Jumping-Off Points, or What's the New52's Obsession with Jumping Out of Aircraft?

No really. Out of 27 books released to date, DC's got 7 that feature people jumping out of airplanes, usually as a major plot point. Kind of the wrong subliminal message to give at this time, no? Check it out:

Comic: Deathstroke #1Jump: Slade jumps from one plane to another, TWICE. The second one blows up.

Comic: Grifter #1
Jump: When passengers are possessed by aliens and threaten the whole plane, Grifter throws himself out of the plane with the attacker.

Comic: Hawk & Dove #1
Jump: Dove bails out of a plane heading for the Washington monument during a fight to try and make it miss.

Justice League #1
Jump: Batman tucks and rolls as Green Lantern's energy force jet dematerializes.

Men of War #1
Jump: Rock's unit parachutes to its objective.

Resurrection Man #1
Jump: Mitch Shelley jumps out of a plane when he is attacked by some kind of angel. He knows he'll rise from the dead anyway.

Suicide Squad #1
Jump: At the end of the issue, the Squad is dropped from the back a carrier jet into an arena full of targets.

I have the feeling I'll have to revisit this idea in a couple of weeks...

Comments

Anonymous said…
Maybe they're trying to wake up from the New52, a la Inception.
September 19, 2011 at 10:26 AM
Wayne Allen Sallee said…
I've always enjoyed Resurrection Man, and I do now, but why they had the scene in question happen on a plane, add to that, during a lightning storm is just shock value. I get that it's a way to get readers to see how "special" Mitch is that everyone else will die in the crash. But in quite a few of these books I'm not seeing "a way to get NEW readers to see" as I am seeing "our characters have NEW origins, let's use the same OLD plot devices.
September 19, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Siskoid said…
It's bizarre how a lot of the same concepts, ideas and set pieces are used int he New 52. Another one is the covert organization or mission. A LOT of books how one as a key ingredient. I get that it might be part of the current zeitgeist (I guess), but no one at Editorial thought to limit the number of new secret organizations and units out of the gate?

To date it's been a feature of Deathstroke, Suicide Squad, Men of War, OMAC, Frankenstein, Superboy, Stormwatch, and arguably, JLI. I'm sure there'll be more, like in Blackhawks.
September 19, 2011 at 3:07 PM
SallyP said…
Man, I WISH Deathstroke would jump out of an airplane! Preferably without a parachute.

Hal and Batman, I can actually understand...but it does seem a bit gratuitous, doesn't it?
September 19, 2011 at 4:57 PM
Wayne Allen Sallee said…
I agree, Siskoid. Remember at the end of Countdown to Infinite Crisis (why wasn't that ever in the hc or trade?), Blue Beetle sees Max Lord's super-computer with all the logos on the screen? Omac, and a few others?

I'm not hoping, but it would be neat if someone (besides editorial) found a blanket organization for at least a few of these orgs.

SallyP, agreed on Deathstroke. He was Deadpool before Deadpool was Deadpool.
September 19, 2011 at 7:14 PM
Siskoid said…
Sally: Apparently he can, and survive! Twice an issue if he wants to. That said, loved him as Slade in the Teen Titans cartoon show. Hated him everywhere else. No, not "hated", that would indicate that I care in any way.

Wayne: Working on it.
September 19, 2011 at 7:31 PM
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