DC Solicitation Sneaks: April 2025
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Batman: Detective Comics by Tom Taylor vol. 1 – Mercy of the Father
Gotham City is being stalked by a serial killer, which means that it must be a day that ends in a “y.” What sets this one apart from all the others is that they’re killing teens, juvenile delinquents, and young adults with criminal records and time served. Batman knows that these victims were still worth saving, but how are they connected to the new longevity drug known as Sangraal that Bruce Wayne has been invited to test out?
Tom Taylor has written a lot of comics that feature Batman, but not a whole lot with him as the primary character. Which has given him a lot of room to joke about the character’s many flaws in the pages of titles like “Nightwing” and “Titans.” So what happens when he gets the chance to write about the character’s adventures on a monthly basis? I’m guessing we’ll still get lots of those jokes, only now they’re going to be folded into stories that provide a further showcase for his considerable skills. I didn’t think Taylor’s previous solo “Batman” story “The Detective” was all that great, but I’m willing to entertain the idea that he can do better here, especially when he’s illustrated by the very talented Mikel Janin.
Even better is that DC is putting out the hardcover and softcover editions of this volume on the same day. While I don’t think that this story is going to be “Buy it in hardcover first!” level good, that we’re not being forced to do so is definitely a good thing.
Summer of Superman Special #1: Did you hear? There’s a brand-new “Superman” movie due out this year from writer/director James Gunn and the first trailer has already made quite an impression. Naturally, DC wants to capitalize on that, so we’re getting a special showcasing a proper jumping on point for the character’s monthly adventures. You’ve got stories written by “Superman’s” Joshua Williamson, “Batman/Superman’s” Mark Waid, and the upcoming “Superman Unlimited” by (wait for it) Dan Slott. It’s that last one which really interests me as I think Slott’s superhero sensibilities are tuned really well for the Man of Steel. Hopefully his run will turn out better than the last longtime Marvel scribe to write Superman’s ongoing adventures.
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #1 (of 6): The original “Resurrection Man” series from the 90’s was a cult title from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning which had a clever premise. Every time Mitch Kelly died, he’d revive with a new superpower. The series was remembered well enough to get another shot at life for a short-lived run as part of “The New 52” era. Now, writer Ram V and his “Green in Blue” collaborator Anand RK along with the great Jackson “Butch” Guice providing the art, are reviving the concept for another go as Mitch faces off against a WWII Concentration Camp commander who has inherited a twisted version of his powers. This is only the start of things as “saving the universe” is mentioned as a plot point in these solicitations.
Superman by Philip Kennedy Johnson vol. 1 Omnibus: Or, “The Warworld Saga” but now with added Grant Morrison and in hardcover! That series was one of the best recent “Superman” stories and got me invested in reading Johnson’s subsequent stories featuring the character. “Superman and the Authority” was Grant Morrison’s swan son (for now, at least) with DC, but it’s not out of place here as it sets up Johnson’s run while providing the background for this latest incarnation of the Authority. That said, you can get both “The Warworld Saga” and “Superman and the Authority” right now for a lot less than the $125 cover price for this omnibus.
Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor: Advance solicited for June after Issue #3 is solicited for April. Let’s hope these dates stick as it’d be embarrassing for DC to screw things up after it published the first issue of this miniseries with a year-long gap between issue #2. Still, good things come to those who wait, and seeing writer Mark Waid and artist Bryan Hitch tackle the story of Superman trying to save a dying Lex Luthor will likely be worth it. Enough so for me to pick this up when it debuts in hardcover.
Superman: Year One: While the idea of seeing Superman’s earliest days as a superhero from the writer who originated the “Year One” story does have some appeal, I’m not sure if this will be worth it. Frank Miller’s output has just been too inconsistent in years past and while I’m sure he has some ideas about this era of Superman, there’s no guarantee they’re going to be good ones. That said, this is being illustrated by John Romita Jr., who handled the last good story I’ve read from Miller – “The Dark Knight: The Last Crusade” – so maybe it won’t wind up as being as bad as I’m fearing it will be?
Wonder Woman by Tom King vol. 3: Fury, Birds of Prey vol. 3: Bird Undercover, The Flash vol. 3: As Above: This is an uncanny coincidence. Three volumes from three series whose second volumes are all currently in my “To Read” pile. If I had to be excited about any of them, I’d say “Wonder Woman” since vol. 1 was just that good.
DCeased Omnibus HC: Collecting all three main volumes of this alternate-universe undead epic, plus the spinoffs “Hope at Worlds End” and “Unkillables.” All of it is worth reading as this is the series which showed that Tom Taylor could deliver a killer (literally and figuratively) alternate universe story that played up to the best parts of these kinds of things. That said, the best parts are “Unkillables” and vol. 2 “Dead Planet,” so the middle of this omnibus is going to be its real high point.
Jenny Sparks: The Spirit of the 20th Century made her debut in the pages of Warren Ellis’ “Stormwatch” and quickly revealed herself to be too big for its pages. So she returned with friends in “The Authority” and quickly set about establishing a new standard for superhero action. This lasted for a year as the millennium turned and the 20th Century gave way to the 21st. She hasn’t been seen since, until Tom King decided to write about her for this new miniseries with artist Jeff Spokes as she has to find a way to stop Captain Atom from destroying the world. Part of me wonders if the Jenny Sparks we see here is going to be recognizable from her previous incarnation, as King does have a tendency to hammer his characters into the stories he wants to tell regardless of whether they’ll fit or not (see “Danger Street”). We’ll see how that goes here.