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Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top Ten for February 2016

By | November 24th, 2015
Posted in Columns | 5 Comments

Some new creative teams, some new gimmicks, and some really exciting reprints highlight February at DC.

10. Everyone can live out their dream of being Jordie Bellaire!

Last month’s variant covers theme is “Adult Coloring Books,” which was a weird concept for so many reasons but, as I said last month, the prime one being: why do you need to clarify that they are for adults? Anyway, this month takes it to another level by having a few trades reprinted in black and white, with the express interest in coloring the book yourself. I suppose there is an audience for these things, but it still seems like a bizarre idea to take a visual medium, present it in a format that doesn’t highlight the visuals, and then invite the reader to further sully the image.

COLORING DC: BATMAN – HUSH VOL. 1 TP
Written by JEPH LOEB
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

On sale MARCH 2 • 104 pg, B&W, $15.99 US
DC Comics presents classic adventures in a whole new way: in black and white, on heavy stock suitable for coloring! This title collects the opening chapters of “Batman: Hush,” from BATMAN #608-611 and a story from Wizard #0, all featuring spectacular artwork by Jim Lee and Scott Williams!

9. More “Frank Miller” stories!

I’m sure many of you have been following the news of how Frank Miller may or may not have much to do with “The Dark Knight III: The Master Race” (though he certainly came up with that title, amirite?), but here we are, with another “Frank Miller” comic. The theme of “DKIII” seems to be second generation artists, with Andy Kubert taking the main book and John Romita Jr. taking the tale of the Joker killing Robin.

I’m sure this was fun for Romita to draw, but I can’t imagine this being fun to read. The more DKIII stuff that comes out, the more I’m realizing that I have little to no interest in the story.

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE LAST CRUSADE #1
Written by FRANK MILLER and BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and DANNY MIKI
1:10 Robin Variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:25 Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
1:100 Variant cover by FRANK MILLER
1:500 Variant cover by JIM LEE

One-shot • Prestige Format • On sale FEBRUARY 17 • 64 pg, FC, $7.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with five covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Before the Dark Knight returned…
The Joker. Poison Ivy. Selina Kyle. And the last Robin.

8. Please, please, please let this be “Superman Odyssey”

So this is a big Neal Adams month at DC. He’s the variant cover theme, where classic Neal Adams covers/images are reinterpreted by…Neal Adams. OK?

But, more importantly for our interests, “Superman: The Coming of the Supermen,” a new six issue miniseries from Adams, debuts. The last time Adams did a series like this, we got “Batman Odyssey,” one of the most batshit crazy stories I’ve ever read. Evolved dinosaurs, Ra’s al Ghul, a secret kingdom called “The Underworld,” Robin back in his short shorts, Alfred saying “Master Dick” 50 times in one dialogue bubble – it was glorious. It also wasn’t very good, but that’s sort of not the point.

DC loves locking up artists to do their bidding, and often times lets them write their own work to keep them in house. They did this with Tony Daniel, with David Finch, and they’ve done it with Adams, too. This is as close to a one man show as a legend like Adams gets, and that should be celebrated, even if it is weirdness with a topless Bruce Wayne narrating the book over coffee to a surprise listener.

SUPERMAN: THE COMING OF THE SUPERMEN #1
Written by NEAL ADAMS
Art and cover by NEAL ADAMS
1:25 B&W Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS

On sale FEBRUARY 3 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
From legendary writer/artist Neal Adams comes a threat so epic it will take more than one Man of Steel to handle it in this new 6-issue miniseries!
As Darkseid and the hordes of Apokolips lay waste to the world, even Superman is overwhelmed—but not for long, as three heroes from the miniaturized city of Kandor emerge at full size, armed with all the vast powers of Kal-El, ready to become the new Supermen!
This battle of titans also features the machinations of Lex Luthor, plus fan favorites Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane aiding in the fight for Truth, Justice and the American Way.

Continued below

7. Another new Vertigo mini

Vertigo seems to be really doubling down on the miniseries as a way to break in newer talent, and I think that’s probably a good move, especially if they go the route of a lot of other publishers and upgrade minis to ongoings with some frequency. I’m not too familiar with Shawn Aldridge or Scott Godlewski, but that Tyler Crook cover is stunning enough to perhaps entice a purchase from me.

THE DARK AND BLOODY #1
Written by SHAWN ALDRIDGE
Art by SCOTT GODLEWSKI
Cover by TYLER CROOK

On sale FEBRUARY 10 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
Guns, moonshine, monsters—there’s a lot going on in the backwoods of Kentucky. Iris Gentry is a war veteran who returned from Iraq to find his options for supporting his family limited. Since they live in a “dry” county, Iris has turned to running moonshine for his former ranking officer—meaning the men now share crimes at home and abroad. You see, back in their combat days, Iris’s regiment got involved in something they shouldn’t have, and now a deadly, otherworldly consequence has come looking for vengeance.
THE DARK AND BLOODY is a haunting new horror series by writer Shawn Aldridge (Vic Boone) and artist Scott Godlewski (Copperhead), with covers by Tyler Crook (Harrow County).

6. If there has to be a sub, at least it is Yanick Paquette

It was announced recently that Greg Capullo’s tenure on “Batman” would be coming to an end soon, and before his final issue, we are getting a fill in. Now, this isn’t just any ham and egger popping in for an issue. Snyder brought out the big guns, and got his former “Swamp Thing” partner Yanick Paquette to contribute. Paquette is one of my favorite artists working today, and will clearly bring quality work to this issue – but since we don’t know when/if Capullo will be coming back to “Batman,” I sort of wish this was his, too. I’d even take a delay to get more Capullo pages.

