2018 is flying by! How are we already in June? Where has the year gone? I’ve been so caught up in other things that I feel like I missed most of this year! It’s crazy… BUT, the fact that we’re nearly halfway through June means that we’re roughly a month away from SDCC! As always, I’m super excited for the convention. This year, it will be Andrew, Jay, and I attending for Batman-News.com. As always, we’ll be covering all the big news as it comes out, but if there’s something else you would like to see from us while we’re there, just let us know! If we can make it happen, we’ll try our best to do it!
In other news, Geoff Johns is leaving DC, but will apparently continue writing for them. I’m curious to see how this plays out. Rebirth was definitely his brainchild, but when his attention was pulled to try and fix the DC film universe, things began to shift in comics. What will this mean for comics and the likes of Doomsday Clock? Who knows? I’m certain they’ll finish Doomsday Clock, but I’m not sure if it will carry the weight it was originally intended to have for the greater universe and continuity. There are great things happening at DC though, so may a single, clear direction is what’s needed… Also, it will be great to see Johns focus on books again if he chooses to do so!
Alright, on to business! This week’s releases are listed according to our anticipation scale, with titles listed in alphabetical order within each sub-header. 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. Following that, you’ll find notes pertaining to other DC Comics titles, as well as our Graphic Novel Watch. And finally, we want to hear from you! What titles are you picking up? Why are you excited? What do you hope will happen in the book? Etc. So, without further ado, review our Anticipation Scale, and comment away!
The Anticipation Scale
NO! – A comic I downright dread reading and if I wasn’t a reviewer, I would never buy it.
“You Don’t Have to Thank Us” – The idea of reviewing it doesn’t make me ill or angry, but it definitely sounds like it’s going to be a chore. Still, I’m reading it for you. I’m putting it at the bottom of the pile, but I’m reading it for you.
Mixed – A middle of the pile comic. It’s probably got the same chance of being dreadful as it does of being stupendous. I’m neither looking forward to it or avoiding it, whatever happens… happens.
Intrigued – I think this comic has potential to be a fantastic read. There’s some slight hesitation there, but it’s definitely going to be at the top of the pile.
TAKE MY MONEY – Everything about this issue has me excited. If I don’t get to read this book on Wednesday, I will be furious. I would pay extra just to have it in my hands right now! That’s how much I’m looking forward to it!
And as a reminder, our review scale is based on a 10-point system. A rating of “5” means the book is mediocre/average, and the more toward “10″ we go, the more awesome/worth buying it is. The more toward “1″ we go the more awful/not worth buying it is. That’s how we rate things. It’s not like most video game review scores where everything under 8 is crap, and it’s not like a school report card where everything under a 7 is failing or close-to-failing. Please keep this in mind when reading our reviews.
June 13th
TAKE MY MONEY
Detective Comics #982
“ON THE OUTSIDE” part one! Duke Thomas. Cassandra Cain. They and other young heroes don’t intend to stand down, no matter what Batman thinks is best. Who can Batman trust to guide them? They need a teacher…and Black Lightning fits the bill!
Written by Michael Moreci
Pencils and Inks by Sebastian Fiumara
Colored by Dave Stewart
Cover by Brad Anderson and Sebastian Fiumara
Josh’s Stance: I’m pretty certain this arc will lead to a Outsiders book… If I were a betting man, I’d put money on it… And you know what DC could use at the moment? And Outsiders book! If you like the idea of this – or want this – then make sure you support this arc! It could be the deciding factor in whether a title is green-lit or not. I’m not too familiar with Moreci or Fiumara off the top of my head, but I’m excited regardless!
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Red Hood & the Outlaws #23
Bizarro is teetering on the brink between brilliance and-well, Bizarro! Artemis is coming to grips with her past as a secret envoy to Lex Luthor. But it’s Red Hood who’s in for the shock of his life when he finds the cache of letters Ma Gunn kept from him when he was a ward under her care. Letters from his father. Jason Todd has hated his deadbeat dad as long as he can remember, but what he’s about to learn may threaten the future of the Outlaws-and anyone who dares to stand in Jason’s path.
