Upcoming Comics: July 29, 2015

I officially think I’m jinxed when it comes to technology… I feel like everything has broken or messed up on me this month. When I went to Comic Con, my hotel’s wifi was down the entire time. I came back home to have my water get shut off for a day because a water main broke. The day after that, an underground electrical fire shut the power off in my neighborhood for a few days. I was at a conference for work earlier this week, and my new phone crapped out on me (Google “Samsung Galaxy S6 black screen of death”) and just got that repaired yesterday – which is why the interview with Buccellato never posted. And then, to top off the month of July, my air conditioning went out yesterday afternoon… In retrospect, I’m laughing at everything. Thankfully, I live in Los Angels where the weather isn’t as warm as it was back home in Texas… otherwise I would be acting like a total baby right now.

Alright, enough of me, let’s get to business! It’s the fifth week of the month, so you know what that means… Annuals! Elena will also be a super star this week, because she’s the only one with books to cover! Thankfully, it’s only three books – granted two are Annuals – so she won’t be too over loaded.

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 (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…

 

July 29^th

 

Gotham by Midnight Annual 1
Get set for a tale of love and vengeance in this centuries-old mystery for the Midnight Shift – and the Gentlemen Ghost!

Written by Ray Fawkes
Pencils and Inks by Christian Duce
Cover by Juan E. Ferreyra

Random Blurb of Excitement: Surprised? I’m going to be honest, I’m a little surprised myself. The last issue of Gotham by Midnight was freaking amazing. It looks like this will be more of a stand-alone story, but I feel like this book is really starting to find its momentum, and I’m greatly looking forward to the quality of this over the “hype” of another Annual getting released this week.

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

Batgirl Annual #3
On her latest mission, Batgirl finds herself mixing it up with Helena Bertinelli of Spyral…but who is the mysterious Spyral agent who seems to be one step ahead of her at every turn without ever showing his face? She’s determined to crack this mystery – but Grayson is just as determined not to get caught! Plus: Batgirl visits Gotham Academy – and there are plenty of surprises in store for her!

Written by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart
Pencils and Inks by Bengal, Mingjue Helen Chen, Ming Doyle, and David Lafuente
Colored by Bengal
Cover by Bengal

Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m really excited for this… but I also have some hesitations. IF the team behind Grayson were writing it, I would be the most impatient person ever, desperately trying to find ways to make Wednesday get here sooner. But, the team from Grayson isn’t writing this, and while I respect and enjoy Fletcher, my trust in Stewart aren’t as high at the moment. In my opinion, Batgirl – aside from being fresh and hip – hasn’t been relevant in Gotham since the creative change. Hopefully with everything going on (Helena, Dick, Gotham Academy, and apparently Batwoman), this book will begin to feel like Barbara is actually doing something worthwhile rather than taking selfies and being a little brat. I’m hoping this is as good as I want it to be, I’m just not sure if it will be.

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

 

Batgirl #42
Batgirl can barely hold her own in combat against the new Batman…so what happens when Livewire joins the fight with the intention of taking them both out?

Written by Brenden Fletcher and Cameron Stewart
Pencils by Babs Tarr
Colored by Serge Lapointe
Cover by Dan Hipp

Random Blurb of Excitement: Considering this was supposed to be released last week, it’s probably a given that you should read this before you read the Annual… If I’m being completely honest, I most likely wouldn’t read this book if I weren’t trying to keep tabs on it for the sake of the site.

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

 

 

Notes:

Justice League: Gods & Monsters – Superman #1 Will be released this week. Jay will not be reviewing this title, but will provide an overview of this and Wonder Woman’s installment when he reviews the main title.

Batman: Arkham Knight – Genesis #1 was originally supposed to be released this week, but has been pushed back to late August.

 

Graphic Novel Watch:

Catwoman Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle (Softcover) – Meet Selina Kyle – Crime Boss of Gotham City! Spinning out of the events in BATMAN ETERNAL, Selina has accepted the family mantle and embraced her true criminal side, but is Gotham City ready for her reign? And with the Cat away, who’s the stranger haunting the empty rooftops of the city? Don’t miss the start of a bold new direction for Selina Kyle from CATWOMAN #35-40 and CATWOMAN ANNUAL #2.

 

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 results are in the spoiler tag, as well as the results for the best monster variant cover.