Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! It’s a fifth Tuesday of the month, which means it’s all annuals and specials this week. Since we’re light on content, I’m going to take this as one last opportunity to plug my Morrison Batman series. It’s been a lot of work researching and writing all these up, but it’s also been a lot of fun. I hope that you’ve all been enjoying me talking at length about one of my all-time favorite comics. Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 are already out, and the 5th and final part comes out on Monday.
Upcoming Comics
Absolute Power 2024 FCBD Special Edition #1
The prelude to the biggest DC Comics event of 2024 is here! It’s a story 30 years in the making… and in this special Free Comic Book Day tale, the final domino to fall in an epic scheme comes tumbling down, and the DC Universe will never be the same. More details coming soon!
- Written By: Mark Waid
- Penciled By: Various
- Inks By: Mikel Janin
- Colors By: Trish Mulvihill
- Cover By: Dan Mora
Thoughts: It’s time to finally put the rubber to the road and see what this event is all about. At the very least I can promise you’ll get your money’s worth for this issue.
Batman News Critic: William
Nightwing 2024 Annual #1
The secret origins of Bea Bennett! During Nightwing’s recent pirate adventure, we learned that Bea Bennett, Dick/Ric’s ex-girlfriend, is a pirate queen whose father, the Quartermaster, left her an entire pirate society! But what about her life before she became a pirate? Before she met Ric Grayson? Just what, and more importantly, who led her to where she is today. A backstory like no other with tales of betrayal, love, and independence.
- Written By: Travis Moore
- Art By: Travis Moore
- Cover By: Travis Moore, Tamra Bonvillain
Thoughts: Bringing up the whole pirate thing is still frustrating for me because that all felt like such a wasted opportunity
Batman News Critic: Aaron
DC’s Spring Breakout! #1
Spring has sprung! Flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing, Harley is breaking King Shark out of Belle Reve prison…all is right in the DCU as both heroes and villains face all sorts of different spring breaks. Breaking out of a coffin? Lex Luthor has that covered. Spring break training? Send in Superman! Breaking out of your shell? Batman and Mr. Freeze explore that possibility through a connection in their shared past. Breaking down a worthy adversary? Katana and her sword of souls might just be able to tackle that. And it wouldn’t be a spring break without a Teen Titans beach trip! All these and more in DC’s Spring Breakout!—eight breakout stories to put a spring in your step (is there a zit breakout story? You’ll have to read to find out!)
- Written By: Meghan Fitzmartin, Cameron Chittock, Mike Barr, Joey Esposito, Thomas Krajewski, Morgan Hampton, James Reid, Patrick Young
- Penciled By: Gavin Guidry, Marco Santucci, Nico Bascunan, Wesley St. Claire, Paul Pelletier, Kenya Danino, Scott Kolins, Vasco Georgiev
- Inks By: Gavin Guidry, Marco Santucci, Nico Bascunan, Wesley St. Claire, Norm Rapmund, Kenya Danino, Vasco Georgiev, Scott Kolins
- Colors By: Nico Bascunan, Vasco Georgiev, Emilio Lopez, Ivan Plascencia, Rico Renzi, Arif Prianto, John Kalisz, Eren Angiolini
- Cover By: John Timms
Thoughts: These sorts of seasonal specials are always a good way to show off new talent, so hopefully we can find some gems.
Batman News Critic: Joint Effort
Harley Quinn 2024 Annual #1
Toot toot! Ladies and germs, don’t you just hate it when you bust your butt left and right with no reward? Whether you’re devoted to a life of heroism, villainy, or regular-person-ism—everyone needs a break. Which is where the HARLEY QUINN 2024 ANNUAL comes in! 40 pages of luxurious luxury cruise-based comedy guaranteed to leave you feeling rested, relaxed, and READY TO FRICKING SOLVE A MARITIME MURDER MYSTERY. When Zatanna gets framed for a mystery on a cruise ship, ol’ Shamluck Harley is on the case!
- Written By: Erica Henderson
- Penciled By: Erica Henderson
- Inks By: Erica Henderson
- Colors By: Erica Henderson
- Cover By: Erica Henderson
Thoughts: I may be cynical about the current direction of Harley Quinn, but “maritime murder mystery” does a lot of work to pique my interest
Batman News Critic: Jack
Barkham Asylum 2024 FCBD Special Edition #1
When the Super-Villains of Gotham get thrown into Arkham Asylum, their henchpets go to the maximum-security pound known as Barkham Asylum. Fur flies when Jester, The Joker’s dog, gets a tough-talking stray cat named Penny tossed into lockup with him. But they’ll have to work together to figure out what the evil Dr. Hugo Mange is up to. And the only way to stop this terrifying team-up is to win the talent show and get visitation with their masters at Arkham on the hill. Because The Joker is sure to help! What could go wrong with that plan? This Free Comic Book Day Special Edition includes a chapter of the new DC middle-grade graphic novel Barkham Asylum, created by writer and artist Yehudi Mercado. Don’t miss the mischievous pets of Gotham’s Super-Villains in an escape adventure!
- Written By: Yehudi Mercado
- Penciled By: Yehudi Mercado
- Inks By: Yehudi Mercado
- Colors By: Yehudi Mercado
- Cover By: Yehudi Mercado
Thoughts: “Batman villains, but animals” feels a bit lazy, but maybe it will be a cute kid’s book
Batman News Critic: None – Andru will cover the full graphic novel release in May
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat, where we take a quick look at the rest of DC’s comics coming out this week.
Graphic Novel Watch
Sometimes you need more than floppies. Sometimes you want something that can sit nicely on your shelf that proudly displays your favorite stories. That’s when you turn to graphic novels. Let’s see what bat collections are coming out this week:
Ratings
Most Excited: Absolute Power 2024 FCBD Special Edition #1– Maybe “excited” isn’t the right word, but I’m certainly curious. Plus, hey, it’s free.
Least Excited: Barkham Asylum 2024 FCBD Special Edition #1– This premise just really doesn’t do anything for me. It feels like one of those cartoon shows that last last a season and are then forgotten.
Wild Card: DC’s Spring Breakout! #1– Like I said, these sorts of collections are the epitome of “you never know what you’re going to get”. It’s good for DC to use them to take chances with new writers and artists.
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
