Grifter #1, Red Lanterns #1, and Superboy #1

Okay, this one might be a little long. I've broken it up by comic book though in case you're only interested in hearing about one of these.

Grifter #1
So, when I first heard they were going to be incorporating old Wildstorm characters into the actual DC Universe, I didn't know what to think. I thought, how will Grifter be Grifter without Zealot and Team 7 having been around. More importantly, no Daemonites for them to fight, although they hinted that wouldn't be totally true with the description for Voodoo's series (can't wait to see Voodoo #1 now). The answer is incredible in this story by Nathan Edmonson, and we're only just getting started.
Cole Cash (Grifter for those who aren't familiar) is not the Grifter in the DC Universe, he's a grifter; that's right, a con artist. Apparently a con artist who has just made the score of his life and is heading down to San Juan with his girl. He never makes it to San Juan which is actually more evident in the first few pages then where he is actually trying to go.
And the Daemonites, they're here. They're not quite the same as they were in the Wildstorm Universe, but they're reminiscient of those creeps from when WildC.A.T.s was first introduced way back in the first launches of Image. The big key and it comes in within the first few pages is that Cole Cash can detect them in his head through their voices and knows who they are possessing. It's very cool, and maybe they won't really be the Daemonites of old, but they have some of their abilities, although they are a lot more creepy looking as you can see on the cover of the issue. I love what Edmonson has done with them, and I love the way he has adapted Cole Cash to the DC Universe.
The one thing I kept asking through the issue though was, "Will we ever see the old Grifter mask?" I won't spoil it for you with the answer.
The pencils by Cafu (not sure if it's supposed to be all caps) are a little more realistic than I normally like, but they work well in this book. The single page spread on page 7 demonstrates the ability of the penciller as it captures pretty much what I would imagine anyone in that situation might look like.
An excellent first issue. It's foundational in nature, but the story jumped out and grabbed me immediately. I can't wait for issue #2 after the final page.

Red Lanterns #1
Peter Milligan takes up the tale of Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns in this comic. I didn't think I was going to really like this comic at all. I picked up the first issue only because I want to give DC a chance with the new 52 and see what they are going to do with everything. I didn't think I would like this comic because I'm not a big fan of the bad guy starring in his own book (Deathstroke still to come has the same problem for me, especially considering I bought his series back in the nineties as well); Milligan surprised me though.
The issue starts showing us just how brutal Atrocitus is after his cat, Dex-Starr (I love this cat by the way and have since he was introduced during the War of Light in the various Green Lantern family of comics), tries to take on a band of brutal space dudes bent on causing as much pain as possible to others through torture. I probably should mention that Dex-Starr is also a red lantern for those not in the know.
The book is mostly about introspection for Atrocitus as he realizes his rage is subsiding due to the events at the end of the Green Lantern War. Atrocitus has been seeking revenge against the renegade guardian, Krona, since Krona reprogrammed the Manhunters to destroy an entire sector of space, the sector where Atrocitus's home world was. Atrocitus is the only survivor of that slaughter, and the subject of his vengeance is now dead at the hands of someone else. So, what is there for him to be angry at anymore? And, if a red lantern draws his power from his rage, how long will Atrocitus be in command of the red lanterns he has created? The end of the book answers these questions and sets up Atrocitus to be an anti-hero as much as he was ever considered a villain.
If you like the Punisher and want to see what would happen if he had powers on a level equal to a green lantern, pick up this book. If you're not a fan of anti-heroes, stay away from this book in my opinion. I have mixed opinions on anti-heroes, so I'm not sure I'll stick with this title, but I'm glad I picked up the first issue to see what they were going to do.

Superboy #1
Scot Lobdell writes "The New Adventures of" Superboy, and while this is the same Superboy that was around going into Flashpoint, this is not the same Superboy either. The previously current Superboy was a genetic clone of Lex Luthor and Superman created by good old Lex himself in an effort to create a weapon to use against Superman. Superboy became good of course because let's face it Kryptonian genetics and the hope that is Superman beats out Lex's inferior human and megalomaniacal DNA. The current incarnation of Superboy is a clone again of a human and a Kryptonian (we do learn that the Kryptonian is still Superman during the course of the story). They never actually tell us who the human genetic material comes from, but all indications are that it is Lex again just from the look they give Superboy in the first two pages. This time, it's not Lex that has created the clone though, it's a clandestine organiation known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (no idea what it stands for yet), although there is always the possibility that Lex is back there somewhere still; we'll see.
The story was a good foundational piece for how Superboy starts in the new DCU, and I can't wait for the next issue when Superboy meets the newest incarnation of the Teen Titans. Crossovers already!!!
Superboy's full powers haven't been revealed yet, but his telekinesis is present in some fashion and he seems to be able to fly still. There are other powers present of some nature, but there isn't a really good luck at them or there is the possibility that he does what he does all with his telekinesis. His new costume he's wearing (similar to what's on the cover except he's whole) is awesome and much better than the old jeans and black T-shirt with the Superman shield on it.
The one thing I didn't like about this issue was the pencils. R.B. Silva has a style that I don't like at all. The faces are either too plain are too exaggerated for my tastes; it detracted from the book for me. I'll push on though because I am more about the stories than the art unless the art is just awful.
Also, on a side note, one of the old Wildstorm characters is in this comic. Caitlin Fairchild of Gen13 fame is one of the doctors working on the project that created Superboy. She appears to just be a normal human in the DC Universe as opposed to a superstrong teenager like she was in the Wildstorm Universe.
If you're a fan of Superboy (the latest incarnation, not Superman as a teenager), then pick up this book. If you're a fan of Teen Titans and are going to pick up that series, you should pick up this series too. They've made it clear with this first issue and hints at the future issues of Teen Titans that they will be connected at least at times.

Thanks again for those of you returning for reading my blog. If this is your first reading, thanks for checking this out and I hope you enjoyed it.