June is going to be a huge month for DC; because of that, July’s solicitations might seem a little underwhelming. But this month shows a few things – especially, DC’s commitment to their digital and licensed products.
10. How many more times can I be tricked into caring about this book?
You will not find a bigger fan of the Bwahahaha era of “Justice League” than me – “Justice League” #1 is one of the first four or five comics I ever bought, right off the newsstand. Giffen/DeMatteis have done everything in the world of comics, and I will give most things they do a shot, based on reputation alone.
But the “Justice League 3000/30001” thing? It just doesn’t work for me. Howard Porter is an incredible artist, but his style, to me, just doesn’t fit with the story the writers are trying to tell. By bringing in all these pre-Crisis characters over the past six months or so, the writers are targeting my exact demographic and, I have to admit, I went back to the book when Booster and Beetle showed up. I didn’t stick around, but I gave it another shot. Will they get me again with Supergirl joining the book? I don’t know yet.
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #2
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art and cover by HOWARD PORTER
1:25 Variant cover by GEOF DARROW
On sale JULY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Supergirl? Aww, for crying out loud, we were promised that someone would rein these guys in. Supergirl? Really? Trust us…it’s actually pretty cool.
9. On the other hand, this sounds just about perfect
“Black Canary” hits so many of the sweet spots for my fandom that it almost isn’t fair; I’m helpless against its charms.
BLACK CANARY #2
Written by BRENDEN FLETCHER
Art and cover by ANNIE WU
1:25 Variant cover by BABS TARR
On sale JULY 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
In the wake of their first major fight, Dinah’s realized that her new bandmates are completely unprepared to keep themselves alive in a scrap…so it’s time for a training montage! (Cue the squealing guitars!) Plus: Who is Bo Maeve, and why does she hate Black Canary so much?
8. A better look at the new Dr. Fate
I am trying not to get too excited over this book, because Paul Levitz has been hit and miss over the past half decade or so, but everything about this screams “Starman” to me (to be fair, I long for everything to scream “Starman” to me): untested new hero bearing the weapon/name of a Golden Age JSAer, a no-spandex costume, artwork that strays from the current house style. Please, please, please, let this be true.
DR. FATE #2
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art and cover by SONNY LIEW
1:25 Variant cover by IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA
On sale JULY 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The new Dr. Fate is already having trouble controlling the power of Nabu – and time is of the essence because he’s about to be tested by an ancient evil!
7. Yet another “Arkham” tie-in
I’m nearly 33 years old, which means I’ve never played one of the Arkham games. But I think that DC has been incredibly smart to use the game as a launching pad for a number of comics, mostly digital firsts. This is a bit different though; this is a straight print release, and it acts as a prequel to the upcoming Arkham Knight game, not a book in that universe.
Continued belowBringing in Peter Tomasi to write these tie-ins might be just enough of a comics-first move to get some non-gamers to check it out as well. While this is certainly not made for me, I think this is exactly the type of book that shows DC is cagier and more new-reader savvy than we sometime give them credit for.
BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT – GENESIS #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by ALISSON BORGES
Cover by STJEPAN SEJIC
1:10 Video game art variant cover
On sale JULY 29 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T+
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Witness the birth of Gotham City’s newest villain, the Arkham Knight, in this stunning new 6-issue miniseries written by Peter J. Tomasi, the man behind the hit series BATMAN: ARKHAM KNIGHT and BATMAN AND ROBIN!
6. DC is publishing more “Mad Max” books than Lantern books this summer
That’s a slight exaggeration, but DC really has taken this license and run with it. What is especially interesting about this title is that, also solicited this month, is a collection of all the Mad Max tie-ins, one month later, including this one. I presumed that this was because the film was opening in August, so they wanted the collection out before the film came out. But no, that’s not the case: the film is out in 2 weeks.
Again, I don’t know if there is a real correlation between tie-ins hitting the shelves before a film leading to greater success, but it just seems to make sense, right? Do you think that DC was caught by surprise and had to rush these books out, or are they so convinced that the film will be a smash hit that it’ll send new fans into comic shops?
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – MAD MAX #1
Written by GEORGE MILLER, NICO LATHOURIS and MARK SEXTON
Art by MARK SEXTON
Cover by TOMMY LEE EDWARDS
On sale JULY 8 • 40 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $4.99 US • MATURE READERS
Max. The warrior Max. Haunted by his past and fated to wander the brutal Wasteland in search of his better self. To do so, Max Rockatansky enters Gastown, the only source of guzzoline for thousands of miles. Here he finds the final piece that he needs to rebuild his Interceptor – the powerful Boss 351 engine. But in order to acquire the fabled V8 in a world where car parts are worth more than a man’s life, Max must survive a gladiatorial battle in a place called…Thunderdome Plus! From the mind of George Miller, the creator of the Mad Max trilogy, the prelude series to the upcoming film Mad Max: Fury Road continues in its penultimate issue!
5. A Gaiman work, finally completed (sort of)
I could try and explain this, but the solicit does it so much better than I could. In summary, I’ll say that an uncompleted work is getting wrapped up by a lesser creative team, but at least it is being wrapped up.
