We’re back into the swing of things (for now) with comics being, more or less, back on schedule. This month, DC is all in on “Dark Nights: Death Metal” and the ‘Joker War.’ I tried to pick not just tie-in stuff, so let’s see what’s due out when school’s due back.
10. “Death of Deadshot”
Do I really think that Deadshot is going to die, like forever? No. Do I think he’ll be dead for a few months? Nope, not even that. I think he’ll be back, if not by the end of the issue, by next month. December at the latest. That said, I like that Tom Taylor is trying to add a little more intrigue and stakes to what has become, against all odds, a really interesting “Suicide Squad” run thus far.
Suicide Squad #9
Written By Tom Taylor
Art And Cover By Bruno Redondo
Variant Cover By Travis MooreThis issue, it’s the shocking death of Deadshot! The man who never misses has been on the front lines of Task Force X since its inception—bomb in his neck, gun in his hand. He’s seen teammates blow up and countries fall. He’s faced down heroes and villains alike. Now the Suicide Squad has one final mission: bring down the man who enslaved them, then put a bounty on their heads when they escaped: Ted Kord. But to finish the job, the world’s deadliest assassin will have to do the one thing he’s never done for the cause: die!
9. JSA! JSA!
While it isn’t exactly the JSA book we’ve been promised since at least 2016, it is nice to see a JSA story in “Hawkman.” It’s a little surprising that it took this long for Robert Venditti to address the JSA in his “Hawkman” ongoing, but I’m glad that it is finally happening. This will be, I believe, the first full issue set in the Golden Age since ‘Rebirth’ began, so I’m very interested to see how Venditti handles this era.
Hawkman #27
Written By Robert Venditti
Art By Fernando Pasarin And Oclair Albert
Cover By Mikel Janín
Variant Cover By Sebastian FiumaraHawks reborn! Hawkman and Hawkwoman receive the precious gift of life one last time and return to the past where they were happiest—back with the Justice Society of America! But nostalgia’s not all it’s cracked up to be with the Injustice Society on the loose! And who’s the mysterious figure plotting to cut Hawkman’s final life short from the shadows?
8. New Villain Alert
Two different solicits this month (“Wonder Woman” and “Superman”) start their text with the phrase “New villain alert!” and are grouped together in the list of books. I wonder if this is a new technique DC is going to put forth in future solicits, in order to draw speculators looking to capitalize on a first appearance. With all the buzz about Punchline over in the Bat-books, I can’t say its a terrible idea.
Wonder Woman 762
Written By Mariko Tamaki
Art By Carlo Barberi And Matt Santorelli
Cover By David Marquez
Card Stock Variant Cover By Joshua Middleton
1:25 Card Stock Liar Liar Variant Cover By Mikel JanínNew Villain Alert: Liar Liar Debuts! Random acts of violence are breaking out all over the Earth, and Wonder Woman is closing in on the source. The problem? It looks like a new ally is to blame for the widespread pandemonium. Check out the debut of the deadly new villain Liar Liar in this issue, plus the shocking connection between this new threat and a face from the past…
7. Joker is War from 8-9pm, Joker War Zone from 9-10pm
(If anyone gets that joke, you’re welcome)
Lately, DC has been doing these one-shots that tie into their events, starting with the “Superman: Leviathan Rising” special, and each one has been a lot of fun. DC has brought these in and out of their plans for a long time, and with the talent they’ve been pulling in lately, they’ve been very successful. This one sees names like John Ridley (!) and James Stokoe (!!) taking small stories, and if that doesn’t excite you, I’m not sure you really like comics, bruh.
Continued belowBatman: The Joker War Zone #1
Written By James Tynion IV, John Ridley, And Joshua Williamson
Art By Guillem March, David Lafuente, James Stokoe, And Others
Cover By Ben Oliver
Card Stock Variant Cover By Derrick Chew
Gotham City is a battleground as The Joker takes over the Wayne fortune and wages a street war against the Dark Knight and his allies! Enter the “war zone” with short stories featuring characters like Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, and Luke Fox and see how they’re fighting back in a city under siege! Also, the brutal full debut of the mysterious new anti-hero known as Clownhunter!
6. Smoking and saying ‘fuck’ without consequence
It’s sort of shocking that there hasn’t already been a Black Label Constantine book, as it seems like the character that would most benefit from the arrangement. DC likes using Constantine, but doesn’t like using some of the most iconic parts of the character that were established in his Vertigo series. So, by putting him in a book that is (mostly) uncensored, you can embrace the parts of his persona that have been dubbed a bad fit for the mainline DCU.
