Expectations For The New 52 Year 2

August wrapped the first year of DC Comics’ New 52, and after September’s 0 Month, the second year will kick off.  Needless to say, I have certain expectations and anticipations for the next year based on what we’ve seen in the previous year.

WARNING: A LOT OF SPOILERS AHEAD

Green Lantern Books

The Green Lantern books have been some of the high points of the New 52… with the possible exception of Red Lanterns.  We have seen the groundwork set for the big Lantern crossover, Rise of the Third Army.  I am eagerly awaiting what happens when the Guardians turn their back on the Green Lantern Corps.

But that’s not all that’s happening in the GL books.  September’s 0 issue introduced Simon Baz, the newest member of the Green Lantern Corps.  Baz now wields the ring that was vacated by the deaths of Hal Jordan and Sinestro in the Green Lantern Annual.  And, I’m sure that GL fans noticed that there seems to be something wrong with Baz’s ring (the error message).  My theory is that the ring is independent from the Guardians’ control.  My proof is that the “error” did not begin until Sinestro’s ring reabsorbed Jordan’s ring (which had been constructed by Sinestro).  Readers of Green Lantern will remember that Jordan’s ring had been mucked with (technical term) by the Indigo Tribe so that it was no longer controlled by Sinestro’s ring and, by extension, Sinestro’s will.  My theory is that the altered ring’s reabsorption has affected the ring, which will come into play during the Rise of the Third Army Crossover.

The Kiss Heard Around The World

At the end of Justice League #12, we saw the kiss everyone was talking about.  Superman and Wonder Woman lip locked in what seems like new romance between the two.

But wait, there seems to be more to this kiss than meets the eye.  In Justice League International Annual, we see Booster Gold confronted by… Booster Gold?  Yes, a future version of himself appeared, telling Booster that he failed to stop it.  And, as the future Booster began to fade a la Back To The Future, we see him gesture to a monitor with the image of Superman and Wonder Woman on it.  That is, of course, before Booster Gold (the present one) disappears himself.

Which, naturally, leaves the question, why did that kiss have to be stopped?  What is in store for the next year with this omen hanging over their heads?

Rotworld

Animal Man and Swamp Thing are back as must read books, only now, their origins have been entwined.  Swamp Thing has become an avatar of The Green, while Buddy’s daughter Maxine is now an avatar for the Red.

In this new entwined origins, they also share a common enemy.  Just as The Green represents plant life, while the Red stands for animal life, there is the Rot, a nightmare of death and decay.  Now Animal Man and Swamp Thing come together to fight the Rot and its agents as they try to save all life on Earth.

The Phantom Stranger

Really introduced this month, we see another origin of the Phantom Stranger.  Previous origins have tied him to a fallen angel and the Wandering Jew (among others).  But, if we are to believe that this will serve as his origin for the New 52, we have learned (without actually saying so) that the Phantom Stranger is Judas (the 30 pieces of silver is a big clue to that).  We have also learned that he is instrumental in the release of the Spectre on the world.  As we enter the next year of the New 52, we are left to wonder what else the Phantom Stranger will unleash on the world.

Aquaman… Wait, What?

Aquaman has gone from a joke of a character to one of the strongest in the New 52.  He is holding his own as a member of the Pantheon that is the Justice League, even questioning the leadership capabilities of Batman himself.  And his own book has been one of the best written titles of the New 52.  The next year is already looking to be even better with the conclusion of The Others storyline, which looks to be leading to a massive battle between Aquaman and Black Manta.  And where exactly is Atlantis in all of this.

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