Yes, I’m still in my, “Oh my God! I’m so far behind!” stress mode, while frantically pulling together posts as fast as possible, BUT… this happened late last week, and it was worth sharing!
In case you’re wondering, that’s Jay and I… Not-so-diabolical plans were made for the near future. Beware.
Alright, on to business! For a collection of our opinions pertaining to last week’s releases, make sure you check out This Week In Comics. 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. 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…
March 1st
Batman #18
“I AM BANE” part three! Bane broke the bat before, but it wasn’t enough—now he’s going to break everyone else! Bane is coming, and no one is safe!
Art by Danny Miki and David Finch
Cover by Danny Miki and David Finch
Variant cover by Tim Sale
Written by Tom King
Random Blurb of Excitement: When the previous issue left off, Bane had Selina, Gordon, and Bronze Tiger, so I’m curious to see what happens next. King has a tendency to not tell completely linear stories, but instead progresses the story by focusing on the theme. This is an instance where I really wish we could just get a straight linear story. That being said, King’s two previous stories (“I Am Gotham” and “I Am Suicide”) have hit multiple meanings, so I wonder what context he’ll use with “Bane.” If we look to the definition, bane means “a cause of great distress or annoyance.” Well, both characters have already done that to one another. So then you have to look at the secondary definition, which is “something, typically poison, that causes death.” Now, maybe I’m reading into this a little too much, but I would be surprised if this is the definition of bane Kind will be playing into for the remainder of this story. If so, I’m sure it will be a metaphorical death of some kind, but it could also tie into Gotham Girl’s arc, or even Bane’s use/ need for venom. Either way, I’m ready for some intense mind games and action.
Batman News Critic: Brandon
Nightwing #16
Hate is coming to Blüdhaven, and it will tear Nightwing’s world apart! Try and keep up as Dick Grayson spans the globe to piece together clues and uncover the mystery of who wants Nightwing dead!
Art by Javier Fernandez
Cover by Javier Fernandez
Variant cover by Oclair Albert and Ivan Reis
Written by Tim Seeley
Random Blurb of Excitement: This is the one arc that I’m giving a bit of side-eye to, but only because of the protagonist. I feel bad for judging though, because Seeley has earned my trust… I should remember that.
Batman News Critic: Jay
Harley Quinn #15
“Red Meat” part two! Harley’s managed to carve out a kind of peace with New York’s corrupt mayor…but once she gets wind of his plans for the city’s homeless population, the deal is most definitely off!
Art by Khari Evans
Cover by Amanda Conner
Variant cover by Frank Cho
Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner
Random Blurb of Excitement: My excitement for Harley fluctuates. “Red Meat” isn’t a story I’m overly excited to read, but that doesn’t remove my interest to find out what crazy stuff Palmiotti and Conner have up their sleeve.
Batman News Critic: Elena
Injustice: Ground Zero #7
Harley leads The Joker to a familiar sanctuary…but is she helping him acquire a new weapon or setting him up for a trap? And there’s a hitch in the plot to rescue the parallel Earth Batman from Stryker’s Island as an old ally of Superman’s returns to the fold.
Art by Pop Mhan and Tom Derenick
Cover by Matt Clark
Written by Chris Sebela
Random Blurb of Excitement: Look, Injustice Ground Zero isn’t bad, but I really just want to hurry up and get to Injustice 2.
Batman News Critic: Elena
Super Powers #5
The Legion of Doom’s ultimate threat has been revealed—and Superman’s family is in jeopardy! Will this new threat be the end of our Justice League heroes? Guest-starring Firestorm, Hawkman and more! But wait, that’s not all! Prepare yourself for the moment when…Apokolypse attacks!
Art by Art Baltazar
Cover by Art Baltazar
Written by Franco and Art Baltazar
Random Blurb of Excitement: I don’t know why, but I always find it amusing when villains like Darkseid attack in family friendly books like Super Powers. It’s the dynamic of something so evil, in something so pure. I know the solicitation doesn’t confirm Darkseid, but it mentions Apokolypse, so it’s a natural progression.
Batman News Critic: Jay
Justice League #16
“TIMELESS” part two! Scattered across time, the individual members of the Justice League must fight their way back to the present from the ancient past and distant future to stop the Timeless from erasing the Earth’s greatest heroes from history itself.
