DC Trade Solicitations for August/September 2016 - Arrow: Dark Archer, Batman: Bloom, Omega Men, Superman: Lois & Clark
Among other cool stuff is the collection, finally of Tom King's Omega Men; Dan Jurgens's Superman: Lois & Clark (a bridge between Convergence and Rebirth that shows what an interesting period this was); the next Superman and the Justice League book; and Robin and Superman/Batman books that collect previously-uncollected material.
Let's jump in and take a look.
• Arrow: The Dark Archer TP
The digital tie-in comics to the DC television series have disappointed enough times (with either lack of plot or plots later contradicted by the shows) that I'm not quick to pick them up any more. That said, a tangent story about Malcom Merlyn, and co-written by John Barrowman, is a fine and interesting concept, and maybe telling one long story will read better than the sometimes-choppy digital shorts.
• Batgirl Vol. 3: Mindfields TP
Collecting issues #46-52, this ends the "Burnside" Batgirl series before "Rebirth."
• Batman Vol. 9: Bloom HC
Solicits still say that this collects issues #46-50, so Vol. 10 containing just issues #51-52 still seems to be the plan. But the solicitation for Vol. 9 also says it contains the Detective Comics #27 story, which earlier solicitations had also put in Vol. 10, so it further remains to be seen what fills a full trade for Vol. 10.
• Coloring DC: Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad Vol. 1 TP
Strange to find this on the collections page; I wonder, among other things, what will turn out to be the binding, and how easy or difficult it will be to open it flat to color on (though, when you're already coloring in the book, I guess preserving the binding isn't that much of a big deal).
• Deathstroke Vol. 3: Suicide Run TP
Collects Deathstroke #11-16, with heavy presence by Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad. Do we know if Deathstroke is in the Suicide Squad movie, or is this just a matter of Harley Quinn and the Suicide Squad's general popularity being used to bolster this title?
There's still four issues, apparently, until this title is cancelled before "Rebirth." And release notes say Deathstroke #20 doesn't come out until July, which is well after a bunch of the "Rebirth" specials. Is that right or am I reading the wrong thing?
• Earth 2: Society Vol. 2: Indivisible TP
The solicitation says this collects #8-12, but since Earth 2: Society ends with issue #14, I'm guessing either issues #13-14 will be here too, or maybe they'll be collected with the first Earth 2 "Rebirth" issues (not sure if the creative team remains the same).
• Harley Quinn Vol. 5: The Joker’s Last Laugh HC
Clearly I'm not paying enough attention. The Joker is in Harley Quinn? Do I take it this is besides continuity and not anything related to Endgame? Collects issues #22-25, so there's one more collection before "Rebirth," though of course here's another that could collect pre- and post-"Rebirth" issues together.
• Justice League Vol. 8: The Darkseid War Part 2 HC
Collects issues #45-50 and the Darkseid War special. So whereas it's speculation for other titles, this is one that I think we'll definitely see pre- and post-"Rebirth" issues collected together in the next trade,
• Green Lantern Vol. 8: Reflections HC
Collects issues #47-52, ending the series before "Rebirth."
• Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Vol. 2 HC
Issues #8-12 plus the Annual #1. Now, Injustice was in Convergence, so I believe this means Injustice now has to go on the DC TPB Timeline ...
• Omega Men: The End Is Here TP
It's taken a while, but Tom King's Omega Men should be done by May, with the collection to follow in August.
• Supergirl Vol. 2: Breaking the Chain TP
Collects the end of the controversial Joe Kelly "Bad (Super)girl" run, plus (compounding the controversy) the Amazons Attack tie-in issues by Tony Bedard. That's issues #11 and #13-22 plus a story from the Infinite Holiday Special (incorrectly dubbed the Infinite Crisis Christmas Special in the solicits). Excluded is issue #12, the Terra issue (tie-in, eventually, to Power Girl) by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti.
So, whereas issues #10-19 and the special were collected in Supergirl: Identity, this new collection skips #12, but it newly collects issues #20-22 that were never collected before.
• Robin, Son of Batman Vol. 2: Dawn of the Demons HC
Collects issues #7-13, the end of Robin, Son of Batman before "Rebirth."
• Robin Vol. 3: Solo TP
I'm pleased to see some uniform trade dress on these Chuck Dixon Robin collections and the common one-word subtitles (so far). After two nice collections of the Robin miniseries and some related Batman and Detective stories, this is the first new collection of the main Dixon series itself.
