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Soliciting Multiversity: DC’s Top 10 For January 2023

By | October 31st, 2022
Posted in Columns | % Comments

As 2023 kicks off, so does DC’s first big crossover that wasn’t labeled a Crisis in over 2 years. Let’s get to that, and much more.

10. Two Faces? In this economy?

Look, I know it isn’t exactly a new idea to get two artists to do a Two-Face story, but when those artists are Rafael Albuquerque and Ivan Reis, you take notice. Ram V’s idea for this issue seems ambitious and, potentially, a little too pretentious to really work, but I appreciate the risk he’s taking with such an elliptical issue.

DETECTIVE COMICS #1068
Written by RAM V
Art by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE and IVAN REIS
Cover by EVAN CAGLE
Backup written by SIMON SPURRIER
Backup art by DANI
Variant cover by INHYUK LEE
Variant cover by IVAN REIS
1:25 variant cover by COLLEEN DORAN
1:50 foil variant cover by INHYUK LEE

$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/24/23
This special Two-Face issue is split in half artistically by maestros Rafael Albuquerque and Ivan Reis to portray the
struggles Harvey Dent goes through trying to stay alive with the help of his more evil side…
Genius writer Ram V not only devised each page of this story to be a dark reflection of the page facing it, but also of itself from front to back! This is an issue you won’t want to miss!

9. Super? Not So Much

I find it funny that there are multiple instances every year of child Bruce Wayne rehabilitation. From what we know of the character as a kid, he’s a miserable kid, with good reason, alienated because of his rage and wealth, who probably never had a first kiss in a traditional way and only knew friendship with his servant. That said, “Bruce Wayne: Not Super” looks like an interesting approach to give us a not totally angsty young Wayne story. Let’s see if Gibbs and Pekmezci can make something of this story.

BRUCE WAYNE: NOT SUPER
Written by STUART GIBBS
Art and cover by BERAT PEKMEZCI

$12.99 US | 160 pages | 5 1/2″ x 8″
Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-767-9
ON SALE 3/14/23
Have you ever felt like you didn’t quite fit in?
Bruce Wayne knows all about that…being the only kid in his whole school without any powers and all. And when he gets pulled into the principal’s office because his career choice of vigilantism is deemed too ambitious, Bruce becomes more determined than ever to prove that he can be just as cool as the other supers that give him a hard time. But first, he has to find the right disguise and gadgets…oh, and the perfect hideout.
Featuring a cast of DC favorites, Bruce Wayne: Not Super, from New York Times bestselling writer Stuart Gibbs (Spy School, Charlie Thorne) and artist Berat Pekmezci, is sure to keep readers laughing!

8. Why are these Harley-branded…oh, I get it!

Harlequin romances, get it? GET IT?

My only complain with this is that if you insist on making Harley the avatar of love, at least let her, in continuity, get back together with Ivy. Those kids are better together.

DC’S HARLEY QUINN ROMANCES #1
Written by GREG LOCKARD, ALEXIS QUASARANO, FRANK ALLEN,
ZIPPORAH SMITH, AMANDA DEIBERT, IVAN COHEN, RAPHAEL
DRACCON, CAROLINA MUNHÓZ, and others
Art by MAX SARIN, FICO OSSIO, ADRIANA MELO,
GIULIO MACAIONE, and others
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
Variant cover by DAVID TALASKI
1:25 variant cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE

$9.99 US | 80 pages | One-shot | Prestige
(all covers are card stock)
ON SALE 1/31/23
DC is proud to present a selection of eight stories of rapscallion romance, prodigious passion, and undulating, unbridled affection. Tension builds as Apollo and Midnighter are captured by an unknown alien species who are determined to learn the secrets of their supersoldier success. Harley Quinn gets caught in a scintillating fantasy:
What would life have been like if she and Ivy had met in high school? Also featuring Fire and Ice heating things up, fan-favorite heroine Power Girl’s romantic tale, John Constantine’s mysterious tryst, an amorous Aquaman adventure, and many more! These are lovelorn fantasies as only DC can tell them…but it’s not a Harlequin romance…prepare yourself for the Harley Quinn Romances!

Continued below

7. Taking Over

I am sure that the people you’d most expect to get upset over Lois Lane being reimagined as an Asian-American will get very mad about this. I could not care less about that. I’m just excited for a Lois book to buy my daughter.

GIRL TAKING OVER: A LOIS LANE STORY
Written by SARAH KUHN
Art and cover by ARIELLE JOVELLANOS

$16.99 US | 208 pages | 6″ x 9″
Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-777-8
ON SALE 4/4/23
Can Lois Lane scrap her entire life plan for an unpredictable summer of ride-or-die friendships, swoony romance, and writing her truth?
Ambitious small-town girl Lois Lane tackles a summer in National City with gusto, but a cavalcade of setbacks—including an annoying frenemy roommate, a beyond-tedious internship at a suddenly corporatized website, and a boss who demotes her to coffee-fetching minion—threatens to derail her extremely detailed life plan. And, you know, her entire future!
When Lois uncovers a potentially explosive scandal, she must stand up and speak out for the future she deserves without destroying everything she’s worked so hard to create.
From beloved author Sarah Kuhn (Shadow of the Batgirl, Heroine Complex), with lively art by Arielle Jovellanos, comes a charming YA story about the strength it takes to embrace the messiness of life.

