Top 20 DC Comics April 2022 Solicitations Spoilers With Death Of Joker and Justice League Series?! Plus Doom Patrol, Flashpoint and More Surprise Returns!
Among the DC Comics full April 2022 solicits we picked out the Top 20 plus an honourable mention. Do you agree or disagree with the picks?
Curious why there is no Justice League vs. Legion of Super-Heroes #4 (of 6) this month, but it may have something to do with the Death of the Justice League; the last issue was solicited in March 2022. Anyhow, onto April 2022.
The Top 20
ACTION COMICS #1042
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art and cover by RICCARDO FEDERICI
Backup art by ADRIANA MELO
Backup written by SHAWN ALDRIDGE
Variant cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | $5.99 US Variant (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
The origins of Mongul, his mysterious champions, and Midnighter’s underground rebellion stand revealed! When another of Superman’s truest allies is killed, will the tragic loss end the rebellion before it begins? Or will it be the spark that finally unites Superman’s forces against the unstoppable Mongul? The Warworld Revolution begins!
Also featuring the finale to the epic Martian Manhunter backup series!
AQUAMAN/GREEN ARROW – DEEP TARGET #7
Written by BRANDON THOMAS
Art by RONAN CLIQUET
Cover by MARCO SANTUCCI
Variant cover by RAHZZAH
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 7 of 7 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22This is it! Everything has led our heroes to this moment in time. Aquaman and Green Arrow must beat the clock to take down Scorpio and reset the timeline. If their aim is off by even an inch, all will be lost!
BATMAN #122
“SHADOW WAR PART 2”
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by HOWARD PORTER
Backup art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Variant cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
Linking 1:25 variant cover by ROGER CRUZ and VICTOR OLAZABA
1:50 variant cover by JOCK
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/5/22
Ra’s al Ghul is dead, and Talia is out for revenge! Batman is on the case to find Deathstroke before Talia’s elite killers do! But Batman starts to piece together that not everything is what it seems in Ra’s’s death…and knows whom he must interrogate to get answers…Talia herself! Can the two former lovers ever work together again?
Plus, a backup tale showing the secret first fight between Batman and Deathstroke!
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #2
Written by MARK WAID
Art and cover by DAN MORA
Variant cover by TIM SALE
1:25 variant cover by PETE WOODS
1:50 variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/19/22
The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight have arrived at the compound of Niles Caulder—the Chief in charge of that strange band of misfits known as the Doom Patrol—but all is not as it seems.
While Batman works with Niles to cure Superman of his freakish transformations, a side mission to track a mysterious figure known as “the Demon” attracts the Dark Knight’s attention…and moreover, it could have some connection to Superman’s poisoning at the hands of Metallo!
It’s danger, intrigue, and the surprise appearance of Deadman in chapter two of World’s Finest!
BATMAN: THE KNIGHT #4
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art and cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant cover by RICCARDO FEDERICI
$4.99 US | 40 pages | 4 of 10 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/19/22
Bruce Wayne’s journey to become Batman continues in the cold mountains of North Korea, where he seeks to learn the legendary fighting style of Master Kirigi! This will be his most difficult challenge yet, and he might not survive without the help of a mysterious new “friend.”
BLUE & GOLD #8
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by RYAN SOOK
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 8 of 8
ON SALE 4/19/22Keep your friends close and your enemies closer! Things have never been easy for Booster and Beetle as they set out on their new business venture where no job is too small, but now a threat from within threatens to bring everything crashing down. A virus has hit the servers at Blue & Gold Restoration, and it could delete our heroes for good!
DEATHSTROKE INC. #8
“SHADOW WAR PART 3”
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by PAOLO PANTALENA
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS
Variant cover by CHRIS BURNHAM
Linking 1:25 variant cover by ROGER CRUZ and VICTOR OLAZABA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
Deathstroke and Respawn are on the run! Deathstroke Inc. has been destroyed, and his villain associates killed by the Demon’s Shadow!
Deathstroke must explain to Batman why he killed Ra’s al Ghul…but first he must survive the hundreds of deadly killers coming for him!
DETECTIVE COMICS #1059
Written by MARIKO TAMAKI and NADIA SHAMMAS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and DANNY MIKI
Backup written by SINA GRACE
Backup art by DAVID LAPHAM
Variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:25 variant cover by RODOLFO MIGLIARI
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
Riddle me this…when is a criminal not a criminal? The answer awaits you in the start of a brand-new Detective Comics story arc from writer Mariko Tamaki, guest co-writer Nadia Shammas, and legendary artist Ivan Reis! The Riddler is back in Gotham City in a big way, becoming a media personality and using his newfound influence to wreak havoc on the Dark Knight. As Batman chases down clues to put an end to Riddler’s machinations, the clock ticks away for the citizens of Gotham whom Edward Nygma has placed in the line of fire…
Then, in “Gotham Girl: Interrupted” part one, the super-powered Claire Clover returns to the city that helped ruin her life…to get psychiatric treatment at the new Arkham Tower. But when Gotham Girl’s newfound semblance of normalcy is rocked by a murder mystery, she finds someone unexpected at the heart of the crime…herself.
