Thoughts On Solicitations for June 2009

A new feature at the Weekly Crisis, solicitation commentary! Kirk, Matt and I will comment on any solicitation that stand out to us. Note, we don't provide every solicitation but there are links to the full lists. Also, since this is a new feature, any and all suggestions and comments on how you would like this done are always welcome. Now, on to the solicitations.

For DC, they are once again marked by absent comics even though the Bat-line relaunched. No, Adventure Comics, Superman: Secret Origin, Batgirl, or Justice League (though JLA #31 mentions that it is beginning in July). As for Marvel, they continue to flood the market with Dark Reign related books. Anyway, hit the jump to find out more.

Dark Horse

Rapture #2 of 6

Eric Says: A creator owned series by Michael Avon Oeming and his wife, Taki Soma. I like what little of Oeming's work I've read and this title definitely looks interesting. The solicitation describes the books set up pretty well for any of you who are interested. You can check out a teaser from MySpace presents Dark Horse here.


Werewolves on the Moon: Versus Vampires #1 of 3

Eric Says: Okay, this is just odd on multiple levels. Not quite sure what to think. Sounds like it could be fun but these kinds of books tend to go bad pretty fast.


Image

Invincible #63

Eric Says: Yep, definitely a Kirkman comic.

Kirk Says: Wow, that's a pretty hardcore cover.

Matt Says: I wonder if he really is going to lose that hand in the comic, it looks like it's about to come off. It would be a nice parallel with Rex Splode who also lost his hand earlier in the series.



The Walking Dead #62

Matt Says: "The most explosive story-arc in WALKING DEAD history"? That is quite a boast to make about Walking Dead. My guess? The zombies have figured out the secrets to internal combustion and things are about to go very sour for the survivors.

Young Blood #10

Eric Says: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. That cover, and solicit, are just hilarious.

Matt Says: Ahh, good ol' Rob trying to cash in on a little bit of Obamania...again. It looks like the President lost his left hand somehow.

Viking #2

Eric Says: Still not sure I am going to check the series out at some point. The solicit doesn't really help either. Seems like there is going to be a lot of violence, which could be just fine if done right, but I'd probably need to a that there is a solid plot in order to get interested in this series.


DC Comics

Action Comics Annual #12

Eric Says: Obviously, some back story on Nightwing and Flamebird is a good idea but I have idea why they are acting like their identities haven't been revealed. Strange.


Batman and Robin #1

Eric Says: A must buy and it looks like it is just going to be a lot of fun.

Kirk Says: Didn't care for any of Morrison's Batman run post-League of Batmen arc, but I'll be picking this one up to see how he handles Dick and Damien. The worst part about this book is the variant cover, which requires retailers to order 250 copies to get 1, yes, 1 copy of the variant. Go, go 90's speculator craze!

Matt Says: Can we start a pool on how late this comic is going to be? I hate to be such a pessimist, but putting Quitely (whose art I quite enjoy, mind you) on an event-tied and time sensitive comic does not seem like a very good idea.


Batman #687 and Red Robin #1

Eric Says: Books that I might be interested in if not for the creative team. Winick is well, Winick, and Yost really does need a creative partner in my opinion. Based on the solicit, I'm guessing that Red Robin is Tim Drake.

Kirk Says: Disagree on the Yost part. While he's teamed with Kyle a lot, he's done some great work on random Runaways miniseries and some good character work in the X-Men minis he's done. I'll give Red Robin a shot, but not going anywhere near a Winick book.


Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 and Gotham City Sirens #1

Eric Says: Paul Dini's Bat-books. Can't say I actually care about either book but at least the Manhunter back-ups in Streets of Gotham means more Manhunter trades at some point.

Kirk Says: I'll be getting both Dini titles. Loved his and Nyguen's work on Detective and will be taking a look at the Harley/Catwoman/Poison Ivy book in hopes it's in the same vein as his Mad Love and his other DCU animated work.


