Scarlett's Stuff

The Trinity in their individual books from the main New Earth and from Earth 2.

I’m curious to see Azzarello’s take on a younger, earlier version of his Wonder Woman. I’m geek-gasming over an entire issue of Action Comics drawn by Ben Oliver. And Snyder getting to describe the creation of Batman’s toys is pretty much a must read for me.

With Earth 2, Robinson is creating a really unique universe to explore his version of the DC characters. We’ve only had two issues so far but I feel like there is so much we’ve learned already and yet it’s only scratching the surface. Maybe it’ll all go horribly wrong at some point but, whatever, for now I’m loving it.

EARTH 2 #0
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by TOMAS GIORELLO
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS
On sale SEPTEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.
• It’s the tragic origin of Earth 2’s greatest villain!
• Don’t miss Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in action on Earth 2!

ACTION COMICS #0
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Backup story written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art and cover by BEN OLIVER
Backup story art by CAFU
Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
1:100 B&W Variant cover by BEN OLIVER
On sale SEPTEMBER 5 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.
• Don’t miss “The Boy Who Stole Superman’s Cape”
• Grant Morrison weaves the history of Clark Kent’s early days in Metropolis!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

BATMAN #0
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Backup story written by SCOTT SNYDER and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Backup story art by ANDY CLARKE
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
Variant cover by ANDY CLARKE
1:100 B&W Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale SEPTEMBER 12 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.
• Bruce Wayne has returned from his worldwide quest to take the law into his own hands!
• This issue reveals the early steps of building everything that surrounds Batman – the costume, the cave, the car, the gadgets!
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

WONDER WOMAN #0
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 B&W Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale SEPTEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.
• A facet of the past is revealed – and a foe is introduced!
• How did Wonder Woman become a star pupil of Ares?

January 2012 - DC Comics Solicit Covers - 9 Solo Titles in the DCU

My favorite cover of this group belongs to the amazing Wonder Woman #5 by Cliff Chiang. Wonder Woman looks powerful, intense and strong. She’s going to kick that monster’s ass (size of the thing be damned). The whole thing has a great sense of scale to it. I love the colors used. It’s an awesome cover.

Considering that I’m normally not a huge fan of giant monsters as the focus on covers, it’s odd that my two favorites from this group of solicits would both feature our hero facing off against a giant monster-type thing. In the case of my second favorite, we have Captain Atom #5 by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau. The big scary whatever-that-is looks imposing and creepy. I love the colors used on this cover. It’s a beautiful palette.

Next up is The Flash #5 by Francis Manapul. He continues to be flawless with his art on this book. Both the covers and interiors have been well drawn, creative and unique. I love the sense of energy and movement he gives all the art he’s been doing on this book. It’s just great work.

Catwoman #5 by Guillem March is a tangle of limbs and terror. It sets an incredibly bleak tone but is so well executed. I love the detail in the reflection in Selina’s goggles.

The cover to The Savage Hawkman #5 by Philip Tan is saved, again, by his impressive rendering of Hawkman’s wings. The rest of the art is decent but I love his, well, wing-work. I might not like the book itself but its cover art is excellent.

The cover of Mister Terrific #5 by J.G. Jones does a great job of conveying this bright light emanating from it. There’s a similar palette to what’s being done on the cover of Captain Atom and some interesting imagery. But I just am still a little thrown by the way Michael’s mask is drawn. It sort of makes it hard to tell if his entire head is out of proportion or if it’s just the way the mask is being drawn. Mostly decent but I’m a little taken out of it by the art on Mister Terrific himself.

Next up is Green Lantern #5 by Doug Mahnke. While I find it a little flat and lacking in detail, I don’t actively dislike it the way I do the next two covers in this group. There’s some interesting stuff going on here and it’s a fairly decent cover.

Superman #5 by George Pérez is definitely trying something… it’s just not working for me. I think the idea is interesting but the execution just feels king of unfinished? Maybe it is unfinished. It is a solicit after all. It just feels like the image hasn’t fully finished developing.

I’m sorry but that is one butt ugly drawing of Aquaman on the cover of Aquaman #5 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado. Everything else about the cover is great but you can’t look anywhere else but Aquaman. And I really don’t want to look at this drawing of Aquaman any more, thank you. He’s all mouth-ears-eyes and it just does not work for me.

January 2012 - DC Comics Solicit Covers - 6 Comics in the DCnU’s Supernatural World

I love the cover of “The Shade #4” by Tony Harris. The retro dime-store novel style is just done perfectly. I love the concept and the execution of it. Everything has a dated feel to it and the woman bursting through the page intrigues me. It’s a great cover.

I love the Batsignal in the background of the cover for “I, Vampire #5” by Jenny Frison. The distance of it works perfectly to both root the character firmly the the DC universe and in a recognizable environment like Gotham, but it’s also far off enough to make these feel very separate from the goings on in the traditional superhero books. I love the boarder art and the creepy collection of skulls along the bottom of the page.

Fuck. The “Animal Man #5” cover by Travel Foreman is like something out of a nightmare. All his covers on this series have been disturbing at set the perfect tone for this really creepy horror book. I don’t quite think I’ve seen anything that gross within the pages of the Walking Dead yet.

Ryan Sook’s bright colors and clean lines on his cover to “DC Universe Presents #5” still manage to convey a creepy element. I might not need my blankie & my mommy the way I do after looking at the cover to Animal Man but it’s definitely got an unsettling vibe. It’s also just really interestingly drawn.

“Resurrection Man #5” by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado is probably the best cover that series has had yet. The image is interesting and the art and colors are really well done. I love the light streaming through her wings. There’s a lot of interesting detail on this cover.

Last but not least is the cover to “Swamp Thing #5” by Yanick Paquette. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to look at a big, green plant monster more. The creepy, disturbing and monstrous force that’s invading Swamp Thing’s story has definitely invaded its cover and it’s just… icky. Which is exactly what they seem to be going for… so, well done.

These are the November covers for four solo titles belonging to members of the Justice League.

There is no bad here. There’s no mediocre here. There isn’t even any kind-of-good here. I love all four of these covers.

My favorite has to go to The Flash #3 (by Francis Manapul). Might not be my favorite character but this is easily one of my favorite covers of the entire relaunch. I saw this cover and just stopped and almost considered buying it for the cover art alone. (And I rarely consider that.) It’s striking and interesting and just a damned great cover with a subtle and pitch-perfect use of color. [There’s a variant cover to this issue by Jim Lee but it’ll have to really knock it out of the park to top this one.]

Second favorite would be my first favorite any other month. Wonder Woman #3 (by Cliff Chiang) is creepy and ominous and definitely plays up the horror vibe that we’ve heard may be prominent in Diana’s series. The colors are vibrant and bright but that makes it all the more unsettling. I can’t wait to see what’s going down in this series. I’m so excited.

I love the progression of the covers for Aquaman and how the square-off between Aquaman and these creatures has built from cover to cover until now, on Aquaman #3 (by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado), the shit has hit the fan and it’s an all out fight. Arthur’s got some trident action going but Mera’s just in it with her bare hands (and water powers)… sorry about your lives creepy-monster-dudes. Love that she’s not even looking in the direction of the guy she’s just taken out with a water tendril. (I really wasn’t expecting to be so excited for an Aquaman book.)

Last up is The Savage Hawkman #3 (by Philip Tan). Kinda gave a second look to the art on Hawkman’s face and mouth in particular. Don’t think I love it but I don’t hate it either. The rest of the cover, however, is excellent. The art on Hawkman’s organic wings is really rich. I love the shining gold details. For my “least favorite” of the group, it’s pretty damned impressive.

These are the November solicits for the four titles above:

These are four covers for some of the comics of the anti-heroes and outsiders in November.

When it comes to all four of these titles, set side by side like this, I’m really struck by the gorgeous use of color on all of them. Love the colors.

My favorite cover of the four this month goes to Voodoo #3 (by John Tyler Christopher) again. It’s a different artist this month but still a gorgeous piece of art. It’s very sexual but the look of intensity and danger that the artist has captured in her eyes is incredibly powerful. And I’m really creeped out by the added detail of whatever it is she’s got all over her hands and has been crawling through. (Blood? Mud? Alien protoplasmic goo from however her tail emerged?) The longer I look at this one, the more detail I see and the more I like it.

Second favorite belongs to Resurrection Man #3 (by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado). This one is all about the electric blue, for me. It adds a whole lot of light and “pretty” to a fairly grotesque image.

Third favorite this month goes to The Shade #2 (by Tony Harris). While I really didn’t care for last month’s cover, I actually really do like this one. It has a very old-world charm to it. Not just in costuming and style but in the composition as well. I like the contrasting colors. This title will also be featuring a variant cover by Cully Hamner.

