It's DC Comics' Spring 2020 catalog hardcover and trade paperback solicitations! I'm glad to say that after the
Fall 2019 catalog didn't contain too many surprises, this new spring catalog has got some good ones, including one that we can check off the "long-awaited" list —
The Power of Shazam! by Jerry Ordway Book One!
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That's Ordway's mid-1990s Captain Marvel series, really the last modern time (short of today-ish) that there's been an in-continuity Captain Marvel series regularly interacting with the rest of the DC Universe and starring Billy Batson proper. After that, Judd Winick did a little work with Freddie Freeman as "Shazam" and Billy as the Wizard, but Ordway's was the last really straightaway Cap series — Cap, Mary, Freddie, Uncle Dudly, Tawky Tawny, and so on, done in faithful but modern ways. It's still a wonder this series wasn't collected in time for the
Shazam! movie, but I'm glad to see DC filling this important collections gap nonetheless.
Other big ones for me are
Flash: Savage Velocity, the
Wonder Woman: War of Gods Omnibus, and
Wonder Woman by William Messner-Loebs Book One. That's the immediate post-
Crisis adventures of Wally West as he takes over the mantle of Flash from Barry Allen, another one that's been a long time coming; what seems to be a collection of the entire
War of the Gods inter-title crossover, which is great but maybe a little crazy (and the completist in me wants to say that not doing this with
Legends, etc., first is going out of order); and mid-1990s post-
War of the Gods stories, including Wonder Woman teaming up with Deathstroke.
Not surprises per se, but also welcome are the next collections in the Batman post-
Crisis Caped Crusader and
Dark Knight Detective series (no longer cancelled, apparently). The post-Jack Kirby New Gods are getting some love, maybe as movie talk begins to ramp up, in the form of
New Gods by Gerry Conway and
Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber. There's also some weird ones, like Keith Giffen's
Justice League: Corporate Maneuvers, and obvious must-buys like the hardcover of
Event Leviathan. I also hadn't heard before that apparently
Batman: City of Bane has some tie-ins, but there you go.
That's just scratching the surface, so read on for more. All of this information is subject to change before publication. Not all links may be functional yet.
• Absolute Daytripper
Solicited and cancelled a couple of times, now back on the schedule for April 2020. The 10-issue Vertigo miniseries by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba from 2010, examining the life and apparent death of an aspiring writer at different moments in his lifetime.
• Absolute Fourth World by Jack Kirby Vol. 1
Though the DC Comics Spring 2020 catalog says this collects essentially Jack Kirby's entire Fourth World saga, the fact that this says "Vol. 1" makes me believe the October 2019 solicitations are probably right, and this is just
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #133-139 and #141-145,
New Gods #1-6,
Forever People #1-6, and
Mister Miracle #1-6. Kirby's art in Absolute size ought be pretty cool.
• Adventures of Superman by George Perez
In hardcover, curiously seeming to be just six issues according to the solicitation, and some of them inked by Perez and not drawn, and some written by Perez and not drawn. Supposedly it's
World’s Finest Comics #300 (Superman and the New Teen Titans, with Marv Wolfman),
Action Comics #600 (Superman, Wonder Woman, and Darkseid, with John Byrne), Adventures of Superman #457-459 and #461 (Intergang and lead-up to the "Krypton Man" Eradicator saga), but specifically, for instance, Perez wrote and drew
Action Comics #643-645, so I have some expectation these contents might be updated (plus six issues does not make 448 pages).
• Adventures of Superman: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez Vol. 2
Said to include
Realworlds: Superman (with Steve Vance) and some Elseworlds — maybe
Superman, Inc., also with Steve Vance, or
Superman: Kal with Dave Gibbons; also covers from
Action Comics,
Superman,
Superman Family, and
Superman Unchained.
• Animal Man by Grant Morrison Book One
Paperback of the hardcover released in 2018 (after the omnibus), collecting issues #1-13 and
Secret Origins #39. Should be one more book, though it hasn't been solicited yet; I guess the paperback is a good sign this isn't forgotten.
• Anti/Hero
Middle-grade OGN featuring new characters by Kate Karyus Quinn.
• Aquaman: The Death of a Prince Deluxe Edition
Reprinting the 2011 paperback, now in hardcover, of the 1970s stories by David Michelinie, Jim Aparo, Mike Grell, and Don Newton, in which Aquaman's infant son is murdered. Collects
Adventure Comics #435-437, #441-445 and
Aquaman #57-63.
