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December’s Nightwing is going to be one long continuous image:
This broke my brain, but we went for it.
In #Nightwing 87, there are no panels. It's one continuous image. The genius @Bruno_Redondo_F has been working so hard & making something incredible. Check it & preorder now.https://t.co/GogxMs4PDp @jesswchen @Ben_Abernathy @thedcnation— Tom Taylor (@TomTaylorMade) September 16, 2021
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And finally, if there weren’t enough, according to DC, Greene “brings the legacy of the League to life” leading into Justice League vs. the Legion of Super-Heroes!
But is it really the Legion of Super-Heroes, or is it the Legion of Random Character Designs That Talk Like Generic Bendis Characters?
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Well, if it leads to a reset (or a re-re-re-re-re-reset) then maybe in the Fall of 2022 we’ll get Jonathan Hickman’s take on LSH and DC can let him go on a mega-opus untouched. Sounds good to me.
Oh sure, “how could DC justify his page-rate”?
They just get him to take a cheaper rate and a promise of a cut of future movie and TV revenue.
I’m already excited.Or it could just be an event to send Batman to the 31st Century for a year or two in a last ditch attempt at increasing sales.
Brian Michael Bendis on Batman and the Legion of Super-Heroes?Oh, wait…
_______________________________________Bendis on DC’s flagship Batman title? A small meme leads to some big speculation – Newsarama/Gamesradar link
For nearly 20 years people have been speculating about Bendis writing the Batman title, and now it could be happening
When DC signed Brian Michael Bendis to a “multi-faceted” exclusive creator deal in 2017, one of the most obvious potential assignments for the accomplished noir/superhero writer was one of the publisher’s two main Batman titles – Detective Comics or Batman. In the three years and change since then, that speculation/hope among readers was never realized.
But then, Brian Michael Bendis recently tweeted this:
Yes, Bendis wrote a great Batman story with the Walmart-first ‘Batman Universe’ storyline, once famously pitched a Batman/Daredevil crossover in a public forum, and has been featuring Batman as part of an ensemble in his current Justice League series and the evolving Event Leviathan saga.
So his ambiguous tweet could mean a lot of things, especially considering his exclusive DC deal expired, and many of his DC titles came to an end … or in the case of his creator-owned line, are being moved to Dark Horse Comics
But a few things have occurred around the Batman titles that make his tweet worth some pondering.First, writer James Tynion IV very publicly exited the Batman title recently and subsequently explained that he was in talks to write the series for “years” (plural) before he decided to opt-out in favor of creator-owned work.
Now what that did to DC’s schedule nobody but DC knows, but it quickly filled the Batman role with the already-busiest-writer-at-DC, Joshua Williamson (along with artist Jorge Molina), albeit only temporarily … at least as far as we know. DC officially announced Williamson and Molina as creating a four-issue arc beginning in December, as opposed to announcing them as the new Batman regular creative team.
And after a year of twice-monthly shipping for its reliably best-selling ongoing title under Tynion and artist Jorge Jiménez, Batman will return to monthly shipping for at least December, suggesting perhaps the switch from Tynion-Jiménez to Williamson-Molina didn’t happen with enough lead-time to keep the twice-monthly shipping going.
And for the record, as of August, Jiménez tweeted he will remain on Batman after the current ‘Fear State’ crossover and Tynion’s departure, which seems to suggest he knew of plans to start working with a writer while Williamson and Molina give them a few months lead time.
It’s also worth remembering when Tynion originally took over Batman, he said he understood it was to be a short-term run ending with Batman #100 with someone else, already decided at the time, taking over after. That mystery writer(s) has never been publicly confirmed, but we wonder if the same thing could be happening with Williamson.
And that brings us full circle back to Bendis’ tweet, his evolving relationship with DC in the background all this time, and again, his obvious fit for the role.
Could “things change” in context to Batman be about a Bat-window that seemed closed opening up again for Bendis?
Hmm…. that’s a lot of freehand speculation, for sure. DC generally runs a tight ship announcing this sort of thing, but Bendis’s tweet almost certainly means something.
So maybe readers are in store for some interesting Bendis/Batman comics coming in 2022, and if that comes to pass, maybe the story behind it all would make for a compelling sequel to Bendis’ tell-all Fortune and Glory series.
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‘I wish there was a plan:’ The inside story of DC’s infamous New 52 reboot
On Aug. 31, 2011, the comic book industry was supposed to change forever. The release of Justice League #1 wouldn’t just relaunch the premier superteam of DC Comics with a new origin story, but be the first of 52 new comic book series that would establish a fresh incarnation of the main DC universe. The initiative, launching throughout September 2011, was called “The New 52,” and it marked the company’s first attempt in more than two decades to hit the reset button on its sprawling continuity. Every superhero in the DC universe was in for a major update, with the hope of attracting a new generation of readers who could turn the publisher’s fortunes around.
