Tag: Batman

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC returns to Wednesdays with ‘Absolute Power’

Check out new comics arriving this week by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Kaare Andrews, Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Stephen Mooney, Soo Lee, Matt Wagner, Mara Llovet, Steve Foxe, Lynne Yoshii, Jeffrey Brown, Steve Orlando and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

The stars move back into alignment this week as DC returns to Wednesdays for single-issue new releases, after shifting to Tuesday releases at the beginning of the pandemic. This brings them back in sync with the rest of the industry, making things easier and less confusing for fans and retailers. Trades and graphic novels will continue to be released on Tuesdays, to keep them in line with bookstore schedules (and is fairly common practice for some other publishers as well). And the timing is perfect, since this week brings both the first issue of Absolute Power, their big summer crossover, and Batman #150.

(Update for Tuesday: if you buy your comics digitally, DC’s are available on Amazon today.)

This week also brings Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #0, which was only announced last week in a surprise that spun out of Blood Hunt #4. Hopefully your retailer had a chance to order it, so you might want to ask about it if you don’t see it on shelves.

I’ve pulled out some of the other highlights for this week below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Jeph Loeb + Tim Sale’s most beloved Batman story gets a sequel in September

Loeb will team with Eduardo Risso, Klaus Janson and more for ‘The Last Halloween.’

Prior to his death, Tim Sale was working with his frequent collaborator Jeph Loeb on a sequel to their career-defining Batman maxi-series, The Long Halloween. That sequel will continue on, according to DC, who officially announced The Last Halloween at MCM London last month.

Loeb will write the 10-issue series and will be joined by a different artist on each issue, starting with 100 Bullets artist Eduardo Risso. Klaus Janson, known for his work on books like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Daredevil, will draw the second issue, while Mark Chiarello, the former art director for DC, will draw the third issue. They’ll be joined by letterer Richard Starkings, who worked on the original series, and colorist Dave Stewart.

“Batman The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween is Tim Sale’s parting gift to me,” Loeb said. “Tim and I had already decided to tell this last chapter following Batman: The Long Halloween Special, which will serve as the prologue to this 10-part action-packed mystery.”

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Jenny Sparks will return in a DC Black Label miniseries by Tom King + Jeff Spokes

The six-issue miniseries, which also features Batman and Captain Atom, begins in August.

The leader of The Authority will return in a new miniseries by Tom King and Jeff Spokes this summer. Jenny Sparks will be published by DC’s Black Label imprint and will feature Batman and Captain Atom as well.

“Jenny Sparks is an epic, thrilling, mind-blowing series in the tradition of Strange Adventures, Mister Miracle and The Human Target,” King said. “The Spirit of the 20th Century comes to the 21st to try to save five men and women taken hostage by an out-of-control and infinitely powered Captain Atom. Through this lens, we’ll explore the grip of Jenny’s time on our own; how, despite all our desperate prayers, the sins of our past refuse to die away. Featuring astonishing art by Jeff Spokes (seriously, it’s so damn good), Jenny Sparks seeks to set the bar in superhero comics, to show how our heroes can illuminate and define our moment.”

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‘Absolute Power’ corrupts absolutely in DC’s July titles

Amanda Waller and friends have big plans for DC’s heroes and villains.

DC has revealed more details about their upcoming Absolute Power crossover series, including a companion series titled Absolute Power: Task Force VII and Absolute Power: Origins, which will tell the “definitive history” of Amanda Waller.

These follow the Free Comic Book Day issue in May and the prelude issue that comes out in June that we learned about earlier this year.

The press release also gives some information on Amanda Waller and the Trinity of Evil‘s plans — using Failsafe, Brainiac Queen and Amazo to capture the super powers of every superhero and villain on Earth. As a squad of Amazo robots captures the powers of DC’s mightiest heroes, leaving them powerless, a “league” of resistors led by Batman starts to form. Each issue of Absolute Power: Task Force VII will be by a different creative team and will be focused on a different Amazo who has stolen someone’s powers, including Last Son (Superman), Depth Charge (Aquaman) and Jadestone (Green Lantern).

You can find more details on Absolute Power and the tie-ins below.

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‘Robin Lives!’ will show what might have happened if Jason Todd never died

‘From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives!’ kicks off in July.

The death of Jason Todd at the hands of the Joker — aided by a 1-900 number and 5,343 fans — is a story that has lived in infamy within the annals of comicdom since “Batman: Death in the Family” first hit comic shelves in 1988. But what if Robin hadn’t died? What if 73 more people had called the number that asked DC not to kill him?

Writer J.M. DeMatteis and artist Rick Leonardi will explore that alternate reality in From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! (Which is quite the title; maybe they should have just called it “Life in the Family”) The four-issue miniseries follows last year’s “faux-simile” edition of Batman #428, which featured the alternative ending to the story that Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo created back in the 1980s in case fans showed Jason Todd mercy.

