Top 10 video games of 2011

You know, this was originally going to be a top five, but when I sat down to think about it there were just too many great games to just include five. Keep in mind, these are only the games I've played, and I tend to swing in the Sony direction. So no, I haven't played Skyward Sword; I haven't played Gears Of War 3, and I'm never going to play the Halo remake (because I've never liked Halo), so there. Also, and this might turn some heads, I will point out once again, that I don't like first person shooters. So no, no Modern Warfare 3, and no Battlefield 3 on here either. Sorry fanboys.


2011 was an amazing year for games. As the industry grows developers seem to be smartening up to what works and what doesn't. Games have been refined to a point where It's no surprise that I'm ashamed to say that all the games on my list are sequels or remakes. It just seems like the only great new game that came out in 2011 is LA Noir, and I just haven't gotten around to playing it. But enough lollygagging, let's get to it:

10- Assassin's Creed: Revelations

I'll be the first to say, this game almost didn't make this list (I just couldn't think of anything else to put on here). AC: Revelations is a good game, had Ubisoft dedicated a bit more to making it different from it's predecessor, it might have been a great game. Unfortunately, their 'one game a year' schedule for this franchise didn't seem to give them enough time to develop new ideas for such an interesting IP.



9- Pokémon Black/White Version

I can almost see the look of shock on your face, but the truth is, these games work. Pokémon has been around for a good while now, and it's going strong with it's formula gameplay and just enough innovation to keep fans coming back for more. And I'm guilty of it, and I'm not at all ashamed of it.

While a seeming lack of support after release hindered it's impact this year, B&W is a solid installment. If only we got as many 'events' as we did for the previous games it would have been much bigger. This probably meas we're getting the inevitable Gray version, probably for the 3DS  pretty soon.



8- Mortal Kombat

That's right, it's back. And to say it's back with a vengeance would be quite the understatement. Without a doubt the best fighting game in 2011, and maybe the best ever. MK has gone back to it's roots, the over the top gore will keep you koming back for more.

It also helps that it's been getting konstant support via downloadable kontent, even pleasing fans by letting us mutilate foes as Freddy Krueger.

On top of the regular Arkade version, you get tons and tons of gameplay modes that will keep you playing for months and months, and you also add the most komprehensive story mode in fighting game history. You actually get to play through the stories from the original MK all the way to MK3. They might have not intended to, but they also made the best Mortal Kombat movie that they could make.



7- inFamous 2

This is the prime example of how a sequel can vastly improve on the original. Like I said in my review, the only real thing that hinders this sequel is that whole morality system that keeps the main character kinda bland. But besides that, both sides of the story have good moments, and the side missions are enjoyable at best. It's difficult to make a sandbox game like this and keep it fresh throughout, and Sucker Punch improved everything that they needed to. Here's to hoping the eventual third installment keeps it rolling in the right direction.



6- Mass Effect 2

Yeah, this is borderline cheating, but fuck you. ME2 came out in 2010, but the definitive (PS3) version came out in June, so I win.

This game seamlessly blends a bunch of gameplay styles perfectly. I mean, there's a reason why it's one of the most acclaimed games two years straight. And the sequel might just be the most anticipated game of 2012.

From shooting segments, to RPG elements and even social interactions are dissected in a vibrant, interesting world which you get to explore at will.



5- Dead Space 2

Scary games are becoming more and more of a rarity these days. Dead Space is one of the few ones that can accomplish fear without limiting the player in certain ways. The things Isaac goes through are visceral and terrifying, yet beautiful in their gruesomeness.

In an industry where if it ain't broke don't fix it just doesn't cut it anymore, DS2 did very little to their formula; this is proof that a tweak of the mechanics, and a little spice to the story goes a hell of a long way. It also doesn't hurt that they abandoned the silent protagonist thing that so many people seem to love doing these days.


- I would like to point out that this is where this list got difficult. Out of the top four games, any one of them could have taken up the top spot.



4- Portal 2

The geniuses at Valve keep proving that games don't need to be overly complicated in order to be successful. Portal 2 is nothing short of brilliant. But it's brilliance comes from how simple it is. At it's core it's nothing more than an amazing puzzle game.

