DC's Divergence Previews

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

The May issues of the Convergence crossovers each include an 8-page preview of one of the new or returning titles DC will be publishing in June. They're also all available to read for free, both on Comixology and here on the DC website. The stories aren't part of the June issues -- they pretty much stand alone, and won't be reprinted until the first trade paperbacks of the new series. 

I haven't read them all yeat, but so far there've been a few series I was already interested in -- Starfire, Prez -- as well as a few whose previews were strong enough that they've piqued my interest on books I was planning to pass up -- things like Omega Men and Midnighter. 

Have you read these? Do any of them excite you? Any surprise you? Do any turn you off completely? (I'm surprised The Omega Men doesn't have a panel devoted to DC's new address with a "send hate mail here" message.)

The first wave of previews are:

Starfire

Detective Comics

Section 8

Midnighter

Green Lantern

Green Arrow

Doomed

Red Hood/Arsenal

Omega Men

Prez

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Ah, after "Convergence" comes "Divergence." That makes sense. I guess "Divergence" is what that NPR story I posted her last week was talking about. I'll take a look.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I looked at these the same way I rated the "draw" of the Convegence spin-offs (by writer, artist, character, or some combination of those facters). Nothing really pops out at me.I was expecting more new characters than revamped characters, but I'll keep an open mind.

[Ron M.]

New revamps of Green Lantern and Green Arrow? Again?

Prez sounds like a very odd choice. If he can come back, and Scribbly was in Convergence, maybe there's a chance for a revival of the Red Tomato Tornado!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

With GL & GA, they're just new storylines, and new directions, not reboots. Hal Jordan's on the run because of recent events in his book (whatever they are), and Ollie is trying to get away from it all in Alaska. But issue 40 of those books still happened, and still affects what'll happen in issue 41.

Prez is a girl this time -- Beth Ross, elected president in 2036. It's a reboot of the concept, but not the same character.

I'd never bet against the Red Tornado -- she rules.

Definitely read the previews -- they're free, they're basically complete 8-page stories, rather than a frustrating 8 pages from the first issue of a larger story, and the're surprisingly satisfying.  

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Agreed! I got them all free on the DC app on my iPad. Today I read Starfire (wooohoooo!--definitely read), Green Arrow (well-written, but I probably won't follow...), Midnighter (awesome), and Prez (worth looking at for sure--a definite first issue try).

Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

Definitely read the previews -- they're free, they're basically complete 8-page stories, rather than a frustrating 8 pages from the first issue of a larger story, and the're surprisingly satisfying.  

[Ron M.]

Beth Ross? So now Prez is the Hulk's ex-wife?

[KSwolf]

Montoya's back!

I've really missed her over the last three years.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I'm actually excited about the return of Alpha Centurion that was shown in the pages of Doomed. He was always a character that I found really interesting. I'm not sure if Superman is a part of this world, but I'm glad that Alpha Centurion is. Although I can't imagine he's not a part of it, as I'm pretty sure this is a spinoff of the "Doomed" storyline from the Superman titles.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Looks interesting. I've got them all on my Kindle, but I probably won't get to any of them this weekend

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Over the weekend, I gave some thought as to why none of the announced titles/directions appeal to me so far, and why “The New 52” more or less drove me away from DC comic books. I also sorted through several boxes of DC comics, 2008-present. I think modern comics are, for the most part, as good as they ever were, and in some ways perhaps even better. But I have years… decades… invested in… well, let’s call it the “Post-Crisis DCU.” I really don’t have the inclination to start over at ground level again. But for those who maybe haven’t read comics quite as long, these new directions are great!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

The new sneak peeks are up on Comixology (and in the backs of today's books):

Green Lantern: Lost Army

Action

Bizarro

Bat-Mite

Dr. Fate

Lobo

Deathstroke

Justice League 3001

Aquaman

Gotham By Midnight

So far I've read GL: The Lost Army -- a squad of GLs (including John Stewart, Kilowog, and Arisia) are marooned god knows where without being able to contact anyone. And from the looks of it, they'll have to work together with one of their greatest enemies to find their way home. It looks decent, with accomplished but unexciting art. I liked the Legion version of this story a lot, and I hope GL fans have fun with this. (If I were to read a GL book, this might be the one -- the premise makes it almost certainly free from crossovers for a while.)

[Ron M.]

Didn't Arisia get killed years ago? Or does that no longer matter after New 52?