Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! For those who haven’t seen, we’re putting out the call for new comic book reviewers! If you think you’re interested and want to apply, just follow the steps below.
Step #1
Introduce yourself. We want to know who you are, where you’re from, and what kind of schedule you keep. What do you think makes you a decent writer? Have you read any literature on writing such as “Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art” by Scott McCloud or “Story” by Robert McKee? What do you know about comic art techniques? Despite there being so many comic reviews online today, very few offer high-quality commentary on the artwork. It would be fantastic to find a reviewer who can devote as much attention to the illustrations as the story and characterization.
Also, during your introduction, we would like to know a little something about your connection to The Dark Knight. We are looking for passionate fans, rather than someone only familiar with the big blockbusters. Move us with a personal story or impress us with how far your obsession has taken you. Tell us about that Bat tattoo or cosplay that you’re proud of. We only want to give this opportunity to the type of people who live and breathe Gotham City (though you don’t need to be crazy enough to want to live there).
Step #2
Give us a rundown of your experience with these characters. The more comics you’ve read, the better. List what comic book eras you’re most familiar and unfamiliar with. What unread classic graphic novels are you most ashamed of never reading? What are your favorite Batman stories of all-time? If you’ve seen every show or played every video game, let us know! The more info you give us, the more seriously you’ll be considered.
Step #3
Review some comics. Is there any better way to know what you’re made of? Write 2 reviews, 500-words minimum each, and make one for an issue that you liked and one for an issue that you did NOT like (they need to be current comics, something published within the past year). Also don’t worry if it’s a book we’ve reviewed already and your score is completely different than what we published. We’re not just looking for people to echo our opinions back to us. Different viewpoints are welcome! Just prove that you’re a capable writer. Write it in the style of one of our reviews, complete with a “Recommended If” and “Overall” section, capped off with a 1-10 rating.
Submit
Send your application to: ReviewerTryouts@gmail.com in the form of a PDF or Word document. There is no immediate deadline. We will announce in Upcoming Comics whenever tryouts are closed.
If we like what we see, then we’ll start an email correspondence with you with a few more fun challenges, and if you past the test we’ll assign you a few books to review. And if you’re wondering, yes it’s a paid gig with perks like free comics and interview opportunities with DC talent. Just don’t think you’re going to get rich off writing comic reviews or that you can quit your day job. This is a passion project first and foremost where you’ll get a rare opportunity to bond with some of the biggest Batman fans in the world.
Upcoming Comics
Titans: Beast World #6
Dr. Hate revealed! As Raven makes her final stand against the chaotic evil sorcerer, the Titans race against time to cure the world of the epidemic caused by Beast Boy. How far will the team go? How much will the friends sacrifice? Watch as the DCU is forced to evolve or die in this shocking conclusion!
- Written By: Tom Taylor
- Penciled By: Ivan Reis, Lucas Meyer, Eduardo Pansica
- Inks By: Danny Miki, Lucas Meyer, Julio Ferreira
- Colors By:
- Cover By: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson
Thoughts: At least they’ve found a new way to phrase “nothing will ever be the same again!”
Batman News Critic: Aaron
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest: 2024 Annual
It’s the world’s finest annual! As the battle against Magog rages on Earth-22, Batman and Superman discover a surprising secret by way of the 5th dimension! Meanwhile, Metamorpho’s story picks up after the events of the Elementary arc as our hero journeys deep within an ancient tomb that may have a hidden, deadly connection to his secret origin! Plus, Batman recruits the Challengers of the Unknown for a top-secret mission, and a special, sizzling story stars the Teen Titans’ most buzzworthy member, Bumblebee! It’s a world tour of the World’s Finest in this first-ever series annual, curated by World’s Finest architect Mark Waid!
- Written By: Mark Waid, Cullen Bunn, Stephanie Williams, Dennis Culver
- Penciled By: Edwin Galmon, Rosi Kämpe, Travis Mercer, Jorge Fornés
- Inks By: Edwin Galmon, Rosi Kämpe, Travis Mercer, Jorge Fornés
- Colors By: Dave Stewart, Andrew Dalhouse, Lee Loughridge
- Cover By: Dan Mora
Thoughts: I love this series, but a lot of that is because of the creative team behind it. It’ll be interesting to see how it handles under different writers.
