June 2018 Solicits - What looks good?

CageNarleigh

Normally I see a larger topic with all the solicits. But in this case, there are SO MANY GOOD THINGS to talk about here with the DC solicits alone, I figured I'd bring it up by itself.

https://www.newsarama.com/39119-dc-comics-june-2018-solicitations.html

New Hawkman series, new Justice League with Scott Snyder, the Bendis Man of Steel looks amazing, Plastic Man by Gail Simone, a Dan Abnett Titans Special, Flash War is in full swing, the Batman wedding stuff is in full swing, SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP FEATURES THE FRIGGIN JSA, Injustice 2 starts a GL based story arc, and the new Ragman series gets traded. Just...where do we start team?!

CageNarleigh

Look at it....LOOK AT IT!!!!

nweathington

I might try Hawkman, and I'll definitely give Plastic Man a shot, though I wish they’d gotten someone like Gustavo Duarte to do the art. While I don’t really care about Superman, Bendis’ Man of Steel has a really nice artist lineup, so I may end up getting that too. However, I do not have any interest whatsoever in the Flash War or Batman wedding books. Still, that would add up to a lot more DC books than I usually get.

Evening639

nweathington said:

I might try Hawkman, and I'll definitely give Plastic Man a shot, though I wish they’d gotten someone like Gustavo Duarte to do the art. While I don’t really care about Superman, Bendis’ Man of Steel has a really nice artist lineup, so I may end up getting that too. However, I do not have any interest whatsoever in the Flash War or Batman wedding books. Still, that would add up to a lot more DC books than I usually get.

I'll probably give the first issue of Plastic Man a try simply because I really enjoy the character but I've read an interview with Gail Simone about the book and read the solicit and I have to say I'm not hopeful. If the first issue isn't the greatest thing I've ever read, I'll probably just skip #s 2-6 and put the $19.95 I'll save toward purchasing a copy of Jack Cole's Deadly Horror from InStockTrades instead.

mwhitt80

I'm probably going to get the second round of DC/Hannah Barbera. The first wasn't great, but I'm holding out hope.

Bendis' Man of Steel

And the Scooby-Doo books

nweathington

Evening639 said:

nweathington said:

I might try Hawkman, and I'll definitely give Plastic Man a shot, though I wish they’d gotten someone like Gustavo Duarte to do the art. While I don’t really care about Superman, Bendis’ Man of Steel has a really nice artist lineup, so I may end up getting that too. However, I do not have any interest whatsoever in the Flash War or Batman wedding books. Still, that would add up to a lot more DC books than I usually get.

I'll probably give the first issue of Plastic Man a try simply because I really enjoy the character but I've read an interview with Gail Simone about the book and read the solicit and I have to say I'm not hopeful. If the first issue isn't the greatest thing I've ever read, I'll probably just skip #s 2-6 and put the $19.95 I'll save toward purchasing a copy of Jack Cole's Deadly Horror from InStockTrades instead.

I can't say I'm particularly hopeful either. But I can read those Cole stories at the Digital Comics Museum. ;)

hauberk

I'm seeing a bunch of stuff that is shipping multiple times a month and at $3.99. Passing on all of that.

Mr_Cosmic

Six issues of MoS?

hauberk

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

Mr_Cosmic

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

nweathington

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

hauberk

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

Evening639

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

You, sir, are my new hero.

nweathington

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

It’s the exact same price as any other six-issue story from DC. It’s no different than if they had just released the thing as an original graphic novel, except this way they can still double-dip—that’s the only gimmicky part about it. But if you don’t like Bendis, then you aren’t going to get it either way.

