New Comics!: The Rest of the "New 52!" Edition #1 of 2 (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Justice League #4:  As hoped, Johns really seems to be picking up steam here.  We see the full team (or, at least, who I understand the full team will be) come together here for the first time, though it'll be next issue before they fight together (assuming Victor is able to pull himself together in time).  The opening scenes of Aquaman's initial interaction with the team were well done, though I think Johns is reaching to imply that Aquaman is as powerful as Flash, Superman, and Wonder Woman, at least on land.  (I guess it's why he positioned them all by water, so Aquaman could send the sharks after Darkseid's minions and impress everyone, or, at least, Hal.)  Johns does a good job of showing how the heroes are still fumbling in their attempts to work together (accentuated by Aquaman deciding he was the leader in absence of one), though he also keeps the issue light mostly thanks to Hal's jackassery.  I loved him accidentally telling Wonder Woman the truth because he was touching her lasso, particularly if it made Batman laugh!  The Cyborg parts of the book were stronger than they've been, so I'm forgetting how annoyed I was by his origin story last issue.  But, above everything else, it's Darkseid's arrival on the scene that really makes the issue, thanks to Jim Lee's amazing splash pages.  I've been a little disappointed with this book so far, mostly because I had such high expectations for it.  But, Johns really starts to meet those expectations here, and I'm excited to see what next issue brings. 

Superboy #4:  OK, I sort of liked this issue.  Progress!  Part of the reason I haven't liked the first few issues of this series is that they're focused on a mystery -- the identity of Superboy's human genetic donor -- that was only marginally interesting when it originally was explored in the DCU.  Given that we know it's Lex Luthor (and Lobdell has, I believe, dropped enough hints that it's probably him for us not to doubt that it's still him in the DCnU), it's not exactly as interesting the second time.  Thankfully, Lobdell (finally) puts that question aside and removes Superboy from the lab.  He's allowed to get some fresh air, and Lobdell does a pretty good job showing his struggles with freedom, oscillating from a disdain for "regular" humans and his impulse to help them.  I only vaguely remember the deadly couple from last issue, a problem I had when Superboy mentioned he "swallowed a prison."  But, the fight scene is well done and Lobdell makes it clear it's probably not the last time we see said couple, given that we never really discover in what way they're not exactly human, as the guy claimed.  I'm excited about the "Teen Titans" cross-over event, because I'm hoping it gives Lobdell an excuse to move the ball more rapidly down the field and get us closer to the Conner we all used to know.  All in all, I consider it a win, since I didn't hate the issue itself and I'm (for once) anticipating the next one.  (It's a low bar, but at least I can get over it.) 

Teen Titans #4:  Yay, I liked this issue, too!  I'm actually relieved.  I was getting really worried I was going to have to cancel both "Superboy" and "Teen Titans," but, now, I'm game.  Superboy might not be our Conner, and Tim might be far from the Tim we used to know, but if Lobdell keeps telling stories like this one, I'm willing to stay with them until they find themselves.  (I would however really like to get a sense of where Tim stands with the Bat-family.  I was disturbed to see that he wasn't part of the team looking for Bruce in "Batman" #5.  Bruce recognizing Tim as the most like him always humanized Bruce, since he seemed to realize Tim managed to bring the same level of dedication to the task at hand without losing his humanity.  It would be a shame if, in the DCnU, Tim has gone the way of Jason Todd and finds himself estranged from the Bat-family.)  First, I have to ask:  was Cassie wearing a Dazzler outfit?  Because I'm pretty sure she was wearing a Dazzler outfit.  Also, staying on fashion, I loved Tim and Bart fighting over the sweatshirt.  It seemed like Lobdell's way of reminding us that they -- and, yes, even Tim -- are teenagers and still act that way from time to time.  It also gave me hope that we're going to see Bart and Tim develop the friendship they had previously, and that they'll (eventually develop it with Conner.  (Also, I LOLed when Bart appeared in an altered version of Tim's Robin costume.  Seriously, nice touch, Scott.)  Turning from fashion to the plot itself, I thought Lobdell handled Cassie and Conner's fight really well.  He made it pretty clear Conner isn't the homicidal killer he thinks he is, given that he found himself attracted to Cassie and seemed to be fighting her more because he enjoyed the interaction than because he felt compelled to do so.  I'm hoping Lobdell has Conner join the Titans sooner rather than later and, after his cheeky introduction to them this issue, hopefully I'll get my wish.  (One last bit, about Bart:  I seemed to remember thinking that Bart had mentioned something in a previous issue to imply he wasn't a future relative of Barry Allen, like he was just a normal kid.  But, here, Lobdell seems to open the door to him being like the DCU version of Bart Allen, since he just magically appeared on the steps of an orphanage a few months ago.  I guess we'll see.)