DC January Solicit Revue

As promised, the DC edition of yesterday's little exercise.

1) BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #2
Written by Andy Diggle
Art and cover by Whilce Portacio & Richard Friend
Part 2 of the 6-part "Rules of Engagement," written by Andy Diggle with art by Whilce Portacio & Richard Friend!

Batman discovers the malevolent force behind the huge robot that's menacing Gotham City - and it pits Bruce Wayne head-to-head for the first time against the Metropolis mogul Lex Luthor.On sale January 10 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

So, what exactly is the point of this series? Is it another "look at the early years of Batman" kind of thing? Because quite frankly I'm really getting tired of that whole shtick. Plus, why does this cover make Batman look like a doofus? Points for adding a new weapon to his arsenal, though: not many have the strength to heave the Bat-Anchor!

2) ROBIN #158
Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Frazer Irving
Cover by Patrick Gleason & Keith Champagne

Guest-starring Klarion the Witch Boy from SEVEN SOLDIERS! Robin and Klarion must use the skills and magic at their command to save Klarion's cat, Teekl, and all of Gotham City from a creature built entirely of black magic - the rampaging Judgment Beast!On sale January 24 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I might buy my very first issue of Robin ever, just because it's got Frazer Irving and Klarion together again! Also, the cover is wicked kewl.

3) SUPERMAN & BATMAN VS. ALIENS & PREDATORS #1
Written by Mark Schultz
Art and cover by Ariel Olivetti

It's the battle you've been waiting for in a thrilling 2-issue miniseries by Mark Schultz (Cadillacs & Dinosaurs) with computer-generated painted art by Ariel Olivetti (SPACE GHOST)!They're back! The relentless killing machines known as Aliens and the unstoppable race of hunters called Predators have returned to Earth. But saying "they're back" isn't quite accurate - Batman discovers that the two races, sealed away from the human population, have been here all along! Can he and Superman get them off our world before they threaten the planet's existence? Co-published with Dark Horse Comics.

Well, of course I'm buying this, silly! I don't know if I'd call it "the battle I've been waiting for", but it's a goofy enough premise that should have lots of killin'. My other hope is that this is merely the precursor to a line-wide series of goofy tag-team team-ups, like "Green Lantern & Green Arrow vs. Dracula & The Mummy", "Wonder Woman & Hawkman vs. Godzilla & Ghidra", and "The Flash & Zatanna vs. The Loch Ness Monster & E. Coli".


4) THE HELMET OF FATE: DETECTIVE CHIMP #1
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Shawn McManus
Cover by Brian Bolland

Bill Willingham (SHADOWPACT, FABLES) joins forces with artist Shawn McManus (THE SANDMAN) and cover artist extraordinaire Brian Bolland for a tale of Detective Chimp! The World's Greatest Simian Sleuth is called in to investigate the murders of a new band of wannabe super-heroes when the Helmet of Fate enters his life!On sale January 17 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Monkeys + Magic Helmets + Murder Mystery + Brian Bolland Cover = Automatic Purchase. That's just how things are in my life. I make no apologies.



5) GREEN LANTERN CORPS #8
Written by Keith Champagne
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason & Prentis Rollins

Undercover alongside teammates Von Daggle and R'amey Holl on the Dominion Homeworld, Guy Gardner grapples with the moral implications of being ordered to kill for the Corps. Plus, the squad finds itself facing off against a Dominator unlike any it's ever encountered before.

Guy Gardner grapples with the morality of killing? This is the guy who was The Warrior, yes? OK. Just making sure. Hey, where did Dave Gibbons go? Plus: every man, woman, and child on the planet should, at some point in their life, have a teammate named "Von Daggle". Builds character.

6) HAWKGIRL #60
Written by Walter Simonson
Art by Renato Arlem
Cover by Howard Chaykin

Concluding the 4-part story begun in HAWKMAN #59 and crossing over with JSA CLASSIFIED #21 & 22! Hawkgirl defines her next priority on Earth: destroy Hath-Set and break the vicious circle of the Hawks' doomed existences.On sale January 24 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Looks like I'll have to wait till February to jump back on Hawkgirl. Errr...that could have been phrased better. What I mean is, looks like I won't be buying another Hawkgirl comic until February, where a new non-crossover story arc sans Chaykin begins. Yeah. That's what I meant. And I'm assuming that when they say HAWKMAN #59 they're referring to HAWKGIRL #59.

7) MYSTERY IN SPACE #5
Written by Jim Starlin
Art by Shane Davis & Matt "Batt" Banning and Starlin & Al Milgrom
Cover by Davis & Banning

Captain Comet unmasks the secrets of his shadowy newfound enemies, only to discover a deeper, more baffling mystery that threatens the gargantuan floating space city that he calls home. Plus, the Weird discovers that not everyone is as he appears - including himself!On sale January 3 o 5 of 8 o 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Can I make a confession? I am really loving Mystery in Space. I don't ever want it to go away. I'll have more about this in my review post tomorrow. Also: looks like he's back to being "Captain". This is a good thing. Also: how good is Al Milgrom? Answer: really, really good.

8) THE SPIRIT #2
Written by Darwyn Cooke
Art by Cooke & J. Bone
Cover by Cooke

Darwyn Cooke's reimagining of The Spirit continues! The Spirit is confronted by his old nemesis, P'Gell, who has designs on a wealthy member of an Arab royal family, Prince Farouk. P'Gell, quite possibly the sexiest seductress in comics history, uses her womanly wiles to achieve her ends - as the Spirit does what he can to thwart her!On sale January 17 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

This will get me pilloried in the comicsblogoweb, but I don't know if this is going to be any good or not, quite frankly. I like New Frontier an awful lot. I've read a little tiny amount of Eisner's Spirit stuff. It's...OK. I can appreciate its importance more than its quality. I'll try it, but I'm not slavering for it like some folks are, and I don't think this has "automatic home run" written all over it.

9) TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #4
Written by David Lapham and Brian Azzarello
Art by Eric Battle, Cliff Chiang and Prentis Rollins
Cover by Bernie Wrightson

Batman challenges Gotham's spookiest dead cop in a trial of mayhem and horror! Just wait until Batman learns what tricks of terror lie up the sleeve of…The Spectre! Plus, what are the extradimensional forces that compel Dr. 13 in his pursuit of debunking the impossible?On sale January 10 o 4 of 8 o 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US

You know what's awesome about Gotham? The fact that there is apparently a large enough population of dead cops to be able to single out one as the "spookiest", even if he is The Spectre. And didn't Dr. 13 die in Seven Soldiers, after Zatanna's Demon-Aggravatin' House Party?

10) SCALPED #1
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guéra
Cover by Jock

Introducing SCALPED, an all-new monthly series by up-and-coming writer Jason Aaron (THE OTHER SIDE) featuring the gritty art of R.M. Guéra (Heavy Metal).Fifteen years ago, Dashiell "Dash" Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and utter hopelessness on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in hopes of finding something better. Now, he's come back home to find nothing much has changed on "The Rez" - short of a glimmering new casino, and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. So is he back to set things right or just get a piece of the action?

Also at the center of the storm is Tribal Leader Lincoln Red Crow, a former "Red Power" activist turned burgeoning crime boss who figures that after 100 years of the Lakota being robbed and murdered by the white man, it's now time to return the favor.

Now Dash - armed with nothing but a set of nunchucks, a hellbent-for-leather attitude and (at least) one dark secret - must survive a world of gambling, gunfights, G-men, Dawg Soldierz, massacres, meth labs, trashy sex, fry bread, Indian pride, Thunder Beings, the rugged beauty of the Badlands…and even a brutal scalping or two.

I... that... huh. Living in Arizona, I can tell you that the reservations here are fertile ground indeed for exploring any tale of corruption, hopelessness, betrayal, and poverty. This comic appears to be Goodfellas meets Billy Jack! Or something. I swear, the title alone made me laugh out loud, and then I felt bad about it. But look at that last paragraph --- any comic that juxtaposes "trashy sex" and "fry bread" right next to each other in the solicit? Well, that's just outstanding.