DC Comics January 2018 Solicitations Analysis

DC Comics is going into 2018 with two big events still going on with Dark Nights: Metal and Doomsday Clock. Now as 2018 begins we are going to see the real effect the former event has on DC’s publishing line as even more titles spin out of Dark Nights: Metal. We have three new titles joining 4 titles that will start in December. Along with that we possibly have the return of big fan favorite characters, the break-up of the Trinity, Flash War and much more.

NEW TITLES OUT DARK NIGHTS: METAL

Like any good big event it was only a matter of time that we were going to see ongoing or short run series spinning out of Dark Nights: Metal. That is what we are seeing more of as “Sideways” and “The Terrifics” join the four previous releases. Each of these new titles are going to hit for a different fanbase that leans more towards the hardcore and that is not a bad thing.

For me what has instantly caught my eye is The Terrifics by Jeff Lemire, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado. This looks to fill in that Fantastic Four niche that the comic book industry has been missing. And given how important Mr. Terrific has been to Dark Nights: Metal so far it is not surprising to see him lead his own series. Having Metamorpho, Plastic Man and Phantom Girl as part of Mr. Terrific’s team should make for an interesting dynamic.

DUKE THOMAS RISES AS THE SIGNAL

Batman and the Signal is another title directly spinning out Dark Nights: Metal after Duke Thomas’ superpower was revealed in the event’s lead up. What will be interesting to see is how much this new series will tie back into the Dark Nights: Metal event. Because even though Duke was one of the characters that helped kickstart the events of the story he has not been seen in the first three issues of Dark Nights: Metal. That does put into question as to the timeline of this new series and if we will get any hints of Dark Nights: Metal in the title.

Outside of that, it does look like Scott Snyder and Tony Patrick are going to set up Duke Thomas to be successful as the newest Batman Family member. Like Dick, Tim and Damian before him, Duke has been allowed to be build who he is over time without being portrayed as a replacement. Now all that build up will allow Duke to carve his own niche within the Batman Family, making them an even stronger unit with what he is adding as The Signal.

RORSCHACH’S JOURNAL CONTENTS REVEALED

While the solicitation for Doomsday Clock #3 does not give away much the covers sure do. The biggest standout is Batman opening Rorschach’s journal. This was the biggest hook endings in comic book history that has not been resolved. Now after several decades we are going to not only see others learn about Rorschach’s discoveries but also how that affects everything in the world. It also puts into question what role Batman will play in this story that seems to be centered around Doctor Manhattan vs. Superman.

RAVEN GETS A NEW MINI-SERIES

Raven sure has a lot of fans within DC. At least that is what it seems like since she is getting yet another mini- series dedicated to her solo adventures. Raven is for sure a character with a lot of untapped potential but she has failed to grow her reader base as her solo series end up being on the low side of sales numbers.

That said having her creator, Marv Wolfman, on board to write this mini-series is a big plus. The question for the series will be if Wolfman will be able to not rely on Raven’s origin as the driving force behind the story. If Raven: Daughter of Darkness can get past that point and let this new threat Raven is fighting to be something new it will make the series a possible sleeper hit.

BATMAN AND WONDER WOMAN BREAK-UP

The “Superfriends” story arc looks to be taking an interesting turn as it will possibly lead to the break-up of Batman and Wonder Woman’s long-term friendship. Their friendship has not been a big focus since Mark Waid’s run in Justice League without Superman being around in some way. Exploring their friendship and what causes them to come into conflict will add a lot to the Trinity’s dynamic. If a shift in the dynamic is coming up than this “Superfriends” arc could mean more for the Justice League books than we may think.

FALL OF THE BATMAN FAMILY

Recently Detective Comics #966 (read review here) gave hints at the “Fall Of The Batmen” being a major event in the history of the Batman Family. From what the future Tim Drake told his younger self it seems as though Batwoman does something that changes everything for what the direction Batman was trying to take his family. The last two issues of this big story arc seem to point to this being the moment the direction for the Batman Family changes. If that is the case we may see Detective Comics morph into a very different title from the team oriented comic it has been since Rebirth started.

FLASH WAR BEGINS

With how many big events and crossovers we are getting from DC Comics right now the one that will cause the biggest war between fans is what is coming from the Flash series in 2018. With the new year we are finally going to get the answer to one of the biggest DCU questions: who is faster: Barry Allen or original Wally West? “Flash War” will look to answer that question and it may end up dividing fans no matter what the outcome will be.

Going into the event we already know that Wally West will have a big disadvantage since his history has been retconned so he now has a severely weakened heart. Unless that changes before “Flash War” begins the outcome may be decided before it even starts, much to the joy of Barry fans and dread of Wally fans. At least this story should lead Wally to make his full return by making his presence known to his family as he will be forced to stop hiding in Titans Tower.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS VS GENERAL ZOD

One of the quieter developments coming out of DC Rebirth is how the Superman mythos has been integrated even more into the cosmic side of the DC Universe. First we saw Superman go toe-to-toe with Sinestro and Parallax. Now most recently we saw him get into a fight with Hal Jordan with Parallax still in control of his body. That trend will now extend to the rest of Superman’s cast as the Green Lantern Corps will go up against General Zod.

This will be a battle that could actually end up adding to the Kryptonian side of Superman’s mythos since we don’t know much about how other planets perceived Krypton. With General Zod going up against the Green Lantern Corps we could see that exact thing be explored. And it could possibly lead to an even bigger story that could turn out to be a crossover between Green Lantern and Superman ongoing comics.

YOUNG JUSTICE CHARACTERS STILL IN-CONTINUITY

Going back to the recent Detective Comics #966 we witnessed the possible erasing of the Titans of Tomorrow in the future. With it we also learned that in the current DC Universe continuity that Conner Kent does not exist anymore as the younger Tim Drake did not know who that was. But it looks like it was to early to call for the complete deletion of the Titans of Tomorrow future.  At least that is what the upcoming Super Sons crossover arc seems to hint at.

With the “Super Sons of Tomorrow” arc we are going to be seeing the return of Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark and Bart Allen as Superman, Wonder Woman and Flash, respectively. If that is the case then it may mean that these three characters do exist in some form in the current DCU continuity. If that is true then maybe there is hope for a new Young Justice series whenever the show comes back. Though that may hinge on what Tim Drake’s status quo will be after the current story arc in Detective Comics.