The contents, Robin #1-6, have been collected before, and need stories from Showcase '94 #5-6 -- the latter aren't mentioned but are hopefully included. Never before collected and included here are Annuals #1-2, an Eclipso: The Darkness Within and Bloodlines tie-in respectively.
• Telos TP
The sole collection of Jeff King's Telos collects issues #1-6. Admittedly I'm less excited about this after Convergence didn't quite meet expectations; at the same time, the presence of a variety of characters from DC's multiverse here might have me flipping through (also the ties to the current Green Lantern series). If the trade arrives; this is one of those, with the series having done so well, where there's a fair chance the trade won't be published or will only be published in digital.
• Teen Titans Vol. 3: The Sum of Its Parts TP
This is said to collect Titans #14-19, but with just three more regular issues before "Rebirth," I wouldn't be surprised if issues #20-22 were added in, too. Includes stories by Scott Lobdell, Will Pfeifer, and Greg Pak, and a "Robin War" tie-in.
• Superman Vol. 2: Return to Glory HC
Gene Luen Yang's second Superman collection includes issues #45-52 and Annual #3, collecting up to the "Rebirth" relaunch.
• Superman: Lois & Clark TP
Collects the Dan Jurgens miniseries bridging Convergence and "Rebirth"
• Superman/Batman Vol. 4 TP
Collects Superman/Batman Vol. 6: Torment and Vol. 7: Search for Kryptonite. "Torment," by Alan Burnett with Dustin Nguyen, is a New Gods story with some interesting developments for characters Orion and Bekka, though its ill-fitting ties to Countdown to Final Crisis harmed it (maybe it'll read better now than then). Michael Green, Mike Johnson, and Shane Davis's "Search for Kryptonite," however, is really fantastic, a study of Superman's Kryptonite weakness that I still hold in high regard. Also included is the never-collected Superman/Batman #43 by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with Mike McKone.
• Superman and the Justice League of America Vol. 2 TP
The second collection of Dan Jurgens's Justice League America run (one of my favorite Leagues) starts with the "Death of Superman" tie-in issue. Later stories include a surprisingly violent encounter with a classic League villain, plus the origin of Bloodwynd.
• Suicide Squad Most Wanted: Deadshot TP
I had mistakenly thought these Suicide Squad: Most Wanted books were team-ups, but given separate Deadshot and Katana collections coming, I recognize now that they're not. Collects the Deadshot half of the six-issue miniseries.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 9: Resurrection HC
The final Meredith Finch volume before "Rebirth" (and the coming of Greg Rucka).
• Wonder Woman 75th Anniversary Box Set
An impressive box set that includes the first volumes of the runs by George Perez, Greg Rucka, Gail Simone, and Brian Azzarello. I wouldn't change this necessarily, but if I had to add in any, I'd have included one Phil Jimenez volume and one William Messner-Loebs volume (and after that, maybe John Byrne or the new Wonder Woman: Earth One by Grant Morrison).
In the run-up to Rebirth, what catches your interest ... ?
Any news on the canceled Starman Omnibus Vol. 3 that was supposed to come out this summer?
ReplyDeleteOnly that I independently confirmed the cancellation. Certainly no news so far on any kind of different-format release, if that's what you're asking.
DeleteMarvel: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/civil-war-ii-battle-lines-are-drawn-in-marvel-comics-july-2016-solicitations
ReplyDelete*The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 1 HC--Thanks to Secret Wars, "Squirrel Girl" was one of the Marvel titles with two #1s in the same year ("Howard the Duck" also met this fate). It's popular enough that I think they may have ended and restarted it simply to create joke fodder. Along with the "2015A" issues, this hardcover collects some of the harder to find stories featuring Squirrel Girl before she came back into prominence in the mid-2000s.
*Ms. Marvel Omnibus Vol. 1 HC--Speaking of character popularity... This is, surprisingly, only the third ever Marvel omnibus collecting a female-led series (the other two are "Alias" and "Elektra", plus there's a "Women of Marvel" omnibus with numerous sources).
*Marvel Masterworks: Doctor Strange Vol. 7 HC--Marvel's working quickly to get a lot of "Doctor Strange" material in print before the movie comes out. This hardcover covers some of the trippy late 70s material and features some work from Jim Starlin and Roger Stern amongst many others.
*Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 1 TPB--Joe Kelly finally returns to an ongoing Deadpool title, and it has the solid team-up premise to keep it running. They even got Ed McGuinness back for art duties!
