Welcome one, welcome all to a very overstuffed edition of News & Views. We’ve got news-a-plenty, plus a special guest commentator in the form of Tim Sheridan. As always, the comments will be in italics, his in blue, mine in green. Anything to say to the people before we start, Tim?
Great to be here, Un Gajje. I always enjoy the DCNV, so it’ll be fun to add in my two cents from time to time. You and I tend to agree on a lot in DC comics. But when we don’t. It’s ugly.
A Hex On the DCU
Last Wizardworld convention – Wizardworld LA that is – DC Comic announced a new Jonah Hex series by the writing team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. We talked to the duo then about the series, which at the time didn’t have an interior artist attached. Now, just a couple of days before the next Wizardworld convention – Wizardworld: Philadelphia – it does. DC Comics has confirmed it’s Luke Ross, and Newsarama got an early look at some of his pages and spent a few minutes chatting up the Brazilian artist.
Ride the trails alongside Newsarama
I watched the Jonah Hex/Ras Al Ghul flashback episode from the third Batman: The Animated Series DVD set last night and I have to say that I never cease to be impressed with how great that show was and how well they nailed just about every character they chose to chronicle on it. Except maybe Bane, but I think that’s just because he looked very silly in his animated incarnation.
Anyway, back to Mr. Ross. The pencil sketches look great. Palmiotti and Gray are due for a hit (after the very good, but generally ignored 21 Down and The Monolith and the so-far decent Twilight Experiment) and if this art is any indicator, this may very well be the series that they launch that doesn’t rapidly become a mini.
The Hex episode of Batman is one of the best, and I love westerns, so I may pick this up. The writing team is hit or miss with me, (I really liked 21 Down though), so I am a little apprehensive. Western-genre comics are just not big anymore. Perhaps this will change that. With all that said, the little flap of skin going over Hex’s mouth freaks out all the time.
Infinite Crisis? Nah, Absolute Crisis!
Announced for the first time in a Comic Shop News/Newsarama interview with George Pérez about his new exclusive DC contract, Tuesday DC offered more details about the upcoming Absolute edition of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
I’m picturing the Vodka ad now. I wonder if Newsarama is too.
Ready for my dirty little comic secret?
No, it’s not that. I said dirty little comic secret.
Here it is”¦.
I don’t really like Crisis.
I don’t hate it or anything. I just”¦well”¦it sort of bores me. I respect it, I respect what it did for the DCU. Heck, I wish some recent developments at DC would respect it more (multi-colored kryptonite and Supergirl, I’m looking at you).
But respect is different from enjoyment. And I just don’t enjoy it.
At first, I told myself that it was just because I wasn’t a big enough DC fan the first time I read it to really “get” what was going on. So, my heart lighter with this rationalization, I revisited it about two or three fears ago and”¦same deal.
My name is Tim. I’m a comic fan. But, I don’t like Crisis as a story. I’m taking it day by day.
I don’t care that much for Crisis either. Like you Tim, I also respect the story, but I can’t get attached emotionally to it. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I did not read much pre-Crisis DC, so I don’t have any connection to the characters in the book. I don’t love Barry Allen, so I didn’t much care when he died. It’s a well executed book, and I think it took Marv Wolfman a lot to do it, but as a pure reading experience, it’s sort of a mess.
I think this will have massive appeal to hardcore fans, and I’m sure it’ll look beautiful. The trade version I have has been recolored, and Perez’s art has never looked better.
I hope that Infinite Crisis (the supposed sequel) will hold together better as a story than the original Crisis.
Promoting Villainous Behavior
To draw some of the most dastardly villains in the entire DCU, the publisher choose someone familiar with drawing a variety of different H-E-R-O-es, artist Dale Eaglesham. In the six-part Villains United, Eaglesham wanted the chance to work with the best and the worst. The worst characters the DC Comics universe has to offer and a writer he considers one of the best, Gail Simone.
He’s not stuck in the villains, they’re stuck with him at The Pulse
I’ve enjoyed Eaglesham for sometime now and it is great to see him get a cool, upfront job like this. And, I must call your attention to the two page villain spread again. Even Simone echoes my thoughts, saying it “gives her chills”. I’m not sure if it is chills, exactly, but I am loving it.
