DC Preview Review for September

Jim: Well with the Chuck Dixon firing, seeing DC as only 27% to Marvel’s 43% for the Diamond numbers for May I’m starting to think Dan Didio’s tenure is looking less secure. The pluses in my mind have been Superman and Batman have had terrific creators and the books have been very good or better. The negatives have been failed launch after failed launch, plans that appears to change on the fly and Countdown. Let’s see what this month brings.

Gwen: OMG, where have I been? Why would DC fire Chuck Dixon?!? That's terrible =/

Lee: Yeah yeah DC. I read so few of these books on a monthly basis it’s getting harder and harder to review them. As always, I am the voice of reason for Lightning Grandpa (Jim) and Light Lass (Gwen).

DC UNIVERSE: DECISIONS #1-2
Written by Judd Winick & Bill Willingham
Pencil art by Rick Leonardi
Covers by Stephane Roux
Election season is upon us, and the stakes have never been higher! An unknown villain is attempting to assassinate the presidential candidates, and only the heroes of the DCU stand in the way. As Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Superman, Batman and more try to learn the killer's identity, they are faced with the difficult task of reconciling their own personal ideals with the mission at hand.
Brought to you by writers Judd Winick (GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY, TITANS) and Bill Willingham (FABLES, DAY OF VENGEANCE) and featuring sensational art by Rick Leonardi (ROBIN, SUPERGIRL)!
Issue #1 on sale September 10; issue #2 on sale September 24 o 1 and 2 of 4
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Jim: Look a new DC series that I will not be getting. I really do not like comics that preach to me and given how from my vantage point 90% of the people in this industry have the same opinion about things this book reeks before it hits the stands. Now if Batman supports Ron Paul I could be swayed – nah. BAD IDEA.

Gwen: Actually I find this whole idea amusing. Besides Jim, you like the old O'Neil GL/GA work - and that's some very preachy stuff. I really have no problem with a two issue mini series that is inspired by the election. Presidential elections are events like holidays - and they do holiday specials all the time.

Lee: Oooohhhh my head hurts. Elections are like holidays???? Youth is so wasted on the young. On one level I don’t care because I think it’s a silly idea but on the other it might be topical because of the election year. The question really is: if Batman listens to Rush Limbaugh, and Superman listens to NPR, what does Wonder Woman listen to? Oprah?

AMBUSH BUG YEAR NONE #3
Written by Keith Giffen & Robert Loren Fleming
Art by Keith Giffen & Al Milgrom
Cover by Amanda Conner
Darkseid makes a list and checks it twice! Plus, a shotgun wedding, alternate universes, more OMACs than you can shake a stick at and the very important return of Super-Turtle all wait for you in this all-new, all-ridiculous third issue.
On sale September 24 o 3 of 6 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Jim: I choose this because the cover made me laugh and the return of Super-Turtle. Brings a tear to my eye.

Gwen: I really have no interest in Ambush Bug, but Super-Turtle is pretty funny.
Lee: EXCELLENT. It the OMG morning after with Dumb Bunny!!!! Yes, that’s the girl on the covers name. This is such an awesome cover.

SECRET SIX #1
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Cliff Chiang
Because you demanded it! The Secret Six are back in an all-new ongoing series that promises to deliver some of the darkest, most twisted action-adventure the DC Universe has seen since...well, the last time the Secret Six got together! Writer extraordinaire Gail Simone (BIRDS OF PREY) is reunited with BIRDS penciller Nicola Scott to chronicle the adventures of the Six, and you will not believe what they have in store. Join Catman, Scandal, Deadshot, Ragdoll, and ?? as they prepare for an adventure that will take them through a gauntlet across the seediest parts of the DC Universe, and will ultimately pit them against a foe more monstrous and murderous than any they've had to face! Don't miss the beginning of the most ferocious and scandalous Six story yet!
On sale September 3 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Jim: Finally! And I was demanding this book, so good job DC.

Gwen: Yay! This should be a lot of fun.

Lee: I have to admit that I am really interested in this but I fear not having read either of the previous miniseries that I’ll be completely lost.