I'm not particularly a Superman fan, but I don’t really buy based on characters anyway. I buy based mostly on creative teams, and I am a fan of Doc Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, and Adam Hughes, and I certainly don’t mind Ivan Reis or Jason Fabok, so I'm probably going to pick this up. But then, I'm not buying any other Superman titles—or any DCU title besides Mister Miracle (a miniseries), Batman: Creature of the Night (another miniseries), and Aquaman, for that matter. Most likely I'll get these six issues, enjoy a complete story I don’t have to wait around very long for by creators I like, and then go back to not reading Superman.

hauberk

nweathington said:

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

It’s the exact same price as any other six-issue story from DC. It’s no different than if they had just released the thing as an original graphic novel, except this way they can still double-dip—that’s the only gimmicky part about it. But if you don’t like Bendis, then you aren’t going to get it either way.

I'm not particularly a Superman fan, but I don’t really buy based on characters anyway. I buy based mostly on creative teams, and I am a fan of Doc Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, and Adam Hughes, and I certainly don’t mind Ivan Reis or Jason Fabok, so I'm probably going to pick this up. But then, I'm not buying any other Superman titles—or any DCU title besides Mister Miracle (a miniseries), Batman: Creature of the Night (another miniseries), and Aquaman, for that matter. Most likely I'll get these six issues, enjoy a complete story I don’t have to wait around very long for by creators I like, and then go back to not reading Superman.

Sure, it's exactly the same except that it's six months worth of books crammed into a single month. Up to this point, DC had done a pretty nice job of keeping $3.99 books at once a month and doing $2.99 for the twice monthlies. Sure, it might be the same price as an OGN, but I generally don't buy OGNs.

For me, Bendis isn't worth $3.99 for any one issue a month. He's definitely not worth that for 6 issues in a single month.

nweathington

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

It’s the exact same price as any other six-issue story from DC. It’s no different than if they had just released the thing as an original graphic novel, except this way they can still double-dip—that’s the only gimmicky part about it. But if you don’t like Bendis, then you aren’t going to get it either way.

I'm not particularly a Superman fan, but I don’t really buy based on characters anyway. I buy based mostly on creative teams, and I am a fan of Doc Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, and Adam Hughes, and I certainly don’t mind Ivan Reis or Jason Fabok, so I'm probably going to pick this up. But then, I'm not buying any other Superman titles—or any DCU title besides Mister Miracle (a miniseries), Batman: Creature of the Night (another miniseries), and Aquaman, for that matter. Most likely I'll get these six issues, enjoy a complete story I don’t have to wait around very long for by creators I like, and then go back to not reading Superman.

Sure, it's exactly the same except that it's six months worth of books crammed into a single month. Up to this point, DC had done a pretty nice job of keeping $3.99 books at once a month and doing $2.99 for the twice monthlies. Sure, it might be the same price as an OGN, but I generally don't buy OGNs.

For me, Bendis isn't worth $3.99 for any one issue a month. He's definitely not worth that for 6 issues in a single month.

Since I don't read Superman, for me this is no different than if the series had started a few months ago, and I'm just waiting for the collection to come out in June. But I do buy quite a few OGNs, and there are several ongoing series that I buy in trade form rather than monthlies, so I'm perfectly comfortable with buying stories in clumps rather than spread out over half a year.

hauberk

nweathington said:

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

hauberk said:

nweathington said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

hauberk said:

Mr_Cosmic said:

Six issues of MoS?

That would be part of it. Double Shipping Justice League at $3.99 too.

I hadn't even read your post before I replied, lol. I was just shocked to see six issues. I'm already reading Superman and Action, and I was all set to continue on with Bendis, but I really have no desire to buy six copies of MoS in a month.

You can just wait ’til October for the hardcover (cover price $24.95 according to Amazon), and buy all six issues in the same month then. Or not.

Or I could say no to overpriced gimmicks by creators that I’d rather not get their ick on things I enjoy.

It’s the exact same price as any other six-issue story from DC. It’s no different than if they had just released the thing as an original graphic novel, except this way they can still double-dip—that’s the only gimmicky part about it. But if you don’t like Bendis, then you aren’t going to get it either way.

I'm not particularly a Superman fan, but I don’t really buy based on characters anyway. I buy based mostly on creative teams, and I am a fan of Doc Shaner, Ryan Sook, Kevin Maguire, and Adam Hughes, and I certainly don’t mind Ivan Reis or Jason Fabok, so I'm probably going to pick this up. But then, I'm not buying any other Superman titles—or any DCU title besides Mister Miracle (a miniseries), Batman: Creature of the Night (another miniseries), and Aquaman, for that matter. Most likely I'll get these six issues, enjoy a complete story I don’t have to wait around very long for by creators I like, and then go back to not reading Superman.

Sure, it's exactly the same except that it's six months worth of books crammed into a single month. Up to this point, DC had done a pretty nice job of keeping $3.99 books at once a month and doing $2.99 for the twice monthlies. Sure, it might be the same price as an OGN, but I generally don't buy OGNs.

For me, Bendis isn't worth $3.99 for any one issue a month. He's definitely not worth that for 6 issues in a single month.

Since I don't read Superman, for me this is no different than if the series had started a few months ago, and I'm just waiting for the collection to come out in June. But I do buy quite a few OGNs, and there are several ongoing series that I buy in trade form rather than monthlies, so I'm perfectly comfortable with buying stories in clumps rather than spread out over half a year.

If you already buy collected format, I can see where it's not a big thing. With exception of a few special things that I think deserve to be on my shelf, or books that I missed when they first came out, I'm not there and it's a healthy chunk out of my monthly budget. Likewise, buying that 6 issue mini from Bendis means that there are 6 other $3.99 books that I'm not buying to stick to budget. I don't have enough bubble books to make that happen even if it were a writer that hadn't pretty much singlehandedly killed my Marvel reading. Also, as a DCBS guy, I have to take on faith that it's going to be worth the money sight unseen and all on a single order.

nweathington

hauberk said:

If you already buy collected format, I can see where it's not a big thing. With exception of a few special things that I think deserve to be on my shelf, or books that I missed when they first came out, I'm not there and it's a healthy chunk out of my monthly budget. Likewise, buying that 6 issue mini from Bendis means that there are 6 other $3.99 books that I'm not buying to stick to budget. I don't have enough bubble books to make that happen even if it were a writer that hadn't pretty much singlehandedly killed my Marvel reading. Also, as a DCBS guy, I have to take on faith that it's going to be worth the money sight unseen and all on a single order.

I don’t have a monthly budget. I have a yearly budget, because I know there’s going to be more coming out in the summer I'm going to want than there will be in January, February, etc. So I spend less in the off-months and cache funds for the big months. I still shop at the LCS where I worked back in my college days, but I get a 25% discount there based on the number of titles I buy each month, so it's the best of both worlds.

I never blame a creator for “killing” a book I read. I just move on to another book by a creator I do enjoy. At times I've had lots of DC titles on my pull list, and at times I've had lots of Marvel titles on my pull list. Right now I only a half-dozen or so Marvel books on my pull list, but it wasn’t that long ago I had more than twice that number. And it wasn’t that long before then that I only had one or two. That’s corporate comics for you. I’ve never run out of new things to read though.

hauberk

nweathington said:

hauberk said:

If you already buy collected format, I can see where it's not a big thing. With exception of a few special things that I think deserve to be on my shelf, or books that I missed when they first came out, I'm not there and it's a healthy chunk out of my monthly budget. Likewise, buying that 6 issue mini from Bendis means that there are 6 other $3.99 books that I'm not buying to stick to budget. I don't have enough bubble books to make that happen even if it were a writer that hadn't pretty much singlehandedly killed my Marvel reading. Also, as a DCBS guy, I have to take on faith that it's going to be worth the money sight unseen and all on a single order.

I don’t have a monthly budget. I have a yearly budget, because I know there’s going to be more coming out in the summer I'm going to want than there will be in January, February, etc. So I spend less in the off-months and cache funds for the big months. I still shop at the LCS where I worked back in my college days, but I get a 25% discount there based on the number of titles I buy each month, so it's the best of both worlds.