And then you add such a simple yet amazing story. On top of that it's told by nothing more than three speaking characters, one of them speaking from the grave. Yes, they do use the whole silent protagonist thing, but in this case the game is so full of banter that it doesn't really matter. Before the original Portal the concept of a puzzle game with a storyline was just about unheard of. Much less  one that makes you laugh out of fear this much.

On top of adding a second part to the story, Portal 2 adds a couple of things, but it makes them count. The simple addition of liquids to the gameplay changed everything. When something as simple as liquids have this big an impact on a game, you know someone is doing something right.

The other big addition was co-op. But this isn't a couple of co-op levels, that just wouldn't do; this is co-op done right. Getting it's own storyline, it consists of half of the game, if not more. It might not be the longest game in the world, but it's enjoyable no matter how many times you play it.


3- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Being a sequel to 2009's game of the year is quite a lot of pressure, but Uncharted 3 took it in stride and actually surpassed it in several aspects. Naughty Dog have developed quite the knack for delivering brilliantly cinematic sequences at every turn that keep you hooked into a truly tantalizing story. They're also known for outmatching every game out there in sheer production value.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of key areas where I find Among Thieves was more polished. The shooting in this third installment doesn't seem as precise or crisp this time around. This could be due to some changes in the mechanics of the game, and it's not much of an issue, it just takes some getting used to. On top of that, U2 had Zoran Lazarević, a well developed antagonist, and U3 didn't seem to have the same caliber bad guys for Drake to contend with.

Again, Drake's Deception is a spectacular game. Had it not been for my nitpicking and some stiff competition, this game could very well be game of the year as well. But I do believe that Uncharted 2 is the better game of the franchise, and that cost it.


2- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

I can almost hear the dozens of you yelling at your monitors. That's right, Skyrim isn't number one. But if there ever was a close decision, this was it.

Around five hours into my Skyrim experience I openly stated that Bethesda had successfully created the quintessential RPG experience of our generation. I never thought I'd say that about a game, but there's no doubt in my mind.

I've always loved it when games bring a map along with the booklet, almost gloating that you 'might get lost' in their world. Well Skyrim does that because you will get lost multiple times. I've been playing it since launch, and there is no area inaccessible in this world, and there's so much to explore. It really can't be explained, you need to play it for yourself.

The other aspects of the game are also great. Everything is as polished as it's going to get with a game this big. Sure it has it's bugs, but that's to be expected; minor issues that should be fixed with patches before you know it.

Skyrim game is a landmark for the industry, I'm having a blast playing it and I don't plan on being done with it for a long time. But as much as I love it, as a fanboy nothing this year gave me more joy than...


1- Duke Nukem Forever
    Batman: Arkam City

I can't pick against Batman. I mean... He's Batman... The Goddamn Batman. Any person who didn't pick this as game of the year isn't a big enough Batman fan.

Like I said in my review, Arkham City has changed what a superhero based game needs to be. It set the bar as high as Nolan did for superhero movies, and it might as well might have set it higher.

The story couldn't be more perfect either. From the banter you pick off of common street thugs, to the twist and surprise appearance of well known and the most obscure of villains. Without spoiling anything, any villain could and probably is in this game. The surprises are endless. And the tiny references will keep even the most hardcore of fans marking out.

Being The Dark Knight is fun. Hovering over Gotham is fun. And you get to do it all, and feel like a total badass doing it. It's a thing of beauty. They have upped the standard for all other games, and I look forward to other companies trying to meet this new standard. If they do try, it should be a great year for games.

Batman: Arkham City - The New Standard

Believe it or not, I was one of the few people who didn't totally love Arkham Asylum. I thought it was repetitive, flawed, and the writing just led the player in the wrong directions.

Nothing feels worse than seeing others praise something that you feel let down by. Especially when you voice your complaints and the people who loved it still agree with you.

I told them all that I thought Killer Croc was a huge waste of time and buildup. I kept telling them that the bosses were a huge failure, to the point where a great villain like Bane got treated like an enemy that becomes normal two hours later in the game. And then they bullshit their way into a final battle with the Joker that uses every gaming shortcut in the book.

