I’m not certain what’s going on with DC concerning solicitations. There are a number of issues that don’t reflect correct information on DC’s website, or Comixology. I understand the need to push issues/ arcs back for production reasons, but it would be nice if they could actually update their site when these instances occur. I’ve always encountered an issue here or there similar to this, but not this frequently. So, if there are mistakes in the post, I apologize. I’ll happily update any information as soon as possible. And speaking of solicits, I will have September solicitations up by tomorrow morning!
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: Batman Punches A Volcano. 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, a random comment (or rant), and the Batman News team member that will be reviewing each book. After I’ve overshared my opinions, you’ll find notes pertaining to other DC Comics titles/ delayed releases, as well as our Graphic Novel Watch. And finally, we want to hear from you! What titles are you picking up? What do you hope to see? Etc. So, without further ado…
June 21st
Batman #25
“The War of Jokes and Riddles” part one! Don’t miss this extra-sized anniversary issue! In his own words, Bruce Wayne narrates a harrowing, never-before-told story of the Dark Knight’s greatest failure…and the horrors it unleashed! In the spirit of YEAR ONE and THE LONG HALLOWEEN, prepare to see a side of Batman you’ve never seen before—get in on the ground floor of a classic Batman epic in the making!
Art by Mikel Janin
Cover by Mikel Janin
Variant cover by Tim Sale
Written by Tom King
Josh’s Stance: I’m SUPER excited for this! I get the feeling this will be “classic Batman,” and that makes me one happy man! Fingers are crossed, and my breath is held!
Batman-News Critic: Josh
All Star Batman #11
“THE FIRST ALLY” part two! Batman races to track down his new nemesis before another murder rocks Miami. But with old secrets revealing unsettling truths about his closest ally, what dark accords will the Dark Knight make in order to stop true evil?
Art by Rafael Albuquerque
Cover by Rafael Albuquerque
Variant cover by Sebastian Fiumara and Rafael Albuquerque
Written by Scott Snyder
Josh’s Stance: Last month’s debut of “The First Ally” was excellent, and I’m excited to see where it goes from here. I’m also happy to see that Alfred is getting a bit of a spotlight. I think it’s fair to say that he deserves it.
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Injustice 2 #4
Harley finds herself up against impossible odds forcing her to make a deal with the devil. Meanwhile, Batman offers counsel to one young man and then remembers happier times and a day of training with another one—his own son, Damian.
Art by Juan Albarran and Bruno Redondo
Cover by Bruno Redondo
Written by Tom Taylor
Josh’s Stance: I’m thoroughly enjoying Injustice 2! I’m purposely not reading the digital issues so that I won’t have bias when writing this article… You’re welcome guys. You’re welcome. You don’t have to thank me for waiting to read this totally awesome book!
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Nightwing #23
“BLOCKBUSTER” part two!
*There is currently no accurate solicitation for this issue.
Art by Minkyu Jung
Color: Chris Sotomayor
Cover by Paul Renaud
Variant cover by Oclair Albert, Ivan Reis
Written by Tim Seeley
Josh’s Stance: There is no solicitation that I can find for this issue, just parts one, three, and four. Regardless, I’m interested to see what happens with this new Blockbuster, and I have complete faith in Tim Seeley!
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Super Sons #5
“Battle in the Batcave”! The battle with Kid Amazo leaves Jon and Damian’s friendship in ruins as the boys decide their partnership isn’t working out! It’s a rumble between Superboy and Robin like you’ve never seen as the boys rage through the house Batman built!
Art by Jorge Jimenez
Cover by Jorge Jimenez
Variant cover by Dustin Nguyen
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Josh’s Stance: I absolutely love this book because of the relationship between Damian and Jon! While I do feel as though we just had an issue with these two fighting a few months ago, I’m open to this idea for now. I just don’t want it to become a cycle of recurring fallbacks.
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Harley Quinn #22
“Red Roses” part two! Poison Ivy’s back in town, and she’d like to patch up the friendship with Harley that she damaged in the Bahamas…but sadly for poor Mr. Tool, Ivy’s got some strong opinions on his courtship of Harley! And in “Harley Loves Joker” part six, Harley’s sure she’s got a foolproof plan to get back in Mistah J’s good graces, but when have Harley’s plans ever ended up the way she imagined?
Art by John Timms
Backup Art by J. Bone and Bret Blevins
Backup Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Paul Dini
Cover by Amanda Conner
Variant cover by Frank Cho
Written by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti
Josh’s Stance: Uh, oh… Ivy doesn’t approve of Mr. Tool! This should be hilarious!
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Batwoman #4
“The Many Arms Of Death” finale! Batwoman’s been following the trail of the deadly weapon Monster Venom, while simultaneously trying to discover what became of her lost lover, Safiyah…but what happens when those two roads meet? And how does it all connect to the death of Batwoman’s mother? A terrifying new threat is unleashed on the world when the true nature of the Many Arms Of Death is revealed!
Art by Steve Epting
Cover by Steve Epting
Variant cover by J.G. Jones
Written by James T Tynion IV and Marguerite Bennett
Josh’s Stance: I enjoy Batwoman, but I don’t feel like the book currently has much momentum. Hopefully this conclusion will provide the narrative a jolt of energy because it will need it to succeed.
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Trinity #10
“Dead Space”
*There is currently no accurate solicitation for this issue.
