DC New 52 Survey

Please take a minute to take this survey by Neilsen NRG: http://www.nielsennrg.com/dcsurvey regarding THE NEW 52.

 

My response to the "overall comments":

 

 

I think that there are a lot of great things about them, but some very bad things about them.

The new Batman continuity and connections with Nightwing is great - the story is good and the art is great. The new Action Comics and Detective Comics are fantastic. I have really enjoyed the majority of what I have picked up, ESPECIALLY the new Batwoman and Batgirl. I liked the new Superboy, but it's certainly an adjustment. Static Shock was fantastic.
Birds of Prey is decent, but Canary's costume is ridiculous and could use a serious revamp to something that doesn't look like she's a bike tire stripper.

Suicide Squad had potential, even with the storylines, but Harley Quinn's costume is way too whorish and distracting. Her weird poses don't fit with the rest of the things that are going on, and it's just disappointing.

As far as most of the comics go - Batman, Detective Comics, Action Comics, Nightwing, Static Shock, Superboy, etc., good job. I haven't gotten all of my copies of all of the comics (I'm waiting for the last week's releases), but all of the reviews support that the main comics are good. I loved all of the ones I've read so far.

The BIG fail was in the handling of female characters. I'm sure DC will hear about this forever, but even outside of Harley Quinn looking like an idiot and Canary's costume sucking, Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws are nearly unforgivable.

I didn't buy either, because before I picked them up, I saw clips of them online that just ruined my interest. Starfire in a bikini, almost the whole time, posing for the reader and talking about emotionless, unattached sex? The bro-cheers from the other characters about having had sex with her? That's just wrong, dude.

And Catwoman. Those first two pages are just ridiculous. How many comics with Batman have started out with him nearly naked, not showing his face, and showing his butt getting shot at instead of the rest of him? I mean, come on. It was awful! Plus, as much as I love Batman and Catwoman, and I am totally okay with characters having sex, the final page of that comic was just so weirdly out of sync with what I know about Batman and so simply unnecessary... There are tons of blog posts out there on this subject. DC would do well to take a couple of hours of web searching and read them. The Mary Sue has mentioned it a ton of times.

On a positive note, though, I really liked Batgirl, although I wasn't sure about the miraculous fix of Barbara Gordon's paralysis, because she had real character insight and development. She was a real person, and I am hoping the rest of the issues keep up with it.

And Batwoman? AMAZING. I loved every single page of that comic, even though a few times I was confused by the story (lack of exposure to the character's history, primarily). The artwork was breathtaking, and there were scenes where women were nearly naked - and it wasn't obscene! I didn't feel like I was watching porn, I didn't feel uncomfortable. It's amazing how good it feels to look at a comic book page with women nearly undressed and not feel dirty about it. This was a beautifully executed book. The people you have working on Batgirl and Batwoman should be advising on the other comics with women in them, and DC should get more men and women on board just like them.

Overall, they need some work. But, when it was done right, it was done damn right!

My response to the last question:

 

I am excited about the reboot, since I have never really been around for the inception of a character or story. I've missed the first issues of almost every comic series I've picked up, but that didn't happen this time, so it was a very exciting event! I planned for it for months.

 

I am hoping that the continued issues keep me interested, and that the problems people have found with the new Catwoman and Red Hood stories will be fixed or at least addressed. I am really looking forward to most of what is happening with Batman (and the Bat-family) & Superman in their associated titles (Detective Comics, Batman, Action Comics, Superman, Superboy, Nightwing, etc.) and I'm looking forward to more Static Shock. I'm VERY much looking forward to Batwoman and Batgirl - I just hope the following issues stay true to the feel of the first issues, and don't fall to the same failures as Suicide Squad & the aforementioned "problem" stories.

 

It is awesome to be able to be a part of a new story. A lot of people hate reboots, but I am trying to see this as an opportunity for a new age in DC, and I just really want them to keep up with the times with the art, stories, social issues, and cultural standards.

 

I think DC needs to remember that their audience is wider now than ever, and they have to try to keep it that way. Not only do they have the oldest generations of readers, and the boomers, but they also have younger kids and teens into comics again thanks to the Superhero resurgence, and they probably have more female and minority readers than ever! They're doing alright on most fronts, but keeping female readers is harder than most other demographics. So, if DC wants us, they have to show it. As a female reader, I want DC to want me as a fan and paying customer!