I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty excited about this week’s releases! As expected, I can’t wait to get my hands on Detective Comics, but I’m also looking forward to Snyder’s All Star Batman considering how good the last two issues have been! Aside from the Bat books, we’re also getting a number of solid team books this week as well: Suicide Squad, Titans, Red Hood & the Outlaws… I have a feeling we’ll be giving quite a few high scores this week!
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 8th
Detective Comics #952
“League Of Shadows” part three! Batman’s team faces the League of Shadows, which believes in only one thing: complete and utter destruction! The League’s plan for the city is revealed…but can even that secret compare to the bombshell that is the identity of Cassandra Cain’s mother?
Art by Christian Duce Fernandez
Cover by Eber Ferreira and Eddy Barrows
Variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque
Written by James T Tynion IV
Random Blurb of Excitement: In last month’s issue, Shiva crucified a man to a wall with swords… Yeah, I’m definitely on board! I can’t wait to see how the “Rise of the Batmen” arc plays into this as well!
Batman-News Critic: Brandon
All Star Batman #8
“Hats and Bats”! Underestimate the Mad Hatter at your own peril. Batman takes on one of his most dangerous and deranged foes in a mind-bending tale from the powerhouse creative team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli!
Art by Mark Morales and Giuseppe Camuncoli
Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
Variant cover by Francesco Francavilla and Giuseppe Camuncoli
Written by Scott Snyder
Random Blurb of Excitement: While I wasn’t a fan of the first arc, Snyder’s stories featuring Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy were excellent! Mad Hatter isn’t my favorite villain, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see what Snyder has planned.
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Justice League of America #2
“THE EXTREMISTS” part two! Believing heroes to be threats to the survival of any world, Lord Havok and the Extremists have already murdered the mightiest heroes from their home dimension. To save our Earth they’d kill thousands more, starting with the newly formed JLA. But eye-to-eye, are Havok’s and Batman’s goals that different? Billions of lives depend on the answer.
Art by Joe Prado and Ivan Reis
Cover by Joe Prado and Ivan Reis
Variant cover by Mark Brooks
Written by Steve Orlando
Random Blurb of Excitement: The foundation has been paved, so now it’s time for Orlando to run with JLA. I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll get another solid chapter with a decent amount of progression!
Batman-News Critic: Josh
Titans #8
“Made in Manhattan” part two! The Titans come face-to-face with the Fearsome Five and their newest member…Bumblebee?! Meanwhile, Dick and Wally make a stunning discovery about Meta Solutions!
Art by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Cover by Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund
Variant cover by Nicholas Bradshaw
Written by Dan Abnett
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’m so happy Titans made a change for the better a few months ago! There are quite a few narratives unfolding at the moment, and I’m excited to see how each of them unfold.
Batman-News Critic: Josh
Suicide Squad #13
“BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE” part three! Shot. Stabbed. Beaten. Maimed. Brought back from the edge of death and sent out to do it all over again and again and again. This has been the life of Floyd Lawton, a.k.a. Deadshot. But not anymore. The moment Suicide Squad fans never thought would come finally arrives when Deadshot achieves that which no one else has: escape! All it will cost is one of his teammates’ lives…
Art by Danny Miki and John Romita, Jr.
Cover by Danny Miki and John Romita, Jr.
Variant cover by Lee Bermejo
Written by Rob Williams
Random Blurb of Excitement: If there’s one plot that’s been used over and over again in various Suicide Squad books, it’s a story of someone escaping. I can’t help but want to raise an eyebrow at this plot, but I have faith in Williams’. I can’t say the same for Romita though…
Batman-News Critic: Josh
Red Hood & the Outlaws #8
“WHO IS ARTEMIS?” prologue! As Red Hood and the Outlaws gear up for their journey to Bana-Mighdall, shocking secrets from Artemis’ past come to light! Who is this mysterious Amazon warrior? What is her relation to Wonder Woman? And what makes her quest for the Bow of Ra so personal? Answers to all this and more in a thrilling new adventure with your favorite band of misfits!
Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Cover by Kenneth Rocafort
Variant cover by Guillem March
Written by Scott Lobdell
Random Blurb of Excitement: I’ve got to give credit where credit is due, Lobdell is still doing a damn good job with Red Hood! Now that we’re heading into a new arc, I’m curious to see if the same focus and attention to detail will remain.
Batman-News Critic: Brian
Justice League/ Power Rangers #3
Evil begets evil when Brainiac and Lord Zedd partner to destroy their mutual Earths! Can the Justice League withstand the dark terrors of Lord Zedd? Will Angel Grove survive Brainiac’s archival aspirations? Co-published with BOOM! Studios.
Art by Stephen Byrne
Cover by Karl Kerschl
Written by Tom Taylor
Random Blurb of Excitement: Now that most of the exposition should be out of the way, I’m curious to see how Taylor kicks the narrative up a notch!
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Gotham Academy: Second Semester #7
You know you’re in trouble when Batman calls you to the principal’s office! To stop the new threat to the Academy, Detective Club must team up with the Dark Knight. Not even Batarangs, however, can stop the sting of betrayal.
Art by MSASSYK, Sandra Hope, and Adam Archer
Cover by Becky Cloonan
Written by Karl Kerschl, Becky Cloonan, and Brenden Fletcher
Random Blurb of Excitement: Just when I’d given up hope on Gotham Academy, last month’s issue delivered a narrative that reminded me of it’s “golden days.” Here’s to hoping that trend will continue!
Batman-News Critic: Brandon
Mother Panic #4
Mother Panic isn’t the only one hunting for revenge in the streets of Gotham City. The terrifying Pretty is after the next name on Violet Paige’s hit list. But is he a friend or foe-and how is he connected to the mysterious Gather House that made Violet who she is?
Written by Jody Houser and Jim Krueger
Pencils by Shawn Crystal and Phil Hester
Inks by Shawn Crystal and Ande Parks
Colored by Jean-Francois Beaulieu and Trish Mulvihill
Cover by Tommy Lee Edwards
Random Blurb of Excitement: Mother Panic stumbled a bit after some delays and a lackluster issue. I’m hoping the dip in quality was a one-off and doesn’t turn into a trend… We’ll find out with this issue.
Batman-News Critic: Josh
Batgirl & the Birds of Prey #8
“Blackbird” part one! There’s something strange afoot in Gotham City—someone’s making promises to the world’s deadliest killers, offering them things well beyond the powers of a mortal human to provide! Unfortunately, Nightwing’s been caught in the crossfire and is badly hurt…good thing he’s not the exact person whose presence is most likely to make things weird between Batgirl and Huntress, right?
Art by Roge Antonio
Cover by Yanick Paquette
Variant cover by Kamome Shirahama
Written by Shawna Benson and Julie Benson
Random Blurb of Excitement: Nothing sounds worse than having this team write a dramatic love triangle between Dick, Babs, and Helena… I’m also not looking forward to Blackbird considering she appears to be a knockoff of Raven.
Batman-News Critic: Josh
Notes:
- Additional DC releases this week: Action Comics #975, Deathstroke #14, Earth 2: Society #22, Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps #16, New Superman #9, Supergirl #7, Superwoman #8, The Flash #18, and Wonder Woman #18.
- Harley’s Little Black Book #6 has been rescheduled for October 24th November 30th December 28th January 25th March 8th March 29th
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 March 1, 2017 is Batman #18 by Danny Miki and David Finch with 54% of the votes.
- Nightwing #16 by Javier Fernandez (26%)
- Harley Quinn #15 by Amanda Conner (9%)
- Justice League #16 by Matt Ryan and Fernando Pasarin (8%)
- Injustice Ground Zero #7 by Matt Clark (2%)
- Super Powers #5 by Art Baltazar (1%)
Graphic Novel Watch:
Teen Titans by Geoff Johns Book One – Superboy, Kid Flash, Robin, Wonder Girl, Cyborg and many more join together to fight iconic super-villains like Deathstroke and Ravager! With inner demons rising, can the team save one of their own—or will they succumb to darkness? This new title collects TEEN TITANS #1/2 and #1-12 plus TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS SECRET FILES 2003 #1.