Debuting to impressive sales, the New 52 temporarily made DC Comics the dominant force in the industry. The event redefined the company’s reputation among fans and creators — for good and ill, with as many upset about the wholesale rejection of decades of stories as excited about the new beginning it offered. Outside of comics, meanwhile, Hollywood’s coinciding superhero boom came along just in time for the New 52’s updated origin stories to inform Warner Bros.’ Justice League, Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, and Shazam! franchises, enshrining those changes in the minds of millions of moviegoers.
But the relaunch soon ran into trouble. Within months of its kickoff, sales of the New 52 fell on all but a handful of titles, leading to multiple cancellations and the creation of a number of replacement series that themselves would be brought to quick conclusions due to lack of sales. Behind the scenes, many creators were dealing with confusing and contradictory instructions given to them by editors and executives, or worrying about their job stability as the company tried to regain the momentum the New 52 had in its initial weeks. Of the many prominent participants Polygon contacted for this piece, many declined to speak on the subject, preferring to put a stressful period behind them.
In the end, the industry didn’t change forever as a result of the New 52 — and, in fact, neither did the DC universe. Within years, 2016’s DC Universe Rebirth, 2017’s Doomsday Clock, and 2019’s Dark Knights: Death Metal undid the continuity changes of the reboot, piece by piece. Nonetheless, the New 52 proved to be a seismic event in comics, demonstrating that one of the two largest publishers in the industry was willing to bet everything — even its own history — for the potential of a larger fan base, and what doing so actually meant in practice.
As the New 52 celebrates its 10-year anniversary, those responsible reconsider what the event, the line, and the reboot itself meant for them.
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It’s interesting as I seem to remember it was pretty well known at the time that it was a sudden and slightly panicky reboot with no real plan – runs suddenly getting abruptly curtailed ahead of the relaunch, and loads of erratic and sometimes contradictory editorial decisions that created continuity discrepancies almost as soon as the #1 issues hit the stands. It was a pretty open secret.
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Yes at the time a lot of the creators who got dicked about a bit were pretty vocal about that. I remember Paul Jenkins railing on some of that contradictory editorial stuff that drove him to quit.
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Jonathan Kent is bisexual. Apparently. Superman is bisexual. That’s pretty huge news for DC. Good for them.
Okay, I guess.
The fact that this happens just months after the “Robin is bisexual” headlines does seem a little desperate though.
Some weird reactions on social media though. People stating “If I was Lois Lane I would be so proud of him”, etc.
Alright.
So don’t be proud that he saved the world, or that he’s a decent, hard working kid. Be proud ‘cos he’s queer. Weird.
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Jonathan is going by Superman now (whilst Clark is on his super secret mission with the Authority).
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It’s DC, they don’t do that.
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For a minute there I thought DC really were going all in on this.
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Eh, feels a bit like there’re clutching for relevance with that one. Especially since they just did the the exact same thing with Tim Drake.
Would maybe have been more interesting to just make him gay rather than trying to have it both ways(😉), so they can go back to female love interests when the creative team inevitably moves on.
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Jonathan is going by Superman now (whilst Clark is on his super secret mission with the Authority).
I thought that was an alternate reality Clark.
In the Morrison book. Not in Action Comics, which is very much mainstream DCU continuity.
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Eh, feels a bit like there’re clutching for relevance with that one. Especially since they just did the the exact same thing with Tim Drake.
Would maybe have been more interesting to just make him gay rather than trying to have it both ways(😉), so they can go back to female love interests when the creative team inevitably moves on.
I had the same thoughts as well. I don’t read the books but as an outsider looking in, this doesn’t feel genuine. It feels like a desperate bid for relevance.
It’s like DC wants to have gay main characters but lack the commitment to truly do it. They know they can’t make Clark and Bruce gay without everyone going fucking apeshit and having to reverse it 15 minutes later. They have an opportunity with the kids but even then, they show their lack of spine by having them bisexual instead of completely gay.
Trying to end on a positive note, I do applaud DC for trying to infuse some diversity into their line.
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They have an opportunity with the kids but even then, they show their lack of spine by having them bisexual instead of completely gay.
I’m not sure. I feel somewhat similarly about the cynical motivation here and the way it leaves options open to revert to the status quo.
But at the same time it does feel as though this kind of reaction potentially falls into the real-life trope of bisexual people being seen by some as not quite “fully” gay, or somehow trying to have it both ways, or not having their mind made up or whatever.
