Another Convention comes and goes with very little news. Don’t worry though, we still have plenty of content for this column. And to prove it, here’s the NEWS!
PS Let me know if this green is a better choice. Thanks.
Bold Moves
You’re a fanboy. You geek out over a character, maybe drool over a creator, possibly even spaz over a company. But when those all come together in a particular way and you add in a top-of-the-line concept, well, it can be enough to make you enter Fanboy Nirvana.
So, how about Mark Waid, George Perez, DC Comics”¦and THE BRAVE & THE BOLD?
Be brave. Visit Silver Bullet Comic Books
I like team-up books (witness my ongoing struggle to enjoy Marvel Team-Up) and, obviously, this one is going to have two great creators so I’m onboard, at least for the short term.
Sadly, I cannot participate in the “Choose Your Favorite Brave and the Bold Issue” because the series was WAY before my time. However, here is an assortment of some of my favorite covers. Enjoy.
So disturbing.
You know, I’d be a lot more inclined to believe Deadman”¦
If he hadn’t pulled the same stunt less than a year before.
I will not rest until I discover who that villain in yellow and red is. Also, is it just me or does Rainbow Raider look legitimately intimidating here?
How does this comic exist and I do not own it?
Nice job, Ralph”¦nice job.
Scalphunter? Really? That still flew in 1972?
This is a cool cover, but I can’t shake the feeling that the villain that is more terrifying than the Scarecrow and more dangerous than the Joker will end up being like Bat mite or baby or something equally silly.
Supergirl can fly but she chooses to go through the wall and create property damage rather than just go over the top? Real classy there Ms. Kryptonian. Your cousin would be proud.
I cannot count the number of notes my father sent to school that said exactly that. “Punish not my evil son.” And, after seeing this cover, can there really be any question to why Bruce and Dick sometimes have a”¦chilly relationship?
Dark Detective is on the Case Again
Dark Detective III has been approved and we’ve got details from writer Steve Englehart about what’s in store for Batman this time around.
Englehart breaks the (official) news at The Pulse
“And secondly, they’re pretty generally considered the worst JLA ever, so I thought it’d be fun, while everybody else is doing Supes and Bats, to give these guys the epic they never had.”
I can’t really explain it, but that makes perfect sense to me. Not that that gave me any interest in buying a JLA Detroit comic, but I do get where he’s coming from
I’m glad to see Englehart is getting another shot at Dark Detective as well. It will be interesting to see, post-OYL how “different” his vision is from the current Dark Knight. Part of the fun of DDII was that it was a vision of a Batman from times past. If OYL includes reversing some of Batman’s dickishness, we might be left with two very similar Batmen. Not that Englehart still can’t write the hell out of comic or anything, I just thought that that might bear looking at.
This Ain’t No Rumble Fish
The book may have jumped One Year Later in its storyline, and the team may be playing dead for all intents and purposes, but Outsiders series artist Matthew Clark is just getting warmed up.
We spoke with the artist for his take on the team, the title, and how all the characters look and act One Year Later.
And Clark certainly ain’t no Soc at Newsarama
I’m actually a fan of Clark’s art and have been for a little while now. He’s still has some kinks he’s working out, but I think there is a strong undercurrent of talent and quality to what he puts on the page. Nice to see that they kept him on the Outsiders, post-flip.
I can’t help but be drawn to a bit of one quote that had nothing to do with the rest of the interview or the Outsiders.
“I was to start the Kid Amazo JLA story”¦”
Wha? I thought that book was dead in the water. But if Clark’s timeline is right, it was still a possibility as recently as a year ago. Oh man”¦that would be great if DC let that book happen. I don’t even remember what it was supposed to be about (besides Kid Amazo, obviously) but I remember looking forward to it. Fingers crossed people, fingers crossed.
High Flying or Broken Wing?
