ComicBookGuy37's Blog: September 2011

Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Top 50 Albums of 2006

50. Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose - Meat Loaf
Rock
Key Track: It's All Coming Back to Me Now

49. Ecce Cor Meum - Paul McCartney
Classical
Key Track: Lament

48. Eye to the Telescope - KT Tunstall
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

47. Alright, Still - Lily Allen
Pop
Key Track: LDN

46. Death By Sexy - Eagles of Death Metal
Garage Rock
Key Track: I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)

45. Empire - Kasabian
Indie Rock
Key Track: Empire

44. Not Accepted Anywhere - The Automatic
Indie Rock
Key Track: Monster

43. Louder Now - Taking Back Sunday
Alternative Rock
Key Track: What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?

42. The Great Burrito Extortion Case - Bowling for Soup
Pop Punk
Key Track: High School Never Ends

41. Foiled - Blue October
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Into the Ocean

40. The Paramour Sessions - Papa Roach
Hard Rock
Key Track: Forever

39. Straight Outta Lynwood - Weird Al Yankovic
Comedy Rock
Key Track: White & Nerdy

38. When Your Heart Stops Beating - Plus 44
Alternative Rock
Key Track: When Your Heart Stops Beating

37. Inside In/Inside Out - The Kooks
Indie Rock
Key Track: Naive

36. Rest Inside the Flames - 36 Crazyfists
Metalcore
Key Track: Elysium

35. Dante XXI - Sepultura
Groove Metal
Key Track: Convicted in Life

34. Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Chasing Cars

33. Kiss of Death - Motorhead
Rock & Roll
Key Track: Going Down

32. Shot to Hell - Black Label Society
Heavy Metal
Key Track: Concrete Jungle

31. Wolfmother - Wolfmother
Heavy Metal
Key Track: Joker and the Thief

30. Sacrament - Lamb of God
Groove Metal
Key Track: Redneck

29. The Eraser - Thom Yorke
Experimental Rock
Key Track: Analyse

28. Saturday Night Wrist - Deftones
Alternative Metal
Key Track: Hole in the Earth

27. Inhuman Rampage - DragonForce
Power Metal
Key Track: Through the Fire and Flames

26. Ringleader of the Tormentors - Morrissey
Alternative Rock
Key Track: You Have Killed Me

25. Hello Young Lovers - Sparks
Rock
Key Track: Dick Around

24. Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Funk Rock
Key Track: Dani California

23. The Sufferer and the Witness - Rise Against
Melodic Hardcore
Key Track: Prayer of the Refugee

22. The Crane Wife - The Decemberists
Indie Rock
Key Track: O Valencia!

21. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
R&B
Key Track: Rehab

20. Sam's Town - The Killers
Indie Rock
Key Track: When You Were Young

19. Magic Potion - The Black Keys
Blues-Rock
Key Track: You're the One

18. Educated Horses - Rob Zombie
Heavy Metal
Key Track: Foxy Foxy

17. Liberation Transmission - Lostprophets
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)

16. The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Teenagers

15. The Pick of Destiny - Tenacious D
Heavy Metal
Key Track: The Metal

14. We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - Bruce Springsteen
Americana
Key Track: We Shall Overcome

13. St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley
Soul
Key Track: Crazy

12. Come What(ever) May - Stone Sour
Heavy Metal
Key Track: Through Glass

11. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
Indie Rock
Key Track: When the Sun Goes Down

10. Christ Illusion - Slayer
Thrash Metal
Key Track: Cult

9. As Daylight Dies - Killswitch Engage
Metalcore
Key Track: My Curse

8. Last Man Standing - Jerry Lee Lewis
Rock
Key Track: Before the Night Is Over

7. Blood Mountain - Mastodon
Sludge Metal
Key Track: Colony of Birchmen

6. Black Holes and Revelations - Muse
Alternative Rock
Key Track: Knights of Cydonia

5. Love - The Beatles
Rock
Key Track: Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows

4. Modern Times - Bob Dylan
Folk Rock
Key Track: Someday Baby

3. American V: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash
Country
Key Track: God's Gonna Cut You Down

2. A Matter of Life and Death - Iron Maiden
Heavy Metal
Key Track: These Colours Don't Run

1. 10,000 Days - Tool
Progressive Metal
Key Track: Vicarious

Monday, 26 September 2011

What to Read on Wednesday - 28/09/2011

The last week of the DCnU number ones, and the last week I'll be listing all of them, plus an additional top 10.

