DC Digital Releases: October 6

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Wow, DC exploded with new releases today. With 43 new comics released, it’s the biggest week since DC’s Comixology launch in June.

The DCU leads the pack with 24 titles, and two debuts. First up are four issues of the Johns/Eaglehsam Justice Society of America title that launched after the waning days of the JSA book. It’s an interesting pick – it promotes Johns, of course, but it also presents the JSA at a point further along in its development than the JLA is in its book. Still, it’s good stuff, and released weekly, maybe that Gog storyline won’t seem to go on forever.

DC’s other big release is the first three issues of Palmiotti & Gray and Amanda Palmer’s Power Girl. This was an excellent, 12-issue run, and I’m surprised that they’re starting it so soon after issues 7-12 have been released in trade paperback. But the art is clear and crisp, and this should read wonderfully in digital. PeeGee also gets this week's free origin story.

DC Also wraps up The Return of Ra’s al Ghul storyline this week, with releases of Detective Comics, Robin and Nightwing. Now, I was wrong about DC coming right back to bat with another Superman series, but I think we’ve seen that they like to have at least two Bat-storylines running concurrently. Any ideas on what it might be? DC seems a little embarrassed by War Games… might we go back to the Bruce Wayne: Murderer storyline? Paul Dini’s Detective run might be a smarter bet.

Batman also gets a free preview of the Bruce Wayne: The Road Home books. It’s 23 pages of glimpses of story and art, some pages more finished than others. I can’t say it hooked me, it might do for you. And it did inform me that Mike W. Barr was writing the Outsiders story, which is good to hear.

Other than that, DC continues releasing its regulars, which at this point include Batman, Birds of Prey, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, JLA, Jonah Hex, Superman/Batman and Wonder Woman. Birds has been getting two issues since its start, but Green Arrow and Wonder Woman were both bumped in frequency, to two and three issues, respectively.

Phew! Let’s take a little breather with Vertigo, shall we? It releases its usual five books (American Splendor, DMZ, Fables, Sandman and Y) with one organizational change: American Splendor is now split up between volumes 1 and 2, each getting its own button. That way, the two runs don’t shuffle into each other, with both number 1s followed by both number twos, etc.

Zuda releases its customary four, led by two free debuts: Black Cherry Bombshells (Tony Troy, Johnny Zito and Sasha Borisch’s comic about ultra-violent girl gangs) and Melody (Ilias Krizais’s comic about the most powerful song in the word, attempting the most daring of tasks: writing a comic about music). Rounding it out are the third issues of Dual and Supertron. It’s been more than two months since we’ve seen an issue of Azure, officially Zuda’s most neglected title.

Speaking of neglected titles, there’s no issue of Victorian Undead this week. (Just one issue from the conclusion! Ouch!) But Wildstorm is hardly lying dormant. It’s big release are the four special issues of Red released to promote (and ride the coattails of) the Helen Mirren movie. (Yes, Bruce Willis is in it, but in my house it’s a Helen Mirren movie!) These are $2.99, presumably because they’re being released so close to the print editions.

Another debut is Trick’r Treat, a horror title written by Mark Andreyko that’s an adaptation of the movie of the same name. I think this is a one-shot.

Otherwise, Wildstorm continues apace in its post-Wildstorm Universe era, releasing Ex Machina, Gears of War, Supernatural, Welcome to Tranquility (still for 99 cents!), and.. what’s this? Kane & Lynch issue 2! Maybe Kane & Lynch can’t exist with Victorian Undead at the same place at the same time, or something bad happens. End-of-the-world bad.

The DC store pushes Bruce Wayne: the Road Home in its banner, proving that print comics are still driving the truck. The buttons on the side are Justice Society, Power Girl, and Red.

I’ll be very curious if this expanded output carried through to next week.

Rob

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

Did they? I thought I heard that on Marvel's side, but not DC's. Marvel has a much more extensive program, since (at least at Marvel.com) they've been at it for a lot longer.

[Figserello]

Did anyone notice that DC used their Digital sales as a partial justification for bringing down the price of their comics?

Maybe digital will save comics after all.

The Green brigade will soon start telling us we have to buy digital copies rather than paper copies too...

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

What I want to see more of is same day releases. If Booster Gold, Brightest Day, and the GL family of titles were same day releases then I'd buy them on ComiXology instead of physical copies.

And, yeah, I'm with you on the portable device front. It would be great but it's not going to happen anytime soon.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

One more thing I decided to do before things became too unwieldy: Here's how many releases the four different imprints have to date:

DCU: 284
Wildstorm: 146
Vertigo: 102
Zuda: 57

Total: 589 comics. Some of these are previews (either complete stories like the Jimmy Olsen, Superman or Wonder Woman ones, or partial ones like the Emerald Warriors, Birds of Prey or Green Arrow... or the hodgepodge that is The Road Home.) Sixteen (so far) are 2-page origin stories, which I value more highly than some of the longer previews, in the sense that they are at least a complete product. Similarly, I'm counting the five short, free Batman Black & White stories as well.)

The question is: Here we are in the first week of October, and DC is starting to amp up its game. Will it be able to crack 1,000 comics by December? I hope so.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

The releases this week that I'm planning to pick up are from Boom! -- the first two issues of CBGB comics.

But for now, I'm still working my way through the Incorruptible, Irredeemable, & The Unknown. I don't read at the computer all that much. A handheld device would change that, but I don't see one in my immediate future.

[Cavaliere (moderator emeritus)]

Once I'm not so broke, I'll be buying the two new issues of Birds of Prey, Incorruptible #6 (it's about time!), and finish the RED limited series that was released last week. I may wait until there is a sale to buy the RED one-shots that came out this week, though.