Welcome back to Upcoming Comics!
I’m currently on break, so don’t expect any substantial comments from me for the rest of the month. However, I’m still here to give you the usual information! I’ll still be checking the comments, so be sure to sound off if a particular comic has your interest this week (or maybe you’re just excited for Matrix 4).
Here’s what we’ve got for this week:
Upcoming Comics
Batman: One Dark Knight #1
From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman planned to escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman super-villain known as E.M.P. was transferred from a holding cell to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison. E.M.P.’s electrical powers posed a threat, but the situation was in hand-until it wasn’t. Now every light in Gotham is out, the police are in disarray, and a broken, bleeding Batman must fight his way to Blackgate, block by block, dragging E.M.P. behind him. But the dark corners of Gotham hold many surprises…and E.M.P. has many more shocks to deliver before the night is through! One of the most iconic Batman artists of the 21st century, the incomparable Jock (The Batman Who Laughs, Batman: The Black Mirror), has focused all his storytelling powers on the tale of one very, very dark night in Gotham City. It’s always darkest before the dawn-if it ever comes…
Written by Jock
Pencils and Inks by Jock
Colored by Jock
Cover by Jock
Thoughts: That’s a lot of Jock!
Batman News Critic: Casper
Catwoman: Lonely City #2
If Selina Kyle is going to break into the Batcave at her advanced age, she’s going to need a crew to help…and luckily for her, some of Gotham’s craftiest former villains have time on their hands and bills to pay. But who is the mysterious OGBeast? And with political pressure mounting, how long will Mayor Harvey Dent let this cat stay out of the big house?
Written by Cliff Chiang
Pencils and Inks by Cliff Chiang
Colored by Cliff Chiang
Cover by Cliff Chiang
Thoughts: AND a lot of Cliff Chiang. Excited to review this one in full when #3 is out.
Review will be covered in a trade release.
Batman/Catwoman #9
Batman and Catwoman may have just gotten back together, but Joker is ready to complicate things by asking Selina for a favor that could lead to Batman’s demise! That’s not the only trick he has up his sleeve…he’s also hiding a secret that will drive Phantasm mad. Plus, Batwoman hunts down her own mother!
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Liam Sharp
Colored by Liam Sharp
Cover by Clay Mann and Tomeu Morey
Batman News Critic: Michael
Robins #2
The former Robins launch into action after the assault at Dick Grayson’s apartment. Not wanting to turn to Batman for help, the five former wonders start to investigate on their own by digging deep into their pasts. But what is their assailant’s connection to the Robin name, and why are they coming after the ex-sidekicks?
Written by Tim Seeley
Pencils and Inks by Baldemar Rivas
Colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover by Baldemar Rivas
Batman News Critic: Cam
Nightwing #87
This special Nightwing issue is ONE CONTINUOUS IMAGE! That’s right-if you placed every page next to each other, you’ll have one poster image with this story! Now that billionaire Dick Grayson has publicly dedicated his funds to save Blüdhaven, he’s a wanted man-and that’s why he finds hired killers breaking in to steal his dog, Haley!
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils and Inks by Bruno Redondo
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Cover by Bruno Redondo
Batman News Critic: Michael
Catwoman #38
Fear State aftermath! A “new” Poison Ivy now walks the Earth, one who seems more familiar to Harley Quinn and Catwoman than she ever has been before. And as the dust of Fear State settles in Alleytown, Selina comes to the heartbreaking conclusion that it may be time to surrender her crown and leave her kingdom. She has brought too much damage, too much horror, to her adoptive city. But are the Strays ready to take on the responsibility of defending their homes without the help and guidance of the Catwoman? And what is to become of Catwoman’s protégé herself, Cheshire Cat?
Written by Ram V
Pencils and Inks by Caspar Wijngaard
Colored by Caspar Wijngaard
Cover by Nathan Fairbairn and Yanick Paquette
Batman News Critic: Michael
Batman vs Bigby! A Wolf In Gotham #4
Batman and Bigby call a cease-fire as the city recovers from a night of violence, and evidence of a shared enemy surfaces when Gotham’s magical connection to Fabletown is revealed. But with egos at stake and wounds to lick, will a common cause be enough to transform this tenuous truce into a heroic alliance?
Written by Bill Willingham
Pencils by Brian Level
Inks by Anthony Fowler Jr. and Jay Leisten
Colored by Lee Loughridge
Cover by Nathan Fairbairn and Yanick Paquette
Review will be covered in a trade release.
Legends of the Dark Knight #8
A Legends of the Dark Knight double feature! In “The Ghost and the Knight,” rising-star creative team Che Grayson and Belén Ortega have Batman chasing down the Ghost Dogs, a group of thieves plaguing Gotham City, and he’ll have to face down their leader: the glorious Ghost! And in “Healing,” writer/comedian Yedoye Travis and fan-favorite artist Nina Vakueva have Batman’s ultimate trauma removed by the Scarecrow, and he’s going to have to fight to get it back!
Written by Che Grayson and Yedoye Travis
Art by Nina Vakueva and Belen Ortega
Cover by Belen Ortega
Review will be covered in a trade release.
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.
Ratings
Most Excited: One Dark Knight #1. Love Jock, and I’m excited to see his work when he has total control on a project!
Least Excited: Catwoman #38, only because Ram V is leaving after this issue.
Wild Card: Nightwing #87 – we haven’t been super kind to Taylor and Redondo’s Nightwing, but I like the idea of an issue being a single image.
Best wishes, and see you in the reviews!
——————
Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
