Upcoming Comics: October 14, 2015

New York Comic Con was this weekend. I did not attend, but I kept a close eye on everything that DC was talking about. If I’m being honest, it made me sad. I wanted to be there so bad. There weren’t really any huge announcements pertaining to comics either, but I still wanted to be there. Truly. Madly. Deeply. (Anyone remember that flashback to the 90’s?). Some news that did come out of the weekend (other than the millions of tweets about the new Super Hero Girls cartoon), was:

• Capullo would be taking a break from Batman after issue 51 to work on a creator-owned issue with Mark Millar.
• Snyder also revealed that Robin (Damian… unless we go back in time), will be heavily featured in Batman next year.
• Tynion confirmed that Batman & Robin Eternal would be “more focused and tighter” then its predecessor so thank God for that! This makes me feel more confident in the full scope of the book, especially since the team behind it specifically called out my biggest issue with the first run.
• Tom Taylor will write a Batman/Superman story. Now, full disclosure, I don’t know if it will be a full arc or a one-and-done, but I’ll take it over what we’ve been getting!
• Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death will be illustrated by Clay Mann (He did the cover of Batgirl Annual #2, which featured Ivy)! Chu also added some insight into what we can expect from this book, and I’m really looking forward to it the more that I hear.
• Robin War will focus characters that were influenced by Robin, but will also prove that not everyone is meant to be, or should be, a super hero.
• Additional details about Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot & Katana will hit shelves in January. This will be two separate stories, released as one book, with Brian Buccellato writing Deadshot, and Mike Barr writing Katana!

I feel like those were the big highlights… There’s probably some stuff I missed (I didn’t take notes, just recalling the tweets I received), so if you have anything to add, sound off in the comments section! We should also get more detailed glimpse into the future this week, as I expect January 2016 solicitations to drop… so keep an eye out for that

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…

 

October 14^th

 

Batman & Robin Eternal #2
The Orphan has come to the Narrows to kill Harper Row—will interference from Cassandra Cain and Grayson be enough to save her? And, as Grayson desperately tries to unravel the mystery of Mother, he remembers Batman & Robin’s first confrontation with the Scarecrow and his fear gas!

Written by Tim Seeley, Scott Snyder, and James Tynion IV
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Tony Kordos
Colored by Rainier Beredo
Cover by Tony Salvador Daniel, Sandu Florea, and Tomeu Morey

Random Blurb of Excitement: Shh… stop talking… If I wish hard enough, this issue might magically appear in front of me.

Batman News Critic: Brandon

 

 

Catwoman #45
In the wake of a tragedy, Selina and Eiko try to pick up the pieces. Can they each control their side of the turf war when a shocking development in Selina’s quest to find Batman is revealed?

Written by Genevieve Valentine
Pencils by David Messina
Inks by Gaetano Carlucci and David Messina
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Cover by Kevin Wada

Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m still said that Valentine is leaving this book… She’s spent a good bit of time rebuilding the foundation of this character, and right when she’s getting ready to soar, she gets pulled. It’s a real shame.

Batman News Critic: Josh

 

 

 

Harley Quinn #21
Harley’s trip to California takes a dangerous turn—she stole a stone-cold killer’s gig, and he’s not taking it well! They say Hollywood has a dark side…but so does Harley Quinn!

Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Pencils by John Timms
Inks by Chad Hardin and John Timms
Colored by Alex Sinclair
Cover by Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair

Random Blurb of Excitement: Harley. Deadshot. Hollywood. Yeah, I’m down!

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

 

Batman #45
When Batman almost gets taken out by a new threat, Jim Gordon might have to reevaluate what it means to wear the cowl before it’s too late for Gotham City!

Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Danny Miki
Colored by Francisco Perez
Cover by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and Francisco Perez

Random Blurb of Excitement: After having doses of the real Batman throughout the past month or so, I really don’t want to read this… 2015… The year that Batman wasn’t. On a positive note, Snyder is a great writer and still delivers quality work, so kudos to him for keeping my attention during a story that I greatly dislike.

Batman News Critic: Brandon

 

 

Justice League of America #4
As The Flash struggles to get back to the present, the rest of the team regroups for a rematch against the overwhelming forces of the Church of Rao. And, as foreshadowed in issue #1, they must also consider how to prevent the seemingly inevitable death of Superman!

Written by Bryan Hitch
Pencils by Bryan Hitch
Inks by Andrew Currie, Daniel Henriques, and Wade von Grawbadger
Colored by Alex Sinclair
Cover by Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair

Random Blurb of Excitement: I called it a back in July… After hearing that Hitch was “tired” after only having one issue release, I KNEW this book was going to run into delays. Now we’re more than a month behind, and the future doesn’t look too promising. And considering this book isn’t exactly fast paced, the delays aren’t helping at all. As for the story itself, I’ve enjoyed it. It has a “classic” feel to it, so I find that nostalgic and rewarding. Rao will honestly be the deciding factor of this plot. If Hitch turns to cliché storytelling (which is highly possible considering the fact that he’s struggling to keep his head above water in terms of delivering this book), then this arc will be a complete bust. The best thing DC could do for this book at the moment is bring in an artist so Hitch can just focus on the script.

Batman News Critic: Josh

 

 

 

DC Comics Bombshells #3
A dark ritual is performed in a German cabaret, and a supernatural servant is brought forth to serve the Reich— has Zatanna been manipulated by The Joker’s Daughter? Plus, Batwoman leaves Gotham City, and Amanda Waller introduces her to an unearthly ally. And Wonder Woman gets into combat as she joins Mera on the European war front.

Art by Laura Braga and Marguerite Sauvage
Cover by Ant Lucia
Written by Marguerite Bennett

Random Blurb of Excitement: This has been a fun book, and it’s time period makes it feel fresh. It also has quite the cult following, which showed in the books sales (which were quite high considering it’s a digital release).

