Warning: The next paragraph is only slightly humorous if you read it with an Australian accent that resembles Steve Irwin’s… and even then, it’s still slightly stupid.
We’ve encountered a rare, magical specimen known as the fifth Wednesday! Thought to be just a legend, we now have proof that fifth Wednesdays do, in fact, exist, and that Annuals are, in fact, released on these miraculous days!
Anyway, I’m clearly in a good mood today, and since this will be the fifth Wednesday of the month, there will be some Annuals released… And by “some,” I mean a whopping count of two (that we’ll be covering anyway), plus we’ll have an issue of Dark Knight III: The Master Race. Simply put, it’s going to be a light week. Not that that’s a bad thing. I tend to find light weeks rather enjoyable because it gives me a chance to step away from the usual, pick up a trade I’ve never read, or if you fall into the category of people that haven’t dipped your toes into the Rebirth pool, it’s a perfect opportunity to do that as well! Or, you can be conservative with your money and just wait until next week… but who does that anymore? Also, next week I’ll include cover polls for May Variant Covers and June Variant Covers, so get ready for that! There’s a lot of Batman #1 variants, so I’ll probably have that as it’s own poll as well.
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…
June 29th
Dark Knight III: The Master Race #5
Batman and Robin prepare for war with the Master Race, and an ally returns from an unlikely place…
Written by Brian Azzarello and Frank Miller
Pencils by Andy Kubert and Frank Miller
Inks by Klaus Janson and Frank Miller
Colored by Brad Anderson and Alex Sinclair
Cover by Brad Anderson, Klaus Janson, Andy Kubert, Frank Miller, Alex Sinclair
Random Blurb of Excitement: Let’s face it, for most of us, this book is better than we expected it to be considering how dismal Dark Knight II was. I fully expected to dread this title, and I’ve found myself rather eager to read it every month… Excuse me, every other month.
Batman News Critic: Jay
Grayson Annual #3
Determined to find out the identity of Spyral’s Agent 37, detective Jim Corrigan gathers a collection of heroes who have seen the swirl-faced spy in order to hear their accounts. With guest appearances by Harley Quinn, Azrael, John Constantine and Green Lantern Simon Baz, get ready for some of Dick Grayson’s greatest hits!
Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
Pencils and Inks by Flaviano, Natasha Alterici, Roge Antonio, Christian Duce, and Javier Fernandez
Colored by Natasha Alterici, Mat Lopes, and Chris Sotomayor
Cover by Mikel Janin
Random Blurb of Excitement: *Sigh* If only Seeley and King could’ve found a way to pen this issue as a goodbye to Grayson. I really don’t want to knock Lanzing or Kelly, but it’s just not the same… I am interested to see all of these guest appearances though. I don’t have much faith that they’ll be great, I’m just curious to see what they do with these characters.
Batman News Critic: Jay
Teen Titans Annual #2
A rare night off for the Teen Titans turns into a disaster when partygoers begin to mutate into bizarre, uncontrollable animals! Is this the work of Brother Blood? Or someone even more deadly?
Written by Scott Lobdell
Pencils and Inks by Cory Smith
Colored by Dean White
Cover by Jonboy Meyers
Random Blurb of Excitement: NO! Why? Scott Lobdell.
Batman News Critic: Brian
Notes:
- Additional Rebirth releases this week: None this week…
- Harley’s Little Black Book #4 has been pushed back to July 13th.
- The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #6 has been pushed back to August 24th
- Justice League of America… TBD.
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 June 22, 2016 is Detective Comics #935 by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira with 48% of the votes.
- Justice League #51 (Robin cover) by Tony Kordos, Adriano Lucas, and Paul Pelletier (21%)
- Harley Quinn #29 by Amanda Conner and Alex Sinclair (13%)
- Deathstroke #19 by Tyler Kirkham and Tomeu Morey (7%)
- Robin, Son of Batman #13 by Ramón F. Bachs, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, and John Kalisz (6%)
- Suicide Squad’s Most Wanted: Deadshot/ Katana #6 by Cary Nord
- Teen Titans #21 by Mike McKone and Rod Reis (1%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman & Robin Eternal Vol. 2 – The Dynamic Duo thought they defeated her for good, but Mother is back—and she’s ready to enact her grand plan! And, when the truth behind Batman’s greatest failure is revealed, one of his allies may walk away from the fight forever. And as the world burns, it’s up to Dick Grayson to save a generation from unspeakable tragedy! Collects BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #13-26.
DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 1: Final Crisis – Preparing for high school exams is hard enough, but at Super Hero High, even the tests are super-tough! Principal Waller keeps an eagle eye on her students, drilling them in math, science, literature—and other subjects like flying and powers! And no one wants to fail, because Principal Waller hands out detention faster than a speeding bullet.
In the first-ever all ages DC Super Hero Girls original graphic novel, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Bumblebee, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Katana, and Poison Ivy are studying hard—well, maybe not Harley Quinn— when they are each abducted by a mysterious villain! Will the students outsmart their captor, save Gotham City, and still pass their finals?
Justice League United Vol. 3: Reunited – In these stories from JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #11-16 and an 8-page Sneak Peek story appearing in print for the first time, the team is transported into an eternal war between the forces of good and evil—but they’ll need to work with both sides to escape and end the violence. Can the team survive the onslaught of attacks and end the war? Featuring Batgirl, Stargirl, Robotman Vandal Savage and more!
