DC Comics released their November 2017 solicitations, including a plethora of Batman comics. Let’s take a look at the more interesting Bat-related titles that are coming out in a few months.
DARK NIGHTS: METAL #4
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Variant covers by ANDY KUBERT, JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS and JOHN ROMITA JR.
The Justice League has been broken and scattered to the far corners of the DCU, each member forced to face their worst fears alone…and the fears are winning. When an unlikely ally reveals a glimmer of hope, they must seize their chance, or risk their window of opportunity closing for good!
Advance solicited • On sale DECEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 6, $3.99 US • FOIL-STAMPED, EMBOSSED COVER • RATED T+
We hope that you have read Dark Night Metal #1 before looking at this cover, because otherwise….uh, spoilers alert? All joking aside, Scott Snyder’s DC epic is shaping up to be one DC’s weirder crossover events with so many different, seemingly random characters being connected in some cross-universe conspiracy.
BATMAN AND THE SIGNAL #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER and TONY PATRICK
Art and cover by CULLY HAMNER
Variant cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
Batman may own the night, but with new villains emerging during the day he needs an ally to defend the city when he can’t. Only one teen is up to the challenge, Duke Thomas. After months of training, he’s ready to step out of the shadow of the bat to become his own kind of hero. Meet Gotham City’s newest protector: The Signal! Spinning out of adventures in ALL-STAR BATMAN and WE ARE ROBIN, comics superstar Scott Snyder and newcomer Tony Patrick take our young hero to new heights in this exciting miniseries with artwork by Cully Hamner.
On sale NOVEMBER 8 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 3, $3.99 US • RATED T+
Thank goodness Duke Thomas is finally getting the spotlight in his own mini-series. However, is the Signal really his official superhero name? How weird is it that he was essentially named by the Joker. Still Scott Snyder plus Cully Hamner is bound to be good comics.
BATMAN #34
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by JOELLE JONES
JUSTICE LEAGUE variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
“Dream of Me” part two! Batman is on a quest in the desert, far from his Gotham City home. His friends and allies think he’s gone crazy, and his mission puts him far outside the law. Waiting for him at the center of the chaos is an old enemy…and plenty of old demons.
On sale NOVEMBER 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Presumably, Batman is traveling to the Middle East to combat Ra’s al Ghul. We are slightly curious to see how Tom King will handle Ra’s. Also, what is up with Batman wearing a trench coat in the middle of the desert? Is this an homage to Batman v Superman? Batman looks ridiculous in a trench coat. Is he wearing it to disguise himself? If it is a disguise, then why does he still insist on wearing his mask with it?
BATMAN ANNUAL #2
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by LEE WEEKS
Travel back in time with us to see the early days of the Bat and the Cat. What was Bruce and Selina’s first date? How did this rivalry blossom into romance, and then go right back to being a rivalry again? Tom King reteams with his BATMAN/ELMER FUDD collaborator Lee Weeks to show us a little young love with capes and cowls. And a little crimefighting, too.
On sale NOVEMBER 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Lee Weeks is one of those underrated artists who is a master of his craft. It is great that King gets to team up again with Weeks to do a more “official” Batman comic. The annual will also be interesting to see what is the new “Rebirth” story of Catwoman and Batman’s first meeting.
BATWOMAN #9
Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
Art and cover by FERNANDO BLANCO
Variant cover by MICHAEL CHO
“Fear and Loathing” part three! Drugged by the Scarecrow’s fear toxin and trapped in an unrelenting desert, Batwoman must find her way free of her fears as she avoids capture by the Many Hands of Death and her father’s agent, Colony Prime.
On sale NOVEMBER 15 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+
This cover of Batwoman is particularly striking due to two main things: the huge needles coming at the reader and Batwoman’s one exposed eye. Fernando Blanco really made small details like her exposed eye convey a heavy mood of dread and distraught. Additionally, the needles on her fingertips brings out peoples’ trypanophobia.
DETECTIVE COMICS #968
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art by ALVARO MARTINEZ and RAUL FERNANDEZ
Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
JUSTICE LEAGUE variant cover by CULLY HAMNER
“A LONELY PLACE OF LIVING” finale! Tim Drake is back on Earth — but if the deadly threat he brought back with him from outside of time has its way, it won’t be for long…and this shadowy figure wants to take one of Batman’s team down with him, too! Everything Tim died for the first time is at risk, if he can’t survive this attack!
On sale NOVEMBER 8 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Loving the cover homage to Tim Drake’s first appearance in Batman #442. And Tim Drake is back! Yay! Also, is his Red Robin costume a little cooler looking than when he last appeared in Detective Comics? Like, his “R, R” symbol looks more stylized than before. It is a good look.
NIGHTWING #32
Written by TIM SEELEY
Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA
Cover by JAVIER FERNANDEZ
Variant cover by CASEY JONES
“Raptor’s Revenge” part three! Nightwing and Blockbuster are forced into becoming allies as Raptor’s plans grow more sinister. Raptor’s influence is extending rapidly as he begins to convince members of the Run-Offs that Nightwing isn’t the hero he promised to be, and he must be punished for it.
On sale NOVEMBER 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Raptor is back? Noooo! If you read our reviews, we are not fans of Raptor a.k.a. villainous Mary Sue.
BATMAN: CREATURE OF THE NIGHT #1
Written by KURT BUSIEK
Art and cover by JOHN PAUL LEON
Young Bruce Wainwright lost his parents in a violent crime…and in the real world, no superheroes exist to save the day. But as grief and rage builds inside Bruce until he feels he can’t keep it inside anymore, something strange starts taking wing in the Gotham night! Perhaps Bruce’s grief isn’t inside him after all? Modern masters Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon unite for the spiritual companion to the beloved SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY, putting a new spin you’ve never seen before on the legend of Batman—and the dark emotions that drive him!
On sale NOVEMBER 29 • 48 pg, FC, 1 of 4, $5.99 US • RATED T+
Kurt Busiek is a fantastic writer and can do poignant emotions. Additionally, John Paul Leon is the perfect artistic compliment for this realistic type of story.
HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA #2
Written by PAUL DINI and MARC ANDREYKO
Art by LAURA BRAGA
Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Variant cover by DAN PARENT
It’s her (father’s) party and she’ll cry if she wants to, because Veronica and Betty’s killer costume idea was stolen by two crashers from Gotham City! Of course, she can’t know that she’s facing off with the real Poison Ivy, or that Betty’s about to get bopped by Harley Quinn herself. Whoops!
On sale NOVEMBER 1 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 6, $3.99 US • RATED T
While I may not be the biggest fan of modern day Harley Quinn, this crossover is a great idea. If for no other reason, these covers should make the story worth while. But, it will probably be good since Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko are writing it. One hopes that this comic will inspire similar Archie and DC Comics crossovers in the same vein. Like, can you imagine an Archie and Batman crossover where Batman recruits Archie as the next Robin? Or a Flash and Jughead hamburger eating contest? This stuff practically writes itself!
To look at the rest of DC Comics’ November 2017 solicitations, click here.