DCnU:

All-Star Western #1
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Moritat

Aquaman #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis

Batman: The Dark Knight #1
Written by David Finch
Art by David Finch & Richard Friend

Blackhawks #1
Written by Mike Costa
Art by Ken Lashley

The Flash #1
Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul

The Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #1
Written by Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone
Art by Yildiray Cinar

Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Tyler Kirkham

I, Vampire #1
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Art by Andrea Sorrentino

Justice League: Dark #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Mikel Janin

The Savage Hawkman #1
Written by Tony S. Daniel
Art by Philip Tan

Superman #1
Written by George Perez
Art by George Perez & Jesus Merino

Teen Titans #1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Brett Booth

Voodoo #1
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Sami Basri

And the Top 10 from everyone else:

American Vampire #19 (DC Comics)
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Jordi Bernet

Black Panther: The Most Dangerous Man Alive #523.1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by David Liss
Art by Jefte Palo

Brilliant #1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Mark Bagley

Captain America and Bucky #622 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Ed Brubaker and Marc Andreyko
Art by Chris Samnee

FF #9 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Steve Epting

Ghostbusters #1 (IDW Publishing)
Written by Erik Burnham
Art by Dan Schoening

New Avengers #16.1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Neal Adams

Secret Avengers #17 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Kev Walker

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Sara Pichelli

Venom #7 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Tom Fowler

Sunday, 25 September 2011

Top 50 Albums of 2007

50. Gambling with the Devil - Helloween
Power Metal

49. Untitled - Korn
Alternative Metal

48. Yours Truly, Angry Mob - Kaiser Chiefs
Indie Rock

47. Tales Don't Tell Themselves - Funeral for a Friend
Alternative Rock

46. Minutes to Midnight - Linkin Park
Alternative Rock

45. Graduation - Kanye West
Hip-Hop

44. The Atrocity Exhibition...Exhibit A - Exodus
Thrash Metal

43. Take to the Skies - Enter Shikari
Post-Hardcore

42. Long Road Out of Eden - The Eagles
Country Rock

41. Avenged Sevenfold - Avenged Sevenfold
Heavy Metal

40. Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
Rock

39. Libertad - Velvet Revolver
Hard Rock

38. The Devil Knows My Name - John 5
Speed Metal

37. The Last Kind Words - DevilDriver
Groove Metal

36. Lies for the Liars - The Used
Post-Hardcore

35. Snakes & Arrows - Rush
Progressive Rock

34. Down III: Over the Under - Down
Heavy Metal

33. Fire Up the Blades - 3 Inches of Blood
Heavy Metal

32. Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
Indie Rock

31. Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Industrial Rock

30. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse
Indie Rock

29. Chase This Light - Jimmy Eat World
Alternative Rock

28. United Abominations - Megadeth
Heavy Metal

27. Infinity on High - Fall Out Boy
Pop Rock

26. Cross - Justice
Electro House

25. Made of Bricks - Kate Nash
Indie Pop

24. Because of the Times - Kings of Leon
Southern Rock

23. Black Rain - Ozzy Osbourne
Heavy Metal

22. Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow - Coheed and Cambria
Progressive Rock

21. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
Alternative Rock

20. Elect the Dead - Serj Tankian
Alternative Rock

19. Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
Indie Rock

18. Myths of the Near Future - Klaxons
Dance-Punk

17. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Of Montreal
Indie Pop

16. Full Circle - Drowning Pool
Post-Grunge

15. New Wave - Against Me!
Punk Rock

14. Blackbird - Alter Bridge
Hard Rock

13. Rise of the Tyrant - Arch Enemy
Melodic Death Metal

12. Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Dance-Punk

11. Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Americana

10. Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
Alternative Rock

9. Beyond - Dinosaur Jr.
Alternative Rock

8. Systematic Chaos - Dream Theater
Progressive Metal

7. Era Vulgaris - Queens of the Stone Age
Alternative Metal

6. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Indie Rock

5. Puzzle - Biffy Clyro
Alternative Rock

4. Riot! - Paramore
Alternative Rock

3. Magic - Bruce Springsteen
Rock

2. In Rainbows - Radiohead
Art Rock

1. The Blackening - Machine Head
Groove Metal

Friday, 23 September 2011

Top 50 Albums of 2008

50. Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down - Noah and the Whale
Folk