DC’s One Year Later is more than just a marketing gimmick. These first One Year Later issues serve as ideal first issues for new readers to show off the characters, and also the creators. While it promises many surprises and double-take moments for long-time readers as well, it’s a chance for the new creators to step up into the big shoes of the central characters of the DC Universe.
Adam Beechen is one of those souls. For years, Beechen has been an in-demand animated television writer working on such series as The Batman, Teen Titans, X-Men: Evolution and others, his first foray into comics was with the 2004 AiT-PlanetLar graphic novel Hench with artist Manny Bello, and followed it up with recent work on the Justice League Unlimited series under the Johnny DC label. But now he’s segued into the home for those heroes he’s been reading and writing about for years
We spoke with Beechen about his plans on Robin, and what he’s bringing to the table.
See what OYL might have in store for DC’s favorite bird at Newsarama
SPOILER IMAGE BELOW
If you don’t want an important and shocking page from the next issue of Robin spoiled for you, hit Ctrl and f and type the world “wow” into the search parameter.
YOU’VE BEEN WARNED
SERIOUSLY NOW, TURN BACK
OKAY”¦HERE YOU GO
Original has been lightened
Damn!
Wow”¦that was something. I think I might just have to pick up this issue of Robin. It’s been awhile since I read Tim Drake and I do admit that I miss the character. It’ll be worth checking in again.
My question is this, and I hate to do this, but”¦eh. How does this fit into the Bat titles OYL continuity. Something in Batman’s reaction to Gordon makes me think that Robin’s “issue” has been already dealt with. If so, are the Bat titles in fact OY plus a few weeks L or what?
ON THE CONVENTION FLOOR
Stream of conciousness engines are full go. Let’s get to Wizard World LA!
It’s Like the Raiders Nation, But Scary in a Different Way
Friday afternoon (or evening, depending on what coast you’re on), DC Comics held its first panel of Wizardworld LA, the DC Nation Tour. In attendance were Dan Didio, DC VP – Sales Bob Wayne, Mark Waid Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns, and editor Matt Idelson, who were all joined by Grant Morrison about halfway through the panel.
This being DC’s third major convention appearance in seven weeks, DC Nation was not filled new news, but instead was a chance for fans to informally ask questions about the changing face of the DCU
Hope you have your passport because Newsarama is about to take you to the DC Nation
Chloe in the DCU? I don’t really know if it’ll ever happen, but this is the first time I’ve heard DC deviate from the standard “there are no plans” response.
Now all seven of the Seven Soldiers appear in Infinite Crisis. I wonder why that changed from the last convention panel.
Why can’t people let go of the idea of DC eventually going to Kingdom Come continuity? It just is never going to happen.
Captain Marvel now has a white stripe in his hair”¦alert the media.
I like the idea of not overdoing the Annuals as they did in the past (no one wants another Planet DC), but doesn’t Annual imply yearly? Shouldn’t we get a new name for them if they are only going to be occasionally? Perhaps “Sometimes” could replace “Annuals”. Or not. I’m just spitballing here.
Hey, it was a really good idea”¦on paper. Maybe. Well”¦probably not even there.
“Anyone whose been to one (a Crisis Counseling panel) you’re healed.”
With those words DC Senior VP-Executive Editor Dan DiDio ushered in a new chapter at DC Comics: The DC Nation. DiDio, joined by writers Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Grant Morrison (tardy, but impeccably dressed), editor Matt Idelson and DC VP of Sales Bob Wayne, played question and answers with a packed room Friday.
Also don’t forget your electric outlet adaptors when you head to Comic Book Resources because DC Nation certainly does not run on AC.
“Hal Jordan’s power is based on will power. He has the mightiest weapon and its driven by will power, yet they made him an alcoholic drunk.”
As opposed to a non-alcoholic drunk?
Ahh, I kid Mr. Didio.
