I know I say this often, but where has the year gone? It feels like a month ago I was in San Diego with Andrew and Jay, but it’s really been over three months! Thanksgiving is in less than twenty days! Christmas and Hanukah will be here before we know it… And I haven’t even started shopping! *Sigh* I’m going to go close myself off in an isolated room and read comics. That’s what you’re supposed to do in these situations, right? Right?
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.
November 7th
TAKE MY MONEY
Justice League #11
“DROWNED EARTH” part two! The Justice League is scattered across the Seven Seas, pursued by the Ocean Lords and their army of alien mercenaries and constantly at risk of turning into fish monsters. You know, just a day at the beach. Their only hope lies in the crippled Aquaman, who believes the road to victory lies in unleashing equally vengeful gods on Earth’s oceans. Meanwhile, Batman guards the Totality in the sunken Hall of Justice, where no one can attack him…or can they?
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils and Inks by Francis Manapul
Colored by Francis Manapul
Cover by Francis Manapul
Josh’s Stance: This isn’t to say that there aren’t moments I question or dislike here and there, but Scott Snyder is KILLING IT with his Justice League run! If there’s ever a place to tell epic, grand stories, this is it! The book is gripping, engaging, and a total blas!
Batman-News Critic: Brian
INTRIGUED
Adventures of the Super Sons #4
Jon Kent learns it’s better to be dead than red…Kryptonite, that is! Traveling the cosmos to get home and escape the intergalactic teen baddies known as the Gang, Superboy and Robin wind up on the so-called “Planet of Mystery.” There, Superboy deals with Red Kryptonite exposure, which throws his powers out of whack, while the planet haunts and taunts them both with nightmare creatures. They’ll need to wrap up this rest stop ASAP though, as the Gang is hot on their tails looking for a pound of flesh—which is a lethal amount when you’re a tween!
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Carlo Barberi
Inks by Matt Santorelli and Art Thibert
Colored by Protobunker
Cover by Dan Mora
Josh’s Stance: I simply adore this book! I love the relationship Jon and Damian have, and I love when their dads are featured as well because it lets us see Clark and Bruce as dads! This is always a fun read that I can rely on!
Batman-News Critic: Jay
Batman #58
The Dark Knight waddles into a turf war with the Penguin! Still reeling from the attacks on his Bat-Family and reputation, the Caped Crusader looks to track down the mysterious operator lurking behind the scenes in Gotham City. As the hunt rages on, Batman runs “a fowl” of Oswald Cobblepot. But the Penguin is on Batman’s side for once, and the crime boss sees dangerous things on the horizon. How can he convince the Caped Crusader he’s on the level?
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Tony Salvador Daniel and Mikel Janin
Colored by Tomeu Morey
Cover by Tony Salvador Daniel, Mikel Janin, and Tomeu Morey
Josh’s Stance: I’m actually curious to read this. I think Penguin is best when he’s an opportunist, and as a pseudo “information highway,” I suspect he knows he’s dealing could be jeopardized by whatever Bane is planning. Now we just have to see if the story is executed well…
Batman-News Critic: Elena
MIXED
Suicide Squad Black Files #1
Two members of Task Force X are back in these all-new adventures! First up: “REVENGE OF KOBRA” by writer Mike W. Barr and artist Philippe Briones. To oppose the terrorist Kobra is to earn his un-dying hatred, and that’s what the samurai Katana did when she killed his beloved Eve. Now Kobra stalks Katana beyond the bounds of the Earth itself, to a supernatural world where he will steal from her everything that she has-including her very soul!
And in “SUICIDE SQUAD BLACK,” by writer Jai Nitz and artist Scot Eaton, Sebastian Faust, the U.S. government’s top arcane operative, has gone rogue! To track down America’s most dangerous magician, Amanda Waller assembles a special-ops team unlike any other: an expendable coven of dark-arts experts including El Diablo, Enchantress and Gentleman Ghost. They are Suicide Squad Black, and they will take you to places where even the dead can die!
Written by Mike W. Barr and Jai Nitz
Pencils by Phil Briones and Scot Eaton
Inks by Phil Briones and Wayne Faucher
Colored by Gabe Eltaeb and Guy Major
Cover by Frazer Irving
Josh’s Stance: Based on Suicide Squad: Most Wanted, I’m not looing forward to the Katana story. You guys know that I love Katana, but that previous arc is bad. As for the second story, it could be really good. We’ll see…
Batman-News Critic: Josh
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK US”
Harley Quinn #53
Harley and failed Female Fury Petite Tina go road-tripping! With their lives a roaring dumpster fire, Harley and Tina decide to get out of town for a mini-vacay, and wind up driving each other crazy instead. An unplanned detour leads them to run afoul of a new baddie called Minor Disaster, whose so-called “Disaster Dial” only causes small calamities such as texting your ex and pooping your pants. Harley and Tina must now put their differences aside to stop Minor Disaster before she spells disaster for them both!
Written by Sam Humphries
Pencils and Inks by Lucas Werneck
Colored by Alex Sinclair
Cover by Guillem March and Tomeu Morey
Josh’s Stance: I’ll pass… In fact, I kind of wish Harley would get side-lined for a while, but I know that will never happen, especially with the Birds of Prey film coming out.
Batman-News Critic: Casper
NO!
Nightwing #52
Who is Dick Grayson? That’s the question haunting him after the devastating injury he suffered in Batman #55.
