DC Solicitation Sneaks: April 2021
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Batman by John Ridley HC
It was supposed to be a lot bigger than one volume. It still might be.
The plan was to have Bruce Wayne retire and for Tim Fox, son of Lucius, to take over the mantle of the Dark Knight. It was going to be the most high-profile in a series of changes that would’ve seen familiar DC characters replaced with newer, younger versions of themselves in an attempt to keep the line vital. Then things fell apart behind the scenes and all of the changes that were planned were retconned into the two-month “Future State” event that we’re living through now.
This hardcover collects the lead story from the four-issue “The Next Batman” miniseries, stories from the most recent “Batman Black & White #1,” “Batman: The Joker War Zone,” and an all-new story illustrated by Dustin Nguyen. I realize I recommend A LOT of “Batman” related titles in these columns, and this one is no different. Yet, the stories in this collection promises to do something different with the character. Whether it’s good or not — and I’m expecting that it will be with Ridley writing it — that’s something I still want to see.
As for why this still might be a bigger story…
The Next Batman: Second Son #1 (of 4): Well, that’s because it’s not done yet. “Second Son” looks to answer some of the lingering questions from the events of the previous series. Telling you what they are would technically count as spoilers, so I’ll just say that Tim Fox has a lot of family drama he needs to work out now. Artists Nick Derington and Laura Braga sit this one out while Travel Foreman and Tony Akins take over. If anything, it’s just nice to know that DC is sticking with this concept… Unless this is a contractually-mandated sequel that they’re putting out because Ridley had it written into his contract because he wanted to be sure DC would stick with this. I hope this is just me generating an unwarranted conspiracy theory and nothing more.
Batman: The Dark Knight #1 (of 6): Another round of DC solicitations, another new “Batman” miniseries. What makes this one stand out is that it’s coming to us via an A-list creative team. Tom Taylor writes and Andy Kubert illustrates this miniseries that sees the Caped Crusader heading off to England to investigate a horrific tragedy. The solicitations promise all-new villains and allies, which is always nice to see. I’d say that this would be his way of setting things up in case he gets to write a Bat-title in the future, except that future is now as he and Bruno Redondo take on “Nightwing” with issue #79 in these solicitations.
Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red: Collecting the digital anthology series in a print volume. This will also include two additional stories by David Mandel & Adam Hughes, and Paul Dini & Kevin Altieri. If they thought that including a story by Harley’s creator and another key architect of “Batman: The Animated Series” would incentivize a reader like me to pick this up, then yeah, they thought right. However, this collection is also the last time we’ll see Stjepan Sejic tackle Harley for the foreseeable future. So the Dini/Altieri story is just one more reason for me to pick this up.
While we’re on the subject of “Batman: The Animated Series,” it’s comic book follow-up Batman: The Adventures Continue gets a collected edition in these solicitations as well. Co-written by Dini and Alan Burnett, it features art from Ty Templeton, whose style is a perfect fit for the animated series that this miniseries is continuing. Among the things you can expect to see in this volume: Batman fighting a giant robot that attacks S.T.A.R. Labs and Lex Luthor’s return to Gotham City.
American Vampire #7: Wait a second, this is now listed as a 10-part miniseries instead of a 9-part one. What happened? Well, it looks like instead of taking a skip month, which the series had too many of in its previous run, we’re getting a really high-end anthology issue instead. It’s not filler because it’s still written by Scott Snyder, and features art from Francesco Francavilla, Tula Lotay, and Ricardo Lopez Ortiz. The stories are meant to bridge the series Second and Final cycles and flesh out its world a bit more. Which is why one story involves George Washington’s deathbed confession about the secret vampire pact he had to make. That’s why this issue isn’t filler. Filler wouldn’t have the guts to go that weird.
Batman: Black & White #5 (of 6): No, I really can’t seem to stop talking about “Batman” titles in this round of solicitations. What makes this issue so special? Well, it features Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s first work for DC and the first story they’ve done together since the end of “The Wicked + The Divine.” The solicitation text says that their story pits Batman against the Riddler in a way that you’ve never seen before. Gillen has described their story as one of the “densest, most formalist things we’ve ever done. It’s also funny.” I didn’t need another reason to pick up this latest “Black & White” anthology, but it’s still nice to get one anyway.
Justice League: Galaxy of Terrors. This collects two of post-Snyder stories from “Justice League” courtesy of Simon Spurrier and Jeff Loveness, with Aaron Lopresti and Robson Rocha providing art, respectively. Spurrier’s story has the team encountering an abandoned cargo ship full of alien children, and their attempt to return the children to their home plane results in war. I’m sure there’s a good and morally ambiguous reason for this, which is what I’d expect from Spurrier. As for what Loveness is bringing to the table, that story isn’t immediately clear from the solicitations. However, given that he also writes for “Rick & Morty” and was responsible for giving us “The Vat of Acid Episode,” I would be impressed if he delivered something only half as messed up as that was. He is playing in the DCU after all.
Superman vol. 4: Mythological & Superman: Action Comics vol. 4: Metropolis Burning: Bendis’ run comes to an earlier-than expected end. We may never know the reasons behind this, but it’s not like he was kicked off these titles without any advance warning. At least, that’s what the solicitation text is telling me. It may have some bias, though. I’ve still enjoyed the writer’s run, even if it hasn’t been on the level of his best work. I won’t ask him to stick the landing here, but if he can avoid blowing up on impact, I guess I can call that a win.