Andy Clarke
‘Detective Comics’ #19 celebrates 900 issues — is it worth $7.99?
If the DC Comics New 52 reboot hadn’t happened, Detective Comics would have reached its 900th issue this month. That wasn’t lost on DC, which celebrated the milestone this week with the release of an 80-page, $7.99 anniversary issue. The issue sports the New 52 debut of an old favorite, and a tribute to the number 900 in a story that ties into the larger ‘Emperor Penguin’ arc running through the comic. It also features back-up tales starring Bane, Man-Bat and the Gotham City Police Department, as well as a gallery of art by various artists.
So does this oversized issue do justice to its 900-issue legacy? Here are a few opinions from around the web …
What Are You Reading? with Jimmy Palmiotti
Dark Horse Presents #13
Hello and welcome to another edition of What Are You Reading? Our guest today is writer and artist Jimmy Palmiotti, who you know from All-Star Western, Monolith, Phantom Lady, Unknown Soldier, Creator-Owned Heroes, Queen Crab and countless more.
To see what Jimmy and the Robot 6 crew have been reading, click below.
First look at Becky Cloonan’s art for Batman #12
DC Comics has released the first look at Becky Cloonan’s art from Batman #12, which sees the Demo and Conan the Barbarian artist join writer Scott Snyder for a standalone epilogue to “The Court of Owls” storyline.
“This issue is very special to me. It’s the big story that explains and explores the character you met in issue #7 – Harper,” Snyder revealed to Comic Book Resources earlier this month. “That’s the young woman who saved Batman when he tried to escape the labyrinth and ended up in the freezing Gotham bay. The mystery of who she is, why she knows Batman and the secret of their relationship…Becky read the script on the way back from the show, and just did some character sketches of Harper and her brother and the villain of the piece. She was totally on board, and I’m just over the moon about it.”
The issue, which arrives Aug. 8, also features a backup story drawn by Andy Clarke (2000AD, R.E.B.E.L.S.). Series artist Greg Capullo returns for the next arc.
A Dynamic Duo of Batman & Robin art posts
from Batman & Robin #9 by Cameron Stewart
On his blog, outgoing Batman & Robin artist Cameron Stewart has posted a selection of black-and-white pages from issue #9. Man, you could practically bathe in those inks.
Talking Comics with Tim: Tony Bedard
R.E.B.E.L.S. #3
Tony Bedard is a writer I’ve interviewed several times regarding various projects over the years. I greatly enjoyed his work years ago with CrossGen and since then I’ve often viewed a project more favorably if I found his name was attached. So when I heard he had a new ongoing series for DC, R.E.B.E.L.S. (core concept: Vril Dox [Brainiac 2] recruits a team to regain control of his L.E.G.I.O.N. police force), I contacted him for an email interview. This Wednesday, April 15, marks the release of the third issue in the series. (A preview of the first issue is available from DC here.)
Tim O’Shea: The first issue opens with a reference from the Encyclopedia Galactica, a nod to past incarnations of Legion books (as well as the works of Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams). When launching a new series that references the past but wants to make its own mark in the present (while telling tales from the future) how careful does a writer need to be in referencing the past with certain aspects while giving readers a fresh twist?
Tony Bedard: I want R.E.B.E.L.S. to be completely accessible to a new reader, and yet I want it to be loaded with references and “Easter eggs” for readers who are familiar with Legion lore. I guess the trick is not to make those bits essential to understanding the story. They’re in there as a bonus (and, yeah, the encyclopedia caption is a total homage to LSH stories of the past) but they’re not the point of the book. We’re just telling a fast and furious space saga, and everyone’s invited to join us.