I never blame a creator for “killing” a book I read. I just move on to another book by a creator I do enjoy. At times I've had lots of DC titles on my pull list, and at times I've had lots of Marvel titles on my pull list. Right now I only a half-dozen or so Marvel books on my pull list, but it wasn’t that long ago I had more than twice that number. And it wasn’t that long before then that I only had one or two. That’s corporate comics for you. I’ve never run out of new things to read though.

I shop my local as well for a few select titles more to continue to support local, but I’m paying cover and if I moved everything over, I’d still be paying about 20% more than I currently am.

Evening639

@hauberk Dude, be careful with the Bendis criticism around these parts. I heard if you criticize him more than five times in one thread, the forum admin. sells you to Bendis and replaces you with a Bendis-written version of yourself. Then that version is exposed as a homosexual by the intrusive actions of a bitchy, overcompensating telepath who used to be likeable when written by literally anyone else. That new version of you will also be programmed to speak like a hipster douchebag, repeat everything they say at least once and maintain the same expression for six panels at a time.

Crap, by sharing this information with you I'm putting myself at risk!

Uh, hey, everybody, I sure do like that Brian Michael Bendis. I bet his Superman books are going to be great good readable printed on paper. Man, I can't do this. I'm outta here. You're on your own @hauberk. Remember my warning!

nweathington

The only Bendis-written books I've read over the past several years are Jessica Jones and Ultimate Spider-Man (the original series), both of which were quite good, so I have no idea what you're talking about. ;)

hauberk

I’ll add one final comment - I’d be curious about the return policy on this title. Six issues in one month is asking brick and mortar stores to stick their necks way out.

nweathington

hauberk said:

I’ll add one final comment - I’d be curious about the return policy on this title. Six issues in one month is asking brick and mortar stores to stick their necks way out.

That’s an interesting point. I doubt they'll be taking returns, unless it’s part of an incentive program, which they sometimes do with new series.

On the other hand, considering the nature of the book—Bendis’ first series for DC, a self-contained story, etc.—I think sales will be relatively consistent from start to finish. Ordering always has a bit of guess-work involved, but most store owners have a pretty good idea of how many of these things they'll be able to sell. My shop has always played these types of things on the conservative side going back to the ’90s boom, which is why they’re still around. As long as they don't go crazy and overspeculate, it could turn out be a very good thing for them, giving them a nice bump in sales for June.

CaptShazam

This is cynical and I doubt that DC would put this much foresight into this but...

What if publishing all six issues of Bendis “Man of Steel” at once is a calculated risk on the part of DC? They know that a portion of buyers are down on Bendis so they put out the six issues right away to capitalize on the Bendis to DC hype. At a minimum, even if Bendis is terrible, they get six issues and a trade with good buy numbers. If the book is bad and they release it month by month, the preorder numbers would plummet by #4. If Bendis turns out to be great, then everybody wins.

nweathington

CaptShazam said:

This is cynical and I doubt that DC would put this much foresight into this but...

What if publishing all six issues of Bendis “Man of Steel” at once is a calculated risk on the part of DC? They know that a portion of buyers are down on Bendis so they put out the six issues right away to capitalize on the Bendis to DC hype. At a minimum, even if Bendis is terrible, they get six issues and a trade with good buy numbers. If the book is bad and they release it month by month, the preorder numbers would plummet by #4. If Bendis turns out to be great, then everybody wins.

I'm sure DC gave Bendis a nice, fat contract. They wouldn’t do that if they didn’t believe Bendis’ name wasn’t going to sell books. I think this is simply DC trying to make sure they get their money’s worth with a nice initial return on their investment.

David_D

Thanks to @CageNarleigh for getting this started this month.

For me, I'm on the fence about Man Of Steel. I don't tend to read much Superman, though I will read creators I enjoy on him, and I do enjoy a lot of Bendis' work, and that is a remarkable list of artists across those six issues. But more and more I have been shifting my Big Two reading to trades from the library, or the MU app for Marvel stuff. I don't feel the same urgency to keep up. But if DCBS has an attractive bundle offer, I will probably go for it, get it all within two shipments, and read it all at once like an OGN.