There’s potentially something to address and explore there for DC (in terms of bisexuality specifically) that maybe goes beyond the coming-out stories we’ve seen for gay superheroes in the past and which are relatively commonplace now.
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It was interesting when I brought it up with my son over dinner. He’s grown up a fan of the Super Sons. His response to the reveal was “So?” He was totally not bothered either way.
I also, quite coincidentally said, maybe they should just make him gay instead; seeing as he’s never had a girl friend. To which, my boy pointed out that in the future he’s married to a woman. So, bisexual he is then.
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It was interesting when I brought it up with my son over dinner. He’s grown up a fan of the Super Sons. His response to the reveal was “So?” He was totally not bothered either way.
I also, quite coincidentally said, maybe they should just make him gay instead; seeing as he’s never had a girl friend. To which, my boy pointed out that in the future he’s married to a woman. So, bisexual he is then.
You’re officially old Vik, your kid is schooling you on comics!
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Well, DC got what they set out to do: the bisexual Jonathan Kent story made the national evening news yesterday. It’ll be interesting to see if this revelation has any impact on sales.
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They have an opportunity with the kids but even then, they show their lack of spine by having them bisexual instead of completely gay.
I’m not sure. I feel somewhat similarly about the cynical motivation here and the way it leaves options open to revert to the status quo.
But at the same time it does feel as though this kind of reaction potentially falls into the real-life trope of bisexual people being seen by some as not quite “fully” gay, or somehow trying to have it both ways, or not having their mind made up or whatever.
There’s potentially something to address and explore there for DC (in terms of bisexuality specifically) that maybe goes beyond the coming-out stories we’ve seen for gay superheroes in the past and which are relatively commonplace now.
I might agree with that IF DC hadn’t had Tim Drake come out as bisexual so recently. It feels like they are double dipping from the same well. They have an opportunity to explore a different aspect of LGBT+. Why not do that?
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Why didn’t they let Kate Kane get married? That’s probably still the answer now.
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The Boys’ Garth Ennis brings his sadistic sensibilities to DC’s Peacemaker in 2022 – Gamesradar/Newsarama link
Garth Ennis gets violent with The Suicide Squad breakout star Peacemaker this January
Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1 excerptThe Boys’ writer/co-creator Garth Ennis is bringing his ultra-violent, sinisterly satirical sensibilities to DC’s own gun-toting vigilante Peacemaker in a January one-shot alongside artist Garry Brown, titled Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace.
Meant to bridge the gap for fans of John Cena’s performance as Peacemaker in the recent The Suicide Squad film ahead of his HBO Max spin-off show Peacemaker, Disturbing the Peace digs into Peacemaker’s comic book origins through the lens of an appointment between the brutal vigilante and the team psychiatrist for Task Force X.
Though, as DC’s announcement points out, the encounter may be just as much about Peacemaker sizing up his handlers as it is the leaders of the so-called Suicide Squad trying to get a handle on the psyche of their latest enforcer.
For those unfamiliar with thelong, strange comic book history of Peacemaker (which dates back to the ’60s), the character actually started out at Charlton Comics before the publisher went extinct and their heroes were bought by DC. Since coming to the DC Universe in the ’80s, Peacemaker’s twisted view of a violent path toward peace and his accompanying psychosis have increasingly formed the basis of his character – and even inspired Watchmen’s Comedian.
As for Garth Ennis, his creative resume almost speaks for itself as the basis of why he makes a perfect fit for a writer to bring Peacemaker’s origins into the modern DC Universe. Aside from his aforementioned fan-favorite, critically-acclaimed Punisher run, Ennis is also known for creating DC’s Preacher, as well as his run on Hellblazer – and of course as the co-creator the comic that forms the basis of the current Amazon Prime streaming show The Boys.
Peacemaker: Disturbing the Peace #1 is due out January 25, 2022, with covers from Garry Brown, Amanda Conner, Juan Ferreyra, and Ryan Brown. Stay tuned to Newsarama for DC’s full January 2022 solicitations, coming later this month.
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Batman and Superman team up for World’s Finest by Mark Waid & Dan Mora – Gamesradar/Newsarama link
Superstar writer Mark Waid is back at DC, and his first major project will give what DC describes as a “brand-new day” for Batman and Superman.
Waid is teaming with Detective Comics artist Dan Mora for an as-yet-untitled story (but nicknamed ‘World’s Finest’ in the concept art) which will begin as a back-up in January 25’s Detective Comics #1050. The publisher says Waid and Mora’s back-up story “is just the beginning” for the creative duo and the two superheroes.
This is Waid’s second-known major DC story in the wings, joining the teased DC Black Label Superman series with Bryan Hitch. Waid returned to DC after a 12-year-hiatus with a story in December 2020’s Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe anthology.
