DC Trade Solicitations for March 2023 - Absolute Superman for All Seasons, Batman: One Bad Day: Riddler and Box Set, Jurassic League, Superman 85th Anniversary and Space Age, Justice League Vol. 3 by Bendis, Shazam!: Power of Hope, Blood Syndicate
Y’know, a little of this, a little of that in the DC Comics March 2023 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations. Couple of regular series collections I’ll be getting — Tina Howard’s next Catwoman and the final volumes and/or final volumes of the current creative teams in Detective Comics Vol. 4, Future State: Gotham Vol. 3, and Brian Michael Bendis' Justice League Vol. 3. But nothing I’d call earth-shattering.
Honestly, just based on the scuttlebutt, the one I’m most excited about here is Batman — One Bad Day: The Riddler. Yes a whole 'other series of one-shots about Batman’s rogues seems a bit of creative bankruptcy (Lex Luthor is over crying in a corner how nobody loves him), letting alone then re-releasing said one-shots apparently completely unaltered as a series of hardcovers, but I like a lot of the teams on these and there’s been some good words coming out about them, so consider me intrigued. Also Mark Russell and Mile Allred on Superman: Space Age sounds like a ton of fun.
So let’s get into it and check out the full list. Also I have just done this.
• Absolute Superman for All Seasons
A story well-deserved of an Absolute edition, all the more meaningful with the untimely death of Tim Sale. This includes not only the four issue miniseries, but also Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s work from Superman #226, Superman/Batman #26, Solo #1, and Superman/Batman Secret Files 2003 #1 as well as forewords by Loeb and Richard Starkings.
• Batman — One Bad Day Box Set
If I’m reading this right, what you get for $45 is just the hardcover reprinting of Batman: One Bad Day: Riddler (by Tom King and Mitch Gerads; I’ve heard it’s good) and a new printing of Batman: The Killing Joke and that’s it, and then the box is big enough to hold the rest of the hardcovers when they’re released later on. Which is … unusual, and also I’m exceptionally curious how they will package this so the semi-empty box doesn’t get crushed in transit.
• Batman — One Bad Day: The Riddler
So it seems like DC intends to take each of the "Batman: One Bad Day" 64-page one-shots and re-release them as individual hardcovers. The page count says 88 pages, but the solicitation doesn't suggest, like, some classic story included, so maybe that's just the title page and variant covers. By Tom King and Mitch Gerads; reviews have been positive.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 4: Riddle Me This
Issues #1059–1061 by Mariko Tamaki and marking the end of Tamaki’s run on the series, ahead of Ram V. Said to also include the “Gotham Girl, Interrupted,” backup stories by Sina Grace and David Lapham.
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
Paperback of the comprehensive collection, including Batman #112-117, Batman Secret Files: The Gardener #1, Batman Secret Files: Peacekeeper #1, Batman Secret Files: Miracle Molly #1, Batman: Fear State: Alpha #1, and Batman: Fear State: Omega #1. In review I found this a better way to read "Fear State", though still somewhat lacking.
In hardcover, the first collection of the relaunched series by Geoffrey Thorne and ChrisCross.
• Catwoman Vol. 2: Cat International
Second volume by Tini Howard, in paperback in May.
• Duo
Hardcover collection of the six-issue Duo Milestone miniseries by Greg Pak and Khoi Pham, reimagining the classic Xombi series as part of the new Milestone's "Earth-M" line.
Comedy young readers graphic novel by Jim Benton.
• Future State: Gotham Vol. 3: Batmen at War
In paperback in April, the final Future State: Gotham collection by Dennis Culver, collecting issues #13-18.
Daniel Warren Johnson and Juan Gedeon’s inspired Justice-League-as-dinosaurs miniseries, in hardcover in April.
• Justice League Vol. 1: Prisms
In paperback in April, following the hardcover, and collecting Brian Michael Bendis' issues #59–63.
• Justice League Vol. 3: Leagues of Chaos
Brian Michael Bendis' final Justice League issues. Said to be issues #72-74 and the Justice League 2022 Annual.
• Legends of the Dark Knight: José Luis GarcÃa-López
In hardcover in April and said to collect Batman #272, #311, #313, #314, #318, #321, #336-337, and #353, Batman '66: The Lost Episode #1, Batman Confidental #26-28, Batman: Family #3, Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table #1-2, Batman: Gotham Knights #10, Batman: Reign of Terror #1, DC Comics Presents #31 and #41, DC Special Series #21, Detective Comics #454, #458-459, #483, and #487, Best of the Brave and the Bold #1-6, Brave and the Bold #164 and #171, Joker #4, Untold Legend of the Batman #1-3, and World's Finest Comics #244, #255, and #258.