“Continuing this classic, and controversial, story and following in the footsteps of Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, two creators I greatly admire, has been both a challenge and a joy,” said DeMatteis. “This is a great opportunity to tell a story that’s big on action, but also takes a very deep dive into the heads of our main characters as we ponder what would have happened if Jason Todd had survived The Joker’s brutal attack. And having a master like Rick Leonardi bringing it to life visually? I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

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Quick Hits | DC is looking into whether Andrea Sorrentino used AI to create art for a recent ‘Batman’ story

Plus: Steve Ditko is a Disney Legend, Ngozi Ukazu, Denny O’Neil, banned books and more!

DC is investigating whether artist Andrea Sorrentino used AI to create some of the artwork in a recent Batman arc. Sorrentino contributed some of the artwork to the recent “The Joker Year One” story that ran in Batman #142-144, and that work has come into question as to whether he drew it or if he used AI in some capacity.

A spokesperson for DC Comics told indy100 that”DC Comics has longstanding policies in place that all artwork must be the artist’s original work. We are looking into the specifics of this situation.”

The concern was initially raised on social media by James Leech, who expressed his concerns that Sorrentino hadn’t drawn the artwork himself. “First off, there are the usual telltale signs – strange anatomy, errors a human is unlikely to make. The weird hands, Joker being insanely ripped in one panel and wasting away in another. His wandering nipples!” Leech said. “Secondly, there’s the style, which Sorrentino doesn’t appear to have used before outside of a couple of instagram posts. His other work is very distinctive – heavily photo-referenced, high contrast lighting. This is quite a departure from that. Not enough on its own, but telling.”

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Jeffrey Brown returns for a second ‘Batman and Robin and Howard’ graphic novel at DC

‘Summer Breakdown’ continues the story of Damian Wayne’s middle school years with his rival-turned-friend Howard.

Jeffrey Brown’s 2021 graphic novel Batman and Robin and Howard was a delight, so I’m happy to see that DC has announced a sequel to the story that featured Damian, his middle-school rival Howard and a dad joke-spouting Batman.

“Having the opportunity to make a second DC middle grade book, I first thought I’d come up with all new characters and a new story with a different superhero,” Brown said. “But as I started writing, I kept thinking about Robin and Howard (and Batman, of course), and eventually realized what I really wanted to do was continue their story. The sequel gives a different look at family life for Damian when he isn’t Robin, and more action when he is – but hopefully readers will still find all the same humor and heart that I tried to put into the first book.”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | The next generation of Ninja Turtles returns

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, Peach Momoko, Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Derek Kirk Kim, Greg Weisman, Humberto Ramos, Eduardo Risso, Paul Reiser, Lara Pickle, Johnny Ryan, Katie Cook and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. It’s a pretty big week, with the launch of a sequel to last year’s best-selling superhero graphic novel, not to mention another new Ultimate Universe title from Marvel, a new take on classic Bat-Man and the return of Derek Kirk Kim to comics. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Spawn reaches its 350th issue

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Todd McFarlane, Carlo Barberi, Brett Booth, Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, Mirka Andolfo, Dan Mora, Mark Waid, Sarah Mai, Zac Thompson and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Spawn reaches its 350th issue”

Can’t Wait for Comics | Love & ThunderCats

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week by Declan Shalvey, Drew Moss, Zoe Tunnell, Dani Pendergast, Bryan Hill, Stefano Caselli, Ram V, Chris Claremont, Amy Jo Johnson, Marguerite Abouet, Clement Oubrerie and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. February, the official Month of Love™, is here, and with it come several Valentine’s Day specials. This week also brings the launch of ThunderCats, which reportedly has almost 200K in pre-orders. ThunderCats ho!

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Love & ThunderCats”

Question everything you know about the Joker in ‘The Joker Year One’

‘Batman’ goes weekly in February as DC delves into the Joker’s past and future.

DC promises to reveal untold secrets about the origin of the Joker in an upcoming Batman story next year, titled “The Joker Year Zero.,” which will run through three weekly issues in February.

The new storyline is by writer Chip Zdarsky, artist Giuseppe Camuncoli, inker Stefano Nesi, and colorist Alejandro Sánchez, with artist Andrea Sorrentino and colorist Dave Stewart drawing a “juxtaposed” story. It’ll follow the current Batman arc, “Mindbomb,” which also features the Joker.

Here’s a look at the two different art styles, starting with Camuncoli, Nesi and Sánchez’s tribute to The Killing Joke:

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‘Dawn of DC’ continues into 2024 with ‘Suicide Squad: Dream Team,’ ‘House of Brainiac’ + more

Amanda Waller has big plans for the DCU next year.

If you were wondering if the Dawn of DC — and its snappy graphics — would continue into 2024, you are in luck. Today DC revealed a teaser for the “trinity of evil” that will hit after the big Beast World crossover that kicks off later this month.

Without further ado, here’s the new teaser image, promising something “evil” for next year:

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