I’m not down with Eaglesham the way you are, Tim. But I admit his work is quite consistent. He delivers on every book he is signed for, and while it’s nothing dynamic, a lot can be said for a solid artist on any book. His work on “VILLAINS” is not the best I have seen of his (check out HERO for that) but it works very well with Simone’s story. And that two page spread is something else.
Simone is Down with the Young People
The heroic legacy of Hawk and Dove began when the Lords of Chaos and Order gave two brothers super abilities to save a loved one. This August two sisters continue the legacy of Hawk and Dove in a special two part story of DC Comics “Teen Titans” written by Gail Simone with art by Rob Liefeld. CBR News spoke with Simone via e-mail about this new duo and what affect they will have on the Teen Titans.
Will Simone drop awkward slang like fly, phat, and bootylicious? You’ll never know unless you check out Comic Book Resources
I know must Titans fans are absolutely dreading this two parter, but Ms. Simone and Mr. Liefeld are just so damn positive about it. They sound so genuinely psyched. It makes me want to pull for them, to buy the books even though, initially, I just didn’t care all that much.
I like Simone’s work a lot, but I have generally steered clear of Liefeld (to the tune of never buying or owning an issue featuring any work by him) and Hawk and Dove are characters that have only ever really interested me in the abstract, never in a storyline.
But damn that enthusiasm. They might just convince me yet. They might just”¦
I’m not excited for this story at all. And it has nothing to do with the creators of it. But I am just loving the Titans story right now, and I think this is really going to disrupt the momentum (which I call “mad flow”) of the current arc. Who knows, maybe it’ll be done with by then, but I will miss Johns on TITANS for a few months. Fortunately, I can catch him on the 43 other DC books he is writing.
As for Liefeld, I want him to do well. I want him to make his time deadlines. When I first got into comics, X-Force #1 was the biggest thing ever, and thusly, Liefeld was too. So I have sort of a nostalgic hope for him. I know a lot of people can’t stand his style, and I don’t love it either, but I’m trying to remain positive about him.
Who Wouldn’t Want Thirds on Vengeance Pie?
The spirit of vengeance continues to rein over the DCU as the DAY OF VENGEANCE #1 Second Printing has sold out at DC Comics on its in-store date of May 25.
DC is rushing this issue back to press for a new printing featuring a special version of the original cover by Walter Simonson in black and white with green highlights.
See how green highlights bring out the color in Newsarama’s eyes
That cover actually looks much better with the three color scheme as opposed to its fully colored original incarnation. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I like Simonson’s work a lot in general, but his covers for Day of Vengeance are my least favorite of all the post-Countdown, Pre-Crisis minis.
Second Story, Same as the First
The excitement over the Spectre’s return continues to build as DAY OF VENGEANCE #2 has sold out at DC Comics two days after arriving in stores on May 25.
Now, DC rushes this issue back to press for a new printing featuring the original cover art by Walter Simonson with a new color scheme.
See DOV go for a two-fer at Newsarama
See comments above. Repeat.
Hey good for DC and selling out books. Like the rest of you, I have no idea how many books this actually means. But it sounds good, and it’s nice that all these books have a buzz behind them. Any book with Detective Chimp should sell out, no doubt.
Damn straight. Talking monkeys=the pinnacle of fiction writing in any genre. Suck on that, Shakespeare.
Strange Sales
ADAM STRANGE #8, the powerful final issue of the miniseries written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Pascal Ferry, sold out at DC Comics on May 11, the same day it rocketed into comics shops.
Even a Zeta Beam won’t help you chase down an unsold issue says Silver Bullet Comics
I can’t remember reporting on this, but the sell out of this issue supposedly happened like 3 weeks ago. So did I miss it? Or was it never reported? And if it was never reported”¦why? I mean DC (and Marvel and everyone else for that matter) loves to talk about their sell out issues so why wouldn’t this one make the cut?
Conclusion: it must have. And either I already wrote about it or I missed it entirely. Either way, I apologize for sucking so, so badly. My shame knows no bounds, I assure you.
See, now that’s weird. I have seen copies of this book all over. But if DC says they sold out, I have to believe them. I did not read Adam Strange. No one I know did. I’ll probably get it in trade. Is it worth it? Anyone?
Well, Nexus’s very own Iain “Dig my pretentious extra “I” Burnside liked it so”¦”¦”¦..maybe?
