DC Trade Solicitations for July/August 2015 - Aquaman: Sub-Diego, Batman: Second Chances, Absolute Court of Owls, Wonder Woman by Perez, America vs. Justice Society
And that's not even including a bunch of cool releases of older stories in this solicitations round -- America vs. the Justice Society, Batman: Second Chances (nee "The New Adventures"), Aquaman: Sub-Diego, and even an Absolute edition of Scott Snyder's Court of Owls. Let's jump in and take a look:
• Aquaman: Sub-Diego TP
Over at Every Day is Like Wednesday, in Caleb's monthly, entertaining look at the DC solicitations, he called Aquaman: Sub-Diego "the biggest head-scratcher of the month." Well, I can't say why DC Comics finally decided to publish this collection of Aquaman #15-22 (from roundabouts the time Identity Crisis, a couple years before Infinite Crisis, but I do know that I've been wanting to read this book for a while, and for the purest reason possible -- I heard it was a good story. The current popularity of Aquaman, and that it's written by current DC scribe Will Pfeifer and drawn by current DC writer/artist Patrick Gleason, probably doesn't hurt, either. Either way, I've been waiting for this one for a while and I'm excited about it.
• America vs. the Justice Society of America TP
This one seems the stranger to me, since aside from Earth 2: Society, there really isn't a Justice Society presence now in the DC Universe -- not that I'm complaining, since this is one I wanted to read, too. Just before Crisis on Infinite Earths, America vs. the Justice Society recaps the Justice Society's pre-Crisis adventures, and also includes the JSA being called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, an event I believe later brought into post-Crisis continuity.
My only gripe is I wish this had included the post-Crisis Last Days of the Justice Society special, which was also by Roy Thomas and bridged the pre-/post-Crisis gap for these formerly Earth-2 characters. That, to me, would make this a fuller and more relevant trade.
Anyway, I hope this a start of more collections from this era -- Infinity, Inc., All-Star Squadron, and etc.
• Batman: Second Chances TP
No longer called "The New Adventures" (as was sometimes printed on the issue covers), the re-named Batman: Second Chances are the stories that introduced the post-Crisis Robin Jason Todd before Death in the Family, written by Max Allan Collins. Notable that this trade spans issues from just before/just after the Batman: Year One in-series miniseries, to Ten Nights of the Beast. I do rather wish DC had stuck Batman #401 in there, even if by a different writer, a Legends tie-in issue that's arguably the first post-Crisis Batman appearance; later in the trade we do get a Millennium tie-in.
There's just a handful of (rather terrifying, I recall) issues between the end of this book and Death in the Family, as written by Jim Starlin, including the infamous issue where young Jason kills someone. I wouldn't mind if DC collected those to bring the whole era into trade.
• Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
As I've said before, a large collection of George Perez's Wonder Woman stories is a great thing. But, I've read these; they were available in paperback some years ago. Perez stops drawing the series after these issues (#1-24 and Annual #1) but he's still writing for another about 40 issues. I'd very much like to see DC follow this with a volume 2.
• Absolute Batman: The Court of Owls HC
I don't go in for Absolute volumes lightly these days, but this one is tempting. I still believe these two books, originally Court of Owls and City of Owls, are Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's strongest work on Batman; the two books read great as individually but they'd be even more powerful read together. Add to that Capullo's magnificent labyrinth pages in the first part (even if these will be a nightmare to turn around in Absolute size) and his cinematic climactic fight scene in the second, and you've got a story worthy of an Absolute. I wouldn't be surprised if Zero Year, at least, also makes it to Absolute.
• Green Arrow: Archer's Quest Deluxe Edition HC
The Kevin Smith stories that preceded this volume were just upgraded from deluxe format to Absolute. There's fewer of the Brad Meltzer issues -- just six, #16-21 -- so a deluxe collection makes more sense. The Phil Hester/Ande Parks art will look good either way.
• Arkham Manor TP
It's still curious that what's now being advertised in the solicitations as a "6-ssue [mini-series]" was originally pitched as a series. We saw a bunch of New 52 titles that started out as series but became "mini-series" by default; this looks like one that started as a limited series, got an upgrade, and then went back to it. No overwhelming interest in this though I imagine I'll read it as an offshoot of Batman Eternal (actually curious to see what Doug thinks of it as compared to Gerry Duggan's Deadpool).
• Batman Eternal Vol. 2 TP
I was not very taken with the all-over-the-place first volume of Batman Eternal and frankly I'm a little impatient that there's one more collection of the series after this one. Hopefully this second volume begins to tie to Catwoman, Arkham Manor, etc. more, so it's not just the Bat-family running around scattershot.
• Batman: Harley Quinn TP
Personal preference, but I prefer this semi-villainous iteration of Harley Quinn to the Ambush Bug-esque Harley Quinn that's ubiquitous in the DC Universe these days. Among other contents are back up stories from Gotham Knights and two Detective Comics Harley stories by Paul Dini.
• Batwoman Vol. 6: The Unknowns TP
Brings Marc Andreyko's run and the New 52 Batwoman series to a close before Convergence; includes the Futures End tie-in issue.