Waid and Mora’s story will be a back-up to the main storyline by series artist Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis, who is taking over the book with Detective Comics #1047 as the title goes weekly – at least for the month of January 2022.
The main storyline by Tamaki and Reis is the fourth part of the ‘The Tower’ storyline, delving into the aftermath of Arkham Asylum’s destruction and its doomed replacement, Arkham Tower.
Detective Comics #1050 will also have a second back-up from Matthew Rosenberg and Fernardo Blanco, the fourth part of their ‘House of Gotham’ serial running through January’s Detective Comics books as well.
Detective Comics #1050 goes on sale on January 25, 2022.
________________________________________________________Official: Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes launches in January 2022 – Gamesradar/Newsarama link
As briefly revealed in September, DC has made Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes official.
The six-issue limited series launches January 11, 2022, and as expected, is written by current Justice League monthly series writer and the most recent Legion of Super-Heroes series writer Brian Michael Bendis.
Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes will be illustrated by Scott Godlewski.
The limited series seems something of a prelude to whatever Darkseid has cooking as revealed on the last page of Infinite Frontier #6, the event’s finale.
According to DC, both the contemporary Justice League and the Legion from 1000 years in the future discover both of their realities are falling to a “great darkness” simultaneously so in true comic book superhero fashion they team up to stop it.
Interestingly, although DC’s description says the superhero teams team-up, the official title is “vs.”
Hmmm… We’ll see how the plays out as we get closer to release.
DC also promises a connection to the Great Darkness and the new Gold Lanterns Bendis introduced during his Legion run.
The Great Darkness is a call-back to the classic 1982 Legion of Super-Heroes story featuring Darkseid, ‘The Great Darkness Saga’ by writer Paul Levitz and artist Keith Giffen, which is one of the most highly-regarded DC story arcs of all time.
Justice League vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes will feature a cover by Godlewski and a variant cover by Travis Moore.
Look for DC’s full January 2022 solicitations on Friday, October 15 here at Newsarama.
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DC Reveals New Chip Zdarsky Batman Series – ComicBook.com
The story of what led to Bruce Wayne becoming Batman is one of the most well-known stories in pop culture, let alone comics, and we’ve also seen many takes on how Batman’s early days as the Dark Knight played out. Now the talented team of Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico are looking to explore the time in between those key points in Wayne’s history in a new series titled Batman: The Knight, which looks to explore how a young man went from processing his grief and anger to being the controlled and disciplined crimefighter we all know and love, and we’ve got your first look at the series right here.
Batman: The Knight is a 10 issue limited series and kicks off in January of 2022, and you can find the official description for the issue below.
“The origin of Batman and his never-ending fight against crime in Gotham City is modern mythology, but what about the story in between? How did an angry, damaged young man grow into the most accomplished detective and crime-fighter the world has ever known? How did the Dark Knight…begin? Chip Zdarsky (DAREDEVIL) and Carmine Di Giandomenico (THE FLASH) explore Bruce Wayne’s journey to become Batman in this definitive new series.”
BATMAN: THE KNIGHT #1
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art and cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico
Variant cover by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
1:25 variant by Gerald Parel
1:50 foil variant by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (All covers card stock)
ON SALE 1/18/22
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Waid and Mora on World’s Finest (please, DC, for f*ck’s sake, just call it that this time) sounds like dream team territory to me.
Tomasi and Bogdanovic on the Robin and Superman Special likewise. I’d buy an ongoing by them!
I’ve literally just read the first few issues of Bendis’ Legion (thanks to the wonders of technology and DCU Infinite) and it is totally f*cking impenetrable! It’s just horrible; even to someone who read and enjoyed his Superman/ Action Comics run. So, I’m struggling to care about JLA vs LoSH.
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JLA/LoSH is literally the worst comics news of the year.
Because (a) it means they’re not retiring the Bendis Legion and brining back something better, and (b) I know I’m going to buy the bloody thing anyway even knowing I will hate every page of it
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DC Solicitations for January 2022 – CBR link
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GamesRadar/Newsarama link
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First Comics News link
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Comics Continuum link – use this -
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Weird reading those solicits:
Huh, Jock doing a mini? Batman
Chip Zdarsky series? Batman origin
Sorrentino art on a mini series? Batman.
Does DC publish anything else?
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He’s criticised a lot but Liefeld a couple of years back pointed out that pretty much every book DC had that was a hit had Batman in it. Even soon after signing Bendis his Superman had very moderate sales around the 30k region.
I think they are missing a change of approach to be honest. Since around 2000 comics have been very plot driven, event to event. In the 1980s the relatively obscure Teen Titans and X-Men surged to number 1 sellers from nowhere by telling character stories.
