What a weekend!!! Am I right? DC FanDome was Saturday, and where I had reservations that this would be a dud like ComicCon@Home, Jim Lee and team made sure that if you were going to give them your time, they were going to deliver you some goods! There was so much news! The Batman! THE BATMAN! I don’t know about you, but I watched that trailer at least five or six times Saturday night alone! We also got trailers for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman: 1984, and Suicide Squad cast details and behind the scenes footage. We also received updates on The Flash, Shazam!, and Black Adam. On the tv front, there was a trailer for season 7 of The Flash and information about Titans: Season 3. And then, for all of you gamers, we got the announcement of Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.
There wasn’t much news on the comics front, but we did get confirmation that John Ridley and Nick Derrington would be writing a Batman miniseries. And if Saturday wasn’t enough of a fangasm, Sunday DC announced some animated film news… specifically that Batman: The Long Halloween is being adapted! Needless to say, it was a successful and exciting weekend!
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.
AUGUST 25th
TAKE MY MONEY
Batman: Three Jokers #1
Thirty years after Batman: The Killing Joke changed comics forever, Three Jokers reexamines the myth of who, or what, The Joker is and what is at the heart of his eternal battle with Batman. New York Times bestselling writer Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok, the writer/artist team that waged the “Darkseid War” in the pages of Justice League, reunite to tell the ultimate story of Batman and The Joker!
After years of anticipation starting in DC Universe: Rebirth #1, the epic miniseries you’ve been waiting for is here: find out why there are three Jokers, and what that means for the Dark Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. It’s a mystery unlike any Batman has ever faced!
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils and Inks by Jason Fabok
Colored by Brad Anderson
Cover by Brad Anderson and Jason Fabok
Josh’s Stance: Take my money!!! I’m so psyched for this, and you should be too!
Batman News Critic: Nick
Suicide Squad #8
Task Force X is done running. They pulled the bombs out of their necks, they’ve identified their target, and they’re going on the hunt for the man who’s pulled their strings and killed their friends. And now the Squad is up against forces far more powerful than they ever could have imagined. Taking them on…could be suicide.
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils and Inks by Daniel Sampere
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Cover by Juan Albarran, Adriano Lucas, and Daniel Sampere
Josh’s Stance: Tom Taylor has been delivering one hell of a run, and it’s a shame that it will end up being such a short run. Regardless of its length, Suicide Squad has been one of the most entertaining and engaging books from DC in a long time! Everyone’s talking about the new characters in James Tynion’s Batman run, but the new characters actually worth talking about are Taylor’s Revolutionaries.
Batman News Critic: Josh
INTRIGUED
Batman Beyond #46
Mr. Zero’s plan is a success as weather around the world gets worse and a new ice age begins! Gotham is covered in a mountain of snow and ice-and the rest of the world isn’t much better. To set things right, Batman, Damian, and Batwoman Beyond must declare war on the League of Assassins!
Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils and Inks by Sean Chen
Colored by Chris Sotomayor
Cover by Dan Mora
Josh’s Stance: Batman Beyond is a great example of a title that is doing fresh, new things while also remaining true to the core of the characters. I’d given up on this book for a little while – there were just too many amnesia stories – but it’s led to a solid foundation that’s well worth reading.
Batman News Critic: Michael
MIXED
Detective Comics #1026
As “The Joker War” rages on, the casualties are mounting, and the underground residents of Gotham City must deal with the devastating effects of the Joker toxin that’s been pumped into the old city’s tunnel system. Batman must risk everything to guide them to safety, but a familiar face has mobilized these forgotten souls to rise up in anger…and Killer Croc takes no prisoners!
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils and Inks by Kenneth Rocafort
Colored by Dan Brown
Cover by Kenneth Rocafort
Josh’s Stance: Ugh… I really wish they would just let Tomasi tell his own story. Also, how in the hell is Batman saving the underground when he’s passing out all the time and constantly needing to be saved by Harley?
Batman News Critic: Casper
“YOU DON’T HAVE TO THANK US”
Batman/ Superman #11
It’s Superman versus Batman as the deadly machinations of the Ultra-Humanite crash to their end! The Dark Knight has been transformed into a human atomic bomb, all in the name of wiping Superman from the face of the Earth! As Batman struggles against the urge to kill his friend, Superman must undo the damage done and help the other victims of the Ultra-Humanite’s experiments. It’s the thrilling conclusion to “Atomic” that will reverberate across the DC Universe for months to come!
Written by Joshua Williamson
Pencils and Inks by Clayton Henry
Colored by Alejandro Sanchez
Cover by David Marquez
Josh’s Stance: Batman/ Superman is the perfect example of a title that should have just been a miniseries. Ever since the “Secret Six” arc, this book has had no purpose and has been quite bad. Honestly, there’s no reason for DC to be publishing it other than to say that they’re publishing it. This is where DC needs to be critical of their slate. If there’s no purpose for the book, it shouldn’t exist. Period. When a need comes back around for it, bring it back.
Batman News Critic: Casper
Red Hood & the Outlaws #48
In the aftermath of the war between Batman and The Joker, Jason Todd has a few decisions to make. Does Gotham City-or the world at large-really need the Red Hood? If Jason contemplates retiring the Red Hood mask altogether, what does that mean for Artemis and Bizarro? Can the Outlaws continue to exist without their leader? A family reunion with Ric Grayson doesn’t go as planned as he brought along his new friend: Punchline!
Written by Scott Lobdell
Pencils by Brett Booth
Inks by Danny Miki
Colored by Arif Prianto
Cover by Tamra Bonvillain, Dan Mora, Paolo Pantalena, and Arif Prianto
Josh’s Stance: I’ll turn to Three Jokers for my Jason fix. Thanks.
Batman News Critic: Matina
Teen Titans Annual #2
After Batman discovers the Teen Titans’ most shocking secrets, he arrives at Mercy Hall…and he wants a word with Robin. Don’t miss the confrontation between father and son that will alter the very course of the DC Universe. Will the Teen Titans ever be the same?
Written by Robbie Thompson
Pencils by Javier Fernandez and Eduardo Pansica
Inks Javier Fernandez, Julio Ferreira, and Cam Smith
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Cover by Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo
Josh’s Stance: “Don’t miss the confrontation between father and son that will alter the very course of the DC Universe.” *Sigh* Yeah, I doubt that. DC needs to stop doing this crap in solicitations. It doesn’t excite readers, it turns them away because publishers over promise and under deliver.
Batman News Critic: Matina
Batgirl #48
“The Last Joke” part one! Why is Barbara in the hospital and what is James Gordon Jr. doing here? After an encounter with the Joker leaves Barbara temporarily handicapped, Babs is determined to find the technology she needs, but her journey’s cut short when a redhead-serial killer is on the loose! Who’s the obsessive freak? And will Gordon Jr. prove to be the changed person he claims to be?
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Pencils and Inks by Robbi Rodriguez
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Jean-Francois Beaulieu, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Cam Smith
Josh’s Stance: So, DC has basically stated that Batgirl isn’t in continuity right now, and that’s essentially their way of saying, “This book isn’t important.” So, if it isn’t important to them, then why should you feel the need to buy it?
Batman News Critic: Matina
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
DCeased: Unkillables – When heroes fall, villains rise! The next chapter of the hit DCeased saga is the villains’ story of survival during the zombie apocalypse! Led by Red Hood and Deathstroke, DC’s hardest villains and antiheroes fight with no mercy to save the only commodity left on a dying planet of the undead-life! Heroes and villains collide with one epic purpose: to escape the coming of the infected population of Gotham City and a monstrous Wonder Woman! Collects DCeased: Unkillables #1-3.
