Comics News - JLA, Creator Changes, Point 1 & Relationships

Before I begin, I'd like to by stating that my thoughts and prayers are with the people of the Gulf Coast who might be affected by Hurricane Isaac.

So the last couple of weeks has contained some new announcements about both creator changes as well as new books to new relationships and I'm going to address a few of these.

This week is Justice League #12 and Justice League International Annual #1 - both big issues to the New 52 DC Universe.  JL #12 marks the kiss (and what has been touted as a new relationship) between Wonder Woman and Superman. Now, there has been a huge amount of flurry about this...and my opinion is that while I'd love to see both of these characters in actual new relationships (not with Lois Lane or Steve Trevor) in the New 52 DCU, I'm not excited or angry about this.  I'm waiting to see how it goes, and if it actually feels like it makes sense.  I remember Joss Whedon saying he loved writing Cyclops and the White Queen in Astonishing X-Men because he thought it was interesting to have the 'hero' - Cyclops -date the 'wrong' woman and see what it does to the character.  To both of these characters, this could be truly interesting if done well.  If done well.  My prediction is that it won't last long.  But we'll see.

Now I mentioned Justice League International Annual #1 - the last issue of JLI.  Co-written by JL scribe Geoff Johns and co-publisher Dan Didio and while seems to be a temporary cooling off for many of the characters in the book, it seems that Johns will launch a new titles called Justice League of America.  This will be Justice League squad run by a US government agency called ARGUS.  The team can be seen in the top most image.  The roster is interesting and diverse, which I like, and I'm interested to see how a government run team with such different character personalities work.  They seem to have a defined mission statement - to learn and stop the Secret Society of Super Villains- which is good because one of the biggest problems of the JLI series was the UN's response to the JL but with no driving mission statement.  The one foreseeable problem that I predict is Finch's art.  It truly can turn people off and often is both cheesecake when it comes to females and awkward.

Finally, two notes about Marvel Now- first, one of my favorite Marvel titles - Winter Soldier is changing writers.  Ed Brubaker who brought Bucky Barnes back to the Marvel Universe in the form of the Winter Soldier is one of my favorite writers.  With him leaving Winter Soldier, and a writer (whom I'm sure might be great) this is a good time for me to leave the book.  There is also rumors of creative changes for Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers and X-Men with no announcements of replacements for New Mutants and Avengers Academy cancellations.

Also Marvel released the creator pairings for the their Marvel Now! Point one issue: Brian Michael Bendis & Steve McNiven, Matt Fraction & Mike Allred, Jeph Loeb & Ed McGuinness, Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie, Nick Spencer & Luke Ross and Dennis Hopeless & Gabriel Hernandez Walta.  Again the characters featured on the cover were Nick Fury, Jr. Cable, Ant-Man, Starlord, Nova and the combination of Kid Loki, Wiccan and Miss America.  Now, the speculation is that Marvel Now! Point One will launch either on-going or mini series featuring these characters as part of Marvel Now!  Easy money says the team up of Fraction and Allred will be doing Ant-Man (who we now know is Scott Lang) since he will be appearing in FF (by the way, the FF cast of kids will be staying around which now makes me want to get the 1st arc).  Fan's hope is the Gillen and McKelvie is on the team up of Wiccan, Kid Loki and Miss America (who many think will be the New Young Avengers) since Gillen has written Kid Loki in Journey into Mystery and it has been hinted that he will continue.  Many think that Bendis and McNiven will be on Guardians of the Galaxy (which I hope not considering how he has written them in Avengers Assemble), Loeb and McGuinness on either Cable or Nova (most likely Nova) and Spencer & Ross and Hopeless and Hernandez on most likely Cable and Nick Fury Jr/SHIELD books.

As of this news my Marvel pull list will be this with Marvel Now!:
Books I'm collecting now that will continue:
Daredevil
Hawkeye

Getting at least the 1st Arc:
Avengers
New Avengers
FF
Uncanny Avengers

Getting the first issue of :
Fantastic Four
Indestructible Hulk
Avengers Assemble
Captain America

Books that I will be trying out again with Marvel Now!:
Dark Avengers
Red She-Hulk

And depending on what books come out of the Marvel Now! Point One we will see on possibly a SHIELD book (if done by Spencer) and the New Young Avengers (if by Gillen & McKelvie) with my hope that I'm wrong about the team behind Guardians!  Also, I will be anxious to hear if and what the creative changes on both Uncanny X-Force and Secret Avengers will be.