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Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top 10 For January 2021

By | October 26th, 2020
Posted in Columns | % Comments

‘5G’ ‘Future State’ is here! While there is the usual range of pre-opinions about this out there, I am firmly in the ‘excited’ camp. Why? Well, it’s a combination of exciting creative teams, interesting takes on characters, and the beloved anthology books I’ve been hankering for (both on and off the DC3cast) for years now. While there is a lot to be unsure of with this event, I love to see DC trying something legitimately new with their characters, even if they’re only temporary status quo shifts. And, beyond that, the reasons that each book is interesting is almost entirely different from the other books in the line. Of all of the books solicited, only one (“Future State: The Flash”) looks less than exciting to me, and that’s mostly because I’m very, very sick of Wally West being the token Flash that gets possessed/evil/corrupted.

Enough preamble, let’s jump in.

10. You Want it Darker

If I lived to 500, I’d be happy never hearing the adjective ‘dark’ associated with Batman ever again. It’s played out at this point, and never really meant what people thought it did, anyway. Despite that, “Future State: Dark Detective” #1 gets a spot on this list for a few reasons. First of all, Mariko Tamaki has done a little work at DC, but it’s nice to see them giving her Batman, if only for a few issues, because she’s one of the most interesting writers in all of comics right now. Pairing her with Dan Mora is an inspired choice as well, and begins the nearly non-stop praise I’ll heap on the various creative teams on these books.

A Bruce Wayne outside of the cowl story is always interesting to me, even if the “down and out Bruce” thing is becoming nearly as played out as the ‘dark’ Batman. But it’s the backups that also give this a spot on the list (and, spoiler alert, all its fellow anthologies will also be on this list). “Grifter” by Matthew Rosenberg and Carmine Di Giandomenico and “Red Hood” by Joshua Williamson and Giannis Milonogiannis are both really interesting pairings of creators and characters. I’m not really hankering for a Red Hood story but when you get Milonogiannis on a DC book, paired with Joshua Williamson no less, you need to celebrate.

FUTURE STATE: DARK DETECTIVE #1
“Dark Detective” written by MARIKO TAMAKI
“Dark Detective” art by DAN MORA
“Grifter” written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG
“Grifter” art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
cover by DAN MORA
card stock variant cover by JOHN PAUL LEON

ON SALE 1/12/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 4 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
The world thought Bruce Wayne was dead. They were dead wrong! When the sinister para-military organization known as the Magistrate seizes control of Gotham City, the original Batman went big to put them down…but even the Dark Knight couldn’t predict how far this evil force would go to stop him. Now, Bruce Wayne is on the run! From Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and rising star artist Dan Mora, it’s the story of a Batman pushed to the brink—with nothing left to lose.
Also in this issue, Grifter is back! Cole Cash is having a bad day, and that’s not going to improve when the detectives of the GCPD show up! Will a chance meeting with Luke Fox change his luck? Or is his day about to get a lot worse?

9. One Million Issues

After the fantastic Tom Taylor “Suicide Squad” run, I’m not super excited to see anyone else write Task Force X for a bit. But, you add a little Earth-3 action, and I’m all of a sudden more interested.

But the second story in this book is what really has me interested. Anyone who has been paying attention will note my Shazam superfandom (keep reading for more), and so a Black Adam story is already up my alley. But this story takes place during the “DC One Million” 853rd Century, the first of a number of connections to past DC events that we’ll be talking about. Everything about the solicit intrigues me, and is one of the best examples of how a simple premise can work to entice potential readers.

Continued below

FUTURE STATE: SUICIDE SQUAD #1
“Suicide Squad” written by ROBBIE THOMPSON
“Suicide Squad” art by JAVI FERNANDEZ
“Black Adam” written JEREMY ADAMS
“Black Adam” art by FERNANDO PASARIN
cover by JAVI FERNANDEZ
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW

ON SALE 1/26/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $6.99 US
The Suicide Squad enters the Future State era as Amanda Waller uses Task Force X to save the world and remake it in her image—but what happens when the team shows up to stop her?
And in the second story in this extra-sized issue, Black Adam, the immortal one-time champion of the wizard Shazam, rules the planet Kahndaq in the 853rd century. Can he save the future from a threat rooted in the past?

