DC Solicitation Sneaks: January 2023
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
The Nice House on the Lake vol. 2
When I picked the first volume for this series for this slot a year back, it was mainly because I didn’t know what to expect from it. All I knew about the series was that it involved this guy who invited his friends for this getaway at his lake house, and then maybe supernatural shenanigans were going to ensue. Now that I’ve actually read the first volume, and found that assumption to be pretty far off base, I really want to know how writer James Tynion IV and artist Alvaro Lopez are going to wrap things up. Make no mistake, vol. 1 was one of the best surprises I’ve experienced all year and the series as a whole could stand as the best thing I’ve read from Tynion depending on how it sticks the landing.
Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1: This has been described as the “‘Dark Crisis’ But For DC’s Magical Characters” elsewhere, and it’s spinning out of “Batman vs. Robin.” The writer of that series, Mark Waid, co-writes with Gene Luen Yang while Riccardo Federici and Billy Tan (and more) are providing the art. As for the event itself, a Lazarus Volcano has erupted and spread transformative chemicals throughout the Earth’s atmosphere, granting ordinary people powers and new ones to those who already have them. With the world in chaos as a result, it’s up to Damien Wayne to lead the rescue brigade that involves an eclectic cast of characters including Cyborg, Poison Ivy, Power Girl, and… the Monkey King. Well, Yang is co-writing this series so that makes sense. This initial issue is being followed up by three one-shots: Assault on Krypton, We Were Once Gods, and Legends Reborn this month. It’s safe to assume that more will follow along with a concluding “Omega” issue either next month or the month after. I was planning on reading “Batman vs. Robin” at some point, and if this is the follow-up to that, then I think I can wait until after I do.
Batman: One Bad Day – Bane #1: I’ve been under the impression that the stories being told here are meant to be part of the current continuity, just off to the side of it, so as to not impact ongoing storylines. Bane’s story, however, is clearly meant to be out of continuity as it’s described as taking place decades from now with the villain now being reduced to reliving his glory days in the form of wrestling matches, beating up some poor schmuck dressed like Batman every day. That is until he hears about a new source of Venom being produced and sets off on his own to shut it down. What we’ve got here sounds like a straightforward and predictable story that takes the most obvious tact with the character, and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that it’s coming from Joshua Williamson. Howard Porter is illustrating this story, so it at least has a good chance of looking sharp.
Batman: The Adventures Continue – Season Three #1 (of 7): “Season Two” was all right, but it delivered a disappointing take on the Court of Owls and lacked the overarching plot threads that made “Season One” such a standout. Still, I’m not going to say no to more “Batman” from Paul Dini and Alan Burnett who are joined by new artist Jordan Gibson for this season.
Batman: Legends of Gotham #1: It’s unclear whether this is just a one-shot or the start of a new ongoing series from writer Andy Diggle and artist Karl Mostert (though my gut says it’s the latter). This is a strong creative team for a story that ties into “Lazarus Planet” and current goings-on in “Batman” as someone has got their hands on Batman’s darkest secrets and is looking to auction them off to whatever villain can pay. Seeing as how Red Hood is villainous enough as it is, he figures he can get into the auction and get the secrets himself. Problem is that a couple of Outsiders, Black Lightning and Katana, were planning on doing that their way. Now they’ve got to find a way to work together to get this information without winding up dead in the process. Diggle’s comics writing has always been solid, though he didn’t find much luck writing superheroes for either Marvel or DC after his and Jock’s series “The Losers” ended. Here’s hoping this leads to a more successful tenure in the DCU for the writer, or just more comics work in general for him.
Doom Patrol by Gerard Way and Nick Derington: The Deluxe Edition HC: Collects the twelve issues of the ongoing series along with the “Weight of the Worlds” miniseries. While this kicked off Way’s Young Animal imprint with a bang, the momentum didn’t last as delays waylaid the second arc of this series. “Weight of the Worlds” wrapped things up as good as you could expect, even though it effectively signaled the end of the imprint. Also, the title should read “‘Mostly’ by Gerard Way and Nick Derington” as the artist only did four issues from the ongoing’s second half and one from “Weight.” That concluding miniseries was also co-written by Jeremy Lambert. All in all, this wasn’t a bad take on the “Doom Patrol” as it was fascinatingly weird, and looked good no matter who was drawing it. However, if you’re looking for a Young Animal series that had a clearer focus and more consistent creative team, you’ll want to check out “Cave Carson” instead.
Batman/Superman: The World’s Finest vol. 1: The Devil Nezha HC: Part of me is very happy that Mark Waid’s return to the DCU with this series has been such a success. So successful, that this first volume, with art by the very talented Dan Mora, is getting the hardcover treatment. Which means that I’ll be waiting a while to see how good this is. Hey, I have no regrets about waiting to read Waid’s “Daredevil” run in paperback and I’m not going to have any here. I mean, it really can’t be as good as that was, can it? If I sound a little miffed about the fact that this isn’t coming straight to paperback, that’s due in part because…
Batman: The Detective: …this is getting a softcover release in these solicitations. You’d think that Tom Taylor and Andy Kubert would be able to deliver a “Batman” story worthy of the hardcover treatment, but you’d be wrong. I expected better from these creators and didn’t get it. So if you’re a fan of either or both, you’re better off reading this story in paperback rather than shelling out for the hardcover.