49. Sleep Through the Static - Jack Johnson
Acoustic Rock

48. Off with Their Heads - Kaiser Chiefs
Indie Rock

47. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge - Def Leppard
Hard Rock

46. Anywhere I Lay My Head - Scarlett Johansson
Folk

45. Liverpool 8 - Ringo Starr
Rock

44. Captain Morgan's Revenge - Alestorm
Power Metal

43. Kala - M.I.A.
Worldbeat

42. Runnin' Wild - Airbourne
Hard Rock

41. Saints of Los Angeles - Motley Crue
Heavy Metal

40. Indestructible - Disturbed
Heavy Metal

39. Weezer - Weezer
Alternative Rock

38. The Age of the Understatement - The Last Shadow Puppets
Indie Rock

37. Forth - The Verve
Alternative Rock

36. Only by the Night - Kings of Leon
Alternative Rock

35. Ultra Beatdown - DragonForce
Power Metal

34. The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley
Soul

33. Shogun - Trivium
Thrash Metal

32. Third - Portishead
Experimental Rock

31. 19 - Adele
Pop

30. Consolers of the Lonely - The Raconteurs
Rock

29. Along Came a Spider - Alice Cooper
Hard Rock

28. Good to Be Bad - Whitesnake
Hard Rock

27. Pretty. Odd. - Panic at the Disco
Pop Rock

26. Day & Age - The Killers
Indie Rock

25. Heart On - Eagles of Death Metal
Garage Rock

24. Oracular Spectacular - MGMT
Neo-Psychedelia

23. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords
Comedy Rock

22. Black Ice - AC/DC
Hard Rock

21. All or Nothing - The Subways
Alternative Rock

20. Scream Aim Fire - Bullet for my Valentine
Thrash Metal

19. Scars on Broadway - Scars on Broadway
Alternative Metal

18. Folie a Deux - Fall Out Boy
Pop Rock

17. Appeal to Reason - Rise Against
Punk Rock

16. Narrow Stairs - Death Cab for Cutie
Indie Pop

15. Exotic Creatures of the Deep - Sparks
Rock

14. Seventh Tree - Goldfrapp
Dream Pop

13. Volume One - She & Him
Indie Pop

12. Accelerate - R.E.M.
Alternative Rock

11. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Indie Rock

10. Nostradamus - Judas Priest
Heavy Metal

9. Hail Destroyer - Cancer Bats
Hardcore Punk

8. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Baroque Pop

7. Dear Science - TV on the Radio
Art Rock

6. Attack & Release - The Black Keys
Blues-Rock

5. Inflikted - Cavalera Conspiracy
Groove Metal

4. Watershed - Opeth
Progressive Death Metal

3. All Hope Is Gone - Slipknot
Heavy Metal

2. Death Magnetic - Metallica
Thrash Metal

1. For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
Folk

Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Top 50 Albums of 2009

50. Raditude - Weezer
Alternative Rock

49. Skeletons in the Closet - Children of Bodom
Melodic Death Metal

48. Sorry for Partyin' - Bowling for Soup
Pop Punk

47. For the Lions - Hatebreed
Metalcore

46. Here Waits Thy Doom - 3 Inches of Blood
Heavy Metal

45. Cosmic Egg - Wolfmother
Heavy Metal

44. 21st Century Breakdown - Green Day
Punk Rock

43. I Told You I Was Freaky - Flight of the Conchords
Comedy Rock

42. The First Days of Spring - Noah and the Whale
Indie Folk

41. Merriweather Post Pavilion - Animal Collective
Neo-Psychedelia

40. Years of Refusal - Morrissey
Alternative Rock

39. Invaders Must Die - The Prodigy
Alternative Dance

38. No Line on the Horizon - U2
Rock

37. Killswitch Engage - Killswitch Engage
Metalcore

36. Tonight: Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Indie Rock

35. Hollow Crown - Architects
Metalcore

34. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum - Kasabian
Indie Rock

33. Rebuilt By Humans - Newton Faulkner
Folk Rock

32. Fantasies - Metric
Indie Rock

31. The Incident - Porcupine Tree
Progressive Rock

30. Together Through Life - Bob Dylan
Folk Rock

29. Pray for Villains - DevilDriver
Groove Metal

28. Be Human - Fightstar
Alternative Rock

27. Last Look at Eden - Europe
Heavy Metal

26. Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? - Paloma Faith
Pop

25. Poetry of the Deed - Frank Turner
Folk Rock