8. Even the banal ones have a hook

There’s not a ton in this solicit to make this a must read book, but I want to highlight this issue to show how DC is using this somewhat rigid formula to do some interesting stuff. This issue is a sequel to the “Future State: Teen Titans” issue, but takes place years later, allowing the scope of the story to breathe and adapt between the issues. Not only that, but this puts Shazam with the Teen Titans, in a move that isn’t done enough, but should be done all the time. The Teen Titans should always have a Marvel family character on it, as they are both teenagers and woefully underused.

Plus, I want to point out writer Tim Sheridan, who is coming over to the comics side of DC after doing time on the animation side for years. The ‘Future State’ creative teams are a wild mix of veterans, upcoming talent, and folks poached from TV, animation, and video games. I’m sure they won’t all stick around and be the pillars of the DC publishing line in the future, but it’s nice to see an event like this without the usual names churning out dull tie-ins (Dan Jurgens, Keith Giffen, Scott Lobdell).

FUTURE STATE: SHAZAM! #1
written by TIM SHERIDAN
art by EDUARDO PANSICA
cover by BERNARD CHANG
card stock variant cover by GERALD PAREL

ON SALE 1/19/21
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $4.99 US
No one’s seen Billy Batson in years—not since the incident known as the Final Battle of Titans Island. Now leading a small band of heroes, even his allies have begun to ask who’s controlling Earth’s Mightiest Mortal. In a story set years after the events of Future State: Teen Titans, learn the truth behind the sacrifice Billy made to imprison an ultimate evil even he couldn’t destroy.

7. How many soldiers?

Grant Morrison’s “Seven Soldiers” is a wonderfully odd DC event, one that plays with form and continuity in unique ways. It’s also an event that rarely gets referenced in modern comics, if only because some of its characters have rarely, if ever, been seen after the event wrapped up. Well, ‘Future State’ is looking to check as many Morrison boxes as possible, and so “Future State: Superman: Worlds of War” sees stories features Shilo Norman, aka the Mister Miracle that isn’t Scott Free.

So, take Shilo, add in a WildStorm one in “Midnighter,” a classic Superman villain in Mongul and his Warworld, and take another Fourth World idea, the Black Racer, and set it upon a new character with Warworld taking the place of Apokolips, and you’ve got a fascinating stew of DC miscellany. While I’m not a huge fan of Warworld, everything else involved in this makes that go down much, much easier.

FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN: WORLDS OF WAR #1
“Superman: Worlds of War” written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
“Superman: Worlds of War” art by MIKEL JANíN
“Midnighter” written by MICHAEL W. CONRAD and BECKY CLOONAN
“Midnighter” art by GLEB MELNIKOV
“Black Racer” written by JEREMY ADAMS
“Black Racer” art by SIYA OUM
“Mister Miracle” written by BRANDON EASTON
“Mister Miracle” art by VALENTINE DE LANDRO
cover by MIKEL JANÍN
card stock variant cover by RICCARDO FEDERICI

ON SALE 1/19/21 | $7.99 US | 64 PAGES
1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $8.99 US
This monumental Future State title features four big stories! First, Clark Kent is gone, leaving a Superman-shaped hole behind. People gather in Smallville to celebrate their hero, little realizing that he is across the galaxy helping others. Superman has gone to Warworld, where he fights as a gladiator in the deadly pits of Mongul. But this is Superman we’re talking about—and his idea of a victory does not line up with the expectations of Mongul’s hordes!
Meanwhile, on the other side of Warworld, other agents are at work, struggling for a better life. Shilo Norman, the man known as Mister Miracle, has ridden a Boom Tube across the cosmos from Metropolis to finds himself at odds with an entire planet!
At the same time, Midnighter, the greatest fighter from Earth, is punching his way through a whole mess of trouble. He’s on the hunt for a new energy source deadlier than Kryptonite. His goal: to shut it down before it gets unleashed on an unsuspecting universe.
On top of that, the Black Racer, a girl raised in the slums of Warworld to be one of its top competitors, turns betrayal into a crusade to fight for the freedom of others like her.

