Hey guys,

I recently just started getting really into comic books. It took me AGES to even slightly get the hang of how the DC Universe works and, a lot of research later, I think I have made some sense of it by now, although I am waaaaaay behind on the infinite different storylines and changes in the past year.

Since it's really way too much to take in all at once, I decided to focus on the New 52, which is fairly new to this (meaning hopefully less catching up to do?). Of course feel free to give your recommendations on any "Oldie but goldie" comics (I've looked into The Killing Joke, All-Star Superman, The Dark Knight Returns and a few others)

So this is where I need your help. I'm a bit lost WITHIN the New 52 world. I decided to start reading Batman, Justice League and Aquaman. I'm also considering Action Comics, Animal Man, Swamp Thing and Wonder Woman.

The problem is: I feel like there is very little given in terms of character depth and back-story development. The thing that drives me to most towards superheroes is knowing their background personal stories, where they come from - much more than the fights and explosions. To give you an idea, the story I've enjoyed the most so far was the SHAZAM story in the last pages of the Justice League issues, since it was introducing an overall new character so they had to start really from the beginning. I also really loved All-Star Superman for giving way for much more personal developments (him telling Lois and ensuing developments) than if it was just centered around Superman vs. Lex Luthor.

Overall I guess I'm a bit disappointed that so far the stories seem to kind of be giving little focus to personal stories vs. big action scenes. Did you feel the same way starting New 52? Could it be because I haven't read too many issues yet? Given this, where do you recommend I go from here? I really want to know more about these heroes!

Thanks guys!

You're right in the sense that many of the writers in the new 52 seem to favor big action and feats over big heart. One of the biggest casualties of the new 52 was the Teen Titans and the main reason why it struggles so much was that the writers (even true after the first issue of the relaunch) have completely forgotten what made it a great series. It wasn't the big action scenes but rather the interactions between members of the team, there is a reason why most scans of the pre-Flashpoint Teen Titans posted dealt with the characters talking to each other. Even series that dealt with characters interacting with each other (like Birds of Prey) focused mainly on the team members bickering and as a result it was very hard to care for the stability of the team. There are very few series in the new 52 that actually have heart.

I think another good example is Supergirl, when you compare the Supergirl solo of the new 52 with the new Ms. Marvel series with Kamala Khan, both actually deal with similar themes but one comic goes about it by having the protagonist smash things and occasionally gets smashed herself and the other focuses on the alter-ego of the character and how as a teenage girl, she can fit into society and she just happens to have superpowers.

Now that being said, there are some stories that I think have heart, Aquaman during the Geoff Johns run had plenty of it, Wonder Woman under Azz, Harley Quinn, Batman & Robin at times, Animal Man and I'm sure there are some others that I forgot about.

There's a lot of character development in both the New 52 Animal Man and Swamp Thing titles. New 52 Wonder Woman is great but she has a large supporting cast. That leaves little time to get to know Diana.

Thanks for your opinions, both of you!

Im still unfamiliar with Teen Titans or Supergirl, since I'm concentrating on the titles which I've always been more curious in discovering, for now. To be fair, and in accordance with what you say youknowwhattodo I just finished reading the Throne of Atlantis storyline (Aquaman and JL books) and I am quite positively surprised! Considering how hard they're trying (and successfully so, imo) to make Aquaman a respected figure, you can tell some thought has gone into all the backstory they're giving us!

Also appreciate both of you mentioning Animal Man. AM and Swamp Thing are both on my "next target" list, and I think I begin to understand why it's been so critically acclaimed: the depth! Good to know :)

BTW: What is your take on the SHAZAM storyline? Ive only gotten as far as the Justice League issues have let me. Is there something in the plans for Billy?

@vold0: I enjoyed it, I thought the storytelling was on par with some of the best of the new 52 (if only for a few moments), I know some fans were upset at how they turned Billy into an angry kid, instead of the pure-hearted ball of fluff many perceived him as pre-Flashpoint. However I thought the changes were alright because in his heart, he is still a good kid and I thought Geoff Johns made him likable enough to make the dramatic elements of Billy's story work.

In terms of what happens in the future, I have no idea, it seems increasingly unlikely that we'll be getting a Shazam! solo anytime soon, so it looks like we'll be stuck with him only in Lex Luthor's Justice League.