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

 ·  20 comments

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?

Comments ( 20 )

  1. I'm a little surprised by your dismissive attitude toward the Deadman collection. Boston Brand has been one of DC's most interesting characters for over 40 years, a far cry from an obscurity like The Creature Commandos. The stories from the Dollar Comics days of Adventure Comics that are collected here are all very good and well worth a collected edition.

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    1. I don't think I dismissed the Deadman collection and I'm sorry if you think I did. What I said was that I was surprised to see it on DC's list because I doubted there was a lot of demand for it. That's just my opinion based on nothing but my own impressions; maybe there is a lot of demand for the Deadman book, and if there is, I'm glad those readers are getting it.

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    2. Yes, and also Deadman book 3 had some really interesting issues of World's Finest that introduced the concept of insane mental patient brother Thomas Wayne JR, which ended up being a huge part of both Grant Morrison's Batman epic and Snyder's Owls story. Wasn't expecting that when I bought a Deadman collection, but cool stuff pops up in these old stories...

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    3. definitely agree that Deadman vol 4 is wanted by many readers. i think this may finish out the bronze era Deadman stories, though.

      Creature Commandos should have come out while Frankenstein: Agent of Shade was still being published, but i'm glad to see it. i loved these stories as a kid. nice to have a color collection.

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    4. Happy to see all the Deadman love here. Informal poll, out of curiosity: who's got Deadman Book Four already pre-ordered? Who's planning to wait to buy it until it arrives in stores? Waiting to receive it as a gift, etc.?

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    5. After what happened with Starman vol 3 (it got canceled and my pre-order was a huge mess because it was part of a "buy 2 get 1 free" sale...), I basically don't pre-order things anymore cause I just want to know something is actually coming out, so yeah when it's out I'll probably buy it as I read the first 3 volumes. Though I'm not hugely enthusiastic, I'm more just checking it out for historical context, not cause I'm a big Deadman fan. That being said I was really thrilled I unknowingly got that Thomas Wayne Jr story in book 3.

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    6. I will pre-order both the CREATURE COMMANDOS and DEADMAN Vol. 4 collections. They're the only DC material of interest to me in this month's solicitations. I have a scattering of the original issues included in each, so it'll be nice to have those and the rest in trade paperback.

      The other couple DC items that would be interesting (PLANETARY, BATMAN/DREDD) I already own in other, better formats.


      Jordan, I don't understand the logic of waiting to order because your pre-order might not be fulfilled. Most good online vendors will either (1) wait to charge you until the book ships (the Amazon and B&N model) or (2) issue a refund if the book is canceled (the DCBS model). There's not much to lose by pre-ordering, but if enough people don't books can get canceled by the publisher due to perceived lack of interest.

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  2. Nightwing v3 definitely, BOP v3 probably will at least finish Swiercynzki's run, I will check to make sure I don't already own Dr Mid-Nite, but if I don't I will be getting some Matt Wagner goodness. Firestorm was one of my most anticipated New 52 books and also one of the most dissapointing, won't get it. And I won't touch Teen Titans or Superman, they both have the stink of Scott Lobdell's horrible writing. Also New Guardians has been & still is the only Green Lantern that not only isn't worth buying it has been virtually unreadable through its whole run.

    It is nice to see DC making at least some attempt to print pre New 52 books!

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  3. Marvel Solicits: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47327

    *Captain America: Winter Soldier HC--I figured this collection would get republished closer to the debut of the movie, but hey, this gives people looking for Thor books after "The Dark World" another thing to brush up on.

    *Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: Angela HC--The idea of moving an Image character to Marvel was certainly unexpected, and as Infinity continues, it might worth looking into this book.

    *Deadpool Classic Vol. 9 TPB--Now here's a book that I don't think I ever expected to see published. Now that Gail Simone is having troubles with DC, maybe Marvel is trying to win her back by republishing this?

    *Avengers: The Enemy Within TPB--I was impressed with how this Captain Marvel-starring event was done, and as a member of the Carol Corps (I have the dogtags after meeting Kelly Sue DeConnick in Tampa), I certainly need to promote this.

    *Immortal Iron Fist Complete Collection Vol. 1 TPB--One of the greatest Marvel books of the last few years and the dry run for the current "Hawkeye" series. I actually own the entire run and I need to set some time aside to start reviewing them.

    *Mini Marvels: The Complete Collection TPB--Mini Marvels was one of the best kid-oriented yet adult-friendly books Marvel ever put out. I'll need to keep this in mind for when we do the Holiday Gift List for 2013.

