Upcoming Comics January 23, 2024

Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! In case you missed it last week, we're putting out the call for new comic book reviewers! If you think you're interested and want to apply, just follow the steps below. We'll continue to post this at the top of Upcoming Comics for at least a few weeks to make sure people get a chance to see it.

Step #1

Introduce yourself. We want to know who you are, where you’re from, and what kind of schedule you keep. What do you think makes you a decent writer? Have you read any literature on writing such as “Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art” by Scott McCloud or “Story” by Robert McKee? What do you know about comic art techniques? Despite there being so many comic reviews online today, very few offer high-quality commentary on the artwork. It would be fantastic to find a reviewer who can devote as much attention to the illustrations as the story and characterization.

Also, during your introduction, we would like to know a little something about your connection to The Dark Knight. We are looking for passionate fans, rather than someone only familiar with the big blockbusters. Move us with a personal story or impress us with how far your obsession has taken you. Tell us about that Bat tattoo or cosplay that you’re proud of. We only want to give this opportunity to the type of people who live and breathe Gotham City (though you don’t need to be crazy enough to want to live there).

Step #2

Give us a rundown of your experience with these characters. The more comics you’ve read, the better. List what comic book eras you’re most familiar and unfamiliar with. What unread classic graphic novels are you most ashamed of never reading? What are your favorite Batman stories of all-time? If you’ve seen every show or played every video game, let us know! The more info you give us, the more seriously you’ll be considered.

Step #3

Review some comics. Is there any better way to know what you’re made of? Write 2 reviews, 500-words minimum each, and make one for an issue that you liked and one for an issue that you did NOT like (they need to be current comics, something published within the past year). Also don’t worry if it’s a book we’ve reviewed already and your score is completely different than what we published. We’re not just looking for people to echo our opinions back to us. Different viewpoints are welcome! Just prove that you’re a capable writer. Write it in the style of one of our reviews, complete with a “Recommended If” and “Overall” section, capped off with a 1-10 rating.

Submit

Send your application to: ReviewerTryouts@gmail.com in the form of a PDF or Word document. There is no immediate deadline. We will announce in Upcoming Comics whenever tryouts are closed.

If we like what we see, then we’ll start an email correspondence with you with a few more fun challenges, and if you past the test we’ll assign you a few books to review. And if you’re wondering, yes it’s a paid gig with perks like free comics and interview opportunities with DC talent. Just don’t think you’re going to get rich off writing comic reviews or that you can quit your day job. This is a passion project first and foremost where you’ll get a rare opportunity to bond with some of the biggest Batman fans in the world.

Upcoming Comics

Beast World #5

Waller versus the world! After the shocking events of the last issue, the world stands divided: half with the Titans and half with the woman whose vicious methods have saved them for now. All this and more as Dr. Hate returns to revel in and spread their own unique brand of chaos!

Written By: Tom Taylor
Penciled By: Ivan Reis, Eduardo Pansica
Inks By: Danny Miki, Julio Ferreira
Colors By: Brad Anderson
Cover By: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Brad Anderson

Thoughts: Are we meant to take Dr. Hate seriously? Like obviously it's really dumb as a concept, but if this event had more camp I could get into it in a cheeky sort of way.

Batman News Critic: Aaron

Detective Comics #1081

Spirited away from a city that believes him dead, Batman has been brought far from Gotham and deposited in a desert of legend. Possessed by an Azmer demon and rapidly losing his own identity, he must now cross this mythic landscape on a vision quest. With no water, no supplies, and no one to save him, Batman is left with two choices: burn out the demon or be left as bones in the sand. Meanwhile, the Orghams’ master plan is finally fully enacted as they use the Reality Engine to make all of Gotham forget there ever was a Batman. Bear witness to Batman’s worst fears made manifest in “Elegy of Sand,” part one!