• Aquaman: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1
Collects Aquaman adventures beginning with
Adventure Comics #260 as DC crossed over into the Silver Age, and continuing through early issues of Aquaman's solo series. These are not Aquaman's first appearances, what we might perhaps call "Aquaman: The Golden Age," and curiously I don't see those collected outside the
Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years anniversary volume (
More Fun Comics #73), for instance. If anyone knows why those issues seem to get the short shrift, I'm curious.
Contents are said to be
Showcase #30-33,
Aquaman #1-18,
Brave and the Bold #51, stories from
Adventure Comics #260-280, #282, and #284,
Detective Comics #293-300,
World’s Finest Comics #125-133, #135, #137, and #139,
Superman #138 and #148,
Action Comics #272,
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #55, and
Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #12 and #29-31.
• ArkhaManiacs
New from DC Zoom by Art Baltazar and Franco, and seemingly featuring a not-yet-Batman Bruce Wayne.
• The Authority Book One
Warren Ellis' issues #1-12,
Planetary/Authority: Ruling the World, and the new story from
Wildstorm: A Celebration of 25 Years, in paperback.
• The Bat and the Cat: 80 Years of Romance
Hardcover collection of Batman/Catwoman team-ups.
• Batman Allies: Alfred Pennyworth
In retrospect this seems inevitable, and if the
Batman: Arkham books are selling well spotlighting the villains, then hey, why not? A
Batman Allies: Robin book feels like it's been done (see, for instance,
Robin, The Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 Years), and I for one would like to see DC go
more esoteric with this series: Commissioner Gordon, of course, but then Leslie Thompkins, Lucius Fox, Harvey Bullock ... Ace the Bat-Hound? Harold?
Stories include Alfred's first appearance and the stories of his daughter (pre-Crisis, I assume), among others.
• Batman Arkham: Victor Zsasz
Tie-in, like the
Batman Arkham: Black Mask volume, to the upcoming
Birds of Prey movie. Glad as I was that one of my favorite creepy Batman villains made it to TV, and as fun as Anthony Carrigan's portrayal was, it's seeped over into a more talkative, less menacing Zsasz than he was originally; I'm excited for the classic stories from
Shadow of the Bat and "Knightfall" to appear here.
• Batman Beyond Vol. 6
Issues #30-36 by Dan Jurgens.
• Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime
From DC Zoom, fairytale-inspired stories by the
Li'l Gotham team of Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen.
• Batman Vol. 11: The Fall and the Fallen
Issues #70-74 and
Batman Secret Files #2 by Tom King, due in January.
• Batman Vol. 12: City of Bane Part 1
Batman #75-79 by Tom King, due in April. If King is leaving this title at issue #85 (for
Batman/Catwoman), then that's probably just one more regular-series collection.
• Batman Vs. Ra's Al Ghul
Hardcover collection of the new Neal Adams six-issue miniseries.
• Batman/Superman Vol. 1
In hardcover, the first collection of Josuha Williamson's new series, spinning off of the
Batman Who Laughs miniseries.
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Issues #1-6 by James Tynion and Freddie Williams.
• Batman: Broken City New Edition
New paperback collection of the story by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso collects
Batman #620-625, and also other work by the two, stories from
Batman: Gotham Knights #8 and
Wednesday Comics #1-12. This story wasn't everyone's favorite but I liked the noir reimaginings of some of Batman's villains.
• Batman: City of Bane Tie-ins
I don't remember hearing about tie-ins to "City of Bane" and I don't see anything so far in the solicitations, but this won't just be limited to the
Batman title, I guess. Due out in April, same as
Batman Vol. 12: City of Bane Part 1.
• Batman: City of Crime Deluxe Edition
Collects David Lapham's story from
Detective Comics #800-808 and #811-814, which commenter Bob Hodges called "one of the bleakest and weirdest Batman stories I've ever read."
• Batman: Creature of the Night
Hardcover of the four-issue miniseries by Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Mythology
Paperback of issues #994-999.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3
Issues #1006-1011 by Peter Tomasi with Doug Mahnke and others, guest-starring the Spectre.
• Batman: Last Knight on Earth
Three-issue Black Label miniseries by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, due in hardcover in April.
• Batman: Overdrive
DC Zoom title by Shea Fontana and Marcelo Di Chiara, about a young Bruce Wayne building the Batmobile.
• Batman: Tales of the Demon
Hardcover of the classic
Tales of the Demon book, collecting
Detective Comics #411, #485, and #489-490,
Batman #232, #235, #240, and #242-244 and
DC Special Series #15.
• Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 4
Collects
Batman #455-465 and the Annual #15 (
Armageddon 2001), including the first time Tim Drake wears the new Robin suit, Jim Gordon's heart attack, the debut of the post-
Crisis Ace the Bat-Hound, and appearances by Joe Potato and Harold Allnut. Lots of material by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle.
• Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 3
This was solicited for last summer and then cancelled, though that seemed strange because the companion
Caped Crusader series was still going on; now it's back on the schedule again. Collects issues #592-600 in the collection series of immediate post-
Crisis Batman stories. Includes appearances by Cornelius Stirk and Joe Potato, plus an
Invasion! tie-in and the three-issue "Blind Justice" story by Sam Hamm that introduced Henri Ducard to the Batman mythos. The
Caped Crusader Vol. 4 book is a bit ahead of this; issues there tie-in to
Detective #626, for instance.
• Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 8
Batman #67-75,
Detective Comics #175-191, and
World's Finest Comics #54-62.
• Batman: Universe
I'm curious to read Brian Michael Bendis' first "now at DC" take on Batman, and of course we know this collection of the Walmart-first stories also introduces
Young Justice's Jinny Hex. Due out in hardcover in March.
• Batman: White Knight Deluxe Edition
Deluxe-size Black Label hardcover; solicitation doesn't say if this is Sean Murphy's mature readers edition or the previously published one.
• Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! Family Affair
Collecting the Johnny DC kids'
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! series by Mike Kunkel and later, Art Baltazar and Franco; this went to issue #21, but previously only issues #1-12 were collected in two paperbacks.
• Birds of Prey: Mystery & Murder
Said to collect issues #56-67 of the original Gail Simone run, being the
Of Like Minds and
Sensei & Student collections, minus the one-off issue #68.
• The Books of Magic Vol. 2: Second Quarto (The Sandman Universe)
Issues #7-12 of the Sandman Universe series by Kat Howard and Tom Fowler; I'm paying more attention to this now that I know that John Constantine is coming.
• Catwoman Vol. 3
Issues #14-19 by Joelle Jones.
• DC First Issue Special
Issues #1-13 of DC's 1970s anthology series
1st Issue Special. Stories by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Walt Simonson, and Mike Grell, with characters like Atlas, Manhunter, Dingbats of Danger Steet, Warlord, Metamorpho, the Creeper, the New Gods, the Green Team, and Lady Cop.
• DC Goes to War
Collection of DC war comics, including
Sgt. Rock Special #2,
Enemy Ace: War in Heaven #1,
Enemy Ace: War in Heaven #2,
Showcase #57,
Our Army at War #67,
Our Army at War #83,
Our Army at War #233,
Our Army at War #235,
Boy Commandos #1,
Star Spangled War Stories #87,
Star Spangled War Stories #183,
All-American Comics #48,
Weird War Tales #3,
G.I. Combat #87,
Our Fighting Forces #49,
Our Fighting Forces #102,
The Losers Special #1, and
Military Comics #1.
• DC Poster Portfolio: Joshua Middleton
Well-deserved; I am not usually one for variant covers, but Middleton's work always catches my eye, especially what he's done on
Aquaman and
Batgirl.
• DC Poster Portfolio: Year of the Villain
Covers from the seemingly-increasingly-a-big-deal "Year of the Villain" event.
• DC Super Hero Girls: Powerless
DC Zoom from Amy Wolfram and Agnes Garbowska.
• DC Through the Decades: 1980s
An interesting concept, though it's curious they decided to start with the 1980s (and work backwards, maybe?) versus an earlier era. Anyway, selections from
Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Man of Steel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and
Watchmen as curated by Paul Levitz. I wonder what else will be in there, maybe the 1980s flip-side of some of that grim and gritty stuff like
Justice League International or
Ambush Bug.
• DC Universe by Amanda Conner
There have been collections of Amanda Conner's DC work before, some years back, but that those predate
Harley Quinn is significant. What sounds interesting here, which I don't think I've heard mentioned for similar books, is that Conner to some extent annotates and discusses the artwork within the book.
• DC Year of the Villain Omnibus
DC seems pretty all in on "Year of the Villain"; I guess I didn't realize it was an event story per se so much as one of those themed months like they've done before (starring villains, even). In those earlier cases, the all-in-one omnibus didn't quite come together to make a compelling story; curious to see if this will be different given that there doesn't seem to be a designated finale issue, for instance (yet).
