son. The look of Gotham here is a pretty classic neo-noir aesthetic, with Dick commanding an army of Bat-robots to hunt down the remaining metahumans.

What’s interesting though is how Higgins gives this version of Dick more nuance than you might expect. Rather than portray him as a cold, heartless villain who’s betrayed all of his old allies, Higgins emphasizes the conflict in him, particularly in scenes with Alfred and his son. At his core, all Dick wants is to create a better and safer world for his son than the one he grew up in; yet it’s that single drive that’s clouded his judgment.

I was initially pretty skeptical about this book when it got announced. DC and Marvel have both been obsessed at times with turning their heroes into villains, and at a certain point it just becomes one big gimmick. Especially in this day and age with the political climate being what it is, the last thing I need is for my superhero comics to be drenched in cynicism. However, Higgins and company do a nice job of making this title a fun “what if” story, while also making the social commentary in it come across organically. It helps that these creators have worked on Nightwing in the past, and are merely experimenting with this series. Give it a shot, and then balance it out with the variety of more optimistic titles from the DC Rebirth line.

 

–Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Greg Capullo

Publisher: DC

 

Normally I’m able to write fairly nuanced reviews with a critical lens, but for this one I’m just going to geek out. Dark Nights: Metal #1 has Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, the Justice League in a gladiator fight coordinated by Mongul, an entirely new dimension of the DC multiverse and a mouth-dropping cameo by a certain Neil Gaiman character. This book gives new meaning to the term “nerd-gasm.”

As the first major event from DC’s Rebirth, this debut issue hits all the high notes. Reuniting the superstar New 52 Batman creative team of Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia, it’s as bombastic and dynamic as anyone expected it to be. Snyder’s text culminates perfectly with the art to create an epic, mega-blockbuster comic. Am I geeking out enough for you to go buy this book?

The concept behind Metal is that instead of just 52 dimensions making up the entirety of the multiverse, there is actually a whole other “dark multiverse” which will have a profound impact on the world as the Justice League knows it. This event is about these worlds colliding, and about what terrors stem from the dark multiverse. While the main series is only six issues, there have already been two prequel issues and there are many more spinoffs and tie-ins to come in other DC titles. This issue provides a comprehensive reading list in the back, but you can also ask the folks at Ultimate Comics to add all Metal titles to your box. This way you won’t miss a single chapter in this monumental saga.

I know DC has struggled with some of their event books in recent years (cough cough Convergence), but Metal is off to a stellar beginning. This is the kind of comic that veteran readers and newer fans can collectively drool over. Pick it up today, and prepare yourself to venture into a new dimension of DC’s vast mythology.

Writer: Tom King

Pencils, Inks and Colors by Mitch Gerads

Publisher: DC

 There are few comics more anticipated this year than the new Mister Miracle title. Not only is the titular protagonist a Jack Kirby creation, but this book is helmed by one of the best creative teams in the industry today. Tom King and Mitch Gerads have already done some great work together on Batman, particularly the Swamp Thing issue; and they continue to amaze readers with their heart-pounding war series The Sheriff of Babylon. Now, the critically-acclaimed duo takes on one of the older and more obscure characters from the DC lore for a 12-issue miniseries.

If you’ve read anything by King, you know how literary his style is. Mister Miracle is no different, utilizing the same kind of Watchmen influence with its nine-panel page layouts and dense text. The story involves Mister Miracle’s resurrection after a near-death experience, but the execution in both King’s script and Gerads’ visuals is so surreal. The magic of this issue is not so much related to the plot, but rather the storytelling itself. It’s a breathtaking experience that also feels like a culmination of everything King and Gerads have done up until now. It has the high-concept surrealist fantasy elements of The Vision, the epic scope of The Omega Men and the grounded thematic material of The Sheriff of Babylon all wrapped into one book.

In interviews leading up to this issue’s release, King said that the concept originated from a near-death experience he himself underwent. Just as he brings his personal experience as an ex-CIA agent to books like Sheriff of Babylon and Grayson, here he delivers an equally personal and human story. This comic no doubt revels in the DC New Gods mythology, featuring characters like Big Barda, Orion and Highfather, but the emphasis is on the human side of our hero.

Mister Miracle #1 is a stroke of genius. It demonstrates what happens when two master storytellers join forces to create a comic that’s alluring, mythic and multifaceted from start to finish. Get it. Take it to cons to get it signed by the creators. Then frame it on your wall and buy another copy so you can reread that one over and over again. DC has been doing great in the last year, but this just might be their best title yet since the Rebirth line began.

 

–Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics