Thursday, February 20, 2020

May 2020 Solicits


Last week DC released their May 2020 solicits. A look at all the books can be found here at Newsarama:https://www.newsarama.com/49036-dc-comics-may-2020-solicitations.html

The big news is the cancellation of Supergirl, a topic I covered here. I keep hearing these rumblings of another universal reboot. I am hearing some behind the scene whispers that Supergirl is going to be left untouched for a bit. I already ranted. Just know it makes absolutely no sense to keep a marketable character like Supergirl on the shelf. Ridiculous.

SUPERGIRL #42
written by JODY HOUSER
art by RACHAEL STOTT
cover by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW

Deemed a threat by the U.S. military, Supergirl is now a wanted villain! General Corvid has come for our hero—and she won’t give up until Kara’s gone for good. Meanwhile, the superstorm rages stronger than ever, while hundreds remain helpless against it. Can Supergirl prove that she’s the hero the people once believed her to be? Or will she let everyone down—including herself? Find out in the pulse-pounding series conclusion! FINAL ISSUE

We go out with a sob. Instead of the book ending with Supergirl as a hero, redeemed the solicit makes it sound like she's a fugitive. That is a far cry from the National City citizens cheering for their hero when she returned from space.

Who can I blame for this complete misunderstanding of a character and the character's fanbase?
I have no choice but to blame Dan Didio who has been in charge for all of these dark takes.

On to the rest of the Super books.




ACTION COMICS #1023
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. and KLAUS JANSON
variant cover by LUCIO PARRILLO

Just days after Clark Kent’s own shocking revelation, the facts behind who actually owns The Daily Planet have been revealed—and all hell has broken loose! The fallout from the Superman: Villains special starts here! No one is safe as a new era of Superman stories begins! Plus, now that the dust has settled, is the Red Cloud hero or villain?

As sad/angry I am about the Supergirl cancellation, I am pretty pumped for the Superman books. The continued presence of Apex Lex irks me. But the Leone reveal, the Red Cloud subplot, and the presence of Leviathan excites me.

Too bad Romita Jr is still around.



SUPERMAN #23
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
variant cover by BRYAN HITCH

With Superman’s secret identity suddenly revealed to the world, many in his life are worried that he has been tricked or duped into destroying his own privacy! All the more worrisome is Superman has been very susceptible to mysticism. Could all this madness be magic related? It’s time to call the doctor…Dr. Fate!

I am a big Dr. Fate fan.
I like the idea of people wondering if Superman was duped into the reveal.
Maguire's art is always a treat.
Another book I'm interested in.



BATMAN/SUPERMAN #10
written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
art and cover by CLAYTON HENRY
card stock variant cover by RICCARDO FEDERICI

Devastation in Gotham City! Following the events of a massive explosion in midtown, Batman and Superman pick up the pieces to learn who rigged the Atomic Skull like a bomb...and will they do it again? All will be revealed as the horrific plan of the Ultra-Humanite rains terror down on the lives of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel!

Nothing like an intelligent, mutated gorilla to spice up a title.
I am a fan of Clayton Henry's art so I am more interested in this issue than I thought.



LOIS LANE #11
written by GREG RUCKA
art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
variant cover by JOËLLE JONES

The braid begins to unravel as Lois, Renee Montoya, Midnight, and Sister Clarice all come together. Now the intrepid reporter must face the reporter’s dilemma—what truths to tell, and at what cost?

Does this mean we actually will get some plot progression in this book. Not much to hang my hat on here but this is the penultimate issue.


SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #11
written by MATT FRACTION
art and cover by STEVE LIEBER
variant cover by BEN OLIVER

Hey, look—it’s issue 11 of a 12-issue series, so it’s the perfect jumping-on point for new readers! Mysteries get solved, criminals are revealed, and a secret ally emerges from the shadows. Want more? There are robots, aliens, and The Daily Planet faces a threat to its existence at the same moment the actual planet faces the same! Now’s the time to get on board, guys!

I will miss this series.

Let's hope that we get some specials now and then.



LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #7
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by RYAN SOOK
card stock variant cover by ALEX GARNER

Jonathan Kent, intergalactic fugitive! The United Planets is less than thrilled with the decision to bring Superboy a thousand years into the future to protect the past. Planet Gotham is under siege. Ultra Boy’s homeworld is on the verge of all-out war. And as if that weren’t enough, new Legionnaire drama unfolds as Saturn Girl and Cosmic Boy throw down over who should take on the Legion’s leadership! Plus, Brainiac 5 will reveal a secret that will make one Legionnaire quit the team—and we ask the burning question: Who is the strongest Legionnaire? Find out in the only book telling you the future of the DC Universe every month!

I have been loving this book so far. The fact that there are 6 plots listed in the solicit sounds like a Legion. But of all of these, a Legionnaire quitting is the line that grabbed me.

Long Live the Legion!


ESSENTIALS: DCEASED HARLEY QUINN, DCEASED SUPERMAN, DCEASED THE FLASH, AND DCEASED SUPERGIRL ACTION FIGURES
Based on the popular DC Comics miniseries from 2019, DCeased, this DC Essentials action figure series takes the most popular characters in the line and turns them into zombielike creatures.
DCEASED SUPERGIRL
• 6.47" tall

This isn't for me. But there is a zombie Supergirl action figure being solicited. I guess this is a decent repurposing of that DC Essentials figure mold.

Okay, did I miss anything?
Can I find joy?

14 comments:

John (somewhere in England) said...

There is one small Supergirl bright spot. August sees the publication of a children's book called "Supergirl: An Origin Story". It looks like it might be similar to the splendid "Supergirl Is Patient" which was reviewed favourably by ANJ about a year ago.

Anonymous said...

Hi

Long time lurker here.

After being a lifelong DC fan, I have hit roads end with DC and will be trying out that other universe. This thing with Kara was just the final straw in what has been a long time coming.

As you are not covering that other universe I just want to thank you for all the nice writing I have enjoyed through the years.

Maybe one day DC Comics will return to being something palatable for me. Til then I wish you the best in whatever you are covering next.

Maybe it's time for the April 1st Amethyst thing?

Keep fighting the good fight for a brighter DC.

/C

Martin Gray said...


Anj, great post. That zombie Supergirl statue is pretty rotten, I bet the DC higher-ups just love it.

I doubt the Lois book will deliver, it's been too draggy for too long, but Jimmy looks set to continue sizzline. That cover alone is worth the price of admission. And Ultra-Humanite! I wish he'd combine his first identities by becoming a gorilla in a slinky cocktail dress.

Hi /C, and welcome (am I OK to welcome someone, Anj?). I hope you still visit Anj's place despite dropping DC, maybe his back issue posts and the like will help you keep a foot in the door. I have Marvel Unlimited and still aren't reading much of the current stuff because the editorial direction just doesn't appeal but plenty of people enjoy plenty of comics there, I hope you have fun. And I definitely recommend Marvel Unlimited if you read online, the breadth of back issues is stunning.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the advice. I will take a look at the unlimited and see how it's priced. I will need to find some bite sized characters to start out with so I don't drown :).

I might still pop in from time to time to see how things are going. It's a great community here.

Martin Gray said...

I'm delighted!

And MU costs $9.99 a month - the price of two comics... that gives you access to a massive library dating back to the Golden Age, really kicking into gear in the Silver, with all current books added six months from publication.

(Marvel should ruddy well be paying me for this!)

And Squirrel Girl and Patsy walker, Hellcat, might be a nice place to start for light stuff. Immortal Hulk is getting rave reviews. valkyrie is fun. And from about a decade back, there's the 12-issue Nextwave. And so much more. I bet other folk here have recommendations - and Anj certainly dips his toe into Marvel!

Anj said...

Always happy to meet a new face. Welcome.

I'd recommend All-New Wolverine by Tom Taylor from a few years ago. Very good book, especially if you like Supergirl style characters.

