Sure are a lot of books in the DC Comics May 2023 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations. Of course, most of those are the hardcovers of the Batman — One Bad Day one-shots, but still, a lot of books nonetheless! (I kid, but the more I see the creative teams on these One Bad Day books, the more interested I am in them.)
Two unexpected volumes in these listings, when “unexpected” doesn’t come around all that much any more. One is Crisis on Multiple Earths Book 3: Countdown to Crisis, continuing and finishing DC’s reprinting of the “Crisis on Multiple Earths” JLA/JSA/etc. crossover stories. Books like these — indeed, collections series in general, and collections series of older stories in specific — have a tendency to fall off before they’re done, so I’m glad to see this one make it.
The other one, which I never would have guessed, is Superman: Camelot Falls: The Deluxe Edition. Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, and Jesus Merino are a team with a following, and I would guess the reprint now has mainly to do with Pacheco’s recent death. Not a bad story, not a great story, though certainly well drawn, and I’m mildly curious how it might hold up in a reread.
For regular continuity I’ve got my eye on Mark Waid’s Batman vs. Robin and the Flash Dark Crisis tie-in trade. Also Dan Watter’s Sword of Azrael. On the Black Label side we’ve got Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke’s Swamp Thing: Green Hell; on the “got a spare $500 to spend” side is this bonkers shelf for leather-bound Sandman volumes shaped like Morpheus' helmet.
So, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Let’s take a look at the full list.
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
• Absolute Batman: The Court of Owls (2023 Edition)
New printing of the Absolute-size collection of the New 52 Batman #1–11 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, with extras.
• Absolute Preacher Vol. 2 (2023 Edition)
New printing of the Absolute, collecting issues #27–40 and the specials Saint of Killers, Cassidy: Blood and Whiskey, One Man’s War, The Good Old Boys, and The Story of You-Know-Who, with an introduction by TV Preacher’s Graham McTavish.
• Absolute Transmetropolitan Vol. 2 (2023 Edition)
New printing of the Absolute collects issues #19–39 and the Filth of the City special.
• Batman — One Bad Day Box Set
All eight Batman — One Bad Day hardcovers, plus a “special edition” of Batman: The Killing Joke. I am amazed, really amazed, there’s no push to rename Killing Joke to “Batman — One Bad Day: Joker” for the purposes of this series. Interestingly, I don’t see online the box set solicited back for March that contained just Batman — One Bad Day: Riddler and the Killing Joke volume, which did indeed seem a little silly — but then again this box set isn’t necessarily showing online either, so who knows?
Another of the One Bad Day one-shots in hardcover, in July 2023, by Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter (responsible together for some of Williamson's best issues on Flash).
• Batman — One Bad Day: Catwoman
In hardcover in June 2023 by G. Willow Wilson and Jamie McKelvie.
• Batman — One Bad Day: Clayface
In hardcover in early August by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Xermanico.
• Batman — One Bad Day: Mr. Freeze
Arriving in hardcover in May 2023 by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Scalero.
• Batman — One Bad Day: Ra's al Ghul
In hardcover August 15 by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis, and Danny Miki. Like, these flimsy one-shots-to-hardcovers, banking on the dubious reputation of Killing Joke, seemed like a mercenary cash grab at the outset, but some of the creative teams on these are really impressive. I’m exceptionally curious to see Tom Taylor’s idea of the quintessential Ra’s al Ghul story, among others.
Said to include Batman #1 and #355; Catwoman (1989) #1–4 (the Mindy Newell miniseries, also known as Catwoman: Her Sister’s Keeper); Catwoman (1993) #54 (by Devin Grayson and Jim Balent, I believe); Catwoman (2002) #25 (maybe by Ed Brubaker and Paul Gulacy); Catwoman Secret Files and Origins #1; and Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane #70–71.
In hardcover in July by Mark Waid, spinning out of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest and the latest Robin series.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 2: Fear State
Paperback, following the hardcover, of Mariko Tamaki and Dan Mora’s Detective Comics #1040–1046 and Batman: Secret Files: Huntress.
• Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City
In hardcover in July by Evan Narcisse and Abel, leading in to the Gotham Knights video game and apparently introducing Runaway, the Batman of the 1800s.
