Batman and Robin Eternal #1 Cover Columns 

Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top 10 For October 2015

By | July 21st, 2015
Posted in Columns | 2 Comments

October is when the DC Universe is really starting to feel the effects of “Convergence,” the multiverse-spanning event that, seemingly, reopened many closed doors of continuity for the DCU. This month also shows characters from the fringes of their history becoming more important players.

10. The Metal Men Reunite With Their Half-Metal Man

During “Forever Evil,” Cyborg was palling around with the Metal Men; so much so that I predicted we’d see a “Cyborg and the Metal Men” at some point. Well, that isn’t the case, but we do see Vic teaming up with everyone’s favorite living elements in this issue. They are a team that hasn’t really been featured in a while, despite being popular with longtime fans. This book is a nice step towards bringing them back into the monthly grind, as well as giving Vic some fun foils.

CYBORG #4
Written by DAVID F. WALKER
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Monsters Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN

On sale OCTOBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
The secret of the Tekbreakers is revealed as Cyborg forms a shaky alliance with the enemy that once killed him! But what choice does he have if he’s going to stop the cybernetic terror of the Technosapiens?

9. Allred Returns to Vertigo

One of the biggest announcements of San Diego Comic Con this year was the announcement of twelve new Vertigo series, being rolled out one week at a time, starting in October. This is one of the most exciting titles announced, because of the artist on the book – Mike Allred, who is returning to Vertigo for the first time since “iZombie” wrapped up. Allred is an artist that gets me to buy a book, sight unseen, and I presume that many fans feel the same way. Shaun Simon is someone I’m not all that familiar with, but if his work on “The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” is any indication, and he and Allred seem like a natural fit for a book set in the art world.

ART OPS #1
Written by SHAUN SIMON
Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

On sale OCTOBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
In this new series by Shaun Simon, co-writer (with Gerard Way) of The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, and legendary artist Michael Allred (iZOMBIE), art not only imitates life, it becomes it! When rogue figures from famous works of art come to life and escape their frames, it’s up to Reggie Riot and the agents of Art Operatives to track them down before they wreak havoc on the unsuspecting public. But Reggie has secrets of his own that may affect his ability to interact with these living works of art–—and he wants no part in the agency his mother ran before him. Pop culture will never be the same.

8. Black Adam and Sinestro, Together Again

In yet another “Forever Evil” flashback, Black Adam and Sinestro are teaming up in this month’s “Sinestro.” This is significant because, outside of Geoff Johns, no one has really tackled any of the Marvel family characters in the main DC continuity. If we are going to see these characters slip into ‘normal’ stories more frequently, that might mean that we get to see a “Shazam” ongoing sometime soon, which is a prospect that we’ve been waiting a very long time to see come to fruition.

SINESTRO #16
Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art and cover by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSY
Monsters Variant cover by KARL KERSCHL

On sale OCTOBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will arrive in stores with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
The leader of the Sinestro Corps must travel to Earth to seek help from Black Adam, the one man who may be able to help Sinestro end his conflict with the Paling.

Continued below

7. Justice League Gets Decompressed

So, in “Justice League” #42, [spoiler alert] Batman sits on Metron’s chair and receives the power of a god. Well, it appears that is going to be the case with many members of the Justice League, as October brings six one-shots, each focusing on a different League member, and their newfound powers. This was announced at SDCC, but the understanding, at least in the direct aftermath, was the “Justice League” writer Geoff Johns was going to be writing them. This turns out to be incorrect, but the art teams they do have are pretty stacked line up of creators: Steve Orlando and Scott Kollins on “Shazam?” Yes. Tom King and Doc Shaner on “Green Lantern?” Fuck yes. Hopefully, these are not just filler tie-ins, but have some substance to them, and wind up being essential parts of the “Darkseid War” story.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MEN – BATMAN #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL

ONE-SHOT • On sale OCTOBER 28 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
As the Darkseid War rages on, Batman’s role in Gotham City-—and the world—alters drastically as he’s forced to accept his new role as a God of Knowledge.

