Superman related solicits December 2019

[Superlad93]

SUPERMAN #18
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
variant cover by SKAN
With Superman’s family scattered across the galaxy, our hero must confront some of his greatest concerns about himself and his place in the galaxy. Legendary artist Ivan Reis joins writer Brian Michael Bendis as they introduce the biggest change in the Man of Steel’s life ever!
ON SALE 12.11



LOIS LANE #6
written by GREG RUCKA
art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
variant cover by ELENA CASAGRANDE
Spinning out of the shocking last issues of Event Leviathan, Lois struggles to recover from a tragedy that shakes her to the core. Surrounded by her friends and family, the usually stoic reporter tries to rebound as she continues to chase a story that could alter the DC Universe forever.
ON SALE 12.04.19



LOIS LANE #7
written by GREG RUCKA
art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
variant cover by YASMINE PUTRI
Someone wanting to kill Lois Lane is nothing new for the famed reporter, but is it because of something she knows or something she’s about to uncover? Plus, this issue ties to the events of December’s Superman #18 and the gigantic status quo shift for both Lois and her husband, Superman, when the Man of Steel decides to reveal his identity to the world.
ON SALE 01.01.20

[Superlad93]

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by RYAN SOOK
card stock variant cover by JIM CHEUNG
It’s been one thousand years since anyone has seen the oceans of the Earth, but with Aquaman’s original trident recently discovered, a chase to control Earth’s future tears across the galaxy. All this and the reunion you’d never thought you’d see! Another DC sci-fi epic into the far-flung future like you’ve never seen before!
ON SALE 12.04.19



SUPERMAN’S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #6
written by MATT FRACTION
art and cover by STEVE LIEBER
variant cover by BEN OLIVER
Meanwhile, in Gotham City, the great Olsen/Batman prank war rages on. An old favorite returns to make heads or tails of just what the heck has been going on. Jimmy does some funny Fraction stuff. Batman is there, too, doing some Lieber stuff. Lex Luthor’s kicking around. It’s a whole thing.
ON SALE 12.18.19



DOOMSDAY CLOCK #12
written by GEOFF JOHNS
art and covers by GARY FRANK
This is it! The final showdown between Dr. Manhattan and Superman shakes up the DC Universe to its very core! But can even the Man of Steel walk out from the shadow of Manhattan?
ON SALE 12.18.19

[Superlad93]

GREEN LANTERN: BLACKSTARS #2
written by GRANT MORRISON
art by XERMANICO
cover by LIAM SHARP
variant cover by DARICK ROBERTSON
Target: Earth! Hal Jordan and the Blackstars will stop at nothing to bend the planet to its leader’s whims, and Earth’s greatest heroes pull out all the stops to fight these fascists. Betrayals of cosmic consequence abound! And why is Earth’s sun turning orange? We can only hope Superman figures that one out before it’s too late...
ON SALE 12.04.19



SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN #2
written by GENE LUEN YANG
art and cover by GURIHIRU
Teenager Tommy Lee is missing, and Superman is on the case! It can’t be a coincidence that just last night, Tommy bravely confronted the Klan of the Fiery Cross when they surrounded the Lee family’s Metropolis house and told them to go back to Chinatown.
The year is 1946, and Clark Kent is so new to being Superman that he hasn’t yet learned to fly—so his search for Tommy is conducted in huge, gravity-defying leaps that make Tommy’s sister, Roberta, suspect the Man of Tomorrow may not be an earthling at all! But if this strange, young hero can adjust to his adopted home, perhaps she can, too.
First, though, they must stop the Klan from blowing up Unity House, which has welcomed the Chinese-American Lee family into their community. But could the real target be across town, where Superman’s friends Jimmy, Lois, and Perry work at the Daily Planet?
Inspired by the 1940s Superman radio serial “Clan of the Fiery Cross,” Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese, Boxers and Saints, The Terrifics, New Super-Man) brings us part two of his personal retelling of the adventures of the Lee family as they team up with Superman to smash the Klan!
ON SALE 12.18.19



BATMAN/ SUPERMAN #5
written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
art and cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
card stock variant cover by JIM CHEUNG
The Batman Who Laughs has unleashed his Secret Six! Now these infected heroes threaten to spread their dark infection across our world, and the only thing that might stop them is the combined might of the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel. If they fail, the planet will become the seed that grows a new Dark Multiverse—heroes will fall, villains will rise, and a new era dawns for the DCU in this explosive first arc finale that leads directly into Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen #1!
ON SALE 12.18.19

[Superlad93]

SUPERGIRL #37
written by JODY HOUSER
art by RACHAEL STOTT
cover by BENGAL
card stock variant cover by DERRICK CHEW
Infected Supergirl strikes! After Supergirl protects Superman from getting infected by the Batman Who Laughs virus, she gets infected herself...and accepts this new version of herself with pride! With Batman and Superman claiming to want to “cure” her to cover up that she had to protect Superman, and the Batman Who Laughs wanting to use her in his own plans, which side will Supergirl choose? Or will she forge a whole new alliance?
ON SALE 12.11.19



YOUNG JUSTICE #11
written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
art and cover by JOHN TIMMS
card stock variant cover by NICK BRADSHAW
Young Justice returns! Home! To Earth! Finally! Just in time to confront all of their big issues—like S.T.A.R. Labs! Moms and dads! Naomi! Jinny Hex’s trunk! And yes, each other! This starts the wild wind-up to Wonder Comics’ first year as the truth behind S.T.A.R. Labs and the reunion of Young Justice is revealed!



