15 DCnU Books to Watch: The Dark Side of the DCnU!

Look, even to a DC Comics Zombie, the company's September relaunch can seem intimidating. The information is almost overwhelming—52 brand new books, a smattering of new characters interjected into the publisher's traditional roster, and completely new creative teams on almost every book. On top of that, the chances of all 52 (or even a high percentage) being worth buying is minuscule. So, for you gentle reader, I have taken the time to separate the wheat from the chaff, to isolate the cream of the crop, and to highlight the must-haves of the DCnU. Once a week, between now and the end of August, I will attempt to explain and justify my choices for the 15 most important books of DC's upcoming relaunch.

This week, the The Dark Side of the DCnU : Swamp Thing, Justice League Dark, and Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.

In the interest of full disclosure, allow me to confess that I was sick all weekend. Apparently a head cold and Nyquil makes Trey ramble. So...my apologies. I make no promises for the overall quality of this week's post.

Swamp Thing (Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette)

     Over a decade ago, I stumbled onto a cache of comic books at my local public library. Among the limited selection was the first collection of Alan Moore's run on Swamp Thing. Teenage Me read it and enjoyed it but was not sure what to make of it. It would be years before I read anything else by Moore and even longer before I revisited Swamp Thing. At the time, I was barely aware that Swamp Thing was even a comic book character. He had already been relegated to DC's Vertigo imprint, a universe I would not venture into until I was a bit older. He had no presence in the 1990s comic books I collected, so I passed him off as a minor character. Having learned the extent of my ignorance, I recently reread the first collection of Moore's run and realized how fascinating and important the character can be.

     There are only a handful of characters that have experienced shifts like Alec Holland. A late Silver Age/early Bronze Age creation by Len Wein, Swamp Thing would be taken and re-purposed by Moore as part of the earliest foundations of what would become Vertigo. Since then, the character has been almost completely confined to the companies “mature” comics line. In that same period some the comic book industry's biggest names have written stories starring Swamp Thing. Moore, Mark Millar, Brian K. Vaughn, and Andy Diggle are just a few of the A-list creative minds that have written the character while he was under the banner of Vertigo. Then, after decades closed off from the DCU, he was reintroduced at the end of a year long story named Brightest Day.

     With the DCnU release of Swamp Thing #1, a new name can be etched in stone along with the likes of Moore and Millar—Scott Snyder. With his critically acclaimed work on American Vampire and Detective Comics, Snyder brings quite a bit of weight to the reintroduction of Swamp Thing to the regular DCU. It almost seems preordained that one of the biggest young guns in comic books would tackle a property that has been a stepping stone for some many other legendary names. He will be joined by artist Yanick Paquette, who has done some incredible work in the last few years. Notably, Paquette has drawn multiple series penned by Grant Morrison, including several issues of Batman Inc.

     Swamp Thing is a book filled with potential. He has not interacted with the denizens of the DCU in decades and is one of the truly unique fictional characters owned by the company. Snyder and Paquette will be able to tap into Swamp Thing and his origins to provide a fascinating story. Snyder is a rare writer with the ability to naturally imbue weight upon his subjects. The upcoming Swamp Thing is destined to be one of the most critically praised books of the DC Relaunch—you might as well get in on the ground floor.

Justice League Dark (Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin):

      No, it's not a superhero-shaped, dark chocolate bar! It's not a Dark Avengers ripoff! It's a team book starring DC's most prominent magical characters under the umbrella of the Justice League! Allow me, if you will, to go on a tangent for a moment. I may be a DC Zombie, but I do not entirely endorse every decision that the company has made in regards to this relaunch. For example, as I will explain shortly, I really like the concept of Justice League Dark (henceforth referred to as JLD) but, at the time of writing this, I loath the name. There are two headlining, mystical teams residing within the new DC Universe—JLD and Demon Knights, and, on the outset, the concepts for both sound great. But am I the only one (and I may be) that thinks that DC has an established mystical team that already has lore surrounding it with a better name that both JLD and Demon Knights? It was not that long ago that an ongoing book named Shadowpact was a fan favorite and a minor critical darling. On top of that, within the pages of said book, it was established that there had been many iterations of the team throughout the ages. So, I am of the opinion that either JLD or Demon Knights should have been named Shadowpact. I know it is not a big deal, and the names were probably chosen very carefully by the authors and DC to attract new readers. I understand the care and thinking that was most likely involved. There's also a really good chance that I pine for one of these two books to be named Shadowpact just so there would be a chance of Detective Chimp being a member. (Actually, let's be honest, that the entire reason I want JLD to be named Shadowpact.)

     Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Justice League Dark is one of the books I have strategically chosen off of a list of several books I was on the fence about. Being of limited funds, I am holding myself to certain number of titles each month, which meant that I had to carefully choose the books I plan on buying. In the end, the choice came down to Peter Milligan versus Paul Cornell. Both writers are penning two books I wanted to read and both are writing a magically based team book. For a combination of reasons I have chosen JLD as my Milligan book. (For my Cornell choice you'll have to come back in two weeks or listen to last week's podcast!)

      In JLD, Milligan is taking a cast of characters that he has worked with extensively and combining them into arguably the most powerful comic book based magical team of all time. Former Vertigo standbys Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, and John Constantine will be joined by DC Universe regulars Deadman and Zatanna on the team to face an insane, sometimes-villian named Enchantress (ironically, a former Shadowpact member!). Milligan, an industry veteran, knows the formula for writing great comic books, but some people would argue that he sometimes forgets key ingredients. Hopefully, working with a familiar cast of characters will help him produce the kind of comic he is capable of. Spanish artist Mikel Janin will take JLD's reins artistically. His American comics work is limited at the moment, but sample pages from JLD #1 that have been making the rounds on the internet look incredibly promising.

     JLD is, perhaps, most notable for the fact that it stars several characters that have been closed off in the Vertigo universe for almost twenty years. Now Milligan will have the opportunity to place fascinating characters John Constantine, Shade, and Madame Xanadu back into a psuedo-superheroic, magical, trenchcoat-y context within the DC Universe. The cast of characters is interesting and diverse, Milligan can be a great writer, and Janin could be a breakout artist—adding up to a book worthy of being excited about. (Now, if they would just add Detective Chimp to the roster, JLD would be a must-buy for sure!)

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (Jeff Lemire and Alberto Ponticelli)

     “Frankenstein?!” you scoff, “why would I want to read a silly book starring a character ripped-off from the pages of Mary Shelley, Trey?” I'll tell you why, Imaginary-voice-in-my-head! Because it's going to be one of the best books in the DCnU! Frankenstein, like many other literary and mythological characters, was appropriated by comic book writers in the Golden and Silver ages of comic books. Generally, these borrowed characters were loose adaptations of their original source material. For example, Marvel borrowed Thor from Norse mythology and both DC and Marvel have featured their own versions of characters like Hercules and Dracula. However, thanks to one of the comic industry's biggest names and one of its rising stars, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. bears little resemblance to Shelley's original creation.

Back in 2005, Grant Morrison turned his magical distorting lens on DC's version of Frankenstein, effectively Morrison-ifying the character. As part of the Seven Soldiers of Victory mega-event, the new Frankenstein was transformed into an undead agent of a paranormal government body named S.H.A.D.E. (Super Human Advanced Defense Executive). With a gigantic sword, a humungous revolver and the help of a four-armed Bride of Frankenstein, he carved his way through paranormal threats from middle America to the desserts of Mars. Instrumental in the defeat of Melmoth and the Sheeda at the end of Seven Soldiers, Frankenstein resurfaced only two or three more times over the last half decade. More recently, Frankenstein reappeared in the alternate universe of DC's Flashpoint event written by Jeff Lemire. Not coincidentally, Lemire will also pen the the new ongoing series that is spinning out of the revamped universe.

     Lemire is an important up-and-coming creator within the comic book industry. His pre-relaunch work on Superboy was nominated for an Eisner and his creator-owned works Sweet Tooth and the Essex County Trilogy are highly regarded by critics. The art will be handled by Italian artist Alberto Ponticelli whose most recent, notable work was an impressive run on Vertigo's Unknown Soldier. Lemire is a natural storyteller. He knows how to weave an interesting tale, evoking emotions from the reader using characters that are strange, familiar and compelling all at the same time.

     Here's the bottom line: If you like good comics, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. is a series to keep an eye on—the writer is a rising star, the artist is a good visual storyteller, and the characters will be over the top in an awesome way. Despite Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.'s premise similarities to series like Hellboy and Atomicrobo, Lemire is talented enough that it will certainly be its own animal. Honestly, the idea of Frankenstein and a bunch of monstrous creatures working for a shady government agency should be ridiculously awesome enough to pique anyone's interest, in my opinion. (And if it doesn't get your pulse checked.)

Next week: The Most Important of the Ancillary Bat-titles!