Is it just me, or is 2016 flying by? I can’t believe we’re already halfway through May! It’s crazy! On a positive note, that means summer is right around the corner, and that Comic Con will be here before we know it! And considering we’ll be in the middle Rebirth’s launch, I bet SDCC will have some cool announcements… Well, I’m hoping that will be the case, anyway. Speaking of announcements, DC should release their August Solicitations this week, so make sure you keep an eye out for our recap!
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 also have the results from our April Variant Cover Poll, so make sure you check that out as well! 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…
May 18th
Injustice: Gods Amon Us Year Five #10
Lex Luthor is determined to destroy Bizarro before Superman figures out that Lex created the murderous super-monster in the first place! But he needs an equally powerful being to carry out the deed—and turns to none other than Doomsday!
Art by Juan Albarran, Mike S. Miller, Bruno Redondo
Cover by David Yardin
Written by Brian Buccellato
Random Blurb of Excitement: This is easily one of the best things that DC is publishing at the moment. There was a time when Injustice was easily my top pick each week, but then it fell in quality after a creative change. Now, Buccellato has really hit his stride, and is delivering some of his best work yet!
Batman News Critic: Elena
Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life & Death #5
Trouble is brewing as Poison Ivy’s sporelings discover their powers and spread their wings, causing mayhem across Gotham City! Plus, a murderer-mastermind is revealed in this penultimate chapter of Life and Death!
Written by Amy Chu
Pencils Clay Mann and Stephen Segovia
Inks Sandu Florea, Seth Mann, and Art Thibert
Colored by Ulises Arreola Palomera
Cover by Clay Mann and Ulises Arreola Palomera
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’ve been really impressed with Amy Chu’s work on Poison Ivy, and would love to see what she would to for a full series, whether it’s Poison Ivy or another title. This book has been entertaining, and has told a simple, yet interesting, story. There’s only one issue left after this, and I’m honestly going to be a little sad to see it go.
Batman News Critic: Cat
Superman/ Wonder Woman #29
It’s the penultimate chapter of “The Final Days of Superman”! The Trinity finally face off against this mysterious faux Superman, but are the three greatest heroes enough to stand against his awesome power?
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Jimenez
Colored by Alejandro Sanchez
Cover by Karl Kerschl
Random Blurb of Excitement: This story started off really strong, but is stretching itself a little too thin. Last week’s issue from “Super League” appeared to have refocused the story, and kicked up the momentum a little, so I’m hoping it continues that trend considering there’s only one issue after this.
Batman News Critic: Brian
Harley Quinn #28
The improbable Red Tool is coming after Harley…but is this a personal vendetta? And more important—what can she do to stop him when he seems to shrug off everything she throws in his path?
Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Pencils and Inks by John Timms
Colored by Alex Sinclair
Cover by Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m still in a bit of a Harley overload at the moment, BUT I do love that the creative team is playing with Deadpool. Red Tool! RED TOOL! Apologies… Anyway, for what it’ worth, seeing this tongue-in-cheek swipe at Deadpool makes me just want to see DC and Marvel play nice and do a one-shot crossover where Harley actually does meet Deadpool… You know, for the fans…
Batman News Critic: Elena
Robin, Son of Batman #12
Robin, Batman and Talia al Ghul team up on Dinosaur Island! But can Damian’s dream of his family finally coming together survive the rising power of the Lu’un Darga?
Written by Ray Fawkes
Pencils and Inks by Ramón F. Bachs
Colored by Mat Lopes
Cover by Ramón F. Bachs, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz
Random Blurb of Excitement: I can’t help but feel that this book had a lot of potential, and never really met it… That being said, it isn’t terrible by any means.
Batman News Critic: Brandon
Titans Hunt #8
Can the Titans become a team again and defeat the darkness that surrounds them, or has the grotesque Mr. Twister got them too tightly in his grasp? The Hunt is about to end, and Twister is going for the kill.
Written by Dan Abnett
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Wayne Faucher and Ray McCarthy
Colored by Hi-Fi
Cover by Hi-Fi and Paulo Siqueira
Random Blurb of Excitement: There was a time when this title was sitting near the top of my list… It’s amazing how quickly things can change…
Batman News Critic: Cat
Notes:
- Justice League of America #10 has been pushed back to May 25th.
- Justice League #50 has been pushed back to May 25th.
- The Dark Knight Returns: The Last Crusade #1 has been pushed back to
April 20th May 25th. - Justice League #51 has been pushed back to June 8th.
- The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5 has been pushed back to June 29th.
- The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #6 has been pushed back to August 24th.
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 can be found in the spoiler tag.
Best cover of May 11th, 2016 is Batman #52 by Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia with 33% of the votes.
- Batman/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 by Freddie E. Williams II (15%)
- Action Comics #52 by Klaus Janson, John Romita Jr., and Dean White (13%)
- Catwoman #52 by Josh Middleton (8%)
- 5. Bombshells #12 by Ant Lucia (7%)
- Gotham Academy #18 by Mingjue Helen Chen (7%)
- Earth 2 Society #12 by Jorge Jimenez and Alejandro Sanchez (7%)
- Harley Quinn & Her Gang of Harleys #2 by Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair (5%)
- Red Hood & Arsenal #12 by Tyler Kirkham and Arif Prianto (5%)
April Variant Cover Poll Results:
Best April Variant Cover: Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 by Rafael Albuquerque with 19% of the votes.
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 by Jim Lee, Scott Williams & Alex Sinclair (11%)
- Justice League #49 by Matteo Scalera & Moreno DiNisio (11%)
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 by Klaus Janson & Alex Sinclair (9%)
- Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 by Neal Adams (8%)
- Harley Quinn #27 by Amanda Conner (8%)
- 7. Harley’s Little Black Book #3 by Joseph Michael Linsner (7%)
- Batman/ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 by Kevin Eastman & Tomi Varga (6%)
- Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 Kim Jung Gi (4%)
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 by Paul Pope & Shay Plummer (4%)
- Harley Quinn and Her Gang of Harleys #1 by Amanda Conner (4%)
- Dark Knight III: The Master Race #4 by Frank Miller & Alex Sinclair (4%)
- Batgirl #50 by Kevin Nowlan (3%)
- Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad April Fools’ Special #1 by Sean Galloway (3%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman: War Games Vol. 2 – Gotham City is in chaos after a string of violence. It’s up to Batman—with the help of his allies and the GCPD—to keep the city from plunging into the depths of depravity! This new edition includes DETECTIVE COMICS #798, BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #183, NIGHTWING #97, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #57, ROBIN #130, BATGIRL #56, CATWOMAN #35-36 and BATMAN #633.
