This was originally going to be a really light week, but due to delays, we’re a little more rounded out with the number of titles we’ll be covering. It’s the fifth Wednesday of the month, so a couple of annuals will be released. Other than that, it’s mostly DC/ Hanna Barbera crossovers… I’ll let you decide if you’re excited 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 29th
Batgirl Annual #1
Batgirl and Supergirl must team up to break into Arkham Asylum! In this all-new Rebirth annual Batgirl must seek Supergirl’s help to solve a mystery that leads them to the heart of the most insane insane asylum there is! But what they discover—and who they discover—in Arkham will lead to a much, much bigger story!
Written by Vita Ayala and Hope Larson
Pencils and Inks by Eleonora Carlini and Inaki Miranda
Colored by Eva de la Cruz and Mat Lopes
Cover by Bengal
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m sure this will set up their future arc together, so I’m pretty excited to see what takes place! I’m definitely down for a Babs/ Kara team-up!
Batman News Critic: Elena
Titans Annual #1
When Dick, Wally, Donna and Garth awaken in an unfamiliar place, they find themselves face-to-face with their mentors: Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman and Aquaman! Allied together against a common foe, the mentors and protégés must race against the clock to unlock the secret of their current predicament and save the planet from an alien invasion!
Written by Dan Abnett
Pencils and Inks by Minkyu Jung
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Cover by Brett Booth, Andrew Dalhouse, and Norm Rapmund
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m sure this is decent, but I’m so sick of seeing “alien invasion” pop up in solicitations…
Batman News Critic: Josh
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #8
Baal’s Kryptonian army has invaded Themyscira. Wonder Woman and the Amazons will show them why that was a deadly mistake.
Written by Brian Azzarello and Frank Miller
Pencils by Andy Kubert and Frank Miller
Inks by Klaus Janson
Colored by Brad Anderson and Alex Sinclair
Covers by Brad Anderson, Klaus Janson, Andy Kubert, Frank Miller, and Alex Sinclair
Random Blurb of Excitement: Uh… Someone remind me… What’s happening in this book again? I mean, I know I’m enjoying it, but all this time between each issue (on top of the multiple issues I’m reading) makes it hard to remember the details. Sometimes I don’t think it would be a bad idea to completely write a book/ story in advance, then release it (monthly, weekly, as a graphic novel… whatever).
Batman News Critic: Jay
Harley’s Little Black Book #6
Lobo’s back! The Main Man and Harley Quinn have a lot in common-motorcycles and mayhem, for starters-so it’s long past time they found each other! This could be the start of a fraggin’ beautiful friendship…or they could destroy the planet. Or both! It can be two things!
Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Pencils and Inks by Simon Bisley
Cover by Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, and Alex Sinclair
Random Blurb of Excitement: Harley and Lobo could be a lot of fun. The delays have been insane – which naturally worries me – but these two are both crazy.
Batman News Critic: Elena
Suicide Squad/ Banana Splits Special #1
“SUICIDE SPLITS”! Mistaken for metahumans, thrown in the bowels of Belle Reve, the animal rock band Banana Splits are recruited by Amanda Waller for a secret mission: to save the Suicide Squad! What follows is the weirdest team-up you never thought you’d see! How can Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper and Snorky stand up to Harley, Deadshot, Katana and Croc?
And in the backup feature, Snagglepuss is a Southern gothic playwright working with an ensemble cast of cultural figures, exploring an intensely creative time in the New York City theater scene of the 1950s.
Written by Tony Bedard and Mark Russell
Pencils by Ben Caldwell and Howard Porter
Inks by Mark Morales and Howard Porter
Colored by Steve Buccellato and Jeremy Lawson
Cover by Ben Caldwell
Random Blurb of Excitement: Sure. Why not? This could be a fun break from the usual.
Batman News Critic: Josh
Justice League of America #3
“THE EXTREMISTS” part three! The Extremists now control a nation, and within its borders, all is ordered and protected—all but free will. But how do seven people, even the JLA, fight an entire country? And even if they could, no one can truly prepare for the catastrophic design Dreamslayer has in store for reality itself.
Written by Steve Orlando
Pencils by Diogenes Neves
Inks by Marc Deering and Ruy Jose
Colored by Hi-Fi
Cover by Marcelo Maiolo, Joe Prado, and Ivan Reis
Random Blurb of Excitement: After issue 2, I’m definitely not looking forward to Justice League of America. There’s a chance it could course correct itself, but I’m not expecting much.
Batman News Critic: Josh
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 22, 2017 is Teen Titans #6 by Khoi Pham with 23% of the votes.
- Detective Comics #953 by Eber Ferreira, Eddy Barrows (20%)
- Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77 by Mike Allred (13%)
- Batgirl #19 by Christian Wildgoose (13%)
- Suicide Squad #14 by Danny Miki and John Romita, Jr. (13%)
- Batman Beyond #6 by Bernard Chang (10%)
- Mother Panic #5 by Tommy Lee Edwards (8%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman: Ego & Other Tails Deluxe Edition – The volume collecting Darwyn Cooke’s greatest Batman stories is now available as a Deluxe Edition hardcover! Includes the complete epics BATMAN: EGO and CATWOMAN: SELINA’S BIG SCORE, plus tales from BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #23 and 33, stories from SOLO #1 and 5 and more.
