Below I call the DC Comics July 2023 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations an “embarrassment of riches” given that we have both John Ridley’s GCPD: The Blue Wall and Tom King’s Gotham City: Year One coming out in the same month. No idea how these titles actually fare, but the concept and creative teams on each have caught my interest, so I’m hopeful. Not to mention DCeased: War of the Undead Gods, which is going to warrant a full rereading of the series.
No slouch on regular series collections either, including the final I Am Batman, as well as Batman Incorporated Vol. 1, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 2, Harley Quinn Vol. 4 with some recognition of her Suicide Squad time, the first volume of the next Joker series, and Superman: Kal-El Returns. Full month already!
Aaand, as we’ve been discussing, the long-awaited Joker War paperback collections are rolling out, including Detective Comics, Batgirl, and Nightwing. There’s the Batman Adventures Omnibus, the Batman: Under the Red Hood deluxe edition (including Red Hood: The Lost Years), and a few DC manga volumes, including Joker: One Operation Joker where the Joker raises a baby Batman, and Superman vs. Meshi, where Superman eats his way through Japan (this is a genre, I think. Is it? Someone explain this to me). So in all not a bad month and maybe something for everyone.
Let’s take a look.
• Absolute Watchmen (2023 Edition) HC
New printing of the Watchmen Absolute.
• Batgirl Vol. 8: The Joker War TP
Paperback, following (finally, for many people) the 2021 hardcover. Collects issues #45–50, not all of which met my approval when I reviewed Batgirl Vol. 8: The Joker War in 2021.
• Batman & the Joker: The Deadly Duo Deluxe Edition HC
Collects the seven-issue miniseries written and drawn by Marc Silvestri.
• The Batman Adventures Omnibus HC
Omnibus of the original animated series tie-in Batman Adventures comics, before the Adventures of Batman and Robin relaunch. This is Batman Adventures #1–36, Batman Adventures Annual #1-2, Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1, Batman Adventures: Mad Love, an animated-style story from Batman: Black & White, and for the first time in a collection, the comics adaptation of Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. Don’t miss Zach King’s ongoing series on the Batman Adventures comics!
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
• Batman Incorporated Vol. 1: No More Teachers HC
Collects issues #1–7 of the new series and the lead-in Batman 2022 Annual by Ed Brisson and John Timms. Happily, some uncollected Ghost-Maker stories are about to get their own collection, so I don't think there's anything missing here, though tell me if I'm wrong.
• Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5: The Joker War TP
Peter Tomasi’s Detective Comics: Joker War tie-in, which I reviewed in 2021, now arriving in paperback along with other books from that era. Just had a thought that maybe all of this was held to release alongside the second Joker movie, unrelated as it is …
• Batman: Justice Buster Vol. 1 TP
Manga tale of Batman and his computer system ROBIN by Eiichi Shimizu.
Collects what’s seemingly an all-ages, non-continuity Bat-family story (perhaps social media-focused) by J. Torres, Erich Owen, and Marcelo Di Chiara. Sometimes titles like these are in conjunction with action figures or the like, but I can’t see that there’s an angle (beside having been launched alongside Batman Day).
• Batman: The Audio Adventures TP
Collects the prequel special and then the seven issues that follow season one of the Batman: The Audio Adventures podcast.
• Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2023 Edition)
New printing of the collection, which previously included Detective Comics #27–56, Batman #1–7, New York World’s Fair Comics #2, World’s Best Comics #1, and World’s Finest Comics #2–3.
• Batman: Under the Red Hood: The Deluxe Edition HC
Deluxe edition of Batman #635–641, #645–650, and the Batman Annual #25 by Judd Winick, along with Winick's Red Hood: The Lost Days #1-6 and pages from Batman #617-618 ("Hush"), plus a new introduction by Winick and new behind-the-scenes material. With art by Doug Mahnke and others.
• Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Volume One TP
First of two collections of the Webtoon stories (online vertical-formatted comics), coming in August. This collects the first 25 episodes of the series, which are apparently "optimized for a brand-new reading experience in print."
• Batman/Superman: World’s Finest Vol. 2: Strange Visitor HC
Issues #6–10 in hardcover by Mark Waid and Dan Mora, coming in September.
• Dark Knights of Steel Vol. 1 TP
Apparently the first six issues in paperback, following the collection of the first six issues in hardcover. I’ll take my 12-issue deluxe, please.
• DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War Part 2 HC
Collects DC vs. Vampires: All Out War #4-6 and DC vs. Vampires: Killers, in hardcover in September.
By Marguerite Bennett, sequel to the RWBY/Justice League miniseries. This is out in September; I believe the Justice League x RWBY animated movie arrives in April.
• DCeased: War of the Undead Gods HC
Seems like this is the entire eight-issue miniseries, the final story of Tom Taylor’s DCeased universe. In hardcover and on sale in September.
• Diana and the Hero’s Journey TP
All-ages story of young Diana (and apparently her trusty goat Phyllis) by Lumberjanes’s Grace Ellis and artist Penelope Rivera Gaylord.
John Ridley and Stefano Raffaele’s six-issue Renee Montoya and company miniseries, coming in September in hardcover.
Embarrassment of riches that we get GCPD and Gotham City in the same month. In September in hardcover, the six-issue miniseries by Tom King and Phil Hester.