EL DIABLO #1
Written by Jai Nitz
Art and cover by Phil Hester
& Ande Parks
The haunted horseman returns to the DCU in a six-issue miniseries! Who is Chato Santana? A ruthless ganglord or a modern-day Robin Hood? Caught between the law and a power struggle in his gang, Chato meets Lazarus Lane, an impossibly old man with a possessed past. Witness this tale of rebirth, revenge, betrayal, justice, Hell, comeuppance, curses, and consequences. Written by Jai Nitz (BLUE BEETLE, THE BATMAN STRIKES!) with art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks (GREEN ARROW, NIGHTWING).
On sale September 3 o 1 of 6 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Jim: El Diablo being brought into the modern world, hmmm. It could work, it could be a big miss, but I’ll try out the first issue.

Gwen: This is... interesting. Worth a try at least.

Lee: Ugh. Why not just start with a new character and be done with this pretense already. It has marginal ties to the original concept replacing cowboys with gang bangers. Unfortunately, the costume looks dated already. Seriously, lighting bolts???? Who thought those were a good idea? It looks like Hester had a left over character design from the 90's and sold it to DC. I'm sorry but based on the cover this looks awful.

CAMELOT 3000 DELUXE EDITION HC
Written by Mike W. Barr
Art by Brian Bolland, Terry Austin, Bruce Patterson & Dick Giordano
Cover by Brian Bolland
The classic tale that exploded into comics shops in the early 1980s is collected for the first time in hardcover!
Featuring a new cover by acclaimed artist Brian Bolland, this deluxe, oversized volume collects the twelve-issue series in its entirety, along with bonus materials including never-before-seen preliminary artwork by Bolland and developmental material from writer Mike W. Barr!
Advance-solicited; on sale November 26 o 7.0625 x 10.75, 320 pg, FC, $34.99 US

Jim: This is the first comic that when it was coming out as a mini-series I believe took almost one year between issue #11 and #12. This was an okay story, but the Bolland artwork makes it an easy yes for me.

Gwen: I found the story to be *bleh*. However, it did inspire Matt Wagner to write a better Arthur-myth-comic (Mage) so thanks Camelot 3000!

Lee: As usual, I am all over this. One of the best visual stories ever and the story is good enough.

JACK KIRBY'S THE DEMON OMNIBUS HC
Written by Jack Kirby
Art and cover by Jack Kirby & Mike Royer
One of Jack "King" Kirby's most memorable creations returns in this title collecting the entire, original 16-issue series from the early 1970s! Part man, part elemental fury, Etrigan the Demon was bound to Jason Blood by Merlin to defend Camelot, only to become a demonologist in the modern-day DC Universe.
Advance-solicited; on sale November 19 o 384 pg, FC, $49.99 US

Jim: At this point I’m just a sucker for the Kirby DC stuff.

Gwen: I've never read the early Etrigan stuff so I'll have to peruse it once it's on Jim's shelf.

Lee: OOoooohhh, never read Kirby’s Demon. I hate to say this but don’t read Kirby. Just look at the pretty pictures because this is pure unedited Kirby dialogue.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: WORLD'S FINEST VOL. 2 TP
Written by Jerry Coleman, Ed Herron, Dave Wood, Bill Finger and Edmond HamiltonCover by Curt Swan & George Klein
Art by Dick Sprang, Curt Swan, Jim Mooney and others
Superman, Batman and Robin team up once more in tales from WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #112-145! Among the foes the World's Finest team faces are The Composite Superman, The Joker, Lex Luthor, Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk!
Advance-solicited; on October 15 o 520 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

Jim: This era is what I thought DC should have been printing as a hard cover collection a long time ago. Also not ever issue, but the best ones.

Gwen: Who can possibly resist the Composite Superman?

Lee: There were best ones? A big pass for me.

GREATEST HITS #1
Written by David Tischman
Art and Cover by Glenn Fabry
Variant cover by Ethan Van Sciver
Meet the Mates! They're the greatest super team of all time, straight out of England and into our hearts: Crusader, The Solicitor, Vizier and Zipper.
But who are the heroes behind the mania? How did they meet? And what's next for The Mates? You'll find out in this fab 6-issue miniseries written by David Tischman (BITE CLUB) with art by Glenn Fabry (NEVERWHERE, PREACHER and HELLBLAZER covers) that pulls back the curtain to reveal the men behind the masks.
GREATEST HITS looks at The Mates, from their humble 1960s beginnings, through the drug-fueled 1970s, and into the techno '80s, the grungy '90s, and to the present day. This is The Mates from the height of their glory to the depths of excess, as filmed by a struggling Hollywood director - one with his own dark ties to the team.
On sale September 17 o 1 of 6 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS

Jim: This just looks lame to me. It seems to be making the Beatles over into a super hero group or something. I’ll try issue #1, but I ready to drop this book like a hot potato.