Batman News Critic: Casper
Trinity Special #1
Featuring DC’s brightest new star, Trinity! Discover Lizzie’s earliest adventures as she takes the world of heroes by storm! Reprinting the character’s first appearance alongside hilarious tales of the little Amazon and her Super Son babysitters, this special will be an instant classic for fans old and new. Plus, a brand-new story from the all-star creative team behind Wonder Woman that will tease the future of Diana’s daughter!
- Written By: Tom King
- Penciled By: Daniel Sampere
- Inks By: Daniel Sampere
- Colors By: Tomeu Morey
- Cover By: Tomeu Morey, Daniel Sampere
Thoughts: Trinity definitely seems to be the break out star at DC lately, but she definitely wouldn’t be the first “Wonder Girl” to get a lot of hype and attention, only to fade away. We’ll see if she can break the curse.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Batman and Robin: 2024 Annual
FATHER-AND-SON ROAD TRIP! Batman and Robin have gone through hell the last few months, so Bruce decides to take Damian on a camping trip to bond. But as they try to enjoy the great outdoors, they find a different kind of hunting ground…one that hunts the most dangerous game! Trapped and cut off from their weapons and backup, Batman and Robin must use their surroundings to hold off and take down some of DC’s deadliest mercenaries!
- Written By: Joshua Williamson
- Penciled By: Howard Porter
- Inks By: Howard Porter
- Colors By: Rain Beredo
- Cover By: Howard Porter, Rain Beredo
Thoughts: A break from the Shush plotline could be just what this title needs to get me interested again.
Batman News Critic: William
DC Power 2024 #1
DC Power returns for round two with brand-new stories spotlighting Black characters from across the DC Universe by an all-star cast of writers and artists! N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell return to the Hugo Award-winning world of Far Sector for an epilogue featuring the first meeting between Jo Mullein and John Stewart! The Signal, Duke Thomas, finds inspiration from an unlikely ally. Crispus Allen searches for purpose outside of being the Spectre-and goes to Renee Montoya for guidance! Thunder and Lighting (Anissa and Jennifer Pierce), cause sparks to fly at a community event crashed by the Condiment King; Raphael Arce learns the secret origin of the original Bloodwynd; Val-Zod, Earth-2’s Superman, contemplates the balance between his pacifist philosophy and protecting the people of his universe; and Nubia teams up with…Mr. Mxyzptlk?! All these stories and more, just in time for Black History Month!
- Written By: N.K. Jemisin, Brandon Thomas, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Lamar Giles
- Penciled By: Jamal Campbell, Khary Randolph, Asiah Fulmore, Sean Damien Hill
- Inks By: Jamal Campbell, Khary Randolph, Asiah Fulmore, Edwin Galmon, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Mark Morales, Anthony Fowler, Moritat, John Stanisci, Jahnoy Lindsay
- Colors By: Jamal Campbell, Edwin Galmon, Moritat, Jahnoy Lindsay, Ruth Redmond, Andrew Dalhouse, Romulo Fajardo
- Cover By: Chase Conley
Thoughts: I understand the idea behind the name, but “DC Power” does not make this easy to look up online without getting results about electricity.
Batman News Critic: Aaron
Batman: Off-World #3
Batman and his new deep-space allies take the fight directly to the War Storm, a spaceship the size of a city filled with highly trained alien killing machines. Can the young Batman complete his brutal, interstellar quest? Or do other cosmic threats lie in wait? Superstars Jason Aaron and Doug Mahnke continue to bring you a Batman tale unlike any other.
- Written By: Jason Aaron
- Penciled By: Doug Mahnke
- Inks By: Jaime Mendoza
- Colors By: David Baron
- Cover By: Doug Mahnke, David Baron, Jaime Mendoza
Thoughts: The second issue seems to have been an improvement over the first, so hopefully that trend continues
Batman News Critic: Cam
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: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest: 2024 Annual– This’ll be a big moment to see if World’s Finest can continue the same level of quality when Waid and Mora sadly but inevitably leave.
Least Excited: Batman: Off-World #3– There’s not much here that sticks out as making it a must read.
Wild Card: Batman and Robin: 2024 Annual- Williamson certainly knows how to write Damian, so I hope this new plot should assuage my issues with the main series.
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
