Welcome back to Upcoming Comics!
Last week, I recieved some important constructive criticism about how this column was changing, and why several people took issue with it. I really appreciate hearing this kind of feedback, because it helps remind me what this job is about: recommending comics to our audience in an accessible and informative way.
The gallery was the biggest point of contention, and understandably so. Initially, the goal was to make the information about each comic easier to find and access – but it kind of relied on the gallery being more intuitive than it actually is. As such, it started to look like comics were not the focus of this column, which was absolutely not my intention. We’ll be bringing back the earlier style of showing you DC’s weekly Bat-Books, and it’ll have a lot more info about each comic once again! Besides, I have a much better use for the gallery now.
While ratings such as “TAKE MY MONEY” and “You Don’t Have To Thank Us” won’t be returning just yet, I have these ratings in mind and am considering if and how I want to bring these back! In addition, I’ll be removing the Discussion section of the article. If I want to discuss something, I’ll just do it here, so my ramblings only take up one spot on the page.
When I took this role over from Josh, my goal was to take what I liked about this series and make it into my own, so that I could feel comfortable putting it out on a weekly and timely basis. There are some things that I’m not sure I feel safe bringing back yet: for example, Josh had amazing comments on each issue coming out every week, and I don’t quite trust my own knowledge and insight to do that with every book. However, I will be working to bring something similar back into the fold – and I encourage people to keep commenting, critiquing, and making new suggestions so this can grow to be better than ever!
With that in mind, here’s what we’ve got for this week:
Upcoming Comics: May 25, 2021
Batman Black and White #6
The final issue of the acclaimed revival of Batman Black & White is here, and readers won’t want to miss this deep dive into the new horrors of Gotham and ordinary citizens inspired by Batman.
• Iconic Batman scribe Scott Snyder reunites with his All-Star Batman collaborator John Romita Jr. to tell the story of a man who has been documenting Batman’s history in Gotham for a very long time-and now, he has something to say about the Dark Knight’s legacy.
• Eisner Award nominee and the artist behind Batman: Universe and Future State: The Next Batman, Nick Derington writes and draws an epic tale introducing us to two gangs whose power struggle in Gotham has been going on longer than the history of the city itself.
• The acclaimed creative team behind Infinite Loop, Elsa Charretier and Pierrick Colinet, team up once more for their DC Comics writing debut with a frightening story of psychological horror and the Dark Knight!
• The fan-favorite co-creators of Rumble, writer John Arcudi and artist James Harren, spin a tale of Clayface and the evils lurking beneath the surface of the stories we love the most.
• The powerhouse creative team of writer Brandon Thomas and artist Khary Randolph tell a story about one of Gotham’s most impoverished neighborhoods, and how it ends up being exploited by villains like the Mad Hatter!
Written by John Arcudi, Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet, Nick Derington, Scott Snyder and Brandon Thomas
Pencils by Elsa Charretier, Nick Derington, James Harren, Jesús Merino, Khary Randolph, John Romita Jr. and Babs Tarr
Inks by Elsa Charretier, Nick Derington, James Harren, Klaus Janson, Jesús Merino, Khary Randolph, Babs Tarr
Cover by Klaus Janson and John Romita Jr.
Batman News Critic: Josh
Detective Comics #1036
Batman versus Huntress! As the Dark Knight delves into the mystery of Sarah Worth’s murder, the only witness who truly knows what happened that fateful evening is Batman’s only hope to clear his name. But another hunter is stalking the mysterious killer plaguing the city-and Huntress has also set her sights on Bruce Wayne! The Violet Vengeance of Gotham unleashes holy hell on Batman as trouble brews above and below the city streets!
And the backup story, “Huntress and the Hunted,” zeroes in on Gotham’s own Violet Vengeance! In the previous chapter, her world was rocked by the gruesome murder of a dear friend…but there’s more to this sinister scene than meets the eye!
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Pencils and Inks by Clayton Henry and Dan Mora
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Dan Mora
Batman News Critic: Casper
Robin #2
After the shocking events of Robin #1, Damian has learned the deadly rules of Lazarus Island the hard way! Now he must prove that he belongs in the tournament and uncover its secrets! But his only ally is the daughter of one of his greatest enemies: Ravager! In this tournament, only one fighter can get out alive-ready for round two? Fight!
