DC Trade Solicitations for May 2012

If you look at DC Comics's solicitations for May 2012 overall, there sure are a lot of crossovers! The Legion's in Teen Titans, everybody's everywhere in the Bat-family, OMAC guest-stars in Justice League International, Blue Beetle crosses over with Green Lantern: New Guardians, John Constantine is in Animal Man and Animal Man's in Swamp Thing, plus a Suicide Squad/Resurrection Man crossover. Personally, I think it's fun to see so many characters in each others' titles, but I guess DC is banking on this much cross-promotion bringing new readers to books and not alienating new readers who want to read their own series and just their own series, thank you very much.

It also seems that DC has adopted a "bullet point" style for their solicitations, something I think Marvel's been doing for a while. Maybe shorter bursts will make the solicitations more accurate, though I think we lose a little something if no one has to write exciting solicitation paragraphs any more.

As for the collections:

* Batman: Earth One

The "Earth One" books, to some extent, haven't turned out quite how we trade-waiters hoped. Yes, these are stand-alone graphic novels, and I'm happy about that and eager to read the Batman volume. They're coming out so slowly, however, and seem to sufficiently lack any continuity between them so far, that by the time the "Earth One" books become an "Earth One" universe, I suspect it will have taken so long that it'll be hard to care. Maybe if Batman does as well as Superman did, DC will release these a little faster.

* Infinity Inc.: The Generations Saga Vol. 2 HC

It was a small miracle that we saw the first Infinity Inc. volume -- this has been on my "wish they'd collect" list forever. I'm glad to see a second book, and so quickly, too -- and it's big, collecting fourteen issues. This book seems to include more than just "Generations Saga," which is good, because it suggests additional Infinity, Inc. volumes to come. This book's final issue, #18, is a Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, and it would be cool for DC to collect the additional Infinity Crisis tie-in issues (at least six more) in the next book.

* Batman And Robin Vol. 1: Born To Kill HC
* Batgirl Vol. 1: The Darkest Reflection HC
* Red Lanterns Vol. 1: Blood And Rage TP
* Frankenstein, Agent Of S.H.A.D.E. Vol. 1: War Of The Monsters TP
* Static Shock Vol. 1: Supercharged TP
* Legion Of Superheroes Vol. 1: Hostile World TP
* Mister Terrific Vol. 1: Mind Games TP

Here's the third round of DC's New 52 trade solicitations. A nice mix of Dark books, Young Justice, Justice League, and Batman -- no Edge this time, I don't think, and no Superman, but others. Static Shock and Mister Terrific are both "hail and farewell" collections now, collecting the books' entire eight issues ("The entire NEW 52 series!" the solicitation shouts rather blithely). I like Static as a character so I'm inclined to buy that Static Shock collection, but the behind-the-scenes sniping between "writer" and "artist" sure has been messy, and the book didn't get good reviews overall.

I'm eager to read all the rest of those, though.

* First Wave TP

As I mentioned before, I just can't understand why DC would release a paperback edition of their crime-noir First Wave miniseries given that they pulled the plug on the whole thing -- except that now, a few weeks wiser, I wonder if it's because writer Brian Azzarello's name is going to be much in the news coming up ...

* Justice TP

Speaking of "Before Watchmen," if you want some clue how DC might collect that series, consider Justice -- a three-volume hardcover set, a three-volume paperback set, a full hardcover, a full paperback, and an Absolute edition. Someone must be buying 'em.

* Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore TP

Equally I'm not sure what warrants another edition of Kryptonite Nevermore, except that this volume abandons the short-lived DC Comics Classics Library heading. We saw DC re-release Batman: Death in the Family (with Lonely Place of Dying) also without the DC Comics Classics Library moniker.

* Wonder Woman Archives Vol. 7 HC

I give DC a lot of credit for continuing to release the Archives with the old trade dress and DC Bullet, keeping the look of these consistent (and, perhaps, knowing their audience for these volumes). I'll be curious to see if they keep on keeping on with the bullet after their other books get the DC Peel (which I adore, by the way) in March.

* Showcase Presents: Showcase Vol. 1 TP

The title of this one just makes me laugh. That is all.

* Night Force TP

Night Force fans should keep their fingers crossed until this one shows up in the stores, given that it's been cancelled and re-solicited a bunch of times. I know I'm not supposed to say things like this, but whether the new Night Force miniseries has some important tie to the new DC Universe or not will factor heavily as to whether I ever pick this book up -- though at the same time, I have heard good things about how it reads as a graphic novel.

Those're my picks -- what's on your to-buy list?

(If you didn't hear, our big DC TPB Timeline announcement had to be postponed due to circumstances outside our control. The plan right now is to have that announcement here tomorrow morning -- stay tuned!)