    *Spider-Man: Gathering of Five TPB--I know I gave "Sins Past" a hard time, but this is truly one of the worst Spidey stories ever assembled, responsible for just about every bad Spidey moment since.

    *Spider-Man: Mark of the Tarantula TPB--On the other hand, this is some of Spidey at his best, with Roger Stern, JRJR and Bob Hall as the creative team.

    *Thor by Walter Simonson TPB--This contains Balder the Brave, which was in the fourth Visionaries book, so I'm not sure how they're divvying up the page count. Anyway, as always, Simonson's "Thor" is always worth a buy.

    Dark Horse, IDW and Image are in the next post.

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    1. Someone at Marvel's collected editions department must be a huge '90s fanboy. Pretty much all of the worst big stories of that period are getting collected, but I can't deny that seeing the X-Men: Phalanx Covenant OHC solicit made me feel all nostalgic.

      And hey, a second Daredevil by Mark Waid OHC! Keep those coming, Marvel.

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    2. I'd hold off on that Stern Spider-Man collection for now, despite the good contents. There's a Stern Spidey Omnibus coming in the spring.

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  4. Dark Horse: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47328

    Nothing stands out for me this month. (Still no Aliens or Predator material... c'mon guys, if nothing else, put out a series tying into the NECA toys!)

    IDW: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47354

    *Ben 10 #1--Yet another missed opportunity for DC. For years, I've been saying that Warner Brothers and DC should use Ben 10's popularity to their advantage and add Ben to the Teen Titans. Which raises the bigger question... why are the Cartoon Network books being put out by IDW?! Maybe there was a lot more to the whole "we make comics for 45-year-olds" controversy than I realized.

    *Mars Attacks: The Human Condition TPB--I love how IDW uses the "Mars Attacks" license, especially since it gives Fred Hembeck an opportunity to do some work.

    Image: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=47274

    *Sex, Vol. 1: The Summer of Hard TPB--Normally I wouldn't mention cheap Sex like this, but it's ten dollars for eight issues... I might have to give in.

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  5. The page count suggests that the Justice League: Trinity War HC will collect not only the main event (issues #22-23 of JL, JLA and JLD), but also the Pandora, Phantom Stranger and Constantine tie-ins, the FCBD New 52 one-shot and Justice League #18-20 (which have to be collected somewhere, since the previous JL collection, Throne of Atlantis, stops at issue #17).

    It also seems that the first Batman/Superman HC will include the second arc, which will be drawn by Brett Booth. And if the new paperback edition of Final Crisis really is just 352 pages long, I don't think there will be room for the Batman tie-ins, but they could replace the sketchbook extras with the 7 new story pages from the Absolute.

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  6. I keep hoping to see the TP of Grant Morrison's JLA vol 4 since it's almost 3 years since the deluxe HC. Anybody know if I'm waiting in vain? Are they doing JLA like they did Starman?

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    1. While JLA vol. 4 has yet to be solicited, I believe it's still slated to come out in February, as DC originally announced:

      http://www.dccomics.com/blog/2013/03/26/dc-entertainment-unveils-more-upcoming-dc-universe-titles

      It's also available for pre-order on Amazon:

      http://www.amazon.com/JLA-Vol-4-Grant-Morrison/dp/1401243851/

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  7. With the Superman vs. Mongul, it looks like DC is mining the DC Comics Presents series by reprinting the parts that they can. The Jose Luis Garcia Superman volume was primarily from DC Comics Presents along with the Superman vs Shazam.

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  8. Teen Titans 2 (The Culling) contains 8-12 and DC Comics Present 12. The upcoming Teen Titans 3 (Death of the Family) is billed as containing 0, 15-17, Batman 17 and Red Hood and the Outlaws 16.

    Unless 13 and 14 are collected elsewhere, or the solicitation is incorrect, it looks as if there may be some missed issues in these collections.

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    1. According to some of the Amazon customer reviews, vol. 2 actually collects issues #8-14 plus DC Comics Presents #12. That makes sense, since the arc that reveals Wonder Girl's new origin concludes with issue #14.

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    2. Thanks for that - it looks as if the earlier solicitation was changed on publication. I should have known that as I read a library copy, but of course no longer have that to hand.

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    3. Chiming in a little late, I can also confirm that Titans Vol. 2: Culling contains issues #8-14 plus the DC Universe Presents issue. I have two sources suggesting Teen Titans Vol. 3: Death of the Family will contain Titans #14-20 (maybe the last pages of #14), but no Batman or Red Hood issues. Since I do think the Zero Month issue will be in there, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

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