Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! I was finally able to publish my Batsuit history article this week! You should check it out if you haven't. It was a lot of fun doing all the research and tracking down as many suit variations as I could (even though I'm sure I still missed some). I have to say, this sort of piece is a lot less mentally taxing than my essay series from last month, and who doesn't love a listicle? I've always liked that sort of documentation content. There are a lot of other "every Batsuit ever" articles from other sites, but pretty much all of them I could find were some combination of incomplete, lacking context, and inconsistent. That's why you come to Batman News; we give you the good stuff.
Upcoming Comics
Batman #148
“DARK PRISONS – FINALE” It all comes down to this: Batman versus Batman! With Damian’s life—and the future of Gotham—hanging in the balance, nothing can prepare either version of the Dark Knight for what’s about to happen!
- Written By: Chip Zdarsky
- Penciled By: Jorge Jiménez
- Inks By: Jorge Jiménez
- Colors By: Tomeu Morey
- Cover By: Jorge Jiménez
Thoughts: I mean *obviously* the fate of Gotham hangs in the balance. It wouldn't be a Batman story written in the past 10 years if the fate of Gotham didn't hang in the balance.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
The Boy Wonder #2
Jason Todd is the exile prince of Batman’s kingdom, stalking Gotham’s darkest alleys and eternally turning his face from the light of day—all because he cannot quench the burning flame of anger and retribution that consumes his heart. Can Damian learn from Jason’s mistakes? Or is the reflective mask of the Red Hood doomed to be a mirror held up to his own future?
- Written By: Juni Ba
- Penciled By: Juni Ba
- Inks By: Juni Ba
- Colors By: Chris O'Halloran
- Cover By: Juni Ba
Thoughts: I adored the first issue. Damian's origin is perfectly suited for this style of fairy-tale-esque narrative and I'm excited for more.
Batman News Critic: Andru
Birds of Prey #10
It’s Barda’s world now, and we’re all just living in it. As the Birds search for Barbara inside the mysterious portal that keeps changing (and also trying to kill them), separating enemy from ally is getting harder than ever—and more important than ever.
- Written By: Kelly Thompson
- Penciled By: Robbi Rodriguez, Gavin Guidry
- Inks By: Robbi Rodriguez, Gavin Guidry
- Colors By: Jordie Bellaire
- Cover By: Leonardo Bastos Romero, Jordie Bellaire
Thoughts: Everyone loves a good Pleasantville episode.
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
Poison Ivy #23
The world is eating itself alive as the zombified victims of Poison Ivy, led by the reborn Dr. Jason Woodrue, the Floronic Man, descend upon Slaughter Swamp’s foremost botanical supervillain. With time running out, Ivy will have to use every ounce of herself in order to defend her life. But will it be enough…and is her life even worth saving?
- Written By: G. Willow Wilson
- Penciled By: Haining
- Inks By: Haining
- Colors By: Arif Prianto
- Cover By: Jessica Fong
Thoughts: The action is clearly ramping up as this series leads towards the climax of its second arc. I'm curious to see where it goes after moving on from Woodrue.
Batman News Critic: Andru
Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum #5
He may have the sharpest teeth in the sea, but he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Talkin’ ’bout King Shark, who’s been locked away in Arkham where Amanda Waller has taken an extra-special interest in him. Now there’s a full-scale riot going on, and King Shark knows Waller is behind it.
Can he survive the blood frenzy long enough to figure out her master plan? The prequel to Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League comes to its epic conclusion. Read the book, then play the game!
- Written By: John Layman
- Penciled By: Jesús Hervás
- Inks By: Jesús Hervás
- Colors By: David Baron
- Cover By: Dan Panosian
Thoughts: Is anyone still reading this to care that it's ending? I don't think anyone is even playing the game anymore.
Batman News Critic: Aaron
The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #6
Mystery Inc. loves looking for clues…so when the Huntingstun Library sets up a sleuthing competition with a huge prize, they are determined to win—Scooby snacks aren’t free, after all. But every time they’re about to complete a level, Batman foils them! Is he also vying for the prize? Does the Batmobile need an upgrade? Or are the teens tangled up in a master villain’s master plan?
- Written By: Amanda Deibert
- Penciled By: Dario Brizuela
- Inks By: Dario Brizuela
- Colors By: Franco Riesco
- Cover By: Dario Brizuela, Franco Riesco
Thoughts: A premise where Batman is the antagonist that the gang has to outwit sounds really fun.
Batman News Critic: Chip
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: The Boy Wonder #2- This comic is an absolute delight and I highly recommend everyone check it out.
Least Excited: Suicide Squad: Kill Arkham Asylum #5- Just an absolute nothing of a tie-in to a failed video game.
Wild Card: Poison Ivy #23- Let's see if Poison Ivy can stick the landing for this arc.
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