Gwen: What kind of name is Zipper? This look fairly boring to me.

Lee: I find it interesting that you love The Twelve, Watchmen, and so much of the other deconstructionist superhero books but not this. I’ll wait for the reviews as I always do but I think this will be better than people think.

JOKER HC
Written by Brian Azzarello
Art by Lee Bermejo & Mick Gray
Cover by Lee Bermejo
In the all-new, hardcover original graphic novel JOKER, writer Brian Azzarello (100 BULLETS) and artist Lee Bermejo (HELLBLAZER covers) - the creative team behind the acclaimed miniseries LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL - show an even darker and more disturbing side to the most dangerous man in Gotham: The Joker.
After yet another stint in Arkham Asylum, The Joker finds "his city" divided among mobsters and costumed villains. Not content to settle for a piece of the pie, The Joker vows to take back the whole damn enchilada by any means necessary. Look for appearances by a slew of Gotham's most wanted, including gritty takes on Two-Face, Riddler, Killer Croc, Penguin, Harley Quinn and even Batman!
Not since THE KILLING JOKE have you seen such a powerful tale of The Joker - you won't want to miss this one!
Advance-solicited; on sale October 22 o 128 pg, FC, $19.99 US
Lee: Lee Bermejo certainly draws the most ruthless Joker I have seen in a long time. This is a scary cover in it's own right. I just wonder how much "darker and more disturbing" can they go with the Joker? Doesn't he already have a brutal origin? Hasn't he already killed millions? I'm not saying the character is used up but terms like "bigger and better than before" don't really excite me anymore.
Gwen: This should sell well with the new movie coming out. Still, the Killing Joke was enough for me - I don't need to go further into the realm of sadistic evil, thanks.
Jim: I'm getting this but I understand the concerns. Also Azzarello has not fared well when he ventures away from Vertigo.

WATCHMEN HC
Written by Alan Moore
Art and cover by Dave Gibbons
436 pg, FC, $39.99 US
WATCHMEN TP
334 pg, FC, $19.99 US o
WATCHMEN: THE ABSOLUTE EDITION HC - NEW PRINTING
8.25" x 12.5", 464 pg, FC, $75.00 US

Lee: OK. Let's do a personal count. I owned the trade and loved it. Sold it so I could buy the Absolute. Realized the Absolute was unreadable due to size and weight. Kept the Absolute because I paid so freakin' much for it. Started surfin ebay for an older edition hc but didn't want to pay top dollar for it because I had the Absolute. NOW, they have a brand new HC! Perfect. I shall own TWO copies of Watchmen now.
Gwen: There is nothing wrong with the Absolutes readability. I read my Absolute Sandman books (and snuggle them at night when I sleep). The only problem is loaning them out. Trades and smaller HCs are best for sharing comics with friends.
Jim: This is $40 and you own the Absolute Lee - you are nuts.

NEW GODS SERIES 2 ACTION FIGURES
Based on the art of Jack Kirby
Hot on the heels of the acclaimed JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS hardcovers, Kirby's art style is interpreted in this second series of Fourth World action figures, which includes his unique vision of Superman!
Each figure features multiple points of articulation and a base. Four-color blister card packaging.

Jim: I love Kirby, but these figures look pretty bad.

Gwen: blah blah blah

Lee: I liked the first set and for the most part I like this set too. What can I say, the wood block look and fell appeal to me. BUT, that is positively the worst Superman I have ever seen. And remember it wasn’t Kirby’s fault! It was DC editorial that did that.

Jim: My love for DC has taken a few body blows lately and my enthusiasm for all things DC has abated a little bit. When I think of the best books on the market many of them are from other then the big two.

Gwen: I still enjoy DC, especially much more so than Marvel. Still, I'm upset about this Chuck Dixon thing. Boo!

Lee: Luckily I don’t love DC. We’re just friends and I hope to keep it that way. Maybe that’s why I KNOW that Secret Invasion is so better than Final Crisis. AND, btw, did anyone notice that Darkseid didn’t have a mouth on the cover of Final Crisis #4. You think someone would have noticed that.