Lets just eliminate everything that makes him an interesting character.

The one thing Asylum did well was that it made you feel like Batman every once in a while. And for those brief windows of gameplay, it felt pretty awesome. I keep saying, if you compare Arkham Asylum to other comic book games, of course it's superior. But as a game, it just falls short of the acclaim it was receiving at the time.

It's been three years, and Arkham City is now officially a game of the year candidate, and I have no problem with that whatsoever; because this game is amazing. Rocksteady Studios and Paul Dini have crafted the Batman universe and placed it in your hands to explore.

Asylum was a free roaming game. You were allowed to backtrack wherever you wanted almost at any time, but it wasn't nearly big enough to be considered a 'sandbox' game. City, on the other hand, is pretty huge in comparison, and it gives you enough liberty and side quests to keep you busy for weeks.

You can always tell when a sandbox game is good around three in the morning. You know, you're about to go to sleep and you tell yourself 'five more minutes' and I'll turn off for the night. Suddenly the sun is coming in through your window and you realize that one sidequest just killed your last three and a half hours of sleep. And Arkham City has given me enough sleepless nights to be considered one of the best sandbox games I've ever played.

The fighting in Asylum was something I did like, at first. It can get quite repetitive; the key word there is can, because it doesn't have to. Not much has changed for the sequel, if you find one thing that works and you keep doing it you will get bored. But the game gives you enough options to spice up the combat, and I encourage you to do so; I mean, you're The God Damned Batman (I had to say it once), you're supposed to kick petty thug ass with style, and it's very satisfying to do so.

The boss battles are much improved. I won't spoil which ones. Because that would be mean. Let me just say that the game has enough surprises in it to keep you invested even after the story is over. If a character is mentioned more than once during the game, odds are he's in there somewhere. You should expect the unexpected.

The story is just flat out brilliant. I can't say enough good things about it. Paul Dini worked enough obscurity and detail into this to make even the most hardcore Bat-fans giddy. There are so many intricate details in this world that you will  be constantly asking yourself when something is an easter egg, a thing yet to come in game, or just him pointing out things to expect in the sequel. And yes, there will be a sequel, unless there's a whole part of the game I haven't found yet (a guy can only hope).

I'm not going to review the story. I already told you it's spectacular, and you just need to experience it for yourself. If you really need to know, go read it. But I can't urge you enough to play through it, every Batman fan should. If you're not much of a gamer, just play it in the easy setting, it's not a difficult game. You just need to go through this.

I will say that part of what makes it so great is the voices. Vereran Bat-voice Kevin Conroy returns, and again does a great job. But without a doubt the showstealer, as always, is Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill as the Joker. He just gets extra creepy at times. And as the story escalates the relation between Joker and Batman he just gets outright terrifying (make sure and sit through the credits if you don't believe me).

If I had to nitpick at something I would say that the inside environments aren't nearly as big or intricate as they were in the first game. Batman is constantly stuffed into small areas for sneaking around, whereas you were constantly climbing giant elevator shafts in the Asylum. I kinda liked that, and I could have seen at least one giant elevator shaft puzzle. But it's really just me trying to find something wrong.

Of course, the other big thing that AC changes is the fact that you not only get to play as The Dark Knight; Catwoman joins him, with her own sections of the story as downloadable content, and they add perfectly to the story. Unlike the Joker DLC from the first, she controls differently to the Bat, yet oddly similar. Her gadgets are different, her methods of movement are different, and she seems to be slightly quicker.

And she just makes me feel... sexy.

There's also Robin and Nightwing DLC in the upcoming months, but unfortunately they'll only be playable in challenge maps. It would be great if they got their own in story segments, but I guess I might be asking for too much. I can only hope that they're brought in for the sequel.

This is officially the best time to be a Batman fan. Between the Nolan films, and the Rocksteady games it's hard not to be. I was asked the other day which one of the two universes I prefer, and It may shock many, but I can't pick against the games. The world is too huge to even compare. I really do think Dini has found the secret formula to writing comic book games. Marvel needs to fess up and get with the standards if they want to stay afloat, because Spider-Man: Edge Of Time doesn't stand the slightest chance. 

