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Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top 10 for November 2015

By | August 25th, 2015
Posted in Columns | 4 Comments

November marks the end of the first ‘wave’ of the “DC You” rebranding, which sees a number of miniseries come to a close, the Vertigo roll out continue, and some long awaited series coming to light.

10. Manapul on “Justice League” For a Month

Jason Fabok gets a month off, as Francis Manapul steps in to handle a chapter of ‘Darkseid War’ in November. Manapul is one of my all-time favorite artists, and he and Johns did great work together back on “Adventure Comics” in 2009, so I’m optimistic about this issue. That said, Fabok has defined the look of ‘Darkseid War’ so thoroughly, it will be interesting to see how Manapul steps in.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #46
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
LOONEY TUNES variant cover by SCOTT WILLIAMS

On sale NOVEMBER 18 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
“Darkseid War” rages on! The Justice League has become Gods! Grail discovers a truth about Wonder Woman that disturbs even her! And a shocking secret about the fate of the Anti-Monitor will force the League to seek out new and unlikely allies!

9. Barbieri Joins “Lobo”

“Lobo” is one of those books that, it seems, DC is committed to out of stubbornness more than anything. I don’t know if anyone, anywhere, was calling for a hipper, ‘sexier’ Lobo, but DC decided that was the way to go, and so here we are. However, with Frank Barbieri joining the book (even if it is just for one issue), it shows that either Bunn or DC has big plans for the character, and that they felt that hiring a second writer was a prudent move. This gives me hope that the series isn’t just a directionless miasma of confused motivations.

LOBO #12
Written by CULLEN BUNN and FRANK BARBIERI
Art by ROBSON ROCHA
Cover by LEONARDO MANCO

On sale NOVEMBER 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
After falling victim to a deadly new drug that’s making its way through the black markets of the universe, Lobo begins to doubt his own sanity!

8. “American Vampire: Second Cycle” Wraps Up

DC, and especially Vertigo, has seen a real shift into doing smaller volumes of books – think ‘cancelling’ “The Unwritten,” only to bring it back as a maxi-series a few months later. Well, “American Vampire: Second Cycle” is wrapping up in November, a mere 11 issues in, and will be back in ‘early’ 2016. Image has more of a floating schedule, where creators can take months off between arcs, or even just delay their issues a few weeks/months if things come up, and that seems to me to be a better system than having all these smaller runs on creator-owned books. The beauty of a creator owned book is that it isn’t subject to so much of the bullshit that playing in a major league sandbox brings – so why conform to the ‘must be monthly or else!’ cycle?

AMERICAN VAMPIRE: SECOND CYCLE #11
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

On sale NOVEMBER 4 • 40 pg, FC, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS • FINAL ISSUE
Retailers: This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.
From the depths of Area 51 to outer space, “Dark Moon” has pushed our cast to the limit. Be there for the jaw-dropping finale, as the forces of the Tongue make their final shocking play. The great weapon—Issaku—is revealed as the battle for the soul of a country and our characters reaches its shocking climax. This extra-sized issue is the end for the Second Cycle of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, but look for the Third Cycle to begin in early 2016!

7. “Prez” Ending? Nope, Now 2 6 Issue Miniseries

Another bit of scheduling weirdness – what was once a 12 issue miniseries is now 2 6-part miniseries. Why did DC decide to split up “Prez?” Maybe the boost in sales all #1s get is real enough to make this worthwhile? I don’t know, but it seems like an awful lot of hassle to go through. DC, via Dan DiDio, had said that all the new titles were getting 12 issues (if ongoing), or fulfilling their miniseries commitments. While this isn’t really a change in that plan, it does seem like DC is lacking confidence in this title, which is a real shame, as it has been an interesting breath of fresh air.

Continued below

PREZ #6
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art and cover by BEN CALDWELL

On sale NOVEMBER 18 • 32 pg, FC, 6 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T
As the cat flu ravages the nation, President Ross has to ward off an angry Senate, while her transgender robot bodyguard saves her from virus rights protesters.

