• Sexy. No, that other word. Stupid. But maybe this will /puts sunglasses on end the rumors about Batman and Robin. YEAHHHH!

• Could explain Bat-Mite.

• I thought the page summarized the new DCU pretty well, with the small sad partially hidden broken object at the top left distractingly obscured by fanboy/girl pandering.

• Batcuffs. "And what's in that pouch?" "Catfood. ...It's personal."

• I think she got him wet. And so he's about to give birth. ...I can't believe I just typed that...

• And numerous!

• HE'S CLAYFACE! <I>IT'S A TRAP!!!</I> (This also explains why he looks severed in half at the waste. And why he is giving an approximation of Batman "smiling". The real Bruce Wayne Batman wouldn't smile or let his guard down this much while in character.)

• I wish they'd just go back to the status quo - the new Justice League story arc is taking forever and they took Stephanie Brown as Batgirl away, so I'm bummed.  i'm only buying 1 DC comic now (justice league) and no vertigo (house of mystery ended and air was cancelled)... it's just a bad scene.

• Marvel publishes substantially more month to month than DC. Everyone knew this was coming. I'm inclined to believe DC's sales execs when they say that market share is not their key metric to judge success by. DC's in much better shape than a year ago. I expect the nu experiment will go on until that changes.

• It's a big FU to Spider-Man and Black Cat.

• That's great that you are loyal. However, realize that companies have zero loyalty to you. Read what looks good and pay no attention to the publisher. You'll probably discover a lot of good comics out there.

• Hi Granito, Everyone around here was just wondering why you're such a bitch, period.

• I was pulling about 14 of the New 52 and scaled that down to Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Red Lanterns (up for drop now too), Justice League Dark, and two trade-only (Batgirl and Woman) after the Harley Quinn vagina joke. Suicide Squad is nowhere near as awesome as S6, so why bother :(

• Why don't you tell us? You appear to be the expert.

• Bat-Condoms!!

• I know someone will say I don't get it, but can I get an explanation for why these two would still bother wearing their masks while they're being intimate?  I mean, don't they already know who the other is? 

• just have every issue be labelled issue #1. each one is the character in question's origin story over and over, just slightly different each time then, when this process makes the character is totally different from the original version, continue the series with the new character

• It's no surprise that Lobdell's and Liefeld's books are the worst of the lot. Just so dated. Well them and Eric Wallace but he's always sucked.

• Funny you mention the 90s because the comics industry looks like its heading back in that direction. Like other people have pointed out, its like fucking 90s renaissance. The l relaunching of titles, 90s costume designs (I'm looking at you Teen Titans), Lobdell, Lee and Leifeld working on mainstream books, Swamp Thing, Animal Man and Resurrection Man (Venom, Carnage, and Age of Apocalypse for Marvel) in their own titles, a ridiculous amount of X- titles, the Clone Saga, and worst of all, the return of Leifield's "Extreme" brand of comics at Image.

• Hey, illogical continuity aside, I'm glad Batman wasn't fucked over. The fact that Batman's history survived mostly intact allows me to pretend the 52 clusterfuck never happened since the only DC titles I'm currently buying are Batman and Batman & Robin. FYI, if there was a book called Batman & Batman & Robin, I'd buy the shit out of that. God, I miss Dick Grayson Batman almost as much as Bucky Cap.

• I was too, devoutly so in fact, until War of the Green Lanterns came along. The awfulness of that and the sheer mind Fuck that was the new 52 caused me to drop it and about 90% of the DC titles on my pull list. God I miss you Secret Six!

• ...and by her right calf; Is that the giant prophylactic that the giant penis didn't wear?

• I've read a bit of it and enjoyed it. It's on my list to pick up some day.

• I think the white cat on the right's expression sums up the whole interlude.  She looks to be thinking, "WHO RESPONSIBLE THIS?"

• I'm pretty sure it's worse.  Nipples exist.  Batman cowl-shaped kneepads?  Not found in nature.