And, for the record, I think he’s wrong. Not that the drunk thing was not sort of affixed to Hal Jordan (although, wasn’t that kind of the point of Emerald Dawn? To affix flaws to Jordan to give him a more well rounded character?). I think the implication that a man can’t be a hero of tremendous will and still be an alcoholic is silly. It’s like saying a hero of tremendous will can’t also suffer from bipolar disorder. The fact that Jordan got over being an alcoholic is evidence of his will, not that he had the disease in the first place.
Sorry, just the psych guy in me talking.
Dear God, why won’t someone support Mark Waid and let him bring back Bouncing Boy? With a name like that, he just can’t be a bad thing.
My power? I bounce. I sort of thought the name would make the obvious.
Shining Knight beats up on the Riddler? Oh, you go too far, DC. You go too far.
OYL = OYG
DC held their final program of the WWLA weekend, their DCU – One Year Greater panel. As has been the recurring theme for the show, a lot of the information and even Q&A exchanges had a familiar ring to them for readers who have followed the coverage of WonderCon and the New York Comic-Con over the last seven weeks, but here some brief highlights”¦
The panelists included Bob Wayne, Dan Didio, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Verheiden, Matt Idelson, and Ethan Van Sciver.
Fun with mathematical equations is available at Newsarama
That mysterious Superman writer? Yeah, it’s me. Keep it under your hat though, okay?
The Titans East as troublemakers and ne’er do wells intrigues me. I wonder if they’ll still be on the side of good despite their shortcomings or if they’ve taken the Titans name just to rub it in when they commit crimes.
Monolith IS in Battle for Bludhaven. Suck on that doubters!
Zod, back again? Yawn.
At the DCU One Year Later panel, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Waid, Mark Verheiden, Dan DiDio, Ethan Van Sciver, Geoff Johns, Justin Gray, and Matt Idelson were on hand to field questions and give some cryptic answers about the state of the DCU One Year Later.
There were lots of fast and furious questions from the crowd and all the panelists also revealed some bits and details about the upcoming DCU plans! We tried to get the highlights as best as possible.
Fun with acronyms is available at The Pulse
Breach in #6 and then”¦nothing. Not surprising, bur still sort of sad.
Plans for Haunted Tank=could be fun.
Plans for Unknown Soldier= but that mini was already so damn good.
It mentions that Killer Moth will be in IC but is that Killer Moth (as in old school, Anti-Batman) or Charaxes (scary mothman)?
Aww, Black Mask is dead? Well, that’s just a shame, isn’t it?
Retirment”¦Well Earned
Announced at DC” Wildstorm/Vertigo panel at this weekend’s WizardWorld Los Angeles, the Gail Simone/Neil Googe Tranquility promises a look at what happens to superheroes when they’re active days are behind them”¦a retirement community for superheroes.
Or, as DC describes it:
Welcome to Tranquility, a planned community where super-heroes can retire in peace, without being hounded by enemies and fans. But don’t let Tranquility’s sedate surface fool you. Because when a series of murders is committed, a conspiracy is exposed that may endanger the lives of everyone who lives there. Kicking off in December, Tranquility is a new, monthly series written by Gail Simone and illustrated by Neil Googe.
We spoke with Simone about the series, due to debut in December.
Sign in at the visitors’ desk at Newsarama
This sounds like a pretty fun concept. I actually know someone who has a similar (but different) idea kicking around. Great minds and all that, right?
MISC.
Sell Outs/Going Back to Press
After quick sellouts at DC Comics, three “One Year Later” issues – JSA #83, AQUAMAN: SWORD OF ATLANTIS #40, and SUPERMAN #650 – are being sent back to press for new printings.
OYL (One Year Later) equal OMP (One More Printing) at Newsarama
After selling out its entire print run before reaching stores on March 15, INFINITE CRISIS SECRET FILES 2006 is going back to press for a new printing!
There’s no Sales Crisis at Newsarama
The excitement over DC Comics’ “One Year Later ” continues as NIGHTWING #118 has sold out at the publisher and is going back to press for a new printing!
