Tasty DC Solicits

For those of us who wouldn't travel to the Left Coast if gold started growing in their deserts, the internet is the only place to follow the news and releases of the San Diego Comic Con. It seems to grow bigger every year, and the publishers have responded accordingly, with DC in particular releasing a whole series of upcoming covers, particularly concerning the tragic yet resourceful extended Bat family.


By order of personal favoritism, we first have an issue of Red Robin, with Tim Drake allying himself (albeit with less subservience than this cover implies, no doubt) to the dread Ra's al Ghul, who I've noticed has become slightly less of an albino since he obtained that new body. It mirrors the Marvel consistency of Loki's apparent hermaphroditism. So far I'm loving the covers, I'm loving the book, and I'm most looking forward to his reunion with Connor/KonEl/Superboy.


Next we have The Outsiders, delving even deeper into Batman's rogues gallery by going up against Killer Croc after crossing swords with Ra's in the previous storyline. So far most of the characters have proven interesting and surprising (especially Roy Raymond Jr/Owlman) with the exception of Geo Force, who is pompous and kinda nasty and rather boring.


This next cover has Batman (Dick Grayson) fighting what seems to be the new Red Hood, or whatever Mr. Morrison is calling his new villainous duo, a kind of Batman and Robin with hand guns it seems. It's a better look for Batman and Robin than Frank Quitely, in my opinion, but whoever is drawing is irrelevant--the writing needs to step up and save this title, before it brings down the entire Batman Reborn event with its creepy circus freaks and self-importance.




Lastly, a cover for what I believe is an Arkham Asylum side series, which I probably won't pick up, but worth posting cause it's a cool freaking cover. The jigsaw thing has been done, sure (most recently in Buffy, in a Georges Jeanty cover--which rarely holds a candle to Jo Chen) but the idea of an overlapping Scarecrow and Joker is doubly freaky. Well done.