24. Farm - Dinosaur Jr.
Alternative Rock

23. Humbug - Arctic Monkeys
Indie Rock

22. Grey Britain - Gallows
Hardcore Punk

21. The Hazards of Love - The Decemberists
Progressive Rock

20. Ignore the Ignorant - The Cribs
Indie Rock

19. Lungs - Florence + The Machine
Indie Pop

18. Backspacer - Pearl Jam
Alternative Rock

17. Evangelion - Behemoth
Blackened Death Metal

16. This Is War - 30 Seconds to Mars
Hard Rock

15. The Liberty of Norton Folgate - Madness
Ska

14. Wrath - Lamb of God
Groove Metal

13. Working on a Dream - Bruce Springsteen
Rock

12. Black Gives Way to Blue - Alice in Chains
Alternative Metal

11. The Resistance - Muse
Alternative Rock

10. It's Blitz! - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Indie Rock

9. Brand New Eyes - Paramore
Alternative Rock

8. Only Revolutions - Biffy Clyro
Alternative Rock

7. Black Clouds & Silver Linings - Dream Theater
Progressive Metal

6. The Devil You Know - Heaven & Hell
Heavy Metal

5. Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
Alternative Rock

4. Endgame - Megadeth
Heavy Metal

3. Liebe ist fur alle da - Rammstein
Industrial Metal

2. Crack the Skye - Mastodon
Progressive Metal

1. World Painted Blood - Slayer
Thrash Metal

Top 50 Albums of 2010

50. My Best Friend Is You - Kate Nash
Indie Pop

49. Come Around Sundown - Kings of Leon
Alternative Rock

48. A Curious Thing - Amy Macdonald
Rock

47. Animal - Ke$ha
Dance-Pop

46. Immersion - Pendulum
Electronica

45. Beat the Devil's Tattoo - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Alternative Rock

44. Women and Children Last - Murderdolls
Alternative Metal

43. Surfing the Void - Klaxons
Indie Rock

42. Asylum - Disturbed
Heavy Metal

41. Heligoland - Massive Attack
Electronica

40. Flamingo - Brandon Flowers
Pop Rock

39. Congratulations - MGMT
Neo-Psychedelia

38. Hurley - Weezer
Alternative Rock

37. Absolute Dissent - Killing Joke
Post-Punk

36. Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Pop

35. Head First - Goldfrapp
Synthpop

34. Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones - Cancer Bats
Hardcore Punk

33. Imperfect Harmonies - Serj Tankian
Neo-Prog

32. Omen - Soulfly
Groove Metal

31. 7 Sinners - Helloween
Power Metal

30. Romance Is Boring - Los Campesinos!
Indie Pop

29. Exhibit B: The Human Condition - Exodus
Thrash Metal

28. Light Me Up - The Pretty Reckless
Alternative Rock

27. Korn III: Remember Who You Are - Korn
Nu Metal

26. Order of the Black - Black Label Society
Heavy Metal

25. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz
Pop

24. B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray - B.o.B.
Pop Rap

23. Forgiveness Rock Record - Broken Social Scene
Indie Rock

22. Volume Two - She & Him
Indie Pop

21. Fever - Bullet for my Valentine
Heavy Metal

20. Collisions and Castaways - 36 Crazyfists
Alternative Metal

19. Transference - Spoon
Indie Rock

18. Year of the Black Rainbow - Coheed and Cambria
Progressive Rock

17. Scream - Ozzy Osbourne
Heavy Metal

16. The Betrayed - Lostprophets
Alternative Rock

15. AB III - Alter Bridge
Hard Rock

14. This Is Happening - LCD Soundsystem
Dance-Punk

13. Mechanize - Fear Factory
Industrial Metal

12. Audio Secrecy - Stone Sour
Alternative Metal

11. Contra - Vampire Weekend
Indie Rock

10. American VI: Ain't No Grave - Johnny Cash
Americana

9. Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold
Heavy Metal

8. Growing Pains - Dinosaur Pile-Up
Alternative Rock

7. Hellbilly Deluxe 2 - Rob Zombie
Heavy Metal

6. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Indie Rock

5. Drowning Pool - Drowning Pool
Alternative Metal

4. Diamond Eyes - Deftones
Alternative Metal

3. The World Is Yours - Motorhead
Heavy Metal

2. The Final Frontier - Iron Maiden
Heavy Metal

1. Brothers - The Black Keys
Garage Rock

Monday, 19 September 2011

What to Read on Wednesday - 21/09/2011

The DC Number Ones:

Batman #1
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Greg Capullo

Birds of Prey #1
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Art by Jesus Saiz

Blue Beetle #1
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Ig Guara

Captain Atom #1
Written by J. T. Krul
Art by Freddie Williams II

Catwoman #1
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Guillem March

DC Universe Presents #1
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Bernard Chang

Green Lantern Corps #1
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Fernando Pasarin

Legion of Super-Heroes #1
Written by Paul Levitz
Art by Francis Portela

Nightwing #1
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Eddy Barrows

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by Kenneth Rocafort

Supergirl #1
Written by Michael Green & Mike Johnson
Art by Mahmud Asrar

Wonder Woman #1
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Cliff Chiang

And the 10 from everyone else...

Daredevil #4 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Marcos Martin

Hellblazer #283 (DC Comics)
Written by Peter Milligan
Art by Guiseppe Camuncoli

Hulk #41 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Gabriel Hardman

Near Death #1 (Image Comics)
Written by Jay Faerber
Art by Simone Guglielmini

Spider-Island: Cloak and Dagger #2 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Emma Rios

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 (IDW Publishing)
Written by Kevin Eastman & Tom Waltz
Art by Dan Duncan

Thunderbolts #163.1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Declan Shalvey

Ultimate Comics X-Men #1 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Nick Spencer
Art by Paco Medina

Witch Doctor #3 (Image Comics)
Written by Brandon Seifert
Art by Lukas Ketner

X-Men: Schism #4 (Marvel Comics)
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Alan Davis

Monday, 12 September 2011

What to Read on Wednesday - 14/09/2011

No time for pictures or solicitations this week...Just the 13 issues of DCnU and the 10 other highlights of the week...

DCnU:

Batman and Robin #1
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Patrick Gleason

Batwoman #1
Written by J. H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman
Art by J. H. Williams III

Deathstroke #1
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Joe Bennett

Demon Knights #1
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Diogenes Neves

Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Alberto Ponticelli

Green Lantern #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Doug Mahnke

Grifter #1
Written by Nathan Edmonson
Art by Cafu

Legion Lost #1
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Pete Woods

Mister Terrific #1
Written by Eric Wallace
Art by Gianluca Gugliotta

Red Lanterns #1
Written by Red Lanterns
Art by Ed Benes

Resurrection Man #1
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Fernando Dagnino

Suicide Squad #1
Written by Adam Glass
Art by Marco Rudy

Superboy #1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art by RB Silva

The Other 10:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 9 #1
Written by Joss Whedon & Andrew Chambliss
Art by Georges Jeanty

Criminal: The Last of the Innocent #4
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips

Daredevil #3
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Paolo Rivera

New Avengers #16
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Mike Deodato Jr.

Pigs #1
Written by Nate Cosby & Ben McCool
Art by Breno Temura

Punisher MAX #17
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Steve Dillon

Scalped #52
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R. M. Guera

Severed #2
Written by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Art by Attila Futaki

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Sara Pichelli

Uncanny X-Force #15
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Jerome Opena

Wednesday, 7 September 2011

DCnU - Week Two Review

Action Comics #1
Writer - Grant Morrison
Artist - Rags Morales
The first chapter of this revamped Superman tale features some great allusions to Grant Morrison's epic "Supergods" essays. Not only that, but the art by Rags Morales is fantastic and the tweaks to this revamp are all for the better, drastically improving the previously stale concept.
9/10

Animal Man #1
Writer - Jeff Lemire
Artist - Travel Foreman
One of the best single issues I've read in a while, and easily the best thing Jeff Lemire has penned; an intriguing premise, great characterization and sort absolutely stunning artwork from Travel Foreman make this one of the two best releases of the DCnU so far.
10/10