6. The Reprint Game is Strong

DC has been really upping their reprint game over the past year or so, and this month is no exception. In addition to the deluxe hardcover of the Morrison/Fegredo joint “Kid Eternity,” this month also features the Paul Kupperberg run on “The Phantom Stranger” (which includes some sweet Mike Mignola work), a nice trade of the start of Geoff Johns’ “The Flash” run, a deluxe hardcover that collects Jeff Lemire’s entire “Green Arrow” run, and more. DC has found a nice mix of prestige books, underappreciated classics, and collected creator runs lately, and I hope the trend continues.

KID ETERNITY DELUXE EDITION HC
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by DUNCAN FEGREDO

On sale DECEMBER 9 • 160 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $24.99 US • MATURE READERS
Meet Kid Eternity, a teenager with supernatural powers and the ability to bring back the dead—a gift from the powers above for being taken by death ahead of his time. Now the free-spirited kid is back as an agent of Chaos in a world that’s too ordered for his taste. Using chaos magic to elevate humanity’s existence, he finds a path paved with demons, death and madness! Collects KID ETERNITY #1-3!

5. Pre-Flashpoint Superman…Somewhere Else

So, this is the first of two series that I’ll be highlighting that take place directly in the aftermath of “Convergence” – the third, “Telos,” isn’t getting a spot on this list, sorry. One of the series that the DC3 really enjoyed was “Convergence: Superman,” which focused on the pre-Flashpoint Lois and Clark and the birth of their child. This book picks up 9 years later on some other Earth, and there are various mysteries afoot.

Now, as part of the DC3, I am obliged to give a disclaimer: we do not, typically, support Dan Jurgens comics anymore. Jurgens, perhaps unfairly, has become the avatar of the over the hill creator that DC still, for some reason, wants to keep in house. However, this same team did “Convergence: Superman,” so maybe this is a place for Jurgens to safely ply his skills.

SUPERMAN: LOIS & CLARK #1
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by LEE WEEKS
1:25 Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL

On sale OCTOBER 14 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
Following the epic events of CONVERGENCE, here are the adventures of the last sons and daughter of the Krypton and Earth as they try to survive in a world not their own. But can they keep this world from suffering the same fate as their own? Can this Superman stop the villains he once fought before they are created on this world? What is Intergang, and why does Lois’s discovery of it place everyone she loves in jeopardy? What will happen when their nine-year-old son learns the true identity of his parents? Make way for the original power couple, for better, for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do them part!

Continued below

4. Now This Is More Like It!

In the new “story > continuity” attitude of DC Comics, this is a godsend. Two of the most maligned New 52 characters, the near-naked Donna Troy and the dumbed-down Roy Harper, are part of this book that attempts to fill the void created by dismantling all Teen Titans teams pre-“Flashpoint.” Sure, the concept is a little wonky, but this is, essentially, DC admitting that they need a different Teen Titans than the one they have – and that is a step in the right direction. Plus, Dan Abnett is the sort of reverse Dan Jurgens: a veteran creator who is still doing really, really interesting things.

TITANS HUNT #1
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art and cover by PAULO SIQUEIRA
1:25 Variant cover by TITANS HUNT

On sale OCTOBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 12, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
CONVERGENCE is over, but the ripples are still being felt, especially by a young precog named Lilith. What are these visions she’s having of a Teen Titans team the world never knew? And why does she feel compelled to seek out Dick Grayson, Roy Harper, Donna Troy and an Atlantean named Garth and warn them that something dark and sinister is coming after them? Who are Mal, Gnarrk, Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, and what is their connection to the others—and to the fate of every soul on Earth? This is the Secret History of the TEEN TITANS!

