Foraging For Comics: The January DC Solicits

It's the beginning of a New Year, but One Year Later is still a month away. Let's see what's in store.

ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN, THE BOY WONDER #4
Written by Frank Miller
Art and cover by Jim Lee & Scott Williams
Variant cover by Frank Miller
ALL STAR excitement abounds as Frank Miller, Jim Lee & Scott Williams continue their adventurous retelling of the partnership between the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder! And when some Black Canary gets added to the mix, you can be sure something's going to explode!

Wow. I know Lee's work is cheesecake heavy, but I didn't expect them to mention masturbation in the solicit.

BATGIRL #72
Written by Andersen Gabrych
Art by Pop Mhan & Jesse Delperdang
Cover by Tim Sale
A mystery in Batgirl's past that has been building for years is about to be revealed! Who is Batgirl's mother? Batgirl is about to find out, but her mind will be on other things, as she's trapped in a life-and-death struggle with her animalistic "brother" Mad Dog! And when we say "life-and-death," we mean it! No tricks. No jokes. One of these characters will die at the hands of the other!

I'll take a wild guess and say Batgirl won't be the one dying.

ACTION COMICS #835
Written by Gail Simone
Art by John Byrne & Nelson
Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky
Livewire, the shocking villain from Superman: The Animated Series, jumps into the DCU with deadly results as she gets amped up to take out the Man of Steel!

Last issue for this creative team. I sad.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS: RECHARGE #5
Written by Dave Gibbons & Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Patrick Gleason & Prentis Rollins
In the exciting conclusion of GREEN LANTERN CORPS: RECHARGE - which leads directly into the new monthly ongoing series GREEN LANTERN CORPS - veteran Lanterns and raw recruits stand shoulder to shoulder in a last-ditch battle to save Oa from the clutches of the evil Spider Guild of Vega!

I'm betting this will make a pretty good read in trade.

JLA CLASSIFIED #16
Written by Gail Simone
Art by José Luis García-López & Klaus Janson
Cover by García-López
A harrowing new story arc begins when Wizard Top Ten Writer Gail Simone (BIRDS OF PREY), José Luis García-López (DC SPECIAL: RETURN OF DONNA TROY) and Klaus Janson (BATMAN: DEATH AND THE MAIDENS) team up to send the World's Greatest Super Heroes to an emerging nation torn by revolution! The dictatorial reign of the warlord General Tuzik is brought to a halt when the JLA, acting at the request of the United Nations Security Council, storms the General's stronghold. Unfortunately, Tuzik bends the rules of international law - and escapes the free world's grasp - to initiate his greatest act of terror: creating a Justice League for his own country to help bring the world and its heroes to their knees!
Who - or what - is the Hypothetical Woman that enables Tuzik to create his own twisted League Against Justice?

Bloody well took 'em long enough.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #14
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Barry Kitson & Mick Gray
Cover by Kitson
For months, most of the team believed her existence to be a myth, a rumor, a prank. Now, get ready to meet Atom Girl, a.k.a. "Shrinking Violet," the Legion's newest member and Brainiac 5's secret weapon! But will her presence be enough to buy Invisible Kid some much-needed trust and credibility?

Hey, everybody on CBR's DC Board: I told you so, I told you so, neener neener neener!

SEVEN SOLDIERS: FRANKENSTEIN #2
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and cover by Doug Mahnke
The Monster's on Mars, following a trail of death and human misery to the demon-haunted Tombs of B'aal B'zaar and the largest seam of gold in the solar system! Carnivorous horses, a new kind of slave trade, the secret origin of Melmoth the Wanderer and the unstoppable menace of Red Zombies await!

Oh, how can you not love this?

TEEN TITANS #32
Written by Geoff Johns
Art and cover by Tony S. Daniel & Marlo Alquiza
An INFINITE CRISIS tie-in! Superboy-Prime meets Superboy as the Boys of Steel confront one another about their roles in this universe.

I'm imagining Superboy-Prime showing Conner his pimp hand, and I'm smiling.

Y: THE LAST MAN #41
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Goran Sudzuka & José Marzan Jr.
Cover by Massimo Carnevale
At last, the long-awaited origin of Agent 355, loyal protector of the Last Man on Earth! In this special stand-alone issue, the secrets of the mysterious Culper Ring and its most famous female agent are finally revealed.

I await this issue (or rather, the trade collecting it) with bated breath.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN SERIES 2: THE RETURN OF SUPERGIRL: SUPERGIRL ACTION FIGURE
Kara Zor-El was sent from the doomed planet Krypton to Earth. Reunited with her cousin Kal-El, she has begun adapting to her new home, powers and responsibilities. This action figure features multiple points of articulation and a display base. Packaged in a four-color blister.

SUPERMAN/BATMAN SERIES 2: THE RETURN OF SUPERGIRL: CORRUPTED SUPERGIRL ACTION FIGURE
Darkseid warped Kara's mind, convincing her she belonged at his side, the latest addition to his Female Furies!This action figure features multiple points of articulation and a display base. Packaged in a four-color blister.

It is so very wrong that the "good" Supergirl figure is just as distrubingly sexualized as the "bad" Supergirl figure.

SHAZAM! DELUXE STATUE
Designed by Jerry Ordway
Sculpted by Ruben Procopio
Fan-favorite artist Jerry Ordway (THE POWER OF SHAZAM!, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN) designs a classic statue displaying the transformation of young Billy Batson into the World's Mightiest Mortal! The Shazam! Deluxe Statue includes a "light-up" lightning bolt, and at the touch of a button thunder will sound! This deluxe hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain statue includes a Certificate of Authenticity and measures approximately 16.5" high x 7.5" wide x 7.5 " deep. Packaged in a black gift box with gold foil stamping.

Somewhere, Joe Rice's nerd-meter has gone up to 11.