Collects
Action Comics #1017,
Aquaman #54,
Batgirl #41,
Batman and the Outsiders #7,
Batman #82,
Batman/Superman #4,
Black Adam: Year Of The Villain #1,
Catwoman #17,
DC’s Year of the Villain #1,
Deathstroke #49,
Detective Comics #1015,
The Flash #82,
Harley Quinn #67,
Hawkman #18,
The Joker: Year of the Villain #1,
Justice League #35,
Justice League Dark #17,
Justice League Odyssey #15,
Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1,
Nightwing #66,
Red Hood: Outlaw #40,
Riddler: Year of the Villain #1,
Supergirl #36,
Superman #17,
Teen Titans #36,
The Terrifics #22,
Wonder Woman #82, among others.
• DC's Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Supervillains
A collection of the 1970s
Wanted: The World's Most Dangerous Villains series, issues #1-9, which was itself reprints of earlier villain tales from the 1940s and 1950s — so a reprint of reprints, essentially. For every Joker and Captain Cold here, there's a Signalman and Puppeteer; this seems a less obvious sell than some others. Among issues included are
Action Comics #57 and #69,
Batman #25, #84 and #112,
World’s Finest Comics #6 and #111,
Flash #114 and #121,
Adventure Comics #72 and #77,
Green Lantern #1 and #33,
Wonder Woman #36,
Sensation Comics #66 and #71,
More Fun Comics #65, #73, and #76,
Flash Comics #86, #90, and #100,
All-American Comics #61,
Kid Eternity #15, and
Doll Man Quarterly #15.
• Dial H for Hero Vol. 2
Second collection of Sam Humphries' series in Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics imprint. As I understand it, this collection of issues #7-12 will be the end of the series unless it gets another "season."
• Doom Patrol by John Byrne Omnibus
As mentioned previously, this is rather surprising, since John Byrne's continuity-light 2004
Doom Patrol series didn't make much of a splash (it reintroduced the Doom Patrol in medias res of a DC Universe that had already met it), though surely the TV show has something to do with it. That said, I admire big chunks of story, and collecting both the introductory
JLA: The Tenth Circle story along with all eighteen issues of Byrne's series is, at least, very complete. Here, too, is an (original-er) Doom Patrol appearance from way back in Byrne's
Superman #20, plus a story from
Secret Origins Annual #1.
• Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Weight of the Worlds
Continuation of Gerard Way's Young Animal series.
• Doom Patrol: The Silver Age Vol. 2
Collects Arnold Drake's 1960s
Doom Patrol #96-107, including crossovers in
Challengers of the Unknown #48 and
Brave and the Bold #65 (Flash).
• Doomsday Clock Part 2
Issues #7-12 of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's
Doomsday Clock, due out in May. I'm sure the deluxe hardcover won't be too far behind.
• Event Leviathan
The seven-issue miniseries by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, in hardcover, coming March 2020.
• Ex Machina Compendium 1
Interesting this is called a "compendium" and not an "omnibus," and also that it's "1" but is said to collect all 50 issues of the series. There were a few specials, but not enough to make a whole other book. By Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris; I guess we'll see what's in it.
• The Flash by Mark Waid Book Seven
Issues #142-150, the lead-in to and six-part "Chain Lightning" story, plus a
Flash Secret Files, the
Speed Force special, and the
Flash 80-Page Giant. Waid's run continued through issue #159, then issue #162, and then much later, a relaunched issue #231-236, so maybe one more volume, depending.
• The Flash of Two Worlds Deluxe Edition
Same contents as the
DC Comics Classics Library: Flash of Two Worlds hardcover from
back in 2009; that's
Flash #123, the first "Flash of Two Worlds" story; #129, another Golden/Silver Age Flash team-up; #137, with a Justice Society cameo; #151, with Jay Garrick and the Shade; and #173, with Kid Flash Wally West.
• The Flash Vol. 11: The Greatest Trick of All
The collection immediately preceding Joshua Williamson's new
Flash: Year One, collecting issues #66-69, with the Trickster.
• The Flash: Savage Velocity
I'm excited for this, a collection of the immediate post-
Crisis Flash (Wally West) series. Collects issues #1-18 and the Annual #1 in paperback. This'll fit real well with the Superman by Byrne books, the new post-
Crisis Batman books, Wonder Woman by Perez, and so on. Includes Wally vs. Kilg%re, a
Millennium tie-in, Velocity 9 (which later appeared in the CW
Flash TV series), and Vandal Savage. Issues #1-14 are by Mike Baron and #15-18 are by William Messner-Loebs; not sure if those'll actually be included or not.
• Freedom Fighters: Death of a Nation
Twelve-issue miniseries by Robert Venditti and Eddy Barrows.
• Gotham High
DC Ink graphic novel by Melissa de la Cruz and Thomas Pitilli, imagining Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, and Jack Napier in high school.