Paint it Black
Leonard Kirk is returning to familiar territory, at least for an issue and a half when he helps detail the Justice Society’s battle against the forces of evil in the three-part Black Vengeance saga. Kirk is drawing all of issue 74 and a portion of the conclusion of the story in the 75th anniversary issue. DC’s oldest superteam is pitted against Eclipso and an out of control Spectre in this Day of Vengeance crossover. It seems impossible odds are stacked against the JSA, but, after sixty plus years in the hero biz, they’re kind of used to that.
Practice your magic in the secret hiding place we call The Pulse
Nice to see Kirk returning to the title, no matter how temporary. I just wish they had him doing the entire arc. Krame’s stuff is great and there is not a huge style discrepancy between the two, but I’m a sucker for an artist doing every issue of an entire arc. Still nice to have Kirk back though.
Kirk is great. The first time I saw his work was back in Supergirl, years ago. A friend of mine wrote the issue, and I picked it up because of that, but I was really taken by the way the issue was laid out by Kirk. He’s got such a clean, accessible style. And since BLOODHOUND is done with
Oh”¦Bloodhound. So sad. So”¦.excuse me”¦sniff”¦I seem to have something stuck in my eye.
Bust Out the Champagne
JSA inker Keith Champagne has revealed that he is writing and inking issues #78-80 of the series.
Grab a glass and belly up to the bar at Newsarama
I hear Armor X is supposed to be pretty good. This could be an interesting fill-in. Nice to hear that the subplots will still run through these two issues.
Johns is leaving another book? Oh no!! But wait”¦he’ll be back? Oh thank goodness.
CAN YOU SAY CON COVERAGE?
You know how this is. I read, I comment, steam of conciousness style, you marvel at my acerbic wit and stunning insight. And, in this case, Sheridan writes something too.
Whatever.
Anyway, here we go.
Losing 365
While offering “Crisis Counseling” at DC’s WizardWorld Philadelphia panel, DC’s Dan Didio made clear his intention that big changes were coming both throughout the coming Infinite Crisis (which he called “the be-all, end-all for the DCU”), as well as after.
And you thought you had a rough night! The folks in the DCU and Newsarama can’t remember an entire year!
I’m a little surprised about how big a deal this is for some people. I think it’s a kind of cool plot device, but don’t really have any other feelings to it beyond that. There still just stories so, if they are good, that’s a success. And if they’re bad, that’s a failure. Whether it happens now, a year from now, or a year ago, I don’t think that changes the basic criteria by which we should judge comics.
Frankly, I’m jazzed by this idea. I think it’ll be a great way to have jumping on points for every book out there from DC. It may disrupt some stories, but creative writers will find a way to make them work. It will be tough for some characters, but I think this will be good in the long run, showing just how big a change this will be.
I am also a little weirded out by how quickly people in the talkbacks jumped to the conclusion that Batman was being replaced. Why? Did I miss something in the article? Or is this just a natural assumption? I mean, sure, it could happen, but of all the things to get out of DiDio’s announcement this seems to be one of the odder ones.
I got nothing there. I don’t think he is being replaced at all. From what I hear, Bruce Wayne will be making a more prominent appearance in the books, and he is going to be considering who would take the mantle of the bat once he gives it up, but I don’t think he’s planning on retiring anytime soon. A Bruce Wayne-less Batman is something that Time Warner would never let DC do in the long term, especially with the film franchise about to be big again.
Wait”¦I don’t understand his comments on Superman. Is he saying that the purpose was not to sync up with the whole year later thing that Azzarello did, but it does work out that way or what? His comments are a bit confusing. I’m fine either way, just wondering.
All the Superman books are caught up now, they are all in the same time period. It was odd and confusing when Azzarello’s book alone jumped forward, but they’re all in sync now.
Ahh”¦thank you sir.
Hey, DiDio doesn’t like stories set in the past. You know who else didn’t like stories set in the past? Bill Jemas. I’m not saying, I’m just saying.
A good story is a good story, regardless of when it’s taking place. But I understand his wanting to move forward.
Agreed. A good story without a talking monkey, however, particularly one that solves crimes, is merely mediocre.
