The ComiQuad: A Newbie’s Beginning

Boom! Wham! Pow! The ComiQuad is a brand new column dedicated to the spandex-laden world of comics and superheroes. It goes up each Friday and will alternate between comic book reviews and other comic book news. Zam!

An Introduction

This is the beginning. It is the origin story of power manifested in a way that Boston University has yet to ever truly see. It is the dawn of the ComiQuad.

Like the Green Lantern ring chose Hal Jordan, the ComiQuad has chosen me and The Quad as its champion. Like Wonder Woman’s golden lasso, the ComiQuad will bring truth and justice to those around it. Like Robin’s green speedo, the ComiQuad may, at times, make people very uncomfortable.

Enjoy that mental image.

All Things New

This time of year is filled with a lot of new things. New classes, new roommates, new schedules, new school years and new ways of wasting time on the Internet. The very same can be said about the comic book industry.

DC Comics, one of the two giants in the comic book industry, has rebooted its entire universe in a move called The New 52. It has brought new stories for superheroes and readers alike. The decision was aimed to lure in new readers.

Marvel (the other comic book giant), to a lesser extent, has hauled in the “new” by killing off Peter Parker as Spider-Man in the alternate, spin-off Ultimate Universe and bringing in Miles Morales, a half-black, half-latino teenager to handle Parker’s mantle.

Overall, DC’s overhaul has been deemed a success. Over the course of six weeks, DC has sold five million comic book copies. The new reader initiative appears to be working.

I, admittedly, am one of those new readers. Prior to The New 52, my only experience with superheroes was primarily through television shows like Batman: The Animated Series, Static Shock, Justice League, and Teen Titans. There were no comic book stores in my area, and thus, no physical outlet for my superhero fantasy.

Boston city-living and a dangerous case of Peter Pan Syndrome has changed all of that.

I don’t blather on about my life because I’m weirdly narcissistic. I blather to explain that the ComiQuad will be written through the eyes of someone just entering this world of secret identities and dastardly villains.

Recommendations for Fellow Newbs

With DC’s claim to make comic books accessible to new readers like myself, I have spent the past month rabidly reading the stories the comic book giant has to offer. Much time and money later, I have learned that the DC writers and artists of The New 52 have many exciting stories to tell.

Not all of those stories, however, are easily accessible to new readers. Some superheroes have decades of backstory that seem to be lumped too hard and too fast into the first issue. Throughout my obsessive reading quest, I frequently had to keep Wikipedia open in order to find out exactly what and who certain characters were dealing with.

Here are some of the New 52 comics that both shine in quality and in accessibility for new readers.

Wonder Woman #1

Wonder Woman is one of those superheroes that is heavily steeped in some of the most twisting and confusing background and lore of all time. Why do I say that? Because Wonder Woman’s story is all about the Greek gods, and nothing is more confusing than Greek god mythos.

Fortunately, Wonder Woman #1, written by Brian Azzarello, skips right past that problem and focuses right on the character and right on the action. When Diana (Wonder Woman) is introduced, her character and sheer power is dealt with at full force. The comic does deal with several unnamed, mysterious characters, but not knowing their full identity does not detract from the story. The omission feels intentional and assures the reader that the small dab of confusion is necessary to the book’s suspense.

By digging right into the essence of Diana’s character, Azzarello grabs the reader and focuses on the most important part of the story. All of the annoying mythos can be dealt with in time.

Plus, Cliff Chiang’s art is stunning.

Supergirl #1

Unlike the overwhelming majority of the comics in The New 52, Supergirl’s story actually begins at the relative beginning of her story.

Kara (Supergirl) abruptly and forcefully lands on Earth with absolutely no clue why. For once, both the protagonist and the reader are on the exact same page (pun intended). She’s overwhelmed; you’re overwhelmed. She’s confused; you’re confused. She’s kicking butt; you’re reading a comic.

By actually beginning at her origin story, readers don’t need to worry about being suffocated under an ungodly pile of backstory information. Her brash, angry-college-student-like-nature also makes her more relatable to younger readers than her older, male counterpart might.

Aquaman #1

Some comic books engage with a grim, depressing tragedy. Others pull mostly through art. Aquaman #1 won me over with unexpected humor.

Aquaman has been the butt of jokes in the comic book world for a very long time. Superman is nigh invincible, Batman is the coolest guy around and Aquaman talks to fish.

Aquaman #1, written by Geoff Johns, makes it obvious that even Aquaman knows that he is the punchline of every joke. And he’s not at all happy about that.

When he’s on-duty, he gets flack. When he’s off-duty, he get flack. And that realization makes for a truly hysterical story.

The art by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado helps to make the story a pleasure. In fact, some of Aquaman’s expressions are worthy of a hit Internet meme.

Frankly, I’m ashamed to admit exactly how many times I cackled out-loud in my dorm room. I’ll just leave it at a lot.

Safe to say, the comic made quite a splash for me.

Until Next Issue…

The New 52 had many comic books that succeeded in quality, some that didn’t, and a few that fell in between. The three comics listed above are some of most enjoyable pieces of work that a reader of any experience level can dive right into.