Forward Thinking: DC Comics for May 2006

On this Valentine’s Day, Hisham Zubi and I consider the lusty month of May -- highlights from DC’s May solicitations, that is.

DETECTIVE COMICS #819, BATMAN #653
Tom: I like James Robinson, and I'm looking forward to this arc, but these solicits reminds me of an Ed Brubaker storyline from 2003 involving dead villains and Two-Face.

Hisham: I'm sure Robinson will put his own unique spin on things. I'm also kind of curious who this Jason Bard character is. He sounds familiar, but I can't quite place him.

LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #s 205-06, BATMAN: SECRETS #3
Tom: Does the Wayne past really have that many more unrevealed secrets?

Hisham: He has as many secrets as it takes to sell more comics.

NIGHTWING #120
Hisham: Two Nightwings? Is this confirmation of the speculation that Jason Todd is the new Nightwing?

Tom: Either him or Booster Gold....

ROBIN #150
Tom: My only reservation about Adam Beechen's run is -- as petty as it may sound -- the new costume. Not a big fan of red on black.

Hisham: Ditto, I've always thought that Tim Drake's outfit was one that didn't need an update.

BATMAN YEAR 100 #2
Tom: Budget concerns are making the wait for this trade long and painful. Curse you, DC, for putting out Vol. 3 of the Neal Adams Batman so close to this!

Hisham: I've never been much of a fan of Pope's work, but if this book is really good let me know.

DYNAMIC DUO ARCHIVES Vol. 2 and THRILLKILLER
Tom: Two views of how the '60s treated the Dynamic Duo are each recommended for their own charms. The Archives volume shows how the "New Look" applied the revitalizations of Flash and Green Lantern to Batman and Robin, and Chaykin has a great iconoclastic perspective on the legends.

Hisham: Thrillkiller was one of the better Elseworlds projects. A genuinely fresh take on old characters that turned out really well. Chaykin and Brereton should collaborate more often.

SUPERMAN RETURNS: THE MOVIE ADAPTATION
Hisham: They got Martin Pasko to write it! Wow, it seems like ages since I've seen his work on a DC comic.

Tom: Good for Pesky Pasko! I wonder if he’ll be credited as “Story Editor on ‘Roseanne?’”

ALL-STAR SUPERMAN #4
Tom: Seven Soldiers didn't test the theory that Grant Morrison could make anyone interesting -- not like this Jimmy Olsen-centric issue will.

Hisham: It looks like they're making Jimmy into some kind of boy genius. That could add an extra dimension to someone who has not really been put to much use in recent years.

SUPERMAN #652, ACTION COMICS #839
Tom: Things look bleak for our hero – and is "pregnant" one of those "three little words?"

Hisham: It would be interesting if it was!

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #27
Tom: Kevin Maguire draws Power Girl and the Huntress. It's either a JSA, Infinity Inc., or JLI reunion, depending on how far back you go with the characters.

Hisham: For me, it would be a JSA reunion with two of my favorite refugees from Earth 2. Having Kevin Maguire do the art is a nice bonus.

SUPERGIRL #8
Tom: Looking at the cover, I was wondering what it had to do with Kandor, and then I noticed the bottle in the background. It's a nice cover, Power Girl's anatomy notwithstanding.

Hisham: Power Girl's been appearing in so many comics she might as well get her own series.

CRISIS AFTERMATH: THE SPECTRE (v. 3.0) #1
Tom: I dunno, I like Will Pfeifer and Cliff Chiang, and I'm always interested in the Spectre, but I may end up waiting for the trade on this one.

Hisham: The setup for the new Spectre was well thought out, but I'm getting kind of worn out by all the variations that have appeared in the past few years.

BIRDS OF PREY #94
Tom: Wasn't the last time Huntress fought Prometheus in Morrison's JLA? I hope that Prometheus shows up, and not the neutered one who was Hush's lackey in Gotham Knights.

Hisham: Anyone being Hush's lackey is never a good sign. It'd be nice to see a return of the Anti-Batman to prominence.

52 #s 1-4
Tom: I did a little math and figured out the entire run of this title would cost me $130 retail. It's still probably cheaper than the paperbacks will be, and I'm rationalizing it further by thinking of it as the DC "news weekly." You don't wait for the trade on Time or Newsweek.

Hisham: It'll be my weekly DC fix.

CHECKMATE #2
Tom: So, Alan Scott is the new head honcho? That may have tipped the balance towards me getting this on a monthly basis.

Hisham: Never imagined Alan as a spy master. I'll have to see if it's a good fit.

GREEN LANTERN #12
Tom: Another striking cover, and I'm glad to see the Cyborg Supes has ditched the all-red longhair look. He was dangerously overexposed in the late '90s, but I think enough time has passed that he may be cool again.

Hisham: Considering his history, I'd say he's a much better fit as a Green Lantern villain than as a Superman villain.

HAWKGIRL #52
Tom: This looks like it will be a fun creative team -- and who doesn't like giant cats?

Hisham: Who doesn't like Chaykin art?

JLA CLASSIFIED #s 22-23
Tom: Steve Englehart wrote a classic run of the “Satellite League” in the mid-1970s. I'm eager to see what he does with the lesser lights of Detroit.

Hisham: Scipio is gonna love this storyline.

SECRET SIX #1 and SHADOWPACT #1
Tom: I liked Villains United, but I'm waiting for the trade on Secret Six. Also, I'm probably in a distinct minority for really disliking Day of Vengeance, so I'm nowhere near Shadowpact.

Hisham: I'm kind of the opposite on this one. I'll probably check out Shadowpact and skip Secret Six.

TEEN TITANS #36
Tom: Is bringing back the Morrison Doom Patrol the most ambitious of Geoff Johns' rehabilitations yet?

Hisham: Is there ever going to be a reconciliation between the Morrison and Byrne versions?

HISHAM'S ODDS AND ENDS:

DMZ Vol. 1: On The Ground: I haven't kept up with the series since reading the first issue, so I am curious to see how the series is turning out in this collection of the first five issues.

Testament #6: More allegorical fun with tales taken from the Bible. This one kind of sounds like that episode of the Simpsons when Lisa created her own world of little people.

Read More