That’s not a funny Flash joke”¦not at all. A funny joke is one like, What did the judge say when the skunk took the stand (Odor in the court). Implying Wally may did (even though I’ll bet you dollars to donuts he won’t) is not.
The Flash not making it? Oooooh”¦I can already hear your weeping, Tim. But hey, if he’s not alive at this time next year, you know he’ll be back eventually.
The mood in the Will Eisner Room of Wizard World Philadelphia was uniformly pleasant. Dan DiDio entered with the air of a man who could tell someone to “cheer up” and legitimately expect it to happen. He made it clear at the start his intention was to solicit reader feedback and asked for a show of hands who was reading each of the “Countdown to Infinite Crisis” mini-series. What followed was a polite manifesto, then a low-key pep rally.
DC’s course is now charted through 2007. No books will lose their individual identities, DiDio promised, but all books will be interconnected by taking place in a common universe. While the DCU will not be a giant cross-over where every comic has to be read for things to make sense, DiDio admits “My job is to make you want to buy everything we do. We want to give you the hardest choices possible.” The online “Crisis Counseling” at the DC Comics web page was created in acknowledgement that the reader can’t buy everything.
Enjoy “universal pleasantry” at The Pulse
Cool. Glad to see DiDio isn’t running from the “dark and dangerous” label. Not to say that I want DC dwelling in the shadows forever, but it is nice to see him not try and pretend like the DCU hasn’t been getting darker for the past 2 years or so.
Personally, I like the dark DC that we’ve been getting. The fact that it’s all servicing a story is what makes it worth it. It’s not just because “the world is a darker place” or something like that. When the story dictates a more fun DC, fine. But until then, keep it dark.
No Barry Allen returning. Gooooooooooood.
There’s your explanation for Max being human again. Not sure if anyone is going to care for the, “eh, let’s just drop that story” approach, but there’s an explanation nonetheless.
One Year Later.
That was the bomb dropped by DC Comics President Dan DiDio during the Crisis Counseling Panel at the Wizard World Philly Comic Convention when he revealed that midway through this fall’s highly anticipated “Infinite Crisis,” the entire DC universe will jump one year into the future.
Huddle in your bomb shelter at Comic Book Resources
Huh”¦his comments about Batman were interrupted differently here in this article than the last one. The last one seemed to imply that DiDio viewed Batman as an urban commando (no, not Hulk Hogan) who’s best weapons were his mind and body. This article seems to say that Batman is currently an urban commando who will, after the year break, become more like his roots: a man relying on his mind and body. If that’s the case, I thought that is what they were trying to do with War Games in the first place. So, now, even less supporting characters? Can there be even less than there are now? I don’t know. The problem with Bats isn’t that he has Nightwing or Robin or used to ring up Oracle. The problem is that his personality is a bit”¦caustic. I think, for most fans, we could keep that support team in place and just make his personality more like, for example, the Animated Series Batman and all would be well.
Hogan was the SUBurban Commando, and he was excellent. I saw that movie opening day actually, and while I didn’t think it was possible, it was a better film than No Holds Barred.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s not say things we can’t take back, okay?
Anyways, yeah, Batman should be a loner. I don’t know how they are going to make him MORE of a loner, unless they turn him into some sort of JD Salinger type recluse, though that would probably preclude any crime fighting.
But I like him as a man who works alone. He needs Robin and Alfred as his anchors to sanity, and he needs Dick as his heir (to what degree, we’ll find out), and Oracle is nice enough to help him out. But I hated the idea of the Batman “family”. It also rang so untrue to me. I don’t think he would allow all these people to help him in his “quest”, because they all would be under his responsibility. And he doesn’t react well to that sort of thing.
So keep Batman alone. He likes it better that way.
Okay, I get what you’re saying, and I do think that there is so truth there. However, it is not a solution in and of itself to make him a loner again. For one thing, they basically already have. Except Nightwing appearances in Batman, Bats is already flying pretty much solo. Robin’s in Bludhaven, Batgirl is too, I think. Oracle won’t take his calls and he’s not even making them anyway. Spoiler is dead. Alfred is presumably still around but we barely see him. The only “hero” still in Gotham that isn’t Batman is Onyx and I’m not exactly feeling that connection there. So, again, how much more alone can we make him?
It just seems as though they decided that Batman as loner should be his defining characteristic and I disagree. The character is largely solo now, let’s move on to the next step.
