Last week was a stellar week for comics! Practically every issue we covered was outstanding. This week shows a lot of promise as well, and on top of that, we should also get June 2017 solicitations as well! Make sure you keep an eye out for those!
Alright, on to business! For a collection of our opinions pertaining to last week’s releases, make sure you check out This Week In Comics. This week’s releases are listed in order of what I’m most excited to read, to what I’m least excited to read. For each title, I’ll include the official solicitation, the talent credits, more of my randomness, and the Batman News team member that will be reviewing each book. Should you have trouble picking one cover, no worries! The poll is open so you can select as many covers as you’d like. Then, as always, you’ll find graphic novels scheduled for release this week, along with their cover as well (note: graphic novel covers will not be included in the poll for best cover). And of course, I (we) want to hear from you in the comments section! What titles are you picking up? What do you hope to see? And what are your thoughts about the order of my list? So, without further ado…
March 22nd
Detective Comics #953
“League Of Shadows” part four! Help arrives from a surprising—and unwanted—source…one of Batman’s greatest foes!
Art by Christian Duce Fernandez
Cover by Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows
Variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque
Written by James T Tynion IV
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m loving this book, so yeah… It’s at the top of my list.
Batman News Critic: Brian
Suicide Squad #14
“BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE” part four! Consumed by rage following the brutal murder of one of her Suicide Squad comrades, Harley Quinn goes AWOL on a one-(psychotic-)woman mission of vengeance against Rustam and his unstoppable new ally, the most dangerous foe Harley has ever faced: Deadshot.
Art by Danny Miki and John Romita, Jr.
Cover by Danny Miki and John Romita, Jr.
Variant cover by Lee Bermejo
Written by Rob Williams
Random Blurb of Excitement: Point blank, you’re missing out if you’re not reading Suicide Squad. Williams is crafting one of the best stories in comics at the moment!
Batman News Critic: Josh
Batman Beyond #6
“RISE OF THE DEMON” part one! A new world power that no one anticipated or recognizes is reengineering large swaths of the planet in the aftermath of Brother Eye’s destruction. Batman is drawn into this tale of global conquest after a violent visit from his old foe, Curaré. His only chance of success hinges on an old friend joining him in the fight that looms ahead.
Art by Bernard Chang
Cover by Bernard Chang
Variant cover by Martin Ansin
Written by Dan Jurgens
Random Blurb of Excitement: Now that we are finally back to the status quo, I’m excited to see where Jurgens and Chang take Batman Beyond. The arrival of Curare, the League, and the reveal of last month’s issue already make for one hell of a story!
Batman News Critic: Josh
Teen Titans #6
“THE RISE OF Aqualad” part one! New story! New city! New member? As the team adjusts to their new lives at Titans Tower, Damian investigates a series of strange disappearances in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Jackson Hyde heads west to fulfill his destiny…and finds himself in the crosshairs of the Teen Titans!
Art by Wade Von Grawbadger and Khoi Pham
Cover by Khoi Pham
Variant cover by Chris Burnham
Written by Benjamin Percy
Random Blurb of Excitement: Aqua Lad was one of my favorite characters on Young Justice, so I’m super excited to see him debut here in Teen Titans. He’ll be a welcomed addition to an already strong roster.
Batman News Critic: Brian
Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77 #3
Among the world’s greatest secrets is the location of Paradise Island, mythic home of the legendary Amazon warrior women where no man may visit! But what about a BATman? In 1966, the search for Ra’s al Ghul’s trail heats up, and the Caped Crusaders fly to warn Wonder Woman that her hidden home is the villain’s goal!
Art by Karl Kesel and David Hahn
Cover by Mike Allred
Written by Marc Andreyko and Jeff Parker
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m a little surprised I’m not enjoying this more, but that’s not to say that it isn’t fun. I have confidence that the level of fun will increase throughout the remaining issues though.
Batman News Critic: Jay
Batgirl #19
“SON OF THE PENGUIN” part three! Meeting your boyfriend’s parents is always stressful. But when by “parents” you mean “the Penguin” and by “meeting” you mean “punching in the face”…well then, you must be Batgirl! Babs gets to the bottom of Penguin’s involvement in Burnside and decides once and for all if Ethan is a hero or a villain.