• Green Arrow Vol. 8: The End of the Road
Issues #39-42 and #48-50 by Mairghread Scott, Jackson Lanzing, and Collin Kelly, tying in to
Justice League: No Justice and
Heroes in Crisis and bringing the series to a close. Issues #43-47 by Julie and Shawna Benson were in
Green Arrow Vol. 7; supposedly #45 and #48-50 will be in the
Heroes in Crisis: The Price and Other Tales collection.
• Green Arrow: Year One Deluxe Edition
Deluxe hardcover edition of the miniseries by Andy Diggle and Jock.
• Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Book Three
Collects
Green Lantern #18-25,
Green Lantern Corps #14-18,
Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1,
Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman Prime #1 and
Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1, so pretty much all of the "Sinestro Corps War" story, give or take an issue or so (not
Green Lantern Corps #19, for instance, but that might be outside this series' purview).
• Harleen
Hardcover collection of Stjepan Sejic's three-issue Black Label miniseries.
• Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy
Hardcover of the six-issue miniseries by Ram V in the aftermath of
Heroes in Crisis.
• Harley Quinn & the Gotham Girls
Collection of the 2003 five-issue miniseries, based on the animated web series, by Paul Storrie and Jennifer Graves.
• Hellblazer by Garth Ennis Omnibus
In hardcover, at 1,376 pages, collecting
Hellblazer #41-50, #52-83, and #129-131,
Vertigo Jam #1,
Hellblazer Special #1,
Heartland #1, and
Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #2. Part of the solicitation says "Vol. 1" but I think this is everything John Constantine by Ennis.
• High Level Vol. 1
Issues #1-6 from Vertigo by Rob Sheridan and Barnaby Bagenda. As I understand it, #1-6 were supposed to be the first "arc"; my guess is it's just over, but I haven't been able to find whether
High Level is moving to another imprint post-Vertigo.
• House of Mystery: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 2
Issues #201-226, including Bernie Wrightson, Sergio Aragones, and Jim Starlin.
• The House of Whispers Vol. 2 (The Sandman Universe)
Issues #7-12 of the Sandman Universe series by Nalo Hopkinson.
• Jack of Fables Deluxe Book Three
Final deluxe edition of
Jack of Fables by Bill Willingham and Lilah Sturges, issues #36-50.
• The Joker by Brian Azzarello: The Deluxe Edition
Deluxe Black Label hardcover of the graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo.
• The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime
Interesting that the solicitation connects this to the
Action Comics: 80 Years and
Detective Comics: 80 Years collections, though those were title-specific (celebrating 1,000 issues) and this is character-specific; actually seems like a bit of a cheat to me. Said to collect stories from the original
Batman #1 to ones by Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel, and Paul Dini (who wrote an especially good one in
Detective Comics and I hope that's in here).
• Jonah Hex: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1
The earliest appearances of Jonah Hex from the 1970s:
All-Star Western #10-11,
Weird Western Tales #12-14 and #16-38,
Jonah Hex #1-17, and
Justice League of America #159-160. A good portion of this was collected in black-and-white in
Showcase Presents: Jonah Hex Vols. 1-2.
• Just Imagine Stan Lee Creating the DC Universe Book One
Previously collected in three paperbacks and an omnibus, this is a longer paperback, probably requiring just two volumes to finish.
• Justice League Dark Vol. 3: The Witching War
Next collection of James Tynion's
Justice League Dark, with the Injustice League Dark.
• Justice League of America: A Celebration of 60 Years
Anniversary hardcover for March. The solicitation mentions the League's first appearance and also the Geoff Johns' New 52 run.
• Justice League of America: The Nail: The Complete Collection
Paperback collection of Alan Davis' Elseworlds miniseries
JLA: The Nail and
JLA: Another Nail.
• Justice League of America: The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1
New printing, apparently, of the 2014 hardcover, but the solicitation also says it collects the League's "first 20 adventures," whereas the 2014 hardcover was over 30 issues,
Brave and the Bold #28-30 and then
Justice League of America #1-30 from the 1960s.
• Justice League of America: The Wedding of the Atom and Jean Loring
Near as I can tell, this replaces the cancelled
Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 3, said to collect issues #149-158 from the 1970s and
Super-Team Family #13-14 (part of the Jean Loring story). As the solicitation says, while the male Leaguers are at a bachelor party for Atom, the villain Amos Fortune uses Wonder Woman's powers against the League.
• Justice League Vol. 5: The Doom War
Issues #26-39 in hardcover by Scott Snyder.
• Justice League: Corporate Maneuvers
In a list of most unlikely collections ever, a collection of Keith Giffen and J.M. Dematteis's Conglomerate story, a team of really second-rate heroes led by Booster Gold, from
Justice League Quarterly #1-4, would be really high on that unlikely list. I'd love to see it, but I have zero faith this is going to make it to print — I can't imagine what the hook is — and releasing this when all of
Justice League International hasn't been collected feels really unfair.
• Justice League: Origin Deluxe Edition
Issues #1-12 of the New 52 series, being the
Origin and
Villain's Journey collections, following the 2017 Absolute edition.
• Lost Carnival: A Dick Grayson Graphic Novel
DC Ink graphic novel by Michael Moreci, Sas Milledge, and Phil Hester.
• Mister Miracle by Steve Englehart and Steve Gerber
Issues #19-25,
The Brave and the Bold #112, #128, and #138, and
DC Comics Presents #12. This title picked up the numbering from the Kirby run but started after a three-year hiatus.
Brave and the Bold are Batman team-ups;
DC Comics Presents has Superman.
• My Video Game Ate My Homework
DC Zoom graphic novel by Dustin Hansen.
• New Gods by Gerry Conway
Collects the late 1970s post-Kirby relaunch of
New Gods, including
1st Issue Special #13,
New Gods #12-19 by Gerry Conway and Don Newton,
Adventure Comics #459-#460 (the end of the previous series),
Super-Team Family #15 (team-up with Flash), and
Justice League of America #183-185 (New Gods, Justice League, and Justice Society).
• New Teen Titans Vol. 11
Said to collect
New Teen Titans #16-23 and
Tales of the Teen Titans #75-83 (the latter of which are just reprints of the former, so probably just the covers of those) and
Omega Men #34. Features the Omega Men, obviously; Cheshire; and Donna Troy starts an offshoot team including Jason Todd. This is still within the contents of the
New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 4, due out in November; this paperback collection comes out in May 2020.
• Nightwing Vol. 1: The Gray Son Legacy
Contents for this book are listed as #59-64, marking the start of Dan Jurgens' run with "Ric Grayson." Meanwhile, the DC October 2019 solicitations had
Nightwing: Burnback, supposed to be issues #57-62 by Jurgens, Scott Lobdell, and Zach Kaplan. Both are technically correct (Lobdell and Kaplan did #57-58), but what book with what contents and volume number actually gets published when (since "Burnback" is set for November and "Gray Son Legacy" is set for May 2020) remains to be seen.
• Omega Men by Tom King: The Deluxe Edition
Well deserved to be finally in hardcover; if you didn't buy this before, go and buy it now. A classic by Tom King and Barnaby Bagenda.
• The Oracle Code
DC Ink graphic novel by Marieke Nijkamp and Manuel Preitano.
• The Power of Shazam! By Jerry Ordway Book One
Glad all that waiting paid off — finally, finally, we get the first-ever collection of Jerry Ordway's superlative Captain Marvel series, the longest-running and most substantial Captain Marvel series of the post-Crisis era. Running almost 50 issues, Ordway's
Power of Shazam series was tonally similar to his Superman Triangle Titles work, attacking head-on everything from Mr. Mind to Tawky Tawny in ways that preserved the absurdity but updated the concepts for the modern era (without being grim and gritty). All that and one of the few series to directly cross over with James Robinson's
Starman.
No word yet on contents, but we know at least this'll have the
Power of Shazam graphic novel that started it all off. About 12 issues per book would finish this off in four books. In hardcover in March.
• Robin: The Bronze Age Omnibus
College-age adventures of Dick Grayson, including
Batman #192, #202, #203, #227, #229-231, #234-236, #239, #240-242, #244, #245, #248, #250, #252, #254, #259, #333, #337-339, and #341-343;
Detective Comics #390-391, #394, #395, #398-403, #445, #447, #450, #451 and #481-485;
Batman Family #1, #3 and #4-9, and 11-20;
World's Finest Comics #200, and
DC Comics Presents #31 and #58. Much (all?) of this is before Dick joined the Marv Wolfman-era
New Teen Titans; many of these stories were previously reprinted in black-and-white in
Showcase Presents: Robin - The Boy Wonder.
• Robin: Year One
New collection it seems of the Chuck Dixon/Scott Beatty miniseries.
• Sgt Rock: The Lost Battalion
New collection of Billy Tucci's six-issue 2009 miniseries.
• Shadow of the Batgirl
DC Ink graphic novel by Sarah Kuhn and Nicole Goux, starring Cassandra Cain, mind you — a nice bit of synchronicity also with the
Birds of Prey movie.