Written By: Ram V, Dan Watters
Penciled By: Riccardo Federici, Stefano Raffaele, Hayden Sherman
Inks By: Riccardo Federici, Stefano Raffaele, Hayden Sherman
Colors By: Triona Farrell, Lee Loughridge
Cover By: Evan Cagle

Thoughts: I ended up really liking the Outlaw arc, so hopefully Elegy of Sand impresses just as much. This run could end up finishing incredibly strong

Batman News Critic: Jackson

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #9

Batman finally confronts The Joker in the brutal conclusion to “The Winning Card” by Tom King and Mitch Gerads! Aquaman faces down the Dominator threat at the bottom of the ocean in Gabriel Hardman’s epic final chapter! Hell comes to the Quad Cities in the conclusion of Kyle Starks and Fernando Pasarin's “Wild Dog: Here Comes Trouble!” Eisner Award winner Bruno Redondo writes and illustrates a poignant tale of the Dark Knight!

Written By: Tom King, Kyle Starks, Bruno Redondo, Gabriel Hardman
Penciled By: Bruno Redondo, Gabriel Hardman, Mitch Gerads, Fernando Pasarin
Inks By: Bruno Redondo, Gabriel Hardman, Mitch Gerads, Oclair Albert, Wade von Grawbadger
Colors By: Mitch Gerads, Matt Herms, Matt Hollingsworth
Cover By: Simone Di Meo

Thoughts: Well I suppose that issue #9 is better late than never for a story that was supposed to finish in issue #4. The question is whether BatB will find a new "flagship" story to get people interested

Batman News Critic: Jackson

The Penguin #6

The battles between the Penguin and Batman are the stuff of legend on the streets of Gotham City…but what of their very first encounter, the first strike in this contest of champions? Tom King and guest artist Stevan Subic (The Riddler: Year One) tell the story of the brutal first meeting of these two titans.

Written By: Tom King
Penciled By: Stevan Subic
Inks By: Stevan Subic
Colors By: Marcelo Maiolo
Cover By: Carmine Di Giandomenico

Thoughts: Joker, Poison Ivy, and now Penguin. Is everyone getting a new origin story this month?

Batman News Critic: None

Harley Quinn #36

BEEP BORP. HARLEYTRON-666 REPORTING FOR DOODIE. Jus’ kiddin’, kittens! It’s me, ya gorl, Harleen Eucalyptus Tree Quinzel, alive and kicking. Speaking of kicking, I’m fighting for my life over here against Brother Eye and his dang O.M.A.C.s! Maybe you could help a gal out and lend some muscle of your own? How about it? Oh yeah, also my estranged siblings Alexis Quasarano and Steve Beach are getting out their buttslayer greatswords and axes to tell the ab-rippling tale of HARLEY THE BARBARIAN.

Written By: Tini Howard, Alexis Quasarano
Penciled By: Sweeney Boo, Steve Beach
Inks By: Sweeney Boo, Steve Beach
Colors By: Sweeney Boo, Steve Beach
Cover By: Sweeney Boo

Thoughts: An OMAC Harley Quinn story really feels like throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks

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.

Gallery

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:

Gallery

Ratings

Most Excited: Detective Comics #1081- Like I said, this title has seriously impressed me these past months, and I find myself really looking forward to what comes next.

Least Excited: Harley Quinn #36- The solicit summaries for this series never fail to get a groan out of me.

Wild Card: The Penguin #6- I haven't been a fan of this title so far, but a Year One arc could be interesting to see how King writes it.

Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.

