You're expecting Kreisberg to build on Grell's stories, rather than mimic them. This is a foolish assumption.
If Kreisberg was writing Batman, he'd write a story about how his "brilliant, new" villain Crusher broke Batman. If Kreisberg was writing Green Lantern, he'd write a story about how Hal was lost and wondered America to find himself. If Kreisberg was writing Booster Gold, we'd get stories about Booster trying to make a quick buck through the Boostermobile. If Kreisberg was writing Superman, we'd get Lois forgetting she was married to Superman, and Superman being a Superdick to his wife.