Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s August titles. Hit the links for more info.
DC will end the summer with two different crossovers featuring their two biggest characters, as Batman and Gotham are engaged in the Bad Seeds crossover and Superman returns just in time for another showdown with the forces of General Zod. August also brings another Batman and Robin: Year One series from the superstar team of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee, and all the “Next Level” titles, including Batwoman, Zatanna and Deathstroke, will be featured in Next Level: One Shot #1, a single round fired by Deadshot.
Beyond those big, previously covered items, there’s a lot more to see from DC in August, so let’s jump in.
New Titans
Let’s start with New Titans; if you’ve been following the title recently, you know it’s gotten not only a name change and new creative team, but also a whole new line-up. August will bring another new, high-profile member — Static, star of both Milestone Comics and his own cartoon, once upon a time.
New Titans #38 follows Static as his path intersects with that of Jon Kent, a.k.a. Superman, at Mount Titans, just as an emissary from Wonder Girl’s tribe arrives seeking Yara Flor’s help against a rising force in the Amazon rainforests of Brazil. As the Titans prepare for their first major mission, Static steps into a team grappling with internal tensions and a threat powerful enough to challenge even their combined abilities.
July’s New Titans #37 will feature a four-page prelude, showing us Virgil Hawkins’ path from The Kids Are All Fight and The Dakota Incident to the Titans. New Titans #38 is written by Tate Brombal with art by Sami Basri and a main cover, shown above by Taurin Clarke. Variant covers are by Dike Ruan and Lucas Meyer, along with a foil variant by Dike Ruan:
Look for it in stores on Aug. 19
Batman
DC hasn’t made a big deal out of this one — there’s no press release I can link to here — but the solicits for Batman #12 makes it sound like they’re introducing a potentially major character to the cast:
As the Caped Crusader races to uncover who set this deadly plan in motion, the late Alfred Pennyworth provides a gift from beyond the grave with the arrival of a brilliant new ally to the Bat-Family at a time when it needs one most.
Is Bruce Wayne getting a new butler? Is that her on the cover? Is she related to Alfred in some way? So many question. Hopefully we’ll get some answers when Batman #12 by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez (who also did the cover) arrives Aug. 5.
The Flash
It wasn’t that long ago that Tom Bondurant and I were chatting on Discord about why we don’t see more crossover between DC’s heroes and villains, i.e. why Batman doesn’t fight Captain Cold, etc. I think DC was listening, because The Flash #36 will feature Wally West going to Metropolis and throwing down with Superman’s foes. It doesn’t look like it’ll go well for him, based on the cover.
The Flash #36 by Ryan North and Gavin Guidry arrives Aug. 26.
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy
Over on the Vertigo side of the house, one of the many titles DC announced for the imprint last year debuts in August. Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy is by Ram V and Mike Perkins, who previously worked together on Swamp Thing.
This new title combines espionage and the supernatural:
Twenty-three-year-old Darren Burroughs out of Audubon, Pennsylvania, is a “gifted” rookie sent under the guise of a diplomatic aide to train with Division Nine—an obscure, outdated, and easily dismissed arm of British intelligence that specializes in dealing with paranormal incidents. In the right sort of spy circles, they’re known by a different, more feared name…Black Tower.
It’s 2026, and in the age of cyber warfare and drone strikes, someone is plotting to steal the head of a giant-king to break a centuries-old ward that has kept invading forces out of Britain. Magic and espionage collide as the Black Tower’s band of misfits, led by the enigmatic Alistair Romeo, delves into a maelstrom of spells and silencers, working against time and in the shadows to fight the esoteric battles bubbling under the surface of our visible wars.
Here’s a look inside:
The first, 40-page issue comes out Aug. 26.
JLA/Avengers
Marvel and DC’s renewed bromance has brought us new collections of older material as well as new crossovers with Batman, Deadpool, Superman, Spider-Man and many more. Speaking of classic material, this month brought the debut of reprints of the original JLA/Avengers crossover by Kurt Busiek and George Perez. I think this is the best crossover the two companies produced, but I wouldn’t put up much of a fight if you wanted to argue that no, the X-Men/Teen Titans crossover was the best. As soon as you mentioned Walt Simonson, I’d fold instantly.
But nevermind that — in July and August, issues #3 and #4 of JLA/Avengers Facsimile Edition will land, and each will feature a connecting variant cover by Alex Ross. Here’s the Marvel half:
And here’s the DC half:
These covers are a homage to George Pérez’s cover of 1983’s Comics Interview Special Edition #6. You can read the interview from that issue here, where Pérez spoke about the cancellation of the first JLA/Avengers attempt. Little bit of history for ya …
And while we’re talking about Alex Ross, it’s been 30 years since Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Ross debuted, so DC is doing a new collection with a new cover by the artist later this fall:
It also includes new retrospective afterwords by both Ross and Waid. It comes out Oct. 6.
Graphic Novels
Looking a bit further into the future, DC revealed several upcoming graphic novels in their solicits, so let’s take a look at them. First up, coming in November is Kanga-U: Tricks and Transformation, which I believe is the third graphic novel from Sholly Fisch and Yancey Labat featuring Wonder Woman and the “Kanga Krew” having adventures on Themyscira. This one follows the last one, where the Krew ended up in the fabled labyrinth of the minotaur:
Having escaped the infamous Labyrinth with some monster friends in tow, the Kanga Krew and the Amazons have temporarily settled the dangerous creatures on Transformation Island. But Themyscira is divided over what to do next with their recently acquired neighbors. As tension fills the air, the stage is set for kanga-monium…and that’s exactly what erupts when a series of mystical artifacts go missing from Themyscira. The Amazons are sure the new arrivals are to blame, while the creatures protest their innocence. But fewer and fewer of the Amazons believe them. Even the kangas are divided—especially when one of the Amazons is attacked…
It comes out Nov. 3.
Birds of Prey: The Origins by Sara Shepard and Stephanie Pepper was originally announced for last year, but it looks like Harley and the gang will finally make it onto shelves this year. The Birds are recast as students at Gotham Prep, where strange things are happening to the students, and they’ve got to band together to solve the mystery. It also comes out Nov. 3.
Back in 2024, DC announced their first three vertical-scrolling comics for their digital comics app, called DC Go. Now those three comics are coming to print, starting with the very cheeky Nothing Butt Nightwing, along with Harley Quinn in Paradise and Renaissance of Raven.
All three collections will arrive Oct. 6.
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