Category Archives: DC
Fun Notes from April Comic Book Solicitations
For lack of anything better to write about today, let’s take a look at the recently released Marvel and DC comic book solicitations for April. Comic book companies release cover pictures and brief blurbs about upcoming comics months in advance so that retailers can know what they want to order. It also gives us comic book fans a chance to see what’s coming down the pike. I rather enjoy looking at all the colorful titles and read about upcoming stories, especially in my favorite titles.
There will be some spoilers, so watch out!
Marvel Comics
First up, let’s take a look at the potentially exciting summary of X-Factor #234.
X-Factor #234
X-Factor #234
Peter David 
Leonard Kirk (A)
Covers by David Yardin
• Catfight! Monet Calls Layla Out…And It’s Gonna Get Ugly.
• A Departed Member Of X-Factor Returns.
• And Introducing Seattle’s Newest Heroes: The Insignia And Shutterbug! (One Of Whom May Not Make It Through The Issue.)
A departed cast member returning!? Could that be the highly anticipated return of Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man to the land of the living? Madrox’s ‘death’ is supposed to play out over the next few months, will he be ready to return to the team in April? The cover is clearly more interested in the Monet vs. Layla fight, but I’m definitely curious who the blurb is talking about. I know that Peter David and Marvel marketing are protective of their secrets, so they wouldn’t spoil the end of the current Madrox ‘death’ storyline in a solicitation. But it’s enough to hope.
The only other character it could be is Darwin, who left the series many issues ago for parts unknown. It could very well be Darwin and I’m just getting my hopes up. But they will stay up until proven otherwise that Multiple Man isn’t coming back for good.
Next is X-Men Legacy #265 and the fabled appearance of Mimic!
X-Men Legacy #265
X-Men Legacy #265
Christos Gage (W)Rafa Sandoval (A)
Cover by Mark Brooks
• Time Is Running Out For Weapon Omega, The Mutant Time Bomb. How Will The X-Men Disarm Him Before He Implodes And Takes The School With Him?
• A Recently-Returned Mutant Becomes A Full-Fledged Member Of Wolverine’s X-Men.
I’ve known for months now that Mimic would be making a cameo appearance in this title, and it’s exciting to see him there on the cover. It’s rumored that either Mimic or Omega will join the cast, and I hope it’s Mimic…but it’ll probably be Omega. He has much more story potential as a student at the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning. The blurb there mentions someone joining, and I’m just going to assume that it’s going to be Omega.
But I can dream, can’t I?
Mentioned by one of the commenters in my last Ultimate Spider-Man review, when is regular artist Sarah Pichelli coming back? Well according to the solicitation for Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #9, she’s not coming back in April.
Ultimate Spider-Man #9
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #9
Brian Michael Bendis • David Marquez (A)
• The Police Have Miles Squarely In Their Sights!
• Prowler Versus The Scorpion!
• Is The Secret Of The New Spider-Man Out?!
So I guess we will continue to be denied Pichelli’s stellar art from the first 6 issues of the series. Shame. It’s cool to see more Ultimate Prowler action, but is that not a hideous cover? It looks computer rendered and it looks like colorforms plastered on a cardboard backdrop.
You can read the rest of the Marvel Comics solicitations for April here.
DC Comics
There’s only one comic in April from DC that I think has something worth note, and that’s Red Hood and the Outlaws #8.
Red Hood and the Outlaws #8
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL; Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Suzie Su is back, and she’s betting a hospital full of hostages will get Red Hood’s attention! If that isn’t enough to keep him and the Outlaws busy, there’s someone waiting in the wings! It’s Tim Drake knocking on Red Hood’s door with a very special package for his estranged “brother.” Don’t miss Red Robin’s cameo this issue, as it ties directly into next month’s “Night of the Owls” Batman event!
