Hello everyone and welcome back to Upcoming Comics! This week new comic book day lands right on Valentine’s Day, and even though the comics don’t quite all line up with that theme it’s still a fun coincidence of days.
Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day or you don’t, I want to wish you a happy day this upcoming Tuesday! Have fun, enjoy some sweets or a sappy movie, and on Wednesday don’t miss those excellent discounts on chocolate!
And now, onto the comics that will be releasing then as well!
Upcoming Comics
Batman: Beyond the White Knight # 8
It all ends here! With the future of Gotham City at stake, Bruce Wayne leads an attack on the Wayne-Powers building to take down Blight and his minions once and for all. And with the new Batman, the Robins, and GCPD’s Barbara Gordon at his side, anything seems possible. But not all endings will be happy: Bruce is still an escaped felon, and the FBI is hot on his tail. Could this be the end of Batman? Not if the mysterious Agent Prince has anything to say about it!
- Written, Penciled, & Inked By: Sean Gordon Murphy
- Colors By: Dave Stewart
- Cover By: Sean Gordon Murphy, Dave Stewart
Thoughts: Despite a number of recommendations towards the original series, I have never really managed to get into the White Knight universe, it sure has had a lot of traction thought!
Batman News Critic: Theresa
Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1
NEW THREATS WILL RISE! When the Lazarus storm touches down, people from every walk of life stand to be affected. People who are kind, people who are good…and people who are evil. This epic issue will spotlight the many disastrous new villains created by the Lazarus event and the heroes who stand ready to stop them from doing harm to others! What sinister threat brings a new chapter to the Doom Patrol saga? Can a new hero channel the inexorable Still Force energy to fend off evil? What lurks in the corners of the Spirit World for new character Xanthe? And what early clue to the new direction in Arkham Tower will spell disaster for Gotham City?
- Written By: Tim Seeley, Dennis Culver, A.L. Kaplan, Alyssa Wong
- Pencils & Inks By: A.L. Kaplan, Baldemar Rivas, Chris Burnham, Haining
- Colors By: A.L. Kaplan, Brian Reber
- Cover By: David Marquez, Alejandro Sanchez
Thoughts: This seems like it could be a really cool exploration of how some of DC’s bigger disasters impact normal people (which would be really neat), but I’m worried it’s more likely to be a lot of preludes to future or ongoing comics instead.
Batman News Critic: Aaron
I am Batman #18
Jace Fox is on the most urgent mission of his tenure as Batman: to save the life of his mother. At war with the domestic terror group called the Moral Authority, Jace fights a relentless battle alongside his sister Tiffany and a new hero who bridges DC’s past, present, and future as I Am Batman comes to a spectacular and emotional close.
- Written By: John Ridley
- Penciled By: Christian Duce, Eduardo Pansica
- Inks By: Christian Duce, Julio Ferreira
- Colors By: Rex Lokus
- Cover By: Christian Duce, Rex Lokus
Batman-News Reviewer: Jeremy
Batman: The Audio Adventures #5
Batman scours the city in pursuit of the Demon’s Brood, who will not be satisfied until the sword they seek is purified with the blood of 13 souls. Unfortunately, when all you have is an ancient ceremonial sword, everyone looks like a human sacrifice-and that means anyone in Gotham is a potential victim. Meanwhile, Penguin calls on Killer Croc to collect on an old debt of gratitude. All this and the Boy Wonder too in the next installment of the world’s greatest audio show picture magazine!
- Written By: Dennis McNicholas
- Penciled By: Anthony Marques
- Inks By: J. Bone
- Colors By: Dave Stewart
- Cover By: Dave Johnson
Thoughts: I had a really hard time getting into the podcast for The Audio Adventures, and I have yet to get into this comic, but the solicit makes it look pretty fun and worth a look.
Batman News Critic: Aaron
Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Three #2
Bruce Wayne and Harley Quinn don’t have much in common, except for Cassie Kendall. Beautiful and whip-smart, she nearly changed the course of Bruce’s life when she was his high school sweetheart, and shortly thereafter became Harley’s college fling. Now, after a long time away from Gotham, Cassie has returned and immediately has her sights set back on Bruce. But when Harley learns of Cassie’s return, she is all too happy (and manic, and unpredictable) to reconnect with her old college girlfriend. As Bruce’s and Harley’s paths cross, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems with Cassie Kendall…
- Written By: Paul Dini, Alan Burnett
- Penciled By: Kevin Altieri, Jordan Gibson
- Inks By: Kevin Altieri, Jordan Gibson
- Colors By: Monica Kubina
- Cover By: Kevin Altieri, Monica Kubina
Thoughts: Last month Season Three started out pretty strong and I’m hoping that continues into issue #2!
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Batgirls #15
There’s nothing like some father-daughter bonding! Unless you’re Stephanie Brown, and you thought your father was dead…until he kidnapped you! At least your BFF Cassandra Cain’s determined to find you. It’s a deadly adventure for Cass, but nothing can stop her from risking it all to save Steph-unless it’s death itself…
- Written By: Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad
- Pencils & Inks By: Neil Googe
- Colors By: Rico Renzi
- Cover By: Jorge Corona, Sarah Stern
Thoughts: I should be excited about a Spoiler and Cluemaster faceoff, but this whole arc has left a lot to be desired so honestly? I’m just ready to be past it.
Batman News Critic: Matina
Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #5
Pro tennis player Bette Kane asked Batman for help, and Mystery Inc. is coming to Gotham to join the search for a priceless collection. She has snacks, so Shaggy and Scooby are on board…at least until they hear that they’re chasing a pack of motorcycle-thieving rat people!
- Written By: Sholly Fisch
- Pencils & Inks By: Dario Brizuela
- Colors By: Franco Riesco
- Cover By: Dario Brizuela
Batman News Critic: William
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat where we go over the rest of DC’s titles outside of Batman! There’s some interesting titles lined up this week in this segment. I know almost nothing about Danger Street, but that cover? Incredible. And I’m pretty excited about Swamp Thing!
Ratings
Most Excited: Batman The Adventures Continue Season Three #2- I am interested to see if this series can continue to be as strong as issue #1. While The Adventures Continue hasn’t always been as perfect as BTAS, I’m still hoping for more of that charm.
Least Excited: Batgirls #15- Batgirls has been on a slippery slope since it’s opening arc and honestly, as much as I keep hoping it’ll be a winner it’s more often than not frustrating.
Wild Card: Batman: The Audio Adventures #5– I’ve really only heard good things about this series!
That’s it for this week’s lineup of comics! Drop a comment below about what you’re looking forward to and then we’ll see you in the reviews!