• Can we officially declare IDW number #3 ?  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics are the most fun books i have read in years

• you are living rent free IN MY BRAIN!!

• you are living rent free IN MY BRAIN!!

• Catwoman -Meow, how did you like tha OOOOH MY GOOOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM

• Wait a second... that thing behind Catwomans ass... IS THAT A GIGANTIC PENIS?!

• You should know how it works by know. Comics companies are like videogame systems. If you aren't constantly praising them, it's assumed you hate them. It's like, internet law or something.

• The only thing worse than the loss of Secret Six was the complete fucking over of Barbara Gordon/Oracle. It's amazing how thoroughly they don't get it. They assured fans that she was still paralyzed in continuity, but then once the comics started they portrayed that period of her life as a complete loss. Like she was less than a person, incapable of doing anything. I would've rather that they just erased the whole thing. It would've been better than the way they continue to spit in the face of the fans.

• Also everyone named Morgan. Or based on an existing character.

• I've been saying it since day one

• If not killing him at least giving him a restraining order. /liking Sinistero's GL run

• I've actually been enjoying the titles I've picked up since the "reboot." They aren't always perfect, but far from terrible. They've been very successful for DC, and there are other factors to take into account when comparing them to Marvel (number of comics, dollar share, etc.). I'm not worried. Besides, the "reboot" wasn't really a reboot, at least in the strictest sense. Almost everything that happened previously has still happened. Characters currently divorced can still marry in the future, and dead characters can still be brought back. I'm not saying either is good or bad, but am I the only one who thinks Krypto will be alive and well in a few years time? I think what the relaunch did do was attract people who hadn't been collecting the issues for whatever reason. I remember years back when I hadn't been exposed much to the American comic book market. I was thinking about starting a series (X-Men, I think?), but worried because of all the different X-Men series and that I'd have to go decades back to really start. It reality, it really isn't that difficult to penetrate a comic's storyline; it just wasn't what I was used to. But with everything starting off at one, I wonder if people were drawn in...

• Try Robert Kirkman's Invincible. Not your traditional superhero book and definitely not for kids.

• DC comics were a little broken before this reboot, but the reboot only made the problems worse by putting a big brand new bow on them as some sort of solution.  Hopefully the new readers tire of these rebooted titles soon because very few are decent and this whole event was such a slap in the face cashgrab at the expense of the fans.   Anyone can pick up a run in a DC series and figure it out even if they're new to comics.  None of us were there in the 40s picking up the early Batman titles and yet have managed.

• Yay, we're number two!  We're number two!  We're not ugly, we've got rancid breath!  Etc!  Etc! The schadenfreude tastes like sweaty leather and rough skeevy antiheroine-on-costumed vigilante sex.  And why are the pages all stuck together like that?  Laminate them first, fool!  They are too damn expensive to ruin like that!

• Haha wow, where the fuck did this comment come from I literally just did a double take.  This post isn't even bitchy and ye you choose this to call Rob out, are you Dan Didio?

• Ew that's almost as bad as rubber nipples. Almost.

• What the heck is wrong with your stomach? Is this a Gremlins thing; did someone feed you after midnight?

• That's crazy talk!

• I've enjoyed Johns' run on Green Lantern, but I'm just one man.

• Come now, everyone, you didn't see this coming? The entire DCnU was a train wreck to begin with.  In fact, I would hazard to say that it was One More Day gone amuck.  http://apiusman.blogspot.com/2011/09/nerd-rage-dc-reboot-as-one-more-day.html Yes, subtle, I know, but like I said, I could see this coming, and that was even BEFORE the Starfire/Catwoman issue. Did they really think rewriting the timeline would work? I mean, it's worked so WELL for Peter Parker. Argh

• Well if you must be a meat puppet then "one she bangs" would be the most preferable. That or part of a three piece band. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRaZWK_MwHY

• I don't mind being wrong — I'm just a dude with a blog — and I love debate. I do get annoyed when people accuse me of "hating" things just because my writing style is pretty acerbic. I never said DC "failed" up there — in fact, I point out all the way they're still doing well. All I wanted to do was report that they'd dropped from #1 in both market share and dollar share. And while all the stuff people are saying is true — Marvel books cost more, Marvel publishes more books — but I guarantee there are people at DC who are very upset that the new 52 didn't earn them more time as #1 in both those categories.

