As you may know, I’m not reviewing as many comics this month as I usually do. I’m trying to catch up on a big stack of graphic novels. There was a poll taken last week that decided the comics I will be reviewing and I think folks had quite a bit of fun with that. If you would like to see more polls on the site, say so. Here are the books that will be getting reviews this month:
- Nightwing #20
- Detective Comics #20
- Batman #20
- Batman & Red Hood #20
- Batgirl #20 (this usually comes out on the 2nd week of the month, but #20 won’t go on sale until the May, 15th)
- Justice League #20
- Red Hood & The Outlaws #20
- Batman: The Dark Knight #20
- Batman Inc. #11
- Talon #8
- Red Hood & The Outlaws Annual #1
- Earth 2 Annual #1
- Batman: The Dark Knight Annual #1
- Catwoman Annual #1
Jesus, that’s still way too many comics. Anyway, that’s what’s on the agenda. So this week we have 2 Bat-titles getting reviews and 3 Bat-titles NOT getting reviews. Suicide Squad gets a new creative team and an expanded cast of characters, The Justice League of America confront the Secret Society of Supervillains, and in Arkham Unhinged #14, we flashback to Batman and Talia’s better days.
Now here are the comics coming out this week, May 8th, graded on a scale of my own anticipation.
Hell no! – I’d rather not – Ambivalent – Interested – 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 8th
BATMAN #20
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Backup story written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI
Backup story art by ALEX MALEEV
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
Variant cover by JOCK
1:100 B&W Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
On sale MAY 8 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Anticipation Level: Interested
The 2nd half of a 2 part story about Clayface going through a dangerous, new transformation. The first half was pretty entertaining and I’m happy to have such a short arc for a change. This will also be the last time we see Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo work on a current Batman story for 11 months so cherish it. For the next year, the Batman title will be the series known as “The one with Batman in his early days.” as we head into ZERO YEAR, which I will undoubtedly misspell as YEAR ZERO just like I often wrote “Death in the Family” instead of “Death of the Family.” I really wish the titles of the mega arcs weren’t so derivative of Batman classics. As for the backup story, it’s the 2nd half of the Batman/Superman team up where the World’s Finest (I refuse to call Power Girl and Huntress the World’s Finest. They’re just not. It’s a quality duo, but the finest that the world has to offer? Let’s not kid ourselves.) confront a demon/ghost/will-o-the-wisp…thing.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #20
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
On sale MAY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Anticipation Level: TAKE MY MONEY
Batman and Robin is THE comic to read right now. This creative team is on a hot streak and the themed issues based on the stages of grief guest starring each member of the bat-family is making for a really interesting concept (even if Tim Drake was way underused in issue #19). This month, Batman is working his way through anger with the help of none other than The Red Hood, Jason Todd.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH!
The first volume of the New 52 Batman, Inc. goes on sale in hardcover. This book only collects issues #0-6 so those who have been trade waiting on this series will be getting cut-off right when the story is getting really exciting. And as for the issue that got all the headlines a few months back? You’ll have to wait for Volume 2 to be released to see what happens there.
A softcover edition of Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor’s Batman: Death by Design will be going on sale as well. I already reviewed this when it came out in hardcover and you can read that by clicking HERE.