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DC drops Superman’s ‘and the American Way’ for more inclusive motto
“To better reflect the storylines that we are telling across DC, and to honor Superman’s incredible legacy of over 80 years of building a better world, Superman’s motto is evolving,” Lee said. “Superman has long been a symbol of hope who inspires people, and it is that optimism and hope that powers him forward with this new mission statement: truth, justice and a better tomorrow.”
Heh, it feels like DC are just taunting Fox News these days.
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I’m sure Dean Cain will have something to say about it too.
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I was looking at the DC Solicits and came upon the covers for Catwoman. True WTF and I thought I have seen something this bad since T.Howard took over Spiderwoman. LOL the new writer of Catwoman is T. Howard. ::facepalm::
She definitely seems to be failing upwards in comics.
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So Dean Cain apparently is upset that the new Superboy in the comics is bisexual.
I used to be upset that Dean Cain was straight but he has definitely cured me of that.
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) October 13, 2021
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Do these comics really have much of a readership or influence anyway to be such a controversy? The movies are what people watch and how many gay or bisexual characters are there on the screens or how many of them are heroes?
It just seems strange to get upset over it (especially considering what was going on in 80’s X-men and Teen Titans or even not that long ago with The Authority and Ultimates) when more people are likely to read an article or see a news video about a bisexual “Man of Steel” than to actually buy and read the comic or have children that read comics.
Even then, I imagine most people are going to skim the articles and assume Clark Kent is coming out of the closet. Then you got to explain that no, it’s Jon Kent, Clark’s son who inherited the Superman role and who has time to go into all that – it’s like explaining Dragonball or Naruto at that point — and more people are probably reading Manga or watching Anime than even picking up a DC comic.
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Gabe Eltaeb, now-former colorist for DC, quitting either because Jon Kent swings both ways, or they no longer say, “…and the American Way.”
I do wonder if the younger Superman heir idea will last. Personally, I thought they should’ve done that right after Crisis in the 80’s and had Supergirl take over as Superwoman while the Teen Titans became the new Justice League. Then, kept moving forward the way Claremont wanted to do with the X-men at Marvel.
Also, I have to admit that “bisexual” usually means “not really gay” when it comes to media portrayals of fictional characters. If readers don’t sign on, then he can get a girlfriend later and no one brings it up again. It’s a way to play it safe.
On top of that, of course, DC superheroes are not really the same as YA fantasy romances. Not a lot of readers are into superhero comics to follow the sexual relationships of the characters — at least not the adolescent readers
Besides, comic book writers are not usually experts on sexuality and gender politics so I doubt anyone is recommending comics as the place to go for good role models.I think the idea that there is a “woke” agenda to attack traditional morality or normalize perversion has to be mostly projection. Even if there were such an agenda – like a Maoist cultural revolutionary model – it would be doomed to failure mainly because such a thing would be absolutely evil and self-destruct from the inside. The more legitimate ideal is that everyone can have their own perspective on the world, but everyone also has to accept that other people can have their own perspectives as well and no one needs to conform.
The real question is not who Superman is interested in or whether he’s working for The American Way or a Better Tomorrow, but if the story itself is actually entertaining. Again, nothing in the book matters if no one reads it or if the people who do aren’t interested in it. Hell, it might be worse to take a risk like this and then see the book dwindle away because no one really cares about Superman anymore.
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I picked up the first three issues of Son of Kal El, but actually dropped it just before the bisexual announcement. It’s a fine comic book, but I’m really not the intended audience for it anymore.
I love Jon (I’ve bought all the Super Sons books), but ageing him up like Bendis did broke my connection to him. It probably doesn’t help that I have two real life teenagers at home too now.
The more interesting, bolder element of the series, IMO, is Taylor really leaning in to the “Better Tomorrow” aspect. With Jon really pushing on environmental and societal issues. I think that’s courageous, and oh so appropriate for the 21st Century Superman.
But, it is the same juxtaposition between reality and super heroic ideals that didn’t work for me. Nothing Jon does will have an effect on the real issues that exist outside my window.
The elation of Jon’s victories immediately feel false given the vindictiveness of Priti Patel’s immunity from drowning asylum seekers bill.
I think this book has a valid POV and I wish it well. I think it’ll be a wonderful book and inspirational for a younger generation. The bisexuality aspect is unfortunately taking a lot of the attention this news cycle, but if it gets eyes on the book or helps other kids out there then I suppose that’s a win.
It does also have Henry Bendix as the main bad guy, for any old Wildstorm fans. That almost kept me on board. Almost.
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I think this book has a valid POV and I wish it well. I think it’ll be a wonderful book and inspirational for a younger generation. The bisexuality aspect is unfortunately taking a lot of the attention this news cycle, but if it gets eyes on the book or helps other kids out there then I suppose that’s a win.
