5 Great Comic Moments From DC's New 52 in 2011

We€™re a few months into DC Comics€™ New 52 Relaunch Initiative and we thought it was the opportune time to take a look five really great moments and five pretty lame moments from the past year. The new editorial direction has made the DC Universe feel more cohesive, but there have definitely been some missteps along the way. First, here's the top 5 really great moments with the top five worst moments to come tomorrow...

5. Superman Confronts Luthor for the First Time Again

Grant Morrison€™s Action Comics has been one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the New 52, giving us a new history for Superman that updates the character for contemporary audiences while honoring his roots as a Depression-Era crusader for social justice. The second issue detailed the re-telling of Superman€™s first encounter with Lex Luthor. Seeing the two characters meet without yet having developed a rich history was definitely interesting and we can€™t wait to see them rebuild their history.

4. Wonder Woman Discovers She Has A Father

As a character, it€™s always felt that something was missing from Wonder Woman and Brian Azzarello€™s decision to incorporate elements from Greek mythology fills that void perfectly. Traditionally, Wonder Woman€™s origins involved her being sculpted from clay and magically coming to life, but it€™s recently been revealed that Zeus is in fact her real father. Anyone familiar with those old legends recognizes their potential for captivating stories and since Diana has always had a connection to the myths, it makes sense that she would be pulled into the soap opera of the gods. It€™s a small change to the character€™s history, but the implications are huge; we€™ve only seen the tip of the iceberg.

3. Jonah Hex Partners with Amadeus Arkham

When it was announced that Jonah Hex€™s eponymous book would be cancelled in favor of a more traditional All-Star Western title, it originally seemed like terrible news as writers Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray had done such fine work with that series. Their work in the New 52 for All-Star Western has been every bit as good as their work on Jonah Hex, replacing the thrill of the frontier spirit with gritty urban realism and transplanting the character from the Wild West to a young Gotham City on the rise. Hex interacts with Arkham in a fresh take on the Sherlock/Watson formula. As long as they keep working together, we€™ll keep picking up this book.

2. Batman Uncovers the Court of Owls

If there€™s anyone who€™s most famous for crazy preparedness and always being five steps ahead, it€™s Batman. While his appearance in Detective Comics has been less than stellar (we€™ll get to that) in his self-titled series (penned by Scott Snyder), Batman has uncovered a mystery he once thought impossible: it seems that a nefarious organization based on an old nursery rhyme about a fictional court of owls has been operating secretly in Gotham for years and there€™s a connection to the Wayne family, specifically the unusual circumstances surrounding the death of Bruce€™s grandfather, Alan Wayne. This is a unique threat for Batman, one that affects his family and calls into question his knowledge of the city.

1. Aquaman Becomes a Bad-Ass

For years Aquaman has been a walking punchline, but in his new solo series, writer Geoff Johns has been working very hard to make readers aware that Arthur Curry is worth our respect. Within the first few pages of the first issue, we see bullets bouncing off of his chest and find out that while Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, Aquaman can make it in two or three. All of the recent issues have had at least one moment that deals with the character€™s former status as a laughing stock. If you€™ve never had respect for Aquaman or wondered why anyone would ever care about him, the first four issues of this new series are a must-read. Watch our tomorrow for our top 5 lamest moments from the new 52!