Welcome back! I hope everyone in the U.S. had a happy and safe 4th! Mine was full of sun, BBQ, and ice cream! I’m sure you noticed, but we have a new “Upcoming Comics” logo! Now, I know we all love the former image (Every time I see it, I’m convinced that it was a cartoonish portrayal of what Andrew does every Wednesday: skip around in a Batman costume yelling “Yay!” and “Yippee!” while throwing comic books), but we really wanted to showcase that there were changes here at Batman-News.com. The new image has a little more mood than the previous image, but it still showcases a little camp, and a touch of satire. It was sketched rather quickly by a friend of mine named Gershom (you can find more information about him at the bottom), and then I played with “inks.” Yes, I’m adding that to my resume, but I will not seek out any jobs doing this. To be frank, Photoshop and I are not friends. I did gain a lot of respect for artists during this time, and I had fun making this. I had so much fun, in fact, that I created a meme that you can find on my Twitter page!
But for now, let’s get to why you’re really here! We have a set of new comics hitting stands this week! As a reminder, the Anticipation Scale is gone, but I will list the books 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 covering each book. And of course, I (we) want to hear from you! Which titles are you picking up? What do you hope to see? And what are your thoughts about the order of my list? Also, if you feel like sounding off on the new image, Gershom’s work (featured below), or the fact the he whipped this together for me with a busy schedule and two little ones (kids), go ahead!
July 9th
Batman: Eternal #14 As the Gang War reaches a bloody climax, Batman and Jason Bard must bear witness to the horrifying last stand of The Penguin! Plus, Jim Gordon makes a terrible decision that will shape the rest of his life.
Art by: Jason Fabok
Cover by: Dustin Nguyen
Written by: Tim Seeley, John Layman, Ray Fawkes, James T Tynion IV, Scott Snyder
Random Blurb of Excitement: It should honestly be a three-way tie for the number one spot this week! The only reason I have Eternal at the top of my list is because the last two issues have really been on point, and as a weekly series, it just seems to carry a little more momentum. Oh, and then you have THAT COVER! I want a poster, and I want it on my wall!
Batman News Critic: Brandon Mulholand
Detective Comics #33 In “Icarus” part four, Batman must contend with a gang war between The Squid and the Kings of the Sun before it consumes all of Gotham City! But can even the World’s Greatest Detective defuse a blood feud that’s about to go nuclear?
Art by: Francis Manapul
Cover by: Francis Manapul
Variant cover by: Tony Moore
Written by: Brian Buccellato, Francis Manapul
Random Blurb of Excitement: If you didn’t read Brandon’s first review that he covered for this, then you should! He made a really good point that this book could be DC’s premiere Batman book, and I completely agree! This new creative team has been stellar, and I can’t wait to sit down and read this first arc as a whole. If you’re not reading this, then I’m concerned.
Batman News Critic: Bandon Mulholand
Grayson #1 Dick Grayson. Former sidekick. Former Super Hero. Former dead man. And now…agent of Spyral?!
A thrilling new chapter of Dick Grayson’s life begins in this new, ongoing series. It’s a super-spy thriller that will shock you and prove one thing: You might think you know Nightwing – but you don’t know Dick.
Art by: Mikel Janin
Cover by: Andrew Robinson
Variant cover by: Phil Jimenez
Written by: Tim Seeley
Random Blurb of Excitement: Woo hoo!!! I’ve been waiting for this! I know some of you are upset with this transition, but I love Dick Grayson. Trust me, I’m upset Nightwing is gone, but I’m excited to at least have this! And… HELENA BERTINELLI!!! $&#% yeah!!! I can’t wait to see where this book takes us!
Batman News Critic: Jesse Kennedy
Injustice: Year Two #7 Black Canary faces off against Harley Quinn once again. Oracle begins receiving information from someone inside of Superman’s regime. Is it for real, or a trap? Then Guy Gardner travels to Oa to find out what the Guardians are planning for their next move. Sinestro is somehow blocking them from seeing Earth, but they are still moving ahead and marshaling their forces.
Art by: Various, Bruno Redondo
Cover by: Stephane Roux
Written by: Tom Taylor
Random Blurb of Excitement: It’s the same thing as before, anything can happen at any moment! I love the thrill of that!!!
Batman News Critic: Elena Carrillo
Batgirl #33 The deadline for all criminals to leave the area is fast approaching, and anyone left will be killed on sight! Knightfall lays down the law – but Batgirl has a plan of her own!
Art by: Jonathan Glapion, Fernando Pasarin
Cover by: Alex Garner
Written by: Gail Simone
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m just “meh” with Batgirl right now. I expect more from Simone, and hope she can pull it together. The book just seems to have lost its footing recently. That being said, I’m semi excited to see Batgirl, Canary, and Huntress together, even if it is a ploy to get our money. Let’s face it, there’s no other reason for Huntress to show up, but if I can have someone write her other than Paul Levitz, then I’ll consider that a win!