BATMAN #49
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS

On sale FEBRUARY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
It is time. Bruce Wayne has reclaimed his true past as Batman. Now he must descend into the cave and face what he once was. Can he truly leave behind a life free from the pain and anguish of the Bat? Can he plunge once more into the madness and purpose that once consumed him? In this special, thrilling issue, watch as the fate of Bruce Wayne, and Batman, is decided once and for all.

5. 968 pages – woah, nelly

This was announced a few months ago, but to see it actually solicited is a thing of beauty. For those that maybe missed the boat the first time around, “Gotham Central” is one o the best DC books of its generation, and achieved its notoriety through a really simple premise: this was a Batman book without Batman. It focused on the rank and file of the GCPD, the detectives on down.

This was a star making proposition for a number of the creators involved, and still casts a shadow over everything in Gotham. This Omnibus is an essential piece of any serious collector’s shelf.

GOTHAM CENTRAL OMNIBUS HC
Written by ED BRUBAKER and GREG RUCKA
Art by MICHAEL LARK, STEFANO GAUDIANO, KANO and others
Cover by MICHAEL LARK

On sale MAY 4 • 968 pg, FC, $99.99 US
Harvey Bullock, Maggie Sawyer, Renee Montoya and the GCPD are all that stands between order and chaos in Gotham City. It’s up to them to keep the world’s most dangerous criminals off the street, and also to clean up the mess left behind by Batman’s one-man war on crime. Now, the entire 40-issue run of GOTHAM CENTRAL is collected in a single hardcover.

Continued below

4. Huh?

DC’s reprint department has been churning out some good stuff lately, but I often times try to figure out why certain books are being collected at this time. This is a perfect example: 8 issues of an otherwise unremarkable “JLA” run that team up Superman with the team to team up with Maxima. Is she making a comeback? Maybe the Royal Flush Gang has a major storyline coming up?

I honestly don’t know, but there must be a reason, other than just ‘this was good!’

SUPERMAN AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA VOL. 1 TP
Written by DAN JURGENS and others
Art by DAN JURGENS, RICK BURCHETT and others
Cover by DAN JURGENS and RICK BURCHETT

On sale MARCH 23 • 412 pg, FC, $17.99 US
In these 1990s tales from JLA #61-67 and JUSTICE LEAGUE SPECTACULAR #1, Superman convinces the team to aid his former foe, Maxima, in freeing her homeworld from a tyrant. Then, the JLA must rescue the Elongated Man and Sue Dibny from the Royal Flush Gang.

3. New creative teams! New creative teams!

Changes are afoot – “New Suicide Squad” is getting Tim Seeley and Juan Ferreyra, “Aquaman” is getting Dan Abnett and Vicente Cifuentes, and, most excitedly, “Teen Titans” is getting Greg Pak and Noel Rodriguez as the new creative team. “Teen Titans” has been a dumpster fire, creatively, since the book started – and restarted – and this is the first time the book hasn’t been shepherded by either Will Pfieffer or, most notably, Scott Lobdell.

It appears that Pak is coming in mid-stream, but let’s hope this is an Alan Moore/Swamp Thing situation, and he comes in and changes everything quickly and permanently.

TEEN TITANS #17
Written by GREG PAK
Art by NOEL RODRIGUEZ
Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS

On sale FEBRUARY 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
With their backs against the wall, the Titans are wanted across the country! Now, Tim Drake must find a way to clear the team’s name while staying one step ahead of the law. But Wonder Girl’s past is also catching up with her and it won’t wait for the Titans’ troubles to calm down.

2. Worth it just for the Kyrpto

All four of these Darwyn Cooke figures look amazing, and even though the $28 price tag might seem a little high, these figures are really something special. Especially the above Supergirl figure and, double especially, just for the Krypto toy. That thing is a beauty, eh?

DC COMICS DESIGNER SERIES: DARWYN COOKE—BATMAN, SUPERGIRL, HARLEY QUINN AND ADAM STRANGE ACTION FIGURES
Eisner Award-winning artist Darwyn Cooke lends his amazing design skills to a new line of action figures, beginning with BATMAN, SUPERGIRL, HARLEY QUINN and ADAM STRANGE.
EACH FIGURE SOLD SEPARATELY
1. BATMAN – 6.57”
2. SUPERGIRL – 6.6”
3. HARLEY QUINN – 6.6”
4. ADAM STRANGE – 6.75”
$28.00 US • On Sale June 2016 * Allocations May Occur

1. It’s here!

This has been teased and discussed for years now – Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette team up for the first time in years for a Wonder Woman story that is being shoehorned into the ‘Earth One’ line. Morrison has talked a big game about the book, and he’s certainly said things that make me quite excited about the project – Morrison seems to understand the character in a way that most simply can’t begin to. Specifically, he wants to make her sexuality a bigger piece of the story, and not just as a love interest for a man.

Plus, Paquette is an amazing artist, and has a nice working relationship with Morrison. This is a winner, and I can’t wait to check it out.

WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE VOL. 1 HC
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE

On sale APRIL 6 • 144 pg, FC, $22.99 US
In this new installment of the New York Times best-selling Earth One original graphic novel line, Grant Morrison (THE MULTIVERSITY) joins with Yanick Paquette (SWAMP THING, BATMAN, INC.) to reimagine Wonder Woman for a new era. Encompassing the vision of her original creator, William Moulton Marston, Morrison presents a Diana who yearns to break free from her mother and the utopian society on Paradise Island to learn about the forbidden outside world. Her dreams may come true when Air Force pilot Steve Trevor crashes on their shores, and she must defy the laws of the Amazons to return him to Man’s World.
Is she ready for the culture shock that awaits her in America? And is the world ready for this Wonder Woman?

For the full solicitations, please visit 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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