THE FLASH #781
Written by JEREMY ADAMS
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and MATT RYAN
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON and MICHAEL ATIYEH
Variant cover by NIKOLA ČIŽMEŠIJA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/19/22
The Eclipso War left Wally West stopped dead in his tracks…but a brand-new villain has emerged to wreak havoc on the Scarlet Speedster! An exciting new story arc begins here!
FLASHPOINT BEYOND #0
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by EDUARDO RISSO
Cover by DEXTER SOY
Variant cover by EDUARDO RISSO
1:25 variant cover by MAX DUNBAR
$5.99 US | 48 pages
ON SALE 4/5/22
The world of Flashpoint returns! After sacrificing everything to help the Flash put the universe back together and save Bruce Wayne’s life, Thomas Wayne wakes up in a world he thought was no more.
Forced to don the cowl once again, Batman prowls the streets of Gotham searching for answers to how this world still exists, but what he starts to uncover will send him hurtling around the globe. The hunt for the Clockwork Killer starts here!
Legendary writer Geoff Johns comes back to the alternate world he created, partnering with prolific artist Eduardo Risso as he returns to the Flashpoint Batman!
FLASHPOINT BEYOND #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS, JEREMY ADAMS, and TIM SHERIDAN
Art by XERMÁNICO
Cover by MITCH GERADS
Variant cover by XERMÁNICO
1:25 variant cover by GARY FRANK
1:50 variant cover by TODD NAUCK
$4.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $5.99 US
ON SALE 4/19/22Batman’s hunt for the Clockwork Killer brings him to Europe and face to face with the mad king, Aquaman. On the eve of Aquaman’s sinking of London, Batman infiltrates his stronghold and goes on the warpath for answers. Nothing matters to Batman, whose world is already dead, but if he can track down the Clockwork Killer, Thomas can save his son’s world and put everything back together again.
THE JOKER #14
FINAL ISSUE
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
Punchline backup written by JAMES TYNION IV and SAM JOHNS
Punchline backup art by BELÉN ORTEGA
Variant cover by ALAN QUAH and BELÉN ORTEGA
1:25 variant cover by JAMES STOKOE
$5.99 US | 40 pages | (All covers card stock)
ON SALE 4/12/22
All the hunters converge on the Sampson estate as the brutal conclusion to the first “season” of The Joker is here!
Bullets will fly, blood will be shed, and will James Gordon be forced to make the choice he’s been dreading since issue #1?
Punchline Backup: Punchline walks free, and the Royal Flush Gang is desperate for a new queen. The underworld of Gotham City is going to change forever, and this last chapter of “Punchline” is only the beginning.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #75
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE and ALEJANDRO SÁNCHEZ
Variant covers by ALEX MALEEV, DAN JURGENS and
NORM RAPMUND, and MIKEL JANÍN
1:25 variant cover by SIMONE DI MEO
1:50 variant cover by TONY HARRIS
Team variant cover by TODD NAUCK
$6.99 US | 48 pages | (All on card stock)
ON SALE 4/19/22
Oversize special issue! Superstar writer Joshua Williamson pens the beginning of the next big DCU event!
It all starts here!
A new Dark Army made up of the DCU’s greatest villains has formed on the edges of the Multiverse!
The DCU’s best and most powerful heroes are pulled together in an epic war to push the darkness back!
But in the end, they are no match for it!
That’s right, you heard it here first: the Justice League are killed by the Dark Army, with only one survivor to warn the remaining heroes of Earth about what is coming for them!
FINAL ISSUE!
NIGHTWING #91
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art and cover by BRUNO REDONDO
Variant cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL
1:25 variant cover by SERG ACUNA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/19/22
Trying to save a city that’s even more beyond saving than Gotham is no small task, and even someone like Nightwing needs a day off to relax with his best friend and to recharge—but when your best friend is Wally West, a.k.a. the Flash, a “recharge” might not end up being so relaxing!
ROBIN #13
“SHADOW WAR PART 4”
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by ROGER CRUZ and NORM RAPMUND
Variant cover by CRYSTAL KUNG
Linking 1:25 variant cover by ROGER CRUZ and VICTOR OLAZABA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
Robin and Ravager have caught up with Deathstroke and Respawn! Can they convince Deathstroke to turn himself in…or fight to the death? And what startling revelation does Robin learn that shocks this story to its core?