• You must be really down on Avengers vs X-Men if you already think Civil War was the idea done better. Yes, I know Marvel can amaze people with just how terrible an event they can produce.  And yes, Marvel has been on a downhill roll...  The "let's not bother to make sure all the writers know what is going on" House of M.  The "both sides will be presented fairly, oh wait, we forgot to ship the pro-side stories, oh wait, we never wrote the pro-side stories, oh wait, everyone is acting out of character and brain dead anyway, oh wait, its over and we don't have an ending so let's just have one side quit" Civil War.  The "Bendis is running the story and he can't even keep the details consistent in his own books" Secret Invasion.  The "Let's just slap some current and former villains together and make a Dark Illuminati.  What do you mean White Queen is a hero now?  We'll just make up a story about her hearing the voice of Kitty's ghost.  And she can bone Namor, so we have the groundwork for Cyclops to leave her when we bring back Jean.  Oh, and the Red Hood is going to be the leader because he's so awesome" Dark Illuminati.  As for Fear Itself, I won't even bother to give it a sarcastic description, because it was just so meh. Okay, maybe you have a point.

• Who said I hate DC? I've read a lot more good DC comics than Marvel comics recently.

• After years and years of being a Marvel Zombie, and then briefly mixing in som DC titles, I'm entirely indy now. I wish I could get into some good-old superhero books, but the lineups for both companies are so incredibly confusing that I can't be bothered. I'd love for them both to go completely streamlined and web-based (with print on demand/trade paperback options). Sadly I doubt it will happen.

• That's a really trashy Batman page up there.

• one of the things missing from this picture are a pair of handcuffs dangling from one of Selina's wrists.

• Marvel or DC?  It's like voting for Kang or Kodos. Buy an independent publisher? Go ahead!  THROW YOUR VOTE AWAY!

• God that picture is offensive. My lats are far more humongous than that! >:(

• Yeah. The half truths and then just half ass attempt to relaunch their entire line was just so slap dash.  To me that was the most appalling.  They did this quick and in secret instead of actually trying to give readers, old and new, a decent heads up. Nor did they give creators enough time to get in on the ground floor on what should have been a new Renaissance of comics. Instead Bob Harras just called a bunch of his old chums from 90s Marvel and Image his rolodex.  For fuck's sake they gave Liefeld a book.  It's so damn insular and incestuous and done with such poor planning. Ugh.

• To be fair to DC, Marvel is simply pumping out a higher quantity of comics.  Personally, I don't think Marvel is any better than DC. If anything, they're worse.  While I don't like the details of how they did it, throwing the baby out with the bath water and a reboot with no warning they pretty much lied about, I've been saying for years that DC needs to streamline their titles.  Marvel is doing the opposite. Marvel is simply flooding the market with titles and has them tripping over each other.  Hell, even their reboot / clean slate line of Ultimate Marvel is a goddamn mess. Never mind they're just fighting each other over a bigger piece of an ever shrinking pie. Are either company truly attracting new readers to comics shops or comics in general?  Or are they just fighting over the same ever shrinking audience of aging fanboys? The old boys clubs of Marvel and DC continue their argument of letting people into the tree fort.  Meanwhile the new generations of creators and readers are reading manga and web comics and getting read at numbers that Marvel and DC can only dream of.  Hell, manga sales are down in Japan as well as America, but that shit is still selling so much more even just here in the US than Marvel and DC. Meanwhile, smaller publishers like Image and Dark Horse are so much better done and controlled (or rather not controlled) than the big two.  And with Walking Dead being one of the number one cable shows ever, maybe we'll get some new readers from that. Maybe people will realize that comics aren't just superheros from the big two like Batman and Spider-man.  Maybe Americans in general will actually read some damn comics.

