Welcome to our weekly Monday Demythify column!
In advance of DC Comics’ official release of their New 52 and beyond June 2014 solicitations, there are some interesting news bits and spoilers that have been revealed about them.
(5) New Series Set For Launch in June and July 2014 Plus More On Futures End
DC Comics co-publisher, Dan DiDio, confirmed in a recent interview confirmed more details about DC Comics September The New 52: Futures End 3D event plus talked new series launches in June and July 2014.
- “We will be having some new series that we will be premiering between June and July, and they will be participating in the Five Years Later future and tied to Futures End, and they will be part of the September event.”
“But they will all be ongoing titles. So unlike what we did with Villains Month, which were villains that were stand-alone, attached to individual titles of other series, these are actually the series that are going to be here. So all the lenticular covers — all the Futures End stories that will be told in September — will be in the titles of the ongoing series…”
Since DC has not had 52 ongoing series for several months, despite their initial commitment to do so, it looks like the three weekly series count as 3 books in the 52 series count. That leaves 10 books for launch since in May 2014 DC Comics only had 39 ongoing series. So, we know there’s 42 titles that make up the New 52 so far. Only 10 books will debut before September 2014, likely in June and July 2014 as DiDio notes, with that third weekly maxi-series spinning out of DC’s September Forever Evil 3D event. As such, it appears it will be the DC Comics New 51 until at least September 2014.
(4) DC’s Three Weekly 2014/15 Maxi-Series Actually Count
Here’s what DiDio had to say in that same interview about their three weekly series: The New 52 Futures End, Batman Eternal (the amazing cover to June’s Batman Eternal #9 is here) and a third series yet-to-be-announced.
- “…Three weeklies in one year, what it brings to us is a sense of urgency to the line. We do weeklies primarily because we have big stories to tell, and this is the best format to tell it in. It gives a sense of urgency, themed to the story beats and the actions that are occurring on a weekly basis.”
“So that’s what’s exciting about that.”
“Also, just to let you know, these aren’t weeklies added onto 52 titles. They are part of the 52 number of books that we create on a monthly basis.”
“So it’s not that we’re adding more product in. It’s just as the weaker books go away, we’re adding weeklies, which we think have big stories that lead to more and exciting events as they start to unfold over the next year.”
So, the New 52 branding is no longer exclusive for ongoing series.
(3) Even More on Futures End
The New 52: Futures End five years later future, seemingly seeded in part by the conclusion to the Forever Evil event in Forever Evil #7, may not be a future that comes to pass as well according to DiDio in that interview.
- “And that’s the reason why we have the “might” aspect of our conversation. Because the 35-years-in-the-future story is a very dystopic future. And because of that, we’re saying that it might happen.”
Ultimately, the goal of the Futures End story is to reset the future so that that type of end for our characters does not happen.”
Also, here are the solicits for the New 52: Futures End weekly issues for June 2014.
- THE NEW 52 – FUTURES END #5
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, JEFF LEMIRE, DAN JURGENS and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by JESUS MERINO and DAN GREEN
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JUNE 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Mr. Terrific unveils his latest technical achievement – but will it take over the DC Universe? Plus, Firestorm’s inner conflict explodes!
THE NEW 52 – FUTURES END #6
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, JEFF LEMIRE, DAN JURGENS and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JUNE 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Ray Palmer, Frankenstein and Amethyst take a dangerous journey into the Phantom Zone! And Batman Beyond’s mission could be over before it begins when someone discovers his arrival five years from now!
THE NEW 52 – FUTURES END #7
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, JEFF LEMIRE, DAN JURGENS and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and ART THIBERT
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JUNE 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The two halves of Firestorm encounter big troubles: some personal, some potentially deadly! And Plastique comes face to face with the DC Universe’s horrifying future! Five years from now, the DC Universe is reeling from a war with another Earth, leaving the world unprepared for an approaching evil that threatens to destroy the future. Can a time-traveling Batman Beyond help a massive cast of the DCU’s finest avert the impending apocalypse? Find out in this new weekly series that will forever alter the direction of The New 52!
THE NEW 52 – FUTURES END #8
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO, JEFF LEMIRE, DAN JURGENS and KEITH GIFFEN
Art by SCOT EATON
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale JUNE 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Welcome to Cadmus Island, Grifter! We hope your visit is – survivable! Plus: Who is the strange being from the temple in southeast Asia – and why should John Constantine find him of great interest?
Futures End is shaping to be an interesting DC romp. With reference to Mister Terrific, it certainly seems that the impending war between two multiverse Earths teased in the solicit for The New 52 Futures End #1 will be Earth 2 versus Prime Earth.
Also still waiting see Booster Gold creep into a solicitation for Futures End because he recently returned to the New 52 “present” timeline. There’s also the Top 10 time anomalies that appear bound to make into the year-long weekly maxi-series.
(2) An All-Different New Teen Titans Set To Launch?
The end of the Green Team: Teen Trillionaires in their #8th issue sets up the new status quo for the Teen Titans; a series also set to be cancelled in May 2014 among several other series that same month. Below are spoilers from that issue.
This ending to Green Team seems to also spoil the end to the current time-displaced Teen Titans arc. They’re in the future after being handily defeated by Forever Evil’s Crime Syndicate.
In the future Kid Flash was revealed to be an unrepentant murderer and betrayed the Titans during his trial.
Add to that Superboy has been replaced by the evil future son of Superman and Lois Lane.
It seems that all is right as rain for the Teen Titans at the end of the Green Team. However, while its seems Kid Flash is once again in the TT’s good graces, the Superboy at the end of Green Team could still be the evil doppelgänger so, we’ll just have to see it plays out.
Anyhow, as context, the Green Team debuted in the 1970’s as part of a series of try-out books under DC’s “First Issue Special” banner. DC relaunched the concept 8 months ago and it struggled.
However, it looks like DC likes the concept and will merge them with their struggling Teen Titans franchise.
(1) More Jack Kirby Influences in The New 52
Jack Kirby fans rejoice, another Kirby classic comes back to DC Comics, New 52 style.
- INFINITY MAN AND THE FOREVER PEOPLE #1
Written by Keith Giffen and Dan Didio
Art and Cover by Scott Koblish and Keith Giffen
Variant Cover by Howard Porter
On sale JUNE 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Four of the best students from New Genesis arrive on Earth to study and aid in the advancement of humanity – but they soon discover a darker purpose to their mission: a threat so great that it may bring the multiverse itself to its knees! The only thing that stands between them and total destruction is the mysterious entity known as the Infinity Man!
Don’t miss the start of this new series by Dan DiDio and Keith Giffen, the team that brought you the over-the-top adventures of O.M.A.C.!
Well, with that, DC Comics has 9 more ongoing series to reveal to get back up to their “New 52” branding.
OMAC was a fun title that didn’t find a sufficient paying fan base. This book could be different.
The Forever Evil and Infinity Man were concepts that were created by comics legend Jack Kirby for DC Comics in the early 1970s.
I’m intrigued by this title and curious how many more Kirby influenced new ongoing series we’ll get in June and July 2014?
Thanks for reading. All feedback welcome!
