DC Comics finally released their entire solicits for July 2013. The entire list is available here on CBR
While most of the hubbub has been around the impending Trinity War, the return of Vic Sage as the Question, and the 'crossover event of the Summer', I was more impressed with the sheer volume of Superman associated stuff coming out in July. I am sure the timing is perfect for the Superman movie release ... but let's hope the quality is there.
There is no doubt I will be poorer after this month, especially given the surprise at the end! That was a good surprise. And the 'new writer' of Action Comics after Andy Diggle/Tony Daniel run was named. That wasn't as good.
Onto the solicits.
SUPERGIRL #22
Written by MICHAEL ALAN NELSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
Careful what you wish for! Kara may have found a home away from Earth, but it’s at a price that Superboy will have to pay to a major Superman foe!
We still haven't read any of Nelson's Supergirl yet so it is hard to know what to expect. This looks like Kara is either going to try to purge herself of emotions by becoming a machine or maybe plugging herself in to a machine. I wonder if the 'home away from Earth' is becoming more robotic so she doesn't feel emotions. Could the Superman foe be Brainiac?
Hard to judge the tone of the book by the cover. But certainly this doesn't look like Supergirl 'looking for joy'. I do like that both Superboy and Superman are mentioned here, making me wonder if we are looking to a more cohesive 'family'.
Nice art and colors by Mahmud Asrar. The light/dark nature of the cover reminds me of this.
Written by MICHAEL ALAN NELSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
Careful what you wish for! Kara may have found a home away from Earth, but it’s at a price that Superboy will have to pay to a major Superman foe!
We still haven't read any of Nelson's Supergirl yet so it is hard to know what to expect. This looks like Kara is either going to try to purge herself of emotions by becoming a machine or maybe plugging herself in to a machine. I wonder if the 'home away from Earth' is becoming more robotic so she doesn't feel emotions. Could the Superman foe be Brainiac?
Hard to judge the tone of the book by the cover. But certainly this doesn't look like Supergirl 'looking for joy'. I do like that both Superboy and Superman are mentioned here, making me wonder if we are looking to a more cohesive 'family'.
Nice art and colors by Mahmud Asrar. The light/dark nature of the cover reminds me of this.
ACTION COMICS #22
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
Backup story art by PHILIP TAN
A group of warriors from space come to Earth in search of their new king—and they’ve set their sites on Superman to lead them!
So Grant Morrison writes a classic and somewhat metatextual take on Superman. Andy Diggle comes on board and writes one issue of great Superman characterization, including Lois. But he is forced off. And so who does DC put on the book ... Scott Lobdell!
Now I have had my issues with Scott Lobdell on Superman. I don't think his vision of Superman easily jibes with mine. And I don't think I am alone.
So DC decides to hand him the keys to the kingdom and put him on both books! I assume that this stay on Action is temporary until DC can find someone to take the book but what creator would want it now? Anyways, could this story be a recycled version of the original Superman Annual #1? That plot is still out there. You can find that solicit here.
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT
Backup story art by PHILIP TAN
A group of warriors from space come to Earth in search of their new king—and they’ve set their sites on Superman to lead them!
So Grant Morrison writes a classic and somewhat metatextual take on Superman. Andy Diggle comes on board and writes one issue of great Superman characterization, including Lois. But he is forced off. And so who does DC put on the book ... Scott Lobdell!
Now I have had my issues with Scott Lobdell on Superman. I don't think his vision of Superman easily jibes with mine. And I don't think I am alone.
So DC decides to hand him the keys to the kingdom and put him on both books! I assume that this stay on Action is temporary until DC can find someone to take the book but what creator would want it now? Anyways, could this story be a recycled version of the original Superman Annual #1? That plot is still out there. You can find that solicit here.
SUPERMAN #22
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Confronted with a Psi War, Superman falls before one of its leaders, the H.I.V.E. queen!
Despite my prior rant, I am interested in this Psi War storyline by Lobdell in the Superman book. Telepathy/mental attacks have always been an underutilized weakness of Superman. And this re-imagining of the Queen Bee looks striking.
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
Confronted with a Psi War, Superman falls before one of its leaders, the H.I.V.E. queen!
Despite my prior rant, I am interested in this Psi War storyline by Lobdell in the Superman book. Telepathy/mental attacks have always been an underutilized weakness of Superman. And this re-imagining of the Queen Bee looks striking.
