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Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top 10 for April 2016

By | January 26th, 2016
Posted in Columns | % Comments

DC is rumored to be gearing up for a relaunch come June, and this month’s solicits somewhat speak to that – regular creators off of books, odd miniseries announced, and some major stories coming to a close. Keep reading to see what DC has in store for us in the month of fools and showers.

10. A cash grab…but a pretty cool one

Fans of the Silver Age, as well as people who just love ridiculous comic covers, are probably familiar with the cover to “Detective Comics” #241. If not, thanks to the magic of the internet, check it out:

This is one of those images that gets ingrained in my head sometimes when I stare at the wall of same-looking covers. Back then, covers could be weird, and misleading, and were tools to get you to buy the comic, something that seems lost today.

Anyway, DC is putting out a set of toys based on that cover, and while it is just as simple as new paint jobs on pre-existing toys, I think it’s sort of cool.

BATMAN: RAINBOW ACTION FIGURE 6-PACK
Inspired by the cover of DETECTIVE COMICS #241, Batman dons the colors of the rainbow in this new action figure 6-pack!
Each figure measures approximately 6.625″ tall
$70.00 US • On Sale AUGUST 2016 * Allocations May Occur

9. Ok, seriously, what is going on with “Titans Hunt?”

See if you can follow me – post-“Convergence,” DC wanted to bring back the ‘original’ Teen Titans. Well, some of the originals, plus some weird 1970s members that no one remembers. Ok, “Titans Hunt” was announced as an ongoing at San Diego Comic Con, before being downgraded to a 12-issue miniseries in the solicits. Then, this month, it was downgraded to an 8-issue miniseries, and changed writers. Huh? What miniseries loses its creative team?

Adding insult to injury, the new writer: Scott Lobdell, the man who single-handedly took the Teen Titans – arguably the bedrock of the DC Universe – and flushed them down the toilet. Look, the book was already 100% editorially driven, and was far from a great comic, but this is absurd. Hopefully this quick hatchet job is to get the Titans totally off the board for a new creative team to come in and fix it all. DC3 member Vince Ostrowski thinks it’ll be Tom King and Tim Seeley. I have never, ever, wanted Vince to be more right.

TITANS HUNT #7
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by PAULO SIQUEIRA
Cover by ED BENES
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and SCOTT HANNA

On sale APRIL 20 • 32 pg, FC, 7 of 8, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
The Titans have found Mr. Twister…and that’s exactly what he wanted! As they deal with the danger he represents, it seems like someone else is hunting for the Titans…and that person is a deadly threat, too! Plus, a new Titan enters the fray!

8. Just what we all wanted…more Harley Quinn!

I feel like each month I talk about how DC and a large chunk of its fanbase are Harley Quinn crazy – that’s not me. And yet, this month we are getting another Harley one-shot (an April Fool’s special), and this, a new Harley miniseries. Harley Quinn has always been the Deadpool of the DC Universe, and I really hope that DC doesn’t spin Harley out of Suicide Squad into a new film of her own.

But hey, if this is your thing, enjoy!

HARLEY QUINN AND HER GANG OF HARLEYS #1
Written by FRANK TIERI and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MAURICET
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
1:25 Variant cover by MAURICET

On sale APRIL 13 • 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 more information.
Straight from the pages of HARLEY QUINN comes the story of her strange new army of assistants, the Gang of Harleys! In this new miniseries, they’ve been on the job for just a few months, and the Gang is ready to stand up and show what they can do without Harley…and they just might have to, because Harley’s been kidnapped! The Gang’s homes, their loved ones—they’re all in danger from a strange new villain with a very personal grudge against Harley!

