We are nearing the one-year mark of DC’s ‘Rebirth’ initiatuve, and a lot of the books in the line, due to the double shipping, feel even more established than that. This month is an interesting one, as it seems to be checking off a number of events/ideas that have been kicking around for some time, as well as beginning to set the stage for the next era of ‘Rebirth.’
10. Is this the end of Midnighter and Apollo in the DCU proper?
With “The Wild Storm” starting in February, it is a weird time in the DCU for characters that originated in Jim Lee’s WildStorm universe. The two highest profile of these are Apollo and Midnighter, both of whom were part of the New 52’s “Stormwatch” team. Midnighter, especially, has been an important player in the DCU over the past two years or so, when he popped up as a supporting character in “Grayson” before being spun out into his own series.
“Midnighter and Apollo” has seen Midnighter enter hell on behalf of his ‘dead’ lover, in an attempt to bring him back from eternal damnation. It has been a really fun ride, and has continued Midnighter’s run of great appearances, but could something else be at stake here. Could Steve Orlando, shepherding his adventures since his solo series, be killing off the characters in the proper DCU to allow for a non-confusing narrative when they pop up in Warren Ellis’s world?
I’m not saying it is or it isn’t, but it sort of makes sense, no? You get the beautiful image of the lovers reunited, in each other’s arms for all of eternity, and you clear the slate for Ellis. I wouldn’t bet against it.
MIDNIGHTER/APOLLO #6
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art by FERNANDO BLANCO
Cover by ACO
Midnighter always knew it wouldn’t be easy to fight his way out of Hell…but did he ever consider that it might be impossible? Even with Apollo’s strength by his side, some wars just can’t be won…is this never-ending battle finally over?
On sale MARCH 1 • 32 pg, FC, 6 of 6, $3.99 US • RATED T+
9. Crossover magic
Look, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the Hanna-Barbera DC books. “Future Quest” looks beautiful, but there are so many characters and scenarios that I’m just not familiar with, that it tends to read like a jumble. “The Flintstones,” despite trying multiple times, cannot get me interested. The less said about “Wacky Raceland” and “Scooby Apocalypse” the better. But I do sort of love the idea of there being weird crossovers with the main DC world now and then, and at least two of these crossovers (“Space Ghost/Green Lantern” and “Adam Strange/Future Quest”) seem like logical and fun pairings. Plus, “Booster Gold/Flintstones” should be batshit, and “Suicide Squad/Banana Splits” should be double batshit, so why not enjoy these?
ADAM STRANGE/FUTURE QUEST ANNUAL #1
Written by MARC ANDREYKO and JEFF PARKER
Backup story by DAN DIDIO
Art by STEVE LIEBER
Backup story art by PHIL WINSLADE
Cover by EVAN “DOC” SHANER
Variant cover by STEVE LIEBER
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
After the events of the DEATH OF HAWKMAN miniseries, Adam Strange is blasted through multiple dimensions only to land on Earth! There, instead of super-powered beings and legendary crime fighters, he encounters a boy adventurer and his scientist father—and they’re the only ones who can help him return home. Jonny Quest, Hadji, Dr. Quest and Race Bannon have a plan, but it’s going to involve a dangerous trek through Dino Boy’s Lost Valley of prehistoric threats!
And in the backup feature starring Top Cat, breaking out of prison is challenging enough for a cat, but sometimes it means stumbling through a cosmic portal to planet Earth…and right into the hands of Batman!
On sale MARCH 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
8. Over 1000 pages of weirdness
Silver Age “Doom Patrol” is among the weirdest, most comic-y stuff you could ever encounter. When people talk about comics being a medium that can do anything, a lot of that starts here. These stories took the insanity of the Golden and Silver Ages and removed the safety net of having Superman or Batman at the heart of it, and instead gave it to the weirdos to star in. It is gloriously madcap and, above all, really, really good storytelling.