6. An Era Already Forgotten

It is crazy how not-long ago DC was publishing Young Animal titles, but how much that era has been totally memory-holed by DC proper. No one ever talks about that truly extraordinary set of books, and so I’m very glad that the flagship book of that era, “Doom Patrol,” is getting a deluxe hardcover. Please DC, renegotiate with Gerard Way for more Young Animal. Let Tom Scioli finally do a big “Super Powers” book.

DOOM PATROL BY GERARD WAY AND NICK DERINGTON: THE DELUXE EDITION
Written by GERARD WAY and JEREMY LAMBERT
Art by NICK DERINGTON, MICHAEL ALLRED,
TOM FOWLER, and others
Cover by NICK DERINGTON

$49.99 US | 528 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″| Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-77952-138-5
ON SALE 2/28/23
EMT driver Casey Brinke has been plagued by bizarre memories her entire life. Her perception of reality and fiction is about to blur even further when she encounters Robotman, Crazy Jane, Negative Man, Flex Mentallo, and Danny the Street—a.k.a. the Doom Patrol. Together with her new friends, Casey will learn that bizarre is just the tip of the iceberg in this imaginative reinvention of the cult series written by My Chemical Romance front man Gerard Way, and illustrated by Nick Derington and a selection of the comics industry’s most whimsical talents.
This deluxe edition collects all 12 issues of the 2016 Young Animal revival of Doom Patrol plus Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds #1-7.

5. Triple digits

There’s a rumor that this issue will see Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon get engaged. That would be a lovely way to move two long-standing characters into something new and a little more ‘grown up.’ But even if this issue doesn’t do that, this is a nice chance for Tom Taylor to get to show off his run in an oversized issue and let the world gawk at that amazing Bruno Redondo cover.

NIGHTWING #100
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by BRUNO REDONDO, RICK LEONARDI,
SCOTT McDANIEL, MIKEL JANIN, and JAVIER FERNANDEZ
Cover by BRUNO REDONDO
Wraparound variant cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL
Variant covers by JIM LEE, JORGE JIMENEZ,
JAVIER FERNANDEZ and TRAVIS MOORE
1:25 variant cover by BABS TARR
1:50 variant cover by JORGE FORNÉS
1:100 foil variant cover by DAN MORA
Acetate variant cover by BRUNO REDONDO ($8.99 US)

$6.99 US | 56 pages | Variant $7.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/17/23
Come join us with big smiles and even bigger celebrations as Nightwing hits its milestone issue #100! Cheer how far we’ve come by looking through the decades at what has made Nightwing a beloved hero. What better way to celebrate than with familiar friends and artists? Then, with Heartless creating a lair in the heart of Blüdhaven to take Blockbuster’s throne, Nightwing will follow suit, setting up a headquarters of his own…with the help of some friends who helped make him who he is now, of course!

Continued below

4. Another creator return

The return of Andy Diggle to DC isn’t as extreme as Mark Waid’s, but like Waid, Diggle has been away for a long time. Despite one story in a “Green Lanterns” annual in 2018, Diggle hasn’t worked at DC since his “Action Comics” run went tits up in the second year of the New 52. This issue isn’t labeled as a one-shot or a miniseries, but wasn’t given the fanfare of a new series announcement, either. Is this the new “Batman: Urban Legends,” but focusing on one story at a time? Regardless, Karl Mostert doesn’t do enough DC work, so this book features two creators I want to see more from, as well as characters (Red Hood, the Outsiders) who could also use a bit of a spotlight.

BATMAN: LEGENDS OF GOTHAM #1
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Art by KARL MOSTERT
Cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant cover by NATHAN SZERDY
1:25 variant cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA

$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 (card stock)
ON SALE 1/31/23
With Batman preoccupied, his deepest, darkest, most dangerous secrets are about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The guest list is strictly villains only, and the outlaw Red Hood fits the bill –putting him on a collision course with Batman’s deniable black-ops team, the Outsiders! With Lazarus Island spawning wild-card superpowers across the globe, the stakes could not be higher. Jason Todd, Black Lightning, and Katana will have to put aside their differences to save Batman’s legacy –and with it, the world. That’s assuming they don’t kill each other first!

3. Let’s hope this leads to more titles

I love that DC has really committed to doing celebrations for their characters and creators that fall outside of the white/cis/het clarification, and it is a little shocking that every year doesn’t have a DC Black History Month issue. The insanity of that aside, this looks like a hell of an issue, with a who’s who of DC’s Black talent and characters represented.

However, these characters and creators deserve more than one spotlight issue a year. Let’s get some of these writers and artists launching ongoings based on these characters, and really expand the diversity of the DC Universe.

