DC Solicitation Sneaks: October 2026
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
The Flash vol. 6: The Speed Was Power, The Speed Was Joy
I wasn’t expecting to follow this current volume of “The Flash” after Simon Spurrier stopped writing it. DC has since managed to find a couple of teams worthy of keeping my interest. First with Mark Waid and Christopher Cantwell writing a (hopefully good) tie-in to “DC K.O.” and now with “Fantastic Four’s” Ryan North bringing his talent for single-issue stories and big science brain into the mix. The Flash’s powers have always lent themselves towards scientific interpretation, so I’m very much looking forward to what North will do when he makes Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mister Terrific, a gorilla army, and a whole bunch of randos putting themselves in danger so that the titular hero will save them part of this new run. Gavin Guidry illustrates the stories here and while he turned in decent work on the one issue of “Uncanny X-Men” I read, I’m keeping my mind open to the idea that he’ll surprise me with what he delivers here.
DC All-In Saga: Darkseid vs. the World #1: The heroes may have won the King Omega saga, but the fight against Darkseid has just begun! Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson team up to give us the story of the character’s descent into darkness and plans for the fate of all creation with art from Sanford Greene and Yasmine Putri. If you’re following the ongoing narrative of the DC Universe, then this is can’t-miss stuff! If you’re only following it secondhand (like I am) then you can probably just wait to read a spoiler-filled summary of this when it arrives in October.
The Demon #1 & Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death #1 (of 6): One new ongoing and one new miniseries for DC’s Next Level initiative. Both are coming from talented artists: James Harren and Michael Walsh, respectively. While the thought of Harren drawing the ongoing adventures of Etrigan sounds rad as hell, having him write them feels considerably less so in the wake of the mess that was “Ultramega.” I can only hope that working within the confines of the DC Universe will have him deliver something more coherent, but we’ll wait until the first volume to see if that’s the case. As for Walsh, I’ve never read anything he’s written, but this looks to be a return to the supernaturally-infused version of Hex that I loved from Joe Lansdale and Tim Truman. We’ll see if he delivers a worthy follow up to those with this new miniseries.
Absolute Batman #25 & Absolute Wonder Woman #25: Twenty-five issues in and both series are still crushing most everything in their way – the former more than the latter. As for what these anniversary issues have in store for their characters… “Batman” gives you nothing, but it doesn’t need to. You and everyone else have already been buying it. “Wonder Woman,” on the other hand, promises the debut of Absolute Cheetah in a way that we’re not expecting. Barbara Minerva has already been a part of this title’s supporting cast, so it’ll be interesting to see what kind of swerve Kelly Thompson has in mind for the villain’s debut here.
Action Comics #1103: Mark Waid begins the story of the definitive origin of Lex Luthor?! SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!
Justice League: Dark Realm Special #1: We’ve seen Dan Mora draw multiple comics in a single month, but how many can he write in the same timeframe? Just one, it appears (for now). Whether or not his writing is as good as his art, well… I guess we’ll see. The story involves a character who’s apparently been introduced in the pages of “Justice League Unlimited” that I haven’t read yet as he embarks on a journey of redemption, power, and vengeance. While there’s no doubt that this issue is going to look incredible, the real question is whether it’ll be enjoyable because of or in spite of its writing. That said, Mora has been working with Mark Waid for a while now, so it’s probably safe to assume he’s absorbed a few good lessons on how to write quality superhero comics.
Superman by Alan Moore Absolute Edition: WITNESS the end of the Silver Age Man of Steel in “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” THRILL to the chance encounter between Superman and the Swamp Thing in “The Jungle Line.” MARVEL at the timeless classic that is “For the Man Who Has Everything.” RAGE at the fact that this edition also reprints two never-before-collected stories from Moore featuring Superman with “Protected Species” and “I Was Superman’s Double” that you’ll have to pay $100 for the privilege of reading in this format. While the thought that there are Superman stories written by Moore that I haven’t read yet is enticing, I’m not about to re-buy ones I’ve already read at that price point to finally read them.