*Deadpool and the Mercs for Money Vol. 1 TPB--It was recently confirmed that this title will relaunch as an ongoing later this year, and while that might make the market feel saturated, all three books have a distinct identity. Cullen Bunn's over-the-top action/violence mix has never entertained me so much, plus the book is really jammed with obscure cameos.
*New Avengers: AIM Vol. 2 TPB--I'll probably do a whole month on the different "Standoff" tie-ins since the event turned out very well. This title kind of got a little distant from the main narrative, but that's fine because it introduced the American Kaiju.
*Machine Man by Kirby and Ditko TPB--I don't have much to add here except that these are probably a little weirder to read nowadays thanks to Aaron Stack's depiction in "Nextwave".
Dark Horse: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/dark-horse-july-2016-solicitations-conan-bounty-black-hammer
ReplyDelete*Angel Catbird Volume 1 TP--Of the many sci-fi luminaries I would expect to publish a graphic novel, Margaret Atwood isn't the first one I'd guess. But I know that she greatly enjoyed (and wrote an essay for) Image's "Bitch Planet" and it'll be interesting to see how she handles the medium change.
IDW: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/idw-publishing-july-2016-solicitations-rom-powerpuff-girls
*Deviations TPB--This was a "what if" event featuring some of the key properties published by IDW. The reaction was mixed--the GI Joe issue is supposedly a work of satirical genius, while the Transformers issue stirred up a lot of old negativity within the fandom.
*Mermaid Wonder and Our Patterned World Coloring Books--Forget the TMNT and Rom, these coloring books are probably the biggest source of income at IDW right now. I kind of get the coloring fad; my personal equivalent is building Gundams.
Image: http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/snotgirl-horizon-the-hunt-image-comics-july-2016-solicitations
*Astronauts in Trouble TPB--If you include a phrase like "when The Mob has nuclear first-strike capability", you have my attention.
Valiant: http://valiantuniverse.com/2016/04/21/valiant-solicitations-for-july-2016-faith-ongoing-1-aa-the-adventures-of-archer-armstrong-5-x-o-manowar-48-and-more-3/
*Faith: Vol. 1: Hollywood and Vine TPB--Even moreso than Squirrel Girl, a series about the resident nice girl of "Harbinger" was a major risk. It's one that's paid off since an ongoing "Faith" series is launching alongside this trade of the first miniseries.
On the subject of Supergirl #12 being skipped: It's in vol. 1 of these new editions. Why DC chose to do this is odd, but it's a least not a major problem.
ReplyDeleteThat is odd but maybe it keeps the end of the run all together in the second volume.
DeletePlacing Supergirl #12 at the end of Vol. 1 was actually the right choice, because that fill-in issue is chronologically set before #11, which kicks off the Power Boy arc.
DeleteYou are completly right for Deathstroke, "Rebirth relaunch" goes on for three months (and cancellation too).
ReplyDeleteFor Halrey Quinn's continuity, it seems a bit tricky. A lot of stff that happens in those books very looks like out of continuity, and in Suicide Squad, there is no link to this series at all. The only Exception is the "Harley Quinn and Suicide Squad April Fools Special" who seems to be the "missing link", but not strong enough (no character, except Harley, from her series appears here).
So far, I have two thoeries. Even the Harley series take place in the future of the current Suicide Squad team (and a lot of things, because yes, Joker is in this volume) and before the Rebirth Suicide Squad series... Or, it is just a crazy alternate universe (and the "Harley's Little Black Book" and "Haley Quinn and Power Girl" series seem to confirm that, mostly).
About Telos, the promises of this book are not what I excepted, and it was, at best, like a poor Convergence spin off with a little action pack with (sometimes) cools characters in it...
And I am sorry for my poor english ! I can't edit my post... xD
DeleteI'm not so obsessed as to really worry about Harley's continuity. Given that the trades contain Futures End and etc. tie-ins, I put the books on the DC TPB Timeline, but I'm not concerned about contradictory presentations of Harley. I wouldn't say the Harley series takes place in the future of Suicide Squad, but rather they both "take place" at the same time and don't match up and that's OK. I'm simply curious whether the writers will make some reference to the Joker's appearance in Harley taking place during "Endgame" or such, or if they'll dodge the question entirely -- or, if it's maybe not Joker in one way or another, which is what I really presume.
DeleteThere's no link at all with Endgame, not even a mention of it (that's why I, prefer to consider it in an another universe, for now, but it's just me, you are right to put it in your TPB timeline, I am not here to judge that). And it is really the Joker (obviously). But you will check that yourself I presume ! :)
DeleteI'm sure I'll get to it; I've been enjoying the Harley trades more each time.
