March is when many of DC’s books reach their fiftieth issue, and the company is celebrating by oversizing a number of their books. It is also the month of Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and so that is the variant theme for the month as well. Read all about that, and more, below.
10. Adios, Sweet Telos
“Telos” was a book that no one asked for and, it seems, no one bought. The ‘hero’ of “Convergence” was given his own solo series after the event ended, written by “Convergence” writer Jeff King, and it was met with a total lack of interest. The fact that this is ending after 6 issues is a sign that DC isn’t delusional about the property, and is mercifully ending it after the first arc.
Will Telos, the character, ever pop up again? I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he’s Poochie’d out of existence after this issue.
TELOS #6
Written by JEFF KING
Art by IGOR VITORINO
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS
On sale MARCH 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T • FINAL ISSUE
Multiverse beware—because Telos and Parallax have formed a catastrophic alliance that could change the DC Universe as we know it! Plus, Parallax wants to bring back his Coast City, and the only person standing in his way is Telos!
9. Suiciders, Mount Up
Lee Bermejo’s Vertigo series returns for a second miniseries, this time with a far worse title, but with Alessandro Vitti (“Red Lanterns”) in tow. I, honestly, didn’t read the first go ’round, but I like that Vertigo is adopting a more miniseries-based approach for the series that feature some of the bigger names/slower process creators. Bermejo bringing in help also ensures that the series will come out on time,
SUICIDERS: KINGS OF HELL.A. #1
Written by LEE BERMEJO
Art by ALESSANDRO VITTI and LEE BERMEJO
Cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:25 Variant cover by JAMES HARREN
On sale MARCH 30 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $3.99 US • MATURE READERS
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
A whole generation has grown up since the Great Quake, and people like Trix and her brother Johnny don’t know what life was like before New Angeles crumbled. Suffice to say, they’ve learned how to make the most of living inside the walled city, and particularly within their ’hood. Johnny is the leader of the Kings of HelL.A., a street gang ready to protect its turf against any and all comers—though Johnny may have taken things too far when he crossed Leonard, a former Suicider known as the Coyote. Things are about to get a whole lot more violent.
Meanwhile, Trix is finding love in the arms of Johnny’s best friend, and their star-crossed romance is going to bring trouble of an entirely different kind.
The second chapter in Lee Bermejo’s acclaimed SUICIDERS series shows us a completely different side of life in New Angeles. Joining Bermejo for KINGS OF HELL.A. is artist Alessandro Vitti (RED LANTERNS), whose kinetic style perfectly fits SUICIDERS’ brutal landscape.
8. Dat Cover
These Silver Age omnibi have been great, and the covers by Darwyn Cooke are almost worth the price of admission alone. 55 issues of Silver Age Supergirl stories are an absolute gift, wrapped up in the conventions of the time and the cultural milleau that was the late 50s/early 60s. What does that mean? Well, it means that Supergirl is far from a feminist icon at this point, and things like school and teenage girl drama are just as important as her superpowers are. But these stories represent a purity and, most importantly, a fun tone that we don’t often see from comics anymore.
It doesn’t hurt that Supergirl is so popular right now, and is popular because of the joy and fun tone of the series.
Continued belowSUPERGIRL: THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS HC
Written by OTTO BINDER, LEO DORFMAN and JERRY SIEGEL
Art by JIM MOONEY and AL PLASTINO
Cover by DARWYN COOKE
On sale MAY 18 • 688 pg, FC, $75.00 US
Collecting the Girl of Steel’s adventures from ACTION COMICS #252-307! As Superman’s secret weapon, Supergirl must adjust to life in the Midvale Orphange. The stories alternate between tales about friends and school, Supergirl’s efforts to master her new powers, and time-travel jaunts into the far future and distant past.
7. About as far from the current iteration of “The Flash” as you can get
Full disclosure: I’m not a Mark Millar fan in the slightest. I think he’s incredibly overrated, and represents a lot of what is wrong with the culture of comics right now. That said, when he was working with Grant Morrison, he was doing incredible work. This run of “The Flash” puts Wally in a wheelchair – it takes away what makes The Flash himself – and it makes it work. This is a great, affordable collection of a run that we’ll never see again, for a lot of reasons.
THE FLASH BY GRANT MORRISON AND MARK MILLAR TP
Written by GRANT MORRISON and MARK MILLAR
Art by PAUL RYAN, JOHN NYBERG and RON WAGNER
Cover by STEVE LIGHTLE
On sale APRIL 13 • 336 pg, FC, $19.99 US
Writers Grant Morrison and Mark Millar put their distinctive mark on the Scarlet Speedster in this run on THE FLASH from issues #130-141, plus the crossover issues GREEN ARROW #130 and GREEN LANTERN #96! Confined to a wheelchair after a run-in with the mystery villain known only as The Suit, how can The Flash protect Keystone City from evil run amok? Plus, The Flash is forced to represent Earth in an cosmos-spanning race against an alien being called Krakkl!
