Every now and then, the solicits get a little sleepy. That’s what’s happening at DC in February. Let’s get to it.
10. New Edition, Same Classic
We all probably own “All-Star Superman” already. Some of us probably own the Absolute edition of the book, too. For those that don’t own either edition but want to, there’s a new one. That’s it. This is a slow month, sorry.
ABSOLUTE ALL-STAR SUPERMAN (2024 EDITION)
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by FRANK QUITELY and JAMIE GRANT
$125.00 US | 328 pages | 8 1/8″ x 12 1/4″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-608-3
ON SALE 7/30/24From legendary comics storytellers Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely comes one of the greatest Superman stories ever imagined. Following a mission to the surface of the sun, the Man of Steel finds that his invulnerable body has been pushed beyond its limits. An inexorable countdown has begun, and death is the only possible outcome. Faced with this knowledge, the Last Son of Krypton embarks on his final and greatest adventure: preparing his adopted home world for a future without Superman. Collects All-Star Superman #1-12.
9. Arf-fred? Is that a thing?
There are a lot of all-ages books that mesh superheroes with pets. This one does it with the Joker’s dog. That’s it. Still a slow month.
BARKHAM ASYLUM
Written by YEHUDI MERCADO
Art and cover by YEHUDI MERCADO
$12.99 US | 160 pages | 5 1/2″ x 8″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77950-500-2
ON SALE 5/7/24Who’s a good boy? Jester is. Well, he wants to be. Maybe he is? He’s The Joker’s dog, so of course he’s funny, but his sense of humor is about to be put to the test. Because when the super-villains of Gotham get thrown into Arkham, their henchpets go to the maximum-security pound known as Barkham Asylum. Being the Clown Prince of Crime’s dog doesn’t win Jester any friends behind bars, especially after he gets a tough-talking stray cat named Penny tossed into lockup with him. But they’ll have to work together to figure out what the evil Warden Shar Pei’s helper, Dr. Hugo Mange, is up to. And the only way to stop this terrifying team-up is to win the talent show and get visitation with their masters at Arkham on the hill. Because The Joker is sure to help! What could go wrong with that plan? And where does Gotham’s premier playboy Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred, fit in?
8. Can this be the last knight too?
There is absolutely no reason – zero reason – for another story about the early days of Batman from an older white writer. Dan Jurgens, no disrespect, is not the writer he once was, and this is a trope that has been beaten into the ground literally dozens of times in the past. If there was a writer with a more unique voice available, that’s one thing. But to do another early Batman book by another old white dude just seems regressive and lazy.
Continued belowTHE BAT-MAN: FIRST KNIGHT #1
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art by MIKE PERKINS
Cover by MIKE PERKINS
Pulp novel variant cover by MARC ASPINALL
Variant cover by RAMON PEREZ
1:25 variant cover by JACOB PHILLIPS
$6.99 | 48 pages | 1 of 3 | Prestige Plus | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″
(all covers are card stock)
ON SALE 3/5/24The year is 1939. The world, still reeling from the horrors of the First World War, is on the brink of tipping into an even more gruesome conflict, as fascism is on the march—and gathering strength in America’s darkest corners. Against this backdrop, a series of violent murders has begun in Gotham, and the recent emergence of the mysterious vigilante known as The Bat-Man has the power brokers of the city living in fear of institutional collapse. All of the evidence in the murder investigation defies logic: the perpetrators are all men who died in the electric chair. But when the Bat- Man comes face to face with one of these sickening anomalies, he barely escapes with his life—throwing into question his ability to survive in a world that is brutally evolving around him!
7. You’ve finally made a monkey out of me
As someone who re-read a lot of this in the past five years, I can spoil it for you: “JLApe” was not very good. However, it is super silly and is worth a read for just how silly it is. That’s it. That’s all.