Plus, Batman goes deep into the conspiracy behind Ra’s al Ghul’s death and discovers it’s bigger than he thought. He must call in backup…just not the backup you’d expect!
SUICIDE SQUAD #14
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS
Art by EDUARDO PANSICA, JULIO FERREIRA, and DEXTER SOY
Cover by EDUARDO PANSICA
Variant cover by DEXTER SOY
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/5/22
The War for Earth-3 may be over, but the battle at home is only heating up! As egos clash, bugs ambush, and a big-#$% parademon tries to eat his own teammates, an explosive confrontation between Peacemaker and Bloodsport will leave you breathless! As Ambush Bug would say: “HELP! I’M TRAPPED IN SOLICIT COPY!”
SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #10
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by CIAN TORMEY
Cover by TRAVIS MOORE
Variant cover by SIMONE DI MEO
1:25 variant cover by RAFA SANDOVAL
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/12/22
Henry Bendix’s plans are now clear. Gamorra’s president won’t stop until he has total control. He’s now sold his strategy to other dangerous regimes.
Only Superman and his allies stand in the way of Bendix’s dark vision for the world…a world where superheroes are put in their place, discredited, and even destroyed. A world where heroes are replaced by agents of those ruthless enough to have seized power. The Rising has begun!
TEEN TITANS ACADEMY #14
Written by TIM SHERIDAN
Art by TOM DERENICK
Cover by TOM DERENICK and JEREMIAH SKIPPER
Variant cover by DAN SCHOENING
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
It’s a fresh start for the students and staff of the newly-rechristened “Titans Academy”! As classes resume, two faculty members navigate the awkwardness of a new relationship—and one student, on a dangerous training mission, must finally face the mysterious past that’s haunted him all his life…
TRIAL OF THE AMAZONS #2
Written by STEPHANIE WILLIAMS, VITA AYALA,
BECKY CLOONAN, MICHAEL W. CONRAD, and JOËLLE JONES
Art by JOËLLE JONES, ELENA CASAGRANDE,
SKYLAR PATRIDGE, and LAURA BRAGA
Cover by JIM CHEUNG
Variant cover by ROSE BESCH
$4.99 | 40 pages | 2 of 2 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22
With the trial postponed and the greater evil revealed, the very existence of the Amazons is at stake!
A foe from Diana’s past has come through Doom’s Doorway seeking revenge and anarchy to destroy Wonder Woman and her people once and for all. Only then can he escape Themyscira and bring Man’s World to its knees!
Now the Amazons must unite to save their way of life and carry out the sacred mission of peace and justice passed down to them by the goddesses all those years ago. Led by Wonder Woman, these women are now ready for the battle they’ve spent all their lives preparing for. Can anything stop the combined strength of the Bana-Mighdall, Esquecida, and Themyscirans? Find out in the final chapter of our crossover that will change the world of the Amazons for good!
WORLD OF KRYPTON #5
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by MICHAEL AVON OEMING
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Variant cover by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 5 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/5/22
As Kryptonians suffer the effects of the planet’s deterioration, they lose faith in their leaders. But taking to the streets in protest puts them in Zod’s crosshairs. With his own people as his enemy, will he curb his brutality? Meanwhile, Jor-El is distracted by matters of a more personal nature!
Honourable Mentions
An all-new all-different anti-hero Birds of Prey debuts as the Vic Sage OG Question returns; plus Aquamen.
BATMAN: URBAN LEGENDS #14
Written by VITA AYALA, MARK RUSSELL, CHE GRAYSON, and RYAN CADY
Art by NIKOLA ČIŽMEŠIJA, KARL MOSTERT, BELÉN ORTEGA, TREVOR SCOTT, CAM SMITH, and GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
Cover by KARL MOSTERT
Variant covers by KIM JACINTO and GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
$7.99 US | 64 pages | Prestige
ON SALE 4/12/22
Batman and Zatanna are at the mercy of the DCU’s newest magic! Ace the Bat-Hound and the Super-Pets versus Gotham’s worst villains! A new Birds of Prey led by Lady Shiva and Katana? And a team-up between Batman and the Question!
AQUAMEN #3
Written by CHUCK BROWN and BRANDON THOMAS
Art by MAX RAYNOR
Cover by TRAVIS MOORE
Variant cover by MICO SUAYAN
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 4/26/22While Jackson Hyde’s investigation into the Atlantean sleeper agents leads him into the dark and dangerous streets of Gotham City, Arthur struggles with his own secrets and the rift that his past mistakes are creating in his future with Mera. Danger lurks in the darkness of Gotham’s shadows, but so does a surprising ally.
Pulse Taking
That’s out top picks from DC Comics’ April 2022 solicitations, but caught your eye from their offerings?