At the same time, it wouldn’t be in the news if there wasn’t this controversy. You’re dropping the book, but who is picking it up – especially from the target audience of adolescents and young adult readers? As far as I know, DC books that don’t have “Bat” in the title don’t do particularly well.
That is something that even people upset at the changes need to consider. “The straight American Way” wasn’t really selling Superman and his various spin-off titles any better, was it? So, take a risk or license the characters to a different publisher (not a bad option, honestly).
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They did that retcon with Iceman but it kind of worked there because of how his relationships with women were portrayed, he used to go on dates but nothing ever went anywhere. Years before the Bendis reveal of his sexuality fans were speculating on how Bobby really acts like a closeted gay guy which no doubt had some sway in what happened in the actual comics later.
Not just fans:
https://amp.listennotes.com/podcasts/flame-on/episode-207-scott-lobdell-LeFvHrzjh_Y/amp/
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I listened to an interview with Tom King on my podcast feed today.
It was interesting he admitted he made a gross error with Heroes in Crisis and it’s an interesting explanation what it was. He says he has a lot of interest in characters have grey areas, maybe making wrong decisions but with a right motivation etc. His mistake was using Wally West.
It dawned on him when he read an account from William Goldman who wrote a movie starring Robert Redford who was a stunt pilot that failed to save a woman who died on his plane. It completely stunk out the audience testing even though they looked at the movie as objectively as they could and it was hard to see why.
Eventually it dawned on them the problem was Robert Redford. The audience loved him as a handsome leading man who always did the right thing, they couldn’t accept his flaw. The story could have worked with a dozen different actors but never Redford as he was too loved by the viewers. The same was true with Wally.
In truth his editors should have told him but it is interesting to hear a creator admit their error (and in typical comics fashion I believe it’s mostly retconned now).
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I don’t know, it’s probably my least favourite King thing but there are good bits in there. I’m not even a Wally fan as I somehow missed the Waid run so many love but it jumped the shark for me as I know enough that it didn’t sit right.
I do think the casting is hugely important, the early Vertigo stuff showed you can pretty much do what you want with DC properties nobody really cares about. A lot of readers really, really care about Wally West.
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A lot of readers really, really care about Wally West.
Did someone call me? 😆
I read HiC. There are many elements I enjoy. But, it categorically does not work as a mainstream DCU book. I’m glad King sees that in hindsight.
Didio’s determination to mess with that generation of legacy characters (see Wally, Dick, Kyle, Roy, etc.) was a huge misstep. Those characters mean a lot to readers of a certain age range.
I understand the business rationale of doing so, but the mean spirited nature of it (even in jest, as Dan surely intended), turned off a large portion of the audience; who coincidentally were likely the readers with the largest disposable income at that time. That’s not big or clever.
It’s the same reason that Tom Taylor’s run on Nightwing is getting huge attention and praise at the moment. It’s a successful combination of the illusion of change, whilst at the same time cleverly pushing all the right nostalgic buttons for that core audience.
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I may be misremembering but I thought I had read that Dan Didio said it had to be Wally West as the central character in Heroes in Crisis. King wasn’t allowed to use a different character.
I don’t know, he didn’t say that in this interview but maybe he just didn’t want to throw Dan under a bus.
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King’s style of writing still rubs me the wrong way but I am glad he apologized about Wally.
it categorically does not work as a mainstream DCU book. I’m glad King sees that in hindsight.
To me, Dan is somewhat like Trump. He used his power to push a unpopular agenda based on an obvious bias and lost his position.
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I have the Invisibles Omnibus. That’s probably my largest book. It is a difficult book to read, but not substantially more so than any other Omnibus. I don’t really like books this big. I wish I’d bought the Deluxe Editions instead.
I assume you mean the Milligan/ Lemire/ DeMatteis JLD rather than the Tynion/ V run? I loved the latter, but dropped the former after about a year. I liked it well enough at first, but it annoyed me once it got pulled into crossovers with Johns’ Justice League books, Forever Evil, and that whole Didio driven Pandora nonsense.
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Yes. Concurrent with Snyder on Justice League.
James started this after wrapping up his run on Detective Comics.
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DC Solicitations for February 2022
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Haven’t read this in a while:
A Unified Theory of Superman’s Powers
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DC Announces Naomi’s Second Season Debuts in Early 2022 – CBR link
DC Comics’ Naomi returns in 2022 for a second season by original series creators Brian Michael Bendis, David S. Walker and Jamal Campbell.
In 2022, DC Comics’ Naomi returns with a new series from her original creators.
