Week two of the DCnU is here, and the critics have spoken: week one was better.
Today brings another look at what the critical consensus of the latest wave of DCnU books brings in terms of quality, as we look at all of them in a Rotten Tomatoes style breakdown. We’ve taken reviews from all kinds of sites (now including Robot 6!) and aggregated an average grade (all formatted to a ten point scale) and a Buy % (similar to the Tomato-meter from RT, as it is positive reviews divided by total reviews). Each book will also have a critical consensus derived from the group, as well as links to each individual review.
A few notes about this week…week two brings both a new highest rated book and a new lowest rated book. Overall, the week one average grade was 6.9 while the average for week two was 6.5, indicating an overall dip in quality.
Check out all of the books in order of highest average grade to lowest average grade after the jump.
1. Batwoman #1
Written by JH Williams III and Haden Blackman
Illustrated by JH Williams III
Buy %: 94% – Buy
Average Grade: 9.3
Consensus: This book earned the highest grade so far for any DCnU book, surpassing last week’s Swamp Thing. Reviewers were elated at JH Williams III and co-writer Haden Blackman’s ability to continue the story from the previous Greg Rucka scripted adventures of Kate Kane, as well as its ability to be accessible to new readers. The main reason it was number one though? Williams’ art that has everyone and their brother bending over backwards to anoint Williams the dominant artistic voice of this relaunch.
There was one negative review, with the colorfully titled Badass Digest describing Batwoman as “impenetrable,” but that site was the only one to suggest that idea.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Newsarama, Comic Vine, Badass Digest, ScienceFiction.com, Savage Critics, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
2. Demon Knights #1
Written by Paul Cornell
Illustrated by Diogenes Neves
Buy %: 92% – Buy
Average Grade: 7.9
Consensus: Take a cast of C-list characters and throw them together with an increasingly beloved writer and a talented but unheralded artist and what do you get? Apparently you get an engaging and fun book that properly introduces new characters, sets up some proper villains, and has some straight up gorgeous art. Throw in potential ties to two other books right off the bat, and DC looks like they have a big winner here.
The two reviews that differed here (one from the group of Comics Alliance reviewers and the other from Crave Online) called the book “incomprehensible” and “unavoidably boring,” but they were rather large outliers from the overall reception.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
3. Frankenstein: Agent of SHADE #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Alberto Ponticelli
Buy %: 91% – Buy
Average Grade: – 7.8
Consensus: Jeff Lemire is so hot right now my mind kept playing the “he’s on fire!” quote from NBA Jam when I was looking up reviews. Nearly everyone praised this book for its imaginative script, sharp character work and Hellboy/BPRD like feel. While not as spotless as Animal Man (some said the book felt a little rushed), it was another big hit for the burgeoning star.
The art from Ponticelli was liked overall, but some had issues with it, suggesting that it felt “sketchy,” “rough,” and the overall weak point of the book. From my end, it’s hard to disagree with that, regardless of how big of a fan of Ponticelli I am generally.
Continued belowReviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Major Spoilers
4. Batman and Robin #1
Written by Pete Tomasi
Illustrated by Patrick Gleason
Buy %: 93% – Buy
Average Grade: 7.4
Consensus: This book was well-received overall, as the reviews shared general positivity towards Tomasi’s script and Gleason’s art. From a technical level, very few found many complaints. Most negativity in reviews came from three aspects: not being new reader friendly, a plot that was pretty low level for a flagship book, and the idea of Bruce gaining some sort of emotional closure on his parents death. But overall, reviewers found it to be a solid start to their run, and with the tie to Batman, Inc., this book looks to be a real mover and shaker going forward.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Newsarama, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Savage Critics, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
5. Green Lantern #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Illustrated by Doug Mahnke
Buy %: 88% – Buy
Average Grade: 7.2
Consensus: This is another solid issue of Green Lantern from the same team that was working on the book before. Good writing, good art, good stuff overall. The only problems people had were that it continues a story from before the DCnU and it’s essentially just the next issue of the previous book. Really, this book wasn’t rebooted in the least. So it’s good in the same way the rest of the Green Lantern issues since Mahnke has been on the book have been, but reviewers generally didn’t find anything that special.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, Badass Digest, ScienceFiction.com, Ain’t It Cool News, Savage Critics, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
6. Superboy #1
Written by Scott Lobdell
Illustrated by RB Silva
Buy %: 82% – Buy
Average Grade: 7
Consensus: Because the average grade was the same as our grade, I’m going to take a paragraph from our very own Gilbert Short’s review about this book:
“Overall, the book is a solid re-introduction to the Superboy universe. It’s not quite as good as Papa Superman’s re-debut Action Comics, but it’s better than a lot of the rest of the stuff out there. Check it out.”
Lobdell’s script was described as “serviceable,” while many praised artist RB Silva’s work, calling it “outstanding.” Coming out party for Silva!
