As we close out 2021 DC Comics gave us a holiday present by revealing their March 2022 solicitations. The domination of the Batman franchise is still very much present at the end of first quarter of the year for DC Comics. But while the Batman Family certainly dominate the March 2022 solicitations there are other major comic books and events to be on the look out for. Wonder Woman specifically will be beginning her first big event that will involve all of the titles in the comic books DC Comics has launched to expand the franchise. What other big plans do DC Comics have in store for us in March 2022? Let’s take a look.
BATMAN RETURNS TO GOTHAM CITY AS BATMAN ZUR-EN-ARRH
The Shadow Of The Bat and House Of Gotham weekly event concludes in March. While I’ve decided to trade wait this storyline I am still highly interested to see what becomes of Gotham City when all is said and done. While the covers constantly feature Batman it looks like he won’t be returning to Detective Comics and, more specifically, Gotham City until the final two chapters of this weekly event. Even though he won’t have been away from Gotham City for that long in-continuity time Batman did miss a lot of things have changed. So going away during a period when Gotham City needed him most could have major ramifications for the Dark Knight.
Which brings us to where the Batman Family will be once the Shadow Of The Bat and House Of Gotham events come to an end. Nightwing, Batwoman, Huntress, Batgirls, Red Robin, and Harley Quinn took on the responsibility in defending Gotham City during this important period. This event could end with us seeing Detective Comics becoming one or more of these characters title. Nightwing likely go to splitting his time between Bludhaven and Gotham City so Detective Comics is something he’ll possibly guest star in. That leaves characters like Batwoman, Huntress, and Red Robin to possibly be the leads of Detective Comics in a Gotham Knights sort of way.
WONDER WOMAN TRIAL OF THE AMAZONS
With how much DC Comics has done to expand the Wonder Woman franchise so that it is more than just stories about Diana Prince it was only a matter of time that we would get a big crossover event with all the titles. That’s where Trial of the Amazons comes in to play. This crossover event will involve Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, and Nubia & the Amazons. Having a crossover event is a nice box to check off to show how big of the Wonder Woman franchise is now.
This crossover will also be a good opportunity to showcase how the Wonder Woman Family can be up their with the Batman Family and Superman Family. There is still a ways to go to get to that level. But at the very least I hope we see Donna Troy, Cassandra Sandsmark, and Artemis elevated to be more than side characters in the Wonder Woman franchise. It’ll only make the franchise stronger if we have Diana, Yara Flor, Nubia, Donna, Cassie, and Artemis all on similar levels.
LEX LUTHOR JOINING BATMAN INC.
The development of Lex Luthor now funding the Batman Inc operations after Bruce Wayne left it dormant was a major development. This development immediately brought the rivalry between Lex and Bruce back into play. Based Jorge Molina’s cover for Batman #121 we could very well see Lex adopt his own version of the Batman costume just like he did when he created his own Superman armor during the New 52 era. It would not be surprising if that is the case given Lex’s love to get under the skin of his enemies by using their own emblems in his armor.
The other thing that Batman #121 teases is a new member for Batman Inc at the end of this Abyss story arc. The cover points to Lex or Ghost-Maker being this mysterious new member. But it wouldn’t be surprising if it is someone else entirely. Given the way the solicitation for Batman #121 is written it could be one of Batman’s old enemies that could fill the role of being the new member.
NAOMI SEASON TWO BEGINS
With Naomi McDuffie getting a live-action CW show it was only a matter of time before she got a new comic book series. That is what we are getting with Naomi Season Two that will also see Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell to the character they created together. This being established as Season Two could mean this is a limited series run. I like this choice as it means the story in Naomi Season Two can be more self-contained rather than spreading out the big story into multiple arcs, a better choice for a Bendis written title.
The other reason this is a good thing is that it’ll give Naomi Season Two a big event feel for its story. Which makes sense since Naomi recently became a member of the Justice League written by Bendis. This means Naomi has been involved in bigger things so the threats she takes on will be even bigger. Which is good to further establish her as a powerhouse in the DCU.
BATMAN, ROBIN, AND DEATHSTROKE ENTER SHADOW WAR
While March will see the end of the Abyss, Shadow Of The Bat, and House Of Gotham events Batman won’t have any time to rest. That’s because starting in March we will see the start of the Shadow War event. This will be a crossover between Batman, Deathstroke Inc., and Robin, each titles currently written by Joshua Williamson.
The Shadow War crossover is something that Williamson has been teasing for a while, starting with the Damian Wayne story he wrote at the beginning of Infinite Frontier as back-ups to Batman and Detective Comics. In that story, along with setting the stage for Damian’s latest Robin series, it also established that Talia Al Ghul has big plans of her own. This crossover between Batman, Deathstroke Inc., and Robin looks to be dealing with that. Which further points to the League of Assassins returning in a big way, which is also something that the Robin series has been teasing. Even though I don’t read Deathstroke Inc. I’ll at least pick it up for this crossover that there is already an investment built in.
FLASH, SUICIDE SQUAD, AND TEEN TITANS GO TO WAR WITH EARTH-3
Batman and Wonder Woman aren’t the only ones getting a big crossover. March will also see a major crossover event between Flash, Teen Titans Academy, and Suicide Squad with War For Earth-3. This crossover looks to deal with what the Suicide Squad have been doing going to war with the Crime Syndicate. It does make sense that Flash would get involved since Wally West has been traveling the Multiverse and DC Comics has pushed the Flash franchise to deal more with the Multiverse as a whole. The Teen Titans Academy getting involve seems to be more about their relationship with Flash than something they did. Having this crossover will be good for those reading this title. Though with both Batman and Wonder Woman getting crossover events at the same time this may be one too many crossovers to pick up for me.
MARK WAID BACK AT DC COMICS FOR WORLD’S FINEST
Time heals all wounds. And that looks to be the case with Mark Waid returning to DC Comics after years away from each other. It should be no surprise that Waid’s return to DC Comics is going to be with a new World’s Finest series. Waid has always gravitated towards Superman. So getting to write the latest Batman/Superman team-up series is right up with what Waid likes to write when it comes to the DC Universe.
Based on the cover and solicitation information it does seem that Batman/Superman: World’s Finest will take place in its own Elseworld or at least in the beginning of the DC Universe. I honestly hope that it is an Elseworld title as it would give Waid more room to explore the DCU however he would like it to be established. It also gets it away from trying to tie into all the history in the current DCU that I don’t think would work well with Waid’s writing style.
CATWOMAN MOVING ON FROM BATMAN
As much as Catwoman and Batman have been connected with each other over the years it looks like it is time for them both to officially move on. That will at least be the case for Selina Kyle as the Catwoman #41 solicitation teases her forming a new relationship with someone. Honestly its about time since DC hasn’t done much to show that Batman and Catwoman’s relationship is still going strong since they decided to take a year break.
This will be a very good thing for Catwoman as Selina continues to build her own life. Especially since she recently had to say goodbye to her sister, now Selina doesn’t have a strong connection with anyone around her just yet. Building up a new relationship could help give her a new important character that could be her anchor so she isn’t just Catwoman 24/7.
BATMAN WHITE KNIGHT GOES BEYOND
The Batman: White Knight series of titles has been a big win for DC Comics. So it is not surprising we are getting more comic books from the Batman Universe that Sean Murphy created. This time around it looks like Murphy will be providing his own spin on Batman Beyond by bringing in Terry McGinnis into the fold.
Based on the solicitation for Batman: Beyond The White Knight #1 the series will take place 10 years after the most recent series in the spinoff franchise. That includes Bruce having stayed in prison for those 10 years since we last saw him get locked up. Setting up however the White Knight Universe version of Neo Gotham 10 years into the future instead of 30, like was the case for Batman Beyond, does give more room to play with the continuity established. It allows for not only Bruce to still be active if needed but also is enough time for Barbara Gordon, Dick Grayson, and Jason Todd to still play key roles in the story rather than them all being retired.
BFF’S DICK GRAYSON AND WALLY WEST REUNITE
Dick Grayson and Wally West have long been established as best friends. Since becoming Nightwing and Flash they don’t interact very often. Which to be fair to both of them, it is a sign of becoming adult that you have less time to spend with friends, even best friends. And both Dick and Wally have taken on a lot of responsibilities since they aren’t just full-time Titans.
Because of that getting a story that will have Dick and Wally team-up as Nightwing and Flash, respectively, immediately stands out as must have. That is what we will get with Nightwing #90 starting a two part story with Nightwing and Flash teaming up. This best friend reunion looks to be tied to Dick Grayson’s current direction as his influence outside of being Nightwing becomes bigger in Bludhaven and Gotham City. Bringing in Wally to provide protection should create an interesting dynamic for how we see them spend time with each other. This story arc also could set up other Titans and heroes Dick Grayson knows to help him with his current work on how he is using his fortune to help people.
TOM KING NEW BATMAN AND CATWOMAN COMIC
Tom King’s time in the Batman franchise will not conclude with Batman/Catwoman. After concluding that series King is moving right into a brand new series titled Batman: Killing Time. This new series will have King team-up with artist David Marquez to tell a villain centric story starring Catwoman, Riddler, and Penguin. Based on the solicitation King and Marquez seem to be going with an Ocean’s Eleven vibe for this story that will make use of Catwoman, Riddler, and Penguin skills.
Now I have to admit that as interesting as a premise that Batman: Killing Time has I’m not sure about the series. I think I’ve gotten to the point I’m okay with having Batman/Catwoman be the last Batman related story that King writes. There is a bit of an exhaustion of seeing him continue to write Batman and Catwoman. I would like to instead see King continue to take on other DC properties like he has done with Mister Miracle, Strange Adventures, and Human Target. A Green Arrow title with Connor Hawke would be great for his writing style.
BRIAN BENDIS ENDING RUN ON JUSTICE LEAGUE
The Brian Bendis era on Justice League looks to be coming to an end in March. That is at least what the solicitation for Justice League #74 seems to indicate. Given that it hasn’t been put out in some sort of press release it looks like DC Comics isn’t trying to make a big deal of it. And to be honest Bendis’ Justice League run just never seem to get the fan attention you expect a Justice League comic to get. It is a title I barely hear anyone talk about online or at comic book shops. Its just a run that has been going on. So it may be a good reason to give a different writer a chance to write one of the premiere titles in DC Comics publishing line.
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