We have a heavy load this week, so let’s not waste any time and get right to it!
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 28th
TAKE MY MONEY
Batgirl #29
In the finale of “Art of the Crime,” Batgirl may have uncovered Grotesque’s real plot, but that only means she knows the real danger that faces Jim Gordon and the GCPD! Can Barbara take down Grotesque before he pulls off a massive heist and ruins the GCPD’s rep in the process? Maybe, but it won’t be a paint-by-numbers job!
Written by Mairghread Scott
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Norm Rapmund
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Matt Hollingsworth and Sean Murphy
Josh’s Stance: You should be reading Mairghread Scott’s Batgirl. Period. This is the best Babs has been in YEARS!
Batman- News Critic: Elena
Batman: Kings of Fear #4
Scarecrow’s psych evaluation of Batman takes its darkest turn yet, as it completely dismantles the Dark Knight and keeps him from Gotham City! And a threat of immense magnitude will ravish the city unless Batman snaps out of Scarecrow’s control.
Written by Scott Peterson
Pencils and Inks by Kelley Jones
Colored by Michelle Madsen
Cover by Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen
Josh’s Stance: There aren’t enough people talking about Batman: Kings of Fear, and that’s a shame because it’s a solid book across the board! The story and script are strong. Jones’ art is excellent. If you’re not reading, then you should be!
Batman- News Critic: Casper
Heroes In Crisis #3
The Man of Steel versus…Booster Gold?! Superman finds out the hard way that Booster can be a formidable opponent when his back’s against the wall. Of course, being the prime suspect in a superhero massacre and exposing a secret trauma hospital for metahumans will do just that. Meanwhile, Batman and the Flash combine their detective skills to investigate what went awry at Sanctuary and uncover a serious glitch in the system—not to mention an explosive, spoiler-ific secret!
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Clay Mann and Lee Weeks
Colored by Tomeu Morey
Cover by Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey
Josh’s Stance: Am I excited to read Heroes in Crisis? No… Simply because this isn’t an easy book to read due to its themes. Is Heroes In Crisis a good, quality book? Yes. And here lies the divisiveness from readers. There’s quite a bit of deconstruction in this story, but it’s all been handled rather respectfully here – something I can’t bring myself to say about King’s Batman run. Unfortunately, certain characters have endured terrible treatment here, so there will need to be some twist or change if DC expects to keep fans involved.
Batman- News Critic: Josh
INTRIGUED
Aquaman/ Justice League: Drowned Earth Special #1
“DROWNED EARTH” finale! Aquaman faces the truth behind Atlantis’ past and must find a way to reclaim the power of his birthright or watch the floodwaters drown everything he has ever loved! With the world at stake and the Justice League on their last sea legs in their battle against the Ocean Lords, Arthur makes the ultimate sacrifice to return balance to land and sea!
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils and Inks by Howard Porter
Cover by Francis Manapul
Josh’s Stance: Overall, I feel as though “Drowned Earth” has been a little too big and unfolded a little too quickly for my taste, but it has still been a delightfully fun read… Well, as delightful as a book can be when the entire earth is flooding. More than anything though, I’m happy to see that Snyder continues to reach to the depths of the DC Universe to create a unity between our heroes.
Batman- News Critic: Brian
Batman Beyond #26
The Joker’s back—and he wants to turn Batman and Robin into a punchline once and for all! The original Clown Prince of Crime returns to stalk Neo-Gotham in part two of “The Final Joke”! Can you guess what happens when he encounters Barbara Gordon for the first time in decades? And when Robin gets caught on a video feed for the first time, no one’s more delighted than The Joker.
Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils by Brett Booth
Inks by Norm Rapmund
Colored by Andrew Dalhouse and Wil Quintana
Cover by Viktor Kalvachev
Josh’s Stance: We’re finally reaching the story I’ve been waiting for, and I’m holding my breath in hopes that it’s everything it could (and should) be! Come on Jurgens and Booth! Don’t let me down!
Batman- News Critic: Dan
Detective Comics #993
Two-Face…dead?! Did the multifaceted mafioso really get killed in a massive explosion? Batman’s the detective—let HIM figure it out! And that’s just what the Caped Crusader sets out to do, because something’s fishy about Dent’s latest demise. What the Dark Knight uncovers about his former friend not only threatens Gotham City, it’s big enough to threaten the whole world.
Written by James Robinson
Pencils and Inks by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colored by Ivan Plascencia
Cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico and Stephen Segovia
Josh’s Stance: Robinson has delivered an entertaining run that has a 90’s/ early 2000’s vibe to it, and I’m personally a big fan of that! Despite that, it still feels fresh, and the story is exploring some entertaining scenarios. I do wish we could have seen the narrative fleshed out a little considering the plot in recent issues has been rushed, but the book is still enjoyable none-the-less.
Batman- News Critic: Elena
The Silencer #11
The Silencer better get a snowplow guy on the horn quick, or she’ll “Die Another Snow Day” in part one of this new epic!
The first year of the series builds to this, so expect all the loose ends to get tied up. As the Leviathan War approaches its fateful conclusion, Talia’s true goal stands revealed-and it means bad news for everyone in THIS Multiverse. And when a blizzard cripples South Carolina, Talia takes advantage of the snow job to put her plans into place. Can Silencer put this scheme on ice, or will she get a fatal dose of frostbite instead?
