Foraging For Comics: The June DC Solicits

BATMAN #641
Written by Judd Winick Art by Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen Cover by Matt Wagner The Red Hood has Onyx on her heels, but Batman's still in Metropolis! Can the Dark Knight get back to Gotham in time to save the urban heroine from the city's latest costumed psycho killer? Don't miss the thrilling conclusion of "Family Reunion!"

Huh. Guess the Hood isn't Jason Todd after all.

DAY OF VENGEANCE #3 Written by Bill Willingham Art by Justiniano & Walden Wong Cover by Walter Simonson
The 6-issue miniseries spinning from DC COUNTDOWN heats up as the Shadowpact - made up of Ragman, Blue Devil, The Enchantress, Nightmaster, and yes, Detective Chimp - attempt to hunt down the Spectre! But they may change their minds once they see what the Spectre does to Dr. Fate…

Detective Chimp vs. The Spectre. That should be a short fight.

DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY #1 Written by Phil Jimenez Art by José Luís García-López & George Pérez Cover by Phil Jimenez & George Pérez You can't afford to miss DC SPECIAL: THE RETURN OF DONNA TROY, a spectacular 4-issue miniseries written by Phil Jimenez that unites artistic titans José García-López and George Perez for the first time and heralds the triumphant return of one of the DCU's most popular characters! She was raised as a goddess, linked by blood to Wonder Woman, crowned as a Titan among both mortals and gods - but Donna Troy's story is the triumph of the human spirit. Torn from Earth by the events of TITANS/YOUNG JUSTICE: GRADUATION DAY, Donna Troy has reemerged among the Titans of Myth as Troia, Goddess of the Moon. But memories of a different life haunt her as she leads the Titans of Myth in the final battle of a long campaign of interplanetary conquest, gathering weapons, warriors, and worshippers to fulfill a mission she has begun to doubt. It will take the combined might of the Outsiders and the Teen Titans to solve this cosmic mystery and reveal Troia's true destiny to her: a cosmic hero destined to unite legions against a threat to the entire universe! The RETURN OF DONNA TROY is a new beginning for Donna Troy - and a stunning prologue of things to come throughout the entire DCU!

I dare DC to have this make sense. I triple-dog dare them.

JSA: BLACK REIGN TP Written by Geoff Johns Art by Don Kramer, Keith Champagne, Rags Morales & Michael Bair Cover by John Watson A thrilling collection reprinting JSA #56-58 and HAWKMAN #23-25! Black Adam brings old world justice to Kahndaq as Hawkman seizes control of the JSA and brings them to the turbulent Middle East for an epic battle! And don't miss the sequel to this story in JSA #74!

Nice. Glad to see DC stepping up on the trades for this series. Now if they'd just do the same for Birds of Prey and Outsiders...

ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE #1 Written by Kurt Busiek Art by Brent Anderson Cover by Alex Ross
Beginning the longest, most ambitious ASTRO CITY epic ever! In the wake of a global catastrophe during the early '70s, two brothers deal with family secrets and social upheaval, involving heroes from Jack-In-the-Box to the Blue Knight, newcomers like Apollo Eleven, and the unsettling events leading to the final fate of the Silver Agent. THE DARK AGE consists of four 4-issue arcs stretching across Astro City's darkest era. Find out why the '70s were so troubled through the eyes of two men who survived the depths of it! Retailers note: This issue is resolicited; all previous orders are cancelled.

*dies of happiness*

WE3 TP Written by Grant Morrison Art and cover by Frank Quitely
Collecting on of the most talked-about series of the year by superstar creators Grant Morrison (SEVEN SOLDIERS) and Frank Quitely (THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS), who provides a new cover, WE3 tells the unforgettable story of three innocent pets - a dog, a cat and a rabbit - who have been converted into deadly cyborgs by a sinister military weapons program. With nervous systems amplified to match their terrifying mechanical exoskeletons, the members of Animal Weapon 3 have the firepower of a battalion between them. But they are just the program's prototypes, and now that their testing is complete they're slated to be permanently "de-commissioned" - until they seize their one chance to make a desperate run for freedom. Relentlessly pursued by their makers, the WE3 team must navigate a frightening and confusing world where their instincts and heightened abilities make them as much a threat as those hunting them - but a world, nonetheless, in which somewhere there is something called "home."

This is your chance. If you missed out the first time around, buy it or be condemned to suck.

Also, DC Direct is releasing a wave of Batman: The Long Halloween action figures. Tim Sale's work on that series was some of the best on Bats' Rogues' Gallery I've ever seen, so check them out if you get a chance.

That's all this month. Full solicits are at http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=4947