Plus, Tom Taylor has become a ‘must buy’ writer at DC over the past couple of years, and pairing him with Darick Robertson on this book is really fun.
Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1
Written By Tom Taylor
Art And Cover By Darick Robertson
Variant Cover By Lee BermejoA billionaire falls out of the sky and is gruesomely skewered on a church spire. Bizarrely, Angel Wings are attached to his back. More follow until, hallelujah, it’s raining businessmen. Detective Aisha Bukhari is stumped by this, until she’s visited by her childhood friend, occult investigator John Constantine. DC’s Hellblazer discovers a link between the falling elite and a shocking moment in his and Aisha’s misspent youth. How do these killings tie to the first death on John’s hands? How does this involve heaven and hell? Even if this is kind of John’s fault, will Constantine be happy to let a few more rich bastards fall from the sky, like a vindictive Robin Hood? It’s an all-new DC Black Label mystery starring John Constantine in his very first tale spun by acclaimed writer Tom Taylor (DCeased) and artist Darick Robertson (The Boys)!
5. A match made in the frozen foods aisle
What makes Mr. Freeze a compelling character is his relationship with his wife, Nora. DC is producing a young adult OGN focused on their early relationship, and it’s a really smart idea. The only hesitation I have is that the creative team is that behind “Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale” which was certainly more risqué and less good than I’d have hoped DC’s inaugural attempt at this kind of book would be. But let’s hope a more interesting story and the ability to learn from its mistakes will right the ship.
Continued belowVictor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story
Written By Lauren Myracle
Art And Cover By Isaac GoodhartNew York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle (ttyl, ttfn) and artist Isaac Goodhart (Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale) reunite in this gorgeous young adult story about living life to the fullest, and how far one will go for love.
Seventeen-year-old Victor Fries has a cold heart. After his brother died in a tragic house fire for which Victor feels responsible, his parents have isolated themselves, and Victor has dedicated his whole life to one thing: science.
Nora Faria is full of life. She is suffering from an incurable illness that will slowly consume her, so she’s decided to live her last days to the fullest at her summer home outside of Gotham City until her birthday. On that day, she plans to take her own life.
When Victor and Nora happen to meet at the cemetery outside of town, they are astonished to find the connection they have each been missing in their lives. Their summer quickly spirals into a beautiful romance, and Victor’s cold heart begins to thaw, allowing him to enjoy life just a little more. But when Victor learns of Nora’s illness, he’s driven to try to find a solution to keep from losing another person he loves…by any means necessary.
Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story is a tragic tale about living life to the fullest and what it truly means to love…and to let go.
4. [Tim Gunn voice] This worries me
I wish I knew why DC can’t seem to make a Shazam comic work. They made a Shazam film work before they could nail down a steady monthly book for the Big Red Cheese. Now, I’m more invested than most in the character, and so maybe I’m a little biased, but it seems so ridiculous that “Red Hood: Outalw” is still going and they’re shitcanning “Shazam” after 15 issues. Now, granted, this book has been a delayed mess due to Geoff Johns (presumably) being pulled in a million directions, but Jeff Loveness has done a fine job filling in.
Unless the plan is to reboot it with a new #1 early in 2021, I can’t see a reason why they wouldn’t just give a new creative team the reigns an see what happens. This is such a bummer.
Shazam #15
Written By Jeff Loveness
Art And Cover By Brandon Peterson
Variant Cover By Francis ManapulAfter a night battling robots across the globe, Billy Batson finds out not everyone loves
superheroes when one of his teachers unleashes a lecture on the ethics of unchecked power and privilege. It’ll take more than just the wisdom of Solomon for the teen hero to figure this one out.
3. As long as there’s no Nu-Metal tie-in, I’m good
We’ve covered these tie-ins before, but all three of these “Dark Nights: Death Metal” one shots sound like an amazingly absurd good time, though my Wally West fandom requires that I spotlight the ‘Speed Metal’ issue. This issue has everything: Joshua Williamson scripting, four Flashes running around, Dr. Manhattan powers, everything.