JLAPE: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Written by LEN KAMINSKI, JOHN OSTRANDER, KEITH GIFFEN, and others
Art by POP MHAN, JASON ORFALAS, GRAHAM NOLAN, M.D. BRIGHT, and others
Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
$29.99 US | 352 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-722-6
ON SALE 3/26/24Apes alive! When Solovar, leader of Gorilla City, is apparently assassinated by pro-human extremists, Gorilla City’s new government declares war on humanity. Part of their plot involves turning the JLA into human-hating gorillas to help carry out their bidding. Now it’s up to Batman (the only member who wasn’t transformed, of course) and Martian Manhunter to find a cure for their banana-loving buddies and prevent all-out gorilla warfare from encompassing every civilization from Atlantis to Themyscira. JLApe: The Complete Collection reprints the entire crossover from Legends of the DC Universe #19, JLA Annual #3, Batman Annual #23, Aquaman Annual #5, Wonder Woman Annual #8, The Flash Annual #12, Superman Annual #11, Green Lantern Annual #8, and Martian Manhunter Annual #2.
6. It’s not time to make a [sinister] change, just relax, take it easy. You’re still [sinister] young, that’s your fault, there’s so much you have to know
If you’ve been reading and enjoying this in the pages of “Green Lantern,” I’ve got some good news for you – it’s now an ongoing! If you’re asking ‘what the hell is a Sinister Son,” well, apparently it is the child of either Zod or Sinestro, who are teaming up to be a sort of shitty Teen Titans. This is being pitched as a quasi-sequel to Peter Tomasi’s “Super Sons,” and while I get that connection is simple and easy to make, tonally, these feel like very, very different stories.
SINISTER SONS #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by DAVID LAFUENTE
Cover by BRAD WALKER and ANDREW HENNESSY
Variant covers by DAN MORA and JAMAL CAMPBELL
1:25 variant cover by V. KEN MARION and DANNY MIKI
1:50 variant cover by RAMON PEREZ
Special acetate variant by PETE WOODS ($5.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 2/13/24They’re bad to the bone, ready to brawl, and the sons of two of the deadliest villains in the galaxy: they’re the Sinister Sons and the DC Universe will never be the same! When the son of General Zod was cast off of his adopted homeworld of New Kandor, Lor-Zod runs afoul of a kid on a mission: Sinson is out to prove he’s got what it takes to live up to the family name of Sinestro! But all is not as it seems, and the sons’ journeys will take them into the heart of darkness in this sensational first issue! Superstar Super Sons scribe Peter J. Tomasi returns to the world of DC youth once again—joined by fan-favorite artist David Lafuente—to craft one of the most dynamic debuts of a duo in DCU history!
5. “True secret origin”
This solicit promotes the ‘first time—in intimate detail—the one true secret origin of Poison Ivy.’ I didn’t realize that there hasn’t been a definitive origin story for Ivy, and it’s nice to see G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara together again for this story. That said, I feel like DC, and all others, need to stop with calling everything so clearly definitive, origin-wise. All of these things change all the time.
Continued belowPOISON IVY #19
Written by G. WILLOW WILSON
Art by MARCIO TAKARA
Cover by JESSICA FONG
Variant cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
1:25 variant cover by JEREMY WILSON
1:50 variant cover by DAVID NAKAYAMA
Fruit of Knowledge Foil variant cover by JESSICA FONG ($6.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 2/6/24A story decades in the making! Long has her tale been told by others, but witness for the first time—in intimate detail—the one true secret origin of Poison Ivy, as revealed by the viridescent villainess herself. The GLAAD Media Award-winning team of writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Marcio Takara reunites to tell this heartbreaking and historic origin story as only they can.
4. What a bizarre path to this book
First thing’s first: Sanford Greene doing interiors on this book is awesome. Greene is one of the best working artists out there, and it’s nice to see DC bring him back.
OK, now let’s talk about how weird this book is. This is setting the book in the Gotham district that was instituted three years ago in the last two issues of “Red Hood: Outlaw,” along with the writer from the end of that run. This is after there’s been a lot of Red Hood work being done under the pen of Chip Zdarsky. So is this a throwback to that era? Is this the start of a new longterm story? I’m genuinely curious.
RED HOOD: THE HILL #1
Written by SHAWN MARTINBROUGH
Art by SANFORD GREENE
Cover by SANFORD GREENE
Variant cover by TIRSO CONS
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 2/13/24Welcome to the Hill—formerly one of Gotham’s most dangerous suburbs—a place that required its residents to band together to keep themselves safe when the police, and sometimes even Batman, wouldn’t. Now, as the Hill finds itself gentrifying, old habits die hard as the vigilante known only as Strike works with her team to keep the town safe—but she’s not alone. Jason Todd, one of the Hill’s newest residents, is more than happy to don the visage of Red Hood to help Strike keep his new home safe. But a new villain is emerging from the shadows. Will Red Hood, Strike and the Hill’s small militia of vigilantes be able to keep their home safe? Check out Red Hood’s return to find out!