I don’t want to frighten you Booster Gold fans, but read DiDio’s comments. They seem”¦foreboding to you?
Booster Gold has not been useful since he named Doomsday back in 1992. It’s that simple. He has a star on his costume, and it looks lame. They killed Blue Beetle, why on Earth would they even think twice about taking out Booster.
DC’s Declaratives
DC’s DCU panel at WizardWorld: Philadelphia has just wrapped, with news of the return of Warlord, Vigilante, Sgt. Rock, those Kubert boys, and loads more”¦
Running down the news and notes then”¦ (and as always, just because a specific project wasn’t mentioned, doesn’t mean its on its way out or in dire straits – the panels are only so long, and some of the information presented was recapitulation of information already known by Newsarama readers) though some technical audio-visual problems and selection of attendees to see the Batman Begins screening took a chunk of time.
Got the news without the audiovisual issues at Newsarama
Hal Jordan vs. the New Shark? Bah! Bring on Black Hand (why have I become Black Hand’s biggest booster? God only knows.)
Black Hand looks very cool, but I just don’t get why you love him so. You have an unhealthy love for him. Like how I love Sleepwalker.
And boy, do you love Sleepwalker”¦
Johns is co-writing that Corps book too? No wonder he’s get to take a break from JSA. That means he’s get his hands in, in the months to come: Flash, Infinite Crisis, GL, GL Corps, JSA, JSA Classified, and Teen Titans. That would seem to be enough to me.
Good for him, but I just think a new GL book so soon after the relaunch of the main title is a bit much. But hey, I’ll probably get it anyways.
You know, I didn’t even think of that, but I am inclined to agree. I am guessing the motivation is to give fans of Kyle and Guy (specifically) a title on which to hang their hats. Emerald Twilight pissed a whole lot of people off back in the day and it seems that DC is not anxious to make such a move with GL fans again.
Yay? for Golden Eagle (did anyone request this? Just curious)
That Mr. Miracle cover looks cool. Neat homage to DC’s in house ads several years ago (Mr. Miracle, the previous, is strapped to a similar device and the blurb says something to the effect of “They’re plummeting to the ground at 700 miles an hour”¦why is this man smiling?).
I remember that. It was cool. And it lasted for about 3 issues. The 4th World characters are just not cool.
Very true.
Maybe Morrison has found a way to make them relevant again. Hey, it worked with his X-Men.
Nice Vigilante cover. Wish I could have seen a sample of the interior art though.
Wasn’t this supposed to be out like, last year?
Oh, at least.
Oh”¦excellent! War Crimes! Revisiting my favorite Batman story in recent years. Oooo, I hope this means Willingham’ll be writing Black Mask again. Cause I LOVE! his Black Mask! (Sarcasm, just in case you were wondering)
I know, I know. It was a weak story. But it was just left so open, and you know they had to do a little sequel. Here’s hoping the follow up can make for a more satisfactory conclusion. I’m betting that Joker kills Black Mask. And to be fair, one of Willingham’s issues of Robin was the best part of that massive story.
True enough. Actually the only issue of crossover that stands out as any good to me.
Getting to the DC Universe panel was an adventure in itself because of the Batman begins promotion. Whoever had a wristband of the randomly-selected color would see a premiere of “Batman Begins” that evening. Even to get into the DCU panel required a wristband. One thousand wristbands — blue, orange and red — were given out at the Special Events booth.
This is a lot of exciting news. You may want to monitor your Pulse
Bruce Jones on Vigilante: “Convoluted and dark.”
Dark? Good call. Convoluted? Ummm”¦less so.
Bruce Jones let me down with his Hulk run. And he now just wounds me with his Batman work.
The natives, or at least the fans, were getting restless.
Nearly a thousand of them had waited in line early Saturday morning to get wristbands to get into the DCU panel, and waited in another line to get into the room, all for a chance to get to see a special IMAX screening of “Batman Begins,” nearly two weeks before. One in three of them would make it to the show, they wanted to know who the lucky one third were, and DC VP of sales Bob Wayne was up at the dais without reinforcements.
