July is a gigantic month for DC, which I feel like is something I say every month. But this list could’ve been twice as long with ease, including an interesting “Hitman” collection and a weirdly titled statue. Make sure to check out the link to the full solicits below, but first, check out these ten offerings.
10. Knight in White Armor
Sometimes, it is important to remember that not call comics are for everyone. While I think that Sean Murphy’s art is great, the initial “Batman: White Knight” did absolutely nothing for me, story-wise. That said, it was a gigantic hit, and it seemed inevitable that there would be a sequel. Like I said, it’s not for me, but clearly there is something going on here.
BATMAN: CURSE OF THE WHITE KNIGHT #1
written by SEAN MURPHY
art and cover by SEAN MURPHY
variant cover by SEAN MURPHY
In this explosive sequel to the critically acclaimed blockbuster BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT from writer/artist Sean Murphy, The Joker recruits Azrael to help him expose a shocking secret from the Wayne family’s legacy—and to run Gotham City into the ground! As Batman rushes to protect the city and his loved ones from danger, the mystery of his ancestry unravels, dealing a devastating blow to the Dark Knight. Exciting new villains and unexpected allies will clash in this unforgettable chapter of the White Knight saga—and the truth about the blood they shed will shake Gotham to its core!
ON SALE 07.24.19
$4.99 US
1 of 8 | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
9. Now, without the shame!
The Brian Bendis/Nick Derington Batman story that was running in the Walmart exclusive comics was one of the most fun new series of the last year. While the other two (the Tom King/Andy Kubert Superman story and the Amanda Conner/Jimmy Palmiotti/Chad Hardin Wonder Woman story) weren’t quite as good, the exclusive new stories from topline creations were impressive.
Now, those stories are being reprinted as miniseries, and it’s a good thing for those of us who avoided the 100 page Walmart Giants. Walmart is a blight on the world, and I’m glad to be able to enjoy these books without having to set foot in there.
BATMAN: UNIVERSE #1
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art by NICK DERINGTON
new cover by NICK DERINGTON
Available to comics shops for the first time! Following the theft of a priceless Fabergé egg, the Riddler leads the Dark Knight on a wild hunt after its true owner: Jinny Hex, descendant of Jonah Hex! Guest-starring Deathstroke, Green Arrow and dozens of Riddler look-alikes in stories by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Nick Derington, originally published in BATMAN GIANT #3 and #4!
ON SALE 07.10.19
$4.99 US | 1 of 6 | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
8. Cecil…come on down!
After Hope Larson departed “Batgirl” last year, the book took a serious step backward. It’s not a bad book, but it has been sort of…meh. As of July, Cecil Castellucci is coming onto the title, and that is exciting. Castellucci, late of “Shade, the Changing Girl” and “Female Furies,” has produced a really impressive resume over a relatively short period of time. With Carmine Di Giandeomenico (“The Flash”) on art, that’s a truly exciting team.
Continued belowBATGIRL #37
written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI
art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH
variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
Eager to prove himself as a guardian for the criminals of Gotham City, Killer Moth has set his sights on taking out one of Gotham’s finest heroes…Batgirl! Does this insect menace really stand a chance against Batman’s smartest ally? Meanwhile, after their daring escape, the Terrible Trio is on the hunt for new ways to cause trouble for Batgirl. Little do they know, Lex Luthor has already beat them to it and is about to bring Batgirl’s worst possible nightmare to life! Oracle is back online. And she’s angry.
ON SALE 07.24.19
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $4.99
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
7. From the annals of annuals
Whenever a month has a fifth Wednesday, DC rolls out a series of annuals to fill that week. This month has three annuals, and all of them sound appealing in one way or another. “The Green Lantern” Annual #1 involves a Jordan family reunion and ‘the strangest Lantern of them all.’ The “Justice League Dark” Annual involves the new Parliament of Flowers and continues DC’s summer push of Swamp Thing. But most exciting of all, perhaps, is the “Red Hood: Outlaw” Annual, which returns the story to the missing Artemis and Bizarro, not seen in almost a year. This is a book that I still can’t believe is as good as it is, and with the (hopeful) returning characters, I’m really looking forward to this annual.