3. Back to school
“Gotham Academy” represents one of the last real big swings for the Bat-books. The title, which focused on entirely new protagonists and had some fun cameos from other Gotham characters. The story returning from Karl Kerschl in the pages of this anthology is very welcome news.
Also, this book is still a lot of fun! I hope people are taking advantage of it.
BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #10
Written by KARL KERSCHL, TORUNN GRONBEKK, DELILAH S. DAWSON, DAN WATTERS
Art by KARL KERSCHL, FERNANDO PASARIN, and RICARDO LOPEZ ORTIZ
Cover by SIMONE DI MEO
Variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
Variant cover by CHRISTIAN WARD
1:25 variant cover by KELLEY JONES
$7.99 US | 64 pages | Prestige | (all covers are card stock)
ON SALE 2/27/24Gotham Academy is back in session in the first part of Karl Kerschl’s thrilling three-part Batman adventure, guest-starring Maps Mizoguchi and Tristan Grey! Kirk Langstrom, formerly Man-Bat, now clean of his serum for years, is teaching at Gotham Academy. But Man-Bat is menacing the city. Has Dr. Langstrom fallen off the wagon, or is there a deeper, far more sinister, plan afoot? Plus, get ready for a conspiracy only Lois Lane could solve, a tale of rip-roaring adventure starring Artemis, and a Batman Black & White tale from Dan Watters and Ricardo López Ortiz!
2. Did anyone need this?
I’m nobody’s fool; I know that the Joker sells, and I know that the ‘Year One’ banner still means something at DC. But the phrase “The Joker Year One” could not hold less interest to me. Part of the Joker’s mystique is built in there not being a clear origin. The conflicting ideas, the different versions, even the stupid ‘3 Jokers’ concept, all of that plays into why the Joker is unique among DC’s villains.
And so, to try to give a ‘definitive’ version seems silly and counterproductive to me. Andrea Sorrentino on art is enough to get me to try it, but I’ll be doing so with trepidation.
Continued belowBATMAN #142
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI, STEFANO NESI, and ANDREA SORRENTINO
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and STEFANO NESI
Variant cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant cover by GLEB MELNIKOV
1:25 variant cover by GREG TOCCHINI
1:50 variant cover by STEVAN SUBIC
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 2/6/24The tragic “death” of the leader of the Red Hood Gang in a vat of chemicals has become the subject of myth…but what is the heartbreaking and gruesome tale of the monster who walked away from that violent birth? And how does it affect Batman’s distant future? “The Joker Year One” begins here!
1. THE TORCHBEARER!
Look, I don’t think the solicit of “Green Lantern” #8 is going to raise the flag for others the way it did for me. But between Kyle Rayner on the cover and Ron Marz listed as a writer, this appears to be the start of a Kyle backup in this title. Anyone who knows my comic tastes knows how much I love Kyle Rayner, and how I think he’s easily the least utilized ‘main’ ring slinger. Ron Marz is the character’s co-creator and main architect, and so anytime that Ron gets to pen some Kyle stories, it’s a good day. The only bummer is that Darryl Banks isn’t doing the art on the story, but Dale Eaglesham is quite capable.
But this begs a bigger question. We’ve got two Lantern books now, but neither is really focusing on the space side of the characters, nor focusing on the gigantic world built up for them with the various colored lantern corps. Could this be the backdoor pilot for a space lantern book? I certainly hope so.
GREEN LANTERN #8
Written by JEREMY ADAMS and RON MARZ
Art by XERMANICO and DALE EAGLESHAM
Cover by STEVE BEACH
Variant covers by EVAN “DOC” SHANER and RAMON PEREZ
1:25 variant cover by AL BARRIONUEVO
Sweater Weather variant cover by TIAGO DA SILVA
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 2/13/24After the revelations of what happened on Korugar, Hal discovers the United Planets are consolidating power in the universe by nefarious means, but before he can stop them, representatives of the United Planets Corps have arrived to arrest Hal for unlawful use of emotional spectrum energy in a quarantined zone!
For the full solicitations, check out Newsarama.