Booster Gold #21

Eric Says: Batman vs. Booster Gold plus the Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes back-up. Should make a group of fans happy.


Detective Comics #854

Eric Says: It finally arrives! Greg Rucka's and J.H. Williams III Batwoman book, and as Detective Comics no less, a good move on DC's part. It gives the character a slightly higher profile. I also like the inclusion of the Question back-ups since it is really is Detective Comics.

Hopefully, the sales are strong enough to keep Batman out of the title for a while after his return. If so, it could lead to things like Detective Comics staring Nightwing with Martian Manhunter back-ups or something and maybe convince DC to do something similar with Action Comics.

Kirk Says: My most anticipated Bat title. Looking forward to finally getting to see what Rucka has planned for the character and Williams art is just icing on the cake.

Matt Says: I think I am going to read this, haven't decided yet.I hope they let Rucka do his own thing without dragging this character and title into main event on Battle for the Cowl too much.


Ex Machina #43

Matt Says: The slow burn as this series reaches the end (on issue 50) is killing me. Vaughnan is so good, but I am wondering what he will write once he is done with this. I know he was working on the Runaways movie, but I haven't heard about any new comics from him.


Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance, Run!, Escape, and Ink #2

Eric Says: The only ones I am remotely interested in are Dance and Ink. I am planning to pick up Dance based on the creative team alone and I do like the Super Young Team as well. I may check out Ink if I hear good things.


Flash: Rebirth #3

Eric Says: I know Superman has raced the Flash before but has he raced Barry Allen before? Anyone know?

Kirk Says: Goddamn it, Johns, we don't need the 7th or 8th race between these two. Superman has never won these and you even did something similar in your previous Flash run. Stop with the Silver Age fantasies already.

Matt Says: Is there really any debate as to who is faster? It's Flash, but something will happen in the middle of the race that will not let it come to a finish.


Green Lantern #42

Kirk Says: Anyone else keep picturing Hal as one of those seagulls from Finding Nemo? "Mine!".

Matt Says: I know when Hal first got the blue ring, everyone started joking that he would get the whole set. It appears that it is true, but I am still interested. Damn you, Johns!




Justice League of America #34 and Justice Society of America #28

Eric Says: Why is DC bring back old talent instead of trying to find new talent? And not really good old talent either, given what has been said about their recent output. The mind, it boggles.


JSA vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith

Eric Says: A seeming follow up to Rucka's Checkmate run but at least it is written by Eric Trautmann, who was Rucka's co-writer at the end of his run. Could be good.


Power Girl #2

Eric Says: Still not quite sure what to make of this series. What's the point and why should I care? This may change after I read a few previews.


Secret Six #10

Kirk Says: Holy crap, DC hired a decent cover artist? That cover looks fantastic. Thought it was a Thunderbolts cover or some other Marvel property at first.


Superman: World of New Krypton #4

Eric Says: A "Duh! It's so obvious" issue that comics book tend to avoid for some reason. Of course the Green Lantern Corps would be interested in a new planet of super powered beings. Now, I'm sure there is more to it than that since Johns, Rucka and Robinson are all working together on the Superman books so it wouldn't be a problem to at least hint at some Green Lantern stuff.

Kirk Says: Hmm, very promising cover, but I get the feeling we won't see anything remotely similar inside.


Teen Titans #72

Eric Says: The Ravager back-ups and probably a string of fill writers begin.


Wonder Woman #33

Eric Says: I can't believe this was eight issues long. If this doesn't reinvigorate the book, or character, then I think the only option left is, well, probably a complete reboot of the character. Even though I've been hearing nothing too good about the series, I'll probably check out the trade.

Kirk Says: I'm actually trade waiting Wonder Woman these days. Loved what Simone was doing with her in the opening arcs, but kind of lost faith with that fake movie story arc. Really wish I had jumped back on for this, but I can wait for the trade.


