I must say, I find myself really eager for the new Elseworlds in the DC Comics January 2025 trade paperback and hardcover solicitations, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age and Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter, even despite that I haven’t read either of their lead-in books (so, a lot of reading aborning). I’ve been through these periods where I only read DC alt-continuity tales — Elseworlds (in name or otherwise), Black Label, etc. — and there’s enough good “off-brand” books coming or already in my reading pile that I’m feeling excited to do so again. Not that I have time — I’ve been trying to catch up, given that Absolute Power just ended and I haven’t even read Knight Terrors — but hopefully at some point.
I’m guessing most people’s big headline for this month will be the continuing DC Finest books — here, The Origin of Plastic Man, Team-Ups: Chase to the End of Time, and Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire. The latter most catches my interest (confusing though it is because it shares the name with a previous Suicide Squad release) because it includes related titles like Legends and some of John Ostrander’s Fury of Firestorm issues. In this way, the DC Finest books are shaping up like the Batman: Caped Crusader and Dark Knight Detective issues, chronological collections of both series issues and tie-ins, and more like this will have me double-dipping and how.
Regular series collections include Tom Taylor’s finales on both Nightwing and Titans; also Tom King’s final volume of Penguin, Green Arrow Vol. 3, Green Lantern Vol. 2, Power Girl Vol. 2, and the Gotham City Sirens mini-event. Notable for me too is the first volume of James Tynion’s sequel miniseries, Nice House by the Sea, and the Black Label Zatanna: Bring Down the House.
What’s on your list?
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Recent DC Comics Trade Solicitations |
- • Absolute DC The New Frontier (2025 Edition) HC
New edition of the Absolute by the late Darwyn Cooke. I reviewed the Absolute edition of DC: The New Frontier in 2007.
- • The Authority: Book One: DC Compact Comics Edition TP
No contents listed, but the recent version of this book collected Authority #1–12, Planetary/Authority: Ruling the World, and a story from Wildstorm: A Celebration of 25 Years.
- • Batman: Dark Age HC
Collecting the six-issue series by Mark Russell and Michael Allred.
- • Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 5 HC
This is the end of Ram V’s Detective run, in hardcover and paperback in March, collecting issues #1081–1089. It seems like they’ve dropped the “Vol. X, Act Y” stuff from earlier volumes, confusing even for me, though maybe we’ll see different when this book comes out.
- • Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age Vol. 1 HC
The first six issues of the new 12-issue Elseworlds miniseries by Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernandez.
- • Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 2 (2025 Edition) HC
Including Detective Comics #57–74, Batman #8–15, and World’s Finest Comics #4–9, by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Jerry Robinson, and more.
- • Batman/Catwoman TP
Hard to believe this hasn’t been in paperback yet. Coming in March. I reviewed Tom King’s Batman/Catwoman in 2023.
- • Batman/Superman: Book One: DC Compact Comics Edition TP
A lot for a Compact Comics Edition, as we’ve been seeing; this seems to be at least Superman/Batman #1–6 and #8–13, the “Public Enemies” and “Supergirl” storylines by Jeph Loeb with Ed McGuinness and Michael Turner respectively, if not also the Superboy/Robin issue drawn by Pat Lee from in between.
- • Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1 (2025 Edition) TP
New collection of the first six-issue crossover miniseries by James Tynion and Freddie Williams.
- • Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter HC
Collecting the now-officially Elseworlds Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter six-issue sequel miniseries. I’m excited for the all-in-one collection of the first series, coming in April.
- • Dark Nights: Metal Compendium TP
The whole shebang in one volume: Nightwing #29, Flash #33, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32, Green Arrow #32, Suicide Squad #26, Teen Titans #12, Justice League #32–33, Dark Nights: Metal #1–6, Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Days: The Casting #1, Batman: The Red Death #1, Batman: The Devastator #1, Batman: The Merciless #1, Batman: The Murder Machine #1, Batman: The Drowned #1, Batman: The Dawnbreaker #1, Dark Nights: The Batman Who Laughs #1, Batman: Lost #1, Hawkman: Found #1, and Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1.
- • DC Finest: Plastic Man: The Origin of Plastic Man TP
Collects Jack Cole’s Police Comics #1–36 and Plastic Man #1–2. I appreciate the emphasis on sequential comics from time periods, as the solicitation is sure to mention these are from August 1941 to July 1944.
- • DC Finest: Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire TP
Oh, this is going to become a thing, isn’t it, where DC Finest is going to start eating older collections lunches? This is John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad #1–10 and Secret Origins #14 (so, the connects plus a little of the 2015 Suicide Squad: Trial by Fire collection), plus Detective Comics #582, Fury of Firestorm #62–64, Firestorm: The Nuclear Man Annual #5, Legends #1–6, and Millennium #4. I might have to give this a look.
- • DC Finest: Team-Ups: Chase to the End of Time TP
Collects DC Comics Presents #1–14 and Brave and the Bold #141–155 from May 1978 to October 1979, by Bob Haney, Martin Pasko, Jim Aparo, and more.
