DC Comics waited a bit longer than normal to release their new solicitations. Unlike Marvel and others DC Comics decided to release their October 2023 solicitations until after San Diego Comic-Con. Based on their announcements at SDCC 2023 it is very likely due to the big announcement of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong that was one of the big headlines of the show. Along with that big mini-series event coming in October DC Comics revealed more information in their latest solicitations. Let’s take a look at the ten biggest takeaways from DC Comics October 2023 solicitations.
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS GODZILLA VS KONG LEAD THE WAY
Obviously, the biggest news coming out of SDCC 2023 for DC Comics was their announcement of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. This is huge news for DC Comics as Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong could be one of the best-selling comic books of 2023. It has all that potential and to DC’s credit they’ve done well from a creative standpoint with these cross-franchise comics. The crossovers Batman and Justice League have had with Spawn, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Star Trek, and others in the past has been great. If they follow that path Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong can be a big win both creatively and with sales.
With Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong this also quietly confirms that we won’t get a Justice League series within the current Dawn Of DC direction, at least in 2023. That should be the case as DC Comics should make the return of the Justice League a big deal. Coming out during this big crossover would not be great timing.
Given the likely length of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong we may not see the Justice League in the main DCU until the second half of 2024. Which would not be a bad thing considering DC is trying to invest in the Titans, Birds of Prey, Amazons Attack, and Outsiders as major superhero teams. Keeping the Justice League out will allow these teams to get more sustain momentum, particularly the Titans as DC has promoted them to their premiere superhero team.
BATMAN VS NIGHTWING MAIN EVENT GOTHAM WAR
As we learn more about Gotham War before it begins its become clear that the event will be a tone setter for the future of the Batman franchise. There is no bigger indicator of that than the solicitation for Batman #138 promoting a fight taking place between Batman and Nightwing. This a big deal considering how it could be argued Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson’s father-son relationship has been the strongest its ever been the last two years. For them to come to blows does show how intense things will get during Gotham War.
All the solicitations for the remaining chapters of Gotham War also hint at a whole new direction for the Batman Family after the event. This is something not only teased in the Batman/Catwoman: Gotham War – Scorched Earth finale for the event but also the solicitation for The Outsiders #1. The Outsiders #1 clearly state that Batwoman and Batwing will have a falling out with Batman for what he does during Gotham War.
Right now we only have Nightwing, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn as the only solo Batman Family titles. There have been questions for characters like Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood, who have all carried solo titles in the past. We could at least see a new Red Hood series, possibly the return of the fan favorite Red Hood: Outlaws series, since Jason Todd is shown to play a big role throughout Gotham War. Maybe if Bruce is indeed having a falling out with most of the Batman Family we could see Jason become the “favorite son.”
KINGDOM COME RETURNS IN WORLD’S FINEST
Kingdom Come is a universe that DC Comics loves revisiting. And with Mark Waid on Batman/Superman: World’s Finest it is not surprising that is the series where we will be revisiting the Kingdom Come Universe. It is something Waid set-up after it was revealed that David Sikela, who Superman was training as his sidekick known as Boy Thunder, would later be known as Magog. With that the stage was set for the Kingdom Come Universe to be visited at some point in Waid’s run on Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.
Now we are getting that starting with Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 as Superman, Batman, and Dick Grayson’s Robin join Boy Thunder in a trip to Kingdom Come. Based on the solicitation the Kingdom Come we will see in the story isn’t the one from the end of that story. Rather it appears that the story starting in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20 will possibly take place something before the main story of Kingdom Come. Given that Boy Thunder hasn’t become Magog yet this new storyline could expand on that fate for Superman’s former protégé.
AMAZONS ATTACK & THE OUTSIDER ADD TO SUPERHERO TEAM LINE-UP
While we have had the JSA and Doom Patrol series those have been mini-series. Its left Titans as both the premiere and only team book DC Comics has been investing in. They will soon be joined by Birds of Prey. Now we know that we will get two addition team books in the form of Amazons Attack and The Outsiders coming in October. Like with Titans and Birds of Prey, it appears that DC Comics is going to go with a bigger picture for both The Outsiders and Amazons Attack series. They will each be dealing with global and multiverse threats.
Now in terms of actual investment it was immediately apparent that DC has bigger aspirations for The Outsiders than Amazons Attack. This is simply because of how they spent actual time promoting The Outsiders during San Diego Comic-Con, including full teasers of both covers and interior artwork. In comparison, Amazons Attack was just an off-hand announcement during the Knight Terrors announcement without covers or teaser images shown off during the panel.
While the October 2023 solicitation slightly rectified this by showing us the main cover for Amazons Attack it does not build confidence that DC believes the series will be a hit with readers. Especially considering that comic books had a much easier chance at grabbing headlines at SDCC 2023 this was the perfect time to spotlight the Wonder Woman franchise. The announcement of a second Wonder Woman series should’ve been a bigger deal than it turned out to be and DC is to blame for dropping the ball on that.