Continued below

6. OGN Synergy

While many areas of DC’s publishing line have floundered over the past few years, they’ve been really focusing some attention on all-ages/middle grade/young adult original graphic novels. One of their upcoming books, written by L.L. McKinney and illustrated by Robyn Smith, is a look at Nubia, a Wonder Woman character that has not had a major storyline in decades, but is one of the first black characters in comics, and one of the more interesting Amazons. DC has brought McKinney in to do a Nubia story in the “Immortal Wonder Woman” anthology, which is a really great idea. While I’m sure the stories won’t exactly line up, it is never a bad idea to add a little connective tissue between their titles. Plus, since “Nubia: Real One” isn’t out until February, this may be a nice way to build some hype among the Wednesday Warrior comic fans who may never really check out DC’s OGNs, which are aimed more at a bookstore audience.

FUTURE STATE: IMMORTAL WONDER WOMAN #1
“Immortal Wonder Woman” written by MICHAEL W. CONRAD and BECKY CLOONAN
“Immortal Wonder Woman” art by JEN BARTEL
“Nubia” written by L.L. McKINNEY
“Nubia” art by ALITHA MARTINEZ and MARK MORALES
cover by JEN BARTEL
card stock variant cover by PEACH MOMOKO

ON SALE 1/19/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
The Undoing are coming. Long past the Age of Heroes, few of Diana Prince’s friends survive, and most of her sisters have passed as well. As an immortal goddess, this is her lot. But then, a threat appears that even the mighty Darkseid can’t handle—and it’s up to Wonder Woman to take on the battle! It’s big action and high fantasy at the end of time, courtesy of Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Becky Cloonan (By Chance or Providence, Gotham Academy) and her Doom Patrol co-writer Michael W. Conrad, with the popular artist Jen Bartel (Blackbird) making her interior art debut for DC.
Then, peer into a closer future as the original champion of Themyscira strikes out on her own. Things have not been stable on Paradise Island for some time, and Nubia has found a new home in Man’s World. Now, she is tasked with protecting it from the dangers of the world of myths and magic. The writer of DC’s Nubia: Real One, L.L. McKinney, takes this powerful Amazon to a whole new level.

5. Jon Kent, back in the spotlight

I wouldn’t exactly say that Jon Kent has been slumming it over in “Legion of Super-Heroes,” but it is nice to see him taking up the Superman mantle here. While there are others, mainly Conner Kent, who have been foretold to take up that title, Jon seems like the heir apparent for so many reasons. Plus, Jon is different enough from Clark that this isn’t just a younger version of a character stepping into the shoes.

Also, this is where the “Seven Soldiers” stuff from the “Worlds of War” title begins, and features the Manhattan Metropolis Guardian in the Super books, where the city-less Guardian lived for so many years. The amount of references and callbacks in these books is really impressive.

FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN OF METROPOLIS #1
“Superman of Metropolis” written by SEAN LEWIS
“Superman of Metropolis” art by JOHN TIMMS
“The Guardian” written by SEAN LEWIS
“The Guardian” art by CULLY HAMNER
“Mister Miracle” written by BRANDON EASTON
“Mister Miracle” art by VALENTINE DE LANDRO
cover by JOHN TIMMS
card stock variant cover by INHYUK LEE

card stock blank variant cover
ON SALE 1/5/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVERS $6.99 US
Before leaving for parts unknown, Clark Kent entrusted Earth’s safety to his son. Now, Jonathan Kent is Superman! Top priority for this new Superman: to protect Metropolis. When a new version of Brainiac attacks, Jon takes drastic measures—which result in the Bottle City of Metropolis! But watch out, Jon, because Supergirl is on her way, and she is not happy with your decision.
Meanwhile, in the new bottle city, a new hero has risen. Jake Jordan, the former Manhattan Guardian, came to the City of Tomorrow to start over. But he’s not the only one who wants a new beginning. An anarchist calling herself Honest Mary sees this time of trouble as an opportunity for rebirth—and she’ll tear down the entire city to prove her point. Does Jake have what it takes to save his new home from disasters both inside and out of the bottle? Superman’s former pal Jimmy Olsen is going to make sure he does!
Finally, the current Mister Miracle, Shilo Norman, is also in the bottle, and he’s looking for a way out! He’d better be careful, though, or he may end up someplace unexpected. It’s a story that continues in Superman: Worlds of War #1!

