DC Trade Solicitations for March 2020 - Batman Vol. 12: City of Bane Part One, Last Knight on Earth by Snyder and Capullo, Superman: Up in the Sky by King and Kubert, New Gods by Conway, Batman/TMNT III, Joker: 80 Years
Mostly my buy list is the "regular series" trades — Tom King's next Batman and Peter Tomasi's next Detective Comics, the new Batman/Superman, the next Catwoman and Wonder Woman and Teen Titans. Aside from those, I'm interested of course in the next collaboration between Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Batman: Last Knight on Earth, the collection of post-Jack Kirby New Gods material by Gerry Conway, and the formerly-Walmart-exclusive Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert, which seems a pretty big deal just overshadowed by how it was released.
Anything on the list that I didn't mention that you're really looking forward to? Here it all is ...
• Batman Vol. 12: City of Bane Part One HC
The penultimate collection of Tom King's Batman, collecting issues #75-79.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 3: Greetings From Gotham HC
Issues #1006-1011 by Peter Tomasi with Doug Mahnke and others, guest-starring the Spectre.
• Batman: Kings of Fear TP
Paperback of the six-issue miniseries by Scott Peterson and Kelley Jones, previously in hardcover.
• Batman: Last Knight on Earth HC
Three-issue Black Label miniseries by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, due in hardcover in April.
• Batman/Superman Vol. 1: Who Are the Secret Six? HC
In hardcover, the first collection of Josuha Williamson's new series, spinning off of the Batman Who Laughs miniseries.
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III HC
Issues #1-6 by James Tynion and Freddie Williams.
• Catwoman Vol. 3: Friend or Foe? TP
Issues #14-19 by Joelle Jones, tying in to "Year of the Villain."
• DC First Issue Special HC
Issues #1-13 of DC's 1970s anthology series 1st Issue Special. Stories by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Walt Simonson, and Mike Grell, with characters like Atlas, Manhunter, Dingbats of Danger Steet, Warlord, Metamorpho, the Creeper, the New Gods, the Green Team, and Lady Cop.
• DC Poster Portfolio: Stanley "Artgerm" Lau Vol. 2 TP
Apparently the first one sold so well they're doing it again.
• Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds TP
Collects the entirety of Gerard Way's latest Doom Patrol series, with issues #1-7.
• Freedom Fighters: Rise of a Nation TP
Twelve-issue miniseries by Robert Venditti and Eddy Barrows (pretty glad they didn't split this up into two volumes).
• Green Lantern by Geoff Johns Book Three TP
Collects Green Lantern #18-25, Green Lantern Corps #14-18, Green Lantern Sinestro Corps Special #1, Tales of the Sinestro Corps: Superman Prime #1 and Green Lantern/Sinestro Corps: Secret Files #1, so pretty much all of the "Sinestro Corps War" story, give or take an issue or so (not Green Lantern Corps #19, for instance, but that might be outside this series' purview).
• The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime HC
Said to collect stories from the original Batman #1 to issues by Scott Snyder, Tony Daniel, and Paul Dini (who wrote an especially good one in Detective Comics #826 and I hope that's in here). In hardcover.
• The New Gods by Gerry Conway HC
Collects the late 1970s post-Kirby relaunch of New Gods, including 1st Issue Special #13, New Gods #12-19 by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, Adventure Comics #459-460 (the end of the previous series), Super-Team Family #15 (team-up with Flash), and Justice League of America #183-185 (New Gods, Justice League, and Justice Society).
• Shazam!: The World's Mightiest Mortal Vol. 2 HC
Collects Shazam! #19, #20, #25-35, and All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58 (Captain Marvel vs. Superman) from the 1970s, running parallel to the TV series; these are the final issues of that Shazam! comic. The issues skipped seem to have been reprints of stories from the 1940s-1950s. Creative teams include Elliot S! Maggin and E. Nelson Bridwell.
• Superman Smashes the Klan TP
Paperback of the three-issue miniseries for young readers by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru.
• Superman: The Golden Age Vol. 5 TP
World's Finest Comics #6-8, Superman #16-19, Action Comics #48-57.
• Superman: Up in the Sky HC
The Walmart-exclusive stories by Tom King and Andy Kubert. That's a strong team; though I might not ordinarily be so quick to nab a one-off out-of-continuity volume, I'm curious to read King's take on Superman outside of the Batman title.
• Tales of the Batman: Steve Englehart HC
What was previously solicited, I believe, as Legends of the Dark Knight: Steve Englehart is now "Tales of the Batman," collecting Detective Comics #439 and #469-476, Batman #311, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #109-111, Legends of the DC Universe #26-27 (Joker and Aquaman in a "Joker Fish" sequel), Batman: Dark Detective #1-6, and a story from Batman Chronicles #19.
• Teen Titans Vol. 3: Seek and Destroy TP
Issues #31-36 in the wake of the Terminus Agenda crossover with Deathstroke, now tying in to "Year of the Villain."
• Transmetropolitan Book Three TP
Issues #25-36 and a story from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #3, the fifth and sixth original trade paperbacks.
• Wonder Woman Vol. 2: Love Is a Battlefield HC
Wonder Woman #66-73 by G. Willow Wilson, in hardcover. Wilson's run goes to issue #81, so likely one more collection.
• Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Victories TP
Collects Wonder Woman #329 (final pre-Crisis issue; Diana marries Steve Trevor), Wonder Woman #9 (1987) (first post-Crisis Cheetah), Justice League #13-14 (2012) (New 52, Cheetah vs. Wonder Woman and Superman), Wonder Woman #10 (2017) (Rebirth "Year One" issue), Wonder Woman #24 (2017) (poignant issue with Veronica Cale and Steve Trevor), and Wonder Woman: Steve Trevor #1 (2017) (recent special). Clear to see how this would fit in bookstore table displays to tie in to the new movie.
• Young Justice Vol. 1: Gemworld TP
Paperback collecting issues #1-6, following the hardcover.
Batman: Last Knight on Earth (which I know I'll end up double dipping on in Snyder/Capullo omni v2 or whatever they call the Snyder omni it's in, but I'd like to read this sooner rather than later), Superman: Up in the Sky, and Superman/Batman v1 (I'm hanging in for the end of the Snyder/Tynion/Willamson ride, albeit a bit apprehensively). This might be the first month in a long time in which I see no archival collections I want at all (I'm still waiting for Batgirl: Cassandra Cain v4, but there are plenty of collections worth doing)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely getting the First Issue Special book just because it's weird 70s DC and I love that stuff. Also the New Gods and the Shazam book. I'm hoping there will be a vol 3 that has Captain Marvel's adventures from World's Finest (I think, or Adventure Comics). Tales of Batman Steve Engelhart because I missed out on the Marshall Rogers book a few years back.
ReplyDeleteAFA the new material, the Batman books, Young Justice, and then I'll just have to see.
When will they be collecting the current Geoff Johns/Dale Eaglesham Shazam book?!
ReplyDeleteA hardcover collecting the first six issues was originally slated for this month, but then it got cancelled. I suppose DC decided to collect the entire 12-issue "Shazam and the Seven Magic Lands" arc in a single volume instead of splitting it in two, but issue #12 hasn't been solicited yet. I expect to see that collection listed on the Fall 2020 catalog.
DeleteChiming in a bit late, but having read and liked a lot of Tom King's work (I think Grayson is the only one I haven't read yet) I feel that Superman Up in the Sky is his strongest work yet.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely among my top Superman stories so far, and if not for the early new 52 Grant Morrison run I would easily call Up in the Sky the decade's best Superman story.