14 comments

Kaingerc
January 20, 2024
Did we ever have a solid modern version of Batman and Penguin's first clash? (Besides maybe the 'Gotham' TV show, not sure if that counts)
1. Jackson Luken
  January 20, 2024
  Penguin origin story comics:
  The Best of DC #10 (1981)
  Secret Origins Special #1 (1989)
  Penguin: Pain and Prejudice (2011)
  1. Kaingerc
    January 20, 2024
    I think I vaguely remember reading 'Pain and Prejudice' and it not leaving much of an impression on me.
Sara
January 20, 2024
April solicitations were awful in ways I've come to expect, but Zdarsky's run tops the list for awfulness.
Sorry to repeat myself, but I love how DC is doing multiple "Batman as Two-Face" arcs but refusing to use Two-Face beyond the bare minimum. It really speaks volumes about the myopia of DC's "leadership."
Why do a year one story covering Harvey Dent's career, depicting a good man's struggles with trauma and mental illness (which is what Zdarsky's dumbass multiverse arc thinks it's about), when you could do TWO year one Joker stories? Why create content promoting a character who was featured in a TV series? (That touted synergy just up and vanishes when it's not one of DC's special babies.) Why be relevant when you can take the easy way out and repeat past successes? (By converting them into present failures.) Why use a good character when you can use Punchline? PUNCHLINE. For the love of all that is holy.
I just finished binge-reading Gantz. If anyone wants a horrifying story of conspiracies, invasions, and gruesome mass murder to curdle your blood and make you think about what it means to be a "hero," there's your comic. Skip Taylor's thing.
1. Mingthemerviless
  January 22, 2024
  Gantz sounds great. I'm tempted to check it out.
  Punchline....that half baked meh character Tynion thought would be the new Harley Quinn but has no appeal or interest to any readers. DC keeps thinking that disaster will catch on?
  1. Sara
    January 23, 2024
    Gantz is thirty-seven volumes, making it the longest manga I have ever read, and I was never once bored. It merges video game and superhero comic book logic. It is crazy, relentless, and brutal.
    I don't know why DC won't give up on Punchline. She's putrid.
Evelyn
January 20, 2024
Hello! What do I have to read before Detective Comics #1081 to understand what's going on? I'm not following the stories over the past 2 years as I've been catching up
1. Sara
  January 20, 2024
  Ram V's run has been one long form story, which commenced at #1062 and includes one annual. To get the full story you'd have to go all the way back to #1062. You could also try starting from #1074, which was where the story picked up after the Knight Terrors event interrupted it. This period (#1074 on) encompasses the recent bi-weekly event explaining how Bruce got to where he is in #1081. Another option is to just wing it starting with #1081, which is the beginning of a new arc. The reviews for recent issues can help fill in gaps.
  It's been very independent of other runs and events, so you don't really need to worry about other writers' work.
  1. Evelyn
    January 20, 2024
    Thank you so much! So just stick with Detective Comics and I'm ok? Bc I know sometimes we have to read multiple stuff to understand what is going on.
    1. Sara
      January 20, 2024
      Yeah, you should be fine just sticking with Detective Comics. It's one of the most streamlined runs DC is publishing, actually.
  2. Mingthemerviless
    January 22, 2024
    Agreed...stick with Vs Tec it's the only on going Batman that is mostly enjoyable in both art and writing right now. Zdarsjy on the main book has no idea how to write Batman in his groan inducing run.
    The Bat books are in dire need of an editorial and creative team overhaul.
Professor Pyg's Trotters
January 21, 2024
A light week of releases for me this week, which is ideal as it's taken me pretty much up to this point to catch up with releases from December and early January.
Continue to be impressed with Ram V's Detective Comics and am very much looking forward to how the tale picks up after the latest chapter (interlude). Ram V is one of the few writers currently employed by DC who knows how to tell a good story (IMO). This has been a good series, and a welcome distraction from all the nonsense being churned out in the Batman title.
Have also been reading Josh Williamson's Green Arrow title. Now that the initial story is out of the way (and this has been turned into an ongoing) it should be interesting to see how it develops.
Have avoided the Beast Wars event up to this point (and not regretting that decision) so nothing else for me this week.
Madeleine
January 21, 2024
I'm reading the final part of King's The Winning Card. I can't say I enjoyed parts one through three. It's been so long that I'll have to re-read them. I want to be fair to this comic despite a distaste for it... I usually follow King's Batman comics, with mixed results, but I've disliked this Joker story enough that barring a miraculous fourth issue save I think I'm giving up on King.
Tyranus
January 22, 2024
It is sad and frustrating that the only way I can get Aquaman content right now, especially with his own damn movie in the theaters right now, is by reading Brave and the Bold. And it is doubtful he is even going to get a Dawn of DC comic too.
Picking up Detective and Maybe Beast World, not sure. Like usual, it is a larger nonBat week for me. Hell, I am actually picking up all the nonBat books this week.

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