Welcome back to Upcoming Comics!
I feel like I have had absolutely no sleep, so I’m excited to get this out there. I just got my first dose of the COVID vaccine, and I threw up three or four times at about four in the morning. No regrets, but holy cow has it put me out of commission. It’s difficult to get vaccinated here in Australia, but I really feel it’s worth it. How are you guys faring with your vaccinations?
Meanwhile – not that anyone cares about this story – but I finally got my hands on two out of three Egyptian God Cards from Yu-Gi-Oh!, and it’s pretty much a dream come true. I’ve been looking for these things since when I was a kid and a schoolmate promised me to get me them if I traded him all my good cards (his dad totally worked at “the yugioh factory”, see). Now all I need is the fabled Winged Dragon of Ra, and I’ll basically be an unstoppable force of nature, feared by all nations. Any of you play Yu-Gi-Oh!, or better yet, watch the anime?
Okay, back on topic. Here are the comics we’ve got for this week!
Upcoming Comics
Batman #111
Mayor Nakano announces a crackdown on masked vigilantes just as the Magistrate moves against the Unsanity Collective. Batman attempts to avert a bloodbath, while the Scarecrow makes his final move…”Fear State” is about to begin! Backup: Ghost-Maker faces his most gruesome adversary yet…the horrific Razorline!
Written by James Tynion IV
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Jimenez and Ricardo López Ortiz
Colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr. Tomeu Morey
Cover by Jorge Jimenez and Tomeu Morey
Josh’s Thoughts: Believe it or not, I think this is Tynion’s best arc on Batman to date. That’s not to say that it’s great or perfect, just a step up from what he’s been delivering. I didn’t expect the Magistrate to go after the Unsanity Collective, so I’m interested to learn how this develops. And if you’re concerned that hell has frozen over, I’m still team “Skip Ghost-Maker,”so don’t worry. I am alive and this isn’t an imposter.
My Thoughts: We haven’t seen the full scope of Fear State just yet, so I’m keen to see how this puts the final pieces in motion!
Crime Syndicate #6
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Ultragirl? That’s right, folks, Kara Zor-El of Earth-3 arrives, and it’s far from a happy family reunion! Can Ultraman take his cousin down and reclaim his place as the true last survivor of Krypton? Meanwhile, on a hidden island in the Pacific, Emerald Knight must finally decide: Will he stand with the Legion of Justice? Or will he give in to the Crime Syndicate? Don’t miss out on the shocking finale that shakes Earth-3 to its core!
Written by Andy Schmidt
Pencils by Bryan Hitch and Kieran McKeown
Inks by Bryan Hitch and Dexter Vines
Colored by Olyoptics Oliff, Steve Oliff and Alex Sinclair
Cover by Jim Cheung, Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Howard Porter
Cam’s Thoughts: I’ll be sad to see this mini go, but this last issue should be a doozy.
Suicide Squad #6
Bloodsport’s first mission with the Squad goes pear-shaped as the Crime Syndicate captures Amanda Waller’s agent on Earth-3. By sending in a team to bring Bloodsport home, Waller may also be able to extract another Suicide Squad member for her new team, if she plays her cards right and doesn’t care who else she loses in the process. As part of the team heads into the Multiverse, Peacemaker gets a new assignment to track down and eliminate Levi Kamei-the new Swamp Thing!
Written by Robbie Thompson
Pencils by Eduardo Pansica and Dexter Soy
Inks by Julio Ferreira and Dexter Soy
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Cover by Julio Ferreira, Marcelo Maiolo and Eduardo Pansica
Cam’s Thoughts: I’m excited to spend more time with Bloodsport. He’s definitely been the highlight of this run, and I hope he sticks around.
Justice League #66
The Hall of Justice has been invaded by the cosmic threat of the Synmar Utopica, and it will take the full force of the United Planets, led by Superman, to defeat it without destroying Earth in the process. Meanwhile, the secrets of Checkmate are being whispered among the Justice League, and that spells trouble for Green Arrow and Black Canary. All this, and guest star Deathstroke! Meanwhile in Gotham, Batman stands watch as the Eternal Knight continues her quest through the maze of Randir Singh’s mind. And she’s not the only one lost within it! But where is the Justice League Dark in all of this? Under the sea in the lost city of Atlantis! Merlin is ready to rule, and it’s up to Aquaman and this band of magical misfits to save the entire kingdom!
Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Ram V
Pencils by Phil Hester and Sumit Kumar
Inks by Eric Gapstur and Sumit Kumar
Colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr. and Nick Filardi
Cover by David Marquez and Alejandro Sanchez
My Thoughts: We really haven’t learned enough about the Synmar Utopica for me to care, and Checkmate doesn’t have much going for it right now – at least for me. JLD as good as ever, though!
Justice League Infinity #2
Across the globe people begin disappearing, replaced with different but similar individuals. So where is Superman and who is this new monstrous Overman?! In order to get to the bottom of what’s happening, the Justice League will need to first take down the new villain! And what horrors are revealed in the twisted mirror room?!
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Pencils and Inks by Ethen Beavers
Colored by Nick Filardi
Cover by Jorge Corona and Mat Lopes
Corbin’s Thoughts: If Justice League Infinity #2 keeps up the look and feel of #1 we’re in for a real treat.
Suicide Squad: Get Joker! #1
Critically acclaimed and bestselling author Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned) and Eisner Award-winning art legend Alex Maleev (Batman: No Man’s Land) collaborate for the first time in this three-issue, Suicide Squad series pitting Red Hood, Harley Quinn, Firefly, and more of DC’s most villainous criminals against The Joker. When Task Force X’s Amanda Waller sets her sights on Batman’s greatest foe, she enlists the Dark Knight’s former partner Jason Todd to track down the Clown Prince of Crime and put an end to his mad reign of terror.
Written by Brian Azzarello
Pencils and Inks by Alex Maleev
Colored by Matt Hollingsworth
Cover by Alex Maleev
Josh’s Thoughts: Controversy has already hit this book, and it hasn’t even been released. I expect that alone will drive interest for some readers, and deter it for others. As for my take… I really don’t care if a villain was part of the January 6th insurrection. I’d prefer writers didn’t lean into real life events like this, because I feel like it ages the book while creating unnecessary questions like, “Oh… January 6th happened in the DC Universe? Why didn’t the heroes stop it?” It has nothing to do with feeling offended that a D-list “villain” (yes, I know he’s more of a vigilante that takes extreme measures, so don’t come at me with your Wikipedia/ YouTube knowledge) was used to do villainous things.
My Thoughts: …Wait, what?
Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two #3
Batgirl sets off on the warpath after she learns Jimmy “The Jazzman” Peake is free and back out on the streets. She’ll do anything to capture him again especially after what Jazzman did to her father, even if it means disobeying Batman. But can she capture the criminal before he’s taken by another mysterious vigilante hitting the scene?
Written by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini
Art by Ty Templeton
Cover Art by Stephanie Pepper
The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1
It’s story time! The G.C.P.D have a mysterious corpse, a magical box, and a murderer’s row of the city’s most dangerous villains sitting in a jail cell. Now all they need to figure out is what exactly happened. Fortunately, one suspect is willing to talk. Unfortunately, it’s The Joker…
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Pencils and Inks by Jesús Merino
Casper’s Thoughts: I’m da Joker, baby!
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat! Here you can see everything else that DC is releasing this week, beyond the scope of the books we cover on the website. I’m particularly curious about the Conjuring and Sandman books, so let me know if anyone’s read those.
Ratings
Most Excited: Batman #110. That’s right guys, Batman finally got on this spot! I love Miracle Molly, I love Peacemaker and I’m currently really liking this arc, so bring it on!
Least Excited: Justice League #66. I gotta review this thing, which makes it worse than other contenders for this spot.
Wild Card: The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1. I know next to nothing about this book, but I’ve also heard nothing but positives about it!
Suggestions
I’m still looking for suggestions as to how to improve the poll, or what I should replace it with, so sound off if you have any thoughts or ideas.
Best wishes, and see you in the reviews!
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Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