And fourth on the list would be Grifter #3 (by Cafu & Jason Gorder). I don’t really dislike any of these covers this month. I like the story this one is telling, even if the design of the big-scary-alien isn’t quite working for me. (Once I saw Angry Blue Dr. Zoidberg I kinda distracted myself.) But I do, again, like the colors in this one. I like the gun behind the back.

These are the November solicits for the above listed titles.

Grifter #3 (written by Nathan Edmondson): Cole and Gretchen escape in opposite directions, but the hornets’ nest has been disturbed. With aliens and the authorities both pursuing Cole, an easy escape is not an option! And when Cole is forced to confront his brother, the recipe is clear: On this morning, there will be bloodshed.

Resurrection Man #3 (written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning): The femmes fatale known as the Body Doubles have finally tracked down the Resurrection Man – and they seem to know more about him than he does! As they set out to test his abilities to withstand death – literally – Mitch discovers a far darker truth: More than one unearthly power has taken a strong interest in his immortal soul.

The Shade #2 (written by James Robinson): After surviving a brutal attack in Opal City, the Shade must leave his beloved home in search of answers. His first stop is Hamburg, Germany, where the violent, invulnerable private investigator Von Hammer has the first piece of the puzzle. But to reach the detective, the Shade must duel with darkness against French shadow villain Bete Noir. The menace and mystery are just beginning in this second part of the Shade’s global odyssey!

Voodoo #3 (written by Ron Marz): Already on the run from shadowy government agents who want to dissect her, Voodoo now must face a new threat: Green Lantern Kyle Rayner! Will even her shapeshifting powers be enough to keep a GL at bay? Writer Ron Marz returns to his signature DCU character!

My comic purchased for August 17, 2011.

By far, the one I have to recommend everyone run out and buy and read and then immediately re-read is “Batman #713” by Fabian Nicieza. For anyone who has enjoyed Dick and Damian’s tenure as Batman & Robin, it’s an absolute must-read.

I think “Superboy #11”, “Zatanna #16”, “Supergirl #67” and “Justice League of America #60” all did a solid job of closing out their respective series. Superboy and Supergirl got to fight the bad guys, solidify some friendships and find their happy places. Zatanna was another solid one-shot story in her series and involved cocoa butter and Bradley Cooper. And the Justice League got to close out their incarnation of the team before September rolls around.

Also this week: “Flashpoint: The Outsider #3”, “Flashpoint: Wonder Woman & The Furies #3” and “Flashpoint: Abin Sur - Green Lantern #3”.

These are four covers for some of the comics of the anti-heroes and outsiders in October.

My favorite cover is easily Voodoo #2 (by Sami Basri). Cause of the composition of the colors of the… yeah… I love it cause it’s just plain hot. Two gorgeously drawn women facing off and I ship it. I don’t know who the blonde is but I’m going to imagine that it’s Officer Maggie Sawyer and they’re going to butt heads, be unjustly kept on opposite sides of the law and then fall madly in love. Whether that’s all just my head making fan fiction or not, Sami Basri has drawn some gorgeous art for Voodoo so far and I like it.

Second favorite belongs to Grifter #2 (by Cafu & Jason Gorder). In the first Grifter cover I wasn’t quite sure what we were looking at with the blue energy but this cover makes it much clearer. The human-shell melting away to reveal the alien threat within. It seems to sum up a lot of what this series is going to be about. I like the perspective on the image as well. You’re almost not quite sure if he’ll be able to reach that gun.

Third favorite goes to Resurrection Man #2 (by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado). I like the touch with the bullets through the sleeve where you can see the close calls. While the cover is a bit breasts-front-and-center, I still kind of like it. Mostly the smug expression on Carmen (the dark haired assassin) just looks the right mix of fun and badass. It might not be the best cover ever but you get the sense that these women are a threat and I want to see more.

Least favorite would be the cover for The Shade #1 (by Tony Harris). Normally I’m all for a bit of swirly, dark, moody art but this one just isn’t working for me. I think it’s just something about the face of the character or the hair… I’m not sure. He almost looks familiar in a weird and slightly distracting way. Just looking at this picture, I’m not intrigued to learn more and for a lesser-known character, I feel like I should be.

These are the October solicits for the above listed titles. Including the new miniseries, The Shade.