We’re slipping back a little in terms of DC’s output for the May 2022 hardcover and trade paperback collections solicitations — in four weeks, just six regular series collections. Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to all of them, but this is what we’ve got: Nightwing: Fear State, Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Fear State, Checkmate, Green Lantern Vol. 2: Horatius, Justice League Dark: The Great Wickedness, and Flash Vol. 16: Wally West Returns. Now that Fables is back, maybe that should be my next big reread?
Otherwise, the name of the game this month is all Black Adam, all the time — Black Adam: Rise and Fall of an Empire, Black Adam: The Dark Age, and Black Adam/JSA: Black Reign. If the movie is successful, might DC do a Black Adam ongoing series? Would it work?
And then two one-offs I might check out, Justice League Infinity and Justice League: Last Ride. Anyone been reading Last Ride? Is it any good?
But hey, I guess any month DC is still publishing is a good month. (Oh, and Dark Crisis! And another new Tom King miniseries, Danger Street! And a Ram V Black Label Aquaman miniseries!) Let’s take a look at the full list.
New collection of the omnibus by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid. The previous edition collected 52 issues #1-52 though not the DC: World War III tie-in miniseries; still no word whether this will be the same or different.
• Absolute Swamp Thing by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson
Swamp Thing's first appearance in House of Secrets #92 and Swamp Thing #1-13, in Absolute format.
In hardcover in July, collecting the miniseries by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Fear State
In hardcover in July, collecting Detective Comics #1041-1056 (previously solicited as #1040-1046) and Batman Secret Files: Huntress #1 by Mariko Tamaki and company. A little bird tells me those recent Secret Files should all be getting their own collection soon.
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
• Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two
Issues #1-7 of the second “season” (plus a story from Tis the Season to Be Freezin') by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Ty Templeton, and others, this time bringing the Court of Owls to Batman: The Animated Series.
• Batman: The Court of Owls Mask and Book Set
Why is this back out? I mean, great story, but is there something new about the Owls out there other than this month's Batman: The Adventures Continue book? A paperback of Scott Snyder's Batman #1-7 with a Court of Owls mask.
• Batman: The Deluxe Edition Book 6
Collects the end of Tom King's Batman run, issues #70-85, the Batman Annual #4, and Batman Secret Files #2.
I think many will be happy to see the collections of the first Birds of Prey series continuing. This is issues #104–112, marking the end of Gail Simone’s run (for this iteration of the series) and the start of Tony Bedard’s. Simone’s Secret Six appear a couple of times.
• Black Adam: Rise and Fall of an Empire
This would be kind of a double-dip purchase for me, but at the same time I’m very curious how it’ll read. Essentially this is just the Black Adam material from the 52 weekly series, said to collect stories from 52 #1–3, 6–10, 12–16, 18–26, 29–34, 36–40, 43–50, and 52. It has been a while since I read 52 but I feel like the stories were very interwoven, especially toward the end, and I wonder to what extent a cogent story can be told with just the Black Adam parts and not the Elongated Man or Question parts. At the same time, I’m now very interested in a Pulp Fiction-esque set of interweaving 52 collections, this one with all the Black Adam material, that one with all the Question Renee Montoya material, and so on.
• Black Adam: The Dark Age (New Edition)
New printing of the six-issue miniseries by Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke, in paperback next July. I reviewed Black Adam: The Dark Age some 10 years ago.
• Black Adam/JSA: Black Reign (New Edition)
New edition of JSA Vol. 8: Black Reign, which collected JSA #56–58 and Hawkman #23–25. Apparently getting a movie gives Black Adam top billing in the JSA's own book. I reviewed JSA: Black Reign some 15 years ago.
In paperback in June, collecting the six-issue miniseries by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, plus the Leviathan Dawn special. The solicitation calling this "the sequel to the ... mystery that upended the DC Universe" is maybe a bit of wishful thinking, but I'm excited for this anyway.
• The Flash Vol. 16: Wally West Returns
Collects Flash #763-771 and the 2021 annual, which is the four interstitial issues (#763-766) by Kevin Shinick in between the end of Joshua Williamson's run and the end of Dark Nights: Death Metal and the start of the Infinite Frontier era; the second part of "Endless Winter" (#767) by Andy Lanning and Ron Marz (which is Flash-centric enough that it could be included, or not), and five Wally West-centric issues by new ongoing writer Jeremy Adams (#768-771 and the annual).
• Green Lantern Vol. 2: Horatius
In paperback in June, this is Green Lantern #5-12 and the 2021 annual (almost 300 pages!) by Geoffrey Thorne with Tom Raney and others.
• Justice League Dark: The Great Wickedness
Collects the Justice League Dark backup stories from Justice League #59-71 and the Justice League Dark 2021 annual, by Ram V and company.
