Concerns for the Immediate Future

I've been thinking about One Year Later lately, especially as one of the few DC titles I buy approaches it's first One Year Later issue (that'd be Robin). There's a couple of nice posts I've seen, one as One Year Later approached and the other looking back after the first few weeks

I can appreciate that DC seems to be at least trying something different. But I can't help feeling it's kind of futile. Ultimately, the writers are going to have to not only advance the current plot, but spend copious amounts of time trying to explain why things are so damn different. Like, why is Captain Boomerang on the Outsiders (both why would he join, and why would they let him join)? Why did Robin change his costume? I just can't see fans letting that stuff slide, at least not for long. I already want to know what the hell Tim was thinking.

Personally, I think it would have been more better if over the next twelve months, the writers of the book had done the stories that get the books to where they are now. We could see Boomerang maybe ask to join, and get rejected, but he tries to help anyway, and the team reconsiders whether he can join. And this would be part of their larger continued mission to hit the villains where they live (or whatever it is the Outsiders do).

I'm sure 52 will maybe answer those questions, but what of the people who can't afford 52? Are they doomed to a life of ignorance? And can 52 devote sufficient time to cover what's happened to each title over that year?

Lest I seem horribly negative, I am considering adding Ion (reliant on the first issue not being poorly written or incomprehensible), Secret Six (contingent on Cassandra Cain joining the book) and that Freedom Fighters book (also based on whether the first issue is poor). What this suggests is that, as marionette's post said, this will be great if you hadn't read the title before. If you had been reading the title, and enjoying it? Too bad.

What I'm Reading

So, the first actual post. And what do I give you? A list of what I buy. Please, hold the applause, and the rotten fruit. This is mostly so you, the kind reader, can get some idea of what you might be reading about here. So anyway, the titles I read can be broken up into four groups, based on how I feel when I pick it up each month.

Group 1 - I'm Excited Because I Know It'll Be Good - The Punisher, Batgirl, Ultimate Spider-Man, Ghost Rider. Few things in life are more dependable than the Punisher written by Garth Ennis. Horrific, sometimes hilarious death, with profanity. Something about Cassandra Cain the character just appeals to me, probably the large amount of room for growth, something DC disagrees with me about, apparently. The bastards. And Bendis' decompressive writing style just doesn't bother me on Ultimate Spider-Man, probably because of Bagley's art.

Group 2 - Books I Think Will Be Good, But They Might Suck - Teen Titans, Wolverine, Ultimate X-Men, Spider-Girl. These titles can't make Group 1 because of: Rob Leifield, House of M tie-in, just a general feeling, and the reemergence of the Venom symbiote, respectively.

Group 3 - Books I Hope Will Be Good, But I Figure They Won't - Amazing Spider-Man, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Marvel Knights Spider-Man. Hmm, I'm detecting a pattern here. And it isn't just "The Other". Basically it's been going downhill since Straczynski decided Gwen Stacy had children with Norman Osborn. Why JMS, why?

Group 4 - Just Do Something Already! - Robin, New Avengers. I'm sorry, I'm just tired of the whole "Will Robin join the military" story. It just seems to drag on, and now Robin is taking out OMACs? And teaming up with the Shadowpact? I am so sick of Infinite Crisis tie-ins, but that's a post for another time. As for N.A., it's been thirteen issues, and Bendis hasn't really done squat. I'll have more on that book later, but right now it's on life support. I'm waiting to see if this team line-up shuffle involves Hank Pym and the Wasp. If so, see you later.

Currently, I'm considering adding Excaliber, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to start reading X-Factor. And maybe Cable and Deadpool. Not for Cable, and certainly not for 'and'. Just for Deadpool.

So that takes care of that, hopefully tomorrow, I'll get into some more interesting posts, as opposed to these housekeeping, set-up posts. Maybe I'll review what I bought this week.