Deathstroke #1, Frankenstein Agent of SHADE #1, Demon Knights #1, Mister Terrific #1

Well, this is the last four of the new 52 for this week. Sorry, this may be a bit much for everyone, but I want to go through each of the number 1's for this relaunch, and DC decided we should get 13 of them a week. These are broken up by title again to make it easy for you to find the ones you want to read.

Deathstroke #1
Deathstroke is not an anti-hero book, this is a book about a villain. Deathstroke is a mercenary for hire, and by mercenary, they probably mean assassin for hire. Kyle Higgins does an excellent job of writing Deathstroke as the man he is and always has been, a cold hearted killer with no sympathy for anyone. The book starts out depicting him as someone who is willing to hire out as bodyguard or whatever else is needed. By the end of the book, we see the true Deathstroke that has always been there.
This book is bloody and gritty. Deathstroke takes no prisoners and doesn't like competition. He also doesn't like anyone thinking that he can't cut it anymore in the business he's in.
Joe Bennet's artwork is amazing and shows the gritty business that Deathstroke is in well. His drawing of Deathstroke with the redesigned looks is incredible, and even the work with Deathstroke as Slade Wilson out of the armor is amazing.
I really liked the feel of this book for Deathstroke, and if you like anti-hero/villain books you should pick this one up. If you were a fan of the semi-heroic Deathstroke book from the nineties, this is not that book. This is Deathstroke the way he has been for years. He's out for himself, and someone else can clean up the mess when he's done (you can see that at the end of this book in fact). If you want to see what Batman might look like without morals, check out this book, although Deathstroke actuall has enhanced physical and mental capabilities unlike the Bat.
I'm not a big fan of the anti-hero/villain book anymore, but I'll probably pick up a few more issues of this book because I think it's that good as it is right now.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
I'll let you know this up front, I'm a big fan of Frankenstein's monster as a hero in comic books, and I've always thought DC did it best. I never liked Marvel's version of the monster turned hero, he just never seemed to have any depth as a character unlike DC's version. This book continues to convince me of that. Frankenstein has a soul and his past is evident in all that he does as a character; it has been in the past in the DC books, and it continues to be so under the guidance of writer, Jeff Lemire.
This issue lays some groundwork for S.H.A.D.E. and its purpose in the new DCU. It also introduces us to where Ray Palmer (the Atom) is now, and his new role in the DCU. Frankenstein is quickly joined by fellow monsters in this book although we don't get to see the Bride of Frankenstein in this issue, she is indeed out there. The other monsters joining Frankenstein are the same ones from the Flashpoint limited series Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown, although they are slightly different in this version and their origins seem to be somewhat different now.
I didn't like Alberto Ponticelli's artwork in the book. It fits the book as it seems to be a more broken and distorted style, which works well on the monsters, but not so well on the humans that appear in the book. Also, he seems to ignore details on at least one of the characters (Nina Mazursky - the aquatic creature based on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, who comes off as just a flat green oval with eyes, a mouth, and head fins in every panel she appears in). It's a shame really as the book deserves an artist who can capture the essence of the monstrous looks without ignoring one of the characters. (I should also say that I hate criticizing artists because no matter what, they can draw and I can only do stick figures, but sometimes I just don't like the style of the artist).
I liked the initial story arc and introduction of S.H.A.D.E., and I'm going to give the book a chance with another issue or 2. If you like Frankenstein in DC comics and the creature commandoes in DC comics, then you'll probably like this book if you like Ponticelli's artwork or can deal with it in favor of the story.

Demon Knights #1
Demon Knights is a "period piece" for the new DC Universe. It is set in the dark ages, a couple of hundred years after the fall of Camelot. The primary character as you can tell from the cover is Etrigan the Demon. I never know how to feel about this character or what DC is going to do with this character, he's been back and forth across the line between hero and villain so many times it's painful for me. He seems to be on the hero side this time around.
Also, I like Paul Cornell as a writer. You can also count on the fact that he will use distinctively British colloquialisms, being British himself, and that fits the setting of this story in England during the dark ages well. Just getting to read Madame Xanadu say "sod this" before diving into the Lake to try and retrieve Excalibur before the Lady of the Lake takes it away forever was worth the read for me. It's more than that though, Cornell is spinning a yarn that is taking into account many of the seemingly immortal characters of the DC Universe and bringing them together. I'm not sure who the Demon Knights are yet although it seems this is going to be a team book based on the plurality. Based on the tavern scene in the book, I think we're going to get to see Vandal Savage, Etrigan, Madame Xanadu (who is not in love with Jason Blood as he thinks), Sir Ystin (the Shining Knight), and two other characters who I don't recognize (Al Jabr and Exoristos), or maybe it will just be a book about Etrigan with varyious apperances by others laong the way. Anyway, I liked the story and with Morganna and Mordru as the villains, it can only get better under Cornell's writing.
Diogenes Neves pencils this book, and his work is impeccable. The images of various creatures from fantasy as well as the way he draws the main characters is wonderfully done. Vandal Savage looks like the barbarian he probably was during this era, and Sir Ystin is definitely no man despite the armor covering the "facts" or you can see how Vandal words this in the book.
If you like comics set in a fantasy genre especially ones that are based in the (longer) continuity of the DC Universe, I recommend this book. If you like Etrigan, buy this book. I am not a fan of Etrigan as I stated earlier, but I am a fan of Paul Cornell's writing and I like what he's done here, so I'll be continuing for a bit at least to see where this goes.

Mister Terrific #1
Let's start with the fact that I like the Justice Society of America, but I was never a fan of Mister Terrific in that team. He never made sense in the grand scheme of things with the Society to me. I picked this book up just to see what was going on and if there was a chance we might get the Justice Society back at some point; I'm sad to say that I don't think we will see them in the new DCU, at least not the way I would want. Karen Starr (Power Girl) actually appears in this issue, and from what I can tell, she is decidedly not Power Girl though they hint at her former identity in the old DC Universe with a dress that has the same oval cut-out in the top. Mister Terrific is once again the third smartest man and Eric Wallace writes the start of a good story. I just didn't see anything that made me like Mister Terrific anymore than I did, and I didn't like him much before.
Gianluca Gugliotta's pencils aren't phenomenal, but they're not bad. He has what seems to be a new style of less detail in faces, which I don't like. That's just personal though. The one thing I do like about the story and the artwork is Mister Terrific's new look. The stupid looking black jacket is gone and he looks more appealing with the redesign and Gugliotta definitely emphasizes that aspect in the full body drawings of Mister Terrific.
If you like Mister Terrific as a character, you might like him in this book even though the Justice Society is not here. If you were hoping to pick this up and find what has gone with the disappearance of the Justice Society of America from the line-up so far, I would say don't bother. I tried it, and I didn't like it. It just didn't grab me enough, although the villain they are introducing seems cool as an adversary for Mister Terrific.

Okay, that's all for now, thanks for reading, and tell a friend if you like my blog; maybe they will too.