The NIGHTWING #118 Second Printing (JAN068271), reprinting the story by Bruce Jones, with art by Joe Dodd & Bit, will feature a recolored version of the cover by Jock. It is available for order now and scheduled to arrive in stores on April 12.
Jason finally proves he’s better at Newsarama
NUMBER$
The “Infinite Crisis” crossover still purring like a kitten and the big “One Year Later” reboot just round the corner, January was, understandably, another very quiet month for DC Comics, in terms of new titles. The publisher’s top-selling new title in January was the DAY OF VENGEANCE: INFINITE CRISIS SPECIAL one-shot. Other than that, the limited series SGT. ROCK: THE PROPHECY and ELFQUEST: DISCOVERY debuted, along with the new Vertigo title THE EXTERMINATORS.
18 of DC’s January 2006 releases in the Top 300 remained relatively stable, deviating from the sales of their previous issues by less than 2.0%. 2 titles showed increases of more than 2.0% over their previous issues. The issue to show the biggest gains in January was ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #648, which saw a sales increase of 7.2% over the previous issue. The sales of 47 titles dropped by more than 2.0% since their previous issues, meanwhile, 7 of those by more than 10.0%. The largest issue-to-issue drop came from ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, which lost 27.2% with its second issue.
Of DC Comics’ 71 recorded new releases (Dec 2005: 70; Jan 2004: 67; Jan 2005: 78) which made the Top 300, 45 were DC Universe titles. (Dec 2005: 44; Jan 2004: 40; Jan 2005: 40.) The average new DC Universe release in January 2006 had a cover price of $ 2.83 (Dec 2005: $ 2.94; Jan 2004: $ 2,78; Jan 2005: $ 2.67) and sold an estimated 40,118 copies. (Dec 2005: 44,993; Jan 2004: 29,783; Jan 2005: 30,156.)
Via its Vertigo imprint, DC Comics released 10 new titles in January 2006. (Dec 2005: 9; Jan 2004: 8; Jan 2005: 15.) The average new Vertigo release in January 2006 had a cover price of $ 2.89 (Dec 2005: $ 2.88; Jan 2004: $ 2,81; Jan 2005: $ 3.24) and sold an estimated 15,036 copies. (Dec 2005: 16,320; Jan 2004: 15,069; Jan 2005: 12,309.)
Through its WildStorm label, the publisher released 9 new titles in January 2006. (Dec 2005: 10; Jan 2004: 11; Jan 2005: 7.) The average new WildStorm release in January 2006 had a cover price of $ 3.05 (Dec 2005: $ 3.04; Jan 2004: $ 2.95; Jan 2005: $ 2.95) and sold an estimated 17,505 copies. (Dec 2005: 15,068; Jan 2004: 14,234; Jan 2005: 17,591.)
The average new DC Comics release recorded in the Top 300 in January 2006 had a cover price of $ 2.81 (Dec 2005: $ 2.88; Jan 2004: $ 2.77; Jan 2005: $ 2,79) and sold an estimated 30,366 copies. (Dec 2005: 33,163; Jan 2004: 23,050; Jan 2005: 22,637.)
See below for a more detailed account of the changes.
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
Gaze at the stock market of comics at The Pulse
BEWARE THE FUTURE’S AWESOME MIGHT
Comic Book Resources has the info, I bring the unrequested opinion.
Detective Comics #820 and Batman #654– Is Harvey Dent Two-Face again? I don’t know, DC is playing it coy with these solicitations. If he is or if he isn’t though, I can’t help but feel like I’ll end up disappointed. If he is, well that’s a backslide for the character and a predictable one at that. On the other hand, we’d get back a great villain. If he isn’t, we’d still have Harvey as Harvey and moving behind his villainous persona. But, then we’d be left with a Two-Face who is, in essence, a knock off of the original and might lack the inherent drama of the good guy turned bad. I’m not sure I have a preference on which way it’ll all go down.