In hardcover in July, collecting the 10-issue miniseries by current Batman writer Chip Zdarsky with Carmine Di Giandomenico.
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Omnibus
Said to collect Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, plus “hundreds of pages” of extras and an introduction by Kevin Eastman.
• Crisis on Multiple Earths Book 3: Countdown to Crisis
Collects All-Star Squadron #14–15 and Justice League of America #171–172, #183–185, #196–197, #207–209, which finishes out the fifth and sixth volumes of the original Crisis on Multiple Earths collections. The solicitation calls this the final volume of this collections series, so I don’t think DC will be re-collecting the Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups issues, but still it’s nice to see the original Crisis on Multiple Earths books get some life again.
• DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War Part 1
In hardcover in July, collecting DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War #1–3 and the DC vs. Vampires: Hunters one-shot. Presumably Part 2 will have the last three issues of All-Out War plus the Killers special.
• DC: Mech
In hardcover in July, collecting the six-issue miniseries by Kenny Porter and Baldemar Rivas.
Whole bunch of zombie goodness in this one, bringing together paperbacks of Tom Taylor’s DCeased, DCeased: Unkillables, DCeased: Dead Planet, DCeased: Hope at World’s End, and DCeased: War of the Undead God.
• Deathstroke Inc. Vol. 1: King of the Super-Villains
Paperback, following the hardcover, and collecting issues #1–7 and a Black Canary story from Batman: Urban Legends #6.
• The Flash Vol. 18: The Search for Barry Allen
In paperback in late June. Collects issues #780–789, so both the War for Earth-3 crossover and the Dark Crisis tie-ins, ending just before “One-Minute War.”
• Green Lantern Corps by Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason Omnibus Vol. 1
I don’t even think this is such a controversial thing to say any more — Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s Green Lantern Corps was often as good, if not better, than the Geoff Johns' contemporaneous Green Lantern. Often nail-biting, often bloody, this is a run that assuredly deserves an omnibus. Collects Green Lantern Corps: Recharge #1–5, Green Lantern Corps #1–3 and #7–38, Green Lantern #21–25, Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps Special #1, and stories from Showcase ’95 #7–8 (Tomasi on Mongul; how about that for a blast from the past!), Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1–3, and Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1. Includes one of my favorite stories perhaps ever, Tomasi and Gleason's Green Lantern Corps: Emerald Eclipse.
Collects issues #7–12 of the Tom King/Greg Smallwood miniseries. I thought I remembered hearing about an additional special or ancillary miniseries, but now I can’t find anything about it. Holding out for the complete deluxe collection.
Issues #1–5 in paperback, following the hardcover. I reviewed John Ridley’s I Am Batman earlier this year.
• The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox
Paperback, following the hardcover, of the mystery series by Matthew Rosenberg and Jesus Merino. I really wanted to like Puzzlebox when I reviewed it last October, but I was very disappointed.
Collects the six-issue miniseries by Tini Howard, Blake Howard, Gleb Melnikov, and Max Raynor.
• The Sandman: Morpheus Helm Masterpiece Edition
Like, what? Sometimes you just have to let the solicitation speak for itself. At $500, this is “six exclusive leather-bound, foil-embossed hardcovers and a custom sculpted book stand resembling Morpheus’s helm.” The volumes, including Sandman #1–75, both editions of Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Sandman: Endless Nights, and Sandman: Overture apparently “fit perfectly in the intricately carved book stand that features a highly detailed bone snout and riveted exterior.” Here, go look at pictures. Also, check out an “original piece of epistolary fiction* from the world of The Sandman — written by Neil Gaiman”! (*That’s a fictional letter, kids.)
Paperback, following the hardcover, of the Black Label miniseries by Brian Azzarello and Alex Maleev. Weird, controversial, and interesting, I reviewed Suicide Squad: Get Joker! in September of last year.