• Harley Quinn Vol. 4: Task Force XX HC
In hardcover in September by Stephanie Phillips and Georges Duarte, collecting issues #18–21 and the Harley Quinn 2022 Annual. Previous solicitations also mentioned the Harley story from Shadow War Zone.
• Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: Legion of Bats! HC
By Tee Franklin and Shae Beagle, following Franklin’s Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour miniseries and set after season 3 of the show. Collects issues #1–6 and the Real Sidekicks of New Gotham special.
• Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour TP
The six-issue miniseries in paperback, following the hardcover.
• I Am Batman Vol. 3: The Right Question HC
In hardcover in September, the final volume of I Am Batman by John Ridley and Christian Duce, collecting issues #11–18 with a Dark Crisis tie-in.
• Joker: One Operation Joker Vol. 1 TP
Manga by Satoshi Miyagawa and Keisuke Gotou. Coincidentally, after all the misplaced “pregnant Joker” uproar, this is a story of the Joker raising a baby Batman.
• The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing Vol. 1 HC
In hardcover in September, by Matthew Rosenberg, collecting the first six issues.
In paperback, following the hardcover, and collecting issues #84–88 and the Nightwing 2021 annual.
Another “Joker War” tie-in finally in paperback, in August, collecting Nightwing Annual #3 and Nightwing #70–77. I reviewed Nightwing: The Joker War in 2021.
Paperback, following the hardcover, of the three-issue miniseries by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen. A great creative team, though when I reviewed Robin and Batman, I wasn’t blown away.
• Spy vs. Spy Omnibus HC (2023 Edition)
New printing of 50 years of Spy vs. Spy strips, along with interviews with creator Antonio Prohias, sketches, tributes, and more.
• Superman vs. Meshi Vol. 1 TP
Manga by Satoshi Miyagawa, as Clark Kent and Superman eat their way through the cuisine of Japan.
Kind of reminds of the Superman: The One Who Fell era, not all that long ago, with a Super-title crossover ahead of a relaunch. Anyway, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Mark Waid (!), and Tom Taylor, in September, collecting Superman: Son of Kal-El #16–18, Action Comics #1047–1049, and the Superman: Kal-El Returns special.
• Superman: Red Son TP (2023 Edition)
New edition of the three-issue miniseries by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, and Kilian Plunkett, with “extensive sketch section.”
• Superman: The Harvests of Youth TP
YA graphic novel written and drawn by Sina Grace. I’ve a sense this is more than just a Smallville story, as Clark and friends “must overcome grief and hate to restore hope.”
Collecting the first nine episodes of the Webtoon series by Jasmine Walls and Manou Azumi, formatted for print.
• Wonder Woman Black & Gold TP
In paperback in August, following the hardcover and collecting the six-issue anthology series.
Gotham: Year One, GCPD, and Kal El Returns for sure. Lots of maybe - Waid's S/B, Dark Knights of Steel (would prefer one collection), Knightwatch, Batman Inc - that'll require someone telling me they enjoyed it to move me.
ReplyDeleteThat Under the Red Hood collection is certainly cool, but I don't think I'll double dip (well, triple dip - I have floppies and tpbs right now). I am tempted, though. Maybe if they make Face the Face in OHC format, then I'd have continuous OHCs on my shelf (Red Hood, Face, Morrison and Dining omnis).
There is a Face the Face OHC.
DeleteYeah, if by OHC we're talking deluxe, there was a deluxe of Face the Face in 2017. I re-read it in preparation for Robinson's semi-sequel, Batman: Deface the Face, though I didn't find all that much connection between the two.
DeleteHarley Quinn Vol. 4: Task Force XX HC
ReplyDelete"...Previous solicitations also mentioned the Harley story from Shadow War Zone."
That Harley story *absolutely* needs to be included in the HC. It's basically the prelude to TASK FORCE XX; I can't say more without spoiling.
Hmm ... I've read that, in the Batman: Shadow War trade. I'd be happy to see the story in the Harley trade but I guess I think it's fair game as long as it's been collected somewhere.
DeleteAh, never mind then.
DeleteTo add more detail, it works in tandem with the ending of Verdict to set up TASK FORCE XX.
That arc, incidentally, is the point for me where Phillips' run jumped the shark. She should've exited with THE VERDICT (Vol. 3), because everything went off the rails in the last two arcs.
> everything went off the rails
DeleteTo be fair, isn't that the point of most Harley Quinn runs these days? The book is a license to jump the shark.
Yeah, it's part and parcel of modern Harley.
DeleteBut her Dark Crisis tie-in just...the shift was so bizarre and abrupt, even by Harley standards. It kneecapped Williams' run at that point and limped across the finish line (although I wonder how much of Williams' plans for Harley got upended by Tynion leaving Batman early and the repercussions that had on his intended 3-year long game for the post-Death Metal Bat Books).
And unfortunately, Tini Howard picked up the baton from where Williams fell. I've liked her Catwoman and mostly enjoyed her work on Excalibur over at Marvel during the Krakoan Age.
But 3 issues into her Harley run and I've already called it quits. I TRIED to give it the 'Wait for the first TPB/arc to be fair' evaluation -- but her Harley's nonsensical and bizarre even by Harleen's post-Conner/Palmiotti standards.