Continued below

4. Beware our power

I suppose we have to go back nearly 2 decades to find a DC event without Hal Jordan as the preeminent Green Lantern in the title, which is why it is so nice to see Hal totally missing from these solicitations. Unfortunately, Kyle Rayner and Simon Baz are missing too, but look at this cover: is that fucking G’Nort alongside John Stewart and Kilowog? I think it may be!

Seeing Jessica Cruz get a solo story here is a nice change of pace and, as she’s been growing in popularity due to her DC Superhero Girls appearances, a long overdue one. I’m a little bummed that Guy Gardner seems to have been reduced to ‘former barkeep’ in DC editorial’s mind, but there have been a number of great Warriors stories in the past, so let’s see if this can continue the streak.

FUTURE STATE: GREEN LANTERN #1
“The Last Lanterns” written by GEOFFREY THORNE
“The Last Lanterns” art by TOM RANEY
“The Book of Guy” written by ERNIE ALTBACKER
“The Book of Guy” art by CLAYTON HENRY
“The Taking of Sector 123” written by RYAN CADY
“The Taking of Sector 123” art by SAMI BASRI
cover by CLAYTON HENRY
card stock variant cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL

ON SALE 1/12/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 OF 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $6.99 US
Assigned to map and contact new lifeforms past the 3,600 known sectors of space protected by the Green Lantern Corps, John Stewart and an elite team of Lanterns are trapped behind enemy lines and fighting for their lives when the Central Power Battery goes dark and leaves the entire corps defenseless. Meanwhile, across the cosmos, Green Lantern Jessica Cruz finds herself powerless and forced to battle the invading Yellow Lanterns of the Sinestro Corps, and Guy Gardner, trapped on distant world, decides to reopen Warriors Bar.

3.A really fascinating hint

When reading the tea leaves at DC, I’m always looking for who is in good graces and who seems on the way out. There are some notable names sitting this event out, but they almost all have either just finished up, or are in the midst of a huge run: Scott Snyder is missing, but ‘Death Metal’ is the catalyst for this event, and James Tynion IV is crafting his epic “Batman” run. But there are three creators that are sticking on their current DC books in ‘Future State.’ One is Brian Bendis on “Legion of Super-Heroes,” and the other two are the “Justice League” scribes Joshua Williamson and Ram V.

To me, this is the surest sign we’ve received so far that these three are big parts of what DC has planned for the rest of 2021. Williamson has been on the A-list at DC for awhile now, and while his “Justice League” run has mainly just been ‘Death Metal,’ this leads me to believe that whatever important things spin out of ‘Future State’ will likely be happening in whatever book Williamson will be launching after this all wraps up. Ram V has been straight up killing it on “Justice League Dark” and “Catwoman,” and so it’s not surprising that he’s also involved here, and the Dark books could likely use a little nudge, so maybe they, too, will be affected in the post-‘Future State’ world.

But let’s also take a moment here to marvel at the Justice League lineup, which is made up of almost entirely of characters that are either new or recent creations, and feature such recent highlights as Jo Mullein as Green Lantern and Jonathan Kent as Superman. This is going to be really great to see, and will make a standard ‘big 7’ Justice League run seem even more predictable on the other side of this.

FUTURE STATE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1
“Justice League” written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
“Justice League” art by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
“Justice League Dark” written by RAM V
“Justice League Dark” art by MARCIO TAKARA
cover by DAN MORA
card stock variant cover by KAEL NGU

ON SALE 1/12/21
$5.99 US | 48 PAGES | 1 of 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
Witness the start of a new era for the Justice League starring Jonathan Kent as Superman, 
Yara Flor as Wonder Woman, Jo Mullein as Green Lantern, Andy Curry as Aquawoman, a new Flash from the Multiverse, and [REDACTED] as Batman! Together, they protect the future, yet apart, their identities are secret even from one another—but why? When their greatest adversaries wind up murdered in an abandoned Hall of Justice, all clues point to…the Justice League! The new team’s adventures begin here!
And in a new tale of the Justice League Dark, a witch hunt across the DC Universe begins as magic users are harvested and executed—and the team is on the run! Zatanna and Detective Chimp (now possessed by Etrigan) must round up new and old teammates, including John Constantine, Ragman, and Madame Xanadu. Their mission? To battle the power-mad Crow King, Merlin, before his plans for magical domination destroy the fabric of reality. But where is Dr. Fate? And what led the team to disband in the first place? Discover the truth here!

