Welcome back to Upcoming Comics!
…So, slow news week, huh?
Okay, listen. I’ve seen a lot of comments about James Gunn and how he’ll influence the DCEU. I’ve also seen a hilarious report that said David Zaslav approached Kevin Feige first, which is very funny to me. Realistically, I don’t care much either way. Way I see it is this: James Gunn has made two of the better DCEU projects, and he has a great ability to make the silly seem authentic. I think that’s the kind of perspective you should have while running the DC Universe. Let’s hope it goes well. If anyone has proven they can make good content with a rocky IP, it’s James Gunn.
Now, here’s what we’ve got for this week:
Upcoming Comics
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1
The Joker will go to any lengths to get Harley Quinn back after she is abducted by a strange culprit. But who? Mysterious, Joker-like monsters are stalking the streets of Gotham, collecting severed heads. But why? Jim Gordon is missing, and after receiving a package containing a bloody piece of Gotham’s commissioner, Batman knows he must be willing to do anything to save him. But how? When The Joker proposes an uneasy alliance with Batman, the answers to those questions begin to become clear-and they will shake Gotham City and the Bat-Family to their core. This meticulously crafted tale of the Dark Knight’s deadliest team-up has been years in the making. Witness a grim and gritty Gotham that only Marc Silvestri could bring you, and experience a tale that will leave you breathless.
Written by Marc Silvestri
Pencils and Inks by Marc Silvestri
Colours by Arif Prianto
Cover Art by Marc Silvestri, Arif Prianto and Sunny Gho
Thoughts: I got to hear a little about this at NYCC, and it managed to make me a little more interested than I previously was! Let’s see how this goes.
Batman News Critic: William
Batman #129
Failsafe countered every move Batman-and the Justice League-have attempted. Is the Dark Knight out of options on…Earth? The best-selling FAILSAFE arc continues! In the back-up, we travel back to the early years of the Dark Knight Detective, revisiting his most psychadelic/mind breaking period. And the dawn of his back-up protection system…ZUR-EN-ARRH!
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Jimenez and Leonardo Bastos Romero
Colours Jordie Bellaire and Tomeu Morey
Cover Art by Jorge Jimenez
Thoughts: I feel like the transition from Penguin’s story to Failsafe’s has been a little forced, thinking about it.
Batman News Critic: Casper
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #2
Have you ever wondered if you’re the best version of you? What if the best version of you was on national television committing shocking acts of atrocity that could only be perpetrated by a mind as bent and broken as…the Joker?! The Clown Prince of Crime is about to find out a shocking new truth…
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Pencils and Inks by Carmine Di Giandomenico and Francesco Francavilla
Colours by Arif Prianto and Francesco Francavilla
Cover Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Thoughts: I really wish I was still excited for the Joker. Back in 2013 with Death of the Family, I was first in line for his stuff.
Batman News Critic: Theresa
Gotham City: Year One #2
The bloody bare-knuckled crime series continues! A bruised and battered Slam Bradley find himself embroiled in a shocking case as the infant heiress to the Wayne fortune has been kidnapped! But as with all the things in Gotham City, nothing is what it seems…can he solve the case in time to save a young life and secure the Wayne legacy or will the secrets of Gotham bury them all?
Written by Tom King
Pencils by Phil Hester
Inks by Eric Gapstur
Colours by Jordie Bellaire
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Dark Knights of Steel #8
The battle between the Three Kingdoms has begun in brutal fashion and to call the open salvo anything less than shocking is an understatement! Can the Trinity stop further bloodshed?! Or has all-out war truly begun?!
Written by Tom Taylor
Pencils and Inks by Yasmine Putri and Dan Mora
Colours by Yasmine Putri and Arif Prianto
Cover Art by Yasmine Putri and Dan Mora
Batman News Critic: Aaron
Poison Ivy #6
THE SHOCKING CONCLUSION TO POISON IVY’S FIRST ARC! Poison Ivy is taken to death’s door and beyond, as the fungal parasite she’s been playing host causes Ivy to undergo a terrific metamorphosis. Can the world’s greatest villain find the strength within her to carry on, or will something…new take her place? One thing’s for sure, this issue is such a doozy it’ll make you beg Mommy for more!
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Pencils by Marcio Takara and Brian Level
Inks by Marcio Takara, Brian Level and Jay Leisten
Colours by Arif Prianto
Cover Art by Jessica Fong
Thoughts: Another day, another reason to hate DC’s cover text. What a beautiful yet disgusting example of body horror, interrupted by the cheesiest line I’ve read all week. “Mommy’s very angry”? What person decides to buy this issue because of that shitty text, and not the art?
Batman News Critic: Theresa
Sword of Azrael #4
Azrael comes face to face with his most startling foe yet- an undying hierophant who feeds on the hearts of the innocent and molten lava. He dwells hundreds of feet below the earth, hidden away from prying eyes. He is the first son of St. Dumas and his is a most divine purpose.
Written by Dan Watters
Pencils and Inks by Nikola Cizmesija
Colours by Marissa Louise
Cover Art by Nikola Cizmesija and Romulo Fajardo
Thoughts: This is a very visually distinct series, and that’s a major compliment. Crazy that Azrael has been getting such good content lately. Not that he’s a bad character, he’s just not at the top of my list of who I was expecting to shine.
Batman News Critic: William
Batman – Knightwatch #3
Mad Hatter has hats from Penguin, Riddler, Clock King, and Scarecrow, but his collection isn’t complete without the “Bat hat,” a.k.a. Batman’s cowl.
Written by J. Torres
Art by Erich Owen
Batman News Critic: N/A
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. As of today, that’s… yeesh. Only three books. Y’know, if you have to make your publishing line 50% Batman, maybe that’s a problem.
Ratings
Most Excited: Batman #129. It’s not that I’m gushing about the series, but it’s the only one I’m consistently reading. Hard to say if that’s excitement or habit.
Least Excited: Batman – Knightwatch #2. Kind of an easy target, but there’s a reason we’re not reviewing it.
Wild Card: Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #1. I think the idea of Batman and Joker working together is, while not the most original idea, a very fun one, that allows for two of my favourite characters to show sides of them we don’t always see. It’s a big part of why I enjoyed Last Knight On Earth, at least at the beginning.
Best wishes, and see you in the reviews! Also, Happy Halloween! I’ll be experiencing my first ever Halloween in America, and while I missed the chance to go to a Haunted House (really bummed about that, to be honest), I’m excited to see the vibes here. We don’t really have it in Australia.
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Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