SUPERMAN: UP IN THE SKY #6
written by TOM KING
art by ANDY KUBERT and SANDRA HOPE
cover by ANDY KUBERT
Available to comics shops for the first time! It’s the finale of Tom King and Andy Kubert’s Man of Steel epic and Superman is captured off-planet, with Earth’s remaining heroes left to fend off an alien robot invasion! If Superman can break his bonds and rise up against the diabolical mastermind who unleased the attack, he can save his adopted home, even from several galaxies away, and begin the long journey back with the little girl from Metropolis whose kidnapping initially sent him on this epic sojourn through the cosmos. Originally published in Superman Giant #15 and #16.
ON SALE 12.04.19

[Sacred Knight]

Sam's not getting killed off again is he?

[Superlad93]

Seems like it. Well, unless it's some spy stuff. Bendis has really been highlighting the idea that Sam is a master spy and Lois grew up around that. But it could just as easily be the idea of Lois having to deal with just telling her dad what he told him, and the last look he ever gave her was the one we saw in Action Comics. Then maybe she looks through his notes or something after his death?

[Yoda]

Yeah, it really looks like Sam's toast.

[Frontier]

Thoughts:

- I figured Bendis was probably going to out at least one major DC Superhero, but I didn't think he'd do it to Superman. I'm not sure if this one-two-punch status quo shift will help or hinder the President Superman storyline, especially when it's not going to stick. I also just wonder if Bendis really doesn't like secret identities that much.

- Well, Sam Lane's days seemed numbered. Then again, he's died before, so he might just get better.

- Definitely seems like the Bendis Legion is being made to tie-in more to the modern or traditional DCU. What's next, a visit to Themyscira?

- Ha! Matt Fraction in Gotham should be a treat.

- So will Batman and Superman save the Secret Six, or will that be saved for the end of this storyline in Snyder's next event? Poor Supergirl though .

[DragonPiece]

Yeah, it really looks like Sam's toast.

how would you guys feel about it if he died?

[Superlad93]

how would you guys feel about it if he died?

Not too bad really. What little we've seen of him has been great (most I've ever liked him), and I would love to see more, but I also don't NEED more. I'm liking Jor-El more and more as the resident d!ckhead grandpa you cringe through come the holidays. Him being around and not just some evil dude we can shuffle off, but rather someone who is multifaceted is more interesting. Sam functioning as a cautionary tale, and leaving unfinished has a pretty strong and real sadness to it that you don't see often in comic books. Usually characters don't die or leave till we've gotten that closure on ever level. Sam dying just as a new chapter can start would be believably heartbreaking for Lois right now.

[Yoda]

how would you guys feel about it if he died?

I'm a little disappointed actually. I think the set up with Lois and him knowing about Superman was pretty interesting. So it's the lost potential there I think is a missed opportunity. I also hoped he'd be pretty heavily involved in Leviathan, so I'm a little surprised.

[Sacred Knight]

how would you guys feel about it if he died?

Feels like a waste, really. Having her admit to him what she did seemed like it was building toward a new interesting dynamic for them. To just kill him off would make me wonder why he was even brought back in the first place.

[Somecrazyaussie]

I also just wonder if Bendis really doesn't like secret identities that much.

Probably because it is easier.... er, lazier... to write Clark as Superman 24/7. I mean, secret identities and day jobs require the writer to juggle multiple plot threads at any one time.

Look, I am not saying storylines where a hero's identity is made public knowledge should never be done. But it is redundant in this case as we just read this same story a few years ago and, apart from the initial novelty, it ended up being a huge misstep in the long run. Plus these things almost always get reversed and often require convoluted means to put the genie back in the bottle.

Another problem is that it sidelines the supporting cast as they are no longer required if the hero is out doing heroics full-time. The Daily Planet staff are a big part of the Superman mythos. Cutting them out leaves the book hollow somewhat.

[Superlad93]

Probably because it is easier.... er, lazier... to write Clark as Superman 24/7. I mean, secret identities and day jobs require the writer to juggle multiple plot threads at any one time.

I mean no disrespect, but it's funny to assume this is a reason for the change once you've read Bendis Action Comics or Man of Steel. Action Comics is almost exclusively all of this with sprinkles of Superman on top. I can't speak for Bendis, but I'd say a lack of interest in juggling multiple plot threads, playing with the day job and its its cast is likely not the case.

I'd be pretty shocked if this ends up sidelining the Daily Planet cast especially when he's gone through the trouble of getting two of his best friends to write a Lois book and a Jimmy book, and he's effectively turned Action Comics into the Metropolis/Daily Planet book.

[Kuwagaton]

So one other solicit: World's Finest. There are at least two killer, high demand Batman trades published more cost effectively, but doing Bronze Superman is pretty special.