Continued belowFREE COUNTRY: A TALE OF THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE HC
Written by NEIL GAIMAN, TOBY LITT, ALISA KWITNEY and JAMIE DELANO
Art by PETER GROSS, CHRIS BACHALO, MIKE BARREIRO and PETER SNEJBJERG
Cover by MARK BUCKINGHAM
On sale SEPTEMBER 23 • 200 pg, FC, $24.99 US • MATURE READERS
“A long time ago, I wrote the first part of a story, and waited to find out how it middled, then worked with Jamie Delano and Alisa Kwitney on the end. For years people have asked how and when they could read all the story of The Children’s Crusade. I’m glad to say that it’s now been retooled and refinished, and is something both old and new – a forgotten jewel and a new delight.”—Neil Gaiman
For the first time ever, the two-issue miniseries THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE, written by Neil Gaiman, Alisa Kwitney and Jamie Delano, is collected – and with them, a new chapter written by Toby Litt that completes the tale as Gaiman originally envisioned it.
When several children go missing in a small English town, the Dead Boy Detectives are on the case. A series of strange and unexpected twists takes them to Free Country, a place that dates back a millennium, where children never grow old and are free from the abuse and tyranny of adults. But Free Country is failing, and what it needs is the strength of five innately powerful children – including the young sorcerer Timothy Hunter – to restore their uncanny world to what it once was.
This hardcover collects THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE #1 and THE CHILDREN’S CRUSADE #2, written by Gaiman with cowriters Alisa Kwitney and Jamie Delano. A brand-new middle chapter written by DEAD BOY DETECTIVES novelist Toby Litt and drawn by artist Peter Gross (THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, THE UNWRITTEN) completes this compelling tale of ancient history, stolen dreams and lost children. It also features a new introduction by Gaiman, plus new cover art by artist Mark Buckingham (FABLES, DEAD BOY DETECTIVES).
4. Bruce Timm co-writing some animated tie-ins? Sure!
No, he’s not drawing it, before you ask.
But this is still pretty cool: DC is getting set to release Justice League: Gods and Monsters later this year, their most recent direct to video animated feature. Timm, one of the architects of the last two decades of DC animation, is co-writing two tie-ins with JM DeMatteis. Toss in art by Matthew Dow Smith and Moritat, and we have two issues that are absolutely more appealing than they should be.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS –SUPERMAN #1
Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS and BRUCE TIMM
Art by MORITAT
Cover by GABRIEL HARDMAN
1:10 Variant cover by DARWYN COOKE
ONE-SHOT • On sale JULY 29 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
Prequel to the DC Universe movie Justice League: Gods and Monsters!
“Truth, justice and the American way” has a very different meaning to a Superman raised by poor immigrant farmers. He’s seen abuse and injustice his whole life – and now he’s ready to let the world know what happens when a Man of Steel gets angry..
3. “Grayson” Status Quo Change?
So, the big conceit behind “Grayson” is that no one knows that Dick Grayson is still alive. This solicit mentions Dick coming in contact with Lex Luthor, one of the few people who is aware that he is still alive. Is this because Luthor has tracked him down, or has Dick come out of the shadows?
While I have been loving “Grayson,” we all knew that, at some point, there would be a point where Dick would rejoin society – is that time now?
GRAYSON #10
Written by TOM KING and TIM SEELEY
Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN
TEEN TITANS GO! Variant cover by SEAN “CHEEKS” GALLOWAY
On sale JULY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will arrive in stores with two covers. Please see the order form for details.
For the first time since FOREVER EVIL, Dick Grayson comes face-to-face with Lex Luthor!
2. “Cyborg” Launches
Many people have told me how great David Walker’s “Shaft” comic is (I’ve been meaning to check it out, but haven’t yet), and I am well aware of how well Ivan Reis handled Cyborg on his stint on “Justice League.” That, along with the fact that DC is giving a prominent minority character a starring role in a new book is more than enough for me to check this book out when it comes out.
Toss in an interesting sounding plot, and I’m really sold. Good job, DC.
CYBORG #1
Written by DAVID WALKER
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by TONY HARRIS
On sale JULY 22 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The machine that gives Cyborg his powers is evolving! The only problem is that machine is his body and he has no idea what’s causing these changes!
1. Dat creative team
There are few bigger Jeff Parker fans than me, and when I saw he was no longer writing “Aquaman,” I was super bummed. That bummed out feeling is gone – pairing him with Travel Foreman on this book, reuniting Foreman with Animal Man, and the team getting a serious shake up, with Etrigan (!) joining the team, and I’m super duper in.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #11
Written by JEFF PARKER
Art by TRAVEL FOREMAN
Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON
On sale JULY 8 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
The Convergence is over! Now, Alanna Strange, Stargirl and Equinox must assemble brand-new and wildly untraditional teams of heroes and villains to work together and stop another cosmic catastrophe before it happens. In this issue: Mera, Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing and Etrigan!
In case I forgot something, check out the full solicits over at Comic Book Resources.
