DC Comics
DC Begins Announcing New Titles
0Well, that didn’t take long. Hot on the heels of their big news this week, DC has begun the wave of new issue announcements.
So, we have officially confirmed:
- Justice League #1 with Geoff Johns & Jim Lee
- Wonder Woman #1 with Brian Azzarello & Cliff Chiang
- Aquaman #1 with Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis
- The Flash #1 with Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
- The Fury of Firestorm #1 with Gail Simone, Ethan Van Sciver and Yildiray Cinar
- The Savage Hawkman #1 with Tony Daniel and Philip Tan
- Green Arrow #1 with JT Krul and Dan Jurgens
- Justice League International #1 with Dan Jurgens and Aaron Lopresti
- Mister Terrific #1 with Eric Wallace and Roger Robinson
- Captain Atom #1 with JT Krul and Freddie Williams II
- DC Universe Presents #1 with Paul Jenkins & Bernard Change
- Green Lantern #1 with Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy
- Green Lantern Corps #1 with Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna
- Green Lantern: The New Guardians #1 with Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham and Batt
- Red Lanterns #1 with Peter Milligan, Ed Benes and Rob Hunter
I’m excited to see Cliff Chiang on art duties for Wonder Woman, but I have serious reservations about Brian Azzarello as the writer. He’s a talented writer, but I don’t see him as a good fit for this title. It leads me to believe that I’m really not going to like the direction they take Diana’s character. It’s Wonder Woman, though, so I’m onboard.
I have zero interest in a Firestorm series, and DC had to go and put my favorite writer on the book. Dammit.
15 down, 37 to go!
The DCU Post-Flashpoint
0The comics portion of the internet exploded yesterday when the news dropped of DC’s plans for the DCU in September. Links ahoy!
- DC’s press release
- USA Today announcement
- USA Today interview with Geoff Johns and Jim Lee
- DC’s letter to retailers
There are a TON of rumors, questions and theories floating around the internet, but here is what we know so far:
- 52 new number 1 issues to be released in September. The renumbering appears to include Action Comics and Detective Comics.
- DC is going same day-and-date digital for all new releases beginning in September.
- Some series and characters will not return following Flashpoint whereas others will be “tweaked”.
- Creative teams will be shuffled.
- Character designs are being modified.
- Justice League will be rebooted by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee with a bright, shiny #1 issue on August 31. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), The Flash (Barry Allen), Aquaman and Cyborg are confirmed as members, and an additional 7 characters will be added to the team.
I find most of the rumors at least plausible, but I’m not going to react positively or negatively until we start receiving confirmation via press releases, interviews and the all-important September solicits to be released on June 13. I will say that I don’t like several of the rumors.
The biggest piece of news to me is the same day-and-date digital release announcement. This could be a game-changer, and retailers are not going to react positively to this news. I will say that if DC insists on charging the same price for digital comics as print comics, then this initiative will fail.
These are bold moves, DC. As a comics fan and a DC fan, I hope you succeed.
Flashpoint & Wonder Woman
0As part of their Flashpoint Friday series, The Source announced a Wonder Woman mini that will tie-in to the Flashpoint event starting in May. The announcement included a nice surprise for me, personally.
FLASHPOINT: WONDER WOMAN AND THE FURIES #1
Covers: Ed Benes
Writer: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Scott Clark and David Beaty
Dave Beaty is a friend, and I’m excited that he’s getting the opportunity to work on another high-profile assignment as his work on Brightest Day winds down. Congratulations, Dave!
Birds News
0The Source has posted several bits of Birds-related news today.
First comes word that Jesus Saiz will be new regular ongoing artist beginning with Issue #12.
*sigh*
The lack of consistent art from issue to issue (and often within the same issue) has been my only complaint with the Birds relaunch. I know that Gail mentioned that unforeseen circumstances arose, and I’m certainly not throwing stones at the artists. I feel this is mismanagement at the Editorial level, and it’s not confined to just Birds of Prey. It appears that production schedules are too compacted and allow no time to recover and hit deadlines if issues arise. I make my living as a Product Manager, which involved managing multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously, so I know firsthand how difficult it can be. Why not build spare inventory of a couple of issues to allow for such circumstances?
They also give us a sneak peak at Saiz’ cover for Issue #12. I don’t think anyone really believed that DC was going to kill Babs in the current “Death of Oracle” storyline, but I don’t know if showing this cover with Babs front and center was a good idea.
I like Jesus Saiz’ art, so I’m happy to see him come aboard. Good luck, Jesus!
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Next up is the preview of Birds of Prey #8, which is out today. I’ll note that Guillem March is the artist for this issue. If I remember correctly, the solicitation listed Ardian Syaf as the artist.
I think I’ve already beat this horse, so moving on…
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Lastly, we have the cover for Birds of Prey #12, scheduled for release in April. I approve of this cover!