Also, fuck yeah Amazing-Man!

DC POWER: A CELEBRATION #1
Written by CHUCK BROWN, MORGAN HAMPTON,
STEPHANIE WILLIAMS, EVAN NARCISSE, and others
Art by VALENTINE DE LANDRO, CLAYTON HENRY, and others
Cover by JAHNOY LINDSAY
Variant covers by SOZOMAIKA and TAJ TENFOLD
1:25 variant cover by KEN LASHLEY
1:50 foil variant by SOZOMAIKA

$9.99 US | 104 pages | One-shot | Prestige
ON SALE 1/31/23
First there was DC Pride and DC Festival of Heroes; now it’s time to celebrate Black History Month! Cyborg, John Stewart, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Batwing, Vixen, Amazing-Man, and more take center stage to highlight the power of Black excellence across the DC Universe, in stories from a variety of comics’ finest Black artists and writers!

2. Backups on backups

I love that DC is making “Action Comics” a bigger comic. It’s one of the two oldest and most meaningful books in the entire superhero genre. Giving the book two back-ups makes this feel like a place that any DC-head must visit monthly if they want to get a sense for what is happening at DC. Plus, with the relative paucity of Super books compared to their Bat-counterparts, this gives space for the greater Metropolis gang to show up.

Also, that cover. Marone!

ACTION COMICS #1051
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON,
DAN JURGENS, and LEAH WILLIAMS
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL, LEE WEEKS, and MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
Cover by DAN MORA
Variant covers by STEVE BEACH, JORGE FORNÉS, SERGIO DAVILA,
RAFA SANDOVAL, DAVID NAKAYAMA, and LEE WEEKS
1:25 variant cover by JACK HERBERT
1:50 foil variant cover by DAN MORA
1:100 embossed variant cover by STEVE BEACH

$4.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/24/23
ACTION COMICS REBORN!
Action Comics #1051 begins a new format for DC’s most action-packed title, offering not one, not two, but three epic adventures of Superman and the entire Super-Family! Following the bombshell events of Action Comics #1050, the world’s relationship with Superman is forever changed, the upper limits of his supercharged powers have yet to be reached, and the House of El’s transformation of Metropolis, led by Steel, has begun. But Lex Luthor has found the perfect instrument with which to undo everything Superman is working to achieve: Metallo, whose hatred of Superman is matched only by his hatred for Luthor himself. Then, in “Lois and Clark 2: Doom Rising,” Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks return to tell the tale of young Jon Kent on the farm with his parents, learning about his abilities, coming of age…and battling the Doombreaker?! And finally, Power Girl returns in part one of a three-part story spinning out of Lazarus Planet! This issue marks the first appearance of new characters, new costumes, and a new era of Action Comics! It all starts here!

Continued below

1. Lazarus Pit, Lazarus Island, Lazarus Planet. What’s next, Lazarus Multiverse?

DC’s first big event of 2023 seems sort of stuck between the ‘nothing time waster’ of something like “Endless Winter” and ‘could seriously change things but isn’t quite a Crisis’ of an event like “DC One Million.” On one hand, there’s a hell of a lot of talent on this, and it is being spearheaded by Mark Waid, who has stepped into a really fun reinstated position of power at DC. But on the other, all of this has a ring of ‘this is likely not permanent,’ and while we all know that comics rarely are, there are some events that can help us to believe. I am hoping that Waid and co. will be able to pull of that trick, but as of now, I’m still a little skeptical.

All of that said, there are so many fun concepts teased in these solicits that I almost don’t care how much this ‘matters’ in the long run. The electric-blue Jon Kent is enough to get me jazzed all by itself.

LAZARUS PLANET: ALPHA #1
Written by MARK WAID and GENE LUEN YANG
Art by RICCARDO FEDERICI, BILLY TAN, and more
Cover by DAVID MARQUEZ and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Variant covers by RICCARDO FEDERICI, FRANCESCO MATTINA,
MATEUS MANHANINI, NATHAN SZERDY, and JORGE CORONA
Trading Card Variant
1:25 variant cover by JOHN GIANG
1:50 foil variant cover by A.L. KAPLAN
1:100 foil variant cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Team variant cover by SCOTT GODLEWSKI

$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/10/23
CHANGE THE WORLD.
Following the explosive (literally) events of Batman vs. Robin #4, the Lazarus Volcano has erupted, spewing dangerous and transformative chemicals into Earth’s atmosphere! As these Lazarus clouds rain down upon the planet, people across the globe begin to develop strange new abilities, watch their already-extraordinary abilities
change, and witness a whole host of chaos unlike anything the DCU has experienced before! It’s up to Damian Wayne to put out the distress call for whoever can still hear it: come to the ruins of the Hall of Justice and help save the world! Poison Ivy, Power Girl, Cyborg, Batman, and more answer the call…but why could the fate
of all life as we know it rest in the hands of…Monkey Prince?

For the full solicits, check out 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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