DC Comics has announced Naomi Season Two, a six-issue miniseries by Brian Michael Bendis, David S. Walker and Jamal Campbell. The series follows the titular teen hero in her most challenging journey yet, as she tries to uncover the truth behind her family’s legacy. The book will feature appearances from Superman, Black Adam and Zumbado — the mass murderer who has clashed with Naomi McDuffie in the past. Bendis, Walker and Campbell’s original Naomi run was released in 2019 as part of DC’s Wonder Comics imprint and earned a nomination for Best Limited Series at the 2020 Eisner Awards.
Speaking on bringing Naomi back in a new book, Bendis said, “I am so excited that the entire original creative team was able to return to put together this very important chapter in Naomi McDuffie’s life and legacy.” The writer, who has continued Naomi’s story through the pages of Young Justice and Justice League, added, “Naomi has been thrown into the deep end of life, and the series is about that. What Naomi is going through in the superhero universe is what a lot of people go through in the real world. All the [sic] sudden you’re in over your head and things are expected of you, and there are still so many questions and mysteries about her parents, birth world, powers and the world she grew up in. You’re in for lots of surprises!”
Since Naomi ended, Walker has kept himself busy with the Eisner Award-winning series Bitter Root. Despite his solo success, the writer is excited to reunite with Bendis and Campell for the next stage of Naomi’s superhero career. “All three of us are in very different places professionally and personally in our lives, and that brings an invigorating energy to the creative process as we chronicle this next chapter in Naomi’s adventures,” he said. “The first story we wrote was about Naomi learning who she really is, and now this story is all about unpacking the realities of what it means to be a Super Hero.”
For his part, Campbell was excited to see Naomi embark on her biggest adventure to date. The artist recently explored the outskirts of DC’s universe in Far Sector, where he co-created Green Lantern Jo Mullein. Speaking on coming back for Naomi Season Two, Campbell said, “Now we can hit the ground running, creatively refreshed and ready to continue where we left off.”
Outside of comics, the character of Naomi McDuffie will be the centerpiece of The CW’s next major superhero series. Naomi stars Kaci Walfall as the title hero, who follows in the footsteps of her comic-book counterpart when she discovers she has superpowers. The series will debut on the CW on Jan. 11 alongside the second season of Superman & Lois.
Naomi Season Two #1 comes out on March 8.
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Batman, Superman Team-Up Again in New World’s Finest Series from Waid & Mora – CBR link
The latest iteration of World’s Finest, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Dan Mora, kicks off with a past adventure of Batman and Superman.
The Dark Knight and the Man of Steel are allying together once more in a new version of DC’s most famous superhero team-up book, by Mark Waid and Dan Mora.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 kicks off a new ongoing series, continuing a grad tradition that began with the first issue of World’s Finest Comics (originally named World’s Best Comics) back in 1941.
“In the not-too-distant past, Superman’s powers are super-charged from a devastating chemical attack by the villain Metallo, and the only ally that the ultra-powerful Man of Tomorrow can turn to in this turbulent hour is Gotham’s own dark vengeance: the Batman,” DC’s preview of the issue reads. “A nearly fatal burst of power drives Bruce Wayne to his own extreme measures to help his friend…enlisting none other than the Doom Patrol for aid. It’s the world’s greatest superheroes from the world’s greatest comic book talent in an epic comic book experience that kicks off the next big events in the DCU. Get ready, it’s time to soar. ”
Dan Mora’s main cover for Issue #1 shows off a variety of other characters who may appear during the book’s run, including Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Commissioner Gordon, Catwoman, the Joker, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Perry White and Jimmy Olson. Mora, who currently works on Detective Comics alongside writer Mariko Tamaki, previously shared the designs for his versions of Batman and Superman– both of whom are clad in their more colorful costumes of yesteryear, as appropriate for a story set in the past.
Mora’s take on Batman and Superman will first appear alongside Waid’s prose in a backup story running in Detective Comics #1050, which goes on sale Jan. 25. The story marks the first instance that Waid has written for DC since 2008, aside from a contribution to Dark Nights: Death Metal: The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1. The acclaimed writer is responsible was responsible for a number of DC hits in the ’90s and 2000s, including Kingdom Come, JLA: Tower of Babel and Superman: Birthright.
In celebration of the series’ debut, a number of variant covers will accompany the release of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1. These include relatively standard compositions by Jim Lee and Jason Fabok, a team variant showing the ’90s iterations of Azrael Batman and Cyborg Superman, an image by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau depicting Supergirl and Batgirl, and a more playful cover by Evan “Doc” Shaner showing Batman and Superman giving each other high fives.
On the zanier end of the variant scale is a cover showing Jerry Seinfeld in the Batmobile with coffee along with two “Slap Battle” covers by Chip Zdarsky riffing off of the now legendary panel of Batman slapping Robin in the face, originally from 1965’s World’s Finest #153.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1 goes on sale March 15.