• Catwoman Vol. 6: Keeper of the Castle TP
Brings Catwoman to a close prior to Convergence with issue #40, though writer Genevieve Valentine sticks around when the series resumes.
• Green Lantern Corps Vol. 6: Reckoning TP
Includes the "Godhead" crossover issues and the final issues of Green Lantern Corps, cancelled as of Convergence
• Klarion Vol. 1: The New Witch in Town TP
Klarion's first and only trade, collecting issues #1-6. Cancelled as of Convergence.
• New 52: Futures End Vol. 2 TP
I am just about to crack the first volume of this one and I'm excited about it. By osmosis, I take it reviews are mixed, but I'm eager for it if nothing else than as a lead-in to Convergence.
• New Suicide Squad Vol. 1: Pure Insanity TP
The end of New Suicide Squad pre-Convergence, but the series continues afterward still with writer Sean Ryan.
• Red Lanterns Vol. 6: Forged in Blood TP
Also the final issues of Red Lanterns, ending with Convergence. This includes the Futures End tie-in issue; as I'm going through this list I'm wondering where some other of these will show up -- Catwoman and Green Lantern Corps, among others.
• Sinestro Vol. 2: Sacrifice TP
Collects Sinestro #5-11 and the annual; continues with writer Cullen Bunn after Convergence.
• Supergirl Vol. 6: Crucible TP
Collects the final issues of Supergirl, with the Futures End issue and Doomed tie-in. Though cancelled with Convergence, I've no doubt we'll see a new Supergirl series taking cues from the television show within a year or so.
• Superman Vol. 6: The Men of Tomorrow HC
Collects the entirety of the Geoff Johns/John Romita run. What art I've seen so far in regards to covers, etc. hasn't thrilled me, but Johns had one of my favorite Superman runs from the past decade or so, so my expectations are high. I'm surprised they didn't just kick in the story Romita wrote and drew for Superman #40, which seems more related to the Johns run than the upcoming Gene Luen Yang run. Hopefully this doesn't mean Superman #40 will never be collected.
• Trinity of Sin Vol. 1: The Wages of Sin TP
I was just wondering the other day whether this would even see a collection or not. I imagine Phantom Stranger and Question will still be aspects of the DC Universe post-Convergence, but I wonder if Mystic U will use Pandora or if that character's era has ended.
That's what I'm thinking of buying. How about you? What post-Convergence/Divergence book are you most excited about?
Marvel: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/x-tinction-agenda-renew-your-vows-more-join-secret-wars-in-marvels-june-2015-solicitations
ReplyDelete*House of Hem by Fred Hembeck SC—This is an issue instead of a trade, but it collects a lot of past material that probably wouldn’t fill an entire book. Just about all of Fred Hembeck’s roasts and satirical strips are gathered in one place for possibly the first time.
*Guardians of the Galaxy/X-Men: The Black Vortex HC—I’ll be reading one part of this through the “Captain Marvel” book, and if the symbiote arc of “Guardians” is good in trade format it might get me to read this entire event.
*Thor: Who Holds the Hammer? HC—At the very least I’ll wait for the paperback if the female Thor intrigues me in the upcoming “Thors”. It wouldn’t surprise me if they do a combined collection of the entire run very soon since it lasted only eight issues and an annual.
*SHIELD: Perfect Bullets TPB—Not only is this a very good book on a monthly basis, but it appears to exclude the useless and unfunny Joe Quesada comic strips to save a little money. It’s worth grabbing for the Ms. Marvel issue alone.
*Avengers by Hickman Vol. 2 HC—I think the only reason this exists is for shelf symmetry; if you bought the first hardcover, then this is a decent companion. But the preferred way to read at least half of this trade is in the full “Infinity” hardcover
*SHIELD: The Complete Collection Omnibus—Hey, a Jim Steranko Omnibus! In truth, Steranko only drew a few of the stories collected here. Those have been collected before but I’m not sure how much of the material around it has been collected, so this should fulfill a collection hole.
*Hawkeye Vol. 2 HC—Since Clint and Kate headline alternating issues, I’m not sure if this will be in publication order or have the two stories grouped since they’re doing the latter with the trades (“LA Woman” for Kate, “Rio Bravo” for Clint).
*Deadpool by Duggan and Posehn Vol. 3 HC—This is a mixed bag of a collection, combining the Wedding and Original Sin trades plus the first annual yet again. I’ll detail it more later, but the Original Sin arc in this book was one of the few low points of the run. “Axis” was actually the best thing to happen to the title.
*Spider-Man and the X-Men TPB—Replacing “Wolverine and the X-Men” (the second iteration), this follows Spidey as he works as a guidance counselor at the Jean Grey School. This looks like a lot of fun, especially with numerous supervillain team-ups.
*Hulk Vol. 3: Omega TPB—“What is Doc Green’s startling secret?” Well, he’s an intelligent and somewhat evil bearded Hulk... it’s not official yet, but I think I know where this is heading. I hope it all pays off.
