Work has been insanely busy lately, and instead of wrapping up some work over the weekend, I decided to have some “me” time. So, to try and relax, I started my Saturday by driving out to Malibu to spend some time on the beach and grab lunch, came back into the city to catch up with a friend over a beer, and ended it with a movie… I then started pulling this article together, but wasn’t sure what to write about in my intro. As my mind wandered, I started wondering who from Gotham I’d like to do each of these things with… And that’s what I’d like to know from you. Who from Gotham would you like to go to the beach with, grab a beer with, and see a movie with? My picks are: 1. Beach – Harley (if you read the issue of Harley Quinn where she and Ivy went to the beach, then you know she’d be a riot!). 2. Beer – Dick Grayson (I mean, come on! Who wouldn’t want to have a beer with Dick and just chill?). 3. Movie – Tim (I love to be analytical with films, and I feel like Tim would be the same way.)
Anyway, this week’s releases are listed 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. After that, you’ll find a poll for this week’s best cover! Should you have trouble picking one cover, no worries! The poll is open so you can select as many covers as you’d like. Then, as always, you’ll find graphic novels scheduled for release this week, along with their cover as well thanks to some requests (note: graphic novel covers will not be included in the poll for best cover). And of course, I (we) want to hear from you in the comments section! What titles are you picking up? What do you hope to see? And what are your thoughts about the order of my list? So, without further ado…
March 11th
Detective Comics: Endgame #1
The city is overrun by Jokerized victims, but a small band of teenagers unites to take a stand. Their secret knowledge of Gotham City’s streets helps them survive, but will Batman take help from this young group of upstarts? And what could it mean for the future of the young heroes in Gotham City?
Written by Brian Buccellato
Pencils and Inks by Roge Antonio and Ronan Cliquet
Colored by Nick Filardi
Random Blurb of Excitement: Two times in a row, Buccellato has failed to deliver a good close to his ark. He’s a great writer, and I tend to enjoy his work, but what should be the highlight of each of his stories, ends up being the worst. He has an opportunity here to redeem himself, and I really hope he does so!
Batman News Critic: Brandon
Secret Six #3
Her name is Strix. What is her secret?!
Art by Ken Lashley
Cover by Dale Eaglesham
Variant cover by Garry Brown
Written by Gail Simone
Random Blurb of Excitement: The six are out of their underwater coffin, and you know they’re going to make it a point to find out who put them there. I’m still not completely certain why there were so many delays, but it looks like the team is back on track now. If I’m being honest though, I wish DC would’ve just been patient, and waited until June to launch this book. It would’ve let the creative team get far enough ahead that they could’ve really delivered some class work without tainting the title with delays.
Batman News Critic: Josh
Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three #11
It’s magic versus magic and hero versus hero as events race to their tragic conclusion! As powerful deities clash on the mystic plane, the tide turns for the Earthbound adversaries and the fury of Wonder Woman is unleashed. Allies will reunite and lives will be lost.
Written by Brian Buccellato
Pencils by Bruno Redondo
Cover by Mike S. Miller and Mohan Sivakami
Random Blurb of Excitement: This issue is essentially nonstop action, but its good action! Even though I miss Taylor, Buccellato is doing a solid job. The real test will be when Buccellato begins Year Four without the guard rails of Taylor… That will be the true test.
Batman News Critic: Elena
Batman: Arkham Knight #1
The Joker is dead. Arkham City is closed. As a new day begins, Bruce Wayne finds himself in devastating pain, recovering from his injuries and questioning whether his role as Batman is still necessary to the city’s survival. But as the sun rises in Gotham City, dangerous new threats emerge from the shadows…and the Arkham Knight is just beginning. Don’t miss this in-continuity prequel comic set prior to the events of the brand-new video game Batman: Arkham Knight!
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Viktor Bogdanovic
Inks by Art Thibert
Colored by Anthony John Rauch, Jr.
Cover by Dan Panosian
Random Blurb of Excitement: If you read books digitally, then chances are that you’ve already read this. I’m one of those people, and I found the debut of this book to be incredibly enjoyable! I feel like I should admit that I haven’t read any of the other Arkham books, so my opinion could be a little skewed. The review team had an e-mail chain going pertaining to this title, and it was all fairly positive!
Batman News Critic: Jay
Futures End #45
Discover the final fates of a slew of characters – the doomsayers, the warriors, the dysfunctional family from hell – as the status quo shifts and Mr. Terrific, Batman and The Atom realize they may have traded one tech-god-monster for another.
Written by Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen, Dan Jurgens, and Jeff Lemire
Pencils Jack Herbert and Stephen Thompson
Inks Vicente Cifuentes and Stephen Thompson
Colored by Hi-Fi
Cover by Ryan Sook
Random Blurb of Excitement: Hell has frozen over… I placed Futures End above Batman Eternal… Raise your hand if you thought that would ever happen… Anyway, this book has been picking up momentum, and I felt the need to jump back on board. I asked you guys where I should start, and was told issue 40. So this past week, I picked up everything between then and now, and I have to admit that I enjoyed nearly every page of it! If you haven’t been reading Futures End, but plan on reading Convergence, I’d advise that you pick up issues 40 on as well.
Batman News Critic: Jesse
Batman Eternal #49
This month in BATMAN ETERNAL: The epic Bat-story over a year in the making comes to a stunning end! Gotham City is in flames! Villains are running wild in the streets! Bat-tech has been corrupted! And the mastermind behind it all has put a knife in Batman’s ribs! How will the Dark Knight put an end to this nightmare…and how will it shape the face of Gotham City to come?