The Scott Snyder/ Cheung/ Jimenez Justice League is another one I definitely want to read at some point, but as it is a $4/month title, kicking off with a double-ship month, I can wait and get it from the library. I haven't read Justice League in years, and don't really have a sense of what is going on overall in the DCU, so it'll keep. And if they keep double-shipping, that first collection should come out that much sooner.

As for giving some $2.99 first issues/ new things a shot, this look cool--

THE UNEXPECTED #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art by RYAN SOOK and CARY NORD • Cover by RYAN SOOK
In the aftermath of DARK NIGHTS: METAL, the DC Universe has been forever changed as new heroes are called out of the shadows. Amid this all is Janet Fals…Firebrand! Once a paramedic dedicated to saving lives, she must now start a fight once every 24 hours to feed the Conflict Engine that’s replaced her heart. But Janet’s heart isn’t just a curse—it’s a beacon, drawing out both the mysterious Neon the Unknown and the seductive, malevolent Bad Samaritan. One of them wants to cut out her heart, the other wants to save it—but neither of them knows the true danger hidden within that will kick off a superhero manhunt ranging from Thanagar to the deepest heart of the Dark Multiverse!
On sale JUNE 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

I haven't read any of the Dark Knights Metal stuff yet, so I actually have no idea which person on that cover is the lead character. This is also another cover that feels to me like it is becoming a DC motif of characters that seem to either be on fire or filled with lava. I guess that is a Metal thing? But I have enjoyed a lot of Orlando's work and I love Ryan Sook, so I will give this an order.

I will continue to get King and Janin's Batman, but I don't think I will be paying $4/pop for one-shots about everyone else's wedding feelings.

nweathington

David_D said:

I haven't read any of the Dark Knights Metal stuff yet, so I actually have no idea which person on that cover is the lead character.

Haven’t read any of that either, but I would assume that the purple Randy “Macho Man” Savage guy is one of the villains. Firebrand has to be the bald girl with her hands taped up. Boy, they’re digging deep into the archives for obscure characters (or rather, character names). Neon the Unknown is probably the Dr. Strangish-looking guy in the back of the group, but he looks nothing like he used to.


Cover art by Lou Fine.

aquatroy

Lou Fine was soooooo good.

CageNarleigh

Speaking to Man of Steel, I'm reading it for two reasons.

20% - Bendis curiosity on a Superman title
80% - "“I actually spent the day shadowing an Oregonian [journalist], just to show you how important the daily planet is to the stories we’ll be telling,” Bendis told Geeks Of Doom in response to a question about how the current climate of “fake news” and misinformation currently plaguing society might impact the storytelling. “On top of that, Journalism [is] under siege in my lifetime like it’s never been before.” From a SXSW Panel, reported HERE

Which, as a wannabe journalist for most of my entire adult life, I agree with Bendis on in terms of true journalism being "under siege". I'm anxious to see that interpreted in this book.

So yeah, the price tag is a biotch, and Bendis may not be worth the hype he seems to get...but I'm buying into the story being told.

nweathington

CageNarleigh said:

Speaking to Man of Steel, I'm reading it for two reasons.

20% - Bendis curiosity on a Superman title
80% - "“I actually spent the day shadowing an Oregonian [journalist], just to show you how important the daily planet is to the stories we’ll be telling,” Bendis told Geeks Of Doom in response to a question about how the current climate of “fake news” and misinformation currently plaguing society might impact the storytelling. “On top of that, Journalism [is] under siege in my lifetime like it’s never been before.” From a SXSW Panel, reported HERE

Which, as a wannabe journalist for most of my entire adult life, I agree with Bendis on in terms of true journalism being "under siege". I'm anxious to see that interpreted in this book.

So yeah, the price tag is a biotch, and Bendis may not be worth the hype he seems to get...but I'm buying into the story being told.

I hadn't read that was going to be his angle, but having spent eleven years working at a newspaper, I'm looking forward to to seeing what he does with it.

nweathington

I wonder if that purple guy’s powers are Slim Jim™ activated...