Halloween is this week! I’m going to be taking my nieces and nephews out for some good trick-or-treat/ trunk-or-treat fun. I haven’t picked my costume yet, but it will most likely be Batman related. I mean, would you expect anything less? Will any of your – or your kids – be dressing up? If you or your kiddos dress as anyone from the Bat-family then share your pictures with us in the comments section! We always love connecting with other Bat/ comic fans!
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.
OCTOBER 30TH
TAKE MY MONEY
DCeased #6
Humanity is on the brink of extinction, and only a few remaining members of the Justice League stand between life and annihilation. As the remnants of humanity make their last gamble for survival, will there even be a planet left to call home when all is said and done? The senses-shattering conclusion to the year’s surprise blockbuster is here!
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils Neil Edwards and Trevor Hairsine
Inks by Stefano Guadiano
Colored by Rainier Beredo
Cover by Mark Brooks
Josh’s Stance: Tom Taylor has quite a bit of legwork to complete before wrapping DCeased, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every single page leading up to this moment! And you know that Taylor isn’t going to let us endure a final issue without tugging on the heartstrings. This should be good!
Batman-News Critic: Casper
Harleen #2
Despite the strongest objections from every possible authority-including district attorney Harvey Dent-Dr. Harleen Quinzel’s found herself with free access to every inmate in Arkham Asylum, where she desperately pursues a revolutionary and highly controversial cure to the insanity of Gotham. But her work with the city’s super-criminals quickly muddies the waters of good and evil, and in the deepest, darkest padded rooms of Arkham, even the words of a mad clown start making sense!
Written by Stjepan Sejic
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Cover by Stjepan Sejic
Josh’s Stance: I loved the debut of Harleen and can’t wait to see what Sejic does in this chapter now that Harley and Joker are finally coming to sit across from one another. And if the debut was any sign of what’s coming, then we’re in for a real treat!
Batman-News Critic: Casper
Joker: Killer Smile #1
Everyone knows The Joker doesn’t have the most promising history with psychotherapists. In fact, no one’s even been able to diagnose him. But that doesn’t matter to the confident, world-beating Dr. Ben Arnell; he’s going to be the one to unravel this unknowable mind. There’s no way The Joker could ever get through the therapeutic walls Ben has built around himself. Right? There’s no way The Joker’s been entering his house at night…right? There’s no way The Joker has stood over his son’s bed, and put that book in his hands, the one with the, the, the…
The Eisner-nominated creative team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (GREEN ARROW, Gideon Falls) reunite for a psychological horror story where nothing is as it seems, your eyes can’t be trusted and Mr. Smiles is waiting behind the basement door.
Wait, who’s Mr. Smiles?
Written by Jeff Lemire
Pencils and Inks by Andrea Sorrentino
Colored by Jordie Bellaire and Andrea Sorrentino
Cover by Andrea Sorrentino
Josh’s Stance: Jeff Lemire. Andrea Sorrentino. Joker. Black Label. You better believe I’m excited for this!
Batman-News Critic: Casper
Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Death of Superman #1
The Dark Multiverse takes on the highest-selling comic book event of all time-the Death of Superman! In a broken world much like our own, Lois Lane, twisted by rage and grief, becomes the Eradicator and takes revenge on those who let Superman die, and the corrupt world he could never defeat. Now, with the power of a god, she’s going to end the battle by any means necessary…and the Reign of the Supermen will be over before it begins!
Written by Jeff Loveness
Pencils by Brad Walker
Inks by Andrew Hennessy and Norm Rapmund
Colored by John Kalisz
Cover by Brad Anderson and Lee Weeks
Josh’s Stance: Prior to Dark Multiverse: Knightfall, I probably would’ve been less enthusiastic about the Dark Multiverse one-shots, but that issue was so good that I’m genuinely looking forward to this issue! Also, it’s pretty clear at this point that these one-shots will be leading to this future Crisis story – which I’m assuming Scott Snyder will be penning considering the announcement of him leaving Justice League and announcing “something bigger” for the future. Anyway, I’m excited and hopeful that this story might give us more answers into what’s coming.