Batman News Critic: Elena Carrillo
New Suicide Squad #1 The world has changed for Task Force X, a.k.a. the Suicide Squad. Director Amanda Waller no longer has the autonomy she once had. New members disrupt the team dynamic. And the team takes on an international scope. New members Joker’s Daughter, Deathstroke, and Black Manta join Harley Quinn and Deadshot for a mission in the most dangerous and unpredictable place in the world: Vladimir Putin’s Russia!
Art by: Jeremy Roberts
Cover by: Jeremy Roberts
Variant cover by: Joe Prado, Ivan Reis
Written by: Sean Ryan
Random Blurb of Excitement: I avoided the preview of this (I prefer to just sit down and read the book), so I’m not sure if there was anything in it to spark people’s interest or not. I was disappointed with Suicide Squad #30 to set-up this book, so that alone is why this book is so low. With the way Batgirl is going though, this book could easily pull ahead if it’s done well. I’m crossing my fingers!
Batman News Critic: Josh McDonald
The New 52: Futures End #10 A deep-space distress call gives new hope to Frankenstein and the S.H.A.D.E. team. And what makes Lois Lane question the masked Superman’s true identity?
Art by: Art Thibert, Aaron Lopresti
Cover by: Ryan Sook
Written by: Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello
Random Blurb of Excitement: My interest has picked up a little in this title after last week’s issue. I really got the feeling that the foundation has been set, and that all of the different plots are ready for take-off. If the book continues to move forward at the pace of issue 9, then it will definitely start climbing up my list!
Batman News Critic: Jesse Kennedy
Birds of Prey #33 Its here! Black Canary vs. Amanda Waller! Will the former Team 7 teammates find salvation together – or destruction?
Art by: Robson Rocha
Cover by: Jorge Molina
Written by: Christy Marx
Random Blurb of Excitement: As we all know, this book will be coming to a close soon. I’m curious to see how Marx finishes out her run, but the book has been so unfocused that I can’t say I’m excited about it. Also, I can’t really imagine any conversation between Canary and Waller being done that well.
Batman News Critic: Josh McDonald
World’s Finest #25 Power Girl and Huntress return to the ruins of Earth 2, but they question whether their trip was worth the effort as they discover the state of their former home and friends.
Art by: Tyler Kirkham
Cover by: Barry Kitson
Written by: Paul Levitz
Random Blurb of Excitement: The only excitement I have towards this book, is that Huntress and Powergirl are joining Earth 2! (AKA: They’ll soon have another team writing them!!!) In short, this book has been nothing but wasted potential.
Batman Review Critic: Sean Buckley
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman – Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (New Edition/ Softcover ) – Indicted for killing Vesper Fairchild, Bruce Wayne is sent to prison…only to escape, launching a citywide manhunt. This new, single-volume edition includes BATMAN #603-607, DETECTIVE COMICS #768-775, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #29-32 and BATGIRL #29 and 33.
Justice League of America Vol. 1: Worlds Most Dangerous (Softcover) – Green Lantern! Green Arrow! Catwoman! Katana! Vibe! Hawkman! Stargirl! They aren’t the world’s greatest Super Heroes—they’re the most dangerous! But why does a team like the JLA need to exist? What is their ultimate mission? And who is pulling the strings? Find out in this collection of the first five issues of the new series as the team takes on the Secret Society of Super-Villains!
Nightwing Vol. 4: Second City (Hardcover) – After The Joker’s attack on the Bat-family, Nightwing finds himself in a new city with an unlikely ally, The Prankster. Together they are hunted by the mysterious Mask Killer while Dick tries to find the man who killed his parents, Tony Zullo. Collects NIGHTWING #19-24.
Talon Vol. 2: Fall of the Owls (Softcover) – In this volume collecting TALON #8-17 and BIRDS OF PREY #21, Calvin Rose must sneak into Bane’s personal island fortress of Santa Prisca to capture scientist Sebastian Clark and uncover the truth about Bane’s ongoing experiments on the island.
Gershom Reese Wetzel (Artist and Author) – When I took over this gig, I reached out to my friend Gershom, and asked him if he’d do me a favor by throwing a quick sketch together. I didn’t really give him any direction other than “Batman. Something fun. Relate it to comics or reading. But keep in mind that it’s Batman.” He quickly pulled the image together, and after I tampered (ruined) his artwork, we came to the final product. I’m incredibly gracious to him for doing this for me. He’s an amazing artist, that continues to grow and improve his craft each year, and was the perfect person for me to reach out to. He also recently added author to his “Things that make me cool” list by releasing his first novel Teres – which he also did the cover art for.
Born in Italy and raised in Texas, Gershom resides in the DFW area with his wife and sons. He describes his approach to creativity as, “two worlds: the one we wake up to, and the one that rides around inside us as we go about in the former… making the two worlds play nice isn’t something I’ve quite got the hang of yet. It’s war inside. But I suppose that’s where the stories are born.”In early 2013, he co-founded Aoristos, which is Greek for “Without Limits.”
For more information on Gershom and his projects, please visit www.aoristos.com