Marvel

All-New Savage She-Hulk #3

Eric Says: I may end up getting this series in trade. Van Lente is usually a solid writer and this series seems like it may be worth picking up.

Avengers: The Initiative #25

Eric Says: Looks like an interesting new status quo. Oh, and for once the hype probably matches reality. Well, I'm not sure if it changes the Initiative forever since Dark Reign probably isn't going to last for forever.

Kirk Says: This solicit has actually renewed my faith in this title. I'd been wondering what was going to happen with the Initiative post-Secret Invasion and the lack of direction was one of the biggest detriments of the book for me. I honestly expected this solicit to read, "FINAL ISSUE". Is Norman going to set it up as a training facility for villains to be placed around the country as his 'moles', similar to what the Skrulls were doing?

Matt Says: If they turn this book into a Taskmaster-led team, I will buy three copies of this issue. The Hood (I think that's who it is) on the cover kind of worries me though.


Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1

Eric Says: Oddly, this is not listed on Marvel's site. Anyway, the random Beta Ray Bill one-shot from April actually makes a little more sense. The series looks like it is picking on some threads from the Stormbreaker mini from around the time of Avengers: Disassembled. Oh, it is written by Kieron Gillen, creator of Phonogram, so it is probably worth picking up.


Captain America #600

Kirk Says: No, just no. They just had an issue #50 solicited for this book. This is just a cheap marketing gimmick at this point. Brubaker's run has been basically set in a bubble in his own little corner of the Marvel Universe. The story has been focused and confined almost entirely to what Brubaker was doing with Bucky and didn't rely on any of the previous Captain America runs for anything but basic backstory. Completely self-contained.

There is no reason, whatsoever, for this change other than to get a cheap sales bump. The big number will just intimidate new readers, confuse people over what happened to the old numbering and, in general, do nothing good for the book. Imagine if DC did crap like this every other day of the week by combining old Golden and Silver Age volumes into new anniversary issues every time they relaunched a book? We'd have renumberings and anniversary issues every week. Shame on Marvel.

Matt Says: I am going to have to echo Kirk on this one. A completely stupid move on Marvel's part for a quick spike on the sales numbers. This is especially sad because this title has been selling fine without any Event tie-ins, guest stars, or any other gimmicks.


Captain Britain and MI:13 #14 and Captain Britain and MI:13 Annual

Eric Says: Annuals sell less than their parent series, so why Marvel is putting important plot details in the Annual is not smart at all. Anyway, it is Captain Britain, so you should be buying this.

Matt Says: Hey look, it's that same pose Greg Land uses in every cover. At some point, I hope, some editor is going to take a very long look at one of his covers and put an end to this nonsense.


Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1, Dark Reign: Mister Negative #1 and Dark Reign: Zodiac #1

Eric Says: Marvel loves their useless miniseries don't they?

Kirk Says: The Elektra mini I could see, but Mister Negative? Seriously? Spider-Man gets three or more issues a month and can't build up his own villains in the thrice monthly title? Zodiac? Lethal Legion? I can see maybe a Spidey related mini, but I honestly can't see any appeal of these two.


Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2

Eric Says: Paul Cornell is definitely one of Marvel's rising stars and I think that the Young Avengers are a solid concept so I'll get the trade for this.

Kirk Says: My interest in the Young Avengers has waned over the years and I'll be buying this series on the strength of Paul Cornell's writing and work on Captain Britain & MI13.


Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man #1

Eric Says: This is a series I wanted to like. I like Venom as a character and Barry Kitson is a wonderful artist but, Brian Reed is writing. He is one of the most boring writers around and manages to suck the life out of whatever he is working on.


Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia

Eric Says: The crossover is probably worth picking up for the art alone: Marc Silvestri, Mike Deodato and Terry Dodson. An odd clash of styles to be sure, but they are all favorites of mine. Oh, and Matt Fraction is a favorite writer of mine as well.