I've been saying for months that this will be the best month in the history of gaming, I just didn't expect Arkham City to be this big a part of it. I can't express how overjoyed I am that this game is this good. I will go as far as to call this an experience, more than a video game. 

More than anything, it just gives me huge expectations for the third. Let me drive the Batmobile. Please.

9/10

DC Comics' September relaunch: A fan's overview.

It’s been two months (give or take) since DC Comics announced that, come September, they would be relaunching their entire line of super-hero titles.

At first, I had absolutely no idea what to think.

52 comics beginning at #1. A complete redistribution of both writers and artists across the entire line. Some characters and their histories would find themselves being reworked or downright retconned, some to a much greater extent than others (as in the case of Superman and Batgirl), in order to make them more appealing to a more mainstream audience. Other characters from past company acquisitions (i.e. Wildstorm properties) were going to be introduced as part of DC canon officially.

Costumes were changed. Characters disappeared. Beloved books were cancelled and/or replaced. And an entire fandom simultaneously face-palmed itself out of utter incredulity at the prospect of another DC reboot.

But that was then. And things have mellowed a little bit.

Since the announcement was made, the higher-ups at DC Entertainment have made it their mission to justify such a drastic (and some might even argue dangerous) move in the eyes of an increasingly skeptical public.

Their motto has basically boiled down to the following three things:

1) Re-energize their entire line with respected creative teams bringing exciting new visions and directions for their properties.

2) Modernize, diversify and distill the essence of their characters in order to appeal to a potential mass-market audience.

3) Grab onto a larger portion of the market share and customers’ money that Marvel continually controls on a monthly basis.

This is clearly a business-motivated move from a company that’s essentially tired of being perpetually stuck at the number two spot for years on end and, as far as crazy, profit-grabbing schemes go, it has a very strong potential to work (at least for the first two, maybe three, months).

Yet, when it comes to the actual creative process behind this relaunch, there are concerns. Most specifically, regarding the changes involved in the histories and directions of such established characters. While some franchises will remain for the most part, if not completely, unaltered (specifically, all the Green Lantern books and most Batman-related titles), some are being rebooted outright.

For instance, and perhaps most controversially, after establishing her presence in the larger DCU as Oracle, cementing her as a bona fide role model for women and people with physical disabilities across fandom after Alan Moore famously had the Joker shoot her through her spine in 1988’s ‘The Killing Joke’ (which, granted, was originally meant to be as an out of continuity story, but I digress), why is Barbara Gordon back in her role as Batgirl?

Why is Superman, all of a sudden, wearing armor, an orphan and has never been involved with Lois Lane? Why is Cyborg a founding member of the Justice League?

And, for that matter, why is the JLA (historically) the first super-team when, up until now, we’ve had a Justice Society of America more or less active since the 1940’s?

Why is Dick Grayson back as Nightwing if he was such a popular Batman?

Why is Oliver Queen rich again?

Where’s Wally West?

Where’s Stephanie Brown?

Where’s Cassandra Cain?

Why is Wonder Woman wearing pants again?

The answer’s twofold:

The creative reasoning behind it all can be blamed on their Flashpoint event. I won’t get into specifics regarding what’s going on in that event because a) it’d take me a while just to try to come out with a simple summation, b) I’m not reading it and c) I just don’t care to do so.

All you and I need to know is that it involves time-travel, alternate timelines and Bruce Wayne died instead of his parents in Crime Alley that one night (the only really appealing and truly original plot-point of the entire series, in my opinion). At the end of that event, shipping in a little less than three weeks, everything will come to a head and a brave new DCU will arise from the ashes.

The more business-minded reason for it, however, is considerably more pragmatic than one might think initially.

By streamlining their Universe and the direction of their characters, modernizing them and focusing on their more iconic versions, with new writers and artists involved, they’re hoping to bring over a wide variety of new readership to the company, whether it’s on a retailer level or with digital sales.