• As a millionaire playboy, I can only assume he's had better.  Plus throw in the obvious cat dander single woman smell and it's, "Weeeeeellllll, it's been nice, but I gotta go......I'll call ya."

• I am sad that Batman has been replaced by a lumpy beige sack of oatmeal. Maybe someday his arms will be the same size.

• lol, how's that Original Artwork coming, Granito?

• I just saw that now. If Batman is supposed to have his back and ass both on the ground, then yes, he has been sawed in half by Catwoman, who is now using him as a meat puppet. One she bangs.

• Your post just screams, "Eye Kunt Reed or right!!!!"

• This picture just screams "Comic books are for kids!"

• Um... They could try not making shitty comics. And make good comics instead. I know it's a radical idea, but they already try one strange idea, why not try this one?

• I agree that he's entitled to his opinion. But that doesn't mean his opinion becomes Fact. It just says I can agree, critque, or ignore it. And it doesn't make him a champion! for! free! speech! either (but it doesn't negate him, either). I agree with Rob 90% of the time. This is that 10% that I don't. And I am indeed glad he has no problem with opposing opinions.

• For crimes against subtlety in writing comics, the accused is sentenced to have his arms chopped of dramatically until dead of blood loss.

• By the Power of Pinkskull!

• I've enjoyed DC's reboot & havent touched a marvel comic since 1993.

• He is a complete unknown. With no direction home. Also That is his smile. If you hold your face like that long enough it becomes hard to do normal facial expressions.

• September.

• Is it me or is batmans lower half slightly too far to the left compared to his upper body. Like he is sawed in half under catwoman there.

• It should be number 3 with the quality Image puts out.

• Yep, seemed like a serious rush job. More of the same story and quality wise, 90s costume designs, quite a few new books that didn't feel like a fresh start at all. Quite muddled. Not that I don't like a good 6 or 7 books they're putting out just fine. It just seems like a missed opportunity to have done something actually fresh, daring and cool.

• three letters - F, F, F

• Absolutely. It is fun to disagree with him - you don't have to worry about people devolving into trolls just because someone has a different point of view.

• don't you understand brick? it's all part of the DC consPENISy. why, i bet if we wrap our minds around that coverphoto we can somehow, someway work PENIS into it. take for example, that long, bent, purple object the cat is about to walk on.

• He's still fighting crime.. in Catwoman's vagina. The hammer is his penis.

• Yes... sadly, they are.

• Speak for yourself, bucko. Most of us know why he's a whiny, self-entitled bitch. =))

• It definitely reeks of lazy writing and execution. It came out of nowhere from a pretty cruddy "major event," and it just hasn't really been smooth yet. 52 titles was far too ambitious and it would have been far more effective and intimate if it had started with a few and then let the universe regrow naturally. Also, what is the deal with their all having the same kind of uniforms before ever meeting each other. I get the idea that the JLA would have similar uniforms somehow, but all of them had it before even meeting. And the idea that some books have EVERYTHING still count (Green Lantern and Batman) while others are completely new (Wonder Woman and Superman) is just idiotic to me. Make it new or old, but you can't have a new, user accessible universe that has an alive Jason Todd in it. It just doesn't work.

• This is exactly right. Half of their big named titles double shipped last month, I think X-Force might have triple shipped.  Captain America has two issues out on the same day.  The Same day!! DC had 8 ouf of the top 10 best selling books for the month.  44 out of the 100.   I get pretty even between Dc and Marvel each month, but these numbers are screwed, the only reason Marvel made more money is because they put out a ton more books and double shipped some big name books.

• Hi Rob, Everyone around here was just wondering why you're such a whiny self-entitled bitch?

• Rob is entitled to his opinion, and I respect that. What I like about TR is that I can come here and say "Rob, you are wrong and here is why" and he does not boot me off the site. Debate is pretty acceptable here and Rob is a patient guy, even when he is WRONG>:P

• Forgot about the dollar share! Good point. I would also like to point out that the only reason Marvel's in shouting position in the top 50 here is that they have Kick-Ass, Defenders #1, X-Sanction, and multiple issues of X-Force and Captain America. None of those have anything like market viability long-term. Defenders is already a dead comic. X-Sanction and Kick-Ass are limited series. When they're done, Marvel's got a gap to fill. DC doesn't need to fill any gaps. I'd invest in them over Marvel in a heartbeat.

