Return of the Jobcentre.

Well, exams are officially over, as is my hiatus. It's that time of year, when all the kids are embarking on a summer of glorious freedom, and there was no better way to ring in the season then standing outside the local at half past ten ay-emm, waiting for it to open in the bitter cold.

Of course, this means two things. One, that I have so much more time for creative projects. As mentioned earlier, I can really dive into the inner workings of the blogosphere, build up a strong readership and find an excellent creative angle I can take. You know, something beyond moaning about unreleased films and my caffeine intake. The other biggie is that I have to get a job.

But enough of my woes. We can start with the big comics news of last week - namely the fact that Geoff Johns, in His infinite wisdom, has decided to hit the "restart" button on the entire DC Universe. To anyone that doesn't frequent comic blogs, this little tidbit means that come september, every major DC comic goes back to issue #1 and sports a brand spanking-new costume courtesy of Jim Lee. Now don't get me wrong; Jim Lee is a terrific artist. The abysmal All-Star Batman was rescued only by his sublime, super-detailed rendering of Alfred's bulging muscles and the Joker's rather rapey tendencies.

Getting him to design stuff, however, is not good. WildC.A.T.S, Wonder Woman... and now it seems, in a fit of rage at Geoff Johns for actually daring to give the notorious perfectionist a deadline, he began furiously scribbling v-collars and erasing wrinkles left and right. Why do Aquaman, Green Lantern, Superman and every other hero without a cowl HAVE to have the collar? It's not that they don't look good, because many do. They just don't look iconic, and I can't see many of the costumes, especially the second-tier characters like Black Canary and Teen Titans, surviving very long after this status quo shake-up. That said, Superman without the trunks is definately an improvement, and I'll be champing at the bit to own an actual Batman #1.

But while the Justice League up top is still technicolour eye candy, Teen Titans (opposite) is just a terrible eyesore*. All blacks and reds and moody teen angst. A mixed bag so far - I'll be keeping an eye on this.

*I see Tim, Superboy and Kid Flash so far. I hope to Johns the Tron-suited Sith chick is not Wonder Girl. Can anyone confirm this one for me?