Will it work? Probably. At least for the first few months, like I already said. But if they can keep the promise of good, quality (not to mention, exciting) storytelling at affordable prices (so far they’ve been “holding the line” at $2.99 for regular-sized books of 20 pages of content, whereas the competition arbitrarily charges a dollar more for the same amount of pages on their biggest-selling titles), they might yet be able to hold on to at least half, if not most of that potential new readership.

After all, we comic fans are a very fickle lot. While we may complain about too many changes, and/or the lack thereof, to our favorite characters, we can hardly resist the event “du jour” or new number 1’s featuring those very same characters we complain about. Inevitably, some of those relaunched titles are going to sell.

Especially if they have Batman or Green Lantern on the title.

I, for one, after some careful deliberation, made my peace with the move. It’s the very nature of super-hero comics to be cyclical. These characters have been in constant publication in one way or another for more than 70 years. And long after I’m gone, they’ll continue to exist and have their own adventures in whatever format one can imagine, whether it’s TV, movies or floppies.

Everyone has their own Batman. Everyone has their own Superman. Same with Flash and Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. These characters transcend the very page in which they are given life month-in and month-out and everybody has that one version that it’s invariably “theirs.”

As far as this relaunch is concerned, it’s an opportunity to define them for new generations to come. Yes, it’s a very romanticized and idealized look at a business-motivated endeavor from a company clearly more concerned with profit, but I’ve always seen comics as the next step in literary evolution and I have a deep love for these characters, for a wide variety of reasons.

Needless to say, while I’ll definitely miss things like ‘Batman Inc,’ Dick Grayson under the pointy-eared cowl, Wally West as the Flash, the Justice Society, ‘Secret Six’ and Lois and Clark, I’m excited for what’s next because, regardless of name and brand recognition, releasing 52 brand-new titles simultaneously is a risky business move and a bold creative decision.

And with 52 new comics, there’s a veritable world to choose among everything that’s coming out. So, with all that in mind, I’ve compiled a short list of the 10 titles I’m most excited about. I'll take another look next month, after their release, to see how they all stacked up against the hype.

Enjoy!

#10 – Wonder Woman

I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this book but it’s being written by Brian Azzarello and drawn by Cliff Chiang and that automatically means a “must-have” for me. Wonder Woman has been hit-and-miss for quite some time now and in desperate need of a strong, concise direction. The last great run on her title was during Greg Rucka’s tenure and that was six years ago.

Azzarello (‘100 Bullets,’ ‘Flashpoint - Batman: Knight of Vengeance’) has some detractors when it comes to his mainstream super-hero endeavors but his powerful character work, evocative dialogue and attention to detail is very well suited for Diana. In fact, his previous work with the character in Superman ‘For Tomorrow’ (which I’m a big fan of, despite its unconventional plot), can be considered as one of the strongest interpretations in as many years, despite its brevity.

And Chiang, even though he doesn’t necessarily scream “Wonder Woman,” still has a very unique visual style and I’m very keen on seeing how it plays out with Brian in that book.

#9 – Stormwatch

Originally meant to be as Wildstorm’s answer to DC’s Justice League, except darker, edgier and considerably more violent, Stormwatch has since been adopted into the DC fold, guided by the brilliant pen of one Paul Cornell (‘Knight and Squire’, ‘Action Comics’, DOCTOR WHO ‘Father’s Day’ and ‘Human Nature/Family of Blood’).

Featuring classic Wildstorm characters such as Apollo, Midnighter, The Engineer and Jack Hawksmoor with former JLA founding member, Martian Manhunter (the single, greatest Martian in fiction, period), thrown into the mix, this series could very well be a sleeper sci-fi/action hit with great visuals from Miguel Sepulveda. Expect lots of big Universe-spanning concepts, dynamic character interactions and action. Lots and lots of action.

Definitely one title to watch.

#8 – Justice League International

"Wait. Don’t you mean ‘Justice League’ by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee?"

No. ‘Justice League International’ by Dan Jurgens (the guy that killed ‘Superman’ in the 90’s and creator of Booster Gold) with art by Aaron Lopresti. That’s the one I’m most excited about.