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #2
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and FRANK HANNAH
Art by PASCALE ALIXE
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
What repercussions lurk beneath the surface from Brainiac’s first attack—and how does it all set the stage for the battle of Metropolis? Plus, how can the Man of Steel fight something he can’t physically stop!
I hope that this issue helps clear up the Brainiac/Collector conundrum in my mind. If I follow, Brainiac is the name of the AI on Krypton. The Collector was a being saving pieces of civilization that were going to be destroyed. They mixed in Morrison's issues to become the computer system of the Fortress.
So now we have 'Brainiac' as a villain. So hopefully a flashback will explain things. Nice to see Frank Hannah's name on the book. I wonder if he is a Superman family fan? And Pascual Alixe's art is solid.
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and FRANK HANNAH
Art by PASCALE ALIXE
Cover by ANDY KUBERT
What repercussions lurk beneath the surface from Brainiac’s first attack—and how does it all set the stage for the battle of Metropolis? Plus, how can the Man of Steel fight something he can’t physically stop!
I hope that this issue helps clear up the Brainiac/Collector conundrum in my mind. If I follow, Brainiac is the name of the AI on Krypton. The Collector was a being saving pieces of civilization that were going to be destroyed. They mixed in Morrison's issues to become the computer system of the Fortress.
So now we have 'Brainiac' as a villain. So hopefully a flashback will explain things. Nice to see Frank Hannah's name on the book. I wonder if he is a Superman family fan? And Pascual Alixe's art is solid.
SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #2
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Backup story art by DUSTIN NGUYEN
The technological terrorists called Ascension are growing bolder with every attack, creating problems only Superman can solve—and that’s with help from the world’s greatest detective, Batman! But the mystery that’s really got them both worried is the unknown figure that’s been shadowing Superman! And in this issue’s backup tale, Jimmy Olsen takes center stage as Metropolis reacts to an event that’s shaken the city to its core!
Nice cover with Superman in a war time scene, pressing a tank, clutching an American Flag. Pretty iconic.
And nice inclusion of Batman as a guest star. Might as well try to cash in on Batman's current popularity. Too bad he isn't on the cover (not that a Snyder/Lee book needs a guest star to cash in).
Here is hoping that this book lives up to the incredibly high expectations I have set for it.
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Backup story art by DUSTIN NGUYEN
The technological terrorists called Ascension are growing bolder with every attack, creating problems only Superman can solve—and that’s with help from the world’s greatest detective, Batman! But the mystery that’s really got them both worried is the unknown figure that’s been shadowing Superman! And in this issue’s backup tale, Jimmy Olsen takes center stage as Metropolis reacts to an event that’s shaken the city to its core!
Nice cover with Superman in a war time scene, pressing a tank, clutching an American Flag. Pretty iconic.
And nice inclusion of Batman as a guest star. Might as well try to cash in on Batman's current popularity. Too bad he isn't on the cover (not that a Snyder/Lee book needs a guest star to cash in).
Here is hoping that this book lives up to the incredibly high expectations I have set for it.
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #3
Written by MATT KINDT
Art and cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Comics’ finest talents have assembled to bring you all-new, non-continuity short stories featuring The Man of Steel himself: SUPERMAN! In this month’s issue, Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA), joins forces with X-Treme X-Men artist Stephen Segovia to bring you a day in the life of the world’s greatest Super Hero!
I am loving the idea of this book, bringing together dream teams of creators to tell their Superman story. The 'day in the life' approach is one of my favorites, especially when we see the Clark Kent portions of the day. I used to love those slice of life 'Private Life of Clark Kent' stories in Superman Family back in the day. I hope Kindt includes some Clark time in this story.
Written by MATT KINDT
Art and cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Comics’ finest talents have assembled to bring you all-new, non-continuity short stories featuring The Man of Steel himself: SUPERMAN! In this month’s issue, Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA), joins forces with X-Treme X-Men artist Stephen Segovia to bring you a day in the life of the world’s greatest Super Hero!
I am loving the idea of this book, bringing together dream teams of creators to tell their Superman story. The 'day in the life' approach is one of my favorites, especially when we see the Clark Kent portions of the day. I used to love those slice of life 'Private Life of Clark Kent' stories in Superman Family back in the day. I hope Kindt includes some Clark time in this story.
SUPERBOY #22
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
Has Superboy met his match: Psycho and the Teen of Steel continue to track down what they believe are H.I.V.E. psi operatives, with the help of Lois Lane—who Superboy feels a bond to that Psycho isn’t revealing. And Kon’s double may complicate things even more!