• Superman: Camelot Falls: The Deluxe Edition
I tell you what, “Camelot Falls” was nowhere on my DC trades Bingo card. I reviewed Superman: Camelot Falls Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 over 15 years ago; I recall that in the wake of Infinite Crisis, Camelot Falls was Kurt Busiek’s new-classic take on Superman, an everyman Clark Kent with such Silver Age-y powers as “super-reading.” Plenty readable, better in the beginning more than the end, though it paled in comparison to Geoff Johns' Superman: Last Son and his other Action Comics work of the time. This seems assuredly in tribute to the book's artist, Carlos Pacheco, who died in 2022, and I wonder if Busiek’s new introduction will address the same.
Finally, the collection of Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke’s three-issue, Black Label Swamp Thing: Green Hell, coming in August. Really looking forward to this one.
Wow, who’d have thought we’d ever have a new Sword of Azrael miniseries? And not even Batman branded. Collects the Batman: Urban Legends stories as well as the miniseries proper by Dan Watters and Nikola Cizmesija, in paperback in July.
• Teen Titans Go! Box Set 2: The Hungry Games
Includes Teen Titans Go! Vol. 4: Smells Like Teen Titans Spirit, Teen Titans Go! Vol. 5: Falling Stars, and Teen Titans Go!: Weirder Things.
• Teen Titans Series Connecting Cover Editions
These books by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo still making waves. This is Teen Titans: Raven, Teen Titans: Beast Boy, Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven, and Teen Titans: Robin, reprinted in August with connecting covers.
• The Unwritten Compendium One
What I’d say is an often-overlooked Vertigo series by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, this collects issues #1–30 plus the graphic novel The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice.
• Young Alfred: Pain in the Butler
DC YA graphic novel about young Alfred solving a mystery at Gotham Servants School, by Michael Northrop and Sam Lotfi.
In paperback in July, collecting the final(?) six-issue animated-series tie-in comic by Greg Weisman and Christopher Jones.
Pretty healthy slate!
ReplyDeleteWanted to throw in two cents on a few things:
- I'm surprised the Batman/TMNT omnibus isn't including the six-issue "Adventures" mini, which united the animated universes. It has a pretty zany moment where they imply that Scarecrow's new costume from TNBA is a direct result of his encounter with the Turtles. Wild stuff.
- Human Target had a one-shot, "Tales of the Human Target," that I would hope gets collected - if not in the two-volume set, possibly in a Deluxe Edition down the road. It had art from Greg Smallwood, yes, but also Rafael Albuquerque, Mikel Janin, and Kevin Maguire (especially exciting, given the book's JLI proximity).
- Sword of Azrael is fascinating, because it does a particularly bugnuts update to the origins of St. Dumas. It also brings in Father Valley from Ram V's Catwoman and Vengeance from Tynion's Joker.
I didn't know Carlos died. That is sad news. May he RIP
ReplyDeleteI'll probably be picking up the DCeased set & Camelot Falls. I really wish that whole era of Superman would get reprinted. I was in middle school and reading Superman and Action monthly from Infinite Crisis through New Krypton years later. While I like Johns' Superman I always thought it was unfair how Last Son and Brainiac seem to get reprinted every year but Busiek's run has drifted into relative obscurity. Also, while it's not great, where the hell is a Superman Family New Krypton omnibus? there's hardly any Supes omnibuses out there and that'd make a nice couple volume set between the superman, supergirl, Mon el stuff. regardless I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed DCeased. Its a gimmicky comic but I just read all of it up to now digitally this weekend and it's better than I expected.
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago Unwritten was collected in the traditional Vertigo oversized hardcover format, but was cancelled before volume 2 came out. Extremely frustrating. They released volume two on Kindle but stopped there. Let's home the Compendium, even if it's...bleh...paperback...sticks around
ReplyDeleteI thought this version of Crisis on Multiple Earth trades might get to JLA 219, 220, 231 and 232. Guess not. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks for pulling this together. I have to say, I am really experiencing Batman fatigue at this point. DC seems to mainly focusing on Batman (because...I understand...he sells books). Not much to look forward to other than the GLC omni....which I agree is an incredible run and it's about time that it is collected. I enjoyed it more than the main Geoff Johns GL run. The only other book is Swamp Thing by Jeff Lemire.....a writer that always writes an entertaining story.
ReplyDelete