Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! As we dawn on a new year, it comes time to reflect upon our triumphs and regrets from the one past. I believe it is an inarguable truth that the most common regret would be not reading enough comics, and that rings especially true for Batman comics. After all, every single comic they've put out has been a banger, which is why we've given a record number of 10/10s recently. The hardest part of the job is finding any flaws to criticize, but we do it because we love you. Let's see what 2024 has in store:
Upcoming Comics
Batman #141
Zur-En-Arrh has done the unthinkable. And now, cut off from everything and everyone, Batman has to face off against his most devastating enemy in a brutal fight for the future as the specter of The Joker hangs over everything. The stunning conclusion to “Mindbomb” is here!
- Written By: Chip Zdarsky
- Penciled By: Jorge Jiménez, Dustin Nguyen
- Inks By: Jorge Jiménez, Dustin Nguyen
- Colors By: Tomeu Morey, John Kalisz
- Cover By: Tomeu Morey, Jorge Jiménez
Thoughts: Some would call having Batman's secret, crazy subconscious from the TV/movie universe(s) take over his invincible robot body jumping the shark, but I think we passed that long ago
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Birds of Prey #5
As the Birds and the Amazons double their efforts in fighting Megaera, Dinah and Sin take the battle inside, quite literally. The battle for the fate of Sin has now truly begun and it is not something everyone is gonna walk away from.
- Written By: Kelly Thompson
- Penciled By: Arist Deyn
- Inks By: Arist Deyn
- Colors By: Arist Deyn
- Cover By: Jordie Bellaire, Leonardo Bastos Romero
Thoughts: I hope Kelly Thompson can keep up the inter-team rapport that has made this series so fun to read.
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
Poison Ivy #18
The victims of Pamela Isely’s parasitic outbreak have returned home to her. As she faces off against her own undead body count, she makes a horrifying discovery about her own strange new body.
- Written By: G. Willow Wilson
- Penciled By: Luana Vecchio, Marcio Takara
- Inks By: Luana Vecchio, Marcio Takara
- Colors By: Arif Prianto
- Cover By: Jessica Fong
Thoughts: Having the main female character suddenly become unwillingly pregnant is one way to add drama, I suppose.
Batman News Critic: None
The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1
A new ongoing series teams up Gotham’s greatest detectives with Crystal Cove’s teen sleuths! The big top’s the place for thrills and chills-even more so when a traveling circus is haunted! But even Scooby and the gang don’t realize just how chilling it is for Nightwing…because this is Haly’s Circus, Dick Grayson’s childhood home!
- Written By: Sholly Fisch
- Penciled By: Dario Brizuela
- Inks By: Dario Brizuela
- Colors By: Franco Riesco
- Cover By: Dario Brizuela, Franco Riesco
Thoughts: The floppies don't sell well and the reviews didn't even get enough traffic for us to continue writing them, but Scoob and the gang invariably keep getting new team-up comics with Batman. I have to assume this is something that sells a lot at school book fairs or something.
Batman News Critic: None
Beyond the Bat
Welcome to Beyond the Bat, where we take a quick look at the rest of DC’s comics coming out this week.
Graphic Novel Watch
Sometimes you need more than floppies. Sometimes you want something that can sit nicely on your shelf that proudly displays your favorite stories. That’s when you turn to graphic novels. Let’s see what bat collections are coming out this week:
Ratings
Most Excited: Birds of Prey #5- I'm not usually a big Birds of Prey fan, but Kelly Thompson's character writing makes this an enjoyable one
Least Excited: Batman #141- I really hope this is the end of the Zur-En-Arrh storyline
Wild Card: Poison Ivy #18- If nothing else, the cover's promise is one that could be interesting
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
