Upcoming Comics: September 2, 2015

We’re already heading into September? Yowza! You know what that means… School is back in session (unless you attend Gotham Academy, which apparently runs year round… Hopefully those kids will get a summer break next year.)! The lazy summer days spent at the lake with Tim, Stephanie, Harper, Damian, and the entire We Are Robin clan have come to an end… Womp, womp. I remember when I was younger and in school, all I could think about was how I was ready to graduate and move past that point in my life. My dad used to always say, “Be careful what you wish for.” I thought he was crazy – I had a fun, artistic job and no bills at that time – and now that I’ve been out of school for almost ten years, I desperately want to go back… Ok, so that’s taking it a little far… I hated school (even though I was an excellent student), so I don’t want to go back, but I’d like to have summer vacation again! That two months of rest each year does wonders! We should all just tell our jobs and bosses we’re going to start taking summer vacations and return afterwards. I’m sure they’ll be cool with it… right? Right?

Alright, on to business! 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 reviewing 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). We’ve also included our first Non-Themed Variant Cover Poll, and have announced the results from our Cover Poll Catch-Up post and the Best Looney Tunes Variant Cover poll. So there’s a lot of goodness to be found here. 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…

 

September 2^nd

 

Midnighter #4
Grayson and Midnighter—reunited at last! Granted, it wasn’t Grayson’s idea, and yes, technically Midnighter might have kidnapped him. And, uh, brought him to Moscow to fight a herd of feral vampires. Maybe this reunion is getting off on the wrong foot…

Written by Steve Orlando
Pencils and Inks by Stephen Mooney
Colored by Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Cover by ACO and Romulo Fajardo, Jr.

Random Blurb of Excitement: None of you should be surprised that this is at the top of my list! I’m loving what Orlando is doing with this book as it is, but now we’re included Dick Grayson? Yes please!

Batman News Critic: Josh

 

 

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year 4 #9Battle rages on Themyscira, where Poseidon is about to sink the entire island! Wonder Woman feels betrayed by Superman’s part in this plot, and the Man of Steel begins to question his own role in this game of the gods. But an old enemy may prove to be an ally in the battle against Poseidon when Aquaman reenters the fray.

Art by Juan Albarran and Bruno Redondo
Cover by Tom Raney
Written by Brian Buccellato

Random Blurb of Excitement: It’s kind of like a gods vs gods brawl here, and I’m loving it! I say bring it on!

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

Batman Beyond #4
Everyone knew he wasn’t good enough to be Batman, and now Tim’s mistake has put humanity at risk. But when all seems lost, an old friend takes him back where it all started. Will a gift from the past give Tim what he needs to save the future?

Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils and Inks Bernard Chang
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Cover by Kalman Andrasofsky, Marcelo Maiolo, and Dan Panosian

Random Blurb of Excitement: I’ve really enjoyed this book so far, and I have to praise Dan Jurgens for taking this risk. While it took two to three issues to become familiar with this world, it’s been a worthwhile progression! I love seeing Tim adapt to his new life, and I love seeing him coming to terms with the responsibilities of being the new Batman. It’s a fun, solid book, so if you’re not reading it, then please catch up and give it a chance.

Batman News Critic: Sean

 

 

Batman Arkham Knight #8
Just as “Gotham Reborn” starts to take hold…enter: The Suicide Squad! Their target? None other than Gotham City’s favorite son: Bruce Wayne!

Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Julio Ferreira and Ig Guara
Cover by Howard Porter

Random Blurb of Excitement: As much as I’m enjoying Arkham Knight, it does feel like it’s puttering along with an unfocused plot. It’s not bad by any means, but it doesn’t feel like it’s fully meeting its potential yet.

Batman News Critic: Jay

 

 

DC Comics Bombshells #2
Wonder Woman defies her mother’s orders and attempts to break Captain Steve Trevor out of his prison cell on Themyscira. But to accomplish this, she’s going to summon a little help from the deep in the form of Mera, Princess of Atlanta. Meanwhile, in Russia, two new heroes are about to be created to serve the Soviet Union: Supergirl and Stargirl!