Wayne joked around with the crowd and gave them instructions on what to do if they were part of the lucky few before getting a few snapshots to send to the filmmakers. The cavalry finally arrived in the form of Bob’s fellow panel members: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Connor, Ethan Van Sciver, Dan DiDio, Scott Beatty, and new DC omni-writer Bruce Jones, who has at least four projects with DC coming out in the near future.
See the future with the power of Comic Book Resources
Rann/Thanagar only on its second printing? Wow”¦way to not pull your weight Adam Strange.
Yeah, maybe if Black Hand showed up, it would be in 7th printing by now.
Oh, totally. I mean, I’d buy at leastâ€â€
Wait”¦I sense I’m being mocked.
Bruce Jones Loves a Good Loincloth
At the DCU Panel the mystery of who would be writing the announced Bart Sears Warlord ongoing series was solved. DC revealed Bruce Jones would be scripting the ongoing adventures of Travis Morgan.
Raise a heary cup of mead in celebration towards The Pulse
I had a Warlord action figure growing up.
That’s really all I have to say.
Warlord looks like a He-Man character. That’s all I know about him. He carries a sword too.
I carried a sword.
Once.
I wonder if that scar will ever fade.
The Father Kubert
During the DC Panel it was announced that Joe Kubert would be returning to familiar territory, namely SGT. Rock. He’s working on a six issue limited series called SGT. Rock: The Prophecy.
Wow, The Pulse really knows how to keep it short and to the point.
Does anyone remember how his collaboration on Sgt. Rock with Azzarello went? I remember writing about the announcement, but that’s it. It did come out, right? Anyway, good for Kubert, getting another chance with one of his favorites.
The Sgt Rock story was interesting. Like Westerns, War comics are just not popular, and this was almost like a postmodern look at the war comic. It was more interested in being a dissertation about the character and the genre than being a good story. I’m thinking this will be more of the latter.
Sgt. Rock has been fighting World War II for a very long time. Since their creation over 50 years ago, Rock and his fellow soldiers in Easy Company have been combating the forces of Axis tyranny. In January of 2006, in the pages of “Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy,” a six-issue all ages mini-series from DC Comics written and illustrated by Joe Kubert, one of Rock’s co-creators, Sgt. Rock and Easy company head out on another dangerous mission; one that might shorten the war and alert the world to a despicable evil.
Join Easy Company at their barracks in Comic Book Resources
Ahh, there you go. That Azzarello project did come out. Cool.
Sounds like an intriguing plot premise.
The Brothers Kubert
It was something of a surprise announcement at today’s DCU Coming Attractions panel in Philadelphia that showed the exclusivity battles between Marvel and DC are alive and well:
Adam and Andy Kubert have signed 3 year exclusive contracts with DC.
See who the brothers’ new playdate is with at Newsarama
Big pick up for DC here. Cool.
Yeah, HUGE for DC. I never saw this coming. Though they have to finish some Marvel work first. Part of that being Ultimate Iron man, which means that brother may not start at DC until 2007.
Halfway through the DC panel at Wizard World Philly, it was announced that both Adam and Andy Kubert are exclusive to DC Comics for three years.
The Pulse goes even shorter on this one.
Remember last week when I complained about announcing exclusives without having a project yet for the artists?
Apparently DC doesn’t care about my personal feelings on the matter.
I don’t mind this at all. It’s just publicity for the company. And exclusives for creators can be nothing but a good thing.
Silver”¦As Rendered in Black and White
With so many great classic stories at their disposal, it’s no wonder that DC Comics has finally decided to follow in the footsteps of other publishers and offer affordable black and white collections from their stable of characters. DC Showcase Presents makes its debut this September with a Superman and Green Lantern volume. These Silver Age spotlights features 500 black and white pages of action, adventure, and – something that era is famous for – fun.
Prepare yourself for talking animals, kryptonite in all the colors of the rainbow and lots of ring-rendered cages at The Pulse
Not sure if there will be anything for me in these collections, but it is still a good idea. Didn’t DC say about 5 years ago or so that they would never do this sort of thing though? What a difference a DiDio makes, eh?
Don’t you ever make that pun again, ok?
Why? You jealous that you didn’t come up with it?