• Shazam! The World's Mightiest Mortal Vol. 2
Collects
Shazam! #19-35 from the 1970s, running parallel to the TV series; these are the final issues of this comic. Creative teams include Elliot S! Maggin and E. Nelson Bridwell.
• Six Days: The Incredible Story of D-Day's Lost Chapter
Paperback of the World War II graphic novel by Robert Venditti and Kevin Maurer.
• Starman: The Cosmic Omnibus Vol. 1
Well, this is nice and deserved; I'm not sure it'll appease those still waiting for the original
Starman omnibuses to finish in paperback, but DC has a tendency to do paperback cutdowns of recent omnibus hardcovers, so maybe there's hope. This collects about half of the James Robinson series, issues #0-42, the Annual #1 (or parts of it),
Shade #1-4,
Starman Secret Files #1, and the crossover issues
Power of Shazam #35-36.
• Super Sons: Escape to Landis
DC Zoom by Ridley Pearson and Ileana Gonzales, a sequel to
Super Sons: The PolarShield Project.
• Supergirl Vol. 3
Note the summary lists this volume as "Marc Andreyko's concluding run on
Supergirl," though I'm not sure such has been officially announced yet. Said to collect issues #34-36 "and more," with ties to "Year of the Villain" and "Leviathan Rising." This is after the crossover with
Superman with issue #31.
• Superman Smashes the Klan
DC Zoom by Gene Luen Yang.
• Superman Vol. 2: The Unity Saga: The House of El
Paperback of
Superman #7-14.
• Superman Vol. 3: The Unity Saga: The President of Earth
Superman #16-21 by Brian Michael Bendis, in hardcover, with appearances by the Legion of Super-Heroes.
• Superman/Batman Omnibus Vol. 1
Issues #1-43, which goes way past the Jeph Loeb run to stories by Mark Verheiden, Alan Burnett and Dustin Nguyen, and Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, plus
Superman/Batman Annual #1-2, and stories from
Superman/Batman: Secret Files #1.
• Superman: Action Comics Vol. 2: Leviathan Rising
Paperback edition collecting
Action Comics #1007-1011 and the
Superman: Leviathan Rising special. Due out in May, the same day as
Action Comics Vol. 3.
• Superman: Action Comics Vol. 3
Issues #1015-1020 in hardcover, due out the same day as the paperback of the previous volume.
• Superman: The Golden Age Vol. 5
World's Finest Comics #6-8,
Superman #16-19,
Action Comics #48-57.
• Superman: The Trial of Superman 25th Anniversary Edition
This one's a head-scratcher for me, because it comes from the same waning years of the Triangle Titles as
Superman Blue Vol. 1 where the books were not running on all cylinders and art, especially, was lacking in some areas. Among selling points, I guess, is that it's a "Super-Family" story, including Superboy Kon-El, Supergirl (Matrix), and Steel, but I don't think the book has aged terribly well. I can't see filling a slot for this already-collected Superman trade versus bringing out
Superman Blue Vol. 2 — no better quality but at least uncollected.
• Superman: Up in the Sky
The Walmart-exclusive stories by Tom King and Andy Kubert. That's a strong team; though I might not ordinarily be so quick to nab a one-off out-of-continuity volume, I'm curious to read King's take on Superman outside of the
Batman title.
• Swamp Thing by Tim Seeley & Joelle Jones
Collects Tim Seeley and Joelle Jones' Swamp Thing stories from the Walmart 100-page giants, in paperback.
• Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse
Being the first hardcover collection, already solicited for March, of the upcoming revisionist takes on
Killing Joke,
Identity Crisis,
Death of Superman,
Knightfall, and so on.
• Tales of the Batman: Marv Wolfman
In hardcover, collecting
Batman #328-335 (assorted stories and the "Lazarus Affair" four-parter), #436-439 ("Batman: Year Three"),
Detective Comics #408 ("The House That Haunted Batman," with Len Wein and Neal Adams),
The Brave and the Bold #167 (team up with Blackhawk),
World's Finest Comics #288 (team up with Superman), and
New Teen Titans #37 and
Batman and the Outsiders #5 (crossover between the two titles).
• Teen Titans Vol. 3
Issues #31-36 in the wake of the
Terminus Agenda crossover with Deathstroke, now tying in to "Year of the Villain."
• Teen Titans: H.I.V.E. Conquest
Walmart-exclusive stories by Dan Jurgens, from the
Teen Titans Giants; I believe Jurgens has another set of stories appearing in
Titans Giant that may be collected after this. This one isn't an immediate "get" for me; I'm not sure which Robin this is supposed to be, but the fact that I can't tell from Jurgens' depiction is off-putting for me from the start.
