Forward Thinking: DC Comics for August, 2006

Well, usually nothing happens in August, but this year finds DC debuting its newest Justice League, for starters. Join JK Parkin and me as we take on DC's August solicitations.


And in the spirit of the dog days...

BATMAN #656
Tom: He's the hairy-handed gent
Who ran amok in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him -- he'll rip your lungs out, Jim!
Woof -- I'd like to meet his tailor.
Ah-ooo ... "Man-Bats Of London!"
(Sorry.)

JK: We need more posts that pay homage to classic rock songs.

BATMAN: GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT TP
Tom: This twofer is well worth your attention. Mignola draws a great Batman, and while the second story isn't quite as moody, it's still pretty fun.

JK: I remember really enjoying the first one, but I don’t think I ever read the second one. You’re right, Tom; Mignola’s Batman is awesome.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1
Tom: I'm holding off on this title until Brave New World comes out. Lieberman really tried my patience when he was on Gotham Knights, but maybe J'Onn J'Onzz is a better fit for him. However, the new costume looks a little too '90s overkill for me.

JK: While I prefer Double J’s classic look, I’m excited to see him return to his own comic. The solicitation copy says it has been five years since he had his own comic … has it really been that long?

SECRET SIX #4
Tom: I've stopped reading Teen Titans -- is this the Morrison Doom Patrol, or some other incarnation?

JK: Heh. Good question. They started as the Chief, Negative Man, Robotman and ElastiGirl from Byrne’s run, but during the Infinite Crisis crossover with Teen Titans, they regained their memories from all the previous versions of the Doom Patrol. So to answer your question, yes on both counts. (Hey, it’s the post-Crisis post-IC DC Universe … that’s probably as good an explanation as you’ll get!)

SOLO #12
Tom: I am really sorry to see this series end. It was a great showcase of diverse storytelling styles (the Batman constant notwithstanding), and it had a lot of potential.

JK: Agreed, especially after they announced all the folks who were slated for upcoming issues.

WONDER WOMAN #3
Tom: Does anyone else have the feeling that the new Wonder Woman will be inhabiting some mortal's body, like Thor?

JK: Donna Blake reborn?

OTHERWORLD BOOK ONE TP
Tom: I heard good things about this series, but it seemed to vanish off the schedule. Does this mean it's coming back, and did it "end" on a cliffhanger?

JK: I bought the first issue and thought it was kind of “eh.” It doesn’t seem like all the issues were published, though.


TOM’S PICKS

BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK #1; BATMAN AND THE MONSTER MEN TPB
I really enjoyed Monster Men, and Mad Monk looks to be at least as good. However, $3.50 per issue? Yikes! Monster Men's price averages out to about $2.50 for each of its six parts. Still, it is Matt Wagner....

BATMAN: SON OF THE DEMON TP - New Printing
More fun with the calculator. This hardcover took $14.95 of my hard-earned college-freshman wages -- and those were 1987 dollars! I'm not going to adjust for inflation, but if you're even remotely interested in this story, this new edition is a comparative steal.

ACTION COMICS #842
I looked at this cover and thought, "Oh, they're just putting Catman in the issue to boost sales."

SUPERGIRL #9
Is "Who is Supergirl's boyfriend" pleasingly retro, or just condescending?

SUPERMAN/BATMAN #29
"Hal Jordan goes mad." Again? That trick never works!

THE CREEPER #1
I may have to buy this just to see where "You Are Wrong" falls on the Colbert-O'Reilly blowhard continuum.

FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MAN #28
Firestorm has turned out to be reliably entertaining, and after reading Stuart Moore's interview last week I have high hopes for this storyline.

52: WEEKS 13-17
Let's review:
Week 13: main story and backup about Elongated Man
Week 14: main story features Steel, backup about Steel
Week 16: main story and backup about Black Adam
Week 17: main story and backup about Lobo
So, DC, when Week 15's backup is about Metamorpho and the main story is "the death you never expected," I'm starting to expect bad things for ol' Rex....

JLA CLASSIFIED #26
"Professor Ivo and Amazo have hatched an unusual experiment that just might mean the downfall of the JLA - but could their experiment turn on them?" Wasn't this the Tomorrow Woman story?

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1
I liked "The Archer's Quest," but felt baited and switched after Identity Crisis. I really hope the good Brad Meltzer shows up for this title.

TRIALS OF SHAZAM! #1
Why can't DC let its mainstream Captain Marvel be happy? I look at this and wonder when the Jeff Smith book comes out.

TEEN TITANS #39
Once again, a song comes to mind -- only this time, "Titans Around The World" reminds me of Russell Crowe's "Fightin' Round The World" from South Park. Even so, I am a little curious about this teenaged Zatara.


JK’S PICKS

DEADMAN #1
Hmmmm … it isn’t Boston Brand and it’s written by Bruce Jones. But how do you say no to artist John Watkiss?

FABLES #52
Looks like we’ll finally get to see what’s become of poor Pinocchio. Plus Rapunzel shows up in the back-up feature, and just in time, too, since she’s getting her own Disney movie soon.

PRIDE OF BAGHDAD HARDCOVER
This was announced almost two years ago, if I remember correctly, in San Diego. It’s a cool concept “based on a true story” –– lions escape from the war-torn Baghdad zoo. Vaughan has shared some of the artwork on his site, BKV.tv, by Niko Henrichon, and it looks pretty incredible.

TESTAMENT #9
This book started pretty strong with an interesting premise. I’m still interested in what’s going on in the dystopian future, but all the mystical “war of the gods” brouhaha is kind of distracting.

And finally:

WOMEN OF THE DC UNIVERSE: POWER GIRL BUST
Tom: Sometimes the jokes, they write themselves....

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