Even though most kids are just now enjoying their summer, we are already looking to the back to school season with this month’s Soliciting Multiversity. What does DC have in store for Labor Day and beyond? Keep reading to find out.
10. Twice the Dick
Both series to feature Dick Grayson are doubling their efforts, shipping twice monthly starting in September. “Nightwing” was doing that earlier in ‘Rebirth,’ but switched to monthly just a few months ago, with May’s #44. I’m not sure the reasoning for such an odd shift in publishing, but I really like what Ben Percy is doing with the book, so I’m game!
With “Titans,” it is also an interesting decision, as it will join “Justice League” as the only ‘New Justice’ team book to be more than monthly. I personally am really excited about both the creative team and the team on paper, but we don’t have a lot of evidence to back up the book’s success. But hey, anything to put the Titans in the spotlight is cool with me!
But back to “Nightwing” for a second, it is interesting to see a few books this month featuring ‘New Age of Heroes’ characters, or having mainline DC characters pop up in ‘New Age’ books. I think this is a smart move, as keeping that line cloistered might have made sense at first, in order to establish the books free of more complicated continuity, but now we need to see how these characters fit into the overall DC landscape.
NIGHTWING #48
GUEST STARRING THE SILENCER!
NOW SHIPPING TWICE MONTHLY!
written by BENJAMIN PERCY
art by Amancay Nahuelpan
cover by MIKE PERKINS
variant cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. and DANNY MIKI
Guest-starring the Silencer! Dick Grayson is forced to participate in the world’s greatest motorcycle race, a three-day affair hosted on a remote island and populated by the greatest riders on the planet. Nightwing reluctantly complies, but only to save the life of an old friend. That brings him into competition with the Silencer, who’s also racing to save a friend. Only one rider can win…so who’s gonna leg this one out? That’s if they survive the onslaught of super-criminals in the race as well.
ON SALE 09.05.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
9. Robinson on ‘Tec
Those that know me know that I’m a James Robinson fanboy and apologist. Listeners to the DC3cast know that I’ve been highly critical of his ‘Rebirth’ work, in part because he seems to be working with other people’s concepts and tying up loose ends from previous runs/events. Robinson works best when he can create a little world unto himself, where he can pick and choose from the vast DC mythology to accent what he’s doing.
Now, I don’t think a guest arc in “Detective Comics” is going to allow him to build a memorable world within Gotham, but I am relieved to see him writing an arc that doesn’t need him to play fixer. Plus “some of the Dark Knight’s strangest foes” sounds right up his alley. Let this, please, be the good ol’ Robinson.
DETECTIVE COMICS #988
written by JAMES ROBINSON
art and cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
variant cover by MARK BROOKS
Kicking off an arc guest-written by James Robinson (writer of the Batman classics “Blades” and “Face the Face”) with art by rising star Stephen Segovia! It looks like the kind of murder case too ordinary to draw the attention of Batman…but once the World’s Greatest Detective gets involved, the identity of the victim completely unravels—and leads to a conspiracy among some of the Dark Knight’s strangest foes!
ON SALE 09.12.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
8. New look, new creative team
It was not made clear last month if Mairghread Scott and Paul Pelletier were the new creative team on “Batgirl,” or if it was simply a one-shot. While there still hasn’t been an official announcement, it appears that Scott and Pelletier are doing at least an arc together on the book, and they’re debuting a new Batgirl costume, designed by Sean Gordon Murphy.
Continued belowPersonally, I think the Burnside costume is the best Batgirl costume in the comics since…well, ever. I’m not a huge fan of this look, though I do appreciate the in-story reason given for it (it was the costume she made while living with her father, hence the “Year One” resemblance. I hope this is just a temporary change, as the Burnside costume is really the dopest.
BATGIRL #27
written by MAIRGHREAD SCOTT
art by PAUL PELLETIER and NORM RAPMUND
cover by SEAN MURPHY
variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
You can’t go home again. But that’s just where Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Batgirl, is forced to go when the chip granting her mobility keeps shorting out in the aftermath of her clash with Grotesque. Will Commissioner Gordon drive Babs totally bonkers with his bedside manner? Or will the malfunctioning tech impact more than just her legs? Plus, what’s the deal with killer art critic Grotesque and his murderous new M.O.? It’s all in part two of “Art of the Crime.”
ON SALE 09.26.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
7. Return to Earth One
The ‘Earth One’ series of OGNs aren’t being published with the same frequency they were a few years ago, but the two most recent additions, “Green Lantern: Earth One” and “Wonder Woman: Earth One,” have both been well received. Wonder Woman is back with a second volume from the same creative team as the first volume, Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette, a dream team if there ever was one. Who knows how many of these this pair have in them, so enjoy the hell of out them while you can.
WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE VOL. 2 HC
written by GRANT MORRISON
art and cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
For years, Diana of Paradise Island yearned to leave the only home she knew behind for adventures that laid beyond its shores. Now, after a fateful meeting with Air Force pilot Steve Trevor, the Amazon Warrior finds herself in Man’s World. And she is ready for anything that it may throw at her. But is the world ready for Wonder Woman? An American government, fraught with dissension and conflicts foreign to Diana, has deemed her a danger to society. How will Wonder Woman carry out her mission of peace and love in a world that can’t get out of its own way? That is, unless there are more insidious forces at play…
Don’t miss the second volume in the WONDER WOMAN: EARTH ONE original graphic novel series!
ON SALE 10.03.18
$24.99 US | 136 PAGES | FC
6. Interstitial
James Tynion IV will be writing a few issues of “Justice League” in its first year it appears, specifically on the issues that involve the Legion of Doom. This is a fun idea, and shows how interconnected all the various ‘New Justice’ books will be. Having Mikal Janin on pencils makes it even more exciting. Having the Batman Who Laughs pop up again is not exactly my idea of a good time, but that’s ok. We’ll get through this together.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #8
written by JAMES TYNION IV
art and cover by MIKEL JANIN
variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:100 pencils only variant cover by JIM LEE
Part two of the “Legion of Doom” storyline focuses on Lex Luthor’s recruiting efforts—and this time around, he’s targeting both Cheetah and Black Manta for membership! Lex knows just what buttons to push to acquire his super-powered muscle, and this issue it’s all about getting revenge on Wonder Woman and Aquaman, respectively. We bet they sign right up as soon as they find out Lex has METAL’s Batman Who Laughs locked up in Doom HQ!
ON SALE 09.19.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
5. Black Label begins
With the release of “Batman: Damned,” we get the start of DC’s new Black Label line. More than just celebrating the start of the new initiative, this gives us a little more insight into just what the books will, physically be like. We see that, at least for “Damned,” it will be Prestige Format, so it will have a spine, it will be 48 pages, presumably low on ads or ad free, and it will be approximately the size of printer paper. Those three things account for the $6.99 price tag, which is steep but not unheard of for formats like this. The three issue length also means that it will work out to less than what a standard 6 issue series will run you, and it appears you’ll get even more bang for this buck.
Continued belowI am really, really interested to see how Black Label shakes out.
BATMAN: DAMNED #1
written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
art and cover by LEE BERMEJO
variant cover by JIM LEE
DC BLACK LABEL, the highly anticipated new imprint from DC Comics, starts here!
The Joker is dead.
There is no doubt about that. But whether Batman finally snapped his scrawny neck or some other sinister force in Gotham City did the deed is still a mystery.
Problem is, Batman can’t remember…and the more he digs into this labyrinthian case, the more his mind starts to doubt everything he’s uncovering.
So who better to set him straight than…John Constantine? Problem with that is as much as John loves a good mystery, he loves messing with people’s heads even more. So with John’s “help,” the pair will delve into the sordid underbelly of Gotham as they race toward the mind-blowing truth of who murdered The Joker.
BATMAN: DAMNED is a bimonthly super-natural horror story told by two of comics’ greatest modern creators—a visceral thrill-ride that proudly puts the “black” in BLACK LABEL.
PRESTIGE FORMAT
ON SALE 09.19.18
$6.99 US | 48 PAGES
Approximately 8.5” x 10.875”
FC | 1 of 3 | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
4. Vertigo Reboot Redux
This month begins the start of Vertigo’s 2018 reboot/rebranding and, as we’ve discussed before, the lineup looks pretty solid and interesting. “Border Town” is the book I think I was most excited about, both because of the creators involved and the fun concept. This part of the Vertigo relaunch is so focused on new ideas and a fresh batch of creators that the only thing to do is pick ’em all up to encourage DC to continue down this path.
BORDER TOWN #1
written by ERIC M. ESQUIVEL
art and cover by RAMON VILLALOBOS
variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
Don’t miss the start of this all-new ongoing Vertigo series by writer Eric M. Esquivel (Gregory Graves, Ricanstruction) and artist Ramon Villalobos (Nighthawk, America).
When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore, the residents of Devil’s Fork, AZ, blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s really going on in this town torn between worlds.
ON SALE 09.05.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
3. Back to the Well
This part of the Vertigo relaunch is a little different, if only because it is doubling down on something that worked so well in the past. Now, I think this is a good idea, don’t get me wrong. “Sandman” and the related properties have some of the most unmined potential in all of comics. But there is a certain hesitation for me when Vertigo – a company founded on new ideas – is digging through its past for inspiration.
