After a few months of non-stop new series and big debuts, December is a quieter month for DC. There are still a few really interesting books coming out, so let’s not waste another second and get to it.
10. What not to do in a solicit, part 1
I get that writing solicits is a boring, sometimes thankless job, but writing them in character is almost never a good idea. When that character is as annoying as Harley Quinn, that percentage jumps to always a bad idea. This doesn’t get the type of person who reads solicits interested in the comic at all. Please stop doing this.
HARLEY QUINN #35
Written by TINI HOWARD
Art and cover by SWEENEY BOO
Backup written by HANNAH ROSE MAY
Backup art by LEOMACS
Variant cover by JENNY FRISON
1:25 variant cover by LEIRIX
1:50 variant cover by MATEUS MANHANINI
Santa variant cover by JON SOMMARIVA
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/26/23
Freshly washed but just as emotionally messy—I’m ready to finally solve THE CASE OF WHO THE #&$@ HAS BEEN SCREWING WITH ME!!! Now I’ve just got to round up a crew of butt-kickin’ individuals to help me go kick some multidimensional space butt in time for me to come home to my beautiful Pammy! Plus, my first cousins twice removed Hannah Rose May and Leomacs tell the gut-bustin’ story of how I traveled to a lost city of dinosaurs in search of a mysterious treasure! Snap that quip!
9. Winding your way down on Danger Street
I’ve admittedly fell behind on “Danger Street,” but the concept for the book is so ambitious and outlandish that I am excited to catch up in time for the finale. So many times Tom King takes a character and tries to tell a story with a dark, more serious tone. While there’s nothing wrong with the occasional darker tale, King’s routine can sometimes feel a little stale. But with “Danger Street,” the innovation is in connecting the old “First Issue Special” characters in a meaningful and interesting way. Let King do more weird stuff like this and less “what if Wonder Woman was hunted by the CIA?” stories.
DANGER STREET #12
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by JORGE FORNÉS
Variant cover by BRUNO REDONDO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | 12 of 12 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/12/23
It all ends here! Will the Outsiders be accepted by society? The Green Team finally get what they deserve? The sky be saved from falling? All of this and more as Lady Cop closes the case on the murders of Danger Street. You’ll have to read it to believe it!
8. The tie-ins begin
Regardless of why this collection exists, it rules. “Seven Soldiers” is a legitimately great event, and the Frankenstein stuff is maybe the best of it. Plus, the first arc of “Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E.” remains a top 10 ‘New 52’ debut arc. Plus, it is rare to get pre-New 52 and New 52 stuff reprinted together, so this is a bit of an anomaly from jump. So, if you’ve never read this stuff, you should.
But branding this as “Creature Commandos Present” is a way to tie into the 2024 (supposedly) animated Creature Commandos series that will be the opening salvo in James Gunn’s DC film and television movement. While there are other stories that can be put under that banner, this is likely the biggest/best one, so it makes sense to start here.
Continued belowCREATURE COMMANDOS PRESENT: FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. BOOK ONE
Written by GRANT MORRISON and JEFF LEMIRE
Art by DOUG MAHNKE, ALBERTO PONTICELLI, and WALDEN WONG
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
$24.99 US | 256 pages | 6 5/8″ x 10 3/16″ | Softcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-561-1
ON SALE 2/6/24
Before James Gunn’s highly anticipated Creature Commandos animated series debuts, get to know the team’s resident undead, sword-swinging power hitter, Frankenstein, in this collection of stories from comics all-stars Grant Morrison, Jeff Lemire, Doug Mahnke, and Alberto Ponticelli! Book one of this two-volume collection reprints the entire Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein limited series plus Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1-7.
7. “Jeez, I’m out of it for a little while, everyone gets delusions of grandeur!”
Look, doing this column is not exactly back-breaking labor, but DC releases a lot of books a month, and sometimes when putting this together, it can be easy to pick a narrative for the month and only look for things that fit that narrative. It helps shepherd the process a long and not feel like such a slog. I say that to say this: I guess I’ve been sleeping on the “Detective Comics” solicits, because holy shit does this look intense. Even though Ram V’s ‘Tec hasn’t exactly been for me so far, this looks weird and interesting enough to definitely check out. Note to self: read all the solicits!