• Transmetropolitan Book Three
No contents listed, but the last one was #13-24, so I'd guess this is maybe #25-36, the fifth and sixth original trade paperbacks.
• WildCATS: The Authority
Not a small thing for Warren Ellis to be writing a new book with "Authority" in the title. Issues #1-6, with Grifter on the front cover. (Though now apparently the miniseries has been delayed, so obviously that'll affect the trade as well.)
• Wonder Twins Vol. 2
Issues #7-12 by Mark Russell and Stephen Byrne as part of Brian Michael Bendis' Wonder Comics imprint; apparently the end of the series unless they renew it.
• Wonder Woman & The Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour
Paperback collection of
Wonder Woman and Justice League Dark: The Witching Hour #1,
Wonder Woman #56-57,
Justice League Dark #4 and
Justice League Dark and Wonder Woman: The Witching Hour #1. I read this recently and liked it.
• Wonder Woman 1984 Mass Market Trade
At first I actually thought this was a movie tie-in, but it's just an anthology collection in time with the movie.
• Wonder Woman by Gail Simone Omnibus
Some excellent stories here, including Wonder Woman's truly brutal battle with enemy Genocide, plus a precursor to Gail Simone's
Red Sonja stories as Diana teams with various swords and sorcery figures from DC history — plus Diana's relationship with Nemesis Tom Tresser. Collects
Wonder Woman #14-44 (pre-
Flashpoint), #600,
Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman #1, and a story from the
Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Special. A well-deserved accolade by Simone.
• Wonder Woman by George Perez Vol. 4
Continuing the cut-down of the
Wonder Woman by George Perez omnibuses, this is issues #36-45 and the Annual #2, finishing out the second omnibus (so one more to go, or likely two more paperbacks).
• Wonder Woman by William Messner-Loebs Book One
Immediately following
War of the Gods and the end of George Perez's run, DC launched William Messner-Loeb's tenure with
Wonder Woman Special #1 and a team-up with Deathstroke, suggesting (in implication if not in fact) a tougher, more down-to-earth Wonder Woman. Messner-Loebs would write almost 40 issues, including the introduction of Artemis going in to
Wonder Woman #100. This is the aforementioned special and
Wonder Woman #63, #64, #67-75, and the Annual #3 ("Eclipso: The Darkness Within" tie-in).
• Wonder Woman Through the Years
Another anthology in time for the movie.
• Wonder Woman Villains: Cheetah
Clearly the
Batman: Arkham and
Flash: Rogues books must be doing well; probably no coincidence too that Cheetah's about to be in the next
Wonder Woman movie. Collects
Wonder Woman #6 (1943) (first appearance, Priscilla Rich), #274, #275 (1980) (first appearance, Deborah Domaine), #9 (1987) (first major appearance, Barbara Minerva),
The Flash #219 (2005),
Wonder Woman #214 (2005) (crossover with
Flash),
Justice League #13-14 (2012) (New 52 two-parter),
Wonder Woman #23.1 (2013) (New 52 Villains Month issue by John Ostrander),
Wonder Woman #8 (2016) (Rebirth origin by Greg Rucka), and
Who's Who in the DC Universe #4 (1990) (Priscilla Rich by Trina Robbins).
• Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me
The Walmart-exclusive stories by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti.
• Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth
Hardcover of the painted prose story by Paul Dini and Alex Ross.
• Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor
I'm highly in favor of these "supporting cast" collections (see also
Batman Allies: Alfred); one for Etta Candy would be as interesting as this, tracking how both characters changed from their original appearances with Wonder Woman to post-
Crisis to today.
• Wonder Woman: War of Gods Omnibus
No contents listed but please, oh please, oh please let this be every tie-in issue of
War of the Gods. Not only would that be great, but also a great precedent for omnibuses to come. If you ever wanted to see, among many other things, Etrigan romancing Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel vs. Lobo, this is the book for you.
• World's Finest: The Guardians of Earth
Collects
World's Finest Comics #195-214, 1970s team-ups between Superman and Green Lantern, Aquaman, Batman, Hawkman, Green Arrow, the Atom, and the Diana Prince-era Wonder Woman.
• Young Justice Vol. 1: Gemworld
Paperback release (following the previous hardcover) of the new Wonder Comics
Young Justice #1-6 by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason.
• Zatanna and the House of Secrets
DC Zoom by Matthew Cody and Yoshi Yoshitana.