Art by Francis Manapul
Cover by Francis Manapul
Variant cover by Bill Sienkiewicz
Written by Francis Manapul
Josh’s Stance: I’m not sure what this issue is about, but Manapul is usually reliable, so I’m optimistic.
Batman-News Critic: Brian
Teen Titans Go! #22
Something “Smells like Teen Titans Spirit” when Raven judges a musical competition and Punk Rocket’s band threatens to shake the city to pieces! Then our heroes grow “Bored of the Dance” when Starfire’s plans for a Titans Prom go predictably well. As in, not well at all.
Art by Jeremy Lawson and Marcelo Di Chiara
Cover by Dario Brizuela
Written by Sholly Fisch, Paul Morrissey, and Heather Nuhfer
Josh’s Stance: This issue gets points for referencing a Nirvana song… Mad points.
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Notes:
- Additional DC Releases slated for this week: Bombshells #29, Green Arrow #25, Green Lanterns #25, Lobo/ Road Runner Special #1, The Odyssey of the Amazons #6, Superman #25, The Wild Storm #5, and Wonder Woman/ Tasmanian Devil Special #1.
- Justice League #23 has been pushed back to TBD.
- Justice League vs Power Rangers #5 has been pushed back to May 31, 2017 August 9, 2017.
- Justice League vs Power Rangers #6 has been pushed back to September 6, 2017.
Graphic Novel Watch:
DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 3: Summer Olympus – From the critically acclaimed author Shea Fontana, DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: SUMMER OLYMPUS continues the hit original graphic novel line!
Super Hero High is out for summer in the newest original graphic novel featuring your favorite superheroes.
It’s summertime, which means Wonder Woman has to take her annual trip to visit her dad, Zeus, and this time she’s bringing a few of her super-friends along. When the girls arrive at Olympus, it’s not long before the family reunion devolves into a family competition and the gods offer Wonder Woman the ability to become “full goddess” to increase her powers, but at the cost of renouncing her life at Super Hero High. Will Wonder Woman refuse the offer? And if she does, might this mean war on Super Hero High?
DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: SUMMER OLYMPUS continues to develop the relationships forged in DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS and HITS AND MYTHS, written by Shea Fontana and developed for children ages 6-12.
DC Super Hero Girls features DC Comics’ most powerful and diverse lineup of female characters as relatable teens, playing out across multiple entertainment content platforms and product categories to create an immersive world. Icons including Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Bumblebee, Poison Ivy, Katana and many more make their unprecedented teenage introduction, as each character has her own storyline that explores what teen life is like as a superhero.
Harley Quinn Vol. 2: Joker Loves Harley – Exploding from the blockbuster DC Universe Rebirth event from the best-selling creative team of Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti and John Timms comes HARLEY QUINN VOL. 2: JOKER LOVES HARLEY.
It ain’t easy being the world’s most psychotic psychiatrist, but hey, Harley Quinn just might pull it off. With her tight-knit Coney Island crew and her gal-pal Poison Ivy by her side, things are looking up for the mistress of mirth and mayhem. From nudist colonies to roller-derby rinks, she’s livin’ the good life.
But the joke’s on her.
That’s right, folks: the Clown Prince of Crime has come crawling (and killing!) back into Harley’s life. This time around, the Joker’s promising to show her a kinder, gentler side of himself-the stuff that made her fall for him in the first place, back when she was his shrink and he was her most dangerous patient.
Can Harley trust her ex? (Please!) Will she ditch it all to join him in his war on sanity? (Again!) One thing’s for sure: if the Joker betrays her again, this time puddin’ will go SPLAT!
Comics’ craziest couple reunites (or do they?) in HARLEY QUINN VOL. 2: JOKER LOVES HARLEY! Collects stories from HARLEY QUINN #8-13.
Justice League vs Suicide Squad – The first major crossover of the Rebirth era starring the biggest heroes and villains in comics, this action-packed epic JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. SUICIDE SQUAD features an all-star creative team, including writers Joshua Williamson, Tim Seeley, Rob Williams and Si Spurrier, with superstar artists Jason Fabok, Tony S. Daniel, Jesus Merino, Fernando Pasarin, Robson Rocha, Howard Porter, Scot Eaton, Riley Rossmo, Christian Duce, Giuseppe Cafaro and more!
The members of the Justice League are Earth’s most powerful and famous superheroes…but they aren’t the only team in town.
The Suicide Squad strikes from the shadows and does the jobs too dirty for superheroes to handle. Under the iron fist of Director Amanda Waller, these monsters and maniacs have operated in total secrecy…until now. Batman is on their trail and the Squad’s existence isn’t something he or the Justice League can tolerate. It must be shut down.
But while the heroes and antiheroes are distracted fighting each other, twisted mastermind Maxwell Lord assembles a nightmarish army of DC’s deadliest villains to take out both teams!
Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. SUICIDE SQUAD #1-6, SUICIDE SQUAD #8 backup story, SUICIDE SQUAD #9-10 and JUSTICE LEAGUE #12-13.
Mother Panic Vol. 1: Work in Progress – There’s a new vigilante on the streets of Gotham City, and she’s got her own brand of violent justice. Enter Mother Panic! By day, Violet Paige is a celebutante with a bad attitude and a temper to match, whom no one suspects of having anything lying beneath the surface of her outrageous exploits. But Violet isn’t just another bored heiress in the upper echelons of Gotham City’s elite. Motivated by her traumatic youth, Violet seeks to exact vengeance on her privileged peers as the terrifying new vigilante known only as Mother Panic. Collects issues #1-6 of this new series!