Superman/Doomsday Omnibus– Because someone demanded it?
Superman: Our Worlds at War– Ditto.
Crisis Aftermath: The Spectre #2– Is anyone else amused that Cris, in this cover, is still rocking his goatee? Even in ghost mode? Now that’s a commitment to facial hair, right there.
DCU: Brave New World– This is less a Countdown to Infinite Crisis and more of a sampler platter of new series, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And a cover this pretty certainly does not hurt.
The Flash: Fastest Man Alive #1– The possible race of the Flash on this cover was brought up on the message board a few weeks back and I thought MikeZ (the poster that brought it up) might have been on to something. Looking at the larger image here, I’m even more inclined to agree. This Flash does appear to be black. How cool is that?
But here’s the bad news. Remember DC telling us not to get used to the first new Flash? I hope that this is not a bait and switch, but you never know.
Checkmate #3– Another issue, another great looking cover.
Hard Time Season Two #7– Not even 12 issues this time? Damn, that’s cold. My condolences to Hard Time fans.
Ion #3– Mogo bitches!!!!
Secret Six #2– I’m loving the covers for Secret Six from Kerschl. These and the Chessmate covers (see above) are just excellent.
Wonder Woman #1– Yay for variants!
Seriously though, does this book even need a variant cover boost? Really?
Astro City: Samaritan Special– I usually wait for Astro City to hit trade before I pick it up, but I might just snag this one-shot instead of waiting.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
MANHUNTER #20
Come on, this is normally a top choice for me and it isn’t OYL. You had to see this one coming.
Anyway, I’m excited to see what side Kate has ended up on, how Dr. Psycho fits in with the switch, and who the heck those jester looking folk in the preview pages were.
ROBIN #148
I’ll admit it, between the preview pages and the creator interviews, my will has been broken. I’m excited to check back in with Tim Drake! I can’t say what about the whole package has changed my mind, but something did. OYL is the perfect time to give an old favorite another shot, so what the heck?
Plus, its not Willingham, right?
BATMAN #651
Time to find out if the turning back the clock really was for the best or if I was blinded by my own nostalgia.
OPINIONS ON THE WORK OF PEOPLE FAR MORE TALENTED THAN I
BIRDS OF PREY #92
I think Birds of Prey is one of the most consistent books on the shelves. I don’t think there has been an issue of Gail Simone’s run that I have not enjoyed. I was psyched to see how OYL would shake up the book.
So why does this feel so turgid and same-y to me?
It’s not horrible, even bad really. It just feels a bit like someone let the air out of the balloon. It’s sluggish, like OYL sucked up all of its momentum, instead of energizing it.
The new mission that Oracle and the Birds are devoting their resources to makes sense. Prior to OYL, the Calculator came after them. It only makes sense that Oracle would do the same to him and his team now, especially considering the danger an organized Society poses to all DCU people, not just her crew.
The art is passable, if a bit unexciting.
However, what really hampers the book is where Black Canary has gone and who has taken her place. Black Canary’s quest for”¦something is so generic and cliché you’d almost swear that she’s gone through it before. Her replacement, the identity of whom I won’t spoil for you here, is a pleasant shock at first. However, her inclusion quickly feels like the movie The Ring. Sure, it’s cool in the moment, but apply any thought to it and you can’t help but think, “This makes no sense.” The character would never ally herself in this situation and even if she did, Oracle would never be dumb enough to fall for it.
I’m nowhere near even considering dropping this book, but I do admit that it stumbles out of the OYL gate.
IDENTITY CRISIS SECRET FILES
Perhaps the longest exercise in Infinite Crisis thus far of “everything you expected to happen did.” Luthor manipulates, Superboy gets frustrated and makes bad choices, Superman is blinded by his inability to let Lois die. It’s fine, but I’d only recommend it to those individuals who are completists.
SEVEN SOLDIERS: BULLETEER #4
First off, special thanks to Manolis Vamvounis and Iain Burnside who helped me better evolve my feelings about this book.
