Tuesday, May 24, 2016

August 2016 Solicits

The DC Comic solicits for August were released last week and it is a big month for Supergirl. People better start saving their nickels and dimes!

The company will now be 2 months into #Rebirth so new titles and new directions are everywhere. For Supergirl fans, we finally have her Rebirth special which will lead into her new series. I can't wait.

If you want to read all the solicits head here to Newsarama:
http://www.newsarama.com/29306-dc-comics-august-2016-solicitations.html

And on to the super-books.


SUPERGIRL: REBIRTH #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO • Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO and RAY McCARTHY • Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO • Variant cover by ADAM HUGHES
Supergirl turns to the shadowy organization known as the D.E.O. (Department of Extranormal Operations) to restore her lost powers once and for all! But as a fateful experiment sends Kara Zor-El rocketing toward the sun, disaster strikes at home in the form of the lost Kryptonian werewolf Lar-On! All the epic action of the brand new Supergirl series starts here!

There is almost too much to love about this solicit.

We already know that Supergirl will be working with the DEO alongside scientists Jeremiah and Eliza. Here, the plot includes the Kryptonian werewolf Lar-On. I know the character from one of my favorite stories of my childhood in World's Finest #258. So that sort of deep cut, Kryptonian lycanthropy, makes me think Steve Orlando is going to shine here. 

But as a bonus, we get interior art by Supergirl-alum Emanuela Lupacchino! And a variant cover by Adam Hughes!

So pumped for this. And more ...




ACTION COMICS #961
Written by DAN JURGENS • Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT • Covers by CLAY MANN • Variant covers by GARY FRANK
“Path to Doom” part five! With his family’s safety hanging in the balance, Superman confronts Doomsday to finally bring the beast’s destructive rage to an end. To save his wife and son, Superman must overcome the monster that once killed him, or die trying!

ACTION COMICS #962
Written by DAN JURGENS • Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and ART THIBERT • Covers by CLAY MANN • Variant covers by GARY FRANK
“Path to Doom” part six! In the epic conclusion, the mystery of Black Zero deepens just as the Man of Steel makes a fateful decision that may stop Doomsday, but also risks the lives of those he loves most.

This is definitely the pre-Flashpoint Superman starring here. And the solicits make it sound like it is the pre-Flashpoint Doomsday. I still think bring Doomsday into the new direction here seems early. But I guess the proof will be in the story.




SUPERMAN #4
Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON • Art by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY • Covers by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY • Variant covers by KENNETH ROCAFORT

“SON OF SUPERMAN” part four! The battle for Jon hits Metropolis as the Eradicator targets Superman’s son! Can the Man of Steel protect the city and his son against the Kryptonian executioner—or will he have to make a sacrifice? 

SUPERMAN #5
Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON • Art by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA • Covers by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY • Variant covers by KENNETH ROCAFORT
“SON OF SUPERMAN” part five! The Eradicator is unstoppable and it has forced Superman to leave Earth behind to keep his son from harm.


Now bringing the Eradicator in this early makes sense because we haven't seen that character in a while. I don't know if I remember him being an executioner. How does this effect Jon?





SUPERWOMAN #1
Written by PHIL JIMENEZ • Art by PHIL JIMENEZ and MATT SANTORELLI • Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ • Variant cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON
“Who Is Superwoman?” part one! Lois Lane takes flight! Now powered up with the abilities of Superman, Lois pledges to carry on the super-legacy as Superwoman! There’s only one problem: Lois’ new powers are killing her, and neither she nor her friend and confidant Lana Lang know what to do about it. Will Lois even survive long enough to learn the deadly secret of Ultra Woman?

Well now we know that Superwoman is Lois. But which Lois? The pre-Flashpoint one? Or the New 52 one?

I do have to say that my shoulders slumped when I read that the powers were killing her. Haven't we just been inundated by the 'powers slowly killing the character' trope? Didn't we just read the 'Superman is slowly dying' storyline?

I'm excited to read it. The flaming Lois at the bottom of the cover is wearing a suit that reminds me of the Lucy Lane Superwoman from the Supergirl book. And bringing in Lana is always a plus. 



NEW SUPER-MAN #2
Written by GENE LUEN YANG • Art by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC and RICHARD FRIEND • Cover by VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC • Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG
“Made in China” part two! The New Super-Man must face off against the Justice League of China? When Kenan Kong was imbued with the powers of Superman, he didn’t waste any time using them! Now it’s up to the New Bat-Man and New Wonder-Woman of his home country to bring our hero back down to earth—just in time to stop the attack of the deadly Sunbeam!

Still wondering if this is going to grab me. The visuals are great. The idea is intriguing. But I can't say Yang endeared himself to me with The Truth.


DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #16
Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
Art by LAURA BRAGA and MIRKA ANDOLFO
Cover by ANT LUCIA
Batwoman, Catwoman, Zatanna, Harley and Ivy begin to link up to work together as a rebellion, sending coordinated attacks across Germany and leading massive uprisings of refugees and citizens. Underwater, Mera confronts her betrothed for what’s rightfully hers, and must choose between her beloved and her throne.

I am thrilled that Bombshells is continuing. And I love the team of Bennett, Braga, and Andolfo.

Supergirl isn't mentioned here. But Zatanna was underused in the first year so I'm glad to see her get the spotlight.


DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS ANNUAL #1
Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
Art by ELSA CHARRETIER
Cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON
The long-buried tale of a heroine of the Great War! An ace pilot turned ancient predator, you may now know her as the Halloween horror, “The Bloody Batgirl”! But here, we will present the secret story of how she became the first Bombshell known as...the Batgirl!

And I wondered where the Babs Batgirl was in the first year of Bombshells. We had Batwoman. We had the Batgirls. But not the dominoed daredoll.

So this should be interesting.

I loved Charretier's art on Starfire, so that is also a draw.


HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK #5
Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI • Art and cover by NEAL ADAMS • 1:25 Variant cover by AMANDA CONNER
(Mumble-mumble) years ago, the alien race known as the Scrubb forced Superman into a boxing match for the ages, against Earth’s greatest heavyweight champion, (mumble-mumble)! Now, (mumble-mumble) years later, the Scrubb have returned…but with said champion unavailable, the Scrubb have chosen the next-best thing: Harley Quinn! This can’t end well for anyone involved. Featuring unbelievable art by the legendary Neal Adams, it’s a tribute to one of the greatest Superman stories of the 1970s, in Harley Quinn’s own particular, ah, idiom!

As someone who actually read Superman vs Muhammad Ali in the treasury format, I read this solicit and smiled broadly.

Perhaps my favorite thing about the Palmiotti/Conner series is that they can play a little loose with continuity. Their Power Girl and their Starfire wasn't necessarily the one that everyone else in the New 52 had to abide by. So seeing this is ridiculous and perfect and wonderful.



ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL TP
Written by STERLING GATES
Art by BENGAL, EMANUELA LUPACCHINO, EMMA VIECELI and others
Cover by CAT STAGGS
In this collection of the six-issue digital-first miniseries based on the hit CBS TV show, Kara Zor-El’s fledgling efforts are targeted at criminals who escaped when Fort Rozz crashed, but she keeps hearing rumors of a shadowy mastermind sending the escapees after her! Supergirl is learning a lot about her super-abilities, her strengths as a friend and as a sister, her love of being human and alien at the same time. And she’ll need to pull it all together to defeat her most dangerous foe to date!

We demanded it be published in floppies. I hope that people buy the trade too.

I love this series, a great mash-up of the Supergirl show characters as well as Supergirl and Kryptonian history. The artists on the book have been spectacular. And with the renewal of the show, I hope we get more Adventures of Supergirl stories.
 


SUPERGIRL: WHO IS SUPERWOMAN? TP NEW EDITION
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle, Matthew Clark, Jon Sibal and Keith Champagne
Cover by Joshua Middleton
When a costumed woman arrives in Metropolis calling herself Superwoman, it’s up to Supergirl to get to the bottom of things! After meeting this so-called Superwoman during the “New Krypton” storyline, the Girl of Steel has two pressing questions: who is Superwoman, really, and what gives her the right to wear the symbol of the House of El? Don’t miss this collection featuring SUPERGIRL #34 and #37-42.

And if you didn't read the Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle run on Supergirl, this is your month as all the trades of their issues are being reprinted.

This was the first trade which leapt around a bit because of the New Krypton arc. But this introduced the DCU to the new villainous Superwoman. Definitely worth reading.


SUPERGIRL: FRIENDS AND FUGITIVES TP NEW EDITION
Written by STERLING GATES and GREG RUCKA
Art by JAMAL IGLE and others
Cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
Supergirl and Flamebird must work together to track down Kara’s father’s assassin—
Reactron! But these childhood friends find themselves at each other’s throats in these stories from SUPERGIRL #43 and #45-47, ACTION COMICS #881-882 and a story from SUPERMAN SECRET FILES 2009 #1.

Did you like Reactron on the show? Do you want to see a smarty-pants Kara on Krypton? Do you want to see some great fights? And the inside of Kara's apartment in Paris?

If you answered yes, get this trade!

SUPERGIRL: BIZARROGIRL TP NEW EDITION
Written by STERLING GATES
Art by JAMAL IGLE, MATT CAMP and JON SIBAL
Cover by AMY REEDER and RICHARD FRIEND
Enter Bizarro Supergirl! But how did she get to Earth and what does she want? The real Supergirl better find out fast, or else there won’t be much left of Metropolis to save! And to make things worse, an even bigger threat looms on the horizon with an eye for the Girl of Steel. Collected from SUPERGIRL #53-59 and ANNUAL #2.

This was the end of the Gates run. BizarroGirl is my favorite arc in the series. It is a fantastic story with some humor (it's a Bizarro story) as well as deeply emotional and philosophical moments as well. It is the story I point to when someone asks me to recommend a Sterling Gates/Jamal Igle story. But this trade also includes the Easter Egg heavy second annual (Legion! Satan Girl!) and the Dollmaker!

Get this trade!

JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 VOL. 2: THINGS FALL APART TP
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art by HOWARD PORTER
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS
As the evil Lady Styx and her legion reign over the Commonwealth, an all-new Justice League rises from the ashes of the old. But can they topple a tyrant who’s embraced by the very people she’s conquered, even with the help of Supergirl from the past? In order to do so, they’ll have to defeat Lady Styx’s most lethal agent: Eclipso! Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #7-12.

I have loved the Justice League 3001 series as a smash-up of some of the most wonderful things that have ever existed in the DCU. It is a shame it had to end. But the candle that burns twice as bright lasts half as long. And this series burned so very brightly.

If you want to read a more Silver Age Supergirl leading a Justice League, get this trade.



COLORING DC: SUPERGIRL TP
Art by IAN CHURCHILL, JAMAL IGLE, MICHAEL TURNER, AMANDA CONNER and others
Cover by IAN CHURCHILL
The Girl of Steel stars in her own adult coloring book, with spectacular art by Pop Mhan, Bengal, Jamal Igle and more!

I honestly don't understand the fad of adult coloring books. I love that there will be a Supergirl one. I don't like the panty shot they chose for the cover.

Whew ... that is a lot of Supergirl stuff!

Can't wait for Supergirl Rebirth!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting, Anj! Much good news indeed. Not sure about the reissues of the TPB
SUPERGIRL: WHO IS SUPERWOMAN?, SUPERGIRL: FRIENDS AND FUGITIVES and SUPERGIRL: BIZARROGIRL,
especially when we're still waiting for DC to release Good Looking corpse still...

The coloring book is tempting, if only to keep it for the artists it collects. The less
said about the panty shot, the better.

Great Time To Be A Supergirl Fan, Though!


Regards

Anonymous said...

I think Superwoman is New-52 Lois (since she's near the final battle between flare-"Superman" and the other heroes. Additionally, I think she is dying because if the book doesn't sell well, they will let New-52 Lois die alongside New-52 Superman (assuming New-52 Superman isn't the mysterious new "Clark Kent"), leaving only pre-Flashpoint Lois around (and thus kinda-sorta streamlining/concluding the transition from New-52 Superman back to pre-Flashpoint Superman).

I'm also so tired of Doomsday. The best part about the "Death of Superman" wasn't actually "Death of Superman" but "Funeral for a Friend", which allowed a huge amount of world-building to be done for post-Crisis Superman. Kara might have a punch-probability of 85%, but for Superman these days it seems to be 100%.

Uncle Screensaver said...

Also of note is that Steel on the cover of Superwoman looks like Pre-Flashpoint, and on the right it looks like Natasha Irons as Steel beside Girl 13 (?), and those two were a part of the "Supergirls" story arc which featured Cir-El. "Ultra Woman" was the code name Lois Lane took when she received powers briefly on the "Lois and Clark" TV series.

I wonder if that's Lana as "Superwoman Red," I thought maybe it was the return of Strange Visitor.

Yes, the "dying from your powers" trope is tiring after "Final Days" and within "All-Star Superman." Hopefully the series will be a success because LOIS! I'm pretty sure it's New52 Lois too because that costume certainly would be worn from someone in that universe. Then again, Pre-Flashpoint Superman IS wearing *that* costume - although still better than NuSupes armor-tights.

I didn't realize that about Jeremiah and Eliza being in the comic, are they foster parents to her in the comic also?

I don't like that image of Supergirl in the colouring book but I don't think it will be the cover. I also don't think it can truly be considered "adult" style, as from what I've seen of the Wonder Woman one, it's just covers and iconic images that don't have colour, where the "adult colouring books" are generally intricate designs and shapes making up an image. Although there are some that aren't, but I think they're "regular" colouring books just possibly labelled for the self-concious grown up :P

I had just seen all those trades on Amazon a few days before I read the solicitations. I wonder why they broke away from the "volumes" and have just decided to go with "new editions". In any case, it's really cool that they will be available again.