Art by Matt Ryan and Fernando Pasarin
Cover by Matt Ryan and Fernando Pasarin
Variant cover by Yanick Paquette
Written by Bryan Hitch
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’ve given up hope for Justice League.
Batman News Critic: Brian
Notes:
- Harley’s Little Black Book #6 has been rescheduled for October 24th November 30th December 28th January 25th March 8th
- Mother Panic #4 has been pushed back to March 8th.
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 February 22, 2017 is Justice League of America #1 by Ivan Reis and Joe Prado with 33% of the votes.
- Detective Comics #951 by Eber Ferreira and Eddy Barrows (31%)
- Teen Titans #5 by Khoi Pham (14%)
- Batgirl #8 by Christian Wildgoose (9%)
- Suicide Squad #12 by John Romita Jr. (8%)
- Batman Beyond #5 by Bernard Chang (4%)
- Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77 #2 by Mike Allred (2%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Batman ’66 Meets John Steed and Emma Peel – It’s the greatest international crossover of the ’60s that never happened-until now! Batman and Robin, the Dynamic Duo of Gotham City, fighting side by side with England’s avenging spy partners-Jonathan Steed and Emma Peel!
When Bruce Wayne and his fetching new British business associate find themselves caught up in Catwoman’s caper to steal England’s White Star diamond, Batman is nowhere to be found-but in the Caped Crusader’s absence, gentleman spy Jonathan Steed and his intrepid assistant Mrs. Peel are good enough to stop by and trap the thief!
But it turns out that Catwoman wasn’t working alone. Gotham City soon finds itself under attack by Steed and Peel’s mechanical enemies, the Cybernauts-aided and abetted by Batman’s aristocratic antagonist, Lord Ffogg! With the White Star still in danger, the crime-fighting quartet has no choice but to rush across the pond and dive headlong into danger. But will the prowess of this transatlantic team-up be enough to save the world from an army of rampaging robots?
The characters from the classic TV shows Batman and The Avengers finally combine forces in this august adventure of Anglophile action-with a Bat-twist!-from writer Ian Edginton (BATMAN) and artist Matthew Dow Smith (ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN)!
Suicide Squad Vol. 1: The Black Vault – Assembled by the tough-as-nails intelligence expert Amanda Waller and overseen by disgraced military genius Captain Rick Flag, the men, women and monsters of the Suicide Squad-a.k.a. Task Force X-do the jobs that are too dirty for any superheroes to soil their capes with.
Their latest mission should be easy enough: recover a powerful cosmic weapon called the Black Vault from enemy hands. The Suicide Squad always gets the job done (mostly) but this time, when the weapon’s dark influence spreads and the team is driven to madness and mayhem (more than usual), there’s only one person sane enough to save the Squad from destruction…the Clown Princess of Crazy herself, Harley Quinn!
Legendary artist Jim Lee teams up with writer Rob Williams and artists Philip Tan, Jason Fabok, Ivan Reis and Gary Frank for a new deadly Task Force X mission in SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1: THE BLACK VAULT! Exploding from the pages of DC’s blockbuster Rebirth event and starring the characters you love and hate from the smash-hit movie, this graphic novel is a great jumping-on point for new readers! Collects issues #1-4 and the SUICIDE SQUAD: REBIRTH one-shot.
Titans Vol. 1: The Return of Wally West – The members of the super-team known as the Teen Titans were heroes but, more than that, the best of friends. A special bond held them together through even the toughest situations.
Then their connection became a memory. And that memory faded, stolen from time. Only one person remembers. His name is Wally West. Once upon a time, he was Kid Flash, but now he is a refugee from a lost universe and it’s up to him to reawaken his former friends and re-forge their bond.
Nightwing. Donna Troy. Beast Boy. Arsenal. Lilith. They must come together and defeat the enemy who destroyed their memories or be destroyed themselves.
Spinning directly out of the events of the smash-hit story DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1, history’s greatest team of young heroes is resurrected in TITANS VOL. 1: THE RETURN OF WALLY WEST! This great jumping-on point for comics fans of all generations, written by Dan Abnett with art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund, collects TITANS #1-6 and TITANS: REBIRTH #1!