Kirk Says: When did they rename the Alpha issue Utopia? I've loathed Fraction's Uncanny run, but have been enjoying Dark Avengers. Still too early to tell if I'll be picking this up or not.

Matt Says: This could be either really good or really bad. Fraction has been very hit or miss for me over on Uncanny X-Men. That's a very striking cover though.

Exiles #3

Matt Says: I loved the original series before they went on the World Tour and Claremont started writing it. I trust Jeff Parker will deliver some good stories on this thing, especially in a title where literally anything can happen.


Marvel Apes: Prime Eight Special

Eric Says: This has gone annoying to, well, I can't exactly to come with a word to describe how much I hate, HATE! this crap. Instead of wasting resources on this, Marvel could actually be putting out something possibly worth reading.

Immortal Iron Fist #27

Matt Says: Canceled or not? Only time will tell, but I hope it isn't. I did not enjoy the first arc after Brubaker/Fraction left, but this new one involving the 8th city has started to capture some of the earlier magic this title had.

New Avengers #54

Kirk Says: From the solicit, "the Avengers finally have a big showdown with the Hood". Finally? Are you freaking kidding me? Finally?!? They've fought the Hood and his crew like 8 times in the last year and a half. I used to like the Hood. I'm sick of him now. It should read, "the final fight with the Hood", meaning we'll never see him again. That's how tired I am of him.

Matt Says: Ms. Marvel is there? Color me surprised...


Nova #26

Eric Says: I was kind of hoping that Richard would stay as Quasar and have Phylla become Captain Marvel to balance it out, but whatever. Nova is still a good book.

Kirk Says: Thought Nova would stay as Quasar for the duration of the War of Kings event. Surprised they've revealed both he'd be Quasar in past solicits and returning as Nova Prime in this one. Glad to see him back though.

Matt Says: It will be interesting to see the dynamic between Nova Prime and the Worldmind after their relationship was seriously strained.


Riftwar #2

Eric Says: A literary adaption, not that Marvel bothers to tell anyone.


Runaways #11

Eric Says: CBR's Robot 6 revealed that Kathryn Immonen and Sarach Pichelli are the new creative team for the title. Definitely something I am going to keep an eye on now.


Skaar: Son of Hulk #12

Eric Says: Once again, Marvel ruins another great concept. Well, at least this time Skaar wasn't really a good book, unlike Planet Hulk.


Squadron Supreme #12

Eric Says: A once great concept comes to an ignominious end.


Thunderbolts #133

Eric Says: Nice to see that Songbird didn't vanish completely because of Dark Reign. Hopefully this leads to some good things for the character down the road. Maybe a Thunderbolts vs. Thunderbolts confrontation eventually?


Wolverine Noir #3

Eric Says: Moore and Smith actually put a pretty good one in done story in Wolverine #41 a while ago so I may check this out if I hear good things.


Collections


Absolute Justice HC(Released in November)

Eric Says: Not sure why this needs the Absolute treatment but that is probably my anti-Alex Ross bias speaking.


Captain Britain and MI:13 Vol 2: Hell Comes to Birmingham TPB

Eric Says: Nice to see that Marvel is not bother with HC for this series. If you missed the single issues, you should buy this.


Dark Reign: Accept Change TPB

Eric Says: The most useless collection since their Saga collection.


Final Crisis: Revelations HC(Released in August)

Eric Says: Probably the only other Final Crisis hardcover I'm getting at this point aside from the one for the main series.


Filthy Rich and Dark Entries HC(Both Released in August)

Eric Says: The first releases from Vertigo's Crime imprint. Of note, they are manga/digest size so the fact that they are hardcovers is a little interesting. Wonder how they will read like that.


Gigantic TPB(Released is August)

Eric Says: Haven't read that much of Remender's work but I've really enjoyed the creator own stuff that I have read. I've heard good things about this series so I'll definitely buy it.


