Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! October is finally here, and that mean it’s officially Halloween! Ghost, ghouls, and goodies abound, the leaves are changing and the hunter’s moon rises. I hope you’re all as excited as I am for the best time of year. With cooler weather means that it’s that much more fun to curl up in a sweater and read a good comic. Let’s see what’s coming out this week.
Upcoming Comics
Batman #138
Batman is on the ropes as the Gotham War heats up following a shocking betrayal! It’s father versus son, teacher versus student in the knockout fourth chapter of this brutal war. But who is really pulling the strings in this explosive event? Thousands of years have led to this moment!
- Written By: Chip Zdarsky
- Penciled By: Jorge Jiménez
- Inks By: Jorge Jiménez
- Colors By: Tomeu Morey
- Cover By: Jorge Jiménez, Richard Isanove, Tomeu Morey
Thoughts: Do I really need to say more about this event? I’ve yet to meet anyone who really likes it, and yet another “what if Bruce fought with a Robin?” plot sure doesn’t help.
Batman News Critic: Casper
Poison Ivy #15
Ivy comes face to…face with the mysterious and uncanny Peter Undyne in his bizarre labyrinth deep within the heart of Gotham City. Can Pamela Isley survive their confrontation and navigate Undine’s treacherous world, or will Ivy be consumed and left forever changed? Meanwhile, Croc goes sightseeing.
- Written By: G. Willow Wilson
- Penciled By: Marcio Takara
- Inks By: Marcio Takara
- Colors By: Arif Prianto
- Cover By: Jessica Fong
Thoughts: It’s pretty funny to see someone so prominently featured on the cover and their role in the solicit is an “oh, by the way” at the very end.
Batman News Critic: Theresa
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #11
Two Jokers walk into a bar…and one won’t be walking out. Both men who claim to be the Clown Prince of Crime are ready to end their little game, but they can’t do it alone. A who’s who of Gotham’s worst will pick sides and decide who lives, who dies, and who gets the last laugh!
- Written By: Matthew Rosenberg
- Penciled By: Carmine Di Giandomenico
- Inks By: Carmine Di Giandomenico
- Colors By: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Cover By: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Thoughts: For those of you who weren’t getting enough “everyone chooses a side for a big war” from Gotham War, now you have a villain version too.
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
Birds of Prey #2
Black Canary has built an all-new team with a very specific and very dangerous first mission: extraction! Their target: ! She’s being held on and guarded by a battalion of . Sounds simple enough, right? Well, then we’re explaining it wrong! It’s a terrible mission! And before it can even be launched, the Birds have to gather a few mysterious supplies and see some old familiar faces…that they punch!
- Written By: Kelly Thompson
- Penciled By: Leonardo Bastos Romero
- Inks By: Leonardo Bastos Romero
- Colors By: Jordie Bellaire
- Cover By: Leonardo Bastos Romero, Jordie Bellaire
Thoughts: With the team-building issue out of the way, I’m curious to see where the series will go moving forward.
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
Batman: The Adventures Continue: Season Three #8
Over the last three seasons, the minds behind the version of Gotham that defined a generation have brought you a continuation of their masterwork-and now that continuation comes to an end. Ra’s al Ghul’s mysterious plot has now been fully revealed, but will Batman be able to stop it in time? Or has the Dark Knight’s luck finally run out? Find out in this series finale over 30 years in the making!
- Written By: Alan Burnett, Paul Dini
- Penciled By: Ty Templeton, Jordan Gibson
- Inks By: Jordan Gibson, Jacob Edgar
- Colors By: Monica Kubina
- Cover By: Ty Templeton, Monica Kubina
Thoughts: Well this is supposedly the end – the last entry in the Batman: The Animated Series tie-in comics. It’s tough to think of an adaptation that’s kept a legacy like that show for so long.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
DC’s Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun #1
Skin-crawling stories of the DC ghoul-iverse! Superman imprisoned by an unfriendly ghost! Man-Bat versus a werewolf! Mary Marvel and Dr. Psycho crashing a Halloween frat party! Plus: the Question faces horrific crimes of fashion; Robotman wrestles a ghostly glitch; Crush helps Lobo find the perfect costume; and Nightwing and Red Hood spend a frightful night in Blüdhaven, co-written by Christopher Sean, the voice of Nightwing from the Gotham Knights video game! The chills will last longer than your candy corn!
- Written By: Michael Conrad, Gregory Burnham, John Arcudi, Soman Chainani
- Penciled By: Christopher Mitten, Javier Rodriguez, Shawn McManus, Pablo M. Collar
- Inks By: Christopher Mitten, Javier Rodriguez, Shawn McManus, Pablo M. Collar, Werther Dell’Edera, Fábio Veras, Danny Earls, Tyler Crook, Dexter Soy
- Colors By: Javier Rodriguez, Tyler Crook, John Kalisz, Dave Stewart, Ivan Plascencia, Veronica Gandini, John Rauch, Patricio Angel
- Cover By: Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Thoughts: Always fun to have a spooky Halloween special to kick off October
Batman News Critic: Team Effort
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat, where we take a quick look at the rest of DC’s comics coming out this week.
Graphic Novel Watch
Sometimes you need more than floppies. Sometimes you want something that can sit nicely on your shelf that proudly displays your favorite stories. That’s when you turn to graphic novels. Let’s see what bat collections are coming out this week:
Ratings
Most Excited: Birds of Prey #2– The first issue was a little awkward because it had to go through all the new members and justify why they’re joining up, but overall it was still a lot of fun and I think that it could be great once it really gets started
Least Excited: Batman #138– I think you all saw this coming. It takes something special for me to long for the days of Knight Terrors
Wild Card: DC’s Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun #1– It’s eight different stories from mostly new creators. I think that’s about as “wild card” as you get.
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
