No new ongoings launch in August; a big part of that is the fact that we’re still mid-“Dark Crisis,” and so the books seem more or less set until that event wraps. But there’s lots of interesting stuff closing out the summer. Let’s dig in.
10. The winner…and NEW champion
When this was originally announced, I ranked it as the top choice for that month. It was delayed a few months, and while it is still my most anticipated book of August, I felt that I couldn’t put the same title in the top spot for two different months.
THE NEW CHAMPION OF SHAZAM! #1
Written by JOSIE CAMPBELL
Art and cover by EVAN “DOC” SHANER
Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
1:25 variant cover by GARY FRANK
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 4 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/2/22
Mary Bromfield has always struggled to determine who she is outside her family…kinda hard to do when you’re all superheroes! Now, after Billy Batson’s heroic sacrifice, the power of Shazam has vanished, and she’s been left powerless. Most heroes would be distraught, but not Mary. It’s finally time for a voyage of self-discovery as she prepares for her freshman year of college and a civilian life. But nothing is ever truly normal for this young hero, because she’s just been chosen as the new champion of Shazam! (At least
according to a talking rabbit sent by her estranged brother Billy.) Will she embrace the power? Or will it die along with this world’s hope of survival against the mysterious magical forces waiting to take control? Find out in Mary’s first solo miniseries, brought to you by up-and-coming comics writer Josie Campbell (Future State: Green Lantern) and fan-favorite Shazam artist Evan “Doc” Shaner (Strange Adventures, Convergence: Shazam!)!
9. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to lay DCeased to rest
Tom Taylor has come a long way at DC, but at one point, he was the ‘Injustice’ guy, which gave him a reputation for being able to pump out cool alt-reality stories. This led to him doing his take on Marvel Zombies, “DCeased.” As much as I’d like to groan and bitch about this series being a waste of Taylor’s talents, it is actually a really compelling story that Taylor’s been weaving. And with ‘War of the Undead Gods,’ he is wrapping up that story. While I’m very glad that Taylor has moved onto bigger fish at DC, I’m also glad that he’s able to close out this story in his own way.
DCEASED: WAR OF THE UNDEAD GODS #1
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE and ANDY LANNING
Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Variant cover by DAN MORA
Acetate variant cover by KAEL NGU
1:25 variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
1:50 variant cover by SUN KHAMUNAKI
Virgin homage 1:100 variant cover by DAN MORA
“Body Bag” variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 8 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/9/22
What began as a battle for Earth has become a war for the galaxy as the epic final chapter in the massive DCeased franchise is here!The emergence of a reborn, undead Darkseid in DCeased: Dead Planet sets the stage for the most devastating conflict yet for Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman! As the Anti-Life Equation spreads into the cosmos, the survivors of Earth prepare for the coming apocalypse and realize their only hope could lie in the most powerful surviving hero from the first DCeased series…
The bestselling creative team of Tom Taylor and Trevor Hairsine return for their third and final installment in War of the Undead Gods!
8. “An icon dras an icon” lol
Look, I would never presume that my tastes are everyone’s tastes, but I think calling Lee Bermejo an ‘icon’ in the solicit text is going a little far with this. A month after we lost Neal Adams and George Pérez, two indisputable icons, it seems a little silly to call a guy who a lot of people like an icon, isn’t it? And yes, Bermejo is not my particular taste, but I would object just as much if, say, Cully Hamner was called an icon, and Hamner has worked more and for longer at DC than Bermejo has. Icon should be reserved for the true game-changing creators out there.
Continued belowSo, it probably comes as no surprise that this book is 100% not for me.
BATMAN: DEAR DETECTIVE #1
Written by LEE BERMEJO
Art and cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:25 variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
1:50 foil variant cover by LEE BERMEJO
$7.99 US | 56 pages | Prestige Plus | | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″| One-shot
ON SALE 9/6/22
BERMEJO AND BATMAN: AN ICON DRAWS AN ICON.
What happens when a comics art powerhouse meets one of the greatest, most exciting heroes of all time? One part prestige art book, one part compelling noir tale, this one-of-a-kind edition collects some of Lee Bermejo’s most jaw-dropping Batman covers woven together to tell a story that strikes right at the heart of the Dark Knight’s never-ending crusade.
7. Who is the Screech?
DC’s holiday/theme anthologies are always fun, and I love a good Saved by the Bell reference. Plus, this sees the return of Art and Franco to DC, and there’s nothing to not celebrate about that. Plus, more Gotham Academy? Come on, just take my money now, DC.