Well, we had a reimagining of Queen Bee in Superman. Why not a reimagining of Match here in Superboy? And the 'bond' between Lois and Superboy? Is it really genetic??
It would be weird if the 'Bizarro Superboy' is introduced before Bizarro!
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by KEN LASHLEY
Has Superboy met his match: Psycho and the Teen of Steel continue to track down what they believe are H.I.V.E. psi operatives, with the help of Lois Lane—who Superboy feels a bond to that Psycho isn’t revealing. And Kon’s double may complicate things even more!
Well, we had a reimagining of Queen Bee in Superman. Why not a reimagining of Match here in Superboy? And the 'bond' between Lois and Superboy? Is it really genetic??
It would be weird if the 'Bizarro Superboy' is introduced before Bizarro!
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #2
Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by JAE LEE
Batman and Superman travel to Earth 2, where they find familiar heroes who are trying to kill them!
I still am on the fence about this book. But seeing the Earth 2 Superman and Batman will definitely have me coming back this month. I love Jae Lee's art ... so I guess this will land on my pull list. That is a great cover.
Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by JAE LEE
Batman and Superman travel to Earth 2, where they find familiar heroes who are trying to kill them!
I still am on the fence about this book. But seeing the Earth 2 Superman and Batman will definitely have me coming back this month. I love Jae Lee's art ... so I guess this will land on my pull list. That is a great cover.
SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #15
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER • Art by DANIEL HDR
Cover by PETE WOODS
Krypton’s past, present and future collide in the skies over New Krypton as the clock ticks down to oblivion. Superman, Supergirl, Booster and the Legion battle the unthinkable! “Argo” comes to its explosive conclusion in part 3 of 3.
I can't wait to read this arc with Supergirl and the Legion. I liked Daniel HDR's art on Legion and Green Lantern Corps so my guess is his Kara is going to be stunning.
But that Doomsday fist is concerning. I can't imagine Supergirl dying at the hand of Doomsday. She has to be alive to have a Crisis death hinted at. But should be a good brawl.
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER • Art by DANIEL HDR
Cover by PETE WOODS
Krypton’s past, present and future collide in the skies over New Krypton as the clock ticks down to oblivion. Superman, Supergirl, Booster and the Legion battle the unthinkable! “Argo” comes to its explosive conclusion in part 3 of 3.
I can't wait to read this arc with Supergirl and the Legion. I liked Daniel HDR's art on Legion and Green Lantern Corps so my guess is his Kara is going to be stunning.
But that Doomsday fist is concerning. I can't imagine Supergirl dying at the hand of Doomsday. She has to be alive to have a Crisis death hinted at. But should be a good brawl.
SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 SPECIAL #2
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art and cover by CAT STAGGS
When Lois Lane accepts an assignment outside of Metropolis, she gets more than she bargained for. Follow the Daily Planet’s star reporter to the Congo as she investigates the Angel of the Plateau! “Valkyrie” reintroduces Lana Lang to the series!
Where have Lois fans gone when they need to read a strong more classic Lane? Smallville.
So how great is it that the second Smallville Special seems Lois-centric. I thought how the show wrote out Lana (K-infused so can't get near Clark) was something of a cop-out. I would rather if the two simply agreed that 'you can't go home again' and that they outgrew their Smallville high school romance. By driving her away, I thought we didn't get to conclusively hear Clark choose Lois.
I am very interested to read how Miller has Lana and Lois interact. Will they be jealous of each other? Cautious? Or are they old friends who will immediately team up?
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art and cover by CAT STAGGS
When Lois Lane accepts an assignment outside of Metropolis, she gets more than she bargained for. Follow the Daily Planet’s star reporter to the Congo as she investigates the Angel of the Plateau! “Valkyrie” reintroduces Lana Lang to the series!
Where have Lois fans gone when they need to read a strong more classic Lane? Smallville.
So how great is it that the second Smallville Special seems Lois-centric. I thought how the show wrote out Lana (K-infused so can't get near Clark) was something of a cop-out. I would rather if the two simply agreed that 'you can't go home again' and that they outgrew their Smallville high school romance. By driving her away, I thought we didn't get to conclusively hear Clark choose Lois.
I am very interested to read how Miller has Lana and Lois interact. Will they be jealous of each other? Cautious? Or are they old friends who will immediately team up?
WORLDS’ FINEST #14
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by RYAN SOOK
Desaad goes in for the kill as Power Girl and Huntress run out of options against a monster from Apokolips!
I love Ryan Sook.
I am glad that Worlds' Finest is highlighting the Fourth World aspect of Power Girl and Huntress' back stories.
I don't know if Robson Rocha is the right artist for the book. Certainly it will be hard to fill the shoes of Perez and Maguire. What about Jesus Saiz? CAFU?
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by RYAN SOOK
Desaad goes in for the kill as Power Girl and Huntress run out of options against a monster from Apokolips!
I love Ryan Sook.
I am glad that Worlds' Finest is highlighting the Fourth World aspect of Power Girl and Huntress' back stories.
I don't know if Robson Rocha is the right artist for the book. Certainly it will be hard to fill the shoes of Perez and Maguire. What about Jesus Saiz? CAFU?
DESIGNED BY STANLEY "ARTGERM" LAU
SCULPTED BY JACK MATHEWS
The Girl of Steel rockets out of the pages of her monthly comic book series and into your home with this breathtaking statue designed by artist Stanley "Artgerm" Lau.
Measures Approximately 10" Tall
And then the big ticket item. Solicited now and out in September, this gorgeous statue is a mere $99. Sigh. It is based on Stanley Lau's art and is stunning. I better start saving! It will make a nice addition to the shrine.
So overall a busy and expensive month!
Anj, my initial thoughts on the Brainiac thing is that when the Collector returns in this new humanoid body, he just kinda accepts an alias that Earth knows him best by (since Lois, in the chaos at the time the city was shrunk, assumed his name was Brainiac, that's probably how she described him in the later story she would certainly write).
ReplyDeleteI'm not delighted with Superboy being in Supergirl again - I want the Super Family to be on good terms, but hate how the books are becoming one big mash-up, as with the HIVE storyline in Superman and Superboy this time. I'm after discrete stories allowing for greater development of each book's leads, with crossovers a rare treat.
ReplyDeleteI still find the Supergirl #22 so very creepy.
ReplyDeleteSo far Kara hasn't and it appears isn't going to be a solo series for awhile. Power Girl, Lex Luthor and now Superboy guest starring?
I am hoping against hope that the Superman foe isn't H'el! eeeeekkkkk!
I recall Lobdell saying the H'el crossover sequel would start between issues 22-26?
I doubt that it would be H'el. The solicits say that it's a major Superman foe. H'el hasn't appeared enough to be called a major Superman villain. It's probably Brainiac.
DeleteAs for the crossover sequel, I think that he said that it would start at 24. But it looks like Superman and Superboy are gonna have a crossover before that, with the H.I.V.E. story-line that's happening in both books.
Speaking of Superboy, I'm pretty sure that the "Match" reimagining that's going to be fighting against Superboy in "Superboy #22" is gonna be Jon from "Superboy #19". Now that should be interesting.
That Supergirl statue is gorgeous, even for someone who doesn't like this outfit it's probably one the best Kara's ever.
ReplyDeleteWell, in all fairness, the original Bizarro started off in the original Superboy series. Adult Bizarro showed up later.
ReplyDeleteHonestly at this point I am buying this book out of reflexive "brand loyalty" and on some level the pain it gives me to read it. Looks like Kara is making ANOTHER bad life choice, she sure seems to be the suggestible type doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to think this Supergirl is malfunctioning clone or hologram or some damn thing, because something seems to be really really wrong with her.
I begin to have sad ideations that the "Real Supergirl" in in an enchanted sleep somewhere like King Arthur waiting for some final conflagration to summon her back to heroic life.
Thats the Supergirl who favors trim red shorts....
:D
JF
Scott Lobdell already said his time in AC is just a fill in.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I can't provide a link, I don't remember where I read this...
Oh, please be right, John!
ReplyDeleteSupergirl#22 looks like brainiac has the lost kryotonian city in a bottle, and wants ko, who is a unique being as payment.
ReplyDeleteNot Match or Bizzaro, probably jon, everything from #19 is coming around to issue 22.
Great month for us SUPER fans, im getting them all, us JL, Teen Titans, and batma beyond, which has JL unlimited, and SUPERMANunlimited, surprised you dont have that one on here.
Thanks for the comments everyone.
ReplyDeleteI agree now that this is Jon and not Match. But I would not be surprised if he become more crystalline and Bizarro/Match-like given the 'unstable genome'.
Great point about Bizarro first being a SB villain Landry. Always great to see you here!
And I agree we might be over-crossover'd. The whole family isn't settled in any way. Maybe this will help establish some roles.