This Weather System Will Not Be Tamed and Your Dizziness with Not Cease
DC’s Vertigo/Wildstorm panel wrapped early at WizardWorld: Philadelphia, as DC staffers and others were heading out to see the screening of Batman Begins in IMAX.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t any news, though – some new projects, and an inadvertent slip-up which revealed another publishe’s upcoming news. Let’s roll. As always – just because a project isn’t listed in the panel write-up doesn’t mean it’s not happening – only that it wasn’t mentioned in the time given, or that what was said duplicated information that’s already known.
Moving ahead, then”¦
See if you can get a prescription for the spins at Newsarama. And no, I don’t think more cowbell will help in his case.
Good bye Fallen Angel. Hope you enjoy IDW.
Wait, Jones is writing Deadman too? Man, this is a big convention for him. Three titles. Do you think he’s trying to compete with Johns?
Could we see Johns vs Jones in a steel cage match by San Diego time?
How could we not?!
Both Y and Ex Machina’s futures sound interesting. But then, those books are great, so that’s not much of a surprise.
They really are both excellent. As is THE LOSERS, but you just don’t understand it.
Oh, no, I get it. I’m just not sure why I should care.
DC’s Vertigo & WildStorm News
There’s more than that one line explanation at Silver Bullet Comic Books, I promise.
For those of you holding out hope for the return of Wildcats. Congrats. No Casey though. Still happy?
I was happy for about ten seconds there. Casey was the reason the book was so dang good. But if I was him, I wouldn’t go back to the book either. You know she’s just going to break up with you again, Casey, stay strong!
Being Assigned a Deadman (in a Good Way)
The greatest mystery of life is what happens when it’s over. Many hope to discover the solution after death. Unfortunately for Brandon Cayce, his death offers no answers: It’s the beginning of a whole new mystery. Cayce is the star of “Deadman,” a new ongoing series coming in 2006 from DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint by writer Bruce Jones and artist John Watkiss which reinterprets and re-imagines the classic DC character. CBR News spoke to Jones about the series.
Take the time to let yourself be possessed at Comic Book Resources
Hmm”¦this sounds sort of kind of interesting. It certainly does. I have flashes of Jones’ Hulk running through my head though, what with the shadowy organizations and all. Not to say the man’s one note or anything. I just know how that one ended up and it doesn’t leave me optimistic here. We’ll see when the time comes though.
It scares me a lot.
NUMBER$
DC Comics’ big push for April focused on THE OMAC PROJECT and DAY OF VENGEANCE, two out of four limited series setting the stage for the company’s summer event series, INFINITE CRISIS. While both debut issues ended up in the Top 25, however, DC’s usual best-sellers SUPERMAN/ BATMAN, GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH and SUPERMAN claimed four of the Top Five spots, trumped only by Marvel Comics’ NEW AVENGERS.
Further April DC launches are Grant Morrison’s SEVEN SOLDIERS: ZATANNA (with Ryan Sook) and SEVEN SOLDIERS: KLARION (with Frazer Irving) and Paul Jenkins and Jae Lee’s BATMAN: JEKYLL & HYDE. Via its WildStorm and Vertigo imprints, the publisher launched Howard Chaykin’s CITY OF TOMORROW and Hans Rodionoff, Ray Fawkes and Mike Huddleston’s MNEMOVORE, respectively.
Finally, new reprint editions of recent high-profile titles IDENTITY CRISIS and DC COUNTDOWN represented another major factor in DC Comics’ April performance.
The April Top 100 surprises by featuring a whopping 12 titles from publishers other than Marvel and DC. That may not sound like much, but the last time the chart included as many or more titles from smaller publishers was back in March 2004. Largely, this is the result of Dark Horse Comics’ Conan and Star Wars franchises taking off.
As always, thanks to Milton Griepp and ICv2 for permission to use their figures for these calculations.An overview of ICv2.com’s statistics can be found here:
http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/1850.html
As always, The Pulse happily feeds the horserace mentality of the average comic fan.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
JLA #115
Heinberg. Johns. Batman doing what he does best (get all indignant). J’onn getting some time in the spotlight. Could I really even feign a lack of interest in this?
I have not read JLA since the end of Mark Waid’s run. But this is bringing me back. I can’t wait.
LEX LUTHOR MAN OF STEEL #4
So good. Azzarello’s best work, in my humble opinion. (Oh so humble). Definitely interested to see how the Lex/Bruce Wayne alliance is going to shake out and what the heck, exactly, is going on with Batman and Superman going head to head.
