Before sitting down to peruse the solicits this month, I figured December would be a relatively quiet month. I was wrong; this is yet another month stuffed with really interesting books. Let’s dig right in.
10. I don’t want to be mean
I’m sure there is someone out there who was clamoring for more Sasquatch Detective, after digging the backups in “Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles” – maybe it was my DC3cast pal Vince Ostrowski? – but this is weird to me. DC has a stable of characters that it rarely, if ever, uses, that would benefit far more from a one shot. This month, in “Justice League Dark,” we get the first Blue Devil appearance in something like six years. There are literally dozens of Justice League members for whom that is also true. So why print this instead?
That said? Prove me wrong. Make me care about this character.
SASQUATCH DETECTIVE #1
written by BRANDEE STILWELL
art by RON RANDALL and GUS VAZQUEZ
cover by BEN CALDWELL
Before Tonya Lightfoot became Los Angeles’ most decorated detective, she was a wee sasquatch roaming the Appalachian mountains, fed a steady diet of tennis and golf (as both of her parents are pros at the local country club) and CSI episodes. But her idyllic life of pranking campers and squatching around the local golf course hits a bump in the fire road when Bigfoot hunters come to the dense forest. Would Tonya back down in the face of adversity? Not yeti! But experiencing this abominable anti-sasquatch sentiment gives her the determination to leave her home behind—she heads to the dangers of the city. After all, it’s hard to fight un-conscious bias, but crime is something America’s sassiest sasquatch is ready to tackle.
This special features a new 30-page lead story plus the backup stories from EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES #2-6.
PRESTIGE FORMAT | ONE-SHOT
ON SALE 12.12.18
$7.99 US | 64 PAGES
FC | RATED T
9. History!
Another shoutout to Vince, who recently has been re-reading “Detective Comics” since its inception. This collection will, likely, be the first time that many non-Vince readers will get a chance to read these comics. While they are historically significant really only as a prelude to one of the most iconic characters of the 20th century, Slam Bradley and the Crimson Avenger do have long and (sometimes) interesting histories, and it is nice to see DC digging into its pre-superheroes canon.
DETECTIVE COMICS: BEFORE BATMAN (VOLS. 1 AND 2) HC
written by JERRY SIEGEL, MALCOLM WHEELER-NICHOLSON and others
art by JOE SHUSTER, FRED GUARDINEER, BOB KANE and others
design cover
DETECTIVE COMICS exploded in 1939 with the debut of Batman in issue #27—and now, for the first time, DC reprints the first 26 issues of this groundbreaking series, almost none of which have ever been reprinted before, in a two-volume slipcased set! The first volume, collecting issues #1-13, stars crime-fighters like Slam Bradley, Bart Regan, Speed Saunders and more! And Volume Two, collecting issues #14-26, stars characters like the Crimson Avenger, Fu Manchu and more!
Please note that these stories will be scanned directly from original copies of these issues.
ON SALE 03.20.19
$150.00 US | Each 896 PAGES
FC | ISBN: 978-1-4012-9302-4
8. More new Vertigo
Robbi Rodriguez is one of my favorite artists that I tend to forget about, because his output isn’t quite as aligned with my reading habits as others are (read: he’s been doing lots of Marvel stuff). But his “FBP” was one of my favorite teens-era Vertigo books, and it is nice to see him on “Goddess Mode.” It is also so cool to see Zoe Quinn on the title, bringing another cool, non-comics voice into the Vertigo fold. I’m super excited about this title.
Continued belowGODDESS MODE #1
written by ZOE QUINN
art and cover by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
variant cover by STJEPAN SEJIC
Don’t miss the start of a new series by Hugo Award nominee Zoë Quinn and Spider-Gwen co-creator Robbi Rodriguez!
In a near future where humanity’s needs are provided for by a godlike A.I., it’s one young woman’s horrible job to do tech support on it. But Cassandra Price’s life changes forever when she discovers a hidden digital world beneath our own, one where a group of super-powered women are locked in a secret war for the cheat codes to reality.
