Heads Up: DC Comics Previews – January 2012

Being a comic fan can be tough. With so many publishers printing more and more books, canceling titles and starting new ones, it can be daunting when you head to the comic book shop on a Wednesday to know exactly what’s coming out.

The current system of presenting and ordering comics three months ahead of their release as set forth by the sole comics distributor, Diamond Comics, doesn’t make it any easier either. We’re not a fan of that system, but we realize it’s a harsh reality of how the industry works and we definitely don’t want you to miss out on any of the cool comics being published.

And so, as opposed to regurgitating the list of comics solicited in Previews each month, we present to you some of the highlights of things you probably won’t want to miss out on.

SPOILER WARNING – In order to get people to order comics, the publishers have a funny habit of revealing what’s happening in the books. If you don’t want anything at all to be spoiled, then you’ll probably want to skip this post and take your chances with your pre-orders and/or your shopping.

 

Wonder Woman #5 cover by Cliff Chiang

Though we still get this behemoth of a cover, artist Cliff Chiang takes a quick breather this month. Subbing on interiors is Jack of Fables artist Tony Akins.

WONDER WOMAN #5
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art by TONY AKINS
Cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG

On sale JANUARY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Wonder Woman has returned home to London…but leaving Paradise Island doesn’t mean leaving the gods behind, as two of the most powerful deities of the pantheon have come to town – and neither of them is leaving without being crowned King of the gods!

Featuring guest art by Tony Akins (JACK OF FABLES)!

 

Batman #5

It’s worth noting that the fifth issues od Batman and Action Comics are offered in digital combo pack formats. Really digging the design of the Owl character. Bruce is in for a world of hurt.

BATMAN #5
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Cover by GREG CAPULLO • Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT
1:200 B&W variant cover by GREG CAPULLO

On sale JANUARY 18 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $3.99 US

Deep beneath Gotham City lies the Court of Owls’ deadliest trap – and Batman has fallen right into it! Can he escape, or will he perish in a maze of nightmare? Enter the labyrinth, Batman – if you dare!

This issue is also offered as a special combo pack edition, polybagged with a redemption code for a digital download of the issue.

 

All-Star Western #5

Phil Winslade provided some of my favorite art in the September relaunch with a Men of War co-feature. Now he’s back with a Barbary Ghost story in the much stronger All-Star Western.

ALL-STAR WESTERN #5
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by MORITAT and PHIL WINSLADE
Cover by LADRONN

On sale JANUARY 25 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+

Slippery sewer pipes make a brutal place for a fight – but that won’t stop Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham from facing off against a gang of kidnappers beneath Gotham City. And when the thugs get the best of them, Hex and Arkham find themselves swept away to a pitch-black cave with seemingly no way out – and lots of bats! Will they find a way to escape Gotham City’s dark underbelly before Hex’s matches are all burned out?

Also: For the Barbary Ghost, death is only the beginning of her plan for revenge!

 

Blackhawks #5

Now that’s the Lady Blackhawk we know and love. Or is it?  CAFU and Bit deliver the last issue in the first explosive arc of the series.

BLACKHAWKS #5
Written by MIKE COSTA
Art by CAFU and BIT
Cover by KEN LASHLEY

On sale JANUARY 25 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Three of the Blackhawks are incapacitated with injuries, and two more are stranded in outer space! The team has suffered a serious beating, but they still have one more crazy, hail Mary stunt up their sleeve as our first story is brought to its explosive conclusion by Mike Costa and new fan-favorite artist CAFU!

 

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #5

 

O.M.A.C. #5

Crossover time! Two of our favorite reboot titles, O.M.A.C. and Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. are gearing up for one batshit crazy crossover, and these covers from J.g. Jones and Keith Giffen/Scott Koblish suggest a weird, wild slobberknocker.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #5
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI
Cover by J.G. JONES

On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

When Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out!

Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!

O.M.A.C. #5
Written by DAN DIDIO and KEITH GIFFEN
Art and cover by KEITH GIFFEN and SCOTT KOBLISH

On sale JANUARY 4 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

Max Lord and Sarge Steel decide that in order to capture O.M.A.C., sacrifices will have to be made. They go back to the location of O.M.A.C.’s first appearance and target the workers on Kevin Kho’s floor, including Kevin and all his friends. Meanwhile, since O.M.A.C. is still on the loose, S.H.A.D.E. decides to send in their top agent, Frankenstein, to succeed where Checkmate has failed.

This epic storyline continues in this month’s FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #5!

Demon Knights #5

Two of the most interesting characters of the reboot, ready to gut each other. A sensational cover.

DEMON KNIGHTS #5
Written by PAUL CORNELL
Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by MIKE CHOI

On sale JANUARY 11 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T

The pressure is mounting as the Horde prepares to breach the walls of Little Spring – but inside the town, our heroes are at each other’s throats! With their fragile alliance in tatters, and the enemy whispering in their ears, someone’s going to break – but for a reason you never saw coming!

Collections!

Batman: Gates of Gotham TPB

Scott Snyder was setting the foundation for a richer, more sinister Gotham City well before the reboot, and the keystone can be found here in this five issue limited series from Snyder, Kyle Higgins. Jumping between dark deeds in the past and present, this tale is a pivotal link in the new Gotham mythology.

BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM TP
Written by SCOTT SNYDER, KYLE HIGGINS and DAVID HINE
Art by TREVOR MCCARTHY, AGUSTIN PADILLA, ANDRES GUINALDO and LORENZO RUGGIERO
Cover by TREVOR McCARTHY

On sale FEBRUARY 1 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US

Collecting the acclaimed 5-issue miniseries from writers Scott Snyder (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) and Kyle Higgins (NIGHTWING)! When a mystery as old as Gotham City itself surfaces, Batman assembles a team of his greatest detectives – including Red Robin, Owlman, I-Ching and others – to investigate this startling new enigma. As clues are discovered and the mystery deepens, Batman’s team soon finds itself on a journey that explores different eras in Gotham’s history and touches upon notable Gotham families including the Waynes, Kanes, and Elliotts. This miniseries spins out of recent events in the Batman titles and sets the stage for several exciting storylines in 2011.

This volume also includes BATMAN ANNUAL #28 and DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12

 

Geoff Johns' The Flash Omnibus vol. 2

Grodd almighty! Nearly 700 pages of fleet-footed goodness.

THE FLASH BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS VOL. 2 HC
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by SCOTT KOLINS, DOUG HAZLEWOOD, RICK BURCHETT, PHIL WINSLADE, DAN PANOSIAN and others
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS

On sale MARCH 28 • 648 pg, FC, $75.00 US

It’s the second hardcover volume collecting all the issues of THE FLASH written by comics superstar Geoff Johns! In this massive collection featuring issues #177-200 and DC FIRST: FLASH/SUPERMAN #1, an old friend of Wally West becomes the portal to another universe and Gorilla Grodd goes wild in Keystone City!

Plus, don’t miss the Fastest Man Alive’s clashes with members of his infamous rogues gallery, including Captain Cold, The Trickster, the Pied Piper and more!

 

Batman vs. The Black Glove Deluxe Edition

The next in the new wave of deluxe hardcovers encompassing Grant Morrison’s celebrated Batman saga. If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit!

BATMAN VS. THE BLACK GLOVE DELUXE EDITION HC
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by ANDY KUBERT, J.H. WILLIAMS III, TONY S. DANIEL, JOHN VAN FLEET, RYAN BENJAMIN, JESSE DELPERDANG, JONATHAN GLAPION and SANDU FLOREA
Cover by ANDY KUBERT

On sale MARCH 28 • 384 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US

Comic-book legend Grant Morrison (ACTION COMICS) joins forces with top artists including Andy Kubert (FLASHPOINT), J.H. Williams III (BATWOMAN) and Tony S. Daniel (DETECTIVE COMICS) in this new hardcover collecting BATMAN #655-658, 663-669 and 672-675!

First, Batman receives the greatest shock of his life when he discovers that he has a son. And sparks fly when the new addition to the Batfamily is introduced to Robin, the Boy Wonder. Which young hero will carry on the legacy as Gotham City’s protector?

Then, Batman and a group of global heroes face a killer on a mysterious island, and Batman relives an adventure in the life of young Bruce Wayne: the hunt for his parents’ killer.

 

I, Vampire Classic vol. 1 TPB

If you’re curious about Fialkov’s current I, Vampire series and want to treat yourself to some blood-curdling great art from Tom Sutton and Jim Aparo, look no further.

I, VAMPIRE TP
Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS, BRUCE JONES, DAN MISHKIN, GARY COHN and MIKE BARR
Art by TOM SUTTON, ERNIE COLON, PARIS CULLINS, JIM APARO and others
Cover by JOE KUBERT

On sale FEBRUARY 8 • 320 pg, FC, $29.99 US

A cult favorite series is collected at last, from HOUSE OF MYSTERY #290, 291, 293, 295, 297, 299, 302 and 304-319 and BRAVE AND THE BOLD #195! Vampiric Lord Andrew Bennett turned his beloved Mary Seward into a vampire, hoping to keep her by his side through eternity. But what happens when her power turns her evil?

 

Comments

  1. That crossover looks like loads of fun. I love Frankenstein in the Kirby style. Cool.

  2. Dc should offer the lesser titles with Digital download codes. I think it would pick up sales (albeit as a gimmick), but at least fans with iPads would at least give it a shot. I myself am a subscriber to some of their titles, but at $3.99 a pop, I am very selective as to which titles I get.

  3. Avatar photo JeffR (@JeffRReid) says:

    While I would have preferred that I, Vampire trade to have been out before the reboot or even by Halloween of this year, I’m still looking forward to it. That’s a preorder for sure.

    It looks like there’s only one DC Presents title out in January and it’s a reprint of four “Dark” first issues of the New 52. If there’s anything that doesn’t need a DC Presents title, I’d argue that it’s anything in the New 52. All of them have multiple reprints and they’re available digitally for only $2 each. I sense this is the death rattle of this particular format. Here’s hoping I’m wrong and we get more reprints of obscure material in the future.

  4. Or if it is Grant Morrison’s Batman take two aspirin & just forget.

    Matthew

  5. Is that Ezio from Assassin’s Creed on the cover of Demon Knights? lol

  6. Looking forward to Tony Akins on Wonder Women.

  7. I’m very excited to pick up that I, Vampire TP! I was trying to track down the old issues but they are kinda pricey. I had a question I was hoping a fellow comix fan could answer. According to the Comic Book DB, The “I, Vampire” storyline is also in House of Mystery # 303 which is not listed as being included in this reprint. Does anyone know if this is just an error on the DC solicits or maybe this issue was not part of the main story? Thanks for any help!

  8. Not much of interest there for myself. However the new Batman villain, Owl looks great. Still amazes me that with all of the great faces within Batman’s rogue gallery, the writers and artists can still create somewhat original villains.

  9. wOw I made an awesome choice trade waiting on Gates of Gotham! cant believe it also includes BATMAN ANNUAL #28 and DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12 for only 14.99! So excited for this.