Art by Stephen Mooney and Bilquis Evely
Cover by Ant Lucia
Variant cover by Kevin Wada
Written by Marguerite Bennett

Random Blurb of Excitement: I thought the launch of Bombshells was decent, but I wasn’t jumping out of my seat with excitement when I finished the first issue. I really enjoyed the style of the book, and I thought the characters were interesting and well written, but it was essentially just three introductions so there wasn’t much plot development.

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

 

Detective Comics #44
The Joker’s Daughter reveals her plans to take on Batman and his task force—and they might prove deadly to Gordon, Bullock and Montoya!

Written by Brian Buccellato
Pencils and Inks by Fernando Blanco
Colored by Brian Buccellato
Cover by Francis Manapul

Random Blurb of Excitement: There are parts of this arc that are interesting, but overall, I’m just not feeling it. Add in the fact that this team has yet to deliver a strong finish, and that a new creative team is coming in after this, and my care/ interest drops even more. And if I’m being honest, if Montoya weren’t in this arc, I probably wouldn’t be reading it.

Batman News Critic: Brandon

 

Bat-Mite #4
There’s a new bad guy in town: Gridlock, the villain who’s stuck in the past! And now, he’s out to stop the future from coming! Booster Gold, the hero from the future, obviously can’t allow that, but when he seeks Bat-Mite’s help in finding this purloiner of progress, it doesn’t take much of a prognosticator to predict that he’s going to regret it.

Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils and Inks Corin Howell
Colored by Michael Atiyeh
Cover by Michael Atiyeh and Corin Howell

Random Blurb of Excitement: I haven’t been reading this title, so that’s the biggest reason it’s at the bottom of my list. Brandon’s reviews for Bat-Mite have been low to mediocre – the exception being last month’s issue featuring Damian (which I do plan on picking up). That shows that this book has potential, but it looks like it’s dependent on the character. Booster Gold could go either way, so it’ll be interesting to see what Brandon has to say about this issue.

Batman News Critic: Brandon

 

 

 

Graphic Novel Watch:

Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Trial by Fire (Softcover) – In these stories from SUICIDE SQUAD #1-8 and SECRET ORIGINS #14, the team must take down the evil Jihad before it can attack the U.S. Then, the Squad is sent into Russia to extract a famous dissident—but can they get out alive?

 

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.

 

Best August Non-Themed Variant Cover:

Below you’ll also find our new Non-Themed Variant Cover poll. This will be included in the Upcoming Comics post the first week of each month, and will include all non-themed variant covers from the previous month. Check out these covers then vote on your favorite. The winner will be announced in next week’s Upcoming Comics post.

Arkham Knight: Genesis #1 by Stjepan Sejic

 

Arkham Knight: Genesis #1 by Jim Lee

 

Batman Beyond #3 by Carlo Pagulayan

 

Black Canary #3 by Dave Bullock

 

Bombshells #1 by Emanuela Lupacchino and Tomeu Morey

 

Earth 2: Society #3 by Ethan Van Sciver

 

Midnighter #3 by Jean Paul Leon

 

Justice League 3001 #3 by Dale Eaglesham

 

Justice League: Gods & Monsters #1 by Darwin Cooke

 

Justice League of America #3 by Tradd More

 

Red Hood & Arsenal #3 by  David Mack

 

Robin, Son of Batman #3 by Dustin Nguyen

 

We Are Robin #3 by Sean Murphy

 

 

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up Results:

Last week, we posted a slew of cover polls to catch up on covers that we didn’t poll at the beginning of the year. The results for each of those covers can be found below.

Best November Looney Tunes Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best January Flash Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best February Harley Quinn Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best March Movie Poster Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best January 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best February 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best March 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best April 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best June 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results:

 

Cover Poll Catch-Up: Best July 2015 Non-Themed Variant Cover Results: