Upcoming Comics October 23, 2024

Welcome back to Upcoming Comics! I'm here in New York, as you may have seen from my posts covering the convention, and things have been wild. I've spent so much time juggling covering panels, doing interviews, finding time to write, and finding time to enjoy the convention for myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast, but I'm going to sleep for a good while when I get home.

Upcoming Comics

Detective Comics #1090

Long ago, the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne changed Gotham forever. But there is something you never knew about the Dark Knight’s tragic origin, which has been lying in wait to strike at Batman ever since that fateful night in Crime Alley. And now, all these years later, this ghost of Gotham’s past begins to reveal itself. Superstars Tom Taylor and Mikel Janín team up to bring you a Batman tale that will rattle the very foundations of the Dark Knight. Things may never be the same again.

Written By: Tom Taylor
Art By: Mikel Janin

Thoughts: Shocking origin revelations? In a bat book? Groundbreaking.

Batman News Critic: Jackson

Nightwing #119

Blüdhaven has erupted in violence as rival gangs vie to fill the power vacuum left by Nightwing’s cleanup of corrupt officials. But is an outside force turning the gangs against each other, escalating the violence in Blüdhaven toward even more sinister ends? To find out, Nightwing must do the unthinkable—no matter the cost. Don’t miss the start of this groundbreaking new arc that will redefine what it means to be a hero.

Written By: Dan Watters
Art By: Dexter Soy

Thoughts: Dan Watters has done some incredible, yet moody work at DC, so I'm very curious to see what he does with a character like Nightwing.

Batman News Critic: Aaron

From the DC Vault: Death in the Family: Robin Lives! #4

Over 30 years ago, history was made when fans voted to kill the second Robin, Jason Todd. Now, DC continues the alternate story of what would have happened if he had lived…Will Batman be able to bring Robin back from the brink of madness…or lose the boy forever? And, in losing Jason, will he lose himself as well? The stakes have never been higher—as the Joker prepares to unleash an army of mad virus bats on the city. It all comes down to a bullet aimed at the Joker’s head, with millions of lives—and Jason Todd’s soul and sanity—hanging in the balance!

Written By: J.M. DeMatteis
Art By: Rick Leonardi

Thoughts: It would be kind of funny if this miniseries just ends up recreating the climax from Under the Red Hood.

Batman News Critic: Chip

Harley Quinn #44

The big wigs here at DC want me to be a bit clearer in these snooze-licit texts so here goes nuttin’. Begin the prewritten statement! Ahem. “When Harley Quinn discovers her favorite dangerous neighborhood in Gotham City, Throatcut Hill, has been gentrified beyond recognition, she breaks bad and sets out on a one clown-woman mission to make Gotham City safe for crime again!” Wow! I couldn’t have said it better myself, and luckily, I won’t have to, thanks to the excellent work of my new creative team, Elliott Kalan (The Flop House, Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Mindy Lee (Bounty, Harley Quinn: Everybody Hates Side Quests).

Written By: Elliott Kalan
Art By: Mindy Lee

Thoughts: Oh hey, someone listened to my complaining about the Harley Quinn solicits. Let's see if Elliott Kalan can turn the character in the right direction.

Batman News Critic: Jack

Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18

It runs through all of us—corrupting hope into fear, love into apprehension, and our strongest selves into our weakest. Its name is doubt, and when a mysterious new villain arrives with the ability to wield it as a weapon, Batman will face an inner journey unlike any he’s ever experienced! Finally, Aquaman and Ms. Martian unite to face a threat with shocking ties to both of their pasts—and possibly their futures!

Written By: Christian Ward, Zipporah Smith, Jeremy Adams, Marguerite Sauvage
Art By: Marguerite Sauvage, Patric Reynolds, Mike Norton, Laura Braga

Thoughts: "Finally, Aquaman and Ms. Martian unite" is not something I expected to read.

Batman News Critic: Akash

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: Nightwing #119- Dan Watters has written some of my favorite stories at DC recently.

Least Excited: Batman: The Brave and the Bold #18- Unfortunately I'm not alone in losing interest in this title, as it's slated to end soon.

Wild Card: Detective Comics #1090- I wasn't a fan of Taylor's Nightwing, but he's done good work before, including on Detective Comics.