ON SALE 12.12.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | MATURE READERS
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
7. It has to be simpler
The Hawkman mythos is an incredibly complicated one and yet, with Robert Venditti and Bryan Hitch’s “Hawkman,” they’ve somehow simplified it by connecting everything together. So, it makes sense that a new origin is needed, and I trust Venditti and Hitch to come up with something far more streamlined than in the past. And, trust me, he needs it. “Hawkman” so far has been a really pleasant experience, and a retooling that feels respectful and necessary.
HAWKMAN #7
written by ROBERT VENDITTI
art and cover by BRYAN HITCH
variant cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
The origin of Hawkman revealed! Rocketing across the cosmos in his newly re-covered spaceship, Carter Hall is en route to the next stop on his adventure through time and space. He doesn’t have Netflix to pass the time, but he does have something even better. Locked within the ship’s memory banks is the truth behind Carter Hall’s reincarnation ability, as well as his connection to the Deathbringers—giant, winged beings of immeasurable power on their way to destroy Earth!
ON SALE 12.12.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
6. I’m not laughing
I know I’m in the vast minority of DC fans, but I could not care less about the Batman Who Laughs. From its 2000 AD-aped design to the ‘twisted’ nature, it does not appeal to what I want from my Bat-comics. But Scott Snyder and Jock are a pairing that should never, ever, be ignored, and I’m trusting that they do something more interesting with the character than what we’ve already seen in the pages of “Dark Nights: Metal.”
THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1
written by SCOTT SNYDER
art and cover by JOCK
variant cover by BEN OLIVER
blank variant cover available
“A Batman who laughs is a Batman who always wins.”
Left rattled by the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, Bruce Wayne must come face to face with the nightmares spawned from the Dark Multiverse. But even though evil devoured evil in the collapse of Challengers Mountain, the Dark Knight still has his doubts. He discovers that the Batman Who Laughs not only survived the fight with The Joker at the end of METAL, but now he is enacting a sinister plan across the Multiverse—something both terrifying and oddly familiar. But when Bruce Wayne realizes the only way to stop this madman is to kill him, he must consider violating the very rule Batman won’t break…the same rule that created this insatiable villain—the Batman Who Laughs!
ON SALE 12.12.18
$4.99 US | 1 of 6 | 32 PAGES
5. I won’t let you down. I will not give you up.
Freedom Fighters are a property that pop up now and then, but haven’t really found their footing in quite some time. Setting this miniseries on Earth-X is a good start, as it gives far more latitude to Robert Venditti and Eddy Barrows to tell a bigger, less continuity driven series. I’m sure the recent hop over to Earth X on The Flash didn’t hurt much, either.
FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1
written by ROBERT VENDITTI
art and cover by EDDY BARROWS
variant cover by BEN OLIVER
Line up for this all-new maxiseries set on Earth X, where the Nazis won World War II! Twenty years after invading and occupying America, Germany wiped out all metahuman resistance, including the original Freedom Fighters.
Fast-forward to the present day, and a new team of Freedom Fighters emerges to challenge the Nazi occupation once again. But if they’re to have any chance of victory, they’re going to need Uncle Sam—who disappeared after his original team was killed. The 12-part epic “Death of a Nation” storyline kicks off here!
ON SALE 12.19.18
$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.
4. The march to 1000
Continued below
At San Diego Comic Con, DC announced that Peter Tomasi and Doug Mahnke would be shepherding “Detective Comics” to #1000. While these are two superstar creators with credentials for days, this doesn’t feel like the team DC wants to bring their second title into four digits. So, this is likely a six-issue arc for the pair, which could still be great, despite the fact that it again brings the Waynes’ murder into the story. Can we get a 2 year memorandum on using pearls in a Bat-story, please?
DETECTIVE COMICS #994
written by PETER J. TOMASI
art and cover by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA
variant cover by MARK BROOKS
Batman’s strangest case begins as the new creative team of writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke take over DETECTIVE COMICS!
Commissioner Gordon calls in the Dark Knight Detective when there’s a murder at the Gotham City Aquarium—staged to look exactly like Thomas and Martha Wayne’s crime scene, right down to the Playbill and pearls. How does this bizarre homicide tie into the shadowy monster that attacks Dr. Leslie Thompkins? This creature looks to wage a war on Batman—and it’s using Joker Gas to do it!
