Has anybody noticed that there are more than 52 titles being reviewed here? We sure have; as the month drags on, the sheer quantity of books to be read really make the whole experience somewhat oppressive, making the bad ones seem worse and possibly dulling the ecstatic effects of the truly good ones. That’s something taht woni’t affect too many readers–there aren’t a ton of people reading a publisher’s entire output–but it’s also something that DC is hoping more people will do, with these zero issues being collected into a hardcover omnibus and released in time for Christmas.Batwoman #0This is a great book every month, but the zero issue might be the best single standalone issue of the series, with a ton of great character moments, some fascinating insight into what makes Kate tick and, of course, J.H. Williams III’s artwork (which is basically perfect).Kate’s version of “With great power comes great responsibility is laid bare here, to great effect. The simple maxim by which her father always asked her to live her life was something she couldn’t live up to, which is a pretty damaging realization to come to.Birds of Prey #0One of the books that got the most odd and seemingly arbitrary changes from the New 52, Birds of Prey hasn’t exactly been setting the world on fire in either sales or acclaim, but has been a consistently enjoyable read for a year now.There seem to be timeline and continuity issues in this book, in terms of who met whom and when. It’s a bit of a minor distraction, but no moreso than the blatantly hideous look that Batgirl is sporting when she first appears on the page.Certainly the book seems to have found its compass this year and even if it isn’t the best it’s ever been, I certainly don’t miss the Simone/Benes run from Brightest Day, which was frankly a bit underwhelming and in hindsight may have been something of a “gold watch” to Simone in exchange for all the great and good work she’s done with the characters over the years.And like so many other titles this month, it appears as though Birds of Prey is going to tie in with Team 7 sooner or later. It actually makes sense–writer Duane Swierczynski has been trying to write this book more as an espionage book than we’ve ever really seen before. That said, can we get these artists a model sheet so that Amanda Waller is recognizable from appearance to appearance?Blue Beetle #0What do you do when you’re asked to write a zero issue for a book where #1 actually featured the character’s origin? Well, in the case of something like Green Lantern or Blue Beetle, you try and figure out where the artifact that gives him his powers has been before, and tell a story from there.Blue Beetle #0 is well-done, effective storytelling with some really nice character moments–but it all feels pretty easy to discard, given that Jaime isn’t the issue’s lead.You have to give them credit, though, for successfully integrating the Ancient Egyptian portion of the Blue Beetle origin into the New 52 retelling of the Scarab’s back story. It’s clever and creative. And lest it be forgotten, all of this is meant to set up a big story that takes place off-planet for Jaime spinning out of the events of Justice League International Annual #1.
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Continuing later today…