DC SAVED BY THE BELLE REVE #1
Written by ART BALTAZAR, FRANCO, ANDREW AYDIN, DAN WATTERS,
BECKY CLOONAN, BRENDEN FLETCHER, TIM SEELEY, BRANDON
THOMAS, PETER J. TOMASI, and DAVE WIELGOSZ
Art by ART BALTAZAR, NELSON DÁNIEL, JUAN FERREYRA,
KARL KERSCHL, MIKE NORTON, SCOTT KOLINS, and CRAIG CERMAK
Cover by JUNI BA
Variant cover by RILEY ROSSMO
$9.99 US | 80 pages | Prestige Format
ON SALE 8/30/22
School’s back in session, and we just know you’re waiting for the BELLE to give you some REVElief…all right, you can’t say we didn’t try! DC Saved by the Belle Reve’s
halls are packed with eight tales of schooltime fun from around the DC Universe! The Suicide Squad is sent to an international prep school to protect a dignitary’s
son! Jean-Paul Valley returns to the school that made him into Azrael! Plus, a return to Tiny Titans by Art Baltazar and Franco, and a new school year starts at Gotham
Academy! So grab your pencils and notebooks and get educated!
6. I will never understand this
One of DC’s biggest bungles of the past few years has been the Yara Flor rollout. After all the buzz in the world came off of her ‘Future State’ appearances, the series was often-delayed, plagued by fill-in art, and seemed to be treading water the entire time. Then it was cancelled, but sort of resurrected as part of ‘Trial of the Amazons.’ And now, we are getting an annual with a bunch of small stories, all written by Joëlle Jones and drawn by other artists. I mean, I love all of these artists, I’m just not sure what DC is doing with this property at all.
WONDER GIRL 2022 ANNUAL #1
Written by JOËLLE JONES
Art by ADRIANA MELO, SWEENEY BOO,
JILL THOMPSON, and EMI LENOX
Cover by JOËLLE JONES
Variant cover by CHRIS WILDGOOSE
1:25 variant cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
$5.99 | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/30/22
After an unforgettable first visit to Themyscira (see Trial of the Amazons), Yara Flor has been crowned Wonder Girl and her Esquecida tribe accepted into the Amazon sisterhood…so what now? The jungles of Brazil beckon our heroes home, just in time for some new adventures! You won’t want to miss this oversize issue packed with never-before-seen stories about the mysterious new tribe and their most famous member!
5. Just make a second Wonder Woman title, for Gaia’s sake
This ties into the weirdness with “Wonder Girl.” Since Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad came onto “Wonder Woman,” they have been trying to expand the Amazonian content at DC. Nubia, Artemis, and Yara have all had series or one-shots that are building them up into a better supporting cast for Diana than we’ve seen in years. And now, we are getting a Hippolyta one-shot. It seems amazingly clear that DC doesn’t need to flood the market with all of these secondary and tertiary Wonder books, but rather just give us a second monthly Wonder Woman ongoing. She debuted in “Sensation Comics.” Just give us that alongside “Detective” and “Action.” It makes too much sense, and it would collect all these stories under one roof. “Wonder Woman” can be her solo adventures, “Sensation” can be the broader Amazons book, with plenty of Diana tossed in.
Continued belowOLYMPUS: REBIRTH #1
Written by BECKY CLOONAN and MICHAEL W. CONRAD
Art by CAITLIN YARSKY
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
Variant cover by TULA LOTAY
1:25 variant cover by LEE WEEKS
$5.99 US | 48 pages | One-shot | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/23/22
After years of bitter and violent conflict, the Greek pantheon of gods stands united to welcome their latest goddess…Hippolyta of Themyscira!Due to her heroic efforts in the mortal realm, the former queen has earned her rightful place among the gods and plans to use her newfound powers to take care of her Amazon sisters from beyond. Little does she know, some of the gods are wary of the new future Hippolyta brings and will do just about anything to stop it!
Join the Wonder Woman writing duo of Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad—along with artist Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer) in her DC debut—for an unforgettable new adventure on Mount Olympus. It’s only the beginning of many exciting things to come for Wonder Woman and her world!
4. Way harsh, Tai
I love that DC has been doing more in the bookstore/young reader market and “Green Lantern: Legacy” is one of the better titles DC has released in that vein. Mihn Le and Andie Tong made an instantly compelling character that both fits into the larger Green Lantern mythos and is perfectly accessible on its own. I’m glad there’s a sequel coming out this year, and I expect Tai Pham to cross over into the mainline DCU before the end of 2023.
