I’m at least a little excited for every bat-title coming out this week (except for Teen Titans and Catwoman, which are so bad that I pretend they don’t exist). This Wednesday marks the end of Batman Incorporated, Trinity War concludes, and then we have a little Bane, Clayface, and Injustice goodness to look forward to after that. A pretty impressive week overall.
Here are the review comics coming out this week, August 28th, 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!
Upcoming Comics: August 28th
BATMAN, INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1
Written by CHRIS BURNHAM, JOE KEATINGE, DAN DIDIO and others
Art by CHRIS BURNHAM, ETHAN VAN SCIVER, JASON MASTERS and others
Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
1:25 Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
On sale AUGUST 28 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Anticipation Level: Interested
And so ends Batman Incorporated. If you loved all the campy, colorful characters that popped up over the course of Grant Morrison’s run then you’ll want to pick up this over-sized issue starring the likes of Man-of-Bats, Red Raven, El Gaucho, Dark Ranger, Knight, and Bat-Cow! Morrison himself didn’t contribute to this book but there is a pretty talented cast contributing to this unique anthology collection. While the solicits say that this picks up where Batman, Inc. #13 left off I interviewed Chris Burnham at Comic-Con and he basically said that the book stands on its own.
TALON #11
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art and cover by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Anticipation Level: Interested
Casey Washington seeks Batman’s aid as Talon confronts Bane and his army on Santa Prisca. If that’s not a bad ass synopsis for a bat-title then I don’t k now what is. This series is fantastic, but it’s had some shaky art over the past 3 issues or so. Let’s hope the illustrations return to a level of consistency and the story stays just as strong as ever.
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #23
Written by GREGG HURWITZ
Art and cover by ALEX MALEEV
1:25 B&W Variant cover by ALEX MALEEV
On sale AUGUST 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Anticipation Level: Interested
Last month’s issue was great. It featured terrific artwork by Alex Maleev and a really strong portrayal of Jim Gordon. But now that we’ll probably dive a little deeper into Clayface’s origins I can’t help but be a little nervous that writer Gregg Hurwitz will plunge too far back and tell us another story of childhood trauma and I’m just not interested in that. And then the solicits also state that this issue will feature a “murder spree” and that “Mad Hatter emerges as an unlikely ally” so I’m not really sure what to expect from this one.
INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US #8
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by JHEREMY RAAPACK, MIKE S. MILLER and TOM DERENICK
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
On sale AUGUST 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Anticipation Level: Interested
Plain and simple: this comic has a more impressive story than the video game and you should read it whether you played the game or not. Sure, the art has had its hiccups but this tale of an alternate universe where Superman and Lex Luthor are best friends and Metropolis is leveled by an atom bomb is always full of surprises. Look for Martian Manhunter to reveal himself soon as a key player in Batman’s rebellion (that’s my guess anyway).
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
1:25 Variant cover by MIKAL JANIN
1:00 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE
On sale AUGUST 28 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Anticipation Level: Interested
Trinity War ends. Can’t really say much else about that without spoiling things, but seeing as how not much has happened in the past 4 chapters of this saga I expect big things from the conclusion.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #3
Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by JAE LEE
1:25 Variant cover by PATRICK GLEASON
1:100 B&W Variant by JAE LEE
On sale AUGUST 26 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Anticipation Level: Interested
I forgot to add this one to the list at first! I always overlook Batman/Superman because its release date has yet to be correct on the list of solicitations. But don’t worry, I’ll always review Batman/Superman and any other bat-title in which Batman is actually a headliner. It’s the sidekicks and other supporting character comics that could get cut when I lose interest! As for Batman/Superman #3, wow. Issue #2 ended with a helluva bang when the Earth 2 Wonder Woman showed up on a Pegasus and drove a spear through the heart of a possessed Lois Lane and with this issue’s cover proudly displaying Darkseid Greg Pak and Jae Lee definitely have my attention.
Graphic Novel Watch!
Talon Vol.1: Scourge of the Owls, I’m excited to get the word out about this one. I’m enjoying this series quite a bit and I think there are a lot of people who have been trade-waiting it. Volume 1 collects issues #0-7, is 192 pages long, and is available in softcover for $16.99 this Wednesday.
If you have a wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket then you might be interested in ABSOLUTE Superman/Batman, Vol. 1 which collects issues #1-13 of Jeph Loeb’s run in ultra-large ABSOLUTE format. This book is 336 pages long and is on sale for $99.99! And no, I won’t be reviewing it because I would only spend $99.99 on a comic if it was a really nice-looking issue from the Golden Age or maybe something significant from the Silver Age.
