So, the new 52 is out. Was it worth it? 
Well, for one thing, they got me interested enough to check out more than half of what they published in a month. Usually, I have maybe 3 DC books on my regular pull list and a few more that I check out in trade. So that’s a good source of adrenaline for the publisher. Now, they need to keep my interest.
My local comics dealer was thrilled at the increased sales but also said, “We’ll see how they’re doing around issue #4.” As for the #1s, every single one is a sell-out according to DC. All will get second printings, even Legion Lost, and some have third (Action, Batgirl) and even fourth (Justice League) printings. (JL is also the best-selling book of all 2011. No big surprise there.) In case you’re really (nerdy) curious, it takes sales in excess of 100K to sell out a comic book print run. Putting that in perspective, the average NY Times bestselling book sells about 3K (but costs about $25, versus $3 for a comic.)
The ultimate question, really, is whether the new titles are any better than the ones they replaced. DC can dick around with characters’ detailed pasts, or whether they wear T-shirts or armor, but in the end if the books ain’t better, why should we care?
Here’s most of the 52, rated and ranked by a Marvel fan….After the cut.
Tags: Comic books, Grant Morrison Sucks, Superman, Teen Titans, The Caped Crusader
