DC Previews Picks: May 2013
So the biggest news to come out of these solicitations is that Geoff Johns will be wrapping up his tenure as writer of “Green Lantern” in May. As I’ve said in the past, his contributions to the character of Hal Jordan and the “Lantern” franchise are immense. Not only did he turn the title into one of DC’s consistently best reads of the past few years, but he also generated some stellar sales with events like “The Sinestro Corps War” and “Blackest Night.” The increased profile of the title no doubt convinced the overlords at Warner Bros. to make a movie out of the franchise, but the less said about that the better. Without Johns at the helm, I’m honestly not optimistic that the series will retain its must-read status. One only needs to look at what happened to “JSA,” “Teen Titans,” and “Hawkman” after he left. I doubt you’d find anyone saying that they had better times after losing the writer. That being said, at this point Grant Morrison will have finished his run on “Action Comics” and be down to the last couple of issues he’ll write for “Batman, Inc.” Unless he devotes his full schedule to creator-owned comics, then he’d be the ideal choice if DC wants to keep the momentum going on this title. At least, that’s what I think.
The Green Team #1 & The Movement #1: Two new titles launching this month with the former focusing on “teen trillionaires” who buy their powers, and the latter apparently giving us a grass-roots “Occupy” approach to superheroics. If this were the 80’s, then I’d have no doubt that “The Green Team” would go on to be a smashing success. However, in this day and age it’s hard to imagine rooting for a team whose members’ distinguishing fact is that they’re part of the “one percent.” I’m also not encouraged by the fact that it’s being written by people I’ve never heard of — Art Baltazar and Franco. They’ll have their chance to make me eat my words in a few months, but there’s more reason to be optimistic about the Gail Simone-written “Movement.” There’s her established track record for quality and the fact that it’s always easier to root for the underdogs. Of course, as completely new titles without any immediate link to the DCU it’ll be hard to imagine either title lasting more than a year in this market.
Batman, Inc. #11: Apparently DC is warning retailers that there will be a media blitz for issue #8 of this title on stands soon. No word on what the big event is, but the speculation is that Morrison will be killing of Damien Wayne, his own creation, in that issue. That does seem to be a bit morbid, particularly since I think Batman has enough tragedy in his life without losing a son. So I’m hoping the speculation is wrong and that it’s either someone else getting offed or something else entirely.
Green Lantern Corps. #20, Green Lantern: New Guardians #20, & Red Lanterns #20: What wasn’t hyped as extensively as Johns’ exit from the mothership was that all of the other writers for the “Green Lantern” titles will be leaving this month as well. They’ve all been selling decently, though sales have been declining since the launch of the “New 52” only to be arrested by the current “Rise of the Third Army” crossover. My guess is that DC is looking at these titles and thinking, “Not bad, but we can probably do better.” I would also think that the conservative choice for the franchise’s future would involve putting “Corps.” writer Peter Tomasi on “Green Lantern” proper given his long-term association with the franchise. It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing as I’ve enjoyed his writing even if it hasn’t thrilled me in the way Johns’ has. As for Tony Bedard and Peter Milligan, I don’t see DC giving them the reins of the franchise anytime soon but expect to see them turn up elsewhere sooner rather than later.
Constantine #3: From the solicitation text, “John Constantine’s quest to find the last piece of a powerful mystic artifact before his enemies do brings him to a city that could kill him the moment he sets foot in it: London!” If the city had really wanted to do that, it would’ve done it years ago. But wait! Now we’re in the DCU where ALL BETS ARE OFF! Maybe London really can kill him now! I’M SO CONCERNED FOR THE FATE OF THIS ERSATZ VERSION OF THE CHARACTER I’VE READ FOR YEARS!
…Unless they do kill him off and end the series with this issue. Then I’d be interested.
Harlan Ellison’s 7 Against Chaos: Now this is unexpected. The legendary science fiction writer (and equally legendary real-life asshole) is teaming up with “Concrete’s” Paul Chadwick for a sci-fi riff on “The Seven Samurai.” I’m interested. Particularly by Chadwick’s involvement since you really don’t see much of his work around the industry these days.
Before Watchmen Deluxe Edition Collections: Nothing I heard about any of these titles make them seem remotely like anything I’d want in my collection in hardcover or softcover.
The Wake #1 (of 10): Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy’s horror series about something that lurks under the Arctic ice circle. Will it be good enough to make me accept the fact that we’re not getting “American Vampire” on a monthly basis for the forseeable future? If that series had maintained the level of quality seen in the second volume, then I wouldn’t even have entertained this question. As it stands now, I want to like this particularly with Murphy’s involvement. Hopefully they’ll play it straight and not go for the over-the-top “Nazi vampires” nonsense of their collaboration on that title.
Animal Man (by Grant Morrison) Omnibus HC & Promethea Omnibus HC: Both are very much worth reading in whatever format you get them in. However, one is a far more cost-effective purchase than the other. “Animal Man” collects all 712 pages of Morrison’s run for $75. “Promethea” clocks in at $150 for all 496 pages of the Alan Moore/J.H. Williams III series. The one thing to consider here is that “Promethea” is being printed in a “landscape” format to spotlight Williams’ amazing double-page spreads. Even I’ll concede that would make me consider picking it up again, but not for that much.