DC Solicitation Sneaks: April 2024
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea Omnibus vol. 1
Journey with me back to back to a simpler time. Back when Diamond’s distribution monopoly on the industry was strong. When Image was a brand still known for style over substance. When a random “X-Men” title could be published and still sell like gangbusters. When a couple of creators could take their obscure creation from a C-Tier DC “Annual” event and turn it into an ongoing series that ran for sixty issues and change. That was “Hitman” by Ennis and McCrea and it’s second only to “Preacher” in the writer’s catalog.
Which, let’s not kid ourselves, is a lot spottier these days. Yet here the man was, coming off the success of “Preacher” and getting a chance to work in the DCU while resolutely staying in its margins. That allowed Ennis and McCrea a lot of freedom to tell some mad stories within Gotham City’s Irish district, The Cauldron. Stories that either went for the throat when they showcased the consequences of Tommy “Hitman” Monaghan’s actions or his history, or were gloriously ridiculous like the one called “Zombie Night at the Gotham Aquarium.”
It was a time when Ennis could do no wrong. When his comedy was both boundary-pushing and funny. When his jokes at the expense of superheroes were also amusing without hitting you over the head with a single-minded mean-spiritedness. To be fair, this was also a time when McCrea’s art had an appreciable smoothness to it rather than the scratchiness that defines it now. Maybe this is just the nostalgia in me speaking, but “Hitman” is one of those series that came along at the right time to make a big impression on me with its irreverent approach to superheroes. There hasn’t been anything quite like it before or since from DC.
Nightwing #113/Legacy #300: Writer Tom Taylor manages the neat trick of someone who has written both the 100th issue of “Nightwing” and its 300th issue as well. As for what this anniversary issue is about… you’ll just have to wait and see. The solicitation text is just the vague promise of seeing Dick Grayson do something you haven’t seen him do before.
Harley Quinn 2024 Annual: You don’t see me write about this series much, but this is a special occasion. That’s because this issue is written and illustrated by “Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” “Assassin Nation, “Dracula Motherf**ker!!,” and “Parasocial” artist Erica Henderson. The former Harleen Quinzel goes on a ocean cruise to take a break from super anti-heroing only to wind up involved in a murder mystery. She’s not accused of doing the killing, though, that would be Zatanna and now Harley has to figure out whodunit. This is the first comic I’m aware of Henderson writing as well as drawing, but it’s got a fun premise and her style is a great fit for the character.
Action Comics #1064, Superman #13, House of Brainiac Special #1: I’ve not made a secret of the fact that Joshua Williamson’s writing hasn’t ever done anything for me. He’s at least good at coming up with clever ideas for his stories. Such as this crossover which involves Superman going toe-to-toe with his old foe again. The difference this time is that Brainiac has an army on his side – an army of Czarnians! If you’re unfamiliar with this race, Lobo was thought to be the last of them. Because he killed the rest of them. How are they back? Why is there an army of them? Will Superman and the Main Man be able to work together long enough to stop them? These are all good questions and I’ll concede to at least a morbid curiosity in regards to finding out the answers to them. While we’re on the subject of Lobo…
Green Lantern #10: The main story in this issue is something about Hal Jordan investigating a mystery surrounding the power batteries now that his ring is recharged. What gets my attention here is the backup story featuring Guy Gardner titled “Guy’s Bogus Lobo Adventure” which is said to involve the United Planets and wrestling in addition to the Main Man. Oh, and this three-part tale is being drawn by the always-great Kevin Maguire. Sounds like a great bit of added value for anyone already reading this series.
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong HC: Advance-solicited for June. It’s a ridiculous concept, but one that appears to have gone down quite well in serialization. The solicitation text here also provides additional context for the event that I was unaware of until now. Which would be the fact that this three-way confrontation is also the latest effort by Lex Luthor to take out the Justice League once and for all! It’s a plan that’s obviously doomed to fail, but at least looks primed to offer some extra-sized action-packed carnage in this story from writer Brian Buccellato and artists Christian Duce and Tom Derenick in a $30 hardcover for 264 pages.
Titans vol. 1: Out of the Shadows: That subtitle is particularly relevant for this incarnation of the team. That’s because this is the first time there’s been a team of Titans around when there’s no Justice League. So it’s time for them to step up and defend the DCU in the wake of the Dark Crisis and before the advent of Beast World. Tom Taylor writes and Nicola Scott illustrates, which indicates that this is going to be a solid read at the very least. While we’re on the subject of creative teams who inspire confidence…
Shazam! vol. 1: Meet the Captain: Writer Mark Waid and artist Dan Mora are still working together on “Batman/Superman,” but they also found the time to start up this latest series about the adventures of Billy Batson. This first arc of which is going to address a concept that I don’t recall having been addressed for the character so far. Namely, did the gods he derives his powers from – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury – actually give their consent to be used in this manner? The answer here is clearly “No” and now they’re looking to turn the World’s Mightiest Mortal into the World’s Mightiest Puppet. Expect an unlikely team of heroes, dinosaurs from outer space, the Clubhouse of Eternity, talking tigers and more as the title character has to be saved from himself.
Danger Street vol. 2: “‘Magnolia’ But With Superheroes” gets its concluding (softcover) volume in these solicitations. While I liked what writer Tom King and artist Jorge Fornes were doing in the first volume, it wasn’t entirely how things were meant to come together by its halfway point. Hopefully King has some way to tie it all together lest this maxi-series come off like an ambitious-but-empty meditation on the nature of heroism via D-and-Z-list heroes.
Superman: Son of Kal-El vol. 3 – Battle for Gamorra: The threat of “The Rising” – Henry Bendix’s army of superpowered individuals under his direct control – was established in the previous volume. Now Jonathan “Superman” Kent has to find a way to take them out. Which is going to be doubly hard because he’s up against the leader of an entire country, and he has to find a way to do this without killing anyone. In both fighting them, and in making sure Bendix doesn’t hit the kill switch out of spite when it becomes apparent he’s going to lose. Writer Tom Taylor wraps up the story he started in the first issue, which looks to be less about changing the world than it first appeared. Still, at least we’ll get to see him hand a big “L” to Bendix here, just as he did to Luthor in vol. 2 – figuratively, if not literally (again).