Beware the Future's Awesome Might: DC in April

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BEWARE THE FUTURE’S AWESOME MIGHT

I welcome you back and welcome you to check out CBR to see the full DC solicitations for April. Now, my abridged version for your reading pleasure.

COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #4-1
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Can anyone even begin to tell me what the hell is going on with this cover? I know that I haven’t read the book in months, but even considering that, no cover should be this confounding. Are they fighting each other while standing side by side? Are they fighting together against an unseen enemy? What is going on?!

DEATH OF THE NEW GODS #8
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Wow…Superman looks…uncomfortable. Not grieving or pissed. Just…uncomfortable.

DC/WILDSTORM: DREAMWAR #1Congratulations, Multiple Earth fans. Look what your love has wrought. And you know that this is not the last time. Heck, it is the third time in three years. Aren’t you thrilled now?

TITANS #1“You won’t want to miss this new startling chapter in Titans history that may forge a new team from the ashes of old, dead friends.”

Grand! May the senseless killing of Titans’ characters never end!

TEEN TITANS #58Clock King! YAY!

On the other hand, making bubbly Martian Girl all tragic and such? A small booo for that.

Although I do appreciate on this cover how she grew an extra set of arms just to strike the arrogant arms akimbo pose.
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DC SPECIAL: RAVEN #2
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First off, this cover is just bad.

Second, anyone else having a hard time putting Raven in high school? Maybe Teen Titans Go! Raven, but I don’t get the feeling that’s who Wolfman is using here. It sound like it could be fun (almost Stars and STRIPE esque, actually) but I think it’d prefer a new character in this role than shoving Raven, a metaphorical round peg, into this square hole of a story.

BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #6
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Is it just me or is Braithwaite doing a more lively take on the painted cover than Ross ever did? I’m sad that Dougie isn’t putting down the style he used to, but there’s no denying he’s darn good at this approach.

BOOSTER GOLD #8You know what’s unexpected? This series being good. I mean, sure I’m a Johns fine, and yes, Jurgens is a reliable artist. But it is still Booster Gold. And yet, also good. It boggles the mind, it does.

SALVATION RUN #6I said this on the message boards, but I’ll say it again here, this is just a really boring idea. It is as if people at DC got together and thought, “How can we totally bleed the drama out of two of the most interesting (one genius, one insane) minds in the DCU going up against each other?”

“We could have them get in a fist fight?”

“Perfect.”

Then again, I’ve found this series pretty disappointing from Jump Street so maybe that is coloring my opinion.

GOTHAM UNDERGROUND #7This series, on the other hand, has grown on me. It is not very good, that characters are written a bit…off, but I like it nonetheless. It’s probably the Calafiore art, which is all really angular, but I still dig.

BATMAN #676“Everything in Grant Morrison’s groundbreaking run on Batman has been leading to this story”

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Exciting!

DETECTIVE COMICS #843
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Really Dig This Cover Part 1

ROBIN #173
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Really Dig This Cover Part 2

CATWOMAN #78
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Someone Will Find This Cover Sexy Part 1

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #47Don’t look now, but this series is readable again for the first time since…issue #2, maybe? Crazy, huh?

BIRDS OF PREY #117And now, a lesson in forcing Mathan to buy a book.
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Put Manhunter on the cover. The poor boy can’t resist.

GREEN LANTERN #30And now, an imaginary conversation:

DC Guy: Mr. Stevens, so glad you decided to stick around after Sinestro Corps.

Mr. Stevens: Well, I’m not sure I am or not. What do you have to keep me here.

DC Guy: First up, we have a story called “Alpha Lanterns” featuring art by Mike McKone. It comes right out of the Sinestro Corps arc and features old Lanterns receiving brand new looks due to volunteering for surgery that will make them an elite squad.

Mr. Stevens: Hmm…okay, I’ll check that out. What’s next.

DC Guy: An arc where we re-explore Hal Jordan’s origin.

Silence.

DC Guy: Wait, where are you going? Why are you walking away?

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #20
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Someone Will Find This Cover Sexy Part 2

But hey, Van Sciver on interiors, so that’s good news.

JSA CLASSIFIED #37This series goes out on it’s second (third? fourth?) Wildcat story and I cannot help but think of what a wasted opportunity the whole thing was. First, we got multiple Wildcat stories. We also got multiple Doctor Mid-Nite stories and even though I am a fan, I can recognize the wealth should have been spread around a bit more. For instance, no Sand stories? The guy is basically invisible in Justice Society, why not give him the stage here. Ditto Obsidian or Damage or Liberty Belle or (ugh) Hourman or the character find of 2006, Cyclone! I’m not sorry to see the book go, I’m just sorry to see it was never quite utilized to its full potential.

BATMAN: THE JOKER’S LAST LAUGH TPReally? I know there’s a movie coming out, but…this? DC doesn’t have any better Joker stories in the vault?

BURNOUT This sounds kind of like a Minx solicitation but there is no mention of it being one. Maybe DC has decided to publish them without labeling them as such? Or Comic Book Resources just didn’t bother to mention it.

Either way, (and I understand it might call my manhood into question to say this, but, oh well), it sound interesting to me. Very interesting, in fact. I think I’ll check it out, I will.