Wednesday, August 23, 2023

November 2023 DC Comics Solicits

The November DC solicits came out last week. Here is a link to check them out:
https://aiptcomics.com/2023/08/18/november-2023-dc-comics-solicitations/

DC continues to churn through events hoping one will catch fire. From Dark Crisis to Lazarus Planet to Knight Terrors to now ... Beast World? I have become a bit more choosy with which things I buy when it comes these things nowadays. Knight Terrors I only picked up a couple of the minis. This one I think I won't be getting anything outside of the Metropolis special seen below. 

I'd love to hear if this grabs anyone. On to the books.

TITANS: BEAST WORLD TOUR: METROPOLIS #1
Written by NICOLE MAINES, JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, ZIPPORAH SMITH, and DAN JURGENS
Art by MAX RAYNOR, ANTHONY MARQUES, and EDWIN GALMON
Cover by MIKEL JANIN
Variant covers by CLAYTON HENRY and CULLY HAMNER

As the ramifications of the Titans’ battle with Starro reverberate across the globe, Metropolis is hit with an unexpected surge of electricity from…is that—? No. It can’t be. Livewire? BUT SHE’S A—A—okay you’re going to have to read this one to believe it. Meanwhile, Supergirl and Dreamer take on the terror of the Flamebird, Power Girl is no longer, and amid the chaos a threat continues to grow on the horizon. All signs point to a major new shift in the world of Superman in Beast World Tour: Metropolis!


This is the month after the Supergirl Special so I am hoping her being here for this means she doesn't decide to go off-world again. 

Poor Power Girl. She has a big spotlight on her these days but is still transmogrified into a phoenix!

Every month we seem to hear that there is a major shift in the Superman world. Given Jon's appearance on the cover and the complete lack of mention in the solicit, I wonder if something is going to happen to him.
ACTION COMICS #1059
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON, GENE LUEN YANG, and DAN PARENT
Art by RAFA SANDOVAL, VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC, and MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
Cover by STEVE BEACH
Variant covers by JORGE JIMENEZ and CARLA COHEN
1:25 variant cover by TYLER KIRKHAM
1:50 variant cover by FRANCESCO TOMASELLI
Artist Spotlight variant cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

As the forces of Norah Stone’s Blue Earth take control of Metropolis, Superman dusts off his Warworld weapons and armors up alongside Steel to take their city back! Can even the House of El defeat this potent new threat? Meanwhile, the shocking true identities of Norah Stone’s mysterious family are revealed, building to a battle royale for the ages! A pivotal issue not to be missed!
PLUS: The conclusion to Gene Luen Yang and Viktor Bogdanovic’s “New Super-Man of Metropolis”, and Dan Parent (Kevin Keller) explores the world of Jon Kent like never before!


I'm all about mysteries so the fact that Norah Stone's family is someone shocking makes me wonder. I have no guesses now but you can be sure that I will when I read more. 

I don't know if I need to see Superman picking up his Warworld weapons but I trust Phillip Kennedy Johnson enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

The back-ups sound interesting.

And I wonder just how much the Deodato cover (shown above) will run.
SUPERMAN #8
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art by GLEB MELNIKOV
Cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL
Variant covers by LEE BERMEJO and JOHN GIANG
1:25 variant cover by EDWIN GALMON
1:50 variant cover by ALEX SAVIUK
DC Holiday Card Special Edition variant cover by JIM LEE ($6.99 US)
Artist Spotlight variant cover by MIKE DEODATO JR.

Powerless!
Superman versus the Chained concludes! One of the biggest battles Metropolis has ever witnessed comes down to Superman doing the unthinkable and sacrificing his powers to stop the Chained. How does that impact Lex Luthor’s plans…or is Lex too busy dealing with the shocking return of his mother in Superman #850?!


I don't know enough about the Chained to hazard a guess about this. I hope we don't go too long with a powerless Superman, a story I have read before and one which has never really grabbed me. 

Luthor's mother being alive is pretty crazy. Placing bets now that it isn't really her.

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #21
Written by MARK WAID
Art and cover by DAN MORA
Variant cover by BRYAN HITCH
1:25 variant cover by SANFORD GREENE
1:50 variant cover by MIRKO COLAK
DC Holiday Card Special Edition variant cover by CRYSTAL KUNG ($5.99 US)
McFarlane Action Figure variant

Superman and Batman, having followed Boy Thunder to Kingdom Come, find themselves and that world on a path to an apocalyptic future. Can the World’s Finest team prevent the transformation of Boy Thunder into the villainous Magog, or is his fate sealed?


Waid heading back to the Kingdom Come world sounds interesting, especially given the reappearance of Boy Thunder from this very book. 

I really hope we don't get too much of a World's Finest fighting the KC World's Finest in the book. 

STEELWORKS #6
Written by MICHAEL DORN
Art by SAMI BASRI and VICENTE CIFUENTES
Cover by JON BOGDANOVE
Variant cover by V KEN MARION and DANNY MIKI
1:25 variant cover by JERRY GAYLORD

The Epic Finale!
As a massive mecha battle rages across Metropolis between John Henry Irons and his fierce rival Charles Walker III, the ultimate sacrifice is made to ensure Metropolis’s clean- energy future will live on! Life, death, and a new tomorrow are all in play in this final chapter of Michael Dorn and Sami Basri’s Steelworks saga!


I didn't realize this was a 6 issue mini-series. But here we are, already at the end. I guess long term plots I was hoping for won't be so long-term.

I hope this doesn't end with Irons death and Natasha claiming the mantle of Steel. And I hope the clean-energy thing doesn't pan out, pushing this too out of a relatable world for me.

But we'll see.

SUPERMAN: LOST #8
Written by CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Art and cover by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ
Variant cover by LEE WEEKS
1:25 variant cover by DENYS COWAN and JOHN STANISCI

Superman experiences a breakthrough on his path to recovery with the help of Supergirl, as the Els bond over being survivors living with the guilt of leaving behind doomed planets. Meanwhile, Lois attempts to outsmart Lex Luthor to save herself and Clark!


Back in my Terrificon 2023 coverage, I said that Denys Cowan revealed he had drawn Supergirl recently. Now we know where! I am not a big one for the rarer variants but if I see this and the price is right, I might have to buy it.

I am glad to see Supergirl here. If Clark is suffering, she should be called in to help. I have always like Christopher Priest's writing so I can't wait to see his take on Kara. Interesting that Superman will be having survivor's guilt over the Kansas planet and not Krypton.

SUPERMAN ’78: THE METAL CURTAIN #1
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by GAVIN GUIDRY
Variant cover by WILFREDO TORRES
1:25 variant cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
1:50 variant cover by ADRIAN GUTIERREZ
Blank sketch variant
McFarlane Action Figure variant

When the planet Krypton exploded, its last son was rocketed across the cosmos and came to settle in a small town in Kansas. But what else came with him, and what if a piece of his home landed somewhere we never knew about? As Superman has become a symbol of strength and pride for America, the Soviet Union looks to crush that image with a creation of their own, built by their own might and forged by their own power! Robert Venditti returns to the Man of Steel with new artist Gavin Guidry!

SUPERMAN ’78: THE METAL CURTAIN #2
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by GAVIN GUIDRY
Variant cover by MICHAEL CHO
1:25 variant cover by MAX DUNBAR

Superman brings Lois to the Fortress of Solitude for a private interview. Meanwhile, the Russians launch their first assault with their mighty Metallo in hopes of drawing the Man of Steel out into the open. Witness as the power of the people breaks Superman!


Now this is a wonderful surprise!

I really like Robert Venditti as a writer. And I really loved Superman '78

I knew a sequel was happening but to see this double solicit thrilled me. I was wondering who the big bad would be and Metallo as a Soviet agent is an excellent idea. I think given the time of this story with the Cold War at it's height, this will be great.

POWER GIRL #3
Written by LEAH WILLIAMS
Art by EDUARDO PANSICA
Cover by GARY FRANK
Variant covers by RAHZZAH and GUILLEM MARCH
1:25 variant cover by BABS TARR
1:50 variant cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON

Looking for answers, Power Girl heads to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude to study up on the mysterious Kryptonian virus sensation sweeping the nation. Turns out…she’s not alone! Something is lurking in the shadows of the Man of Steel’s most secret of headquarters, and it won’t stop its hunt until it’s the last one standing!

I'm still holding out hope that this book is solid. Last solicit mentioned Amalak. This one mentions a Kryptonian virus ... perhaps Virus X?? If Williams keeps bringing classics back, I might have to stick around.

Not a bad month. 

What did I miss?

3 comments:

Steve said...

Krypton is really just an abstract concept emotionally to Clark so his having a worse reaction to an adult experience makes sense to me.

William Ashley Vaughan said...

Nicole Maines' Dreamer stories in various DC specials have all been pretty good. I look forward to seeing her take on Supergirl.

Anonymous said...

The series of Deodato artist Spotlight covers that month, as well as the holiday card covers, are all non-incentive card stock variant prices ($1.00 extra). I pay that price for them. Comic shop shouldn't mark them up. But I always pre order them when I want them. These days comic shops tend to not order too many extra comics that they may get stuck with, so you might just not stumble on one on the shelf.

T.N.