• So is Batman mostly banging Catwoman these days or does he still fight crime?

• When DC is listed as number 3 then we can say there are real problems.....

• I second this... not only he's allowed to screw around with the DCU, now he's going to get involved with MOTU... I know what you're thinking: "Dude, he's only designing a character!" That's how he'll start. First a character design, then he'll "help" the Bio writing Team with the blessing of the brand manager (who loves GL and Geoff Johns) and before we figure out what's going on: He-Man will have to battle the Rainbow of Grayskull! and Mattel will be ready to do Rainbow He-Man variants... Fuck you Geoff Johns!

• Wow, so many are quick to say that DC is a failure now after 3 months. Look at the facts. The DCnu is still a huge success for the company. Dollar share was always going to go down. DC gets 2.99 for their books while Marvel gets 3.99 for the majority of theirs. Market share still has DC up almost 20% from where they were a year ago, and less than 2% away from the top slot with LESS books on the market. The top slot is now up for grabs every month, and we will see each company taking #1 depending on what is going on that month. This forces Marvel to stay on their A game instead of producing garbage each month. There is no going back guys. This is and will continue to be a successful reboot.

• And look at Marvel's reaction - "We're doing the same thing we did a couple summers ago! Avengers vs. X-Men! It's a big deal, we promise! (Even though we probably did it better when we called it Civil War!)" haha Don't get me wrong - I'm not a DC fanboy and I certainly enjoy a few Marvel titles, but I think to say that DC has fallen based on one number severely premature.

• Yeah, the vast majority of the new 52 have been fun, and the bottom end of them will get sorted out (I await DC's second wave- hi, Justice Society! Hi, Shazam!). I also agree that Marvel's overselling of comics is the only reason they gained marketshare. It sucks sometimes to come here and watch Rob do the idiot hipster "I hate DC because I find hating it cool (since you don't)" routine. It's lame, Rob. Get over it.

• Yep, good points ahlhelm. I didn't think about returnability of DC's comics in the process. Marvel's business practices are shady as fuck-all, and this won't hold up long-term when they're purely printing stuff with no cost-based return on each individual issue (they're more concerned with ad revenue). I await Disney telling them to stop it- and the moment that happens, Marvel slashes down to a core unit of titles or goes bankrupt. Also, DC's numbers probably don't include the same day digital sales, which I'm going to bet add 10% to their totals. Also, Marvel debuted a bunch of #1's that won't mean anything in a month or two. DC will dominate overall top sales for the foreseeable future outside of the Avengers vs. X-men stuff.

• Nearly everyone that's actually reading the new 52 are enjoying themselves and some damn fine comic books.  Marvel publishes like 3 times as many books, so DC is fine and I highly doubt anyone is kicking themselves over what amounts to a huge turnaround for the company, but whatever.

• Of course that is with the subtracted 15% in numbers due to returnability and Marvel's double shipping of nearly every comic they published. There's a reason DC dominated the top sales on the list but barely lost marketshare. 

• Damn, Bats. You couldn't even manage a smile after that? You're like stone, sir.

• Hopefully the mystery woman in purple will change everything back this summer.

• I've been enjoying the reboot, but maybe that's because the Batman titles haven't really felt effected.

• It was badly executed in the first place.  They sold it as a relaunch, in the end it wasn't anything more than a half-assed effort because they exempted so many titles and didn't adhere to the supposed game plan of wiping away the accumulated backstory.

• Obviously, they'll just scrap all this and bring back DC Classic. (also, are Batman's kneepads really a silhouette of his cowl?)

• Also, the public execution of Geoff Johns.

• Okay DC. It was a cute run. But can we go back so I can buy your comics and have my Secret Six again?

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