DETECTIVE COMICS #1080
Written by RAM V
Art by JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER
Cover by EVAN CAGLE
Backup written by DAN WATTERS
Backup art by TBD
Variant cover by JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER
Variant cover by SEBASTIAN FIUMARA
1:25 variant cover by LIAM SHARP
1:50 variant cover by EVAN CAGLE
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/26/23
“Batman: Outlaw” concludes in part five of five of the biweekly Detective Comics event! The Batman is dead. The Reality Engine, a device capable of amplifying the Orghams’ hypnotic powers, has roared to life. The people of Gotham, having watched the Dark Knight die on the gallows, begin to forget there ever was a Batman, and the Gotham that the Orghams have been working toward since their arrival in the city emerges: a city without a Batman. A city that never had a Batman. Check out the reality-bending, city-altering finale to “Batman: Outlaw,” and ask yourself: will Gotham ever be the same again?
6. VOLUME THREE?
Every year, patterns in life emerge. The leaves turn and fall. Snow blankets the ground and then melts away. Buds form on the trees. A new “Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries” series hits the shelves. The circle of life.
This is the third volume in three years of this title. All three have been, in part, written by the most underrated of all DC writers, Sholly Fisch. What is happening? Why can’t this series run for more than 12 issues? It clearly is popular enough to get new volumes every twelve months. Is it about the new #1 pop? Is it that significant?
THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES #1
Written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art and cover by DARIO BRIZUELA
$2.99 US | 32 pages
ON SALE 1/2/24
A new ongoing series teams up Gotham’s greatest detectives with Crystal Cove’s teen sleuths! The big top’s the place for thrills and chills—even more so when a traveling circus is haunted! But even Scooby and the gang don’t realize just how chilling it is for Nightwing…because this is Haly’s Circus, Dick Grayson’s childhood home!
5. Degrassi Super High
Mark Waid’s “World’s Finest” series are really fun looks at the earlier days of some of our favorite characters. There’s some weird timeline stuff happening (as discussed, frankly, too many times on the DC3cast), but overall, these books have been fun reminders of where these characters have been, without feeling like homework or retellings of stories we’ve already read.
With the Teen Titans book wrapping up, it seems like a good time to ask what Waid’s bigger picture is for this line. Will we get a Green Lantern title? Wonder Woman? Are these just curios or something that feeds into a bigger narrative? I hope we find out soon.
Continued belowWORLD’S FINEST: TEEN TITANS #6
Written by MARK WAID
Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant covers by EVAN “DOC” SHANER and DAN MORA
1:25 variant cover by JILL THOMPSON
1:50 variant cover by EDWIN GALMON
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/12/23
THE SUPER-SHOWDOWN!
It’s the Teen Titans versus the Anti-Titans in the melee of the miniseries, with Lilith, Gnarrk, and Mal joining in on the side of our heroes! After the last blow is dealt, the Titans must face something even more uncertain than battle: change. Mal helps Aqualad make sense of his dating dilemma. Bumblebee second-guesses her growing feelings for Mal. Donna must choose between Paradise Island and Man’s World. And Robin and Speedy try to reach a resolution.
4. What not to do in a solicit, part 2
I recognize that you can’t do an entire series’ worth of solicits, dropping three months before the actual issues do, without spoiling some stuff. That said, “Green Arrow” has been built around the question of ‘will Ollie’s family make it back in one piece?,’ and this solicit spoils the answer plainly. Now, I know that David Lynch doesn’t showrun the DC Universe, and so there wasn’t going to be a crazy twist here; of course they were going to return. But the deal we make with comics is that we ignore the obvious answers in order to allow the storytellers to do their thing. But when solicits spoil shit, it makes it a lot harder for those storytellers to effectively do their thing. C’mon now.
GREEN ARROW #7
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by SEAN IZAAKSE
Variant cover by CHRIS SAMNEE
1:25 variant cover by JAY ANACLETO
Santa variant cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 12/26/23
OLIVER QUEEN IS BACK! He’s returned with his family to the present day, but the Green Arrow family reunion is just getting started! Green Arrow still has lots of secrets to uncover. Like, why has Amanda Waller taken an interest in his family?
3. Hell yeah
The Fourth World, as a concept, is one of the most impressive and sprawling ideas ever at DC. Jack Kirby’s original stories in this world have been collected many times before. But this collection is the decade plus of Fourth World stories that followed that original run. It isn’t hard to believe that DC has never collected this stuff completely before, and it is awesome that they are doing so now. Some of this stuff is very, very good. Some of it likely isn’t, but that almost doesn’t matter. This is a really fun way for folks to get a bigger sense of the Fourth World’s impact as DC continued to incorporate it. Let’s do more of these!
