DC Comics aren’t going to end 2017 quietly if their December 2017 solicitations are any indication. Instead of slowing down we are going to see how DC’s big two events, Doomsday Clock and Dark Nights: Metal, will look to enter 2018 strong. On top of that we are getting the sequel one of the best comic crossovers in recent history as Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cross paths once again. And that is just a few notable things of note coming down the pipeline as DC’s 2017 comes to a close.
DOOMSDAY CLOCK CONTINUES TO TICK
The big tease for Doomsday Clock #2 is the fact that Batman looks to have discovered the Rorschach’s diary. That is a major development since the discovery of Rorschach’s diary was what closed the Watchmen series. Will this discovery lead to new revelations about the events in Watchmen?
From the looks of one of Doomsday Clock #2’s covers this may relate to Lex Luthor’s role in the story. As seen in the Lex cover, it looks as though Ozymandias will be teaming up with Superman’s greatest villain. That could turn out to be the most dangerous thing to happen to the DC Universe given how much Lex has been elevated in stories since Forever Evil.
BATMAN/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES SEQUEL
While we did get a pseudo-sequel of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was not a direct continuation as it involved the 80’s TMNT meeting Batman from the DCAU Batman: TAS. Now we are officially getting the official sequel. This time it looks like Bane will be the major villain of the story thanks to Donatello messing with time and space. With how much fun the original crossover was there is no doubt that the follow-up should be able to match what came before it. Especially given that James Tynion and Freedie Williams are back to deliver that fun.
SUPERMAN BRINGS BACK BOOSTER GOLD
Taking a look at DC’s December solicitations I was quickly reminded that it has been a while since we’ve seen Booster Gold in the proper DC Universe. The character has been out in limbo for a long time. Now that all changes as Dan Jurgens brings Booster Gold back in his Action Comics series. With all the reality altering fun that everyone in the DC Universe is having the last few months there is no way that Booster Gold can be kept out of what is going on. And with Jurgens history with the character should make Superman’s team-up with Booster Gold enjoyable.
What else is interesting to note is that “The Oz Effect” does not seem to be the end of the Jor-El reveal from last week’s Action Comics issue. December’s solicitations at least seem to indicate that Jor-El being Mr. Oz is not the definitive answer to the character that has plagued Superman’s life. Are we in store for a Dr. Hurt-type turn with Mr. Oz’s true identity being something else? That may be the case if we are seeing that mystery continue.
WORLD’S GREATEST ORIGIN STORY
The New 52 spent a lot of time in developing the new relationship between Batman and Superman, especially with the changes made to the latter. Now that history seems to have changed once again since we have seen Superman’s history re-written to match his more classic origin during the “Superman Reborn” story arc. Hopefully the “Superfriends” arc will answer some of the questions created by “Superman Reborn.” At least it will answer what Batman and Superman’s current standing is given all the changes made to their respective histories.
JUSTICE LEAGUE LOST CREATIVE TEAM
Justice League is a series that just could not find it’s footing under Bryan Hitch’s watch. Though I tried to give the series a shot at various points since DC Rebirth started I was just left disappointed. Now it looks like Justice League will be given new life as Christopher Priest and Pete Woods come on board as the new creative team.
Priest has a stellar catalogue of work with his run on Black Panther and has garnered critical acclaim with his work on the current Deathstroke series. Having Woods along for the ride as the new artist helps with his artwork usually delivering the big time impact one expects from a Justice League title. Hopefully this new creative team turns out to be a winning combination as Justice League is in need of it.
NIGHTWING GOES GETS FRESH START
Continuing the trend of fresh starts Sam Humphries and Bernard Chang are taking over Nightwing. This is sad news to discover given the fact that under Tim Seeley Nightwing has been one of the best comic books DC is publishing. Humphries is a very hit-or-miss writer, with his work on Green Lantern not connecting with me. That said I am up for seeing what Humphries has planned for Nightwing after how Seeley re-established the character’s home of Bludhaven.
SUPER SONS OF TOMORROW
The Teen Titans can’t seem to avoid getting involved in crossovers as they get involved with the Superman and Super Sons titles. Though this time around at least there will be more set-up for the “Super Sons of Tomorrow” crossover since we have seen Superboy interact with the Teen Titans recently. That interaction showed that there is a lot of potential in Superboy being part of the Teen Titans cast. But before he can become an official member it looks like he will have lean on Robin for protection as the Teen Titans discover something that could affect Superboy’s official membership.
DONNA TROY’S ORIGIN REVEALED (AGAIN!)
One of the bigger sub-plots of the Titans series has been the new origin story of Donna Troy. Donna just can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to a clear origin. Instead the character has been plagued with one confusing origin after another. Though I would hope that Titans would give us clarifications on the origin it does not seem to be the case from what “The Rise of Troia” seems to tease. At the very least I can hope that it will be entertaining to discover what Donna’s DC Rebirth origin story is.