DeletePer Dan Didio, there isn't going to be an Earth 2 Rebirth. I will continue on as normal, without renumbering.
ReplyDeleteDo you have the link? I'm curious to read that.
Deletehttps://twitter.com/dandidio1/status/720571831514722304
DeleteThat's just weird. Not restarting the numbering on one book while restarting the numbering on the rest (Action and Detective being wholly separate situations). Could this be an indication of Earth 2 being cancelled shortly after Rebirth or relaunched as another title?
DeleteCould be. Sales for Earth 2: Society haven't been very good. I wouldn't be surprised to see if get cancelled, especially if the rumors of the JSA could over into the main continuity are true.
DeleteI feel like DC's trades have been just confusing lately. I can't tell if they know what they're doing, or just rushing these trades to get to Rebirth by the end of the year. All I know is Green Lantern Vol 8 is incoming, and after a fantastic Vol 7 I can't wait to finish this series.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear Green Lantern Vol. 7 is good. I have liked Venditti and Tan's work, but the 1990s trenchcoat look for Hal Jordan is off-putting, so I'm happy to hear good things are in store. I'll get to it soon.
DeleteThe design is weird, I'll admit that. Heck I'm still getting used to long haired Jordan, but overall everything that I've liked from Venditti's run is really strong in this volume. The only thing that's a psudo-negative for me is his interpretation of Black Hand. I didn't like him in vol 6, and while he's less the focus of v7 it's still weird to see him like a cartoonish lunatic. Unless that's what he's supposed to be....my only interpretation I have of him is from Blackest Night.
DeleteGiven page count for Robin: Solo suggests that Showcase issues are in it and I don't expect anything else. That book and the next one will have other problems with issues without beginning or ending. That could be solved with about 20 additional pages, but I suspect DC won't do it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel going from JLA #69 to #70 without the issues in between is a huge mistake. Superman #74 (also written and drawn by Dan Jurgens, so not out of place in this book) features the League heavily and is the second part of JLA vs. Doomsday and the decimation of current line-up. It really needs to be in the book. It ends on a cliffhanger, but first few pages from next part (Adventures of Superman #497 IIRC) would resolve it. Maxima later shows up to fight Doomsday, but the way JLA #70 starts it's like it didn't happen. So, yeah, with that one Jurgens issue and couple of pages from the other the book will work much better than going straight from #69 to #70.
This is inconsistent, but I don't mind if the Robin trade just contains parts of stories (I don't expect them to include all of Knightsquest or Knightsend) and I don't mind if the Justice League book lacks the Superman issues. At the same time, I'd very much mind if the Superman book lacked Justice League #69. The difference between a trade collecting a series versus a trade collecting a storyline, maybe, even if Death of Superman was kind-of, sort-of one series?
DeleteI'm not asking for whole Knightsquest or Knightsend or Prodigal, those Robin issues are more often stand-alone than not. They just need 2 pages here to solve a cliffhanger or 4 pages there as a lead-in.
DeleteThe fact that volume 9 of Batman won't include the final issue from Snyder and Capullo is pretty annoying. With that series I bought single issues and sold them after each arc, later buying the hardcovers. That last arc just sold on ebay days ago, and after learning about #51 being in volume 10 I'm regretting selling that issue. I'm not going to buy into that cash grab and will just spend $4 to rebuy #51 instead of $20 for volume 10. I also still have the Detective 27 story in the free issue from a couple years ago so no dice, DC.
ReplyDeleteI wondered at some point if it would be a Fables-type situation, where the last issue was trade-sized, but that's not the case. I'll be curious to see how that last trade shakes out; I'd like to think something else is in the works rather than it just being a collection of two-three issues.
DeleteI've been thinking about doing this lately, selling my comics to upgrade in trade. Do you have any tips?
DeleteCody, check the "sold" box on ebay after you do your search to get an idea of what your stuff is worth. It's going to vary on what you have. My Saga and Batman comics got me a lot while some of the common series didn't even get me a dollar for each issue. The recent Hawkeye arc only got me half of the retail price. If you like to shop for trades on one of the discount websites that are about half off it doesn't make it so bad. If you continue to buy monthly and want to sell those after you read them, I'd recommend selling them by the story arc like I do. I don't have the patience to sell them individually for a couple of bucks at a time.
Delete