Continued below

7. More Silver Age goodness

DC doing Silver Age omnibi is a somewhat new thing – we got those black and white ‘Showcase Presents’ editions, which were nice for what they were, but weren’t full color, and lost some of that sparkle that the Silver Age brings (or, at least they did for me). Plus, the Darwyn Cooke covers (not shown here) have been fantastic as well. Omnibi are expensive, and not for everyone, but the idea that hardcore fans can buy these editions at a (fairly) affordable price and get over 1,000 pages per book that look great, is one that DC has been wisely embracing.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SILVER AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GARDNER FOX and DENNIS O’NEIL
Art by MIKE SEKOWSKY and others
Cover by DARWYN COOKE

On sale JUNE 29 • 1,056 pg, FC, $99.99 US
In these epics from JLA #31-76 and MYSTERY IN SPACE #75, the world’s greatest superheroes face Brain Storm, the Key, the Royal Flush Gang, Felix Faust, and numerous threats from across the cosmos! Guest-starring Metamorpho, the Justice Society of America and more!

6. A very, very different type of Dini Bat-story

Most of us know Paul Dini from his work on Batman: The Animated Series, which presents the best possible version of Batman, and tells stories that can be enjoyed by fans of all ages. This isn’t a story like that. Dini teams up with Eduardo Risso to tell the story of his brutal beating at the hands of a mugger 20 years ago, and how writing Batman and his rogues affected his recovery.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am tired of overly dark Bat-stories, but this a personal tale from one of the great Bat-minds. While it may not occupy the same space that Dini’s past work has, I am happy to give it a try.


DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY HC
Written by PAUL DINI
Art and cover by EDUARDO RISSO

On sale JUNE 15 • 128 pg, FC, $22.99 US • MATURE READERS
The Caped Crusader has been the all-abiding icon of justice and authority for generations. But in this surprising original graphic novel, we see Batman in a new light—as the savior who helps a discouraged man recover from a brutal attack that left him unable to face the world.
In the 1990s, Eisner Award-winning writer Paul Dini had a flourishing career writing the hugely popular Batman: The Animated Series and Tiny Toon Adventures. Walking home one evening, he was jumped and viciously beaten within an inch of his life. His recovery process was arduous, hampered by the imagined antics of the villains he was writing for television including The Joker, Harley Quinn and the Penguin. But despite how bleak his circumstances were, or perhaps because of it, Dini also always imagined the Batman at his side during his darkest moments.
DARK NIGHT: A TRUE BATMAN STORY is the harrowing and eloquent autobiographical tale of Dini’s courageous struggle to overcome a truly desperate situation. It is a Batman story like none other and one that will truly resonate with fans. Art by the incredibly talented Eduardo Risso (100 BULLETS, DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE).

5. Cocaine Nostalgia is a hell of a drug

I am a 90’s DC apologist – I’ll go to my grave screaming about how underrated “Zero Hour” is, and how that produced the best era of DC comics of my lifetime (“Starman,” Kyle Rayner, Morrison’s “JLA,” etc). That said, I would never have predicted that “Bloodlines” – a crossover forgotten while it was still happening – would be revived 20 years later, by JT Krul of all people.

I’m not trying to pick on Krul, but he’s sort of the poster child for the editorially dictated snoozefests of the era immediately preceding and following “Flashpoint.” Remember when Green Arrow lived in the woods? Krul. Or how about the mohawk-era Captain Atom? Krul again. Or how about “G.I. Combat,” DC’s second attempt at a war anthology that had dinosaurs in it? You guessed it, JT, baby!

Continued below

So, by taking a mostly forgotten about crossover, giving it to a mostly lamented writer, giving it to an artist best known for his work at Aspen, and not featuring any major heroes on the cover/in the solicit, what are you doing to the changes of this book selling? This is a book squarely aimed at me – and me, as a representative of a generation of readers, I mean me, Brian – and I could not care less.

BLOODLINES #1
“HOSTILE TAKEOVER”
Written by J.T. KRUL
Art and cover by V. KEN MARION
1:25 variant cover by JILL THOMPSON

On sale APRIL 6 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
When a meteor crashes to Earth, bringing with it an unspeakable alien presence that terrorizes a nearby small town, the lucky ones die first. As for the rest, they find themselves locked in a hellish struggle for control of their bodies and their minds. This isn’t just an invasion. It’s an infestation. What would you do if the greatest threat to humanity was hidden away inside you?
Award-winning writer J.T. Krul (Teen Titans, Green Arrow, Jirni) and superstar-in-the-making V. Ken Marion (All New Soulfire, Jirni) bring you their dark and horrifying science-fiction epic about tortured souls who are cursed to a fate worse than death…much worse.

