Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! I’m back in the States and… Gotham War is still going on, huh? I guess I just sort of hoped that things would be magically over by the time I got back, regardless of what was actually scheduled. Then again, I’ve seen the sales numbers for the event. Of course DC keeps doing them. Now at the risk of being unpopular, this reviewer places the blame for all of this squarely on you – the readers. As you all think about what you’ve done, let’s look at what’s coming out this week:
Upcoming Comics
Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #4
Beyond the darkness, a brightness always shines. Hope is at the end of the tunnel, but how much of it is real? Terry McGinnis comes face-to-face with his past, reliving moments of his pain and history. When the Batman Beneath takes from him the only people he’s ever loved, Batman Beyond is forced to confront those dark moments all over again. But he won’t do it alone. Kyle the Catboi has to face the root of his sorcery, the master magician John Constantine, but so much time has passed since they’ve last seen each other. The truth will be revealed on this long, strange trip!
- Written By: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
- Penciled By: Max Dunbar
- Inks By: Max Dunbar
- Colors By: Sebastian Cheng, Rain Beredo
- Cover By: Max Dunbar, Sebastian Cheng
Thoughts: This mini continues to seemingly act as a showcase for Kyle the Catboi, and I can’t understand why they’re so intent on pushing him to this extent.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6
Guillem March writes and draws a poignant and heartfelt tale of redemption in “Back to Year One.” The shocking final chapter of Stormwatch has arrived from Ed Brisson and Jeff Spokes: What secret has Director Bones been withholding from the team all this time?! Emilia Harcourt returns…from the dead?! A mystery unfolds courtesy of Rob Williams and Stefano Landini! Plus: a no-holds-barred story of Batman from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Jorge Molina in their first Batman Black & White story!
- Written By: Guillem March, Ed Brisson, Sean Lewis, Rob Williams
- Penciled By: Guillem March, Jeff Spokes, Javier Fernandez, Stefano Landini
- Inks By: Guillem March, Jeff Spokes, Javier Fernandez, Stefano Landini
- Colors By: Jeff Spokes, Antonio Fabela, Arif Prianto
- Cover By: Simone Di Meo
Thoughts: Once again, the solicit for this title is wrong. The March story is titled “Batman: Pygmalion: part 1” and the final story is by Sean Lewis and Javier Fernandez. The Kelly/Lanzing story they’re referencing is from three months ago.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Detective Comics #1075
As Batman races through the streets of Gotham and out of the Orgham’s grasp, Bruce races through the memories in his mind as the Azmer demon tries to take hold of him…except the only thing in the demon’s way is Bruce’s own inner demons…and Barbatos. Then, in the backups, can Bruce’s memory of Alfred consoling him as a boy be preserved from the Azmer if he takes Barbatos’s offer?
- Written By: Ram V, Dan Watters
- Penciled By: Hiikariin, Aaron Campbell
- Inks By: Aaron Campbell, Francesco Francavilla
- Colors By: Francesco Francavilla, John Kalisz, Patricio Angel
- Cover By: Evan Cagle
Thoughts: I really liked the internal mind sequences last issue, so I hope that this issue’s handling is just as good.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War #2: Red Hood
Batman’s plan for Jason Todd backfires…but in a good way? The Red Hood prepares for the final battle of the Gotham War…but what will he have left when the dust settles?!
- Written By: Matthew Rosenberg
- Penciled By: Nikola Cizmesija
- Inks By: Nikola Cizmesija
- Colors By: Rex Lokus
- Cover By: Carmine Di Giandomenico
Thoughts: Let’s see if they’ll be able to top the level of character writing where Bruce arguably lobotomized his adopted son
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
Harley Quinn #33
Big ears, even bigger feet, big cartoon peepers. I’d know this dame anywhere. It was me and I was dead and a dang ol’ bunny rabbit! Oh no, not again!!! As if moonlighting as a community college professor wasn’t time-consuming enough, I decide to dip my pinkie toes into the metaphysical private investigation game…all while babysitting a literal princess! Good thing I am not at all stressed out by my life. PLUS: Get ready for a special Halloween story cooked up by my pals Gretchen Felker-Martin and Hayden Sherman that’s sure to make your skin crawl so hard it tears itself right off yer body.
- Written By: Tini Howard, Gretchen Felker-Martin
- Penciled By: Sweeney Boo, Hayden Sherman
- Inks By: Sweeney Boo, Hayden Sherman
- Colors By: Sweeney Boo
- Cover By: Sweeney Boo
Thoughts: Theresa pointed out that DC seems obsessed with portraying Harley Quinn as a rabbit, and that seems to continue here. I kind of get it, what with her Looney Tunes inspired production history, but still.
Batman News Critic: Theresa (Trade Wait)
The Penguin #3
The Penguin knows that to return to power in Gotham City he’s going to need a crew that’s not based in the city or caught up in the Gotham War…so he makes a play for a surprising group. Enter, the Force of July!
- Written By: Tom King
- Penciled By: Rafael de Latorre
- Inks By: Rafael de Latorre
- Colors By: Marcelo Maiolo
- Cover By: David Marquez, Stephen Segovia, Elmer Santos
Thoughts: I’m still very on the fence about this series. It seems to fall into that weird space Tom King often occupies where the story in a vacuum is really good, but gets a bit too close to feeling out of character for the people involved.
Batman News Critic: William
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. We’ve just got the one this week:
Ratings
Most Excited: The Penguin #3– While I have my reservations, so far I’ve been pretty impressed with King’s latest story.
Least Excited: Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War #2: Red Hood– I know you’re all shocked at this selection.
Wild Card: Detective Comics #1075– Detective Comics had a strong return from Knight Terrors, but the series has had too many issues prior to that for me to feel secure in what to expect.
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
