Crime Syndicate #1 Preview

[JLH]

I actually thought the issue was good. It moved at a quick pace and there were some nice scenes and shoutouts throughout.
I enjoyed getting a sense of the world’s twisted history.

I’ve never been a huge CS fan, but this really caught my attention.

Pretty much my reaction. Fun, interesting first issue, and this title caught my attention, too--I'm surprised it's the CS's first.

[Robotman]

It was ok. I'm not a fan of the Crime Syndicate to be only slightly evil. They need to be the moral opposite of Justice League. This Clark may have been a good guy if he was raised by better parents. Owlman is actually fighting crime in a way even though he's trying to control it and Emerald Knight (way better name than Power Ring) seems conflicted. I don't think there should be any gray area with the CS.

[HsssH]

It was ok. I'm not a fan of the Crime Syndicate to be only slightly evil. They need to be the moral opposite of Justice League. This Clark may have been a good guy if he was raised by better parents. Owlman is actually fighting crime in a way even though he's trying to control it and Emerald Knight (way better name than Power Ring) seems conflicted. I don't think there should be any gray area with the CS.

This is one of the reasons why I prefer anti-matter CSA to Earth-3 CSA. Easier to explain and enforce them being moral opposites.

[Riv86672]

I kind of like the moral ambiguity concept.
I mean it’s not being overdone (Ultraman was was blowing ppl away casually, Owlman had a guy killed for taking a cellphone pic, Flash was crowbarring ppl at high speeds, etc.) and it gives them more dimension that just being opposite.

[Robotman]

I kind of like the moral ambiguity concept.
I mean it’s not being overdone (Ultraman was was blowing ppl away casually, Owlman had a guy killed for taking a cellphone pic, Flash was crowbarring ppl at high speeds, etc.) and it gives them more dimension that just being opposite.

But that’s the whole point of the characters. They’re supposed to be the evil doppelgängers of the Justice League. Having these characters show signs of conflict is like having the members of the JL occasionally do villainous things.

[HsssH]

Characters can always grow beyond their original purpose. But at the same time it not like we need another not-Superman or not-Batman running around.

[Riv86672]

But that’s the whole point of the characters. They’re supposed to be the evil doppelgängers of the Justice League. Having these characters show signs of conflict is like having the members of the JL occasionally do villainous things.

Understood, but, the characters in the JL occasionally DO cross certain lines.
All I’m saying is, the original premise was fine for its time; stories were simpler when the CS debuted. Nothing wrong w. the concept being updated for a new generation.
Even Bizarro (who has a similar niche) has evolved from simple concept he was introduced as.

Also, the below post makes another good point regarding a not so simplified take on the CS.

Characters can always grow beyond their original purpose. But at the same time it not like we need another not-Superman or not-Batman running around.

[Menacer]

Yup definitely interest in collecting this in a trade in the future

[Slade]

Bought this on a whim and it was really good in my opinion. I hate criticizing art because I can only draw stick figures, but I wasn’t really a fan of the art too much. But I really enjoyed the story and I like that they aren’t just bad versions of our Justice League. I mean they aren’t just like allowing crime and fighting anyone who tries to do good. They legit fight crime too, just in a very extreme, dictatorial way.


Am I the only one who would be ok with superwoman giving my tongue a workout? Oh I am? Ok

[Ropeburn]

It was ok. I'm not a fan of the Crime Syndicate to be only slightly evil. They need to be the moral opposite of Justice League. This Clark may have been a good guy if he was raised by better parents. Owlman is actually fighting crime in a way even though he's trying to control it and Emerald Knight (way better name than Power Ring) seems conflicted. I don't think there should be any gray area with the CS.

I agree with you on the Syndicate needing to be pure evil instead of a little bit. The Emerald Knight scene just confused me. He called one guy a criminal and he called the cop someone who preys on the weak. So was the cop shaking down the criminal and not arresting him? And just dropping them from a high area when you have a fancy ring that can do anything is pretty lame.

I liked that they used Donna Troy instead of WW just to shake things up. Would be cool if UltraMan had murdered WW and the embassy sent Donna as a replacement. Johnny Quick’s look isn’t a favorite but I did like the friendship he had with Lady Atom. Overall not the most exciting book, but had some twists from original ideas I liked.

[Kevin Street]

The cop was hassling that guy because of how he was dressed. It looked like the cop was going to demand a bribe to let him go. Then Emerald Knight called the guy a thief for no reason, proclaimed that both of them had "betrayed the Collective" in different ways and dropped them to their deaths. It was a classic "I arrested you so you must have done something wrong" situation.

[Thor-Ul]

I agree with you on the Syndicate needing to be pure evil instead of a little bit. The Emerald Knight scene just confused me. He called one guy a criminal and he called the cop someone who preys on the weak. So was the cop shaking down the criminal and not arresting him? And just dropping them from a high area when you have a fancy ring that can do anything is pretty lame.

I'm also dubious about that aspect of the Syndicate. I mean, they call themselves the CRIME Syndicate, it is not like, "Ok we are just twisted guy guys", they are bad guys, who don't lie to themselves. If they have any virtue is their honestity: They are bad guys, they knew it and they enjoy it.

I liked that they used Donna Troy instead of WW just to shake things up. Would be cool if UltraMan had murdered WW and the embassy sent Donna as a replacement. Johnny Quick’s look isn’t a favorite but I did like the friendship he had with Lady Atom. Overall not the most exciting book, but had some twists from original ideas I liked.

Still a lot of story to tell, but we will know for sure on #3.

What I likes the more is we will have the chance to see the other inhabitants of earth 3, who seems to be taken from different adaptations of the CSA from different media.

By the way, Ropeburn, I just love your avatar.