DC Comics is going to be closing out their 2021 the same way the entire year has with Batman dominating their publishing schedule. The Batman Family are all over the comics DC will be putting out in December 2021. That includes several events that will be in and out of the main DC Universe continuity that will be headlined by Batman. But through all of the Batman filled comics there are also other notable comics coming out from DC Comics in December 2021. Let’s take a look at the big comics to keep an eye out for in December 2021.
BATMAN INCORPORATE RETURNS
While it looks as though Bruce Wayne and the rest of the Batman Family will be able to make it out of Fear State alive things will not be the same as they were. It looks as though whatever happens in Fear State will not leave Bruce in a good spot. We see that with Detective Comics #1046 solicitation that Bruce will be both mentally and physically beat down to a point he has never been before. Which does seem to all be part of the culmination of how everything from City of Bane to Joker War to Fear State are making Bruce rethink his methods of being Batman.
One of the bigger changes that will happen in the fallout of Fear State is Bruce bringing back the Batman Incorporated idea and going global once again. That will mean that Batman will no longer be calling Gotham City his home as he takes on threats like Abyss that will take his attention away from Gotham City. Though it does seem as the new Batman Inc will not be something that is fully supported by Bruce. The first few issues of Joshua Williamson’s Batman run tease the fact there is another benefactor funding Batman Inc that Bruce may not agree with.
STEPHANIE BROWN & CASSANDRA CAIN ARE BATGIRLS
While Gotham City may be without Bruce’s Batman there will officially be two Batgirls to protect the people. Its been mentioned various times that both Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain are operating as Batgirl for Barbara Gordon as she has taken more responsibilities as Oracle. But even then there have been instances that Stephanie and Cassandra have still been identified as Spoiler and Orphan, respectively. Now that is over as we are finally getting a new Batgirls series starring Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain sharing the Batgirl superhero name.
Batgirls is a title that I have been wishing DC Comics published for a long time. Everything that took place pre-Future State set the stage perfectly to expand on the Batgirl identity to include Stephanie and Cassandra in that legacy once again. Both Stephanie and Cassandra have built a great friendship with one another as they help each other be better. Now with them being officially mentored by Barbara both will have more of a chance to grow as they have their own title in Batgirls to shine in.
This new title will also help with further positioning Barbara as one of the leaders of the Batman Family while operating as both Oracle and Batgirl, the latter when necessary. Especially with Bruce going off to do his own thing outside of Gotham City having Barbara take on a more active role in mentoring the younger Batman Family members will strengthen the franchise reach. It all speaks to how at the very least we are seeing the Batman franchise allowed to grow beyond Bruce’s shadow as we are seeing both Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon stepping up to fill the wholes left by Bruce having gone through what he has.
JUSTICE LEAGUE VS THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
One thing you can always expect during a Brian Bendis run on a franchise is setting the stage for a superhero vs superhero storyline. He did that throughout the course of his run on the Avengers and X-Men as he just enjoys having superheroes fighting each other. That is exactly what he is going to be setting up with the Justice League 2021 Annual that will be a prelude to a story featuring the Justice League vs the Legion of Super-Heroes.
In the process of building this Justice League vs Legion of Super-Heroes storyline Bendis is also bringing OMAC into the fold. That is not the only character Bendis is bringing back in the Justice League 2021 Annual as Wonder Woman will finally return to the team. Its been a big deal that Wonder Woman has not been in the main DC Universe continuity, as she has been going on adventures through the DC Multiverse. The timing of Wonder Woman’s return along with OMAC’s could tease more of what will be taking place in 2022 for the DC Universe.
ARKHAM TOWER LAUNCHES BATMAN EVENT
While every member of the Batman Family has their own thing going on that is keeping them busy there is still the greater question of what Gotham City’s status quo is after Fear State. That is something that will be answered in the upcoming Shadow Of The Bat weekly event taking place in Detective Comics under the story name of “Tower.” This twelve-part weekly event will be starting in December and will directly deal with the fallout of Fear State.
The big thing that immediately stands out about this is we will be seeing the ruins of Arkham Asylum be reconstructed and turned into Arkham Tower. This seems to be directly tied to how it is being said in other solicitations that the Magistrate program did not work out as Mayor Nakano and Simon Saint envisioned. Which has led the mysterious Dr. Wear to step in to lead the building of Arkham Tower. Which from the sounds of it gives me a lot of Batman: Arkham City vibes based on the information in December’s Detective Comics solicitations.