Written by Scott Lobdell
Pencils by Trevor Hairsine
Inks by Ryan Winn
Colored by Rainier Beredo
Cover by Antonio Fabela and Trevor Hairsine
Josh’s Stance: Red Hood & the Outlaws continues to be one of the best and most consistent Gotham-based books in publication right now… And I can’t help but feel that there aren’t enough people talking about it! Are you reading it? If not, why not? I can’t stress how good this book is and has been since issue 1!
Batman-News Critic: Brian
Titans Special #1
It’s the dawn of a new age of TITANS! The events of METAL and NO JUSTICE have left the team in tatters, but a strange new threat has emerged to lead Nightwing to reassemble the Titans with a mix of old blood and new. A rash of metahuman power fluctuations are threatening people around the globe, and only the friends who grew up as superheroes can help those whose powers have grown out of control! It all starts here in this special issue kicking off a bold new direction!
Written by Adam Glass
Pencils by Robson Rocha
Inks by Daniel Henriques
Colored by Sunny Gho
Cover by Hi-Fi, Robson Rocha, and John Trevor Scott
Josh’s Stance: This will be our first dip into the new direction for Titans and potentially Teen Titans! I’m extremely happy with what Snyder is doing over on Justice League, and I feel it’s a fitting progression for him. He’s been moving towards bigger and grander stories, so I’m happy that narrative has shifted from a Batman title to the flagship team… Because let’s be honest, this is where these stories belong! I’m also elated to see the comradery between our heroes again. This is definitely taking me back to the early 2000’s, 90’s, and before! I absolutely love it!
Batman-News Critic: Dan
INTRIGUED
Batman: Prelude to the Wedding: Batgirl vs Riddler
On the eve of Batman’s wedding to Catwoman, two of Gotham City’s finest minds clash. In her role as Oracle, Barbara Gordon wired all of her allies together. But when The Riddler takes on Batgirl, will he tear everything asunder?
Written by Tim Seeley
Pencils Minkyu Jung and Jose Marzan Jr.
Inks by Jose Marzan Jr.
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Rafael Albuquerque and Dave McCaig
Josh’s Stance: The character moments that Tim Seeley is creating are quite good! In both the Robin and Nightwing one-shots, the character interactions were easily the highlight. The villain aspect, unfortunately has been a hit and a miss. We’ll see how this chapter plays out, but I’m hoping for the best!
Batman-News Critic: Elena
Suicide Squad #23
“CONSTRICTION” part three! Trained to kill by Kobra, Deadshot’s daughter Zoe may be even more deadly than her father. Batman and Deadshot must face her down and stop her before she kills both them and all of Kobra!
Written by Rob Williams
Pencils Phil Briones, Jose Luis, Eduardo Pansica, and Hugo Petrus
Inks by Phil Briones, Julio Ferreira, Hugo Petrus, and Jordi Tarragona
Colored by Hi-Fi and Ulises Arreola Palomera
Cover by Guillem March and Wil Quintana
Josh’s Stance: “Constriction” is giving Suicide Squad a jolt of life, and I’m finding myself enjoying it much in the way I did when the book first launched! I’m hoping this is just the beginning of more greatness from Williams, because nothing would make me happier than to put Suicide Squad at the top of my lists again! Also, having Batman play a prominent role in the arc doesn’t art…
Batman-News Critic: Casper
NOTES:
- Plastic Man by Gail Simone, Adriana Melo, and Kelly Fitzpatrick debuts this week!
- Hawkman by Jeff Lemire, Robert Venditti, and Bryan Hitch also debuts this week!