• The Phantom Stranger Omnibus
This was previously announced in DC Comics Fall 2020 solicitations in March 2020, so not entirely surprising it never made it to print. Next scheduled for November 2022, now it's pushed to August 2023. Sorry, but I'll believe it when I see it. Contents said to be The Phantom Stranger #1-6 (1952), The Phantom Stranger #1-41 (1969), stories from Saga of the Swamp Thing #1-13, Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #18, Brave and the Bold #89, #98, and #145, Showcase #80, Justice League of America #103, House of Secrets #150, DC Super-Stars #18, Secret Origins #10, and DC Comics Presents #25 and #72.
In time for the movie, new hardcover printing of the illustrated prose story by Paul Dini and Alex Ross.
• Shazam!: The Monster Society of Evil
Also in time for the movie, in hardcover, collecting the four-issue miniseries by Jeff Smith.
• Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 1: The Truth
Paperback collection of the first six issues by Tom Taylor and John Timms, following the hardcover. I enjoyed this one, realizing all the potential of the Infinite Frontier era.
I don't know what this is, except it's Mark Russell and Mike Allred, it takes place during Crisis on Infinite Earths, and it seems to follow Superman through U.S. history. I'm in. In hardcover collecting the three-issue miniseries.
• Superman: The 85th Anniversary Collection
Said to collect Action Comics (vol. 1) #1–2, #23, #60, #182, #305, #395, #473, #643, #732; Action Comics (vol. 2) #7; Superman (vol. 1) #1, #30, #65, #133, #167, #287, #400; Superman (vol. 2) #1, #81; Superman (vol. 5) #18; Superman: The Man of Steel #1; Superman Confidential #1; World’s Finest Comics #176; DC Comics Presents #26; and Superman: Rebirth #1. Also, a 10-issue Superman miniseries by Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan? I’m there from the first white-text-on-black-box scene title.
Collects America's Best Comics Special, Smax #1-5, Top Ten #1-12, Top Ten: The Forty-Niners, Top Ten: Beyond the Farthest Precinct #1-5, and Top Ten: Season 2 #1-4 and Top Ten: Season 2 Special by Alan Moore, Zander Cannon, and Gene Ha.
Goodness, I'm getting nothing here. Absolutely nothing. Gonna pass on Bendis's JL run since it appears DC is doing the same. I will be buying around 5 Marvel books this month, so . . . What's going on DC?
ReplyDeleteI might wait for paperback on Jurassic League, but the promise of a "Dinosaur Darkseid" might be too much for this Fourth World junkie... plus an unexpected cameo in Dark Crisis leads me to believe DC may double-down on their dino-namic duo.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little surprised the Phantom Stranger omnibus omits Mignola's four-issue mini, but that's what the floppies are for. And I'm tempted to upgrade my Top 10 volumes for the compendium, but my trades are autographed by Xander Cannon. What's a fan to do?!
Superman Space Age is one of my comics of the year so far. I didn't know what to expect (besides beautiful Allred art). I assumed it would be Allred's take on Pre-Crisis Superman, then the first few pages I thought I was looking at the Infinite Frontier everything is canon Superman from Morrison's Superman/Authority's backstory and then a few pages later realized we are actually just in Allred is doing whatever story he wants elseworlds territory and I dig it so far. hoping it sticks the landing but regardless the art is so good I'll pick up the hardcover no matter what.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a blast. Looking forward to it!
DeleteIt appears to be a 5G initial project using the idea that everyone actually aged from their first appearance but it was too good/too far along to not publish.
DeleteI am definitely getting the Captain Marvel power of hope book. I have become a bit of a Marvel fan and I love to get some classic stories.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely picking up that Absolute Superman For All Seasons! I only had the original collected edition and missed out on the deluxe hardcover they did later. Pretty excited for the larger format and the extra issues they are including.
ReplyDeleteFor the incomplete box that you fill later, I think I remember them doing this before for something (not Watchmen). Maybe DK3?
As always thank you for putting these lists together and adding your helpful notes -- happy holidays!
Yeah, I already open the Deluxe HC for All Seasons, but the Absolute Edition *is* tempting.
DeleteHeh, it'd look nice on my shelf next to Loeb's other Absolutes.
Happy holidays to you, Dan! Thanks as always to everyone who takes the time to leave a comment.
DeleteLooks like DC forgot to publish the Batman issues between Joker War and Fear State in paperback. Or did I miss the "Ghost Stories" and "Cowardly Lot" paperbacks?
ReplyDeleteIt very much seems, with Tynion leaving and etc., that DC is only going to paperback for the events — Joker War and Fear State — and releasing Ghost Stories and Cowardly Lot solely as hardcovers.
DeleteI don't think DC understands what a "box set" is. The "set" part is vastly more important than the "box" part.
ReplyDeleteExactly! I'm wondering, is the Killing Joke volume large enough to pad out the box, and then you'd substitute with the One Bad Day books? (I wouldn't think any Killing Joke printings would be large enough.) Or will there be styrofoam in the box to pad it out, or heaven forbid, paper?! I'm imagining these boxes, crushed and unsellable, sitting mournfully on the Barnes and Noble shelves. (And, if this whole thing works, how long until we see printings of Batman: One Bad Day: The Joker — the book formerly known as The Killing Joke?)
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