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Crave Online
7. Resurrection Man #1
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Illustrated by Fernando Dagnino
Buy %: 69% – Buy
Average Grade: 6.5
Consensus: Reviews were all over the place with this book, with no real consensus being made. If you could average them all out though, it’d be that the writing and the art are definitely solid, but not enough of a connection or introduction is made with the lead character. It’s assumed by writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning that readers will understand what is going on, but many reviewers found that that assumption was not an apt one. Many appreciate the dark and weird vibe to the book, as it proves to be a nice counter-balance to the overall line-up.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Newsarama, Comic Vine, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
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8. Red Lanterns #1
Written by Peter Milligan
Illustrated by Ed Benes
Buy %: 71% – Buy
Average Grade: 6.4
Consensus: IGN’s review was pretty spot-on in terms of grading, so we’ll let them take the reins:
“Red Lanterns definitely shows some promise, but it doesn’t do enough to truly hook the reader in its first issue. With three other Lantern books to compete with, the series will quickly need to establish a firmer sense of direction in order to stand out.”
This book was another one that reviewers had problems with because of it wasn’t exactly new reader friendly and the rather emo nature of the lead (“woe is me, I’m not angry anymore…so sad.”), but some praised Milligan’s script and others described Benes’ art as “solid.” Not exactly a beloved book.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Savage Critics, MTV Geeks, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
9. Deathstroke #1
Written by Kyle Higgins
Illustrated by Joe Bennett
Buy %: 58% – Pass
Average Grade: 6
Consensus: This book didn’t earn an overall “Buy” rating, and was the first of four from this week to earn that distinction. It was an oddly divisive book, with nowhere showing that more than Comics Alliance, who had two reviewers call it a pleasant surprise and a good representation of the character, while the other two called it “drawn out and pointless” and “nothing made (them) care about what happens next.” Personally, I thought the book was fun and well-scripted with decent art. This is one of the most divisive books, but overall it averaged out to be a decent book.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
10. Suicide Squad #1
Written by Adam Glass
Illustrated by Federico Dallocchio and Ransom Getty
Buy %: 67% – Buy
Average Grade: 5.3
Consensus: This book was BY FAR the most divisive book. Comics Alliance as a site gave this book a .5 out of 10 (POINT FIVE!!) while USA Today gave it an A+. Really, besides those and our review (we gave it a 1 out of 10), everything else was somewhere between a 3 and an 8 out of 10. This is the ultimate middle of the road book, but it was also a love it or hate it book. Some enjoyed the dark, weird vibe, some couldn’t stand it and openly pined for John Ostrander’s beloved run. Overall though, this book came out as a “Buy,” but a definite Buyer Beware situation. It is new reader friendly however.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Newsarama, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Ain’t It Cool News, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
11. Grifter #1
Written by Nathan Edmondson
Illustrated by CAFU
Buy %: 46% – Pass
Average Grade: 4.9
Consensus: Really, the only reason why this book escaped with as positive a grade as it did was that it was one of the many books featuring a grade bolstered by USA Today’s high praise. Besides their B+, this book only earned three grades higher than a 5 out of 10. Crave Online was the most scathing, pinning a 1 out of 10 on the book and stating that writer Nathan Edmondson failed at making the previously engaging Cole Cash remotely interesting while also using him primarily as a plot device instead of as a living, breathing character.
In my mind, it’s somewhere between those two grades, with some nice art and a script that is uneven and a little mixed up. That’s pretty much what the consensus states too.
Continued belowReviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, Comic Book Resources, IGN, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Savage Critics, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
12. Mister Terrific #1
Written by Eric Wallace
Illustrated by Gianluca Gugliotta
Buy %: 33% – Pass
Average Grade: 4.6
Consensus: One out of every three reviews were positive, meaning two thirds were negative. Before it was released, I would have put money on it being the first book to be canceled. Then it came out, and nearly every review straight up murdered it (with the only reason it had even a 4.6 was because USA Today gave it an A), with our Brian Salvatore calling it “one of the worst books of 2011.”
Doesn’t bode well for it surviving.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, IGN, Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, Comic Vine, ScienceFiction.com, Savage Critics, MTV Geek, Crave Online, Major Spoilers
13. Legion Lost #1
Written by Fabien Nicieza
Illustrated by Pete Woods
Buy %: 27% – Pass
Average Grade: 3.7
Consensus: This book has the incredible distinction of being the new lowest “Average Grade” and new lowest “Buy %” out of any DCnU release yet. With good reason, as this book failed at a) introducing any character, b) making any sense, c) belonging to any current continuity, and d) being new reader friendly. The art was the best part, but everyone agreed that this was not Woods’ best effort. This was truly awful, and if Mister Terrific was one of the worst of the year, this book quite possibly has the distinction of being the absolute worst.
Reviews from: Comics Alliance, Multiversity Comics, iFanboy, Robot 6, USA Today, Bleeding Cool, IGN, Newsarama, ScienceFiction.com, Crave Online