DOOM PATROL SILVER AGE OMNIBUS HC
Written by ARNOLD DRAKE and BOB HANEY
Art by BRUNO PREMIANI and BOB BROWN
Cover by BRUNO PREMIANI
The complete Silver Age adventures of the Doom Patrol, comics’ strangest super-team, is collected in a single hardcover! Led by their wheelchair-bound chief, Niles Calder, three outcasts of society—Negative Man, Elasti-Girl and Robotman—take the qualities that made them freaks to become heroes. Together, the trio takes on bizarre menaces including General Immortus, The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man and The Brotherhood of Evil! Collects MY GREATEST ADVENTURE #80-85 and DOOM PATROL #86-124.
On sale JUNE 21 • 1,056 pg, FC, $99.99 US
7. Another hint at which Legionnaires we’ll see in the coming reboot
As you know if you read this column with any regularity, DC often tips its hand to upcoming events/books with their reprints, since they are solicited a month ahead of their normal books, and often timed to coincide with building hype for a new series. Add to that the fact that we’ve seen a few hints towards the Legion of Super-Heroes, both in the “DC Universe Rebirth Special” and in “Batman,” and you can be pretty sure they’ll be back sooner than later.
But the Legion has dozens of members – who will be showing up? Well, maybe the fact that this “Legionnaires” book is being reprinted means that Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Live Wire will be at the center of the team. You could certainly go with worse choices than this – throw in Mon-El, and that’s a solid start.
LEGIONNAIRES BOOK ONE TP
Written by TOM McCRAW, TOM PEYER and MARK WAID
Art by LEE MODER, STUART IMMONEN, JEFFREY MOY and others
Cover by STUART IMMONEN and RON BOYD
In these stories from LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #0 and #62-68 and LEGIONNAIRES #0 and #19-24, Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy and Live Wire meet while rescuing the galaxy’s wealthiest man, then decide to form a team of tomorrow’s greatest superheroes. Bankrolled by their rich benefactor, the trio recruits an assortment of teenage heroes from the many different worlds of the United Planets to form the Legion of Super Heroes!
On sale APRIL 12 • 384 pg, FC, $34.99 US
6. World’s Finest
Inaki Miranda, one of the great artists the DC has in its stable who doesn’t pop up nearly enough, is handling this Batgirl/Supergirl team up, which alone should be reason to pick it up. Couple that with the fact that Hope Larson, who has been doing great character work with Babs is writing it, and that’s another solid reason to buy it. These annuals are always a fun way for DC to celebrate months with five weeks, and when they keep pairing fun creators together to tell stories, I’m in.
Plus, this is teasing a ‘bigger story’ to come out of it, and more Babs/Kara team ups sound just fine to me.
BATGIRL ANNUAL #1
Written by HOPE LARSON
Art by INAKI MIRANDA
Cover by BENGAL
Batgirl and Supergirl must team up to break into Arkham Asylum! In this all-new Rebirth annual Batgirl must seek Supergirl’s help to solve a mystery that leads them to the heart of the most insane insane asylum there is! But what they discover—and who they discover—in Arkham will lead to a much, much bigger story!
On sale MARCH 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
5. Reunion blues
I don’t believe we have seen any Ollie/Roy team ups since the start of the New 52, and that’s sort of insane, isn’t it? Imagine if Bruce and Dick hadn’t appeared together in 5 years – you can’t, because that would have never happened. Now, Ollie and Roy have a more fractured relationship, but it is one that is ripe for some good stories. Ben Percy’s “Green Arrow” hasn’t been great in every aspect, but it has been doing well in nailing the relationships between the characters. Here’s hoping he can give the partnership a nice refresh.
Continued belowGREEN ARROW #18
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by ELEANORA CARLINI
Cover by OTTO SCHMIDT
Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
“REUNION” part one! Oliver Queen and Roy Harper once patrolled the streets as Green Arrow and Speedy, but a massive falling-out left them estranged for years. Now, learn the truth behind the tragic dissolution—and triumphant reunion—of one of comics’ most iconic super-duos as Green Arrow and Arsenal join forces once more!
On sale MARCH 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
4. The return of Aqualad
Again, this is another “DC Universe Rebirth” moment coming into the main books, but Aqualad is back. Sure, his name is Jackson Hyde, like the pre-‘Flashpoint’ Aqualad, but he looks just like Kaldur’ahm from Young Justice, but hey, why can’t he sort of be both? It’s not like either was all that established that you can’t take a little of each – plus the revelation by Johns that he is gay – and make a truly well formed character. He can be a rare thing in the DCU: a hero who is both a person of color and someone who isn’t straight.
