DC Previews Picks: January 2014

It’s the new year in solicitations and thanks to the recently concluded New York Comic-Con, we’ve got some idea of what to expect from DC in the new year.  Most significant at this point is the announcement that the company will be doing another weekly series.  While they’ve done this before in the past with the excellent “52,” the reputedly less-stellar “Countdown” and “Trinity,” and the really great experiment “Wednesday Comics” this one is different in the sense that it’ll be Batman-centric.  There’s no exact word about what “Batman Eternal” is going to be about, save for the fact that Scott Snyder will be acting as a “showrunner” for the various writers attached to the project, and that it’ll feature the return of Stephanie Brown.  Questions about her have been the bane of every DC editor/writer/artist at convention panels and it would seem that they’re going to see just how devoted her fanbase is.  I’m sure her appearance will spike sales of her issue… unless it doesn’t.  If that happens, don’t expect her to show up in the “New 52” again unless she’s going to be killed off.

Meanwhile, Frank Miller returns to “Batman!”  Kinda.

Superman/Wonder Woman #4:  “The secret of Superman and Wonder Woman’s relationship is out and the world’s reaction is mixed.”  You know, if they’re really canvassing public opinion in this issue, I hope that there’s at least one reaction from the one person who has thought this thing through.  This would be the person who tells everyone else that these omnipotent beings probably couldn’t give a care about what the man on the street thinks of their opinion.  Kind of like the attitude writer Charles Soule should have towards people writing on the internet about comics that they’re not going to buy.

Detective Comics #27:  A 96-page, $7.99 book.  What’s the occasion?  All to celebrate the fact that Batman’s first appearance was way back in the 30’s in the pages of the first “Detective Comics #27.”  To celebrate, they’re giving us new stories from Brad Meltzer & Bryan Hitch, Scott Snyder & Sean Murphy, Paul Dini & Dustin Nguyen, and Gregg Hurwitz & Neal Adams.  The title’s regular creative team, John Layman and Jason Fabok also kick off a mini-crossover between the Bat-titles this month called “Gothtopia.”  The premise is only teased here, but looking at the other solicitations it seems as if things are finally going right for a lot of the cast, which means that they’re likely involved in some sort of alternate reality/mind control plot.

Interestingly, the issue also boasts “new art by legendary Batman writer/artist Frank Miller.”  Not a new story from him.  Just new art.  One has to wonder if that was all Miller said he would provide, or if it was all that was asked of him.  Given the terrible quality of his writing on recent projects like “Holy Terror,” I wouldn’t be surprised if DC just asked him for a few pin-ups to commemorate the occasion.

All-Star Western #27:  I haven’t been paying too much attention to the solicitations of this title, but apparently Jonah Hex has wound up in the present day and is tearing a path through the DCU.  The cover to this issue intimates that he has earned Superman’s ire by firing some ten thousand bullets at the superhero.  If Hex was really dumb enough to do that, then he certainly deserves everything that’s coming to him there.

The Vampire Diaries #1:  A new digital first title being reprinted for the comics market.  I think it’s probably a year or two late to cash in on the appeal of the show, but I could be wrong.  Though I’ve got better things to do with my time than watch a show about vampire romance, everything I’ve heard about Ian Somerhalder’s character on the show makes him sound like great fun.  I mention this because I was glad to be rid of him as the terminally stupid Boone during the first season of “Lost.”  However, that death seems to have worked out pretty well for him thanks to this show.

Dial H vol. 2:  Exchange:  Clearly, this was too weird to survive for long as part of the “New 52.”  Now the question is whether or not writer China Mieville was able to bring the series to a satisfying conclusion in the time that he had.  Mind you, this will have to be done by issue #15 since the “final” issue here is the villain-centric jam issue “Dial E” which was a part of the “Villains Month” event.  The idea of a bunch of single-page stories about bad guys certainly sounds intriguing, but also not the best way to offer closure for a series.  Then again, this is “Dial H” so stranger things have happened…

Wonder Woman vol. 4:  War:  Five issues, 144 pages, for $23… You’re testing my patience DC.  If this series wasn’t so good then this would be a fightin’ price!

Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones:  They were the creative team on the character when I first got into comics and Jones rendition of the Dark Knight remains one of the most distinctive takes on the character.  Gotta love the horns.  It’s also a pretty decent price point considering you’re getting over 400 pages of comics for $40.  Part of me is very tempted by this package, though I think I’d survive picking it up until I can find it at Comic-Con.

Deathblow Deluxe Edition HC:  While the series is advertised as collecting the twelve-issue series featuring art from Jim Lee and Tim Sale, the artists credited in this collection are Lee, Sale and “others.”  Given that this title hails from the early days of Image, one has to wonder if the “others” contributed more to this volume than the named creators did.  Don’t expect me to find out.  I’m perfectly happy with the Brian Azzarello-written stories featuring the character that I already have.

The Legion of Super-Heroes:  The Great Darkness Saga:  Now this, at 400 pages for $25 sounds like a great value for the money.  It’s also a story I’ve heard about for YEARS but have never gotten around to buying because it hasn’t been in print for years.  I’d say that this would be something to pick up as soon as it comes out, except for the fact that “LOSH” has a reputation as being a very newbie-unfriendly series.  Imagine jumping into reading “X-Men” comics today, and that’s the impression I have of the series.  I may buy it anyway just to see if I’m wrong.  In which case, expect to see my thoughts on this early in the new year.

The Unwritten vol. 2:  Apocalypse #1:  Let’s hope the new #1 gives the title the juice it needs to reach writer Mike Carey’s intended conclusion.  This issue has Tom Taylor (the character from the series, not the writer of “Injustice:  Season Two” and other DC comics this month) stranded at the beginning of creation and lost in all of the unwritten scenes of the world’s stories.  So, business as usual for this title.  It also sounds like a neat setup for Carey to have fun showing us scenes we never saw from great stories in literature.

American Vampire vol. 6:  Collects the two one-shots which were published earlier this year.  “The Long Road to Hell” brings back Travis Kidd, the vampire hunter who likes to “bite them back” while the “Anthology” is pretty self-explanatory.  I bitched earlier about “Wonder Woman” charging $23 for 144 pages, which is what we’re getting here too.  However, this collection also features work from the likes of Greg Rucka, Becky Cloonan, Francesco Francavilla, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, so there’s some extra appeal there.

FBP:  Federal Bureau of Physics vol. 1:  Not cancelled yet as I write this.  That’s an impressive feat these days for a Vertigo title that comes from a lesser-known creative team like writer Simon Oliver and artist Robbi Rodriguez.  That, and the positive reviews I’ve read about this title, are enough to get me to pick this up when it hits the stands next year.

A God Somewhere:  When did this originally come out?  The late 80’s or the early 90’s?  Regardless, this is early work from writer John Arcudi (of current “B.P.R.D.” fame) and artist Peter Snejbjerg.  It’s about a man who develops powers after a disaster and tries to do good in his use of them.  Only, based on the solicitation text it seems that things don’t go all that well for him.  Unless he’s actually writing company-owned characters, Arcudi doesn’t really like to follow the standard guidebook for “superheroic” action.  That worked to great effect in his and Doug Mahnke’s “Major Bummer” and this seems like a more serious take on the “ordinary person gets extraordinary abilities genre.  I’m interested in seeing what he does with it.

Unknown Soldier:  Also getting a new edition this month is Garth Ennis’ take on the old DC war character.  It follows one William Clyde, a former special ops soldier busted down to desk work, as he tracks down the character’s sordid past.  Not only does this feature some fantastic art from Kilian Plunkett, but it’s also refreshingly free of the tropes and excesses that can sometimes clutter the writer’s work.  If you’ve never read this before, then it is highly recommended that you check this out once it’s back in print.