A guess appearance by Red Robin!? Sweet! Tim Drake appears to be crossing back into the Bat-family of books in preparation for Night of the Owls. I only wish it was a more Batman-oriented book instead of the red-headed step-child of the family. Night of the Owls is going to encompass all of the Bat-books, including Red Hood, but Tim Drake and the Teen Titans are considered part of the teen-family of DC Comics. So he wasn’t guaranteed to appear in the crossover.
This solicitation is a good sign that Tim has not been forgotten.
You can read the rest of DC Comics solicitations for April here.
New DC Comics Adds Color, Character
No sooner do I mock the new DC Comics logo than they decide to show me up. DC has finally gone public with the log in an article in at Fast Company. Take a look, see what you think. Not only are they in color, but they can also be redesigned to fit specific characters.
Look at all the pretty colors on the ugly logo
Starting at the top, we’ve got what I think are Batman, Catwoman, Flash, Watchmen, Green Lantern and possibly, this is just a guess, but the Gray Ghost? The font is called ‘Gotham Bold’. Clever.
Here’s what some high DC muckety-muck said about the logo in that article:
“We didn’t want a static logo, but a living identity that could capture the power of our characters and storytelling,” says Amit Desai, senior vice president of franchise management. “What is special about DC content is the notion of a dual identity. When you think about our DC Comics superheroes, there’s a secret identity. When you think about Vertigo, it’s this notion of good vs. evil in many of the stories. And so, in addition to flexibility, the new logo communicates this idea of dual identity: There’s more than meets the eye. You have to take a closer look to understand the richness of our characters and stories.”
Apparently Desai and his guys have been working on the new logo design for the past year. Why they decided to reveal it now instead of back during the New 52 reboot in September is anyone’s guess. The Logo will be slapped on not only comics, but also MAD Magazine and probably upcoming movies and TV shows.
I still don’t like it.
This is how it’s going to look on the comics, at least according to Bleeding Cool. Why these example logos don’t look like the logos up above is also anyone’s guess:
These are old comics, so perhaps these are just photo-shopped?
The new logos will debut in March, because why the hell not? It’s not like DC have announced a big Second Wave of comics to come out in May alongside the epic Batman ‘Night of Owls’ storyline. It would just be silly to line up the new logo with a big comic event. Best to just give a new logo room to breath.
Everything I Could Find About Watchmen 2
Word has it that DC Comics is working on some type of follow-up project to the legendary Watchmen by Alan Moore. The problem is that the word is ‘mum’. DC is being very, very, very tight-lipped about anything they may or may not be working on. I’ve been picking up little articles here and there throughout the Internet, but never enough to do a proper blog entry.
Until my brother asked me to get together everything I could find. Anything for family.
Just fan art, not real Watchmen 2 art
Most of the information is coming from the comic book news site Bleeding Cool. They claim that they’ve heard rumors about 4 separate Watchmen projects in production. Possibly prequels. There is no official word from DC Comics. So basically I guess they have some inside sources in the comic book industry – more than I have, at least – and that’s where they’re getting their information.
One of the projects is based on Silk Spectre II, the daughter of the original Silk Spectre. Rumor has it that artist extraordinaire Amanda Conner is working on that book. Bleeding Cool posted this picture of Silk Spectre drawn by Conner, and were immediately contacted by DC’s legal department to take it down. I was able to snag a copy elsewhere online and so I’m going to post it. If DC’s legal contacts me to take it down, I will. But I figure I’m obscure enough to let you people see the picture.
Amanda Conner is worth the risk
I hope I don’t get in trouble for posting that. Anyway, Amanda Conner is an amazing artist, so clearly DC is tapping some of the best people in the industry for these books.
Bleeding Cool also posted other images that DC legal asked them to take down. They were a drawing of The Comedian by JG Jones and a drawing of Night-Owl by Andy and Joe Kubert. DC legal wouldn’t be worried about these images if they weren’t important somehow.
The Comedian is all about breakin' the rules
For anybody who is completely lost, Watchmen is the most revered and respected comic book ever, written in the mid to late 1980s by legendary scribe and beard-enthusiast Alan Moore. It’s a realistic take on the superhero genre, and features superheroes dealing with things like sex, politics, murder and other situations that they simply didn’t face back in the 50s, 60s, or 70s. It turned the world of comic books on its head, and is still highly regarded to this day.