Continued below

2. Bombshells are back, baby!

One of the most surprising successes of the 2010s was the “DC Comics Bombshells” digital first comics, which took their inspiration from a series of statues and set the women of DC in an alternate history setting. The series was written by Marguerite Bennett and illustrated by a slew of great talent, but most notably Marguerite Sauvage. Those two are teaming up on a Kara Zor-El book, and it is one of the most *Italian Chef Kiss Emoji* decisions of the entire two-month event.

First of all, Kara is due to get a bump off the ‘girl’ title in a major way, and Superwoman is an underused name in DC history, though it was recently a great series starring Lana Lang in early ‘Rebirth.’ The costume design on this cover is also fantastic, and gives Kara an elegant and functional costume, somewhat reminiscent of the Marc Andreyko/Kevin Maguire soft reboot from a few years ago. Bennett and Sauvage not doing more at DC baffles me, and so it is nice to see them get a book in this event and, hopefully, one that will carry them into more at DC in the not too distant future.

FUTURE STATE: KARA ZOR-EL, SUPERWOMAN #1
written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
art by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
cover by PAULINA GANUCHEAU
card stock variant cover by ALEX GARNER

ON SALE 1/12/21
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES | 1 of 2 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK COVER $4.99 US
Kara Zor-El, Superman’s hot-tempered cousin, has finally found peace and purpose away from Earth and its heroes. Now known as Superwoman, she watches over the Moon and the refugees from across the galaxy who have congregated there. But all of that is about to change when a spaceship piloted by a runaway alien crash-lands and turns Kara’s world upside down! Does this fugitive come in peace? Or does this arrival bring war to our hero’s front door?

1. All about the Batgirls, baby

Everything about “The Next Batman” is fun: a new person under the cowl. “Outsiders” and “Arkham Knights” backups in the first issue sound really fun. “Gotham City Sirens” from #2 also could be a fun new series. But it’s the “Batgirls” story by Vita Ayala and Aneke that has me really hyped. Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain are the ‘modern’ Batgirls, yet have not been known by that title in years now, after the cowl deferred back to Barbara Gordon in the ‘New 52.’

But a recent story featuring them from Joshua Williamson in the “Batman: The Joker War Zone” special highlighted what an unlikely and awesome pair they could be together. This is, hopefully, the start of a “Birds of Prey” relaunch, perhaps with Babs back in the Oracle role, and maybe toss in Harper Row, aka Bluebird, to boot. I mean, who says no?

FUTURE STATE: THE NEXT BATMAN #2
“The Next Batman” written by JOHN RIDLEY
“The Next Batman” art by LAURA BRAGA
“Batgirls” written by VITA AYALA
“Batgirls” art by ANEKE
“Gotham City Sirens” written by PAULA SEVENBERGEN
“Gotham City Sirens” art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
cover by LADRÖNN
card stock variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA

ON SALE 1/19/21
$7.99 US | 64 PAGES | 2 OF 4 | FC | DC
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $8.99 US
In this second Future State: Batman chapter, wearing a mask in Gotham City is now a crime—and when it’s compounded with murder, it can be a shoot-on-sight offense! Batman is on the trail of a murderous couple but quickly finds that all is not as it seems…and finds himself in the firing line of the Magistrate and their Peacekeepers! The gritty, street-level adventures of the new Dark Knight continue!
Also in this issue, Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown find themselves in a prison where the Magistrate throws heroes and villains alike! What no one knows, though, is that Cassandra was sent there with a mission…
And in a story of the Gotham City Sirens, some girls just want to have fun—so what do you do when you find Gotham City in turmoil and overrun by Cybers? You go shopping, of course! Join Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and a new Siren on a gal’s night out. They’re on the town, looking for trouble…and finding it!

For the full solicitations, visit Newsarama.


//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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