I goofed a couple of times in last month’s Pubwatch… First, it wasn’t August yet, whoops. So that makes this the Late August edition. My bad. Second, apparently, the solicits did come out in the middle of Comic Con, and I just missed them. That said, I was correct in my assumption that New Champion of Shazam! #1 would be leading the pack this month and by a country mile.
The News
Honestly, the biggest news for DC is what’s been going on with their parent company. The Warner Brothers Discovery merger has been an absolute garbage fire, and I worry about everything that is tied to that company right now, including the comics division.
Highlights
The New Champion of Shazam! #1
Josie Campbell (writer), Becca Carey (letters), Joshua Middleton (variant cover), Evan “Doc” Shaner (art and cover)
August 2, 2022
I talked about this issue in depth at Comics Beat, but I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed it. The opening pages set the perfect tone for a perfect story, and I can’t wait to read more. And just look at that Joshua Middleton cover.
Grade: A+
Suparman: Warworld Apocalypse #1
Steve Beach (cover), Will Conrad (art), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (writer), Lee Loughridge (colors), Miguel Mendonça (art), Brandon Peterson (art), Max Raynor (art)
August 30, 2022
While I do think this arc went on a couple of issues too long, this closing one-shot was absolutely a great conclusion to the story. Superman fully leading the revolution against Mongul, and also not killing him was fantastic. This story almost had to end with Mongul’s death, but I’m glad it was someone else that did that deed and not Superman. And of course, the last three pages that show Clark’s reunion with Lois? Those made my week.
Grade: A
Detective Comics #1063
Rafael Albuquerque (art), Evan Cagle (cover), Ariana Maher (letters), Dave Stewart (colors), Ram V (writer)
August 23, 2022
What an absolutely gorgeous book this is. Albuquerque is putting out career work here, and it’s being supplemented with the best letterer in the business too. Both the art and lettering work well with the operatic tone that Ram V is setting with the book, and it’s really a nice change of pace from the more traditional Batman fare in the Zdarsky book.
Grade: A
Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler #1
Clayton Cowles (letters), Mitch Gerads (art and cover), Tom King (writer)
August 16, 2022
Listen, Tom, I know this is hard to hear, but not everyone needs a tragic traumatized backstory. Least of all the Riddler. We already have one joke-themed mass-murdering psychopath in Gotham. We don’t need Riddler to also fill that role. And like this isn’t even following the type of murdery villainy that The Batman established for Riddler, it’s just run-of-the-mill murder for murder’s sake. Anyway, content warning of child abuse for anyone who decides they want to read this because that’s what makes Edward decide to do crimes.
Grade: F
Grades
A+
The New Champion of Shazam #1
A
Batgirls #9
Batman #126
Catwoman #46
Dark Crisis: Young Justice #3
Detective Comics #1063
Multiversity: Teen Justice #3
Poison Ivy #3
Suparman: Warworld Apocalypse #1
The Flash 2022 Annual #1
Wonder Woman #790
B
Action Comics #1046
Aquaman: Andromeda #2
Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #5
Batman: Fortress #4
Batman: The Knight #8
Batman: Urban Legends #18
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #6
Black Adam #3
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #3
Harley Quinn #18-19, 21
Harley Quinn 2022 Annual #1
I Am Batman #12
Nightwing #95
Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #3
Olympus Rebirth #1
Robin #17
Saved by the Belle Reeve #1
Superman: Son of Kal-El #14
Sword of Azrael #1
Sword of Azrael: Dark Knight of the Soul #1
Task Force Z #11
The Flash #785
The Jurassic League #4
The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #5
The Swamp Thing #16
Wonder Girl 2022 Annual #1
C
Aquaman and the Flash: Voidsong #3
Batman: Killing Time #6
Batman: White Knight Presents Red Hood #1
Black Adam: The Justice Society Files: Cyclone #1
Blood Syndicate: Season One #4
Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League – Green Lantern #1
DC Mech #2
DC vs Vampires #6
DC vs Vampires: All Out War #2
DCeased: War of the Undead Gods #1
Deathstroke, Inc. #12
DUO #4
Future State: Gotham #16
Harley Quinn #20
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Real Sidekicks of New Gotham Special #1
Justice League vs the Legion of Super-Heroes #5
Naomi: Season Two #6
Tales of the Human Target #1
D
Batman: White Knight Presents Red Hood #2
Fables #154
Flashpoint Beyond #4
F
Batman: One Bad Day: The Riddler #1
Solicitation Situation
Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons #3
- Written by KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
- Art and cover by NICOLA SCOTT
- Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
- 1:25 “Library” faux-leather design variant
- $7.99 US | 72 pages | 3 of 3 | 8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″ | Prestige Plus
- ON SALE 10/25/22
The third and final chapter of the critically lauded and Eisner-nominated secret history of the Amazons crescendos with the inevitable—an all-out war against the gods. When Zeus discovers the goddesses defied him by creating the Amazons, seemingly nothing can stop his fervor to eliminate their warriors…not even Hera herself. But the Amazons’ numbers have grown, and there is a distinctly and unpredictably human element among their ranks now in Hippolyta and the tribe she leads. Their very fight for existence will alter the course of history itself and bring about one of the greatest protectors the world has ever known!
The first two volumes of this series have both been masterpieces, and I’m sure this will be no exception. Here’s hoping that this does well enough that we eventually get the other two three-volume series that were planned.
The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1
- Written by DAN JURGENS, ROGER STERN, LOUISE SIMONSON, and JERRY ORDWAY
- Art by DAN JURGENS, BRETT BREEDING, BUTCH GUICE, JON BOGDANOVE, TOM GRUMMETT, and more!
- Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
- Open Order Variant Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
- Jon Kent Variant Cover by DAN MORA
- Funeral for a Friend Variant Cover by IVAN REIS and DANNY MIKI
- Doomsday Die-Cut Variant Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
- 1:25 Doomsday Variant Cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
- 1:50 Variant Cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
- 1:00 Foil Variant Cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING
- Premium Polybag Variant (w/armband) featuring main cover by DAN JURGENS and BRETT BREEDING inside
- $10.99 US | 80 PAGES
- ON SALE 11/8/22
30 years ago, the unthinkable happened. The Man of Steel died. After sacrificing himself to stop the unstoppable global threat, Doomsday, Metropolis and the rest of the DC Universe mourned the loss of their greatest hero. To mark this monumental moment in comics, DC has reunited the complete creative team behind the original event for four brand-new stories. Led by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding, the special kicks off with a new Superman story and villain… DOOMBREAKER! Followed by a series of short stories revisiting some of Superman’s greatest allies and exclusive pinups done by some of comics’ greatest artistic talent including LEE WEEKS, GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ, BILL SIENKIEWICZ, and WALTER SIMONSON.
Well first, you won’t actually see this in the November solicitations, because it was mistakenly left out. But how could I not pick this as one of the things I’m most looking forward to in November? I’m me. This is pinpoint targeted right at me. I’m in.
Next month the Batman: One Bad Day series of one-shots continues, this time by a writer I trust a lot more than Tom King. Batman – One Bad Day: Two-Face by Mariko Tamaki, Javier Fernandez & Jordie Bellaire is much more exciting for me, let’s hope it lives up to that.
