January is often the darkest, longest month of the year. It’ll seem endless, and not the good kind of Endless either. Still, the first month of 2008 will have five Wednesdays’ worth of comics, so here are some bright spots of DC’s January solicitations.
ON THE OUTS
A non-January item for starters; namely, the big Batman and the Outsiders housecleaning, with Chuck Dixon and Julian Lopez replacing Tony Bedard and Koi Turnbull. I was ready to give BATO 2.0 a try after hearing Bedard talk about it in San Diego, but now I dunno. While I didn’t dislike Dixon’s ’90s Bat-work, I did get burned out on it. There was just so much of it, and it all started to sound the same. On the art side of things, I think Lopez will be fine. I’m not that familiar with him or Turnbull, and can’t be more specific than that.
(Speaking of the Outsiders, attention haters! Geo-Force guest-stars in Teen Titans Go! #51, which also represents a reprieve from cancellation.)
No Welcome To Tranquility on the schedule for the second straight month, so it looks like it’s gone to the big rest home in the sky; American Virgin is cancelled with #23; and Y: The Last Man wraps up as expected, with a 48-page #60.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS
It’s not like Tony Bedard won’t have plenty to do – he’s scripting all five of January’s Countdown installments for either Pete Woods or Tom Derenick to draw. To me that can only help the book as it heads down the home stretch. However, what happened to Keith Giffen on breakdowns? The solicitation only lists him as “story consultant.”
Your Countdown quotient for January: five issues of the main book, and one each of C. to Mystery, C. to Adventure, Lord Havok, Death Of The New Gods, Salvation Run, and Gotham Underground, with honorable mentions for a New Gods reprint special and Green Lantern #27. That’s eleven without the last two, so it looks like the tie-ins are abating.
DEBUTS
Freddie Williams starts his Flash tenure with #236. Chuck Dixon and Chris Batista take over Robin; Peter Tomasi and Rags Morales (and Michael Bair) take over Nightwing; and Tomasi starts his Green Lantern Corps tenure. Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier, and Mike Ploog start on The Spirit. Right now I’m buying all of those books except Robin, and as with BATO, I’m not sure Dixon will be enough to get me to pick it up. I do like Batista, though. Not sure I’ll stay with Nightwing, either. I liked Tomasi’s viewpoint when he was Batman group editor, but I’m not reading Black Adam and don’t know too much about his writing skills.
OH GOOD GRIEF
“The second story arc of [Green Arrow And Black Canary] begins with a tragedy for Oliver Queen!” I suppose the first arc’s tragedy for Dinah was too light-hearted? (Actually, it may turn out that way….) Ollie’s fate was pretty much revealed in last month’s solicits, so if you’ve been paying attention (or, again, saw the new BATO poster), it’s not really a spoiler that this month’s points out he’s, you know, alive.
In other spoiler news, Johnny Bacardi notices that the Fables solicitation is full of the things. And, of course, there may well be a new Spoiler, judging by the solicits for Gotham Underground and Robin.
Another new direction for Supergirl? If we’ve seen slutty and chaste, what’s next?
THIS AND THAT
Batman #673 looks to retell the Joe Chill story, and also to fill in some blanks from the 52 year.
Definitely getting Teen Titans Year One and the “Lost Teen Titans Annual.” Karl Kerschl’s designs for the original Titans are too good to resist. (Yes, even Aqualad. Originally he got grief for being useless out of the water. Now he gets it because he looks too much like a fish.) I’m also curious to see what Bob Haney could produce that would cause DC to sit on it for so long.
Looking forward to Booster Gold #6, the “Death of Blue Beetle?” issue. The chances aren’t good that it’ll bring Ted Kord back, but they’re not immeasurably small, either.
Bat Lash is just a miniseries? I thought it was an ongoing.
Nightwing guest-stars in Batman Confidential, helping fight ‘80s villain The Wrath. Looks like BC’s “early years” setting no longer applies. Tell me again why DC cancelled Legends of the Dark Knight…?
Superman Confidential #11 looks promising, though. B. Clay Moore plus Phil Hester & Ande Park should produce a good, light-hearted issue.
A couple of old favorite artists return in January — Mike Grell drawing a variant cover for Action Comics’ Superman/Legion story; and Jerry Ordway pencilling Atom #19.
A “Star Man” in Jonah Hex? Scalphunter should be there too!
I was wondering what JLA Classified would do for its 50th issue, and Roger Stern and John Byrne aren’t a bad way to celebrate. Still, I can’t figure out when in January #51 is coming out, if #50 appears Jan. 23 and it’s on a biweekly schedule.
COLLECTIONS
The out-of-print Justice League: A New Beginning paperback gets new life in hardcover, so can a similar reprint of The Secret Gospel Of Maxwell Lord be far behind?
The Who Is Wonder Woman? hardcover gets resolicited after eight months, having been scheduled originally for June 2007. It should make a nice companion to the cracktacular Diana Prince: Wonder Woman paperback (not a dream, hoax, or Showcase B&W collection!). Also welcome on the paperback front is (as DC notes) the “oft-requested” Time Masters miniseries. Didn’t it lay down a set of rules for time-travel, which were then promptly ignored?