- • Deadman Omnibus (2025 Edition) HC
New printing, collecting Deadman #1–4; Strange Adventures #205–216; Brave and the Bold #79, #86, #104, #133; Aquaman #50–52; Challengers of the Unknown #74, #84–87; Superman Family #183; DC Super-Stars #18; DC Special Series #8; Adventure Comics #459–466; DC Comics Presents #24; Detective Comics #500; Secret Origins #15; and Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe #6, #13, and #20.
- • Doom Patrol: The Silver Age Omnibus (2025 Edition) HC
New printing, collecting every Doom Patrol appearance from the 1960s: My Greatest Adventure #80–85, Doom Patrol #86–121, Challengers of the Unknown #48, and Brave and the Bold #65.
- • Gotham City Sirens: Trigger Happy TP
In paperback in March, the four-issue series that ran in place of the Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy series for one month.
- • Green Arrow Vol. 3: Against the Wall TP
In paperback in March, the end of Joshua Williamson’s run, with Green Arrow #13–16, the Green Arrow 2024 Annual #1, and the Green Arrow #350 anniversary issue.
- • Green Arrow: Archer's Quest Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Collects Green Arrow #1–39, Green Arrow Secret Files & Origins #1, and Green Lantern #162–164 (Oliver Queen teamed with Kyle Rayner), being runs by Kevin Smith and Brad Meltzer, into Judd Winick’s. Put another way, this is Green Arrow: Quiver, Sounds of Violence, Archer’s Quest, Straight Shooter, and Green Arrow: City Walls.
- • Green Lantern Vol. 2: Road to War TP
In paperback in February by Jeremy Adams and company, collecting issues #7–12.
- • Jimmy Olsen's Supercyclopedia TP
YA graphic novel with a young Jimmy Olsen, Rip Hunter, and Linda Park, by Gabe Soria and Sandy Jarrell.
- • Justice League International Book One: Born Again (2025 Edition) TP
Glad to see DC keeping these in print. This is Justice League #1–6, Justice League International #7–17, Justice League Annual #1, Justice League International Annual #2, and Suicide Squad #13.
- • MultiVersus: Collision Detected TP
The six-issue video game tie-in series by Bryan Q. Miller and Jon Sommariva, in paperback in early March.
- • My Adventures With Superman TP
Collects the six-issue tie-in miniseries by Josie Campbell, in paperback in March. Big fan of this over-the-top anime take on Superman.
- • The Nice House by the Sea Vol. 1 TP
Oh I am so excited, and knowing how the second volume of the first Nice House on the Lake series turned the first volume on its head, this is one I’m all too happy to read in individual volumes. In paperback in March by James Tynion and Alvaro Martinez Bueno.
- • Nightwing Vol. 7: Fallen Grayson HC
In hardcover in late March 2025, this is the end of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s Nightwing run, collecting issues #114–118.
- • The Penguin Vol. 2: All Bad Things TP
Issues #7–12, in paperback in February, by Tom King. This is the finale of the series.
- • Power Girl Vol. 2: More Than a Crush TP
In February, collecting issues #8–16 by Leah Williams, including the “House of Brainiac” crossover.
- • Scalped Omnibus Vol. 2 HC
Collects issues #30–60 by Jason Aaron.
- • Superman '78 TP
Paperback of the Robert Venditti miniseries, following the hardcover. I reviewed Superman '78 in 2022.
- • Superman: Space Age TP
Paperback of the three-issue miniseries by Mark Russell and Mike Allred, coming in March, following the hardcover.
- • Titans Vol. 2: The Dark-Winged Queen TP
Issues #8–15, following the “Beast World” crossover. This is the end of Tom Taylor’s run, in paperback in February.
- • Zatanna: Bring Down the House HC
In hardcover in May, collecting the five-issue Black Label miniseries by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez.
Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Penguin for sure. Maybe the Zatanna book? Haven't really seen any reviews or anything, but that doesn't normally stop me.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the breadth, in principle, of the DC's Finest, but really wish they'd throw more attention at stuff I'm interested in: Levitz Legion, Dixon Robin past the first set of fat trades, Dixon GA, the Kathy and Betty Kane Batwoman and Batgirl (should be one and done), 70s Batman and 'Tec, and, of course, Armageddon 2001.
Boy, these DC Finest books are INTERESTING. Plastic Man seems like a slam dunk, and I love how inclusive that Suicide Squad book will be. But I'm slightly peeved that "DC Comics Presents" is being paired with "Brave & the Bold"; it makes perfect sense, yes, but it stings a bit that B&B got the omnibus treatment while DCP didn't. On the fence about half-double-dipping.
ReplyDeleteAlso glad to see JLI collections rebooting; hopefully we get past two this time and into some uncollected material...
And I just want to shout out Multiversus as a bananas crossover, yes, but also as some really interesting Fourth World building. Don't want to spoil much more, but let's just say a few key sequences take place in the home of Scott Free & Big Barda.
Where's the next Batman: The Silver Age and Superman: The Golden Age/Silver Age Omnibuses?
ReplyDelete