I wasn’t a fan of ‘Brightest Day.’ Out of the two bi-weekly mini-series that were running last year post-‘Blackest Night,’ ‘Justice League: Generation Lost’ was the better story with the more interesting characters. It was funny, exhilarating and a genuine surprise. When the last issue came out, it ended with Batman and Booster conspiring to rebuild the JLI and the promise of a new series in the foreseeable future.

Now the time has come and, as I look at that roster, I can’t help but be excited: Booster Gold, Batman, GL Guy Gardner, Ice, Fire, August General in Iron, Vixen and Rocket Red. This is such a varied group of heroes with great histories, and the team dynamics alone are sure to be well-worth the price of admission on its own.

Only one missing’s Blue Beetle. Fortunately, he’s right at…

#7 – Blue Beetle

I’ve missed this book. Jaime Reyes may very well be the best new character of the last decade and his book, under the pen of John Rogers, then Matt Sturges, was always a joy to read and my favorite book on a monthly basis.

The very fact that they’re bringing the book back with Tony Bedard writing it, perhaps DC’s most underrated writer (‘Legion of Super-Heroes’ and the oft-overlooked ‘R.E.B.E.L.S.’), is just the icing on what I can only hope to be a very delicious cake.

After the book was cancelled in issue #36, I followed his exploits across ‘Teen Titans’ and, eventually, the aforementioned ‘Generation Lost,’ but it just hasn’t been the same. I’ve missed Jaime and his rag-tag group of friends and family. I miss the feeling of elation I used to get whenever I finished reading an issue. I miss that weird, sarcastic scarab and its banter with Jaime, quite simply, the coolest, geekiest kid in comics.

Come September, I get to have them all back on a monthly basis and couldn’t be happier about it.

Thanks for that, DC!

#6 – Green Lantern

Say what you will about the movie (and believe me, I have plenty to say on the subject) but Green Lantern is, far and wide, the most exciting franchise in DC’s entire line-up right now.

Ever since Geoff Johns began his work on the title with ‘Rebirth,’ the Green Lantern mythos have expanded in ways that were unforeseen for much of its history. Whether it was the simple, yet logical notion of the Sinestro Corps, the War of Light exploding into the Blackest Night, Larfleeze, Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps or the return of the mad Guardian, Krona, Johns has been building an intricate web of stories that have never failed to enthrall and entertain readers every month for 7 years now.

And the best is still yet to come. As Hal Jordan is stranded on Earth, his ring taken from him by the Guardians of Oa, Sinestro takes center stage as the Green Lantern of Sector 2814. But with his Brothers-in-Light in turmoil still reeling from the aftermath of the War, the mystery of the Indigo Tribe and the advent of the First Lantern, it won’t be long until Hal will be back in the saddle.

DC’s biggest selling franchise continues to get bigger and better. Movie aside, there’s never been a better time to be a Lantern fan.

#5 – Batman

Scott Snyder has been writing the best Batman comic in years for the last few months in his recent run on ‘Detective Comics.’ With the beginning of the Incorporated era last year, Dick Grayson remained as Gotham’s Batman while Bruce began a recruitment tour across the globe, looking for prospective Batmen to aid him in his latest cause.

Snyder’s run has been a work of genius. His handle on Dick has been some of the very best since legendary Bat-scribe, Chuck Dixon, on the 90’s and the stories have been dark, moody, disturbing and downright memorable (I mean, who could possibly forget the whale?). In essence, everything a good ‘Detective Comics’ story should be. Truth be told, I’m willing to wager that, years from now, people will still be talking about his James Gordon story in venerable tones. Not a single doubt in my mind that it’s nothing less than a classic in its own right.

Now he’s moving over to Batman, the super-hero title, with Greg Capullo (‘Spawn’) and while he certainly isn’t proven in the more mainstream aspects of super-hero comics, he has more than earned my respect and admiration as a storyteller enough to trust in him.

#4 – Nightwing

I have a real soft spot for Dick Grayson regardless of whatever identity he happens to be going by at the moment. I know him from TV shows as Robin from as far back as I can remember, but I met him as Nightwing in the books during the early Chuck Dixon years in the title right when I started buying comics.