“Death Metal” is shaping up to be a bonkers celebration of DC’s vast history, and one-shots like this really drive that idea home. Plus, this will likely be one of the first appearances of Jay Garrick in modern continuity, and I’ve gotta rep for the second best Flash. (Wally is obviously #1, Jay #2, Wallace #3, Bart #4, Barry #5. Sorry Barry, you can be boring)
Dark Nights: Death Metal Speed Metal #1
Written By Joshua Williamson
Art By Eddy Barrows And Eber Ferreira
Cover By Howard Porter
Variant Cover By Peach MomokoIt’s the drag race from hell in this one-shot tie-in to Dark Nights: Death Metal! Taking place after the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal #3, the Darkest Knight is after Wally West and his Dr. Manhattan powers. Thankfully, Wally has backup in the form of Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, and Wallace West! It’s a knockdown, drag-out race through the Wastelands as the Flash Family tries to stay steps ahead of the Darkest Knight and his Lightning Knights!
2. Like DC One Million, but not at all
It’s crazy that there have been 1,000 issues of “Detective Comics” since Batman’s debut in #27. It is even crazier that just 18 months after doing a giant issue for issue #1000, DC has somehow assembled just as big of a crew to do #1027. There are some real surprises and/or superstars on this list: Matt Fraction! Chip Zdarsky! José Luis García-López! Mariko Tamaki!
It is also notable that, of all of the big anniversary issues/specials as of late, this is the only one to feature Tom King, whose stock seems to have taken an absolute nosedive at DC. Remember his “Batman/Catwoman” series that was supposed to start in January 2020? Yeah, me neither.
Continued belowDetective Comics #1027
Written By Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Matt Fraction, Tom King, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Scott Snyder, Mariko Tamaki, Peter J. Tomasi, James Tynion IV, Marv Wolfman, And Others
Art By Chris Burnham, Jamal Campbell, José Luis García-lópez, Emanuela Lupacchino, David Marquez, Dan Mora, Ivan Reis, Eduardo Risso, John Romita Jr., Riley Rossmo, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walter Simonson, Brad Walker, Chip Zdarsky, And Others
Wraparound Cover By Andy Kubert
Batman Friends And Foes Variant Covers
Batman And Nightwing Variant Cover By Lee Bermejo
Batman And Batgirl Variant Cover By J. Scott Campbell
Batman And Batwoman Variant Cover By Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
Batman And Robin Variant Cover By Jim Lee And Scott Williams
Batman And Superman Variant Cover By Tbd
Batman And Bane Variant Cover By Jim Cheung
Batman And Harley Quinn Variant Cover By Olivier Coipel
Batman And Scarecrow Variant Cover By Gabriele Dell’otto
Batman And Catwoman Variant Cover By Adam Hughes
Batman And The Joker Variant Cover By Marc SilvestriLight the Bat-Signal, because Detective Comics #1027 is here! In honor of Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27, this special, book-size celebration brings you the biggest names in comics as they chronicle the most epic Batman adventures Gotham City and the DC Universe have ever seen! The World’s Greatest Detective has a mountain of cases to crack: Who murdered Gotham’s most corrupt police officer? What does The Joker’s annual visit mean for Bruce Wayne? And most importantly, what WayneTech mystery will sow the seeds of the next epic Batman event? All this and more await you within the pages of the biggest Batman issue of them all!
1. Thank you, Josh
101 issues. Damn. This run puts Joshua Williamson alongside pretty much only Mark Waid in terms of Flash runs post-Crisis, eclipsing Geoff Johns in the process. Williamson is the last man standing in terms of double-shipping ‘Rebirth’ titles, and four+ years on the title is damn impressive.
The cover is extremely bleak, both for Williamson’s run and the character in general. I’m very interested to see how this tone works within the issue and the arc itself. Williamson has teased that this isn’t the end of him writing the Flash family, so let’s hope he’s getting a Wally/Jay/Bart/Wallace/Avery/Max/Jai/Irey team up book. A boy can dream, can’t he?
The Flash #762
Written By Joshua Williamson
Art And Cover By Howard Porter
Variant Cover By Inhyuk Lee“Finish Line” finale! Barry Allen and the Reverse-Flash race for the last time in this fast-paced conclusion. For years, Eobard Thawne has tormented Barry Allen, and now the Flash knows the only way to win is to make sure the Reverse-Flash never runs again! The story years in the making comes to a close as Joshua Williamson finishes his epic 101-issue run on The Flash!
Check out the full solicits over at Newsarama.
