DC Comics Solicitation Sneaks: October 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Wonder Woman: Earth One Complete Collection
Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette’s three-volume reinvention of Wonder Woman is finally collected in one volume. They took the story of the character’s departure from Paradise Island to spread its message of loving submission to Man’s World and things go about as well as you could expect. Morrison and Paquette sought to combine a distinctly feminist take on the character with creator William Moulton Marston’s thoughts on bondage and submission, and the end result actually wound up working out pretty well. Your mileage may vary, but you can hear my thoughts on the whole thing over here.
One thing I did mention on the podcast is that the trilogy of graphic novels that make up this collection was best read in one go. That’s because the first two volumes feel like they’re setting up a lot of stuff before the payoff finally comes in vol. 3. Which is why this collection is getting this spot as it’s the best way to consume the story. So if you’ve been putting off reading “Wonder Woman: Earth One” until such a collection has arrived, your wait will be over in October.
The Riddler: Year One #1 (of 6): This one is a little weird. While it’s not unusual for a villain to get the “Year One” origin story treatment, it’s unclear whether or not this one is meant to be in-continuity. That’s because it’s written by Paul Dano, the actor who played The Riddler in “The Batman,” and the solicitation text describes it as an immediate prequel to that movie. Which means that this story is meant to take place in the movie’s continuity, not the DCU’s. While the hints we got about Riddler’s backstory in the movie imply that there’s a lot to be dug into with regards to his origin as a supervillain, this is also Dano’s first comics work. Which means that he either really impressed DC with his pitch and writing skills, or the publisher is looking to trade on the actor/movie connection his involvement will bring. The art is from Stevan Skubik, who is described as making his American comics debut with this title.
Batman: One Bad Day – The Penguin: Writer John Ridley and artist Guiseppe Camuncoli give us a story about a broken Penguin. One who has had everything stolen from him by his former associate, The Umbrella Man, who has also stripped away all of the rules his former boss was able to instill in Gotham’s criminal underworld. With the streets in turmoil, Penguin sets out to get everything back while Batman has a choice to make: Take on the new threat the Umbrella Man represents, or help one of his former rogues bring a semblance of peace back to the city. It’s a good question, but I imagine the focus is going to be mostly on Oswald Cobblepot as he looks to take back what’s his. Ridley and Camuncoli are a solid creative team and there’s something about the fact that the main villain here is called The Umbrella Man that implies the right kind of absurdity for a Batman story. I’m optimistic.
The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1: This is a new ongoing series that’s designed to pick up where the previous “The Joker” title left off. It also has a solid creative team in writer Matthew Rosenberg and artist Carmine Di Giandomenico, with Francesco Francavilla providing a back-up story about the Joker consulting Mirror Master before he goes on a date. While Rosenberg has been a more consistent writer than previous “Joker” writer James Tynion IV when it comes to superhero work, there’s not really anything mentioned here regarding the actual story of this issue. Crucially, it’s not indicated whether the Joker will actually be the main character in this series. Contrary to the title of the previous series, James Gordon was actually the protagonist of that one and I’m wondering if the fan-favorite vigilante mentioned here will fulfill the same role. If that’s the case then I’ll likely be giving a pass to Rosenberg’s series in much the same way that I did Tynion’s.
Gotham City: Year One #1 (of 6): How can a city have a “Year One” story? According to writer Tom King, this is the story of how Gotham began its slow slide into being the cesspit of moral decay that needed a man in a bat costume and his friends patrolling it 24/7 to keep some semblance of order. Coincidentally, it all started two generations ago with the infant heir to the Wayne family fortune being kidnapped. Private investigator Slam Bradley isn’t exactly on the case, but he winds up getting involved enough to give us a ringside seat to the awfulness that’s sure to ensue. King’s “Batman” work has been solid enough that I’m more than willing to see what he does with this origin story, especially with the very talented Phil Hester providing the art.
GCPD: The Blue Wall #1 (of 6): That “Penguin” story mentioned above isn’t Ridley’s only contribution to the Bat-mythos this month. He’s also writing a story about Renee Montoya’s start as the new police commissioner of Gotham City. This has the sound of a modern-day update to “Gotham Central,” the Ed Brubaker/Greg Rucka and then just Rucka-written series about what it was like to be a cop in Gotham and have to contend with all the supervillain craziness that Batman’s rogues gallery brings. While there isn’t a lot to go on from the solicitation text, Montoya’s status as commissioner makes it sound like we’re going to get a healthy dose of the politics and bureaucracy of the position in addition to supervillain craziness. I’m not saying this can’t work, but Ridley is setting himself, and artist Stefano Raffaele, up for a very tricky balancing act with this approach.
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #5 (of 7): Nope. Adding “…on Infinite Earths” to the title of this series doesn’t do anything to get me more interested in this event series.
Superman: Birthright – The Deluxe Edition: This is one of the many takes on Superman’s origin and early days as a superhero. It’s also one of the best, coming from writer Mark Waid and artist Lenil Yu. If you haven’t read it before now, give this new edition a look.
Justice League vol. 2: United Order HC: DC sure is taking its time with releasing Bendis’ run on “Justice League.” I don’t think it’s doing the series any favors as his run comes off looking like a lame duck, what with all the “Dark Crisis” shenanigans that followed it. I’m still curious to see what the writer did with these characters and their adventures here, just not curious enough to pick it up in hardcover. I should also point out that DC is taking its time with releasing the first volume of the writer’s run in paperback as there hasn’t been a solicitation for it yet.
One-Star Squadron: I originally pegged this as the series I was going to check out to see what all the fuss was about its writer, Mark Russell. The premise of a group of C-and-D-list heroes led by Red Tornado who pledge their services to a superhero-on-demand app sounded like a fun concept that would only benefit from Steve Lieber’s art and comic timing. Since then, I’ve read “Not All Robots” and “Fantastic Four: Life Story” and have a better idea about the kind of satire and adventure that drives his work. I’ll still be picking this up, though, because it still sounds like a fun, oddball superhero story with its eye towards the pitfalls of the gig economy.
Sleeper: Omnibus Edition: Another one for the, “If you haven’t read it by now…” category that “Birthright” also falls into in these solicitations. Much more so than that “Superman” story as “Sleeper” remains my favorite Brubaker/Phillips collaboration and one of the best comics I’ve read. Period.