DC Trade Solicitations for November 2013 -- Batman/Superman, Trinity War, new Final Crisis, Superman vs. Mongul, New 52

Time for a look at DC Comics's November 2013 trade paperback and collections solicitations. After a couple of Superman-heavy months tied into the movie, this is a quieter set of solicits with mostly New 52 volumes.

Before we dive into those, however, a couple of collections of note have popped up online lately that I thought you'd want to see:

• Justice League: Trinity War

Yes, Forever Evil hasn't even arrived yet and already we're looking ahead to the Trinity War collection. Due in March 2014; now the big question is whether the individual Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark volumes will also carry their respective issues separately.

• Batman/Superman Vol. 1 HC

The first collection of the new Greg Pak/Jae Lee series arrives in May 2014.

• Final Crisis TPB (New Printing)

Grant Morrison's Final Crisis has already been released in paperback once; what we're looking for here is whether this new paperback perhaps includes some of the material recently in the Absolute Final Crisis collection -- the Batman issues and the brand new pages.

And now for November:

• Batman—The Dark Knight Vol. 3: Mad HC

I'm overdue to read Dark Knight Vol. 2: Cycle of Violence by Gregg Hurwitz and David Finch, and I've got to say if that doesn't "wow" me, I'm probably off Dark Knight for the time being. To each their own but I'm not an ardent fan of artist Ethan Van Sciver's work, replacing Finch, nor does the Mad Hatter much move me as a villain. I suspect this is a Batman book I can cull from my list.

• Birds of Prey Vol. 3: A Clash of Daggers TP

This is Duane Swierczynski's final collection on this title. I really liked his first volume, but the second volume left me a little cold; I'm skeptical I'll like this one more, though I am eager to see the connection between the Birds and the Teen Titans explored. What's perhaps most notable is that this collection includes the Batgirl Annual by Gail Simone, about as close as you might come these days to Simone writing the Birds of Prey (though Batgirl readers may wonder why they have to seek out their annual in another title).

• Green Lantern: New Guardians Vol. 3: Love and Death HC

Somewhere along the way this book was called "Rise of the Third Army," going along with the other individual Green Lantern-title collections called "Rise of the Third Army" and then the "Rise of the Third Army" combination collection; probably good they made a change. This actually collects both New Guardians's "Third Army" and "Wrath of the First Lantern" components, and also marks the end of Tony Bedard's run on this series.

• Savage Hawkman Vol. 2: Wanted TP

This Hawkman collection was already solicited once, and then cancelled and resolicited most likely so that, with the cancellation of the series, the whole thing could be collected in one place. I appreciate DC doing this; I much prefer having to wait a little longer for the trade than not having the final issues collected, a la Keith Giffen's Doom Patrol.

• The Fury of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man Vol. 3: Takeover TP

The first Firestorm collection didn't excite me much, and I picked up the second kind of by rote and also because it has the Justice League International in it, though I know now from Justice League International Vol. 2 that the crossover isn't very significant. I might very well skip Vol. 3, except this is where Dan Jurgens takes over. I'm a considerable fan of Jurgens's writing and art, but he does have a tendency to draw young people too old. Firestorm faces off against Teen Titans in this book, and Jurgens's renditions I've seen of Red Robin and Solstice, to start, are so far afield from both Brett Booth, Ale Garza, and others are drawing them in the Teen Titans book -- in terms of how young they look in that title, and how old they look under Jurgens's pen -- that I'm somewhat inclined to pick up this trade solely for the novelty of it.

• Superman Vol. 3: Fury at the World’s End HC

Though called "Fury at the World's End," this book collects the Superman part of the "He'l on Earth" crossover; if you don't want to get the combination crossover collection, then you'd want this, Superboy Vol. 3, and Supergirl Vol. 3.

• Nightwing Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP
• Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family TP

Your "Death of the Family" collections for the month -- note how DC kept "Death of the Family" as the title here though not "Rise of the Third Army" with the Green Lantern books. The Nightwing collection contains Batman #17, as do the Batman, Batman and Robin, and Batgirl collections.

• The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection TP

I've never had a touchstone for or interest in Judge Dredd, but I thought it was nice that DC included the Lobo/Judge Dredd special in this book, too; essentially this is a DC Universe/Judge Dredd collection.

• The Planetary Omnibus HC

I know I should read this. Especially with the JLA, Authority, and Batman specials in it. Probably not right away, but one day.

• Creature Commandos TP
• Deadman Book Four TP
• Doctor Mid-Nite TP

Again, to each their own, but I can't quite figure what these books are doing here. With Frankenstein long ago cancelled, is there otherwise pent up demand for a classic Creature Commandos collection? For a fourth classic Deadman volume? And while I like both the JSA Dr. Mid-Nite and the Matt Wagner series that introduced him, does everyone who wants to read this book already have it? A second or third printing I understand; I'm surprised by a "new printing."

• Superman Vs. Mongul TP

Can't quite figure this one, either. Mongul is one of my personal favorite Superman villains -- because of some of the work the post-Crisis Superman team did on him; see Superman: Exile -- but I've always thought Mongul was just below the level where the general public had ever heard of him, "For the Man Who Has Everything" notwithstanding. Still, glad to see Mongul get a nod, and you've got to dig that Ryan Sook cover. (Not to be confused with Superman vs. Mongul, the "I Can Read" edition.)

That's what stood out to me -- what's on your buying list for November?