That said, if anyone can make this work, it is Neil Gaiman and co. With Gaiman at the helm, acting as sort of showrunner for the series, it has both the touch of the past and a clear focus on the future.
Prove my doubt misguided. Let’s do this.
Continued belowTHE DREAMING #1
written by SIMON SPURRIER
art by BILQUIS EVELY
cover by JAE LEE
variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
blank variant cover available
From the upheaval of THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1 rises THE DREAMING—a kingdom in chaos.
There is a place where stories are born. Today its walls lie slashed and bleeding. Dream has abandoned his realm, and until he is found, its residents must protect its broken borders alone. But the most senior storysmiths are tormented by invasive secrets, the warden Lucien is doubting his own mind—and beyond the gates something horrific waits with tooth and talon.
Only Dora, the monstress, finds opportunity in madness, stealing dreams for the highest bidder. But she has no idea how deep the danger lies.
Meanwhile, in Dream’s gallery, something new is growing…
ON SALE 09.05.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with three covers.
Please see the order form for details.
Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
2. Jinxworld in full swing
This month sees the release of two Jinxworld #1s: a new volume of “United States of Murder, Inc,” and the start of this new Bendis/David Mack joint, “Cover.” The cynic in me sees this as a poor man’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, but I applaud Bendis for trying something new, as well as writing his sixth book of the month at DC. Granted, four of these projects are miniseries, but still, that’s an insane workload.
What I’m most intrigued at by this solicit is the description of the mini as a ‘brand new graphic novel experience.’ That leads me to three possible conclusions: 1) this was meant to be an OGN but DC split it up at the last minute, 2) DC is trying to rebrand some of its comics as graphic novels, even when serialized, to ‘legitimize’ them, or 3) this is just a weird way of saying ‘new comic series.’
COVER #1
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by DAVID MACK
variant cover by ZU ORZU
blank variant cover available
Years in the making, from the award-winning team of Brian Michael Bendis and multimedia sensation David Mack, comes a brand-new graphic novel experience. And it’s all kind of based on a true story. Sort of…
Deep in the American intelligence community, someone realizes that comic book creators, who travel all over the world to sell their wares, might make the perfect cover for operatives in the dangerous, topsy-turvy world of intelligence and counterintelligence…and that’s when all hell breaks loose. This is the story of the time the world of comics and the world of international spywork smashed together—with unexpected results!
Artist David Mack, follows his Emmy nominated work on Jessica Jones, and his critically acclaimed video work for Dashboard Confessionals and Amanda Palmer, brings another completely unique vision to this driving comedic spy story that is also a beautiful Valentine to all those creators who sit alone and make beautiful stories.
ON SALE 09.05.18
$3.99 US | 1 of 6 | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with three covers.
Please see the order form for details.
Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
1. A crisis in the mind
The idea of DC heroes needing a place to deal with the mental and physical anguish of being a hero is a great idea. I love the concept, and it is the rare moment to find a connection between what we deal with as regular folks and what heroes deal with. On the surface, “Heroes in Crisis” is an idea I really enjoy.
Except that its a story about murder, and it instantly removes some of the gravitas it had going in.
Look, I get it: making this a mystery makes for an easier story to tell. I don’t think anyone wants a seven issue miniseries of Booster Gold in talk therapy, but if the idea of Sanctuary is to help heroes, why are we dealing with them being killed? There are some rumors floating out there about how the series begins, and that sounds even more problematic than the concept itself suggests – if you want to see them, you can probably guess where to look.
I hope this transcends its somewhat salacious McGuffin and tell a story about healing and mental illness, instead of cheapening it to just another superhero comic.
HEROES IN CRISIS #1
written by TOM KING
art and cover by CLAY MANN
1:50 variant cover by J.G. JONES
1:100 variant cover by MARK BROOKS
1:200 variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
blank variant cover available
There’s a new kind of crisis threatening the heroes of the DC Universe, ripped from real-world headlines by C.I.A.-operative-turned-comics-writer Tom King: How does a superhero handle PTSD? Welcome to Sanctuary, an ultra-secret hospital for superheroes who’ve been traumatized by crime-fighting and cosmic combat. But something goes inexplicably wrong when many patients wind up dead, with two well-known operators as the prime suspects: Harley Quinn and Booster Gold! It’s up to the DC Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman to investigate—but can they get the job done in the face of overwhelming opposition?
ON SALE 09.26.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | 1 of 7 | RATED T+
This issue will ship with five covers.
Please see the order form for details.
Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.
For the full solicitations, check out CBR.com.