Written by Joshua Williamson
Pencils, Inks, Colors and Cover by Gleb Melnikov
Batman News Critic: Matina
Batman/Superman #18
The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel are on a mission to stop the godlike Auteur.io from destroying the pocket worlds he’s created…but where on Earth did Auteur.io even come from? The answer starts not on Earth at all, but with an ancient cult of World Forger worshippers on a planet far away-and if our heroes are to have a prayer of stopping this mythic behemoth, they’ll need to get to the bottom of his power source, and quick! It’s a race against time as the parallel lives of entire worlds hang in the balance!
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Pencils by José Luís and Ivan Reis
Inks by Dani Miki and Jose Trindade
Colored by Sabine Rich
Cover by Dani Miki, Ivan Reis and Sabine Rich
Batman News Critic: Casper
Harley Quinn #3
Harley Quinn here, still narrating my solicit text! My war of wellness with Hugo Strange kicks into high gear this issue, and things are gonna get ugly. Hugo is about to send his right-hand man-child Lockwood, Arkham Asylum’s most sadistic guard, after Kevin and me at our first support group meeting. Folks, some things in this world are sacred, and I am not gonna stand for this. Hugo Strange never picked a fight with someone like me before, and he’s not going to like the results. Buy this issue-it’s a real gem!
Written by Stephanie Phillips
Pencils, Inks and Cover by Riley Rossmo
Colored by Ivan Plascencia
Batman News Critic: Brian
Teen Titans Academy #3
Don’t miss this crossover with Suicide Squad!
Hunted by the deadly Task Force X, the new students of Titans Academy will have to grow up fast or risk losing one of their own even faster. Why has the Squad put a target on new speedster Bolt’s back? And why, in its charge on Titans Island, is Amanda Waller’s team of villains being led by the mysterious Red X?!
Written by Tim Sheridan
Pencils by Max Raynor and Rafa Sandoval
Inks by Max Raynor and Jordi Tarragona
Colored by Alejandro Sanchez
Cover by Alejandro Sanchez, Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona
Batman News Critic: Corbin
RWBY/Justice League #2
Weiss comes face to face with a brooding boy accused of theft at the Schnee Dust Company dinner, and in an act of defiance, teams up with him to prove his innocence, combining their shrewd detective skills! And then, the girls reunite at Beacon Academy with their mysterious new friends. Greeted by Professor Ozpin, Team RWBY learns the horrible truth: hunters all over Remnant are disappearing without a trace, and the four girls are all that’s left!
Written by Marguerite Bennett
Pencils and Inks by Stephanie Pepper
Colored by Hi-Fi
Cover by Mirka Andolfo
Batman News Critic: Matina
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat! In the interest of making this article as informative and useful as possible, I will now be adding a gallery where you can see everything else that DC is releasing this week, beyond the scope of the books we cover on the website. Now, you can look at this article as a quick reference for anything you might want to pick up at your LCS or Comixology! We used to have more articles with this subheading, so I wanted to pay homage to some of the truly great content we’ve made that reaches outside the realm of Gotham. I hope you guys find this useful!
Ratings
Most Excited: Robin #2. I like a good tournament arc as much as anyone, and Flatline seems to be an interesting character – especially after I found out she’s actually the sidekick to Lord Death Man, who is a very funny but sadly underutilized character!
Least Excited: Teen Titans Academy #3. Sadly, beyond the appeal of Red X showing up in canon comic books, I’m not finding a huge draw to the title.
Wild Card: Batman Black and White #6. This is an interesting lineup (Scott Snyder is writing more Batman content, shocker), but what particularly stands out to me is that Nick Derington is writing his own story. This makes me curious! If he’s as good a writer as he is an artist, imagine the content we’d recieve if we let him tackle both.
Poll
How are you guys feeling about this format? Could you do without the solicits and creator details, or do you like those being there? Keep me posted with your thoughts, and I’ll keep updating this article until it’s something you guys are happy with, as well as something I’m proud of.
Best wishes, and see you in the reviews!
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Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