THE FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL. 2
Written by JACK KIRBY, PAUL LEVITZ, GERRY CONWAY, STEVE ENGLEHART, STEVE GERBER, and others
Art by JACK KIRBY, KEITH GIFFEN, DON NEWTON, DAN ADKINS, MARSHALL ROGERS, JIM APARO, and others
Cover by JACK KIRBY
$125.00 US | 1,264 pages | 7 1/16″ x 10 7/8″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-77952-710-3
ON SALE 2/13/24
In the 1970s, legendary creator Jack “the King” Kirby revolutionized the comic book medium with a sweeping multi-series saga that encompassed impossible new worlds, iconic new characters, and sweeping new mythologies. He called it “The Fourth World.”For the first time ever, DC Comics proudly presents the stories that came after. The Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 collects the first 12 years of stories that followed Jack Kirby’s epic, including the legendary Great Darkness Saga and Kirby’s very own return to the Fourth World in Super Powers. Featuring Mister Miracle #19-25; The New Gods #12-19; Adventure Comics #459-460; The Brave and the Bold #112, #128, and #138; DC Comics Presents #12; First Issue Special #13; Justice League of America #183-185; Legion of Super-Heroes #290-294; Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #3; Secret Society of Super-Villains #1-5; Super Powers #1-5; Super Powers (vol. 2) #1-6; Super Powers (vol. 3) #1-4; Super Powers Collection #13-23; Super-Team Family #15; and stories from DC Special Series #10 and Legion of Super-Heroes #287. Also includes a brand-new introduction and Super Powers essay by famed Great Darkness Saga writer and DC Comics editor (and former president) Paul Levitz, never-before-collected issues, an extensive gallery of never-before-collected art, essays, figures, and more!
2. Coming to a (fictional) city near you!
Sometimes, DC events feel too cloistered. I get why you can’t have every single book involved in all the crossovers, but it can feel like the world is ending in Metropolis, but Central City is having their Polish Food Truck Festival with no problems. Tom Taylor’s “Beast World” event is attempting to solve this by doing ‘world tour’ issues that hit some of DC’s biggest cities. I wanted to feature the Atlantis installment for two reasons: one, we’ve been seriously lacking Aquaman stories since “Aquamen” wrapped up entirely too quickly, and because Sina Grace and Valentine De Landro both don’t get enough DC gigs. This is both a fun concept and a good way to showcase some underutilized talent.
Continued belowTITANS: BEAST WORLD TOUR: ATLANTIS #1
Written by SINA GRACE, FRANK TIERI, and MEGHAN FITZMARTIN
Art by RICCARDO FEDERICI, VALENTINE DE LANDRO, and more
Cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Variant covers by HOWARD PORTER and CULLY HAMNER
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/2/24
Beast World plunges into the deep!
As Garth reacts to the crisis amongst his former Titans teammates, all hell breaks loose in the depths of Atlantis! It’s a clash of Aquaman and Tempest in a deep-sea battle royale that points the way to new horizons ahead. Plus, megalodons versus Mera and Jackson Hyde, and Black Manta channels his inner manta in this exciting next installment of “Beast World”!
1. The Return
Joe Casey, at one time, was one of the most prominent DC writers, specifically Superman writers. It’s been almost 20 years (save a brief reunion in 2010/11) since Casey was one of the Superman architects. Now, he’s got a new Zod miniseries with Dan McDaid (“Jersey Gods”) in tow, and while he may not be taking over “Action Comics” just yet, it is great to see Casey back in the fold. It seems like a Casey/Waid Superman office is coming down the pike, and I couldn’t be more here for it.
KNEEL BEFORE ZOD #1
Written by JOE CASEY
Art by DAN McDAID
Cover by JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER
Variant covers by NATHAN SZERDY and BJÖRN BARENDS
1:25 variant cover by RAFAEL SARMENTO
1:50 variant cover by DAN McDAID
Special foil variant cover by ARIEL COLÓN ($5.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 1/2/24
General Zod was Krypton’s most notorious criminal. Now he has an entire planet to rule—but what happens when the most dangerous individual in the universe gets everything he ever wanted? Obviously, he wants more— and he’ll stop at nothing to get it—in the most brutal series you’ll read this year! This is not a hero’s journey. This is a dark ride, brought to you by the sick and twisted minds of Adventures of Superman writer Joe Casey and artist Dan McDaid in his monumental main-line DC debut. For General Zod and his family, the descent into hell has just begun.
For the full solicits, check out Newsarama.