RED HOOD: OUTLAW ANNUAL #3
written by SCOTT LOBDELL
art by ADAM POLLINA
cover by DEXTER SOY
Missing since the fateful events of issue #25, the story of what happened to Bizarro and Artemis after they were sucked through the quantum doorway can finally be told! Trapped in a strange reality where everyone with metahuman abilities has become normal and ordinary humans now possess powers, up is down, left is right and only a pair of Outlaws can save the day in a world gone mad. Meet strange new foes, and even stranger new allies. Can the Outlaws fix this broken world and still make it back to our world and their mission alongside the Red Hood?
ON SALE 07.31.19
$4.99 US | 48 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
6. Coming together
The first arc of “Aquaman” from Kelly Sue DeConnick and Robson Rocha pulled Arthur completely away from the rest of the DCU and, more importantly, away from the world that Dan Abnett had so carefully crafted over the past three years. But this arc sees a number of threads come together, not necessarily from Abnett’s run, but from the wider DCU. And, it brings along the aspects that were introduced in the first arc. This gives me hope for this book to be more than what we got in the first storyline.
AQUAMAN #50
written by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
art by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
cover by ROBSON ROCHA and JASON PAZ
variant cover by RYAN SOOK
As Aquaman settles the Old Gods of Unspoken Water into their new lives in Amnesty Bay, Jackson Hyde, a.k.a. Aqua-lad, seeks out Aquaman to be his new mentor! Back in Atlantis, Mera makes a move that shocks the Widowhood.
Meanwhile, Black Manta, recently kicked out of the Legion of Doom, prepares to make his next move against his greatest nemesis…but Lex Luthor is about to make him an offer he can’t refuse. Don’t miss our landmark 50th issue and the start of a brand-new story!
ON SALE 07.17.19
$4.99 US | 48 PAGES
CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $5.99
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
5. Swampy
Between the (perhaps doomed?) DC Universe show, the “Justice League Dark” Annual, and this, another new all-ages OGN from DC Zoom, its the summer of Swamp Thing at DC. What I really like about this title is that Kirk Scroggs is a legit all-ages cartoonist. A few of these DC Zoom/Ink titles have been featuring traditional creators trying their hand at a younger audience. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I think its a good sign for the overall health of the line to see a mix of both standard creators and more established all-ages creators.
Continued belowTHE SECRET SPIRAL OF SWAMP KID TP
written by KIRK SCROGGS
art and cover by KIRK SCROGGS
Warning! Unless you have express permission from Russell Weinwright to access his notebook, do not read any further.
Seriously, we mean it.
Okay, if you are still with us, here is what we can share: Russell is a middle schooler; he excessively doodles; he has two best friends, Charlotte and Preston; he is not so great at sports; and he is pond scum. Nicknamed “Swamp Kid” by his classmates, Russell has algae for hair, a tree trunk for a right arm, and a carrot for a finger. Also, Russell’s favorite meal is sunlight. Also, a frog lives in his arm.
In this notebook, Russell details in both hilarious text and color illustrations (complete with ketchup stains!) what it’s like to be different, to discover his true talents, to avoid the intense stare of Mr. Finneca (his suspicious science teacher who may also be a mad scientist), and to find humor in the everyday weird.
This is THE SECRET SPIRAL OF SWAMP KID by writer and illustrator Kirk Scroggs, and you’ll never look at middle school the same way again.
ON SALE 09.25.19
$9.99 US | 5.5” x 8” | 160 PAGES
FC | ISBN: 978-1-4012-9068-9
This title will be squarebound, not spiral bound
4. Young Animal Returns!
We covered this in detail already, but it is exciting that there is a second round of ‘Young Animal’ titles coming soon. The “Doom Patrol” continuation and “Collapser” are relaunching in July, and of the two, I am most excited about Way continuing his Doom Patrol story. Especially when the first issue has James Harvey on art! It’s pretty hard to not be excited over all of this.