Batgirl #1
Writer - Gail Simone
Artist - Ardian Syaf
The redefinition of Barbara Gordon is, perhaps, the most controversial element of the DCnU, but this issue was a great introduction to the character and the world of Batgirl. Gail Simone demonstrates a perfect knowledge of the character, while Ardian Syaf's artwork is tonally, fantastic.
9/10

Batwing #1
Writer - Judd Winick
Artist - Ben Oliver
This is a fairly intriguing concept, taken directly from Grant Morrison's "Batman Inc" series, but while Judd Winick is drawing us in with a great premise, Ben Oliver is repelling us with artwork that, while suitable, doesn't have much going for it compared with some of the other books in the DCnU.
7/10

Detective Comics #1
Writer - Tony S. Daniel
Artist - Tony S. Daniel
Tony S. Daniel has gone through a bit of a revamp along with the DC Universe; gone are his inability to tell a compelling story, and his artwork has improved tenfold. This was a fairly dark and interesting start to a new era of Batman, but there was nothing truly special or memorable about it until the last page, which featured one of the biggest "what the fuck" moments in recent memory.
8/10

Green Arrow #1
Writer - J. T. Krul
Artists - Dan Jurgens & George Perez
Despite some decent artwork from the combined talents of two comic book legends, this Green Arrow revamp is one of the weakest books of the relaunch. J. T. Krul drove the previous incarnation into the ground with bored plots and poor character development, and here he does more of the same, penning a story that is horribly written from start to finish.
5/10

Hawk and Dove #1
Writer - Sterling Gates
Artist - Rob Liefeld
I gave this the benefit of the doubt. It's common knowledge that I despise Rob Liefeld, but Hawk and Dove was where he started out in comics, and so I figured maybe there would be some spark here that demonstrated just why he is considered so great. Not so. Sterling Gates tells an okay story, but there's no life to either character, and Liefeld's artwork is a crime against nature. The worst book of the DCnU so far.
4/10

Justice League International #1
Writer - Dan Jurgens
Artist - Aaron Lopresti
A great reinvention of one of the best Justice League incarnations ever; Dan Jurgens writes a decent introduction, capturing the characters well, and putting emphasis on Booster Gold. The art by Aaron Lopresti is fantastic, calling back to his work on Generation Lost that helped make this series possible.
8/10

Men of War #1
Writer - Ivan Brandon
Artist - Tom Derenick
A decent war comic set within the DCnU; the ties to the character of Sgt. Rock are flimsy, but that doesn't stop this from feeling like an intense Call of Duty experience thanks to a decent script from Ivan Brandon. Tom Derenick's artwork, meanwhile, isn't perfect but serves it's purpose in the story.
7/10

O.M.A.C. #1
Writers - Dan Didio & Keith Giffen
Artists - Keith Giffen & Scott Koblish
This was a genuine surprise. Jack Kirby-style artwork from Keith Giffen and Scott Koblish proves to be genuinely perfect, while the script from Giffen and Dan Didio may be the best thing Didio has contributed his name to in recent years. A great start to what may be a truly surprising series.
8/10

Static Shock #1
Writers - Scott McDaniel & John Rozum
Artist - Scott McDaniel
Static Shock has never been one of my favourite series, nor has the character of Static ever proved totally appealing. This new series, written and drawn by Scott McDaniel (with writing assists from John Rozum) is a fairly good example of why. The whole issue feels like a rip-off of Spider-Man; there's nothing really engaging about the story or characters, and the art by McDaniel is fairly bland. But then, maybe I'm not the right audience.
6/10

Stormwatch #1
Writer - Paul Cornell
Artist - Miguel Sepulveda
The first major example of the DCnU's ties to the Wildstorm Universe. This series has a decent script from Paul Cornell and some okay artwork from Miguel Sepulveda and manages to capture some of the flair of Warren Ellis' run on The Authority, as well as adding some fairly welcome characters from the DC Universe. It wasn't as perfect as it should have been, though, which is a shame.
7/10

Swamp Thing #1
Writer - Scott Snyder
Artist - Yanick Paquette
Alongside Animal Man, Swamp Thing is arguably the best thing DC has put out this week; it's a dark, gritty horror comic that ties directly into the DC Universe, and brings Vertigo back in a big, big way. Scott Snyder proves he's one of the best talents at DC with an incredible script, while Yanick Paquette hands in artwork that puts his excellent Batman Inc pages to shame. This is a true example of excellence in comic books.
10/10