Welcome back to Upcoming Comics!
For those of you who have been keeping track of my adventures, you would know I’ve been on a tour across the United States of America for the past two months now. I’ve left Australia for a couple of short trips before – but never to America, and never for this long. Now that I’m on the back end of it, I have to say it’s been a thoroughly transformative experience.
I think what shook me most about this country was the scale! Places and events, like New York Comic Con and Disney World, were insane and unprecedented for me in a lot of ways. I’ve been to conventions, and even big ones, but this was something I still struggle to get my head around (I’m surprised I haven’t had COVID yet!). It made the intimate connections I found even more special, too.
And yet, so much of America is smaller than Australia. My home city, Adelaide, has a population of over a million people, and it was strange realizing how much of America pales in comparison. I saw plenty of excitement and crowds, sure – but I also found a lot of peace and quiet. Exploring the nature of upstate New York, taking a thirty-hour bus ride from the midwest to the south, finding families in groups of friends – these are experiences that let you breathe in the vastness of the world, and help you understand the importance of the land we all share.
Despite all the wonderful things I did, my favourite part of the US itself is its nature. This country is a place of so many diverse biomes, all coming together under one flag. There’s a certain symbolism in that, I think. The perspective I’ve gained from this trip has expanded my perception of the world in a lot of small but meaningful ways. I hope everyone gets the chance to experience things outside of their bubble, in the same way I’ve done over these weeks. Things are a lot better when everyone is trying to understand one another.
Now, here’s what we’ve got for this week:
Upcoming Comics
Batman #130
The final chapter in the Failsafe arc reaches its brutal and stunning conclusion! Batman has one desperate, final option…will he walk away from it? The answer will shock you! The early days of the Dark Knight and his relationship with Zur-En-Arrh continues!
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Pencils and Inks by Jorge Jiménez and Leonardo Bastos Romero
Colours by Jordie Bellaire and Tomeu Morey
Cover Art by Jorge Jiménez
Thoughts: Zdarsky’s Zur-En-Arrh side story is the first of his DC works that’s really catching my eye.
Batman News Critic: Casper
Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo #2
Batman has joined forces with his archnemesis, and things are already off to a rocky start. But time is of the essence as another piece of Commissioner Gordon is delivered to the Gotham City PD. Will Batman be able to work fast enough to save his dear friend, or whatever is left of him?
Written by Marc Silvestri
Pencils and Inks by Marc Silvestri
Colours by Arif Prianto
Thoughts: What are everyone’s thoughts on this book so far? It’s interesting seeing the excitement for this go up and down, depending on who I talk to.
Batman News Critic: William
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #3
The Joker is dying and needs medical help…but where can the most wanted man in the United States get it? And to make matters worse, Jason Todd decides now to finally hunt and kill the Clown Prince of Crime?
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Pencils and Inks by Carmine Di Giandomenico and Francesco Francavilla
Colours by Arif Prianto
Cover Art by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Batman News Critic: Theresa
Gotham City: Year One #3
Slam Bradley has been one step behind the kidnappers the entire time…can he turn the tables in time to save the infant heiress to the Wayne fortune? Is this hardened private investigator prepared to deal with a dark, deadly twist that will define Gotham City for generations to come?
Written by Tom King
Pencils by Phil Hester
Inks by Eric Gapstur
Colours by Jordie Bellaire
Thoughts: I see why King is writing this book, but it’s a little strange to see him covering this corner of Gotham after he made such a big splash in Batman.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Poison Ivy #7
SHILL, BABY SHILL! Poison Ivy has finally sold out to Big Fracking! That’s right! You heard it here first, folks! With a new mission, a renewed outlook on life, and a burgeoning new sense of purpose, Ivy is back and better than ever before. A brand-new era of Poison Ivy begins!
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Pencils and Inks by Atagun Ilhan
Colours by Arif Prianto
Cover Art by Jessica Fong
Batman News Critic: Theresa
Sword of Azrael #5
Reeling from his confrontation with the Order of St. Dumas’ origins, Jean-Paul Valley and Azrael find their faith crumbling. Disgusted by the shortcomings of his would-be-brother, Father Valley arrives to mete out justice unto the failed Azrael. And the sentence is death!
Written by Dan Watters
Pencils and Inks by Nikola Cizmesija and Pablo M. Collar
Colours by Marissa Louise
Cover Art by Nikola Cizmesija and Romulo Fajardo
Thoughts: Severely underrated book, I think!
Batman News Critic: William
Batman – Knightwatch #4
Firefly exacts revenge on the people who ruined his movie career and put him in jail by setting buildings on fire across the city. Batman has to figure out who is on Firefly’s list to predict where he will strike next.
Written by J. Torres
Art by Marcelo Di Chiara
Cover 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… and I see there’s only two books this time. Ah, well. Back to Batman, I guess.
Ratings
Nothing jumping out to me a lot this week, though I would take this time to mention Monkey Prince. Not only is it a brilliant writer on a fresh character, but he’s going to be relevant in the upcoming Lazarus Planet comic! Definitely give this book a look.
Best wishes, and see you in the reviews!
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Author’s Twitter: @ObnoxiousFinch