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #1
Written by Mark Waid
Art and cover by Dan Mora
Variant covers by Jim Lee, Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, and Jason Fabok
1:25 “SLAP BATTLE” variant covers (2) by Chip Zdarsky
1:50 “HIGH FIVE” variant cover by Evan “Doc” Shaner
1:100 “Jerry Seinfeld in the Bat-Mobile Getting Coffee” variant cover by Dan Mora
Team variant cover by Lee Weeks
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 3/15/22
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DC Solicitations for March 2022
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This might be of interest to some here.
It is along the lines of What might have been
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Bendis:
Facts: It’s very early goings but I can tell you this will be an adaptation of the Legion of Superheroes that Ryan Sook and I have been working on the last few years.
And just like that series, on sale now, it will harken back to so many classics while at the same time doing what Legion does: pushing all the ideas of superheroes forward in every direction.
I think Legion of superheroes is among the greatest franchises in the history of comics and I’m as honored to be curating them as I was Spider-man.
I know I’ve been harsh on him, but I do believe that Bendis genuinely cares about the Legion and is excited to be writing it and wants to do it justice.
Which just makes it more of a shame that he’s completely incapable of doing it.
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Which just makes it more of a shame that he’s completely incapable of doing it.
Well, DC doesn’t seem to think so unfortunately. He is doing a crossover event between his legion and his JL and developing an animated Legion show for HBOMAX. Young Justice is likely to get shafted again by that. Cross my fingers that it doesn’t make it out of Development so that $ can still be shifted towards YJ.
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https://www.cbr.com/batman-flashpoint-beyond-dc-sequel/
I hated what came out of Flashpoint, but I quite enjoyed that world. So I might check this out when it gets collected.
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New Sandman story, featuring the Corinthian, written by Tynion:
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That just screams ‘Oversized Deluxe Hardcovers’!
Excellent news!
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DC to End Justice League Series, Kill off Major Characters – ComicBook.com
DC Announces Plan to Kill the Justice League by Murdering Major Characters – CBR.com
Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are going to die in April, with no return in sight – Newsarama/Gamesradar
‘Death of the Justice League’ in Justice League #75 will mark 30 years since the ‘Death of Superman’
DC has been teasing what has looked like the death of Superman (again) as part of a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original ‘Death of Superman’ story. But as it turns out, DC is going even bigger this time, killing the core roster of the Justice League – including Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more – in a story that will end the current Justice League title with April 19’s Justice League #75.
Justice League #75 from writer Josh Williamson and artist Rafa Sandoval will pit Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, John Stewart (Green Lantern), Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Zatanna against a foe known as the Dark Army – and only one member of the League will return to tell the tale.
Who comes back hasn’t been revealed, but a variant cover from ‘Death of Superman’ artists Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund shows coffins bearing the emblems of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Lantern, so we’re guessing it won’t be one of them.
Williamson calls Justice League #75 (which will presumably give way to a relaunched Justice League title at some point, though Williamson says it will be a while) the start of the third act of the tale he’s been telling in the titles Infinite Frontier and Justice League Incarnate.
“We’ve been building to the ‘Death of the Justice League’ for the last year across the main line,” Williamson says in DC’s announcement. “I remember buying ‘Death of Superman’ 30 years ago and now we have an opportunity to take that idea and go bigger with it. Justice League #75 allows us to showcase why the Justice League are comics’ greatest heroes as we show the aftermath of the loss against their biggest threat ever and its impact on the DCU.”
The battle they will fight – and lose – will be against a new group with some familiar faces: the Dark Army. DC describes the Dark Army as “the DCU’s greatest villains,” who form on the edges of the DC Multiverse.
“Being able to draw the Justice League is always exciting, they are just the greatest superhero team of all time,” says Sandoval. “We will see a great evil coming out of the darkness and more dark characters that will be revealed very soon. This book is just the starting point and fans do not want to be left behind and miss what is going to happen.”
What’s more, ‘Kill the Justice League’ is intended as a direct homage to the original ‘Death of Superman’, which occurred specifically in 1992’s Superman #75 – directly paralleling Justice League #75’s numbering, which Williamson states is no coincidence.
Justice League #75 goes on sale in April, with a main cover from Daniel Sampere and Alejandro Sanchez, as well as variant covers from Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund, Todd Nauck, Mikel Janin, Alex Maleev, Tony Harris, and Simone di Meo.
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So how long will it be before everyone is not dead anymore?
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Based on the death and return of Superman, say 12-18 months.
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Given all the legacy heroes in that image, I don’t think it’ll be that long before “Reign of the Justice Leagues” starts though.
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