GREEN LANTERN: ALLIANCE
Written by MINH LE
Art and cover by ANDIE TONG
$9.99 US | 144 pages | 5-1/2″ x 8″ | Softcover
ISBN: 978-1-77950-380-0
ON SALE 10/18/22
It’s only been a few months since Green Lantern Tai Pham inherited his ring from his ba and defeated his nemesis, Xander Griffin. But Tai knows their last battle was only the beginning, and even though no one believes him, Tai is determined to prove that Xander is up to his old tricks again.When a string of fires starts popping up around Coast City, Tai finds himself stretched thin as he struggles to keep up with school, training, working at the store, and following Xander’s trail. That is, until a new hero, Kid Flash, shows up on the scene with an offer to help. Can the heroes find the arsonist before it’s too late?
3. Someone call Daniel Powter
Look, I’m not immune to a gimmick now and then. DC doing a series of one shots by notable creators under the “One Bad Day” header is a fun idea. 64 page prestige format books are a nostalgic thing for me too, so I’m in the bag for this series. While the pairing of Tom King and Mitch Gerads is an obvious one for something like this, I’m a little bummed that the first book out of the chute is done by an established DC team. G. Willow Wilson and Jamie McKelvie or Tom Taylor and Ivan Reis are far more interesting in this context, but I get why DC would want to start with their Eisner-bait pair.
Continued belowBATMAN – ONE BAD DAY: THE RIDDLER #1
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by MITCH GERADS
Variant cover by JIM LEE
1:25 variant cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
1:50 variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
1:100 variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND
$7.99 US | 64 Pages | Prestige
ON SALE 8/16/22
The Dark Knight’s greatest villains get their greatest stories yet! The Riddler, Two-Face, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman, Bane, Clayface, and Ra’s al Ghul—Batman’s most iconic villains are all given 64-page Prestige format specials that show why they are the greatest villains in all of comics, spearheaded by today’s top talent.We begin with Batman – One Bad Day: The Riddler! Tom King and Mitch Gerads, the Eisner Award–winning duo behind Mister Miracle, The Sheriff of Babylon, and Strange Adventures, reunite to dive deep into the mind of Batman’s most intellectual foe…the Riddler. The Riddler has killed a man in broad daylight for seemingly no reason, but…there’s always a reason. The Riddler is always playing a game, there are always rules. Batman will reach his wits’ end trying to figure out the Riddler’s true motivation in this epic psychological thriller; this is not to be missed!
2. No more task forces!
I love the idea of this month-long “Harley Quinn” event that sees the book go monthly and bring in a few team for an adventure on the moon. Luke Fox! Bronze Tiger! Solomon Grundy! This is fun!
But then, they had to go and call it “Task Force XX.” This is second only to Martha Wayne’s pearls in overused DC tropes as of late. Please, I am begging you, give the ‘Task Force’ thing a rest. We get it, we really do. Just let me enjoy this comic without that baggage, please.
HARLEY QUINN #18
Written by STEPHANIE PHILLIPS
Art by GEORGES DUARTE
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS
Variant cover by DERRICK CHEW
1:25 variant cover by ROSE BESCH
Homage variant cover by RYAN SOOK
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/2/22
One small step for the Gotham villains, one giant leap for clown-kind! That’s right…this fashionably vocal clown is headed to space. Turns out there’s some old experiment left in the JLA moon base, and Luke Fox has put together a team of former villains to help clean up the mess.Sendin’ a buncha villains to the moon…? What could go right? Join me, Killer Frost, Bronze Tiger, Solomon Grundy, and more as we learn to moonwalk and put the X in Task Force XX!
1. Extend the miniseries by 94 issues
One of the facts that the DC3cast loves to point out is that, in the 90s, comics were so wild that “Azrael” ran for 100 issues. While we’ve been pining for longer runs for some time now, Azrael hasn’t had a story that begs for 100 issues in a long time. That is, until Dan Watters started writing him in both “Batman Urban Legends” and “Arkham City: The Order of the World.” Now this is an Azrael story that begs for more. While 6 issues isn’t exactly 100, it’s a good start.
SWORD OF AZRAEL #1
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art and cover by NIKOLA ČIŽMEŠIJA
Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
1:25 variant cover by CLAIRE ROE
1:50 variant cover by JOE QUESADA and TOMEU MOREY
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/2/22
The warrior angel of St. Dumas returns! Jean-Paul Valley does not want to be Azrael ever again. All it has brought him is pain, violence, and misery. He has sequestered himself away at a monastery in Europe to find peace. But when a young woman who claims to have the same System programming that made Jean-Paul into Azrael arrives at the monastery, he won’t have a choice but to don his violent mantle of Azrael once more to protect her from the deadly assassins who wish her harm.From the rising star creative team of Dan Watters (Arkham City: The Order of the World, Lucifer) and Nikola Čižmešija (Batman: Urban Legends, Future State: Gotham) this miniseries will redefine one of the Batman world’s most iconic and fierce characters.
See the full solicitations over at Newsarama.