Written by Kyle Higgins, Scott Snyder, and James Tynion IV
Pencils and Inks by Fernando Blanco
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Cover by Cliff Chiang
Random Blurb of Excitement: We’re literally in the final month of Eternal, and after what essentially been filler stories for a month and a half, it would be nice if the creative team actually wrapped up their story. And if the team decides to introduce new plots, I’m going to give them one big finger… and I won’t be telling them that they’re number one!
Batman News Critic: Brandon
Earth 2: World’s End #23
Barda, her new Furies and Kalibak attack the world army as Earth-2 falls to Apokolips.
Written by Marguerite Bennett, Mike Johnson, and Daniel Wilson
Pencils by Jorge Jimenez, Eduardo Pansica, Robson Rocha
Inks by Dan Green, Jorge Jimenez, Guillermo Ortego
Colored by Blond
Cover by Hi-Fi and Robson Rocha
Random Blurb of Excitement: Earth 2 and Earth 2: World’s End are all over the place at the moment. Thankfully, it’s still action packed and entertaining. Unfortunately, this book has lost all of the heart that it once had, so I could care less about what happens.
Batman News Critic: Sean
Suicide Squad #8
It’s a bloody superhuman revolt – and Deadshot and Harley are at ground zero! Is the Suicide Squad done for?
Written by Sean Ryan
Pencils and Inks by Rob Hunter
Colored by Blond
Cover by Juan E. Ferreyra
Random Blurb of Excitement: Is the Suicide Squad done for? I wish…
Batman News Critic: Josh
Worlds’ Finest #32
The end of the Secret History! The death of Lois Lane! Oh yeah, and the invasion begins!
Written by Paul Levitz
Pencils and Inks by Jed Dougherty
Colored by Chris Sotomayor
Cover by Yildiray Cinar
Random Blurb of Excitement: Final issue. And Sean suddenly feels much better about his life!
Batman News Critic: Sean
Notes:
- Batgirl #40 has been pushed back to March 18th
- Harley Quinn #16 has been pushed all the way back to April 1st.
- Also… and I really apologize for being the bearer of bad new, but Batman is pulling a “Forever Evil” move, with the final “Endgame” chapter getting delayed a full month – now with a release date of April 29th… (Pardon me while I have a Kathy Bates moment.)… Nope, sorry… It’s not a lie. We’re going to have a two month delay… Excuse me for another moment…)
- And as a reminder, Arkham Manor: Endgame #1 and Gotham Academy #6 have been pushed back to March 25th.
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman Beyond 2.0: Justice Lords Beyond – Wonder Woman is back, but what secret is she hiding? Meanwhile, Batman’s journey through the dystopian world of the Justice Lords takes a deadly turn as he faces Lord Superman! Collects BATMAN BEYOND 2.0 #9-12.
Justice League Vol. 5: Forever Heroes – As the Crime Syndicate hunts down the few heroes left foolish enough to challenge them–including Batman’s protege, Dick Grayson. But Owlman has other plans for Nightwing…and Owlman’s teammate: the most deadly being on the planet: Ultraman! Also, Cyborg is one of the lone Justice League members left to fight against the villains that have taken over. How can he possibly find a way to defeat them? Who can he turn to? Two words: Metal Men! New York Times best-selling writer Geoff Johns (GREEN LANTERN, BATMAN: EARTH ONE) continues the Forever Evil event, as the Justice League must find a way to defeat their deadly mirror images–the Crime Syndicate!
Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE #24-29
Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse – The Tiny Titans’ treehouse has vanished, and Brainy 5 and Psimon are suddenly wearing suspicious-looking Brainiac Club shrinking badges . . . what could it all mean?! The Titans are on the case, and you can bet they’ll get to the bottom of this mysterious disappearing act! In the meantime, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire and the rest of the gang set out to find themselves a new headquarters, but replacing the treehouse is harder than it looks. Even with help from Alfred, Superman, Wonder Woman and Billy Batson’s weird old grandpa, they still can’t find a clubhouse that measures up. Will the Tiny Titans ever find another treehouse to call home? And more importantly, can they do it without landing in detention? TINY TITANS: RETURN TO THE TREEHOUSE (collects issues #1-6) is a brand-new miniseries from the awe (yeah!) inspiring creators of TINY TITANS-Art Baltazar and Franco!
Cover of the Week
Now, with all of this week’s releases listed above, it’s time for you to sound off! What’s the best cover that is being released this week? If you’re like me, and can’t decide on just one, then you can select multiple if you would like. Vote using the poll below, and we’ll announce the winner next week. Last week’s winner can be found in the spoiler tag!
Best Cover of March 4, 2015: Detective Comics #40 by Francis Manapul with 30% of the votes.
- Futures End #44 by Ryan Sook (24%)
3. Grayson #8 by Mikel Janin (16%)
4. Batman Eternal #48 by Cliff Chiang (12%)
5. Green Arrow #40 by Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair (6%)
6. Harley Quinn #15 by Amanda Conner, Paul Mounts, and Alex Sinclair (5%)
7. Earth 2 #32 by Yildiray Cinar, Andrew Dalhouse, and Ken Lashley (3%)
8. Earth 2: World’s End #22 by Jorge Jimenez (3%)
9. Justice League 3000 #15 by Hi-Fi and Howard Porter (2%)