TEEN TITANS #6
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by KHOI PHAM and WADE VON GRAWBADGER
Cover by KHOI PHAM
Variant cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
“THE RISE OF Aqualad” part one! New story! New city! New member? As the team adjusts to their new lives at Titans Tower, Damian investigates a series of strange disappearances in San Francisco. Meanwhile, Jackson Hyde heads west to fulfill his destiny…and finds himself in the crosshairs of the Teen Titans!
On sale MARCH 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
3. “Things” is the word of the year
Stranger Things on Netflix. Better Things on FX. Now, we get “Savage Things” from Vertigo, and this might be the one I’m most jazzed for. I really enjoy both Justin Jordan and Ibrahim Moustafa’s work, and this premise sounds straight up haunting: government enabled child murderers on a killing spree. I’m so, so in.
SAVAGE THINGS #1
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA
Cover by JOHN PAUL LEON
Twenty-five years ago, a secret government organization kidnapped children and trained them to be chaos agents who went on to foment unrest and execute enemies of the state around the world. When these cold and unfeeling creations proved too difficult to control, the powers that be exterminated their kill squad with extreme prejudice.
Too bad it didn’t work.
Now a rogue band of the worst monsters the world has ever known is cutting a swath of terror across the United States, threatening not just a disruption of the peace but to expose secrets their handlers never wanted to come to light. The only way to stop them is to call back the only man who ever walked away from them. His code name is Abel, and he’s not afraid of getting his hands bloody.
This new eight-issue miniseries from writer Justin Jordan (The Legacy of Luther Strode) and artist Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes) features the action of the Jason Bourne movies with the gruesome horror of classic grindhouse!
On sale MARCH 1 • 32 pg, 1 of 8, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
2. Megan, the Returning Girl
The “Young Animal” line is interesting, in that I have no idea what the long game is. Are these ongoings in the traditional sense, where they might hit 50 issues? Are they 12 or 24 issue maxiseries? I honestly don’t know, but the solicit for “Shade, the Changing Girl” #6 leads me to believe it is more of the latter. Having Megan, Shade’s body host, ‘return,’ seems like the type of move that would only come this early if there was a very specific endpoint in mind. I’m not complaining about this being a more limited series, but i’m interested to see how it all shakes out.
Continued belowSHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL #6
Written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI
Art by MARLEY ZARCONE
Cover by BECKY CLOONAN
Variant cover by MARLEY ZARCONE
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
When Shade took over Megan’s body, Megan had to go somewhere—and that she did. The displaced Earthling flew across the galaxy and back, and now that she’s home, Megan is pissed! It’s alien invader versus teenage bully in the climactic conclusion of our first arc!
On sale MARCH 1 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
1. Another one-month crossover
Much like “Night of the Monster Men” in the Bat-books, “Superman Reborn” is a short, contained crossover that will be done in a month. Four issues, no muss, no fuss. This is also following up on something from “DC Universe Rebirth,” with Mr. Oz revealing how the various Supermen are not ‘what they believe they are.’ I have no idea what that means, nor do I know if they’re actually going to bring back the New 52 Superman (if they do, he better not just take over one of the books). But I’m excited to see where this goes.
Plus, check out the sweet covers by Patrick Gleason.
SUPERMAN #18
Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
Variant cover by GARY FRANK
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers each. Please see the order form for details.
“SUPERMAN REBORN” part one! In DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH #1, the enigmatic Mr. Oz told this Superman, “You and your family are not what you believe you are. And neither was the fallen Superman.” Now, in the first Rebirth crossover between SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS, the shocking truth behind Oz’s words is revealed. It begins with one of Oz’s prisoners escaping, and ends in a tragic moment for Lois and Superman.
* The covers by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray and the variant covers by Gary Frank for SUPERMAN #18-19 and ACTION COMICS #975-976 will connect to form a single vertical image.
On sale MARCH 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
You can find the full solicitations over at Newsarama.