6. Black Lightning to Return?
Sometimes you can read DC’s tea leaves by looking at what characters are getting the retrospective/reprinting treatment. Not surprisingly, Azrael got a trade a few months back, and now he’s a part of “Batman and Robin Eternal.” Could DC be looking to bring back Black Lightning?
As far as I can recall, he only appeared in his “DC Universe Presents” arc with Blue Devil, and as a potential Justice League recruit (possibly both in “Justice League” and “Justice League International”). He’s not exactly an A-list DC character, but before Cyborg made the leap to the majors, he was often the token black character used by DC on team books.
That said, I adore Black Lightning, and have been waiting for someone to do something interesting with him. This collection is not unlike the Supergirl collection above, in terms of it being so inextricably tied to the era in which it was created. If you’ve never read the character though, this is a great place to start.
BLACK LIGHTNING TP
Written by TONY ISABELLA
Art by TREVOR VON EEDEN, FRANK SPRINGER and VINCE COLLETTA Cover by RICH BUCKLER and FRANK SPRINGER
On sale APRIL 6 • 224 pg, FC, $19.99 US
With the power to generate electricity from within, Jefferson Pierce adopts the secret identity of Black Lightning! But it will take all of his abilities to protect his Metropolis neighborhood of Suicide Slum from those that seek to destroy it. With guest appearances from Superman and more, this new title collects issues #1-11 from the 1970s series, plus a story from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE.
5. A “Legend”ary Cash Grab
By the time this issue comes out, Legends of Tomorrow will be on its fifth episode, and will hopefully be the wet dream that so many of us are hoping it is. To capitalize, DC is releasing this anthology, originally intended to be four miniseries, with the same title as the series.
This is problematic for a few reasons: sure, Firestorm is part of that show, but not this iteration. No one else has anything to do with the show, and DC is using these minis that they probably realized weren’t going to sell anything, and put them all together in one misnomer of a book. Is this an ongoing anthology? If so, I’m way, way better with it. If this is just collecting these unused stories and then will be trashed, I’m pretty much convinced to never, ever pick this up.
Except I love Metamorpho a whole lot. And Firestorm. And the Metal Men.
Fuck, I’m buying this, aren’t I?
Continued belowLEGENDS OF TOMORROW #1
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale MARCH 9 • 80 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T
It’s four powerhouse tales in one colossal comic, as some of comics’ most legendary talents launch new tales of Firestorm, Metamorpho, Metal Men and Sugar and Spike—that’s right, Sugar and Spike!
FIRESTORM
Written by GERRY CONWAY
Art by EDUARDO PANSICA and ROB HUNTER
Firestorm is back! To save Jason Rausch, Firestorm will need to retrieve Danton Black’s stolen research from Professor Stein’s lab. But if Jason can’t fuse with Ronnie by the Firestorm Protocol…who can?
METAL MEN
Written by LEN WEIN
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR and TREVOR SCOTT
Doctor Will Magnus’ Metal Men may be the next step in robotics technology, but when the mysterious cyber-terrorist known only as Nameless comes after them, they may have met their match!
METAMORPHO
Written by AARON LOPRESTI
Art by AARON LOPRESTI with MATT BANNING
Metamorpho—a prisoner of millionaire industrialist Simon Stagg! Now, the only person who can save him is Stagg’s beautiful daughter, Sapphire!? But can they defeat Stagg’s prehistoric bodyguard, Java?
SUGAR & SPIKE
Written by KEITH GIFFEN
Art by BILQUIS EVELY
The last time we saw Sugar and Spike, they were still in diapers! Now, they’re grown up, and they’ve become private investigators who specialize in cleaning up embarrassing problems for the DCU’s greatest heroes. Sugar & Spike’s first assignment: retrieve a cache of Batman’s retired costumes that have been stolen by Killer Moth!
4. Another Eternity Comes to an End
We are currently just 11 issues in, but “Batman and Robin Eternal” has been an absolute joy as we approach the halfway mark. The story has been taught and intense, and the Bat-family hasn’t been this strong in many years. To have all of Batman’s partners in one issue – Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, Babs, Harper, Steph, Cassie, and Duke – man, that’s like my dream come true. I cannot wait to see how the series continues to progress, and I can’t wait to re-read the whole shebang when it wraps up.
BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL #26
Story by JAMES TYNION IV and SCOTT SNYDER
Script by JAMES TYNION IV
Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and others
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
On sale MARCH 30 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
It’s the catastrophic conclusion of the acclaimed weekly series that brings together all of Batman’s one-time partners! Mother’s trap has been sprung, and the whole world is feeling her wrath! Can Dick Grayson pull together his allies to fight an entire army of foes? Is one among them still under Mother’s control? And what will become of Cassandra Cain? You won’t believe how huge this battle can become!
3. Fare Thee Well, Capullo and GorBat
This is the final issue (for now) for Greg Capullo on “Batman,” as well as the final issue of Jim Gordon as Batman (or, at least as the focus of this series – perhaps he’ll still have a role in the Bat-suit). On both fronts, this is a shame. Capullo has been a revelation on “Batman,” taking all his previous work and shoving it violently into the rear-view. This is now what defines Capullo, and that is a glorious thing (no one – not even Todd MacFarlane – wants to be remembered for drawing Spawn).
As for GorBat, I really enjoyed having someone other than Bruce under the cowl, and Bruce’s absence allowed the other members of the Bat family to get some time in the spotlight. But let’s be real, folks – no one thought Bruce wasn’t coming back sooner than later. Here we are, 10 months later, and it seems like the public is just about ready for this.
Greg – good luck working with Mark Millar (ick). Know the Bat-door should always be open for your return.
BATMAN #50
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI
Polybagged variant cover by JIM LEE
On sale MARCH 23 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with a standard cover, as well as polybagged variant covers. Please see the order form for more details.
Batman has returned to Gotham City! In this extra-sized conclusion to Snyder and Capullo’s epic story “Superheavy,” Bruce Wayne returns to the cape and cowl to battle Mr. Bloom alongside Jim Gordon for the fate of the city they both love.
This issue features open-to-order variant covers that will ship in opaque polybags.
2. The Best Two Supermen Scene since Superman III
This issue does something that, I guess, was always going to happen, but I never really thought we’d see it this early: pre-“Flashpoint” Superman meets New 52 Superman. I have no idea if this is a good idea, or if this story will make any sense at all, or what, but I’m glad DC is at least trying to do something interesting and different. It probably won’t be “The Flash of Two Worlds,” but it is at attempt to bring some of the weirdness and fun of the Silver Age to 2016. I’m totally fine with that.
Continued belowSUPERMAN #50
Written by GENE LUEN YANG
Art by HOWARD PORTER
Cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and KLAUS JANSON
Polybagged variant cover by KAARE ANDREWS
On sale MARCH 16 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with a standard cover, as well as polybagged variant covers. Please see the order form for more details.
Superman returns in all his glory in this very special issue that sees the Man of Steel back to full power as he faces his greatest enemy and also comes face to face with the pre-Flashpoint Kal-El! At last, it’s the meeting of the Supermen you’ve been waiting for!
This issue features open-to-order variant covers that will ship in opaque polybags.
1. Ick
OK, so with all the #50 issues, the page count is jumping up to 48 pages, and the price is going up to $4.99. Right away, I dislike this, but let’s come back to that in a minute. There are also variants by some pretty amazing folks (Kevin Nowlan, Aaron Kuder, Doug Mahnke, Massimo Carnevale, Jim Lee, Kaare Andrews, etc) that are hidden in the hideous polybags you see above.
I get that they have to tie into the film. I get that variants are big business. I understand all of that, and I’m not begrudging it.
Well, I begrudge it a little.
I would love to see some of this talent (specifically Andrews and Nowlan) do more with DC, even if it is just covers. The way to ensure that no one sees their work, though, is to hide it inside of polybags that all look the same. I’m not a guy who buys a ton of variant covers, but I certainly won’t be doing it on a book that’s a dollar or two more expensive than the previous issue’s for the main, non-variant cover. I get that they want to make 50 a big deal, but this is a really, really dumb way to do it. These artists, these books and, especially, the fans, all deserve better.
BATGIRL #50
Written by BRENDEN FLETCHER and CAMERON STEWART
Art and cover by BABS TARR
Polybagged variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
On sale MARCH 30 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with a standard cover, as well as polybagged variant covers. Please see the order form for more details.
It’s the explosive conclusion of the epic that changed Barbara Gordon forever! The enemy lurking at the edges of Batgirl’s life has been revealed, as have the gang of heroes assembled to help her! From this point on, Batgirl doesn’t walk alone! It’s an extra-sized celebration of the greatest hero Burnside has ever known, from Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr!
This issue features open-to-order variant covers that will ship in opaque polybags.
As always, you can check out the full solicitations over at Comic Book Resources.
