Comic Book Resources

Brought to you by the color red: DC Comics Solicitations for September 2009

Grumpy Old Fan

The September solicitations are here, bringing with them another month's worth of teases and puffery.  There are ongoing series for the Red Circle characters, a new edition of Red Son, and a paperback featuring a Communist Lady Blackhawk.  As if that weren't enough, this batch includes the start of a long-awaited Superman miniseries, the highly-anticipated conclusion of Flash:  Rebirth, and a couple of minor characters in desperate need of some salesmanship.  I'm also fairly sure that DC has made some kind of history in its writing corps.

Before we get to that, though, a non-solicitation item.  I'm pretty happy that DC will be putting at least part of Wednesday Comics in a newspaper, even if it's just the first installment of the Superman strip in one issue of USA Today. You may remember a couple of months ago that I went off on a little tirade about DC not supporting Wednesday Comics sufficiently, and while this isn't quite what I had in mind, it may be pretty effective.

Now then...
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Are Robinson and Henderson part of comic book history?

DC's full solicitations for September came out yesterday, something Tom will no doubt talk about in his next Grumpy Old Fan column, but I wanted to draw attention to two comics in particular:

The Web #1

THE WEB #1
Written by Angela Robinson; co-feature written by John Rozum
Art by Roger Robinson & Hilary Barta;co-feature art by Tom Derenick & Bill Sienkiewicz
Cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau
Variant sketch cover by JG Jones
Spinning out of August’s “Red Circle” event from superstar writer J. Michael Straczynski comes the new ongoing adventures of the selfish rich-boy hero the Web, and the mysterious-undying Hangman. Writer/director Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.) and artist Roger Robinson (BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS) spin the tales of The Web, a man who has only recently come to understand the burden of true heroism. He’s fighting crime on his own terms, and for his first mission he’s hunting down the men responsible for killing his brother!
Plus, the Hangman stars in his own co-feature with a touch of urban noir from writer John Rozum (DETECTIVE COMICS) and artists Tom Derenick and Bill Sienkiewicz, the team behind REIGN IN HELL! The Hangman haunts the streets of San Francisco and touches lives as he works to discover whether his powers are a blessing or a curse.
Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 10 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a sketch cover by JG Jones). See the Previews Order Form for more info.
On sale September 23 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

Teen Titans #75

TEEN TITANS #75
Written by Felicia D. Henderson;
co-feature written by Sean McKeever
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson;
co-feature art by Yildiray Cinar & Júlio Ferreira
Cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson Variant cover by Andy Clarke
Come celebrate our gala 75th issue with an all-star cast of Titans past and present! Joining this issue for the extravaganza is new ongoing writer Felicia D. Henderson, a co-executive producer on TV’s hit show Fringe! Don’t miss this start to a fresh new take on DC’s premier teen team! And in the Ravager co-feature, Rose lies nearly dead in the Arctic when a horrific discovery chills her even more! Retailers please note: This issue will ship with two covers. For every 25 copies of the Standard Edition (with a cover by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson), retailers may order one copy of the Variant Edition (with a cover by Andy Clarke). Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
On sale September 30 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US

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Art teams for DC's Red Circle one-shots named

Hangman

DC Comics has revealed details about the Archie Heroes/Red Circle one-shots they'll release in August. We already know J. Michael Straczynski is writing them, but today they shared the art teams, as well as some new preview artwork from the books.

"Each book slides off the next, showing the interconnectedness of the world, how fate can launch a bank shot from one person to the next," JMS said.

So here's the rundown on the art teams:

• The Hangman: Tom Derenick and Bill Sienkiewicz, whose work you can see to the right. Editor Joey Cavalieri says it's about "...a doctor who’s been spared the executioner’s noose (a circle of rope, get it?) only to be confronted with a choice that condemns him to roam around Earth forever, aiding everyone in his orbit."
• Inferno: Greg Scott, who worked on Marvel's newuniversal:1959 and BOOM!'s Galveston mini-series. It's about an amnesiac who can set things on fire.
• The Shield: Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens. "The Shield is the spearhead of a program meant to encompass America’s borders, but quickly becomes a link in a bigger chain," Cavalieri said.
• The Web: Roger Robinson and Hilary Barta; Robinson did the art for the Blue Beetle/Hardware team-up in DC's Brave and the Bold title. He also did these really cool game menu screens for a canceled Flash video game.

As previously reported, the one-shots will introduce these heroes to the regular DC Universe.

Return of the Mighty Crusaders

The Web

All this week DC's The Source blog has been posting images of some of the "Red Circle" characters, a.k.a. The Mighty Crusaders, a.k.a. the Archie superhero characters DC is reviving this summer. J.G. Jones has redesigned them, (with the exception of the Shield, who is wearing his original costume) and did a nice job of updating them to make'em look a bit more modern. Up top is The Web, and you can also check out Hangman and Inferno.

So who are these guys? I only vaguely recollect DC's first attempt to revive them as their own universe, under the name Impact Comics. And I have no recollection of Archie's run at publishing them. Siskoid, however, has a pretty good rundown of the major and not-so-major players over on his blog.

The characters will debut in the DC Universe in August.

(Last link via Kiel Phegley).