3. A New Crew Over at “Detective”

So, Francis Manapul decided he didn’t want to work on Batman anymore and, since where Francis goes, Brian Buccellato follows, it was time for a new creative team on “Detective Comics.” Peter Tomasi, who did incredible work on “Batman and Robin” is a perfect fit for the book, and Marcio Takara’s art is stunning and unique – this is a really, really exciting creative team to take on the book. The one bummer here is that, at least from this first solicit, that the focus on the GCPD is going to fade in the background, and that’s a shame. But, who knows – maybe they’ll somehow pluck Greg Rucka to do another “Gotham Central,” a thought that would have been unthinkable pre-“Convergence.” I know, I know – it is totally unrealistic. A boy can dream, can’t he?

DETECTIVE COMICS #45
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by MARCIO TAKARA
Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON
Monsters variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ

On sale OCTOBER 7 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
A brand-new epic begins as the superstar team of writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Marcio Takara takes the new Batman on his first mission with the Justice League! When Jim Gordon is approached by the Justice League to solve a series of mysterious mass murders, he must turn his focus away from Gotham City and test his mettle with the World’s Greatest Heroes!

2. Do I Really Need to Sell You on This>?

Four words are all you need to buy this four issue miniseries: Gilbert Hernandez Darwyn Cooke. Honestly, what else could I say?

THE TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1
Written by GILBERT HERNANDEZ
Art and cover by DARWYN COOKE

On sale OCTOBER 14 • 40 pg, FC, 1 of 4, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS.
For the first time ever, legendary comics creators Gilbert Hernandez (Love and Rockets) and Darwyn Cooke (DC: THE NEW FRONTIER) have joined forces for a surreal project unlike anything you’ve ever read before!
When a white orb washes up on the shore of a remote Latin American village, a group of children naturally poke at the strange object to see what it is. The orb explodes, leaving the children completely blind. And when a beautiful young woman who may be an alien is found wandering the seafront, she’s taken in by the townspeople, but soon becomes a person of interest to a quirky pair of undercover CIA agents, and the target of affection for a young scientist. Can they come together to prevent an all-out alien invasion and save the souls in this sleepy, seaside town?

Continued below

1.An Eternity, Again

Yes, yes, 1000 times yes. This is a brilliant idea – root the story in a Dick Grayson as Robin in the New 52 setting, something we have only seen very small bits of, and then make it a Bat-family book that has nothing to do with Bruce or, seemingly, even Jim Gordon. Plus, Cassanda Cain is coming back. And, Tim Drake not being written as part of the Teen Titans! And Red Hood not being written by Scott Lobdell! And the return of Bluebird! Plus, a truly exciting writing team: James Tynion IV, Genevieve Valentine, Steve Orlando, Scott Snyder, Tim Seeley, Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Ed Brisson. That is a really intriguing mix of Bat-talent and new DC hires. The book is scheduled to run for 6 months, which seems like about right.

Can you tell how excited I am for this?

BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #1
Story and script by JAMES TYNION IV and SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:50 Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN
Blank variant cover

On sale OCTOBER 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for details.
It’s here at last—the sequel to the blockbuster weekly series BATMAN ETERNAL!
Five years ago, Batman and Robin worked the most disturbing case of their crimefighting careers—bringing down the organization of the ultimate human trafficker, the mysterious woman known only as Mother. At the time, Dick Grayson never quite understood the scope of that case, but now its darkest secrets are coming back to haunt him and everyone else who ever worked with Batman! With Bruce Wayne now lost to them, Dick and all his allies are out in the cold! Who can they trust? Is someone among them not who they say they are? And who is the deadly, silent young woman in black who’s come to Gotham City looking for Batman?
Prepare yourself for six months of international intrigue, twists and turns, and newadditions to the world of Batman and Robin, from showrunners James Tynion IV and Scott Snyder, and writers Tim Seeley, Steve Orlando, Genevieve Valentine, Ed Brisson, and Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelley!

Feel free to check out the full solicitations over at Comic Book Resources, and let me know what I missed in the comments!


//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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