Basically it’s the ‘Moby Dick’ of comic books.
They made a movie a few years ago, which I loved, but the rest of the world seemed luke warm. Nuts to them.
Personally, I’m fine with the idea of Watchmen spin-off projects. Part of me thinks that DC Comics should leave the classics alone. Nobody is demanding new Watchmen material, especially since Alan Moore refuses to be involved. Just let Watchmen exist in the past as something to be cherished and remembered. Don’t dig it up and start parading it around just because you can.
On the other hand, I’m always for putting new books on the shelf. If they have some good ideas and feel like doing it, I say go for it. People are definitely going to buy new Watchmen books. And it’s smart to put popular/talented writers and artists on the project. The world will always be about making money, so there’s probably no stopping DC Comics from doing whatever the hell they want. So at least they’re taking it seriously.
Someone get Chris Giarrusso on the phone, stat!
New DC Comics Logo For Some Reason
The news came out recently that DC Comics and DC Entertainment have decided to give themselves a new logo!
I don’t like it.
Ooooooooooooh, it peels...for some reason
Your guess is as good as mine why companies decide to get new logos. Was their old logo testing poorly? Did it not look cool enough? Was it not hideous enough? I liked DC’s old logo. It was blue and flashy. This new one is black, white and utilitarian. It doesn’t, in anyway, say ‘comic books’ to me, let alone entertainment. So why change it? What could possibly possess them to change their logo considering the previous one has already been attached to not only several movies, but also the big New 52 reboot in September.
Why change the logo now instead of back in September?
Here is the previous logo:
I like it!
And here’s the old, old logo:
I’m not a fan, but I suppose it has the classic thing going for it. Again, I don’t know why companies change their logos. Maybe if it’s super-outdated and just looks stupid for modern times. But why did Comedy Central change their logo from that cool planet-looking logo to the new one with just the letter ‘C’? They’re supposed to be funny, so what, they couldn’t have a funny-looking logo?
I dunno. Anyway, expect to see this new logo on movies and comics soon. If you can stomach the horror!
DC Comics: And Then There Were 46
At least for a little while.
The first round of cuts from DC Comics’ the New 52 were announced today, and it’s 6 books that I barely laid a finger on: Hawk and Dove, Static Shock, Men at War, O.M.A.C., Blackhawks and Mister Terrific. I never read any of them, and only mentioned Mister Terrific once in my blog to mock it for its portrayal of Power Girl.
So we can probably blame me personally for these books’ poor performance. I’m sorry everybody. The books will be cancelled at issue #8 in April.
People didn't like the Rob Liefeld comic? Say it isn't so!
But then they will immediately be replaced by 6 brand new books! Which, quite frankly, mostly look just as terrible. But I guess there are only so many ways that DC Comics can mine the Batman, Superman and Green Lantern franchises for high-selling books. Though with this “Second Wave” initiative, they’re going to try and squeeze a little bit more blood from those stones. The new books will launch in May.
New Books:
- Batman: Incorporated: Writer: Grant Morrison. Artist: Chris Burnham. The acclaimed ongoing writer of ACTION COMICS, Grant Morrison, presents a fresh take on BATMAN INCORPORATED, in which the Batman brand is franchised globally in preparation for a major international threat.
This is clearly the focal point of this Second Wave. DC had previously announced that Batman: Incorporated would return in 2012, so they probably just tried to come up with a bunch of other series to throw in alongside it. I’m definitely looking forward to this book, because Morrison’s original volume of Batman: Inc. was incredible fun.
Because 4 Batman comics just isn't enough!
- Earth 2: Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Nicola Scott. The greatest heroes on a parallel Earth, the Justice Society combats threats that will set them on a collision course with other worlds.