Written by Dan Abnett
Pencils and Inks by Jack Herbert
Colored by Mike Spicer
Cover by Viktor Bogdanovic, Romulo Fajardo, Jr., Jonathan Glapion, Tyler Kirkham, FCO Plascencia, and More…
Josh’s Stance: The Silencer has been so action-heavy as of late that it’s starting to lose the magic and relatability it once had. I hope Abnett circles back to the emotional tinges of this title so we can remind people of what made this story so special early on.
Batman- News Critic: Josh
MIXED
Justice League Odyssey #3
Another day, another planet…another alien race trying to sacrifice you! Life on the final frontier of the universe heats up for Cyborg, Starfire, Azrael and Green Lantern Jessica Cruz as the team continues their search for the elusive Darkseid and their own connection to the ancient prophecy linking each new planet they explore. But the more the heroes delve into the legends of the Ghost Sector, the more they discover that Darkseid might not be the most dangerous threat to their new home!
Written by Joshua Williamson
Pencils and Inks by Phil Briones and Stjepan Sejic
Colored by Jeromy Cox and Stjepan Sejic
Cover by Stjepan Sejic
Josh’s Stance: Ugh… Look, I know we’re only two issues in, but this book is already an unfocused mess, so until that changes, I can’t imagine myself getting overly excited about reviewing it.
Batman- News Critic: Josh
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK US”
Titans #30
“MAROONED” part two! Stranded on an alien world with no means of travel, Beast Boy finally succumbs to his more monstrous tendencies and could become the most dangerous thing on an already dangerous planet. The Titans are forced to square off against a savage and gargantuan Garfield! Will the Titans be able to maintain their fractured team in the face of extraterrestrial adversity and sinister secrets coming to light? And even if they can, how on Earth will they ever get back home?
Written by Dan Abnett
Pencils by Minkyu Jung and Brandon Peterson
Inks by John Dell and Brandon Peterson
Colored by Adriano Lucas and Ivan Plascencia
Cover by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., Ben Oliver, and Brandon Peterson
Josh’s Stance: I’m going to be honest… I’m roughly two or three issues behind on Titans at the moment. I simply have no desire to read it… Like, at all…
Batman- News Critic: Dan
NO!
Old Lady Harley #2
In this dystopian-future tale, Harley’s quest to find out how The Joker could possibly still be alive has taken her back to their old stomping grounds, but Gotham City is very different nowadays! Nobody’s allowed on the streets without the Batman’s permission—but who is this Batman, anyway? Harley’s only choice is to return to Arkham…the Arkham Home for Criminally Insane Retirees, that is! Fancy a round of bingo with the Riddler? Or some pool aerobics with Killer Croc?
Written by Frank Tieri
Pencils and Inks by Inaki Miranda
Colored by Eva de la Cruz
Cover by Amanda Conner and Paul Mounts
Josh’s Stance: Remember last week? When I said I’m in a, “I’m over Harley phase”? Yeah… So, I’m still in that same mindset, so I’ll pass on this. Thanks! (But I am a fan of Tieri, so I’m sure I’ll circle back at some point).
Batman- News Critic: Casper
NOTES:
- Additional releases from DC Comics: Action Comics #1005, Books of Magic #2, DC Nuclear Winter Special #1, The Flash #59, Hex Wives #2, Injustice vs Masters of the Universe #5, Looney Tunes #246, Raven, Daughter of Darkness #10, Scarlet #4, Scooby Doo Team-Up #44, The Terrifics #10, and Wonder Woman #59.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
Batman: Knightsend – Following the events of Batman: Knightquest: The Search, Bruce Wayne has successfully recuperated from his broken back and is ready to resume crime-fighting duties as the Batman.
But Jean-Paul Valley, the man who currently patrols the dark alleyways of Gotham City, is not willing to step aside. Furthermore, Valley has become unaccountably violent and reckless. Driven to the brink of madness by inner demons, the “new Batman” seeks to destroy the “old Batman” in a battle with deadly consequences.
Batman: Knightsend is the seventh installment in an expansive nine-volume series reprinting the entire Batman: Knightfall storyline. Contained in this volume are Batman #509-510, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30, Detective Comics #676-677, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Robin #8-9, Catwoman #12-13 and Showcase ’94 #10 and includes bonus poster artwork.
Teen Titans: The Silver Age Vol. 2 – By the time the Silver Age rolled around, teenage sidekicks had been a staple of superhero comics for a long time. But as popular as they were, these young heroes-in-training never considered forming a junior Justice League. That all changed with the debut of Teen Titans in 1964 when Robin, Kid Flash and Aqualad united for the first time to fight crime and injustice. Later joined by Wonder Girl and Speedy, the Teen Titans quickly became the most iconic team of super-teens of all time.
Teen Titans: The Silver Age Volume 2 collects Teen Titans #12-24 and features an amazing array of talented creators such as Bob Haney, Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, Nick Cardy, Neal Adams, Gil Kane and Wally Wood.
Young Justice Book Three – The teen superheroes of Young Justice are about to experience their craziest adventures yet. The mysterious organization known only as the Agenda has meddled with the lives of both Young Justice and the team’s rival superhero group, Old Justice. Some of the young crime-fighters have become adults, and some of the elderly heroes have turned into teenagers. Will they ever find a way to reverse this madness, or are all of the heroes stuck in their new bodies for good?
From author Peter David (Aquaman) comes the next collection of Young Justice! Collects Young Justice #18-19, Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1-2, Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files #1, Superboy #74, Sins of Youth: JLA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man #1, Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1, Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1, Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Superman Jr./Superboy Sr. #1, Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1 and Sins of Youth: The Secret/Deadboy #1.