Written by Scott Lobdell and Benjamin Percy
Pencils by Christopher Mooneyham
Inks by Klaus Janson and Christopher Mooneyham
Colored by Nick Filardi
Cover by Dave McCaig and Mike Perkins
Josh’s Stance: Ugh… The smell of desperation is thick in the air! (And for the record, I don’t blame Scott Lobdell for any of this.)
Batman-News Critic: Josh
NOTES:
- The Green Lantern by Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp debuts this week!
- Additional releases from DC Comics this week: A Very DC Rebirth Holiday Sequel, Border Town #3, The Curse of the Brimstone #8, Deathstroke #37, The Dreaming #3, Green Arrow #46, Sideways Annual #1, The Unexpected #6, and The United States vs Murder Inc #3.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
Batman: Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition – Join best-selling author Scott Snyder and discover the rich history of Gotham City in this deluxe version of the New York Times best-selling graphic novel, Batman: Gates of Gotham.
At the turn of the century, three prominent families shaped the construction of modern-day Gotham City. Now a madman with 300 pounds of explosives and a century-old grudge is threatening to bring it all crashing down. Beginning with the simultaneous destruction of some of Gotham’s oldest bridges, the mysterious villain is targeting the holdings and legacies of Gotham’s most notable families–including the Waynes.
To uncover the truth behind the villainous Architect and his link to the city’s violent past, Batman unites with Robin, Red Robin and Batman Inc.’s Hong Kong operative, the Black Bat. But can they stop their new foe’s plans before it’s too late? The future of Gotham started with an explosion, and it could end the very same way…
The critically acclaimed author of Batman, Scott Snyder, teams with writer Kyle Higgins (Nightwing) and Ryan Parrot for a mystery that stretches back to the earliest days of Gotham, with art by the creative team of Trevor McCarthy, Dustin Nguyen, Graham Nolan and Derec Donovan. Batman: Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition collects the full Gates of Gotham miniseries issues #1-5, stories from Detective Comics Annual #12 and Batman Annual #28 and sketchbook bonus material.
Batman: Sins of the Father – Based on the acclaimed video game series from Telltale Games, this new graphic novel unravels the mystery between the first and second seasons of Batman: The Telltale Series. Someone is killing people associated with Arkham Asylum…during the time Thomas Wayne was forcibly committing people there!
Suspicion falls on the families suing Bruce Wayne to pay for the harm caused by his father. Batman has other ideas, but his investigation leads to him becoming the target of a deadly assassin. It’s a deadly game of cat and mouse as Batman tries to stop Deadshot from killing former Arkham Asylum employees, while also trying to determine just who he is and why he’s targeting them. Then, Batman goes up against the Black Spider–does he work for Deadshot or one of the new mystery figures making waves in the Gotham underworld?
Written by Christos N. Gage (Spider-Verse, Civil War II) with art by Raffaele Ienco, Batman: Sins of the Father is great for fans of the game and the Dark Knight alike! Collects issues #1-6.
Batman & Robin: Bad Blood – Once again battling evil with his son Damian Wayne, a.k.a. Robin, at his side, Batman will soon realize that the hardest part of the job may now be trying to work together with his own flesh and blood! Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s #1 New York Times bestseller Batman and Robin is collected anew as part of the DC Essentials collection, featuring brand new cover art from Patrick Gleason!
As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne’s past–one not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil. At the same time, the son of Batman must prove to his father as well as the previous mantle-holders that he is worthy of the honor to be called Robin! Collects Batman and Robin #1-8.
The DC Essential Edition series of graphic novels highlights the best standalone stories the medium has to offer, featuring comics’ greatest characters. These trade paperback editions focus on the easiest entry points DC has in its vast library, with seminal, groundbreaking tales that transcend the printed page. Start with the Essentials.
Justice League: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition – The epic Rebirth-era adventures of the World’s Greatest Superheroes continues here, as Bryan Hitch delivers JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE REBIRTH DELUXE EDITION BOOK 3!
The Justice League is dead…or worse. It’s 22 years in the future, and Earth is a wasteland, crushed under the heel of a dread goddess known only as Sovereign. But the world’s greatest heroes have left one thing behind that can save the world.
Their legacy.
The children of the Justice League, now heroes in their own time, must travel back in time to stop Sovereign before she kills their parents and seizes power. As the original Leaguers process the shock of meeting grown sons and daughters they didn’t know they’d have (in some cases with their teammates), their offspring search for clues to Sovereign’s rise.
Continuing the Rebirth series for the first time in hardcover, Bryan Hitch and a superstar creative team present Justice League: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 3. Collects Justice League #26-33.
Mother Panic: Gotham AD – After the fallout of Milk Wars, Violet Paige finds herself in a Gotham City unlike any we have seen before…a Gotham City without Batman. From DC’s Young Animal, the offbeat, grassroots mature-readers imprint spearheaded by Gerard Way.
Ten years into the future, in a world without a Batman, Gotham City has been taken over by the Collective, with Gala acting as Head of Citystate. In a high-tech town with zero tolerance for caped crusaders and masked vigilantes (except for those designed by Gala and her association of aristocratic artisans), what’s a woman who has vowed vengeance to do? And what’s happened to her mother, Rebecca Paige? Perhaps The Joker, now a sad clown who makes balloon toys shaped like tommy guns and machetes on the abandoned Gotham docks, has the answers. Find out for yourself as Mother Panic returns to a different Bat-time, different Bat-channel.
Collects issues #1-6.