In paperback in June, collecting the seven-part series based on Justice League Unlimited.
In paperback in June, collecting the seven-issue miniseries by Chip Zdarsky and Miguel Mendonca. Is this good? Should I be interested in it?
By Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo, this collects Nightwing #84-86 (previously solicited as #84-88), the Nightwing 2021 annual, and the Nightwing/Batgirls story from Batman: Urban Legends #10, in hardcover and tying in to the "Fear State" event.
In hardcover, collecting issues #1-6 of the new Static series by Vita Ayala and Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0.
• Superman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 7
Includes Action Comics #126-147 (previously solicited as #125-143), Superman #55-65, and World’s Finest Comics #37-47.
• Tales From the DC Dark Multiverse II
In paperback, following the hardcover (which I just recently reviewed), this is the Dark Multiverse takes on Batman: Hush, Flashpoint, Wonder Woman: War of the Gods, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and Dark Nights: Metal.
• Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend
YA graphic novel by Alys Arden and Jacquelin de Leon.
Glad that the Tom King Batman run is getting the proper treatment to close it out.
ReplyDeleteSame. I have a feeling it's also because BATMAN/CATWOMAN is close to wrapping, so we should be seeing the collection later this year. People can thus go from the final Tom King Deluxe HC right into the coda.
DeleteI'm also hoping this is a sign that we'll see the Flash Deluxe HCs will resume, too.
I've hated how they stopped after only reprinting the first 1/3 of Williamson's run -- although given how he's hot stuff right now, I have a feeling we'll be seeing the Williamson Flash re-printed in an omnibus format somewhere down the road (ala Johns and Manapul/Buccellato).
Actually...does anyone know WHY it was DC suddenly stopped publishing the Deluxe HCs? Never heard a satisfactory explanation.
Not sure why they stopped the deluxe editions (poor sales perhaps. They stopped the Flash and Green Arrow as well as others....discontinuing the line. I know that I would definitely get a Flash omnibus by Williamson, as I think he did a stellar job on his run.
DeleteYeah, Williamson's run is by no means perfect. But it's definitely my favorite of the post-Final Crisis Barry Allen runs.
DeleteHeh, if Jeremy Adams wasn't kicking ass with my boy Wally on the book right now, I'd have been content to bow out from the Flash for the foreseeable future. So I'm likewise interested in getting the Williamson run in an omnibus format should DC go down that road.
And I'd completely forgotten they stopped with the Percy HCs, too. That's a damm shame, as it's tied with Lemire and Sorrentino's Green Arrow as my favorite modern Oliver Queen run.
To the Tom King sentiment — I know his work is polarizing among a certain segment of the fandom, but as someone who likes what he does, I feel absolutely spoiled by all the King material coming out in the next year — years, even! Batman/Catwoman, Supergirl, Human Target, Batman: Killing Time, Danger Street ... it's fantastic. Good on DC just doing more and more King miniseries.
DeleteYeah, I really enjoyed King's DCR Batman run. I thought it was the right kind of run to follow the Snyder and Capullo era.
DeleteBATMAN/CATWOMAN, though, has been frustrating as all hell to follow (between the nonlinear storytelling and the Doomsday Clock-esque delays). It's still good if you enjoyed the DCR Batman, but I think it'll play better in the collected format.
Speaking of Black Label Projects for DCR alums, I'm REALLY excited for Williamson and Leomacs' upcoming Rogues mini-series.
Yes! So much good coming from Black Label — Jeff Lemire on Swamp Thing, Ram V on Aquaman. Dare I say the best things DC is doing these days are outside continuity?
DeleteYeah, I still miss Vertigo. But it definitely feels like the Black Label imprint's finally found its groove.
DeleteI'm especially excited for Doug Mahnke getting a crack at Swampy with Lemire. Should bring back fun memories of his Frankenstein.
In some respect it's like a return to the "Suggested for Mature Readers" pre-Vertigo days, when you could get books like Mike Grell's Green Arrow that were "mature" but used the DC characters. So much became off-limits with Vertigo (and DC got pretty cautious for a while), but at this point we've got Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash (Rogues), and Aquaman Black Label books already out or forthcoming. That's a great turn of events for DC.
DeleteWondered about the Court of Owls pack being reissued as well - maybe they are alluded to in the forthcoming film?
ReplyDeleteRobert Pattinson very recently name-dropped it as a story he'd read and would like to see adapted in the future.
Although it would be a bit of a clanger to drop so soon!
Very excited to see the Len Wein original run of Swamp Thing get the Absolute treatment.
ReplyDeleteMe too. Len Wein Swamp Thing run is criminally overlooked. He created Swampy and paved the way for Alan Moore to take over years later.