DC had also previously announced this series, starring popular super-team The Justice Society. I’m not going to get into the confusing aspects of that whole can of worms, but basically Earth 2 is essentially just that, it’s a parallel dimension that features different but familiar heroes to the normal DC Universe. But whereas over the past 20 years, the Earth 1 and 2 characters existed in the same dimension, the New 52 reboot split them apart again, sending the Justice Society and their like back to their own separate dimension. I won’t be buying this series. - World’s Finest: Writer: Paul Levitz. Artists: George Perez and Kevin Maguire. Stranded on our world from a parallel reality, Huntress and Power Girl struggle to find their way back to Earth 2.
Finally a proper return of Power Girl! She had been Mister Terrific’s ‘friend with benefits’ in his solo series, but now it looks like she’s coming back to a proper superheroic appearance. That’s pretty cool. Even if she won’t be written by the same teams who wrote her fantastic solo series last year. I liked the first issue of the current Huntress mini-series, but haven’t picked it up since. I think the two of them will make a good team and I might actually pick up this book…even if I’m mostly blah to the whole Earth 2 nonsense. - Dial H: Writer: China Miéville. Artist: Mateus Santoluoco. The first ongoing series from acclaimed novelist China Miéville, this is a bold new take on a cult classic concept about the psychological effects on an everyman who accidentally gains powers to become a hero.
I assume this is an update to the classic ‘Dial H for Hero’ comic from who knows when. I never read it, I never cared for it and I absolutely don’t care for it now. This title just seems like a stab in the dark by DC. If those 6 titles I mentioned earlier are getting canned, there’s no way Dial H is going to sustain an audience unless it’s some surreal new fantasi-comic!
I'm sure readers will 'hang up' on this series before too long. Nailed it.
- G.I. Combat: Writer: J.T. Krul. Artist: Ariel Olivetti. Featuring the return of a classic DC Comics series, THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT, along with rotating back-up stories and creative teams – including THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, with writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Dan Panosian; and THE HAUNTED TANK, with writer John Arcudi and artist Scott Kolins.
If those first two war-themed comics, Men at War and Blackhawks, didn’t sell, then there is no way that this new series is going to sell. - The Ravagers: Writer: Howard Mackie. Artist: Ian Churchill. Spinning off from TEEN TITANS and SUPERBOY, this series finds four superpowered teens on the run and fighting against the organization that wants to turn them into supervillains.
This series has potential, but not very strong potential. And the name is stupid. Anyone who has been reading my Teen Titans reviews knows that I haven’t been a fan of the super-villain organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E., which has been billed as the menacing organization for The Ravagers. So I’m not looking forward to a new book about teens fighting N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Also, why wouldn’t these four super-powered teenagers not simply join the Teen Titans? Is Red Robin that selective when it comes to team members?
The only way I figure this book can succeed is if the team is made up of pre-existing characters who have been revamped and rebooted. There are a lot of Teen Titans and old Young Justice characters that aren’t being used, like Secret or (gasp!) the Wonder Twins!
But a whole new team of never-before-heard-of nobodies isn’t going to cut it. Especially not with a name as generic and boring as ‘The Ravagers’. What will they be ravaging, exactly?
And that is the big announcement! Like I said, books like Batman: Incorporated are clear winners, while books like G.I. Combat are likely going to be cancelled in no time flat. I like what DC is doing, though. In the old system, and at Marvel Comics, new books come and go all the time. So making the cancellations/new books part of a big initiative/announcement is a good way to go. I don’t know why DC feels the new to glue themselves to 52 books at a time, but that’s their business, not mine.
As for the cancelled books, I’m not sorry to see them go. I never read any of them, and clearly not many people did either. It’s kind of too bad that Static Shock’s book isn’t succeeding, but the others are not a surprise. All of them are fringe concepts or only semi-popular characters. DC had to have known going in that these books would always been on the bubble.
I mean, c’mon, a Rob Liefeld book? That guy is practically an Internet meme he’s so detested by comic book fans.
Henchman-4-Hire 