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

8 comments

Sara

October 19, 2024

Most Excited: Robin Lives. It's more likely to echo the finale of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker than Under the Red Hood. DeMatteis' thesis is that UtRH did not need to happen if a responsible adult, which Bruce emphatially was not, had stepped in. Jason was surrounded by irresponsible fvckwit adults (sockpuppets of hostile editors and writers) and he paid the price. DeMatteis is a non-fvckwit who's asking the right questions. They're the questions you're not supposed to ask in comics. That's one of the big reasons Jason's comic book fans (as opposed to the awful Webtoon fans) like Jason. Because he's what's not supposed to happen, but also what any sensible person would expect to happen. DC treats Jason like some bizarre pariah, but his relationship with Bruce was ALWAYS abusive. Bruce's intention to "save" Jason and Dick "So Fvcking Perfect" Grayson's example don't matter. It shouldn't be treated like a competition, with winners and losers, but it is. And DC has labelled Jason a loser for not living up to the impossible, stupid expectations. That's sick. So far in this mini DeMatteis is one of the first writers to acknowledge the sickness and not make excuses for it.

Least Excited: Everything else.

The Brave and the Bold managing to be an even worse anthology than Urban Legends is quite an achievement.

Mingthemerciless
October 19, 2024
What? Youre not excited to see Taylor take over Tec? Neither am I. Ram V was flawed but Taylor cant follow that run especially with "original" ideas like more "senses shattering origin revelations" for Bruce/Batman.
1. Sara
  October 19, 2024
  It sounds like he's mimicking his Nightwing run as closely as he can. Not sure how often you can use one recipe for success before it stops succeeding. Heartless' concept sounds dark, but the execution was lame as hell. Asema will be the same.
  I'm also annoyed that Damian is the Robin in this. That may not have been left up to Taylor, admittedly. But Damian has his own book and frequently appears in other places, while Tim is barely used anywhere. What's with DC pushing certain characters aside so they can foreground others? This has gotten way out of control.
  1. Mingthemerciless
    October 19, 2024
    I think Meghan Fitzgerald butchered Tim to the point of being unrecognizable and DC has no idea how to return him to the Batbooks in a seamless and organic way. He's my favorite Robin and I believe the only Robin that can inherit Bruce's mantle of being Batman but again....hes been mangled to the point of being unusable. Add to that contemporary DC editorial seems to have a love for Damien so he keeps being THE Robin.
    As for Taylor he s never struck me as a quality writer with a feel and vision for the Batverse. Much like Tom King and Tynion (and Id argue Zdarsky) he gloms onto better ideas and churns them. Now he seems to be churning ideas hes already churned.
  2. Rafeal
    October 20, 2024
    Damian is Batman's son, so he feels like the most natural and best fit for Robin.
    Robin was originally created to be the opposite of Bruce, but I never liked that concept and it has overstayed its welcome. With Damian, Batman can train his own son to eventually take over. Tim Drake, on the other hand, has always felt like the least significant Robin to me. While he's known for his detective skills, that alone doesn’t make him interesting, and his recent characterization hasn't improved things for me (the whole gay thing was so out of place and just for PC points).
    In my opinion, Tim should either be given a new persona or be written out altogether. Bruce’s team works best when it includes a mix of dynamics of Alfred, Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Damian. Damian's backstory, aggression, and ties to the League of Assassins make him an intriguing character, and I don't understand the hate he gets. His "brat" attitude adds depth, whereas Tim, after becoming Red Robin and then flipping back to Robin, feels inconsistent and out of place. Other Robins have moved on to their own identities, so I think it’s time Tim does the same.
    Also, Alfred is missed dearly, and I hope we see him brought back soon—that’s one change that needs to be reversed as soon as possible.
    P.S. Is Ra’s al Ghul still alive in canon, or is he dead for good? I’m a big fan of the League of Assassins and the Court of Owls, so I hope Ra’s makes a return soon

Madeleine

October 19, 2024

I'm reading Robin Lives! and The Brave and the Bold this week.

If it sticks the landing Robin Lives! is in my personal top three comics of the year.

This issue of The Brave and the Bold introduces a character who'll appear in Ward's Two-Face solo, my most mostest Most Excited comic for All In. I'm elated to see DC assign a path for Harvey after years of wending about uncertainly. Legitimacy and authority are twin philosophical pet obsessions for me and I've been years eyeball deep in disability studies so I love the book's foundations. This month's TBatB previews have me pretty excited.

Since late September the All In announcements have begun to correspond to my DC wishlist beautifully. I hope it continues.

Sara
October 19, 2024
"This issue of The Brave and the Bold introduces a character who'll appear in Ward's Two-Face solo"
...okay, maybe I spoke too soon and this anthology is not a complete loss.

amphiuma33

October 20, 2024

Oh shoot, they're finally re-releasing Stephanie Brown Batgirl in tpb??? WONDERFUL, the old tpbs are so hard to get ahold of!

Sara
October 19, 2024
Most Excited: Robin Lives. It's more likely to echo the finale of Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker than Under the Red Hood. DeMatteis' thesis is that UtRH did not need to happen if a responsible adult, which Bruce emphatially was not, had stepped in. Jason was surrounded by irresponsible fvckwit adults (sockpuppets of hostile editors and writers) and he paid the price. DeMatteis is a non-fvckwit who's asking the right questions. They're the questions you're not supposed to ask in comics. That's one of the big reasons Jason's comic book fans (as opposed to the awful Webtoon fans) like Jason. Because he's what's not supposed to happen, but also what any sensible person would expect to happen. DC treats Jason like some bizarre pariah, but his relationship with Bruce was ALWAYS abusive. Bruce's intention to "save" Jason and Dick "So Fvcking Perfect" Grayson's example don't matter. It shouldn't be treated like a competition, with winners and losers, but it is. And DC has labelled Jason a loser for not living up to the impossible, stupid expectations. That's sick. So far in this mini DeMatteis is one of the first writers to acknowledge the sickness and not make excuses for it.
Least Excited: Everything else.
The Brave and the Bold managing to be an even worse anthology than Urban Legends is quite an achievement.
1. Mingthemerciless
  October 19, 2024
  What? Youre not excited to see Taylor take over Tec? Neither am I. Ram V was flawed but Taylor cant follow that run especially with "original" ideas like more "senses shattering origin revelations" for Bruce/Batman.
  1. Sara
    October 19, 2024
    It sounds like he's mimicking his Nightwing run as closely as he can. Not sure how often you can use one recipe for success before it stops succeeding. Heartless' concept sounds dark, but the execution was lame as hell. Asema will be the same.
    I'm also annoyed that Damian is the Robin in this. That may not have been left up to Taylor, admittedly. But Damian has his own book and frequently appears in other places, while Tim is barely used anywhere. What's with DC pushing certain characters aside so they can foreground others? This has gotten way out of control.
    1. Mingthemerciless
      October 19, 2024
      I think Meghan Fitzgerald butchered Tim to the point of being unrecognizable and DC has no idea how to return him to the Batbooks in a seamless and organic way. He's my favorite Robin and I believe the only Robin that can inherit Bruce's mantle of being Batman but again....hes been mangled to the point of being unusable. Add to that contemporary DC editorial seems to have a love for Damien so he keeps being THE Robin.
      As for Taylor he s never struck me as a quality writer with a feel and vision for the Batverse. Much like Tom King and Tynion (and Id argue Zdarsky) he gloms onto better ideas and churns them. Now he seems to be churning ideas hes already churned.
    2. Rafeal
      October 20, 2024
      Damian is Batman's son, so he feels like the most natural and best fit for Robin.
      Robin was originally created to be the opposite of Bruce, but I never liked that concept and it has overstayed its welcome. With Damian, Batman can train his own son to eventually take over. Tim Drake, on the other hand, has always felt like the least significant Robin to me. While he's known for his detective skills, that alone doesn’t make him interesting, and his recent characterization hasn't improved things for me (the whole gay thing was so out of place and just for PC points).
      In my opinion, Tim should either be given a new persona or be written out altogether. Bruce’s team works best when it includes a mix of dynamics of Alfred, Dick, Barbara, Jason, and Damian. Damian's backstory, aggression, and ties to the League of Assassins make him an intriguing character, and I don't understand the hate he gets. His "brat" attitude adds depth, whereas Tim, after becoming Red Robin and then flipping back to Robin, feels inconsistent and out of place. Other Robins have moved on to their own identities, so I think it’s time Tim does the same.
      Also, Alfred is missed dearly, and I hope we see him brought back soon—that’s one change that needs to be reversed as soon as possible.
      P.S. Is Ra’s al Ghul still alive in canon, or is he dead for good? I’m a big fan of the League of Assassins and the Court of Owls, so I hope Ra’s makes a return soon
Madeleine
October 19, 2024
I'm reading Robin Lives! and The Brave and the Bold this week.
If it sticks the landing Robin Lives! is in my personal top three comics of the year.
This issue of The Brave and the Bold introduces a character who'll appear in Ward's Two-Face solo, my most mostest Most Excited comic for All In. I'm elated to see DC assign a path for Harvey after years of wending about uncertainly. Legitimacy and authority are twin philosophical pet obsessions for me and I've been years eyeball deep in disability studies so I love the book's foundations. This month's TBatB previews have me pretty excited.
Since late September the All In announcements have begun to correspond to my DC wishlist beautifully. I hope it continues.
1. Sara
  October 19, 2024
  "This issue of The Brave and the Bold introduces a character who'll appear in Ward's Two-Face solo"
  ...okay, maybe I spoke too soon and this anthology is not a complete loss.
amphiuma33
October 20, 2024
Oh shoot, they're finally re-releasing Stephanie Brown Batgirl in tpb??? WONDERFUL, the old tpbs are so hard to get ahold of!

Batman News Archive

Upcoming Comics October 23, 2024

Upcoming Comics

Beyond the Bat

Graphic Novel Watch

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