It’s a great book, but I think it’ll read better in trade. And I hate to be a geek, but I really wish I knew when in continuity this takes place.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
JSA #74
Hey, everybody, it’s the Spectre! And boy, he sure does look angry.
Not much forward progress in this issue, but a decent one nonetheless. Noteworthy for Atom Smashe’s continued ambivalence and Black Adam’s response to the Spectre’s proclamation of being God’s Vengeance (“Not my God!”).
SEVEN SOLDIERS ZATANNA #2
Morrison goes the same route here that he did in Guardian, seemingly dividing the four issue mini into two 2 issue arcs. Still no sign of Sheeda here (besides a jar on the magic store counter), but I’m hardly complaining. It’s all fun stuff and the Phantom Strange’s appearance at the end of the issue is a great gag. Who’d have thought you could make the Stranger funny?
VILLAINS UNITED #2
Great banter between Catman and Deadshot at the start of the issue. The weird relationship between Ragdoll (“Clown”) and Parademon continue to entertain. No doubt that this book’s strength lies, at least in part, in its sense of humor and character interactions. However, that’s not all there is. Eaglesham’s double page spread of villainy looks as great on the page as it did on the net. The Six’s initial encounter with the Society ends in a way that makes sense without sacrificing the drama of the story. And, most interestingly (to me anyway), Scandal uses the word “beloved” in a letter to a mysterious stranger?! This isn’t the pure homerun I was hoping for, but I’m hardly complaining.
It’s a slow build, but I think this book is gonna pay off huge. And poor Catman. His costume is so awful.
Well, it’s no Killer Moth (old school, not freaky Charaxes), but it’s not terrible.
TRIGGER #6
I’ve got the latest issue of this reviewed here
TWILIGHT EXPERIMENT #5
I’ve got this one to review too. But I haven’t done it yet. So just deal.
BATMAN VILLAINS SECRET FILES 2005
Well, I didn’t review this or even read it (I think Secret Files and I have ended our affair for good this time), but I know someone who did”¦
That’s right, Tim, it was me. And here it is.
SUPERMAN/BATMAN #20
Everyone knows you quit this title long ago, but don’t worry, I got your back with my review. What did I think? Well, just to give you a hint, my teaser for it is, “Worst issue of this title.”
Whoa, not much room for ambiguity there is there?
No, not there isn’t.
****REVIEWS FROM THE FUTURE****
GOTHAM CENTRAL #32
My interest in Gotham Central has been fluctuating greatly as of late. I think the stories are still quite good, overall, but I feel less and less excited about it as a new release each month. This week, sadly, does little to distill that downturn.
Leibe’s art looks great and the story is, again, good. Rucka’s use of anonymous (as in not the main characters) beat cops on the take is a nice departure from the normally almost noble characters that the title focuses on as well as echoing the Corrigan arc from earlier (Corrigan turned out to be selling crime evidence on the DCU’s equivalent of eBay).
Again though, the story is good, not great. I just wasn’t as hooked as I would have liked to be. I am excited for the dead Robin story starting up next month, but I suspect that it might be my last hurrah with the book.
I think it’s great to have the WHITEOUT team back together. This was a great issue, and while it didn’t do anything to forward the stories of the book, it was a nice change of pace. Rucka can sure spin a yarn.
Well, thanks for letting me join you this week, Tim. It’s an exciting time in the DCU, and as you can see, there is a lot going on.
–Tim Sheridan, playing Oats to Stevens’ Hall.
It was great to have you, Tim. Stop by whenever you’d like.
And to all of you reading this, let Tim know what you thought of him (and the news”¦and me too) at our supercool message boards. I’ve been noticing a new influx of people so we might just be taking off in that arena. I hope so anyway. Also feel free to e-mail me at parallax2@juno.com.
Besides that, I can our work here is done. In the next two weeks, I’ll have a flashback review of Greg Rucka’s Adventures of Superman run from the beginning to Ruin’s big reveal a few weeks ago and a brand new Welcome to the Revamping. One will run next week, the other the week after, I’m just not sure which order yet. We’ll all find out together. Won’t that be fun?
Un Gajje, Thinks We’re More Like Salt and Pepa (and Jamie, of course, is our Spinderella)