Batman News Critic: Elena

 

 

Justice League United #14
“Warzone” continues as more long-lost DC heroes join the fray! What bizarre force is causing Sgt. Rock, Enemy Ace and the Creature Commandos to fight the same, insane war over and over again, and how can the team of Stargirl, Batgirl, Steel, Robotman, and Vandal Savage set things right?

Written by Jeff Parker
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Rob Hunter
Colored by Jeremy Cox
Cover by Tony Harris

Random Blurb of Excitement: It’s hard to get excited about this book when I know it’s going to end… and quite frankly, that’s a shame. The team was finally starting to feel cohesive. The plot was forming a distinct direction. And this book was touching on practically every aspect of the DC Universe… While it wasn’t amazing, I felt as though it was heading that direction and I’m sad to see it go.

Batman News Critic: Terry

 

 

 

Earth 2 Society #5
As the hunt for the traitor who stalks Earth-2 comes to a close, the Fastest Man Alive may not be quick enough to escape his fate on this new world!

Written by Daniel Wilson
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Jimenez
Colored by Anthony John Rauch, Jr. and Alejandro Sanchez
Cover by Jorge Jimenez and Anthony John Rauch, Jr.

Random Blurb of Excitement: Earth 2 Society has been solid so far, and in my opinion, that’s quite the accomplishment. There was a lot of exposition to get through to set-up the aftermath of World’s End, and the book feels like it’s starting to hit its stride now that the foundation is settling. That being said, this book is far from perfect, but has the potential to change that.

Batman News Critic: Sean

 

 

Batman/ Superman #25
What impact will the revelation of Superman’s secret identity have on the rest of the heroes of the DC Universe? As Superman seeks to serve justice to the villains behind his power loss, find out who the Man of Steel’s new crime fighting partner will be!

Written by Greg Pak
Pencils by Cliff Richards
Inks by Vicente Cifuentes and Cliff Richards
Colored by Beth Sotelo
Cover by Francis Manapul, Ulises Arreola Palomera, Ardian Syaf

Random Blurb of Excitement: The last two issues of this book really turned me off. I’m going to pick up this issue, but this team desperately needs to regroup… 2015… the year that Batman and Superman weren’t…

Batman News Critic: Terry (there are times that I want to write “So Very Terry” because of his twitter handle… I’m not joking. When I think of Terry, that’s the name I use…)

 

 

Red Hood/ Arsenal #5
The brawl with Batman continues as Roy and Jason go head-to-head with both the new hero of Gotham City and the villainous Underbelly in the streets! Plus, a shocking revelation leads Jason to a secret rendezvous with an old friend…

Written by Scott Lobdell
Pencils and Inks by Denis Medri
Colored by Blond and Tanya Horie
Cover by Hi-Fi and Howard Porter

Random Blurb of Excitement: Look… I tried giving this book a shot… I really did… but after last month… bye Felicia! (That’s what all the “cool kids” are saying these days, right? Am I hip with the current lingo?) If Red Hood gets a new writer, then I’ll definitely jump back in. I just can’t do the whole “bro” thing that Lobdell is giving us.

Batman News Critic: Sean

 

 

 

Bat-Mite #5
Bat-Mite faces his greatest makeover challenge yet when he comes up against those dolorous denizens of the DC Universe, The Inferior Five! The Light Mite wants them to go from Inferior to Superior, but the half-witted heroes are not quite ready for prime time.

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

Random Blurb of Excitement: This book ended up getting delayed, but nothing has changed… I’m not reading this book… (This cover will not be included in the cover poll since it was in last week’s cover poll).

Batman News Critic: Brandon

 

 

Notes:

Gotham Academy #11 has been pushed back to October 21^st.

New Suicide Squad #28 has been pushed back to October 28^th

 

 

Graphic Novel Watch:

Batman: Year 100 Deluxe Edition (Hardcover) – Visionary writer/artist Paul Pope presents a futuristic mystery of epic proportions! In Gotham City, 2039, a federal agent is murdered, and a contingent of Washington’s top agents is hot on the trail of the Batman, long thought gone, but now the suspect in the murder. This new collection of the 4-issue miniseries includes never before published sketch material!

 

Convergence: Crisis Book One (Softcover) – This CONVERGENCE collection stars the Outsiders, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Hawkman and many more, as they fight in a gladiator-style competition to see which worlds will live…and which will perish! This book spells out the final fates of some of DC’s most popular heroes. Collects CONVERGENCE: BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #1-2, CONVERGENCE: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1-2, CONVERGENCE: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1-2, CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1-2 and CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #1-2.

 

Convergence: Crisis Book Two (Softcover) – This CONVERGENCE collection stars The Flash, Wonder Woman, the JLA and many more, and includes the miniseries THE FLASH #1-2, WONDER WOMAN #1-2, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1-2, SWAMP THING #1-2 and THE NEW TEEN TITANS #1-2.

 

Graphic Ink: The DC Comics Art of Darwyn Cooke (Hardcover) – This beautiful book features the distinctive style of Eisner Award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke, dating back to 1985’s TALENT SHOWCASE #19, and stories from BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS, LEGION WORLDS, JSA ALL STARS, JONAH HEX and more, plus dozens of covers!

 

Superman Unchained (Softcover) – The entire nine-issue UNCHAINED series by the superstar team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Jim Lee is collected in trade paperback! When satellites start to fall from the sky, the big question is who stopped the last one from falling. Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Batman, Wonder Woman, eco-terrorists, the U.S. Army and, most of all, the mysterious being known as Wraith all figure in this epic story from two of comics’ hottest talents!

 

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.