While I’ve grown increasingly attached to him as Batman, thanks in no small part to Grant Morrison’s ‘Batman & Robin,’ and I’ll certainly miss his interaction with current Boy Wonder, Damien Wayne, I’m really looking forward to this book.

Kyle D. Higgins has been writing a brilliant Batman story in the current ‘Gates of Gotham’ mini-series that concludes later this month and his take on Dick comes from a place of love. He’s a fan and you can tell by the way he writes the book that he really wants to do right by the character. He "gets" Dick Grayson, in the same way that Snyder does in 'Detective,' and he seems to be having a lot of fun working on the book.

Seeing his name as writer of this new series meant an obligatory “buy” for me. Yet another book I’m anxious to read and have extremely high hopes for.

#3 – Aquaman

The King of the Seas is back!

After teasing this title for the better part of a year, Geoff Johns (‘Green Lantern,’ ‘Justice League’) and Ivan Reis (‘Blackest Night’) are finally reuniting to restore Arthur Curry back to his place of prominence in the DCU.

Despite being the subject of a lot of mockery from halfwits everywhere who have probably never read a single comic book in their lives, much less an Aquaman book, Arthur has always been a very interesting character for me to follow. Whether it was during Peter David’s tenure in the 90’s, Will Pfeifer’s ‘American Tidal’ or even his brief appearance in Joe Kelly’s superb ‘JLA’ run, he’s always been a commanding character that continually captures my attention.

And with the team responsible for DC’s best-selling, critically successful event of the past decade spear-heading his stories in brand new directions, this book can go a long way to becoming a classic of the new DCU.

#2 – Green Lantern: The New Guardians

Plain and simple, Kyle Rayner is my favorite comic book character. I wouldn’t be reading comics if it weren’t for his tenure as “the last Green Lantern” in the 90’s, under the direction of Ron Marz and Darryl Banks. Thanks to him, I discovered an entire Universe of amazing stories and characters that have been with me ever since. He was my first and, as such, I follow his exploits wherever they take me, from Green Lantern, to Ion, to Parallax, to Green Lantern again.

In the case of ‘New Guardians,’ this seems to be as the leader of a multi-colored Lantern Corps with tried and true characters from the current GL mythos, such as Arkillo, Saint Walker and the hilariously endearing Glomulus.

Written by Tony Bedard (‘Blue Beetle’), with art from Tyler Kirkham (‘Green Lantern Corps,’ ‘The Darkness’), this book can very well surprise a lot of fans as it expands into other less-explored corners of this post-War of the Green Lanterns Universe with the Torchbearer leading the charge.

And finally…

#1 – Action Comics

Grant Morrison. Superman.

Every time the two meet the results are classic, transcendental epics.

‘All-Star Superman’ is, in my honest opinion, the single greatest super-hero story I’ve ever had the privilege to read. Everything I love about comics is perfectly encapsulated in those 12 issues, masterfully rendered by Morrison and frequent collaborator, Frank Quitely.

‘Superman Beyond 3D’ is as perfect a coda as Superman’s story can have. Filled to the brim with metatextual subtext and mind-bending action, it was, at heart, a story about stories and the historical and symbolical importance of Superman, both as an ideal and as a literary character. Fun, explosive and thought-provoking: it was everything a great comic book story should be and more.

And now, ‘Action Comics’ comes along. Morrison has gone on record on several occasions saying that he’s always wanted to write Superman at the beginning of his career, before he became the planet-shaking quote/unquote man-god that we know now; when he was more concerned with helping the poor and downtrodden from the corrupt and a well-placed shot from a rocket launcher to the chest could still hurt him.

The so-called “socialist” Superman from the 40’s.

And this is it: ‘Action Comics’ #1. By Grant Morrison (‘Batman & Robin,’ ‘Batman Incorporated’) and Rags Morales (‘Identity Crisis,’ ‘First Wave’). A brand-new take on The Man of Tomorrow by super-hero comics’ most prolific writer.

Need I say more?