The other thing that stands out from the solicitation is the fact it will be a Batman Family event without Bruce Wayne around to deal with it. We know from previous solicitations that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson disagree about if Arkham Asylum should be brought back. It looks as though Bruce lost the argument here and will be leaving Dick Grayson and the rest of the Batman Family to deal with Arkham Tower becoming a thing. Which based on the solicitations will turn Detective Comics into the Batman Family series as Batwoman, Harley Quinn, Huntress, Nightwing, and others take up the responsibility of protecting Gotham City in Bruce’s absence.
WAR OF WONDER WOMAN FROM THE MULTIVERSE
We know based on the solicitations for Justice League that Wonder Woman is going to be returning to the main DC Universe. That does not mean that Wonder Woman’s adventures through the Multiverse are over. And the solicitation for Wonder Woman #782 point to the Multiverse adventures continuing for Diana. The issue also looks to finally set up where Wonder Woman will end up as she moves forward to what is next.
What may make things complicated is that forward step may have to be taken through different versions of Wonder Woman. So Diana’s greater tie to the current state of the Multiverse may be a permanent thing we see to the character. Which could mean we will be see other types of Gods from different mythologies become part of the franchise.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS REBORN
Geoffrey Thorne’s Green Lantern series has really been two comic books in one. That is due to how since the first issue Thorne has been telling two separate storylines that includes different art for both. This approach has certainly led to a greater exploration of what it means for different Green Lanterns to not have their Green Lantern Power Rings. Specifically, we’ve see John Stewart have to be much more resourceful as his leadership ability goes to a new level on a planet he was previously unfamiliar with.
Now with Green Lantern #9 we will possibly see the return of the Green Lantern Corps as Jo Mullein has possibly found a way to resurrect the Corp. That or something completely different can become of the Green Lantern Corps. Hopefully it is the return of the Green Lantern Corps because there are many great characters that can be brought back into the fold that haven’t gotten much attention. It would also bring back how the Green Lantern Corps as whole will be something completely different now that the United Planets has fully been established.
CATWOMAN AND HARLEY QUINN MEET NEW POISON IVY
A big sub-plot going on in Gotham City for a while now has been the status quo of Poison Ivy. Poison Ivy’s status quo has been nebulous since her death and resurrection during the events of Heroes In Crisis. Fear State is finally addressing this as the event looks to be where the two versions of the character, Queen Ivy as she appears in Batman and Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy, as she appears in Catwoman, will finally come together to be one character again.
With the character becoming one again the question is who this version of Poison Ivy will be. Both the Harley Quinn and Catwoman series’ will be dealing with this particular status quo. Though it looks like Harley Quinn will more directly deal with it as Selina Kyle has a lot going on with how Alleytown looks post-Fear State. Whatever the case is, Poison Ivy looks to be positioned to be a major player moving forward.
NIGHTWING ONE CONTINUOUS COMIC BOOK
From the very first issue of their run I’ve been a huge fan of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo’s work on Nightwing. Now with Nightwing #87 they will be taking things to a whole new level as Rendondo will be drawing a story that will take place over the course of one continuous spread page. The series has already been a must buy since Taylor and Redondo’s run tookover but this just makes the desire to read this upcoming issue even greater.
In addition to being one continuous spread page Nightwing #87 will be the first post-Fear State issue of the series we get. Based on all the other Batman comics it does seem as though Dick Grayson will be splitting his time between Gotham City and Bludhaven. How that impacts his goals to improve the living conditions of Bludhaven through the foundation he has created named after Alfred Pennyworth will be interesting to see play out over time.
ONE-STAR SQUADRON RISE UP
DC Comics don’t normally do humor with their team comic books. All their team books tend to lean towards being traditional superhero storytelling. Which makes the release of the One-Star Squadron standout even more. Based on both the cover and solicitation for One-Star Squadron the series does look as though it will lean on more light hearted storytelling. Which plays right into Steve Lieber’s strength as an artist, who delivered some excellent artwork during the Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen series.
It is also refreshing to see that the One-Star Squadron team will be a unique roster. The inclusion of Power Girl and Red Tornado in particular peaks my interest as DC Comics has not done anything with these characters. Seeing them back as leads of a series makes my interest in One-Star Squadron even higher.
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