SUPERGIRL GETS HER OWN SOLO COMIC
Between Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and her appearance in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest it is clear DC Comics has finally invested in getting Kara Zor-El to not be considered a teen superhero. That was her status quo for far too long and caused her to shift which “next generation” heroes Supergirl was part of. Now with Woman of Tomorrow and World’s Finest we’ve seen DC finally be part of the original generation she was introduced in with Dick Grayson, Barbara Gordon, and other original Teen Titans.
With that established DC Comics is now moving forward with seeing how Supergirl does with a solo, first with her own one-shot. The Supergirl Special will be the first time that we see Kara as a solo hero as she has been relegated to guest spots in Action Comics, Superman, and other titles. The creative team of Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patride have a big chance to set the groundwork for a future solo series.
An interesting note for Supergirl Special #1 was the mention of Power Girl in the solicitation. The way it is worded has some aggression behind it. While this may not necessarily mean Supergirl Special will have Supergirl and Power Girl clash there is some implications of that. Maybe we will see seeds planted for a future storyline with Supergirl and Power Girl as the leads.
SETTING STAGE FOR TITANS: BEAST WORLD
Coming out of SDCC 2023 we learned that the Titans will be leading the second big event for Dawn of DC titled Beast World. Before we get to that event both Titans #4 and Tales of the Titans #4 will act as prelude chapters. With both those comics we will see an emphasis placed on Beast Boy as he will be the key character of the upcoming Beast World event.
Making Beast World even more intriguing is the fact that Amanda Waller appears to be taking an active role in upcoming event. The Titans and Amanda Waller do not have the best relationship right now after Nightwing turned down the offer to have the team to work for her. With that in mind Beast World could be an event where we see Amanda Waller and The Light’s story further developed. Which is definitely needed since we’ve only gotten a few developments over in Green Arrow, but even then its felt minimal.
SHUSH JOINS BATMAN & ROBIN ROGUES GALLERY
Whenever a new villain is created for one of the major Batman titles it is a big deal. Batman has a long history of getting new villains to strengthen his already strong Rogues Gallery. With Joshua Williamson as the lead writer for DC Comics Dawn Of DC direction it elevates the introduction of a new villain even more. That is immediately the case when seeing the cover for Batman & Robin #2 that features the debut of a new villain named Shush.
Right out of the gate Shush is given a great design by Simone Di Meo. Especially considering that she will be up against both Bruce and Damian Wayne there is no doubt Williamson will have her more than hold her own against the current Dynamic Duo. Williamson did that when he introduced various fighters during his Robin run. If he does something similar Shush will easily become a breakout villain similar to how we saw Punchline get immediate popularity.
JAY GARRICK & ALAN SCOTT GET THEIR OWN COMICS
While Dark Crisis was big moment for the returning Justice Society of America the hype for their return has seemingly died down. Even with Geoff Johns and Mikel Janin working on the Justice Society series it has done nothing to create renewed popularity for the team. Which is saying a lot since without the Justice League around the return of a Justice Society series should’ve been a big deal.
With that said, DC Comics is at least committed in their investment with the JSA as October will have mini-series spotlighting Jay Garrick and Alan Scott. Both titles appear to be tackling different points in Jay Garrick and Alan Scott’s lives respectively. For Jay Garrick’s series we will see the theme of family utilized as we get introduced to Jay and Joan’s long-lost daughter, Judy. That should make that one-shot an emotional ride. Meanwhile, Alan Scott’s seems to be completely focus on Alan’s life and future as Green Lantern.
SUPERMAN CELEBRATES TWO BIG ANNIVERSARIES
October will see Superman celebrate two big anniversaries. The first is Superman #850. This major milestone issue will see a big revelation for the mystery Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell introduced at the beginning of their run. Based on the solicitation what that revelation will be may lay the foundation for a Superman Family event that will take place sometime in 2024. Given the state of the Superman Family a big event could be what it needs to garner popularity and help set-up the direction for Kara, Jon Kent, Conner, and others in 2024.
On a more celebration side we will also be getting a one-shot celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Return of Superman storyline. For this one-shot we will see a focus on Superboy, Steel, Eradicator, and Cyborg Superman during the Return of Superman timeline. Given that Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway and Karl Kesel are working on this one-shot this will be a pure celebration issue. Don’t expect any impact on the current Superman direction in Dawn of DC.
WHAT ARE DC COMICS PLANS FOR AQUAMAN?
As Dawn Of DC has continued we’ve seen DC Comics publishing line become what it once was with the variety of titles from different franchises. The one franchise that has been noticeably absent has been Aquaman. Without the Justice League around it does not seem there is not a focus at all being given to Aquaman. Even with a movie coming out at the end of the year there has been no sign of an Aquaman series.
The lack of ideas for the Aquaman franchise is highlighted by the October solicitations. A perfect month to start a new ongoing series to lead up to the movie instead all we are getting is a one-shot titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special. That one-shot appears to be taking place in the DCEU rather than the current main universe seen in the Dawn of DC.
All this does show that Aquaman likely doesn’t have someone in editorial vouching for the franchise. Because if there was an Aquaman series should’ve been at least announced by now. SDCC 2023 would’ve been the perfect place to make the announcement of a new Aquaman ongoing. But we’ve got nothing other than a random one-shot.