Batman-News Critic: Nick
INTRIGUED
Batman Annual #4
In this new annual, it’s two unique stories by BATMAN mastermind Tom King! First, King reteams with Lee Weeks, his collaborator on the Eisner-nominated BATMAN/ELMER FUDD #1 to send the Caped Crusader into space in search of the rare element he needs to save a life on Earth. But what terrible gauntlet of tyrants and monsters will he have to go through to reach his objective? Then, it’s back down to Earth and the grimy streets of Gotham City as King and acclaimed newcomer Jorge Fornés task the Dark Knight Detective with a dangerous case only he can solve.
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Fornes and Mike Norton
Colored by Dave Stewart
Cover by Lee Weeks
Josh’s Stance: You might be surprised that I ranked Batman under “Intrigued.” Well, let’s be honest, despite my overall feelings of King’s run, if there’s one thing we can’t deny, it is that his short stories and Annuals have been incredible! I’m hoping for the same here!
Batman-News Critic: Josh
MIXED
Batman and the Outsiders Annual #1
The soul of Katana’s husband, Maseo, is experiencing great unrest within her sword! The Outsiders must find a way to relieve him, or else the blade itself may shatter, unleashing not only Maseo but whatever unknown spirits and sorcery are trapped with him in the Pandora’s box of Katana’s blade!
Written by Bryan Edward Hill
Pencils and Inks by Max Raynor
Colored by Luis Guerrero
Cover by Arif Prianto, Riley Rossmo, and Dexter Soy
Josh’s Stance: Look, we all know that I love Katana and I want her to have whatever spotlight she can get, but those moments almost always involve Katana using the Soul Taker to communicate with Maseo to prevent something dire from happening… It’s a bit tired at this point, and there are so many more stories worth telling.
Batman-News Critic: Josh
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK US”
Nightwing Annual #2
The bullet that shattered Nightwing’s life was the shot fired by the KGBeast in the now-infamous BATMAN #55-and it changed the course of Dick “Ric” Grayson’s career. Gone were the memories and alliances that once defined him, replaced by a near blank-slate persona.
Now go inside those early moments of Ric’s new life, his strained reunion with a stranger named Bruce Wayne and an entire life turned upside down. But amid the chaos lies opportunity…not for Ric, but for an old foe who’s been waiting a lifetime for a moment like this. Echoes of the past return in a story that tees up Nightwing’s own Year of the Villain!
Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils and Inks by Travis Moore
Colored by Nick Filardi
Cover by Nick Filardi, Dan Jurgens, and Norm Rapmund
Josh’s Stance: I’ve stopped trying to get excited for Nightwing, so I’m not going to pretend to be excited here. I am, however, excited to get some Travis Moore art though! He’s easily one of my favorite artists in the industry at the moment, and I welcome any chance to experience his work.
Batman-News Critic: Michael
NOTES:
- Basketful of Heads by Joe Hill and Leomacs debuts this week.
- The Last God by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Ricardo Federici debuts this week.
- The Sandman Universe Presents: Hellblazer by Simon Spurrier and Marcio Takara debuts this week.
- Additional releases from DC Comics: Aquaman Giant Direct Market Edition #1, Ghosts Giant Direct Market Edition #1, and Wonder Woman Annual #3.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
Super Sons: The Foxglove Mission – In the aftermath of The PolarShield Project, Jon Kent and Damian “Ian” Wayne, the respective sons of Superman and Batman, are on the run! With their hometown in ruins, and in the absence of their heroic fathers, Jon and Ian are on a mission to find a sample of the deadly virus that’s threatening Wyndemere and Jon’s mother, Lois Lane. Meanwhile, Candace follows clues that hold the key to her destiny, and her journey is filled with twists and turns as she unlocks powerful abilities she never knew existed. While their quests threaten to divide the three of them, it’s only through teamwork and trust that they can succeed.
The Foxglove Mission is the rare sequel that takes everything readers love about the Super Sons and raises the stakes without losing any of the charm or sense of wonder. Join New York Times bestselling author Ridley Pearson (Kingdom Keepers) and artist Ile Gonzalez as they introduce new settings, new allies and villains, and an all-new adventure in this latest action-packed chapter!
- Additional DC graphic novels and trades scheduled for release this week: All Star Superman (DC Modern Classic Edition), Black Canary: Ignite, Lucifer Omnibus Vol. 1, Vamps: The Complete Collection, and The Wild Storm Vol. 4.