4. ‘Darkseid War’ ends

Despite being CCO, and helming the ‘flagship’ book of the New 52, Geoff Johns really seems like he’s been in the background over the past few years, hasn’t he? “Darkseid War” was supposed to be this giant event, but it features characters that all look different than how they do in every other DC story, and seems to take place either in the past or out of ‘main’ continuity.

Regardless, it has been quite good, and I’m excited to see 48 pages of Jason Fabok art on the finale, but I can’t help but wonder if this is also Johns’ beginning of the end of “Justice League,” and he’ll be sent off to rehabilitate another long maligned character.

My money is on Hawkman.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #50
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by JASON FABOK
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and SCOTT HANNA

On sale APRIL 20 • 48 pg, FC, $5.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
This is it!! The massive, 48-page conclusion to the critically-acclaimed “DARKSEID WAR” can hardly be contained between two covers! Don’t miss the final fates of the world’s greatest heroes and villains, along with world-changing revelations for Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. It doesn’t get bigger than this as DC’s monthly super hero event comic sets the stage for the next year and beyond!

3. Janin, King, and Seeley off “Grayson?”

“Grayson” has been one of DC’s best books for nearly 2 years now, and that is thanks to the team of Tim Seeley, Tom King, and Mikel Janin straight up killing it on the book. Well, this month, for the first time, none of them are responsible for an issue of the book (save Janin’s cover). While this may be a temporary break, it is a heartbreaking one. I’m sure that the writing team of Lanzing and Kelly (who are part of the “Batman and Robin Eternal” crew) will do a fine job, but this feels like a major blow, especially if that team is gone for an extended period of time.

Come back soon, friends.

GRAYSON #19
Written by JACKSON LANZING and COLLIN KELLY
Art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Cover by MIKEL JANIN
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and DANNY MIKI

On sale APRIL 27 • 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’s the ultimate spy showdown! Civil war has broken out at Spyral, with Dick Grayson stuck in the middle. When true allegiances are revealed, which agents will be left standing—if any?

Continued below

2. Peter Tomasi’s Super League

The Super books have been quite interconnected lately, and April and May see them being one big crossover yet again. “Super League” is written by Peter Tomasi, and runs across all the Super books for these two months. While this has the stink of ‘prepping for a relaunch or a weekly’ written all over it, Tomasi is the guy I’d want put in this position, even if that’s the case. The dude can write a crossover, and has ample room to play around, and some fun characters to bring in, too. What does “Super League” really mean? I don’t know, but I’m in.

Also, I chose “Batman/Superman” to focus on here, because this cover by Yanick Paquette is dope.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #31
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA
Cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and KLAUS JANSON

On sale APRIL 13 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
In part two of “Super League,” Superman enlists Batman’s aid in seeking out people that can help form his new super-league. A shocking discovery is made about a new super-being no one knew existed, and something is beginning to stalk Superman..

1. The last Snyder/Capullo “Batman”

This is the end of an era, and one that I think most DC fans are sad to see go. It’s hard to remember how not-excited DC fans were for this pairing initially. Capullo was considered a “Spawn” hasbeen, and Snyder was still a relative newcomer. This – this exact book – is the best success story of the New 52. They will be on to new projects – both alone and together – but both should thank their lucky stars that DC put them on this book together.

And we should be, too. Fare thee well, Scott and Greg.

BATMAN #51
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and KLAUS JANSON

On sale APRIL 13 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Batman has battled everything from the Court of Owls to Mr. Bloom to the Joker, but how does he handle a quiet night in Gotham City…?

Check out the full solicitations from Comic Book Resources here.


//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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