DeleteThis one is a must buy. Agreed that this run needs more attention.....just classic evergreen (pun intended) stories that one can read over and over again.
DeleteThank you as always for pulling this together.
DeleteI have to say, slim pickings at DC this month (and that seems to be a pattern). As you said, any month that DC is still publishing is a good one. There is so much uncertainty about DC's future in terms of publishing......what with the Discovery takeover. It seems to be a pretty chaotic time for the publisher.
That being said, I am looking forward to a handful of books like the Swamp Thing Absolute, The Justice League book by Chip Zdarsky (who has quickly become a writer (along with Ram V) that I buy books on solely based on their name. The JL Dark trade. Green Lantern and Flash are the other books I will get..
I'm getting a bit of Batman fatigue as there are so many Batman books that DC is releasing lately, and the character is everywhere, so not sure if I will pick up any of the other Batman books.....maybe Batman 89 as I have heard good things about it.....
This pre-"when Swamp Thing was a big deal" collection still gives me hope we'll get cut-down trades of the pre-Grant Morrison Doom Patrol, though I recognize that's got a much smaller profile than Len Wein Swamp Thing.
DeleteCheckmate, Birds of Prey, and JL: Last Ride are it this month. Once again, DC screws up my shelf by putting out Checkmate in SC after releasing the first Event Leviathan collection in HC. I've been loving Zdarsky's DD run, so I have high hopes for JL:LR even though I know basically nothing about it and haven't looked for a single review. I think that BoP contents will get updated - aren't they behind one volume?
ReplyDeleteOkay, so the BoP contents and solicitation description do match, but there's still a one-trade gap between Fighters by Trade and Whitewater. That seems like a huge dropped ball, right? What is going on?
DeleteThat is weird, isn't it? Surely Secret Six isn't such a big draw that they'd skip a Birds storyline with fewer guest stars for one with more? Is Black Canary's wedding the draw maybe?
DeleteI read all of Last Ride yesterday, I actually really liked it. I expected from the title and the first issue a grim and dark story but it isn't that. It's out of continuity but seems to take place in the current DCU (they mention the United Planets a few times) it's a solid, but a little predictable JLA story.
ReplyDeleteWhy did you expect grim and dark necessarily? Isn't Zdarsky's reputation as a comedic writer, or do I misunderstand?
DeleteIt's because of his current Daredevil run.
DeletePre-Daredevil, yes, Zdarsky's reputation was primarily more comedic stuff (ex. Howard the Duck). But even with stabs at more serious stuff here and there (Peter Parker: Spectacular Spider-Man), I think a lot of people were taken by surprise when he got selected as the post-Charles Soule caretaker of Hell's Kitchen.
Basically, it's the inverse of what happened when Mark Waid took over DD in 2011. That wasn't his usual bailiwick either and indeed, Waid went for a lighter, more fun tone -- though we quickly realized it was still dark and serious in its own way.
So, same basic scenario with Zdarsky's Daredevil. But for my money, Zdarsky's DD's been the best run on the book since Brubaker and Lark. It's why I'm absolutely excited that he's taking over Batman after Joshua Williamson exits this Summer.
And I definitely recommend Zdarsky's current Batman mini-series The Knight. I wasn't sure about retelling Bruce's sojourn abroad from the umpteenth time, but even with only 2 issues in, Zdarsky's found some genuinely interesting avenues to explore.
Ah, got it. I'm optimistic, as even many people online who say they left DC behind seem to be perking up for this. It does make Batman: The Knight more relevant all of the sudden, doesn't it?
Deleteyeah it was exactly that. I also really like his daredevil. I also figured with a title called last ride, it being out of continuity, and the first issue starting with the league disbanded, batman and superman aren't on speaking terms due to someone's death and it's a mystery who and what happened but they begrudgingly have to get the gang back together that it was going to end up being a final stand type of story.
DeleteYeah, I don't know how much The Knight is going to factor into his run. It would've plotted and pitched long before he got the got post-Williamson gig.
DeleteBut given we're only 1/5 of the way through its run, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Zdarsky still plants seeds in the later issues that will come into play down the road.
At the very least, it's a good litmus test for seeing how he'll approach Gotham. His Red Hood story last year in the Urban Legends anthology also is a good barometer.
So, Zdarskt's recent newsletter (https://zdarsky.substack.com/p/social-media-and-endings) has confirmed we were right last year: There ARE seeds he planted in THE KNIGHT which will be coming into play very soon in the main BATMAN book.
DeleteSo reading it in tandem with the run is definitely mandatory now.
Last Ride is very fun and squarely out of continuity. I say that both as a fan of Zdarsky and as an obsessive collector of all things Fourth World!
ReplyDelete