Art by Christian Wildgoose
Cover by Christian Wildgoose
Variant cover by Francis Manapul
Written by Hope Larson
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’ve enjoyed Batgirl quite a bit since Rebirth, however I was hoping this arc would be a little less predictable. That’s not to say that “Son of the Penguin” isn’t good, it’s just that the story would have been more interesting if Ethan weren’t diabolical…
Batman News Critic: Elena
Mother Panic #5
While hunting a new target, Mother Panic may have found her first ally in the strange and enigmatic Pretty. But nothing involving Gather House is ever what it appears to be. Can Pretty really be trusted? And what exactly is going on in Violet Paige’s basement?
Art by Shawn Crystal
Cover by Tommy Lee Edwards
Variant cover by Michael Cho
Written by Jody Houser
Random Blurb of Excitement: At the moment, I’m not excited to read Mother Panic. If Houser can focus the narrative then that might change, but it’s going to take time for me to actually trust her direction.
Batman News Critic: Josh
Notes:
- Additional DC releases this week: Action Comics #976, Blue Beetle #7, Deathstroke #15, Doom Patrol #5, Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps #17, The Flash #19, The Hellblazer #8, and Wonder Woman #19.
- Harley’s Little Black Book #6 has been rescheduled for October 24th November 30th December 28th January 25th March 8th March 29th
Cover of the Week:
Now, with all of this week’s releases listed above, it’s time for you to sound off! What’s the best cover that is being released this week? If you’re like me, and can’t decide on just one, then you can select multiple if you would like. Vote using the poll below, and we’ll announce the winner next week.
Last week’s results can be found in the spoiler tag.
Best cover of March 15, 2017 is Batman #19 by Danny Miki and David Finch with 30% of the votes.
- Trinity #7 by Clay Mann (17%)
- Batwoman #1 by Steve Epting (16%)
- Super Sons #2 by Jorge Jimenez (15%)
- All Star Batman #8 by Giuseppe Camuncoli (9%)
- Nightwing #17 by Javier Fernandez (6%)
- Harley Quinn #16 by Amanda Conner (3%)
- Justice League #17 by Matt Ryan and Fernando Pasarin (3%)
- Injustice: Ground Zero #8 by Renato Guedes (1%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batgirl Vol. 1: Beyond Burnside – Spinning out of DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH comes the newest adventures of Batgirl in BATGIRL VOL. 1: BEYOND BURNSIDE!
Barbara Gordon’s heart belongs to Burnside, the ultra-hip Gotham City neighborhood. But some threats are bigger than Burnside. And when those threats come calling, Batgirl will answer!
When Babs plans a trip to train with the greatest fighters in the Far East, she has no idea her vigilante life will follow her. Lethal warriors are out to take her down, each bearing the mysterious mark of “The Student.” And where there are Students, there must also be…a Teacher.
Batgirl’s quest to track down her enemies’ master will take her from Okinawa to Singapore to Seoul to Shanghai. Along the way, she’ll enhance her martial arts skills, and meet legendary heroes.
New York Times best-selling creators Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time) and Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) take one of Gotham’s greatest heroes on a whirlwind world tour in BATGIRL VOL. 1: BEYOND BURNSIDE. Collects BATGIRL #1-6.
Batman by Brian K. Vaughan – In these tales by superstar writer Brian K. Vaughan, Bruce Wayne adopts the guise of Matches Malone to infiltrate the Gotham underworld. But when Matches is seemingly shot, it’s up to Batman to determine what really happened…and discover how Scarface is involved! Plus, Batman takes on the Mad Hatter, and Wonder Woman and Donna Troy square off against Clayface! Collects BATMAN #588-590, DETECTIVE COMICS #787, WONDER WOMAN #160-161 and BATMAN: GOTHAM CITY SECRET FILES #1!
Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Vol. 1 Omnibus – In these adventures from the early 1970s, classic members of the League including Superman, Batman, the Flash, Green Arrow, the Atom and Black Canary face a Thanagarian invasion and encounter fellow super-teams the Justice Society of America, the Seven Soldiers of Victory and the Freedom Fighters! Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #77-113.
