This Tuesday is going to be EPIC! Not only is Cinco de Mayo falling on Taco Tuesday, BUT with the new distributors that DC is currently using, new comics are now hitting shelves on Tuesday! Life is full of silver linings, so during a world-wide pandemic, you really just have to take the blessings as they come! Now, I should forewarn you. Just because DC is using new distributors and releasing new books, that does not necessarily mean your local comic book shop opted to purchase said books from one of these new distributors. I would recommend that you contact your LCS first to see if they’re getting them. And please, if they didn’t order these books, do not harass your LCS. There’s a lot of talk about retailers opposing anything that is new – and while I’m sure there are some shop owners that are like that, I’ve also seen some legitimate business reasons as to why some shops are opting out.
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.
MAY 5th
TAKE MY MONEY
Batman & the Outsiders #12
Batman goes over the edge! With everything that’s happened in Gotham City and Ra’s al Ghul’s personal attacks on the Dark Knight and his team of Outsiders, Batman lashes out and uses his all his anger and skills to take down Ra’s and his new League of Assassins on his own. Will the Outsiders be able to pull him back from his rage-or will they find themselves on the receiving end of it?
Written by Brian Edward Hill
Pencils and Inks by Dexter Soy
Colors by Veronica Gandini
Cover by Tyler Kirkham and Arif Prianto
Josh’s Stance: I know it’s been well over a month, but I’m still a broken record! Batman & the Outsiders is easily one of the most consistently good books that DC is publishing! I’m happy to see that out of the titles they’re choosing to publish during this time, this is one of them!
Batman News Critic: Josh
INTRIGUED
Joker/ Harley: Criminal Sanity #4
When murder is your art, it’s not enough to leave behind a body-the only true satisfaction lies in creating a display worthy of your genius. But elaborate crime scenes also lend themselves to analysis. While the GCPD might not find all the clues, forensic psychiatrist and profiler Harley Quinn is getting closer to the truth…and the killer.
Written by Kami Garcia
Pencils and Inks by Jason Badower and Mico Suayan
Colors by Annette Kwok
Cover by Mike Mayhew
Josh’s Stance: While I think there’s plenty to enjoy here – especially the art – there’s just something about this story that comes off as your “standard, generic crime story.” It’s not bad by any means, but it’s also not great either.
Batman News Critic: Nick
- Additional releases from DC Comics: DC Super Stars #17 Facsimile Edition #1, The Flash #753, The Green Lantern Season Two #3, Hawkman #23, and House of Whispers #20.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH
Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: Greetings From Gotham – Detective Jim Corrigan has been shot on the streets of Gotham City-and the Spectre must reach out to Batman to help him find the assassin! There’s only one life Batman would be willing to risk saving Jim Corrigan and the Spectre: his own! Plus, Deadshot returns to Gotham City following his stint with the Suicide Squad, and Batman fears that without the oversight of Amanda Waller, Floyd Lawton will go back to his old ways. Collects Detective Comics #1006-1011.
The Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel – Before Batman trained him to be Robin, Dick Grayson discovered the power of young love–and its staggering costs–at the dangerous, magical, and utterly irresistible Lost Carnival.
Haly’s traveling circus no longer has the allure of its glamorous past, but it still has one main attraction: the Flying Graysons, a family of trapeze artists starring a teenage Dick Grayson. The only problem is that Dick loathes spending his summers performing tired routines for a dwindling crowd.
When the Lost Carnival, a wild and enchanting new attraction, opens nearby and threatens to pull Haly’s remaining customers, Dick is among those drawn to its magical nighttime glow. But there are forces ancient and dangerous at work at the Lost Carnival, and when Dick meets the mysterious Luciana and her carnival workers–each stranger than the last–he may be too mesmerized to recognize the danger ahead.
Beneath the carnival’s dazzling fireworks, Dick must decide who he is and who he wants to be–choosing between loyalty to his family history and a glittering future with new friends and romance. Writer Michael Moreci and artist Sas Milledge redefine Dick Grayson in The Lost Carnival, a young adult graphic novel exploring the power and magic of young love.
- Additional Graphic Novels from DC Comics: Green Arrow: Year One – The Deluxe Edition, Shazam!: The World’s Mightiest Mortal Vol. 2, and Weird Western Tales: Jonah Hex.
QUARANTINE BOOK CLUB
As a reminder, we’ll be covering Batman & the Monster Men on Friday, May 8 for our Quarantine Book Club! Make sure you pick up a copy from your local comic book shop so you can join in on the conversation! Also, be sure to check out last week’s coverage of Batman: Overdrive and Batman: Nightwalker.
Batman & the Monster Men
Batman has spent the early days of his career taking down the criminals and street thugs that plague Gotham City. But now a new threat arises he may not be prepared for as Hugo Strange begins experiments to create something more dangerous than normal villains–something more super.
