Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! The era of "boy, it sure feels like everything is wrapping up" is over. October is here, and with it the new era of DC Comics. Their "All In" initiative kicks off with the DC All In Special, and throughout the rest of the month we'll be getting new titles, including the "Absolute" line later on. I can't promise that this new era will be better, but one can always hope. Let's see what DC's All In has in store:
Upcoming Comics
DC All In Special #1
Following the events of DC’s blockbuster storyline Absolute Power, the heroes of the core DC Universe have fought against the deep divisions in the world around them to usher in a new era of unity. And it’s just in time, too—because Darkseid has returned. Superman must gather every hero on Earth to hold the line against a very different version of the Lord of Apokolips, as they raise our cosmic defenses and prepare for war…and when the first blows land, the shock waves will ripple into every series in the DCU and shake the nature of their reality to its core! But little do they know…the greater threat is still to come. For there is another Earth: the Absolute Universe. Here, DC’s biggest icons are coming of age with fewer advantages and facing greater opposition than ever before…while miraculously retaining the immutable heroism that has inspired fans for decades. But can they really protect the light that shines inside them when the world in which they live is hurtling toward a terrible destiny?
- Written By: Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder
- Art By: Daniel Sampere, Dan Mora, Wes Craig
Thoughts: Is it the most original idea for a crisis-like event? Absolutely not, but I guess it's a necessary template for any big change to the DCU.
Batman News Critic: Group effort
Batman #153
Batman is back with a vengeance and Bruce Wayne’s new public initiatives have Gotham on the verge of finally becoming a great city! Does that bright future include the Riddler, who’s seemingly gone legit? Or the new, unnerving hero, Commander Star? And can Gotham survive the shocking murder of one of its greatest citizens? The Dying City starts here with a case that only Batman can solve, but the answers may unravel his world and all of Gotham!
- Written By: Chip Zdarsky
- Art By: Jorge Jimenez
Thoughts: It doesn't matter what you wrote before, if you promise me a detective team up with Riddler I'm gonna be interested. On a totally unrelated note, everyone should read Paul Dini's run on Detective Comics.
Batman News Critic: Jackson
Absolute Power #4
As the last remaining resistance fighters fight tooth and nail on the bloody island of Gamorra, Batman and Superman find themselves at bitter odds! Amanda Waller has come too far to give up now—it’s time to call in the reinforcements…from beyond the multiversal veil?! The fate of our heroes—and the future of the DC Universe—will forever be changed in this shocking grand finale to the Absolute Power saga as, from the ashes, justice is reborn…
- Written By: Mark Waid
- Art By: Dan Mora
Thoughts: I'd say that Waller recruiting villains from the multiverse feels a bit like jumping the shark, but I guess it's necessary given where Absolute Power is heading.
Batman News Critic: Will
Poison Ivy #26
As she contends with a brand-new life and restored powers, Poison Ivy resumes her wrathful and just war for the balance of the natural world. Her latest mission: to restore life to the wetlands that Gotham City’s industrial waste has destroyed. But her goals are upended when she unintentionally resurrects an ancient place from Gotham’s past and with it…something hungry. Meanwhile, cleansing fires burn across America, seeking to rid the country of human influence. And somehow, Poison Ivy is to blame. Join the GLAAD Media Award-winning team of G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara for the third year of their beautiful, bleak, and blistering series. You won’t want to miss out.
- Written By: G. Willow Wilson
- Art By: Marcio Takara
Thoughts: You always need to assume that there's some evil magic sleeping beneath Gotham when you start digging into its past.
Batman News Critic: Andru
Birds of Prey #14
The Birds of Prey are back to business as they infiltrate The Ninth Day, a mysterious corporation the Birds believe has kidnapped people—including Amazons that have gone missing. When their spy on the inside, an undercover Cassandra Cain, breaks contact, it’ll be up to Oracle, Black Canary, Big Barda, Megaera, and newcomers Grace Choi and Onyx to bust her out.Don’t miss the start of this thrilling new arc, where the fate of the Amazons rests in the hands of a silent warrior!
- Written By: Kelly Thompson
- Art By: Sami Basri
Thoughts: The Birds sure have been sharing a lot of screen time with the Amazons recently. I can see why Thompson was tapped to write Absolute Wonder Woman.
Batman News Critic: Jeremy
DC's I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1
In the blackest night, when the darkness feels infinite, the very fabric of the universe begins to tear…as every major crisis in DCU history rises once again! These eight chilling tales, set during the events of crises past, serve to warn you, dear reader: when in crisis, watch your back. In the fractured world of Flashpoint, Professor Pyg is stalking Gotham City’s nightclubs, sniffing out victims! During Blackest Night, Scarecrow lurks outside a movie theater, recruiting new test subjects to perfect his fear toxin! Even heroes like Nightwing aren’t safe when his death might just have the power to reverse the damage of Infinite Crisis! All these, plus new stories from Crisis on Infinite Earths, Millennium, Zero Hour, The Final Night, and Final Crisis are collected in DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis, a deadly new horror anthology coming to haunt you this fall!
- Written By: Dan DiDio, Rex Ogle, Cavan Scott, Ashley Allen
- Art By: M.L. Sanapo, Adam Graphite, Ario Anindito, Jose Luis
Thoughts: Honestly an anthology looking at all the Crises over the years is a great idea I'm surprised they haven't done before (if they have and I forgot don't yell at me).
Batman News Critic: None
The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #10
When the Mystery Machine gets a flat tire, Batman would love to help, but he’s busy solving a rash of antique car part thefts and a series of heists from local tech labs. Maybe the nice mechanic who just opened a shop down the street can fix up Scooby and the gang instead? And maybe they can figure out what’s up with the ghost car plaguing the outskirts of the city while they’re at it!
- Written By: Amanda Deibert
- Art By: Erich Owen
Thoughts: So Harley's a mechanic now? Sure, why not.
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: DC All In Special #1- I'm not saying this will be good, but it's a big turning point for DC and I want to see where it's going
Least Excited: The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #10- Normally I vent my frustrations for the current run of Batman in this category, but I'm remaining optimistic with the fresh start All-In promises, so unfortunately Scoob and the Gang get it by default
Wild Card: DC's I Know What You Did Last Crisis #1- As always, anthologies are perfect for the "wild card" category
Well that’s it for this week! Let us know in the comments what comics you’re looking forward to.