Anonymous said...

No! No, no, no no! Wait a whole fucking minute here. In DCeased, Supergirl is one of the survivors, not the victims. Just like she was one of the few survivors in Azarello's Last Knight or whatever that series was with Batman and Joker's head in a lantern.

KET said...

"Maybe it's time for the April 1st Amethyst thing?"

Amy Reeder's new Amethyst does look exciting; I'm looking forward to it next week. Maybe if this mini-series does sell well, the publisher might want to shift a certain Super-character over there as well.

Blecccch!...Zombie Supergirl is definitely NOT my cuppa tea....but therein lies DC Comics' current marketing brain trust for their character trademark right there.




KET

William Ashley Vaughan said...

Anj, since there won't be a new Supergirl title to review after May, I have what I think is a fun idea to replace the new issue reviews. Each of us blog readers could suggest one past issue of a Supergirl title for you to review that you haven't already. You could spend the summer working through our suggestions.

Anonymous said...

I would point out that Supergirl still has a robust multimedia presence despite DC's malevolent inability to publish a worthwhile version of said character, I feel this blog still has a place of honor in the SgLA, Supergirl Liberation Army, PLEASE DON'T QUIT! And yes that zombie Supergirl doll is the most awful thing I've seen in years, undoubtedly the stupid jobbers that run DC Comics are marking out hard for it. As I said before, "Sooner or later it all turns to Hate" but after a while that has to yield to determined resistance.

JF

Anonymous said...

I'm thrilled Alex Garner continues to do the Legion variant covers. I was a big fan of his run on Teen Titans, and these are possibly even better. There's so much he can do with the Legion, I think.

Red Cloud's horns will soon will be so big she's going to fall over. (Can a cloud fall? It can drift into the valleys.) Smoke coming out of her forehead? Well, it's JRR.

Other titles in May, some more relevant to this blog than others:

Some evil-looking Superman is on the cover of Shazam #13. I'm not reading that book.

Event Leviathan: Checkmate continues. The solicit mentions Lois. (There was no specific mention of Lois in the solicit of #1.)

And springing out of her appearance in Leviathan we get the start of the 5-part Manhunters: The Secret History #1, by Andreyko - so I might boycott that just because. "Glad" he gets to write what he really wants to write.

Generation One Age of Mysteries. The first of 5 issues detailing DC's generations, leading up to Generation Five (the so-called 5G), over which there is rampant speculation. It would make sense to see Superman in Generation One.

(FYI preceded in May by DC's Free Comic Book Day book, "DC Generation Zero Gods Among Us." Presumably a prelude of some kind. The story actually started small with Snyder's story in Wonder Woman #750.)

Somewhere in this Generation series, some Supergirl or perhaps more than one will surely arrive. Maybe even a Matrix? Or is Convergence the last ever appearance of Matrix. If they are covering all bases, there will be an Oracle, which means there will be more than one Batgirl, even if they were wiped from continuity as presently understood. So why not more than one Supergirl?

Death Metal #1. I don't know if it will be a fakeout dead end with a headbanging concussion. or actually lead somewhere important in the DC Universe. Probably a total dead end, concluding with a promo of Snyder's next mosh pit. It's essentially the continuation of his Justice League. I've heard it's Wonder Woman-centric -- but Superman will surely appear in this whether he wants to or not.

T.N.

Bostondreams said...

That evil looking Superman on the Shazam cover is Superboy Prime. Came back for the first time in years I think a couple issues ago and actually told the reserve that he couldn’t believe they were still reading all this after everything that ‘they’ have done to the characters. I think it’s going to be interesting to se how he responds to the changes made in new 52 and Rebirth and now, since he has that multiversal awareness. Tho he’s not a good guy.

Bostondreams said...

Ugh. Told the reader, not reserve.

Bostondreams said...

The 100th episode of Supergirl was a homerun! Fun and Kara was so full of hope wanting to make things right. And Thomas Lennon as Mxy was great.