Irredeemable Ant-Man TPB

Eric Says: I find this utterly hilarious. Marvel once said that if sales for collected editions of the serious were good enough, they would relaunch the series, but all they put out at the time were one or two digests. Now, after Kirkman will no longer work at Marvel, they release the trade. Hilarious. Not sure I'm going to buy this though. I generally dislike Kirkman's work and a book about a "despicable human-being", as Marvel describes it, are not always the best reads. Unless they are written by Warren Ellis.


Kabuki Vol 1: Circle of Blood TPB

Eric Says: I've seen the series show up in Marvel's solicits but never actually read anything from the series. Now, I know that David Mack does get some flack as a trace, and some of it is probably deserved, but I have no idea if he is as bad as Greg Land so I'll probably check it out at some point.


Kick-Ass Premier HC

Eric Says: Sold! Basically the same price as buying the single issues so I'm okay with the price.


Light Brigade - New Printing TPB(Released in July)

Eric Says: A creator owned series by Peter Tomasi about a holy war set in War World II. Pretty good and if you enjoy his Green Lantern Corps work you should enjoy this.


Madame Xanadu Vol 1: Disenchanted TPB(Released in July)

Eric Says: The stunning new Vertigo series from 2008. Amy Reeder Hadley's art is magnificent and she was definitely my favorite new artist for 2008, for American style comics anyway as she has put out some creator owned work for Tokyo Pop. Wagner's story was top notch as well.

Kirk Says: This is on my must buy list. Can't wait for this trade to come out. Ten issues if a great series in one trade for $12.99? Sign me up. Probably get it on Amazon for $7.99 or something.


Mice Templar Vol 1 TPB

Eric Says: Definitely buying this. I heard good things about the series and Oeming is a creator whose work I enjoy even though I've read very little of it.

Matt Says: I too have heard many good things about this series. I'm not completely sure what it is all about, but judging by the title and cover, it looks awesome.



Patsy Walker: Hellcat TPB

Eric Says: First off, I'm buying this and so should you secondly, WHY IS THIS DIRECT MARKET ONLY! The series tanked, and tanked badly, in the DM in single issues and Marvel thinks it will do better as a trade? Why? This is something would do a lot better in bookstores and on Amazon.


Spider-Man: Election Day Premier HC

Eric Says: I want to buy this (as a trade down the road) for the John Romita Jr. art and the Matt Fraction Lincoln story but man, there is a lot of junk that comes with it. I'll probably end up passing on it since I didn't exactly hear good things about Character Assassination.


Spider-Man: New Ways to Die TPB

Eric Says: Finally. Been waiting for this. Buying it solely for JRJR's art. Anything else is a bonus though I am not expecting much from this.


Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson Vol 3 TPB Reprint

Kirk Says: These Walt Simonson trades were extremely rare. Glad to see Marvel stepped up and reprinted them. If you've never read them before or think JMS's Thor has been the best Thor comics you've ever read, you MUST buy these trades. Simonson's Thor is the definitive Thor work and one of the best creative runs on any title ever.





Uncanny X-Men: Lovelorn TPB

Eric Says: Finally, some Matt Fraction X-Men without Greg Land "art." Definitely buying this.


WildC.A.T.S. World's End Book One TPB(Released in July)

Eric Says: The first trade for the latest massive status quo change for the Wildstorm Universe. Written by Christos Gage, its a solid superhero tale in a post-apocalyptic setting and recommended if you are looking something different from a superhero story.


Wonder Woman: Amazon's Attack TPB(Released in July)

Eric Says: I'm honestly surprised DC even bothered to put out a trade for this.


X-Men Noir Premier HC.

Eric Says: I want know how much this is going to cost as a trade. I want to get this series but if it is too expensive, it is too expensive. As a hardcover, it costs a $1 more per issue, which were already at an artificially inflated price.


X-Men/Spider-Man HC

Eric Says: I'm buying the trade but I wish Marvel would stop padding their trade collections with random back issues. It is not appreciated.

Related Posts