The solicitations for October were a little late coming out of SDCC but they certainly seemed worth it. New teams, new rosters, surprises abound and delight as Matt, Ryan S and I go hunting through all of the solicitations for the revelations that caused us multiple titilations. This isn't a future pull list, necessarily, but more just a few newsworthy items that caught our eye and we wanted to discuss with you all. Please feel free to join us in the comments section below.
RYAN L's THOUGHTS
Brubaker's Batman RunDC are putting out a bunch of DC Comics Presents: titles and the Batman one is going to reprint the 4 issue Brubaker tale paired with Scott McDaniel and looking at the Bat versus the Penguin. It's almost like the next step for those $1 intro issues that point the readers in the direction of a new series.
I've never read any of Brubaker's Batman work but am very keen to test it out. Considering this oversized issue is collecting 4 issue's worth of material at 96 pages and is only costing $7.99 (the price of two 'standard' comics nowadays) it seems like a pretty good bargain for me, it's basically the content of a small trade for half the price. Sure, you don't get the fancy trade dress and spine but you get the story and that is most certainly the aspect I'm looking forward to. I hope all publishers start to look at giving this sort of thing a go because it's a great way to lure readers in. It'll be the first Bat-book I'll have bought for some time.
Walking Dead Swag
Mainly, there's a Walking Dead covers book coming out that I would really love. That's one of the downsides to trade waiting this series, they don't give you the covers. It's a shame because the covers are nearly always awesome and I am pretty sure they'll make for one hell of a book. Having a coffee table book style collection of 50 covers from the series, not to mention extra covers from collected editions, some sketches, and more added commentary make this thing seem like the perfect present.
That there are also 2 t-shirts on offer makes me think Image is well prepared to capitalise on the television periodical based upon the revolutionary comic. I expect to see even more Walking Dead merch in the following month, and I have no problem with that.
Tomb Of Terror
Each month I rattle on about these Savage Marvel style magazines, they're one-shots, they're B&W, and they're usually accompanied by a link to my article about this whole endeavour! I love the concept, I think you know that, and I just want to see it continue. They've done some very cool characters in the past (Wolverine, Shang-Chi, Iron Man, Dr Strange, Ares, Daredevil) and in each issue I'm nearly always guaranteed a few things that I'll absolutely love. The format seems to be for a normal size story, then some smaller back up stories, and then maybe a text piece. Each issue has focused on a character before but this time around it's the Tomb Of Terror and it'll have Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, and the Son of Satan. It's getting back to those pulpy horror roots that Marvel used to have for a time and that excites me for just one month. They've got Joe R. Lansdale amongst others and that's a very good sign. I'd love to see more Lansdale work in the Marvel Horror U. This also has a pretty kick ass Travel Foreman cover, so that'a cool too.
But mostly, it seems like everyone is fawning over the second volume of Strange Tales (which I'll be picking up as well) but this thing is being forgotten. ST has the indie crowd looking at the Marvel U but this beast has all sorts of crazy ideas let loose. I hope a few more people check this out because I want it to continue, they still haven't gotten an Iron Fist one out yet and you know they have to...
Mainly, there's a Walking Dead covers book coming out that I would really love. That's one of the downsides to trade waiting this series, they don't give you the covers. It's a shame because the covers are nearly always awesome and I am pretty sure they'll make for one hell of a book. Having a coffee table book style collection of 50 covers from the series, not to mention extra covers from collected editions, some sketches, and more added commentary make this thing seem like the perfect present.
That there are also 2 t-shirts on offer makes me think Image is well prepared to capitalise on the television periodical based upon the revolutionary comic. I expect to see even more Walking Dead merch in the following month, and I have no problem with that.
Each month I rattle on about these Savage Marvel style magazines, they're one-shots, they're B&W, and they're usually accompanied by a link to my article about this whole endeavour! I love the concept, I think you know that, and I just want to see it continue. They've done some very cool characters in the past (Wolverine, Shang-Chi, Iron Man, Dr Strange, Ares, Daredevil) and in each issue I'm nearly always guaranteed a few things that I'll absolutely love. The format seems to be for a normal size story, then some smaller back up stories, and then maybe a text piece. Each issue has focused on a character before but this time around it's the Tomb Of Terror and it'll have Werewolf By Night, Man-Thing, and the Son of Satan. It's getting back to those pulpy horror roots that Marvel used to have for a time and that excites me for just one month. They've got Joe R. Lansdale amongst others and that's a very good sign. I'd love to see more Lansdale work in the Marvel Horror U. This also has a pretty kick ass Travel Foreman cover, so that'a cool too.
But mostly, it seems like everyone is fawning over the second volume of Strange Tales (which I'll be picking up as well) but this thing is being forgotten. ST has the indie crowd looking at the Marvel U but this beast has all sorts of crazy ideas let loose. I hope a few more people check this out because I want it to continue, they still haven't gotten an Iron Fist one out yet and you know they have to...
MATT'S THOUGHTS
Cosmic Marvel and Hercules: Two great tastes that taste great together, or whatever the phrase may be. I am a fan of both franchises, so to see them collide and mix is going to be great. Add in the fact that this appears to be shipping twice a month, and this is one sweet deal. Let’s hope more people jump on board and check out the great work that Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak, and their army of artists are doing in their corner of the universe.
DC Comics Presents
This is an interesting idea from DC, and I like the concept behind it (accessible anthology material) but the execution is somewhat confusing, specially concerning as to who it is aimed at. Take for example the Ethan Van Sciver one. I know he is a popular artist, but how many people outside of the regular Wednesday crowd know who he is and what work he has done? I could understand it with someone like Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, or along those lines, but surely this one would have attracted more attention if it had the word Batman in the title, right? Or the Brightest Day one, which doesn’t seem to have anything to do with Brightest Day, only features characters that happen to be in that book. I think the bigger question is: who is this aimed to; your regular comic crowd or for new readers?
Everyone Gets A Batman! People complain all the time (and usually rightfully so) that Wolverine, or Deadpool, or the Avengers, or the X-Men, or the JLA, have too many books, yet you hardly see anyone complaining about too many Batman books, do you? In October, there’s going to be (roughly) eleven one-shots, three mini series, and three ongoing titles that center around Bruce Wayne and his family of characters. That’s without counting the aforementioned DC Comic Presents anthologies, collections, and other guest appearances that he might have. Surely that is too much, right? Well, I am calling you out, internet! If you are going to complain about one franchise having too many books, you have to complain about this one too.
Loki #1
I am very glad to see Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa back in the Marvel fold (he had been doing some TV work and comics adaptations of Stephen King novels), as I am a huge fan of his work. He’s paired with an artist that I don’t know very much about, Sebastian Fiumara, but who recently impressed me in with his work in X-Factor. If you are going to get one of the dozens of Thor-related books coming out in the Fall, this one looks like a very strong contender.
Steve Dillon: The Two Ongoing Titles Man?
Check the solicitations for Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #3 (wow, that’s a mouthful). It’s written by Mark Millar and pencilled by Steve Dillon. Now check the solicitation for Punishermax #11. It’s written by Jason Aaron and ALSO pencilled by Steve Dillon. It’s very rare these days to see a single artist take on two ongoing projects, but if there is someone that can probably do it, it’s Steve Dillon (and Mark Bagley, probably).
RYAN S' THOUGHTS
Kudos to DC for doing their best to turn around a bad situation with this new Teen Titans creative team. After the Felicia Henderson-era has been near-universally panned for featuring some of the most uninspired writing the company has ever seen, we get JT Krul and Nicola Scott. I know that Krul has gotten a lot of flack for Rise of Arsenal, but everything else he has written for the company has been fantastic. Then you have Nicola Scott, whose work with Gail Simone on Birds of Prey and Secret Six have cemented her into a bonafide superstar. When you add in the fact that the team will also be featuring Ravager and Damian Wayne, Teen Titans goes from being an insult to the industry in its current state to an instant Must Read.
Is Batman the New Deadpool?
Normally I’d be a bit annoyed at 8 one-shots being released in one month to tell one single story, but I’m actually really excited about this. Thanks to the superb creative teams and strong premise, nearly all of these one-shots are must reads for me—except perhaps Outsiders and Ra’s al Ghul. The one I’m most excited about? Oracle by the awesome Marc Andreyko—though I’m sure that will just make me want an ongoing series! Of course, with the lack of ancilary Bat-titles being solicited for October, it makes me think we could see some major shifts in the line after October.
Justice League Worldwide
I’m glad to see that DC is partnering up with Teshkeel to release this series, though I have a feeling it is going to bomb pretty hard. Despite getting some attention when first announced, The 99 really fizzled quickly in terms of American exposure. Having read a large chunk of issues (thanks to Fabian Nicieza for sending them to me a few years back), I found that it was enjoyable. Unfortunately, I’m not sure most American comic book readers are going to jump on board for a team-up between the JLA and characters they’ve never heard of spinning out of a culture they may not know much of or, sadly, in many cases may have a disdain for.
CONCLUSION
That's what caught our eye for October. We also wanted to mention briefly that we were quoted in one of the text blurbs for Avengers Academy #5. Pretty cool, huh? Anyway, what are you most interested in for October? Let us know in the comments section.
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6 comments:
All these Batman books and no complaints? I smell bias.
*crowd boos* Oh, what? What? Too soon?
Atlantis Attack Omnibus!
...not.
Back in the day artists often drew several books a month without much effort. JRjr would regularly draw two books a month and often as many as three or four at a time, plus covers.
Yeah, I know they didn't draw with the insane detail of many of today's artists. They also didn't have computers to aid them and had to do every last bit of the process by hand. So it evens out.
I think the issue with Batman is that it often makes sense. When he's part of JLA he is often there for arcs at a time, his character is that he's there to help but his main gig is in Gotham. The multiple books tell stories that take place mostly through the course of a week but told over 4-6 months (so multiple stories told at the same time but can be assumed take place at different times).
The avengers books have had this rogue team on the run together feel for some time, giving Wolvie less excuse for dipping out to run x-force (which seems to be doing jobs together at all times), working with the uncanny team (which seems to spend more time chilling at utopia/former hq), and galavanting around the world with astonishing team (which would make him an international/dimensional fugitive?). Wolverine also is drastically different as a character in the different books.
Deadpool is just annoying.
hey guys, that title is insulting... "Is Batman the New Deadpool?" come on!!!
Deadpool will never reach even the ankles of the godamn batman!!! By the way, I really love more batbooks but my poket don´t =(
Sastry
What I wonder about is how important will all of the Batman one shots be towards the main return of bruce wayne story. Ideally I would only want to pick up the Morrison written issues but if the others prove essential I would just drop the Bat books now. That's just too many books.
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