*Daredevil Vol. 3: The Daredevil You Know TPB—So we come to the end of Waid’s run. Matt Murdock is one of the least represented characters in the “Secret Wars” line and I’m anxious to see what happens next. Hopefully Waid’s version won’t be overturned immediately.
I wonder who in their right mind will want to but this second Avengers by Hickman OHC when every single issue in it has already been collected in the Infinity OHC. They should have just skipped straight to issues #24-34, ending just before Time Runs Out like the second New Avengers OHC will.
DeleteEven more baffling is the second All-New X-Men OHC skipping the Battle of the Atom issues (even though Bendis wrote half of that crossover) but including X-Men Gold, a commemorative special featuring a bunch of short stories set in the past, none of which was written by Bendis. That will be even harder to justify if the last OHC ends up including the Black Vortex issues, which Marvel is apparently collecting "the DC way" (there's a hardcover collecting the whole crossover, but its chapters are still getting included in the individual collections of each series that's taking part in it).
For the first question: libraries, maybe? I know they're heavily marketing towards library sales and since they aren't likely to stock omnibuses, these HCs are the next best option. But I'm with you; there's no reason to get this if you have Infinity in any other format.
DeleteAs per the second: I guess their reasoning is that Battle of the Atom has its own hardcover so it doesn't need to be collected in another book. The Gold special could be padding. I'll be honest, I've kind of checked out on the X-collections since that side of the franchise either changes too quickly or at a glacial pace and never in the right amount.
here what im excited about from marvel
DeleteIRON FIST EPIC COLLECTION: THE FURY OF IRON FIST TPB
HOWARD THE DUCK: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TPB
Dark Horse: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/black-hammer-plants-vs-zombies-debut-in-dark-horse-comics-june-2015-solicitations
ReplyDelete*Nothing really caught my eye this month.
IDW: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/mickey-mouse-debuts-x-files-godzilla-conclude-in-idw-publishings-june-2015-solicitations
*Miracleman Artifact Edition HC—The solicit doesn’t list exactly which issues are showcased, so I’m not sure if it takes bits and pieces from throughout the old run or concentrates on one or two issues from each other major artists.
*Bravo for Adventure HC—I didn’t realize that Alex Toth even had a comic book masterpiece, so I’ll likely give this a look when it comes out. From what’s presented it has a cool pulp vibe to it.
*Monster Motors TPB—Normally I can resist a premise when it gets too goofy, but in this retelling of Universal monsters using cars, there’s a monster hunter named “Minivan Helsing”. Stupid irresistible attraction to bad puns…
Image: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/image-comics-june-2015-solicitations-deliver-airboy-starve-chew-50-more
*Rasputin Vol. 1 TP—As a fan of weird history and of Riley Rossmo’s creepy “Bedlam” artwork, this looks like something I’ll check out.
*The Autumnlands: Tooth and Claw Vol. 1 TP—Kurt Busiek’s anthropomorphic fantasy series ran into a bit of a snag when it turned out Image didn’t have the rights to the name “Tooth and Claw”. After a quick retitle, it’s chugging along and will be up for review later this year.
Valiant: http://www.newsarama.com/23811-valiant-comics-june-2015-solicitations.html
*Quantum and Woody Must Die! TPB—I’m not sure how the series itself played out, but the Valiant-Sized issue that led into it was excellent and provided an enticing start. This will be a good contrast with…
*Quantum and Woody by Priest and Bright: KLANG! TPB—Now this is exciting! These have been somewhat remastered, and amongst them is the story that introduced the word “noogie” as a synonym for… well, you get the idea.
Also, re: Arkham Manor--that might be the next co-review.
Deal.
DeleteI'd love to see George Perez's Wonder Woman writing-only issues collected, too, but I suspect DC would balk at it, if only for the abysmal art from Chris Marrinan. Great stories, terribly drawn.
ReplyDeleteI thought Absolute Court of Owls was only a matter of time, but it's still coming earlier than I expected. What intrigues me is that the page count (384) suggests it could also include issue #12 and the first annual, which might be an indication of plans to give the rest of Snyder's run the same treatment.
ReplyDeleteZero Year definitely has the perfect length for the format, and I figure it would make sense to give Death of the Family and Endgame a joint Absolute, but I'd like to see the odds and ends issues (#0, #18-20, #28 and #34, plus Annuals #2-3) in there too.
Or Death of the Family plus the tie-ins included in the Joker: Death of the Family collection. I could see that happening, too. Definitely agree that pretty much the whole Snyder run to date is likely to end up as an Absolute.
DeleteI'd be surprised if they Absolute-d the DOTF tie-ins, which were 1) of varying quality and 2) I think they'd have to pay a great deal more writers and artists at Absolute rates (?) than otherwise. To put DOTF and Endgame in one Absolute sounds more likely, but then hard to say what they'd do with the Graveyard Shift stories (except maybe just include them).
DeleteWhen do you think we'll get a Multiversity collection?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it will be listed in DC's Fall 2015 catalog, which should be out next month. Since DC has already announced all collected editions through August, the earliest the Multiversity (hopefully Deluxe) HC could come out is September.
Delete