Things I Like About the New 52, part 1

I have collected comics off and on for about 20 years now.  I started collecting in junior high, quit some time in late high school, started again in college, then quit again a year or two after college for financial reasons.  Around 2011 I was really wanting to get back into collecting and it just so happened that DC provided the perfect jumping on point.  They were rebooting their entire universe with Flashpoint (Google it if you want more details) and all their titles were starting over at issue 1.  I started out getting Batman, Detective Comics, Justice League, and Aquaman (also the non-DC titles Wolverine and the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic that I'll write about some other time).  I have since added several more titles to my monthly haul, all but two or three of them being DC New 52 books.

A lot of people hate on the New 52.  Those people are crazy.  Here are a few reasons why I love the New 52.

Aquaman

Ah, yes.  Aquaman.  He has been the butt of many jokes throughout the years.  In the New 52's first issue of Aquaman, writer Geoff Johns tackled this very topic right out of the gate.  Since then, I believe that Johns has successfully shown why Aquaman deserves to be among the likes of Batman, Superman, and Martian Manhunter in the Justice League.

For the record, yes, Aquaman is standing, triumphantly, over Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern.

 Not only has Geoff Johns made Aquaman the character a legitimate force to be reckoned with, he has also made Aquaman the comic the most consistently good comic month in and month out.  Story arcs like "The Trench" have introduced tough new villains while "The Others" introduced a new team (oddly enough called the Others) that is just begging to have their own book.

The Others.  Come on DC, please give them a book.  Please?

The art has also been top-notch.  Ivan Reis was the original artist on the rebooted series, and he killed it.  He made Arthur really sleek and...regal, I guess.  Also, his Mera is greatness.  Add in Rod Reis' fantastic, bold coloring and you get the best looking book on the stands.

The family that slays together, stays together.

Following Ivan Reis on the title (after he took over Justice League from Jim Lee) is Paul Pelletier.  He had just finished an arc on Wolverine and I was not too impressed with his art.  I guess drawing the King of Atlantis brought out the best him in though, because his Aquaman is stunning.  He's responsible for one of my favorite covers of the past, I dunno, forever.

Yeah.  That.

Bottom line, if you're not reading Aquaman, you should.  Even if you're not a comic fan.  "The Trench" and "The Others" have both been collected into trade paperback (or hardcover) form.  Go get them.

This ended up being longer than I thought.  Looks like the things I like about the New 52 will be a multiple-part blog post.  Stay tuned for the next one!