What a disappointment.
This is the first of the Seven Soldiers minis that I honestly think could have been left on the cutting room floor. Shining Knight might not have connected with me, but there was some powerful moments in there and I respected it.
This book though”¦this book has proven inert.
This time out, the last issue of the book, we are treated to the secret origin of Sally Sonic, hero, homewrecker, and queen of the online superhero softcore industry. It amounts to, essentially, little girl goes to the big city and the city corrupts her. Sure, she rocks spandex and a cape while it’s happening, but it remaining a dusty, dusty cliché.
What’s worse is that, even with this clichéd origin, I still have a better idea of who she is than our title character. Bulleteer lost her husband and does not want to be a superhero. That’s about all I’ve gotten from fours issues of this book.
Making matters worse is Paquette’s art. A huge part of Sally’s origin hinges on the fact that she looks very young. So barely pubescent that Social Services would wholly ignore her belief certificate and proclaim her a minor purely based on her appearance. So barely pubescent that she cannot get a job, even with aforementioned proof of age. (And yes, I thought that that stuff was pretty silly.)
Yes, she should look young. Instead, she looks basically the same as the Bulleteer. She claims to be about 25 and you know what, she looks it too. It is hard enough to believe that authorities and business owners would willfully ignore documentation of her age. It’s impossible to believe it when she looks perfectly her age.
I think what kills me most is that it seems like there are germs of ideas and themes to be explored here. Instead we get nine pages of a fairly static fight, ten pages of the aforementioned clichéd origin, and three pages sort of connecting the whole thing back to the Seven Soldiers idea.
Like I said, disappointing.
TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1
Between fill-ins, the Kid Destiny/Brother Blood arc, and the mis-scheduling of the latest issue of Teen Titans preceding this one, my interest in the Titans has waned. As such, I was not very excited by the prospect of this issue.
It feels good to be proven wrong.
There are some nitpicky issues, like when did Superboy get some ripped (see the scene with him in Wonder Girl’s kitchen) and does Wonder Girl really always wear her costume? Overall, however, this is a return to form.
This issue is probably the sharpest scripting that Johns has done on the title in sometime (with special thanks, no doubt, to Wolfman’s plotting).
The secondary plotline, the cleaning up of Bludhaven by most of the Titans is pretty peripheral to the issue’s main focus, the relationship between Wonder Girl and Superboy. However, it is noteworthy as we watch Tim Drake come into his own a bit, giving Superman a piece of his mind and better rallying the troops (including more than just the Titans) around his leadership in the clean up effort.
As I said though, it is mostly Superboy and Wonder Girl’s show. They shoulder that burden nicely. They act like people as they long for the simplicity of the past and try to recapture it by doing something that will no doubt make things more complicated (read: making love in a hay loft). Their reasoning rings true even as we can see that maybe they are not of the best state of mind to be making such decisions.
Those last few pages are a bit foreboding though, aren’t they? I am sure Martha and Jonathan are safe, but given Superboy’s good-bye, I’m kind of thinking that perhaps he or Wonder Girl might meet their demise in the pages of Infinite Crisis.
SHOOTING BACK AT THE GRIMACE
Good news everyone, my Revamping from last week met with approval!
About “Mirage: the Revamping.”: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! :D I’m happy and I do approve. (bows respectfully to the master.)
And for the record, I’m a dude. :)
Later,
Brock
You heard it here first, people. I’m a master and Brock is a dude. Your minds have been opened.
And now, I hunger for a new challenge. Drop me a line at parallax2@juno.com with a character (living or dead) from the DCU that you’d like to see revamped. Also feel free to leave suggestions for me on the Welcome to the Revamping thread.
Well, that’s it. I hope you enjoyed this little get together as much as I did. See you next week. Until then, stop by and visit the message board or drop me a line at parallax2@juno.com
Un Gajje is A Lover AND A Fighter
