DC Solicitation Sneaks: June 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow
Tom King and Bilquis Evely’s not-quite-a-maxiseries (it’s only eight issues) gets a collection. It’s about how Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El is looking for some purpose in her life when she encounters a young alien girl. Heartbroken and vengeful towards the forces that destroyed her world, she’s looking for some payback. So it’s up to Supergirl, and Krypto, to find a way for this girl to come to terms with her emotions before she does something she’ll regret. It’s a simple premise, but I’ve read enough of King’s work to know that this story is sure to go to some unexpected, and dark, places along the way. I’ve also seen enough of Evely’s art to know that all of these places are going to look amazing.
Dark Crisis #1 (of 7): It’s an event with “Crisis” in the title, so you know that it’s meant to signify big things for the DCU. “Metal” was originally going to be called “Dark Crisis,” but Snyder and Capullo managed to duck that bullet, claiming that their events were more constructive than destructive (anti-crises, if you would). Handling this event are writer Joshua Williamson and artist Daniel Sampere, and they’re not nearly on the same level as that team. More so Williamson than Sampere, as I’ve yet to read anything from the writer that has truly impressed me. Which is why when I read a setup for an event that tells me that the Justice League is dead and the DCU is facing an attack from its biggest enemies, I simply shrug and say, “It must be Tuesday.”
Black Adam #1 (of 5): Guess who has a new movie coming out the following month? Or rather, used to, now that “Black Adam” has been delayed to October. Which means that if creators Christopher Priest and Rafa Sandoval are able to get all five issues out on time, this miniseries will wrap up just in time for the movie! As for the plot of the miniseries, Adam’s immortality is being eaten away by a plague, so the superhero/ruler decides to pass on his powers to someone else before he dies. All to ensure that the “Black Adam” name has a worthy successor. Only for things to not go as planned and for him to wind up mystically handcuffed to his successor. Wacky hijinks are sure to ensue.
Poison Ivy #1 (of 6): Creator of “Ms. Marvel” and “Invisible Kingdom,” writer G. Willow Wilson teams with artist Marcio Takara for this story of one of the more morally ambiguous members of Batman’s rogues gallery. Is she a misunderstood antihero who isn’t constrained by conventional morality? Or is she a villain who wants to save the world by killing as many humans as it takes? The latter seems to be the case here as we’re told that the title character is leaving Gotham to complete her greatest work: Saving the world by ending humanity. Any takers on whether or not she’s talking about “ending humanity” in the way that it was described in “Immortal Hulk?” Because I’d be fine with that.
Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong #1 (of 3): Coming to us from writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, and artist Vasco Georgiev. You may recall that I just wrote about how I’ve yet to actually read a coming from Kelly and Lanzing. Not because I’ve heard they’re bad, I just haven’t come across a comic of theirs that sounds genuinely interesting to me. You can add this one to the list as Earth is menaced by aliens who have come to steal its kinetic energy and the title characters are the odd couple that are going to have to work together to save us all.
Batman/Catwoman #12 (of 12): The finale to Tom King and Clay Mann’s maxiseries. In which we’re told that wedding bells are tolling again for the title characters. Given the chaos that erupted in comic shops, social media, and the pages of “Batman” itself the last time it was advertised that the two were going to tie the knot, you’d think that they’re actually going to go through with it this time. Or maybe King is just the King of the Trolls and this time it’ll be the Bat leaving the Cat at the altar. If that’s what happens, just remember that you read it here first.
Brightest Day Omnibus HC: Collects the 25-issue maxiseries in a $100 for 696 pages omnibus. This was Geoff Johns (and Peter Tomasi’s) follow-up to the events of “Blackest Night” in which a dozen heroes were resurrected and driven to find out why and for what purpose. I’d heard that this was something of a misfire while it was being published, so I’ve never read it. It’s a little more tempting now, seeing it in an omnibus edition, but then I remember that this is the story that reintroduced John Constantine into the DCU and that desire goes right away.
Batman: Earth One – Complete Collection: The “Earth One” graphic novel line arrived with the best of intentions – offering “Ultimate” versions of DC heroes in stand-alone stories – it quickly sputtered out after none of the creative teams were able to deliver new volumes on a regular basis. Nowhere is this more true than in these “Batman” stories from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. While the first volume made a good impression, its Riddler-centric story in vol. 2 had its thunder stolen by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s masterful take on the character in “Zero Year.” It would be another five years before they delivered the next installment of their story in vol. 3, and while this volume had its merits, they weren’t enough to make me recommend it to people who had given up on the series in the meantime.
Vol. 3 ended with the introduction of a particular Bat-villan who implied that we’d be seeing more from this series, that appears not to be the case now. With the “Complete Collection” subtitle and the “Read the whole saga!” tagline in the solicitation text, the implication is that we’re only getting three volumes of this series. This leads me to say that if you’re fans of Johns and Frank’s work, then you’re going to want to read this since they’re still doing the kind of slick, commercially appealing superhero work that they’re famous for. As for everyone else, there are so many other and better “Batman” comics out there that you don’t need to bother with one that is clearly incomplete, regardless of what its presentation tells you.