6. DC’s Other Minis Wrapping Up

“Bizarro,” “Bat-Mite,” “Harley Quinn and Power Girl,” and “All-Star Section 8” all wrap up in November, and all of them worked to varying degrees of success. I would presume that they all sold better than expected, as DC has already announced another slate of minis (“Swamp Thing,” “Metal Men,” “Sugar and Spike,” “Raven,” “Poison Ivy,” “Metamorpho,” “Firestorm,” and “Katana”) for early next year. What really remains to be seen is if DC had enough success with their two all-ages minis (“Bizarro” and “Bat-Mite”) to see either more minis, or an ongoing or two to spin out of this.

BIZARRO #6
Written by HEATH CORSON
Art and cover by GUSTAVO DUARTE

On sale NOVEMBER 18 • 32 pg, FC, 6 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED E
This am the beginning! The most nightmarish road trip in history comes to a screeching halt at the border, where Jimmy finally delivers Bizarro to Bizarro America (aka Canada). Plus, welcome back the Backwards Bruiser’s new archenemy: Queen Tut!

5. More New Vertigo

Vertigo is relaunching its line in a measured and interesting way – each week from October through the end of the year, we are getting a new Vertigo series. The one that caught my eye for November is “Unfollow” by Rob Williams and Michael Dowling. The premise could easily take the book down the path of extreme cheese – social media rarely equals quality storytelling – but Williams has been great at taking mundane or trite ideas and turning them into something really special. I’m interested to see how this book is going to shape up.

UNFOLLOW #1
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Art by MICHAEL DOWLING
Cover by MATT TAYLOR

On sale NOVEMBER 4 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
A dying social media mogul leaves his billions to be split evenly between 140 random people—or however many of them are still alive at the moment of his death. Rob Williams (MARTIAN MANHUNTER, THE ROYALS: MASTERS OF WAR) and Michael Dowling (Death Sentence) assemble a cast that includes a young black man trying to get by in St. Louis, an Iranian reporter in need of hope, a retired special forces soldier with a strange sense of purpose, and a thrill-seeking heiress, in this thriller that shows we’re all still part of the food chain.

4. iZombie Omnibus!

Speaking of Vertigo, they are putting together the entire “iZombie” run out in an omnibus edition, and boy howdy am I excited about it. This is a book that started off with a lot of support, but clashes between writer Chris Roberson and DC led to it fading out over its run. But the book never lost its groove, and had especially great art – look at the solicited names – Mike Allred, Gilbert Hernandez, Jay Stephens, J. Bone and Jim Rugg – come on!

If you’re a fan of the show and you never read the book, you are missing out – get on this ASAP!

iZOMBIE OMNIBUS HC
Written by CHRIS ROBERSON
Art by MICHAEL ALLRED, GILBERT HERNANDEZ, JAY STEPHENS, J. BONE and JIM RUGG
Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

On sale DECEMBER 2 • 672 pg, FC, $75.00 US • MATURE READERS
The entire 28-issue run of iZOMBIE, the comic that inspired the hit series on the CW, is collected in this new hardcover! Meet Gwen Dylan, a 20-something gravedigger in an eco-friendly cemetery—who also happens to be a zombie! Once a month she must eat a human brain to keep from losing her own memories, but in the process she becomes consumed with the thoughts and personality of the dead person—until she eats her next brain. Our zombie girl detective is joined by her best friend, Eleanor, a swinging ‘60s ghost, plus a posse of paintball-blasting vampires, a smitten were-dog and a hot but demented mummy. This collection features a new wraparound cover by superstar artist Michael Allred!

Continued below

3. “Superman: American Alien” to Anger Most of the Multiversity Staff

Look, Max Landis isn’t for everyone, and his take on Superman is especially polarizing, but I have no problem with DC giving Landis a mini to tell his Superman stories. DC is starting to embrace the idea that their heroes don’t have to be presented in exactly the same way in every title, and letting minis be little oases of weirdness/different takes is a nice way to diversify the publishing line without messing with ‘their’ continuity. So, while Landis is not my cup of tea, I am glad that DC is giving people a shot to tell a different type of Superman story.

Plus, Nick Dragotta. C’mon.

SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN #1
Written by MAX LANDIS
Art by NICK DRAGOTTA
Cover by RYAN SOOK
1:25 Variant cover by NICK DRAGOTTA

On sale NOVEMBER 11 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 7, $3.99 US • RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
Hollywood screenwriter and Eisner Award nominee Max Landis (Chronicle, American Ultra, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) joins forces with top comics artists including Jock, Francis Manapul and Jae Lee to bring you SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN, a 7-issue miniseries chronicling the life of Clark Kent and his development into the archetypal hero he will eventually become. But these are not the stories of the iconic “Superman” as you know him, but of the soft-spoken, charming, often-funny Kansas farm-boy behind the Man of Steel. With the tone of each issue ranging from heartwarming and simple, to frighteningly gritty and violent, to sexy, sun-kissed and funny, SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN is unlike anything you’ve seen before.
In this first issue, superstar artist Nick Dragotta (East of West, Fantastic Four) illustrates the story of Jonathan and Martha Kent as they struggle to deal with their 12-year-old son’s latest quirk—he’s been floating up into the air, sometimes hundreds of feet!

2. Let’s Party Like it is 2004 – “Batman: Europa” is Finally Coming Out (Maybe!)

So here’s a little story – in 2004, “Batman: Europa” was announced. Also in 2004, I was a senior in college, and most of the MC staff was in middle school.

Let me tell you another story – in 2011, the book was resolicited, with all the principles and details, more or less, the same as it was 7 years earlier. Also in 2011, I started writing for Multiversity, and only 2 people who were writing for them then are still involved in any real way now.

Here’s a brand new story – in 2015, the book is being resolicited again, this time with Jim Lee only pencilling/inking the first issue (instead of painting the whole thing), and a tentative November release date. Also, I’m tired of hearing about this series.

BATMAN: EUROPA #1
Written by MATTEO CASALI and BRIAN AZZARELLO
Layouts by GIUSSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
Art and cover by JIM LEE
1:25 Variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:100 B&W Sketch variant by JIM LEE

RESOLICIT • On sale NOVEMBER 18 • 40 pg, FC, 1 of 4, $4.99 US • RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.
Superstar artist Jim Lee returns to the Dark Knight with this premiere issue! The impossible has happened and Batman is on the verge of being taken down by an enemy he cannot defeat: a virus for which there is no cure! And the only hope for his salvation is The Joker! Who infected Batman, what does the Clown Prince of Crime know, and how will the Dark Knight get that information? Together, the enemies crisscross Europe, desperate to find answers before time runs out.
Co-conceived by Matteo Casali and Brian Azzarello, this 4-issue miniseries event will feature art by top talents over layouts by the incomparable Giuseppe Camuncoli (HELLBLAZER, Dark Wolverine), with the first issue pencilled and inked by none other than Jim Lee!

Continued below

1. “Dark Knight III,” Not For Me

Look, I get it – to the majority of the pop culture universe, this book sounds like a homerun. To me, it sounds like a nightmare – a confused, racist creator going back to the well once again with an artist who doesn’t really fit his writing style, working on a book that directly sounds racist. Ugh.

But hey – same “American Alien” caveats apply – this book will make DC dumptrucks full of money, that can be then used to finance the next big thing. So while I won’t be buying this book, I know many of you will – so, thanks! This will help make “Shazam” and “Booster Gold” books a reality. Maybe.

DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #1
Written by FRANK MILLER and BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by ANDY KUBERT and KLAUS JANSON
Mini comic art by TBA
Cover by ANDY KUBERT and KLAUS JANSON
1:10 variant cover by KLAUS JANSON
1:25 variant cover by ANDY KUBERT and KLAUS JANSON
1:50 variant cover by TBA
1:100 variant cover by FRANK MILLER
1:500 variant cover by JIM LEE
1:5000 original sketch variant by JIM LEE
Blank variant cover

On sale NOVEMBER 25
32 pg comic: 6.375” x 10.1875”
16 page minicomic: 5.5” x 8.5”
FC, 1 of 8, $5.99 US • RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with multiple covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The epic ending you never saw coming is here because you demanded it! The Dark Knight rises again to face the dawn of the master race!

For the full solicitations, check out our friends at Comic Book Resources.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Brian Salvatore

Brian Salvatore is an editor, podcaster, reviewer, writer at large, and general task master at Multiversity. When not writing, he can be found playing music, hanging out with his kids, or playing music with his kids. He also has a dog named Lola, a rowboat, and once met Jimmy Carter. Feel free to email him about good beer, the New York Mets, or the best way to make Chicken Parmagiana (add a thin slice of prosciutto under the cheese).

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