Batman Day was this past Saturday! I hope everybody did something Batman related! There was a pretty awesome digital comics sale, so I took advantage of it to snag a few things I’d never read before. Overall, my Saturday was pretty damn good! The Feast of San Gennaro was this weekend in LA, so I gorged myself on pizza, pasta, sausage and pepper sandwiches, beer, and sangria! Then I went home to have a mini-movie marathon of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy…. It was a near-perfect day! Let us know how you spent your Batman Day in the comments section below!
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). 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 30th
Justice League #44
Darkseid versus Anti-Monitor! A corrupted Superman versus Lex Luthor! Myrina Black versus Grail! This chapter of “Darkseid War” has it all—plus an ending that will change the League forever!
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils and Inks Jason Fabok
Colored by Brad Anderson
Cover by Brad Anderson and Jason Fabok
Random Blurb of Excitement: Let’s just call it like it is… Geoff Johns is kicking ass with this arc, and I’m really hoping he continues doing that… kicking ass.
Batman News Critic: Terry
Grayson Annual #2
When Dick comes home to find that the Batman he knew is gone, he seeks out his mentor, Superman. But both friends have changed since they last met. Can they find common ground and team up to stop Blockbuster’s plans for Spyral?
Written by Tom King and Tim Seeley
Pencils by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Inks by Raul Fernandez
Colored by Jeremy Cox
Cover by Mikel Janin
Random Blurb of Excitement: You’re probably surprised that this isn’t my top pick! I’m not going to lie, I’m a little surprised as well. Annuals tend to be more of a “nice addition” to the plot rather than an “Oh my God! That was amazing! My life would’ve been incomplete without this!” type of story. Because of that, it’s technically in my number 2 spot, but it might as well be a tie for first.
Batman News Critic:
Batman Annual #4
Batman is gone…but Bruce Wayne is alive? What does that mean for Gotham City? And who is Bruce Wayne without Batman? This special annual delves deeper into the mystery building, and whether or not Bruce can ever really escape from the shadow of the Dark Knight.
Written by James Tynion IV
Pencils and Inks by Roge Antonio
Colored by Lee Loughridge and Dave McCaig
Cover by Sean Murphy
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m excited because we get more of Bruce, granted, he’s not really Bruce so it’s essentially a false-positive. That being said, I’ll take amnesia Bruce over Gordo-Bat any day.
Batman News Critic: Brandon
Batman: Arkham Knight Annual #1
The Arkham Knight goes hunting for the Scarecrow, but what he finds instead is even more horrifying! Don’t miss the story that’s sure to have Arkham fans talking!
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils and Inks by Stephen Segovia
Colored by Kelsey Shannon
Cover by Andy Kubert and Alex Sinclair
Random Blurb of Excitement: Arkham Knight has been enjoyable, but the plot has been all over the place. I can’t find a clear direction for the book, and in-turn, it feels like the plot has no purpose. You know how I feel about that. Thankfully. Arkham Knight: Gensis has filled some of that lack of direction, keeping this book in the “good” category for me… but the book better get in gear soon. I’m hoping this solicitation holds true to its promise and will have all of us talking!
Batman News Critic: Jay
New Suicide Squad Annual #1
The “Monsters” storyline concludes in epic fashion when the League splinter group prepares to unleash a secret weapon deadlier than anyone could have imagined. Can the Suicide Squad stop it? Do they even want to?
Written by Sean Ryan
Pencils and Inks by Phil Briones
Colored by Blond
Cover by Juan E. Ferreyra
Random Blurb of Excitement: Look, I fully admit that Ryan’s last issue of New Suicide Squad was much better than I expected it to be… that doesn’t mean I’m expecting much here. Do I want him to do well? Yes. I want everyone to do well. I also, selfishly, just don’t want to read terrible books…
Batman News Critic: Josh
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 Cover of September 16, 2015: Grayson #12 by Mikel Janin with 53% of the votes.
- We Are Robin #4 by Lee Bermejo (19%)
3. Gotham by Midnight #9 by Bill Sienkiewicz (18%)
4. Batman ’66 #27 by Mike Allred (6%)
5. Batgirl #44 by Babs Tarr (3%)
6. Harley Quinn & Powergirl #4 by Amanda Conner and Paul Mounts (1%)
7. Justice League 3001 #4 by Hi-Fi and Howard Porter (1%)
