How was everyone’s holiday? I had a great – yet busy – Christmas with my family, and as weird as it was to not have any new comics from DC on Wednesday, I appreciated the break. This week, however, we’re jumping back into the groove with more reviews, another This Week in Comics, and the return of… Cover Talk! As we mentioned previously, we would be cutting back on the number of titles we provided full reviews for so that we could bring you more content. This is part of that commitment, and we will continue to deliver new and exciting material as we move into/ throughout 2019!
Alright, on to business! This week’s releases are listed according to our anticipation scale, with titles listed in alphabetical order within each sub-header. For each title, I’ll include the official solicitation, the talent credits, a random comment (or rant), and the Batman News team member that will be reviewing each book. Following that, you’ll find notes pertaining to other DC Comics titles, as well as our Graphic Novel Watch. And finally, we want to hear from you! What titles are you picking up? Why are you excited? What do you hope will happen in the book? Etc. So, without further ado, review our Anticipation Scale, and comment away!
The Anticipation Scale
NO! – A comic I downright dread reading and if I wasn’t a reviewer, I would never buy it.
“You Don’t Have to Thank Us” – The idea of reviewing it doesn’t make me ill or angry, but it definitely sounds like it’s going to be a chore. Still, I’m reading it for you. I’m putting it at the bottom of the pile, but I’m reading it for you.
Mixed – A middle of the pile comic. It’s probably got the same chance of being dreadful as it does of being stupendous. I’m neither looking forward to it or avoiding it, whatever happens… happens.
Intrigued – I think this comic has potential to be a fantastic read. There’s some slight hesitation there, but it’s definitely going to be at the top of the pile.
TAKE MY MONEY – Everything about this issue has me excited. If I don’t get to read this book on Wednesday, I will be furious. I would pay extra just to have it in my hands right now! That’s how much I’m looking forward to it!
And as a reminder, our review scale is based on a 10-point system. A rating of “5” means the book is mediocre/average, and the more toward “10″ we go, the more awesome/worth buying it is. The more toward “1″ we go the more awful/not worth buying it is. That’s how we rate things. It’s not like most video game review scores where everything under 8 is crap, and it’s not like a school report card where everything under a 7 is failing or close-to-failing. Please keep this in mind when reading our reviews.
JANUARY 2nd
TAKE MY MONEY
Batgirl #30
You can take the Batgirl out of Gotham City, but you can’t take Gotham out of the Batgirl! Politics gets personal as the race for Congress in Gotham City heats up, leading to civil unrest in Barbara’s new neighborhood—as a new villain begins to make themselves known!
Written by Mairghread Scott
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Norm Rapmund
Colored by Jordie Bellaire
Cover by Jordie Bellaire, Paul Pelletier, and Norm Rapmund
Josh’s Stance: This is the best that Batgirl has been in years! I love what Mairghread Scott is bringing to the table, and I’m excited to see where she takes it. If you dropped Batgirl during one of the previous creative runs, I highly recommend you give Scott and Pelletier a shot!
Batman News Critic: Dan
Detective Comics #995
Alfred Pennyworth…attacked at the Wayne mansion! Who’s hunting those closest to Batman? The monstrous shadow creature plaguing Gotham City gains the upper hand when two of the Dark Knight’s most ardent allies fall prey to the violent vendetta. Will those tragedies send Batman over the edge? Good thing he’s on his way to Arkham Asylum—but will he investigate a murder, or get incarcerated in a padded cell?
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Pencils by Doug Mahnke
Inks by Jaime Mendoza
Colored by David Baron
Cover by David Baron, Doug Mahnke, and Jaime Mendoza
Josh’s Stance: This is the second chapter of Tomasi’s run on Detective Comics! I’ve been waiting with bated breath for his turn on the title, and I feel as though he had a solid debut with issue 994. His character work is always incredible, and he has a solid grasp on the relationships Bruce/ Batman has with his friends and family. That alone is enough to keep me excited for what’s around the corner!
Batman News Critic: Elena
Heroes in Crisis #4
Wonder Woman versus…Booster Gold?! Diana finds out the hard way that Booster can be a formidable opponent when his back’s against the wall. Of course, being the prime suspect in a superhero massacre and exposing a secret trauma hospital for metahumans will do just that. Meanwhile, Batman and the Flash combine their detective skills to investigate what went awry at Sanctuary and uncover a serious glitch in the system—not to mention an explosive, spoiler-ific secret!
Written by Tom King
Pencils and Inks by Clay Mann
Colored by Tomeu Morey
Cover by Rainier Beredo and Trevor Hairsine
Josh’s Stance: This is one of those titles where you either love it or you hate it. Typically in these situations, it’s a matter of tone or artistic direction that determines that, but with HiC most of the disgruntled opinions have stemmed from poor treatment of major characters. I stand with this group… However, this is a murder mystery, and I’m still not certain everything we’re seeing is what’s really taking place (we barely have any concept of who or what Sanctuary actually is or is capable of), so I’m not going to stand on that soapbox until I know, for sure, what really has happened. Until then, I’m going to stand behind my assessment that, technically, this is a well-written book... This cover is probably going to piss some people off though...
Batman News Critic: Josh
NOTES:
- Titles we’ll cover in This Week in Comics: Batman Beyond #27, Justice League Odyssey #4, Old Lady Harley #3, The Silencer #12, Titans #32 as well as the titles listed above.
- Additional releases from DC Comics: Action Comics #1006, Books of Magic #3, The Flash #61, Hex Wives #3, Injustice vs Masters of the Universe #6, Raven: Daughter of Darkness #11, Scooby Doo Team-Up #43, The Terrifics #11, and Wonder Woman #61.
GRAPHIC NOVEL WATCH:
Batman by Neal Adams Book 2 - Neal Adams' seminal Batman tales are collected in a new trade paperback graphic novel series, continued here in BATMAN BY NEAL ADAMS BOOK TWO!
Over the years, many artists have contributed to the look of one of the most iconic characters in popular culture: Batman. The most influential and popular may be Neal Adams, who in the late 1960s put the Caped Crusader back in the shadows and updated his image for a new generation of fans. Now Adams' moody tales of the Dark Knight from the early 1970s are collected in trade paperback again, including a team-up story co-starring Deadman and the debut of the bestial Man-Bat.
Collects BATMAN #219, DETECTIVE COMICS #395, #397, #400, #402, #404 and #407-408 and THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #86 and #96.
Batman: Prodigal New Edition - Barely recovered from his injuries at the hands of the villain Bane, Bruce Wayne approaches longtime ward Dick Grayson to take on the mantle of Batman.
The KNIGHTFALL saga continues with BATMAN: PRODIGAL, collecting this long-out-of-print classic Batman tale.
After the game-changing events of Knightfall, Bruce Wayne asks Dick Grayson, now the hero known as Nightwing, to take his place while he recovers and reexamines his quest for justice. As Batman, Dick will learn the responsibility and pressure that his former mentor Bruce Wayne bore as the Dark Knight. But when the maniacal Two-Face returns, the new Batman must overcome his childhood demons to defeat the first villain he ever faced!
Part of a massive 25th anniversary recut of the entire Batman: Knightfall saga, this graphic novel Collects Batman #512-514, Batman: Shadow of The Bat #32-34, Robin #0, 11-13 and Detective Comics #679-681.