- Additional releases from DC this week: Eternity Girl #4, The Flash #48, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #46, The Immortal Men #3, The Man of Steel #3, Mister Miracle #9, New Super-Man and the Justice League of China #24, Scooby Apocalypse #26, Sideways #5, The Wild Storm – Michael Cray #8, and Wonder Woman #48.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
Dark Knights: Metal: The Resistance – The Nightmare Batmen have descended to Earth from the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL. Against an army of Dark Knights, can members of the Justice League, Teen Titans and Suicide Squad come together to form a resistance to stop them?
The Justice League has scattered around the world to find the only artifacts that can fight back against the invasion of the Dark Multiverse. The League thinks they know how to take back their world, but they are not prepared for who is standing in their way: the Seven Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse. All the brilliance of Batman, but combinedwith the powers of the Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg and more… and none of the morals.
The shocking events of METAL have transformed Gotham City into a mosaic of fantastical realms full of monsters, magic and doom An SOS from Dick Grayson sends Robin back to Gotham to find a number of hometown heroes (and anti-heroes) including Batgirl, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Black Canary and Green Arrow all trapped in a labyrinth of madness and death! Meanwhile, the Justice League are trapped in pocket worlds with their evil Batmen counterparts! Will the heroes be able to escape in time to fight against the villainous mastermind Barbatos?
Filling in the gaps between issues of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, this tie-in graphic novel is a crucial companion story to Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s masterpiece! Written and illustrated by some of the top talents in the industry, including Jeff Lemire, Joshua Williamson, Bryan Hitch, Liam Sharp, Howard Porter, Robert Venditti and more!
Collects THE FLASH #33, HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #32, JUSTICE LEAGUE #32-33, HAWKMAN: FOUND #1, TEEN TITANS #12, NIGHTWING #29, SUICIDE SQUAD #26, GREEN ARROW #32, BATMAN: LOST #1 and HAWKMAN FOUND #1.
DC/ Young Animal: Milk Wars – The DC and DC’s Young Animal–a grassroots mature reader imprint, creatively spearheaded by Gerard Way–crossover is here! Now some of the world’s most famous superheroes appear alongside the DC’s Young Animal misfits for some thrilling crime-fighting adventures.
What happens when the Doom Patrol team of misfits meets Justice League of America, or the new Gotham vigilante Mother Panic comes face to face with Batman? Will Shade the Changing Girl be able to appease Wonder Woman and will Cave Carson be able to team up with Swamp Thing to destroy the evil, interdimensional corporation called RetCo from the inside? Valid questions. Very valid. How will we ever find out the answer?
Right here in DC/YOUNG ANIMAL: MILK WARS, of course!
Led by Eisner Award-winning author and DC’s Young Animal creator, Gerard Way, top talents from DC and DC’s Young Animal are collaborating for the first time to bring you the wildest and weirdest crime-fighting adventures in comics history. DC’s Young Animal bridges the gap between the DCU and Vertigo, focusing on the juxtaposition between visual and thematic storytelling.
Collects JLA/DOOM PATROL SPECIAL #1, MOTHER PANIC/BATMAN SPECIAL #1, SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL/WONDER WOMAN SPECIAL #1, CAVE CARSON HAS A CYBERNETIC EYE/SWAMP THING SPECIAL #1 and DOOM PATROL/JLA SPECIAL #1.
Elseworlds Batman Vol. 3 – In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places—some that have existed, or might have existed, and others that can’t, couldn’t or shouldn’t exist. The result: stories that make characters who are as familiar as yesterday seem as fresh as tomorrow.
Featuring tales of Batman and Eliot Ness taking on Al Capone, a future league of Batmen protecting the night with an iron fist, a mysterious knight defending Camelot as an armor-clad Bat and a 19th-century Batman entwined in an operatic tale of love, horror and obsession.
Now, for the first time, Batman’s Elseworlds tales are featured in a new graphic novel collection. Collects Batman: Brotherhood of the Bat, Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table #1-2, Batman: KnightGallery, Batman: Masque and Batman: Scar of the Bat!
