Batman gets his first annual issue of the New 52, three new Beyond tales are collected together for the price of a single comic, and a new original graphic novel places Batman in the 1930s.
Here’s a list of all the Batman comics coming out this week, May 30th, graded on a scale of my own anticipation.
None. – I’ll get to it…eventually – Eh…meh. – Bring it. – TAKE MY MONEY
Scroll to the bottom of the page and post in the comments section what books you’re most looking forward to this week!
May 30th
Batman Annual #1
Written by Scott Snyder & James T. Tynion IV
Art by Jason Fabok
48 pages
$4.99
Good writers, good artist, and a necessary chapter in the Night of the Owls saga that has dominated almost all Batman titles this month. It should be a good issue, especially since Mr. Freeze will be the main focus as opposed to yet another Talon with a sad life story who is cut down in about 8 pages, but it feels rather over-priced in a world where you can buy a 300-500 page paperback novel for around $10.00 or rent a 2 and half hour long film for only $1.00.
Anticipation Level: Bring it.
Batman Beyond Unlimited #4
Written by JT Krul, Adam Beechen, Dustin Nguyen, & Derek Fridolfs
Art by Howard Porter, Norm Breyfogle & Dustin Nguyen
48 pages
$3.99
It’s just as big as the Batman Annual, but it’s a dollar cheaper and you’re getting 3 stories instead of 1! I don’t know how any fan of Superman could skip “Superman Beyond”, in this issue we’re likely to find out what exactly happened to Lex in the Beyond universe. “Batman Beyond”, however has been pretty disappointing, and in this issue Batman has to decide if he will stop an exchange between Mad Stan and the Russians or confront his girlfriend’s Jokerz thug of a brother. And in “Justice League Beyond” the team heads to New Genesis. There’s so much content here that if you only had one comic to buy this week, this one would easily give you the most bang for your buck.
Anticipation Level: Bring it.
Batman: Death by Design
Written by Chip Kidd
Art by Dave Taylor
112 pages
$24.99
Light on story, but rich in details, “Death by Design” is a love letter to 1930s architecture and an homage to the simpler storytelling of comic book’s golden age. I received a review copy of this book a couple of weeks ago so I can’t really give an anticipation score for something I’ve already read and I also can’t post my review of it until the day of it’s release. So I’ll just give a brief synopsis: Batman is trying to solve the mystery behind a recent crane collapse and the bizarre appearances of a masked vigilante named Exacto who materializes out of thin air to criticize architectural faults. Three years in the making, “Batman: Death by Design” is the first original graphic novel by famed graphic designer and Batman historian Chip Kidd and it’s presented entirely in pencil by “2000AD” artist Dave Taylor. Check out my interview with Chip Kidd here!