May have to get Showcase Presents Enemy Ace Vol. 1. There are just too many big names involved, even apart from Detective Comics #404′s “Ghost of the Killer Skies!”
The big reprint this time around is the concluding volume of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus, because everyone’s curious to see how Hunger Dogs will be presented. “Restored to Mike Royer inks” should be good, judging by Steve Flanagan’s analysis of how Kirby’s pages were originally treated. Wonder if there will be some discussion of how Kirby wanted The New Gods to end – really end, not just stop so DC could use the characters again.
STATUARY
I have been admiring the Batman: Black & White statue series from afar for a while now, and I approve heartily of the latest entry, the “Bob Kane 1939″ model.
That’s a fine Jonah Hex figure, although I still think the “Curt Swan Superman” is a bit too beefy. (He’s got more of a Wayne Boring physique.) And I agree with Mike Sterling – “SUPERMAN INCLUDES ALTERNATE RED KRYPTONITE HEADS” is a pretty enticing detail.
MAKING A KILLING
Finally, this batch of solicitations details a season’s worth of Killing Joke merch, commemorating the book’s 20th anniversary. If memory serves, it came out in March 1988, and the Special Edition Hardcover is scheduled for March ‘08, so pretty good timing if it holds up. “All-new coloring” as the only enhancement, though? I guess Alan Moore wasn’t too keen on participating.
And was it just me, or did anyone else see the Killing Joke action figures and think, “Thank heaven there’s no Paralyzed Barbara or Naked Commissioner in that set?” I mean, come on — The Killing Joke is not a pleasant story. It’s a well-made story, to be sure, and I can see putting out a 20th anniversary edition, but action figures? (As it happens, these solicits also include a Carmine Infantino Batgirl figure, perhaps so you can have her punch out the Joker.)
The thing is, they look like really good figures! The Batman is probably the best ’70s-’80s Batman figure I’ve ever seen, and I’m seriously thinking about getting the set. DC could have packaged them as “based on the art of Brian Bolland,” and glossed over the Killing Joke connection altogether, and I think it would’ve been in better taste. The Joker is pretty clearly from Killing Joke, but still.
Regardless, it’s a product aimed clearly at older fans, and it doesn’t come right out and say “creepy keepsake” like that Marvel Zombie Spider-Wedding statue. Still, I don’t envy the unsuspecting parent who thinks he’s just buying the youngster a couple of Batman toys and a free comic. (By the way, my first edition doesn’t have a “mature readers” tag, and it doesn’t look like the 20th-anniversary edition will either.)
Since I’m one of those older fans, let me say that I would also buy a Killing Joke-style Batmobile, but not if it comes with those bald Oompa-Loompa henchman thingees.
So, what looks good to you?
October 18th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
“I was wondering what JLA Classified would do for its 50th issue, and Roger Stern and John Byrne aren’t a bad way to celebrate.”
Thanks!
“Still, I can’t figure out when in January #51 is coming out, if #50 appears Jan. 23 and it’s on a biweekly schedule.”
Actually, #50 is on sale January 9th. It’s JLAC #51 that’s on sale January 23rd. The initial release info was in error.
– Uncle Rog
October 18th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Thanks, Uncle Rog! Also, nice job on your All-New Atom issue!
October 18th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
Sadly, only the Justice League: A New Beginning HC looks good; too bad my paperback copy’s still holding strong. DC’s line-up just is not doing anything for me right now (too much Countdown and un-reconning going on), and, with the exceptions of Fables and Ex Machina, I may end up dropping all of my titles.
October 18th, 2007 at 10:43 pm
“I liked Tomasi’s viewpoint when he was Batman group editor, but I’m not reading Black Adam and don’t know too much about his writing skills.”
I’ve been reading Black Adam and have been pleasantly surprised by Tomasi’s writing chops.
October 19th, 2007 at 7:16 am
That was some rant on The Killing Joke figures.
[B]And was it just me, or did anyone else see the Killing Joke action figures and think, “Thank heaven there’s no Paralyzed Barbara or Naked Commissioner in that set?”[/B]
Figures are always designed based on art styles. With your logic every Batman should come with it’s very own set of dead parents. Yes it’s you.
[B]DC could have packaged them as “based on the art of Brian Bolland,” and glossed over the Killing Joke connection altogether, and I think it would’ve been in better taste. The Joker is pretty clearly from Killing Joke, but still.[/B]
That’s a good idea let’s title this collection after the largly inactive 80s big name artist. As apposed to labeling this after the mega hit title that inspired this set of figures. That’s rational reasoning, it’ll sell? Right? If not then I don’t think your justification will be much more logical.
October 19th, 2007 at 10:58 am
I’d like to second Tom’s praise of Roger’s fill-in on Atom and and Mark’s praise for Peter’s Black Adam.
October 21st, 2007 at 10:25 am
Thanks, you guys!
– Uncle Rog