DOOM PATROL: WEIGHT OF THE WORLDS #1
written by GERARD WAY and JEREMY LAMBERT
art by JAMES HARVEY
cover by NICK DERINGTON
variant cover by MITCH GERADS
All hail the Supreme Shape! Gerard Way and the World’s Strangest Superheroes return in an all-new series that takes them beyond the borders of time and space! Featuring artwork by acclaimed cartoonist James Harvey, this issue finds the Doom Patrol facing off against the fanatical fitness fiends of planet Orbius and the Marathon Eternal! Meanwhile, Cliff Steele, formerly known as Robotman, must come to terms with his new body of flesh and bone…yet the real test turns out to be something far more frightening: his mom.
ON SALE 07.03.19
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
3. It’s just not fair, dammit
I was under the impression that “American Carnage” was a 12 issue series, but here we are, at #9, with the dreaded ‘FINAL ISSUE’ tag on the end. This is a real shame as, without hyperbole, this is among the 2 or 3 best comics DC has been publishing as of late. I know Bryan Hill has expressed a desire to move away from comics work, but I truly hope that this series can find a way to continue in OGNs or a future series, because Hill has found a real niche here, and Leandro Fernandez is doing some next level work on this title. Fare thee well, disturbing yet wonderful book.
AMERICAN CARNAGE #9
written by BRYAN HILL
art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ
cover by BEN OLIVER
Identity, law, and purpose collide as Richard Wright is forced to choose what he’s really willing to risk to stop Wynn and Jennifer Morgan…and whose life he’s willing to sacrifice in the process.
ON SALE 07.31.19
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
FINAL ISSUE
2. The crossover that seemed impossible
This isn’t listed in the DC solicits, but rather the Dark Horse ones, but it is a co-publishing venture, so I’m counting it as a DC book for the month. Jeff Lemire’s “Black Hammer” has always been his love letter/pastiche of DC heroes and mythology, and so it’s not surprising that there would be a story, somewhere in the recesses of his mind, where his facsimiles would meet the original versions. What is surprising is that DC was interested in that, and that they got the great Michael Walsh to draw the damn thing. This five month experiment, if nothing else, will look gorgeous in Walsh’s hands.
But this also gives me hope for Lemire’s future working with DC, which has had a lot of stops and starts, with some remarkable (“Superboy,” “Animal Man”) work come along with it.
Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice #1 (of 5)
Jeff Lemire (W/Variant Cover), Michael Walsh (A/C/Cover), Andrea Sorrentino (Variant Cover), Yanick Paquette (Variant Cover), Yuko Shimizu (Variant Cover), and Dave Stewart (C)
On sale July 3
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics present the ultimate superhero crossover event of 2019!
A strange man arrives simultaneously on Black Hammer Farm and in Metropolis, and both worlds are warped as Starro attacks! Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, and more crossover with Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, and the rest of the Black Hammer gang!
1. Great Caesar’s Ghost
I want to extoll the virtues of both the Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen 12 issue series launching this month, but we’re just too jam packed for that. So, I’ll talk about “Lois Lane” next month, and focus on “Jimmy Olsen” today.
Continued belowMatt Fraction and Steve Lieber are an amazingly inspired team for this title, and the solicit is one of the rare descriptions that entices without spoiling. Just from the cover and the solicit, the book looks killer. But more than that, the Superman supporting cast is, hands down, the best known in all of comics, but rarely get the attention that they deserve. My mom can name both Lane and Olsen, and yet DC doesn’t seem to think there’s too much need for a regular comic presence from them. I really wish these were ongoing series, but even a 12 issue series is a nice step in the right direction for these characters.
JIMMY OLSEN #1
written by MATT FRACTION
art and cover by STEVE LIEBER
variant cover by BEN OLIVER
Jimmy Olsen must die!
Wait, we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Jimmy Olsen lives! Superman’s best friend and Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen tours the bizarre underbelly of the DC Universe in this new miniseries featuring death, destruction, giant turtles and more! It’s a centuries-spanning whirlwind of weird that starts in Metropolis and ends in Gotham City. And then we kill Jimmy.
ON SALE 07.17.19
$3.99 US | 1 of 12 | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
For the full solicitations, check out Newsarama.