ON SALE 12.12.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
3. A big deal
The only reason I’m not doing cartwheels over Kelly Sue DeConnick joining “Aquaman” is because Dan Abnett’s run has been, in one writer’s opinion, among the two or three best Aquaman stories of all time. But DeConnick is a major get for DC, and she’s one hell of a writer. The idea of DC putting such a big name on “Aquaman” confirms its now decade long plan to bring the character back to prominence, from “Brightest Day” to Jason Mamoa.
I’m excited to see where she takes the book, but I’m still pouring one out for Abnett’s run. Let’s hope he lands on another DC character in need of rehabilitation where he can work his magic soon. How about “Green Lantern Corps,” working alongside Grant Morrison?
AQUAMAN #43
written by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
art and cover by ROBSON ROCHA and DANIEL HENRIQUES
variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
The tides turn for the Sea King with a new creative team! Star scribe Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly) and red-hot artist Robson Rocha (TEEN TITANS, SUPERGIRL) take the rudder to steer Aquaman into uncharted waters. In the wake of “Drowned Earth,” an amnesiac Arthur washes ashore on a remote island, and ends up being cared for by a young woman named Callie, who’s just a little TOO curious for comfort. And as a lifetime of horror movies has taught us, there’s something strange going on in this island village. Aquaman needs to come to his senses quickly…or he might wind up sleeping with the fishes instead of chatting with them.
ON SALE 12.19.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Please see the order form for details.
2. I’m looking in
I’ve been hyped about this series for awhile, and everything, from the lineup to the creators, looks designed to impress. Dexter Soy got his first real break with the aforementioned Kelly Sue DeConnick on “Captain Marvel,” and did some really impressive work with Scott Lobdell on the ‘Rebirth’ volume of “Red Hood and the Outlaws.” Bryan Hill has been a wildfire as of late, establishing himself as one of the go-to writers of the moment, from “Michael Cray” to the upcoming “Killmonger” and “KISS” comics. Let’s hope DC gives this the time and space it needs to turn into something special.
Continued belowBATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #1
written by BRYAN HILL
art by DEXTER SOY
cover by TYLER KIRKHAM
variant cover by JAE LEE
blank variant cover available
When the quest for justice drives Batman into some morally ambiguous areas, he calls in the most moral man he knows: Jefferson Pierce, a.k.a. Black Lightning, and his team of operatives known as the Outsiders!
Several years ago Batman personally put the Barrera family into hiding after they suffered through terrible experiments at the hands of an organization called the Ark. Now all but one of them has turned up dead…and Batman needs to locate Sofia Barrera before the wrong people get their hands on her—and her surprising power! But it wouldn’t be Batman without a hidden agenda, would it? And when Black Lightning, Katana, the Signal and Orphan find out what Batman is really up to, their every loyalty will be called into question!
ON SALE 12.12.18
$3.99 US | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
This issue will ship with three covers.
Please see the order form for details.
1. Grab some oreos and dig in
What more needs to be said about this? It is Orlando and Rossmo, doing Martian Manhunter, for a 12 issue run. It is going to be dope.
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1
written by STEVE ORLANDO
art and cover by RILEY ROSSMO
variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
blank variant cover available
No matter what you know about J’onn J’onnz, you’re not prepared for this! The acclaimed team of writer Steve Orlando and artist Riley Rossmo (BATMAN/ THE SHADOW, BATMAN: NIGHT OF THE MONSTER MEN) reteam for a reinvention of the Manhunter from Mars in this twisted, unexpected series. Back on Mars, J’onn was about as corrupt as a law officer can be, and when a reckoning comes for his entire society, he’ll get a second chance he doesn’t want or deserve! One shocking murder, and an unexpected fragment of the Mars he lost, will change his life—and the course of the Earth—forever!
ON SALE 12.05.18
$3.99 US | 1 of 12 | 32 PAGES
FC | RATED T+
This issue will ship with three covers.
Please see the order form for details.
Check out the full solicitations over at Newsarama.
