It has occurred to me that discussing upcoming comics in Comics List and Comics Guide the week they ship isn't very utilitarian these days, when most people order from their LCS or online two or three months in advance. With that in mind, I'm going to start running solicitations (which generally arrive before you have to order), and add whatever additional information I get to them as it comes in. And, of course, I will be incapable of restraining myself from comment.
Both Marvel and DC are too large for a single post, so I'll have to break them apart. Go HERE for DC's other August books.
DC's 'ABSOLUTE POWER' IN AUGUST
ABSOLUTE POWER #2
Written by MARK WAID
Art and cover by DAN MORA
Variant covers by STEPHEN BLISS, LUCIO PARRILLO, TYLER KIRKHAM,
NATHAN SZERDY, and SIMONE DI MEO
Raised UV variant cover by BEN OLIVER ($7.99 US)
CONNECTING VARIANT COVER (6 OF 12) by JOHN TIMMS
RETAILER APPRECIATION COVER by SALVADOR LARROCA
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/7/24
SIEGE OF THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE!
In the aftermath of Amanda Waller’s total victory, the metahumans of the DC universe have been depowered, scattered to the wind, and are reeling from critical defeat across the planet. But the resistance lives on. Any heroes not rounded up by the TRINITY OF EVIL have rendezvoused at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude … but even this sanctuary of peace and hope is not safe from Waller’s blitzkrieg. The precog known as Dreamer has pointed Waller’s weapons to the frozen tundra where our heroes lick their wounds … and the shocker general leading Waller’s charge to raze the fortress to the ground will leave you breathless. It’s underdog versus complete global domination in this epic second installment of the ABSOLUTE POWER saga!
I thought, "OK, Amanda Waller's pretty smart and crafty, but even with the help of Zur-En-Arhh and Brainiac Queen, how can she hope to wipe out all metahumans? And now I see the answer, which has been right in our faces since Brave and the Bold #30 in 1960: Amazo. Not just one of him, but an army. That ... can work, actually. Pretty clever. That's just so Mark Waid.
Meanwhile, the Marvel heroes are in a similar state of near-defeat because of vampires. Depressing!
ABSOLUTE POWER: TASK FORCE VII #4
Written by PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE
Art by CLAIRE ROE
Cover by PETE WOODS
Variant covers by STEVE BEACH, BELÉN ORTEGA, and STEPHEN PLATT
Connecting Variant Cover (7 of 12) by JOHN TIMMS
Foil Variant cover by DAN MORA ($6.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/14/24
Failsafe—the relentless android with all of Batman’s skills and none of his morals—hunts Nightwing and his newest recruits in a chilling issue from acclaimed writer Pornsak Pichetshote (Infidel, The Sandman Universe: Dead Boy Detectives) and artist Claire Roe! On the run from Amanda Waller and her Amazo army, Dick Grayson is gathering heroes to bolster the growing resistance. But even his surprising new allies may not be enough to protect them from brutal consequences when Failsafe finds their hidden lair!
ABSOLUTE POWER: TASK FORCE VII #5
Written by ALEX PAKNADEL
Art and Cover by PETE WOODS
Variant covers by SALVADOR LARROCA, TAURIN CLARKE,
and STEPHEN PLATT
Connecting Variant Cover (8 of 12) by JOHN TIMMS
Foil cover by DAN MORA ($6.99 US)
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/28/24
Barry Allen is the lone speedster to still have his powers, staying barely a step ahead of the Flash-themed Amazo, VELOCITY, now powered by the speed of the rest of the Flash Family. While Barry must keep moving to avoid capture, he’s also working as a one-man communications network for the remaining free heroes. Can Barry continue to aid the Resistance, or has time run out for the Flash?
With all due respect to Wally West fans, if you're going to reduce the Flash Family to just one, it's important that it's Barry Allen. He's always been the smartest.
ABSOLUTE POWER: ORIGINS #2
Written by JOHN RIDLEY
Art by ALITHA MARTINEZ and NORM RAPMUND
Cover by EDWIN GALMON
Variant cover by MATEUS MANHANINI
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/28/24
Amanda Waller has suffered immeasurable loss … and the loss of her humanity along with it. Now, after having blazed her own trail into Washington politics, the Wall launches the new phase of her career: TASK FORCE X. Witness the rise of one of the deadliest teams ever to roam the DC universe and a shocking revelation that will make history in part two of Absolute Power: Origins. Brought to you by John Ridley and Alitha Martinez!
Are we finally going to learn why Waller hates metahumans so much? She's been around since 1986 and we still don't know much about her pre-Suicide Squad.
BATMAN #151
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art by MIKE HAWTHORNE
Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
Backup by TINI HOWARD
Backup art by MARIANNA IGNAZZI
Variant covers by GUILLEM MARCH and JILL THOMPSON
1:25 variant cover by JAMES HARREN
1:50 variant cover by STEVAN SUBIC
DC Super Powers variant cover by JASON GEYER and ALEX SAVIUK
Swimsuit variant cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
Resistance variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
Batman 85th Anniversary variant cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/7/24
A device critical to Amanda Waller’s plans is hidden on a remote, highly protected island. Batman can get there, but only one burglar has a chance of stealing the device and getting it off the island safely. But the device isn’t what they expect, and getting off the island turns out to be the least of their problems! Plus: a backup story reveals the chaos unleashed in Gotham City when Arkham is unlocked and the Bat-family are nowhere to be found.
Batman needs a burglar. Hmm, I wonder where he could find a good one ...
SUPERMAN #17
Written by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Art and cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL
Variant covers by TONY S. DANIEL, STJEPAN ŠEJIĆ,
and FRANCESCO MATTINA
1:25 variant cover by CHUMA HILL
Resistance variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
DC Super Powers variant cover by JASON GEYER and ALEX SAVIUK
Swimsuit variant cover by ELIZABETH TORQUE
$4.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/21/24
After the traumatic events of Absolute Power #2, Superman and Zatanna trek into the darkest areas of the DC Universe to find a way to stop Waller and her growing army. Powerless and without magic, are they willing to make a deal with a devil to save the world?
No magic? Interesting. The vampires took out Marvel's top magic-users in Blood Hunt #1, too. Coincidence ... or something more? (Like writers taking that get-out-of-jail-free card off the table tout de suite, as they should.)
WONDER WOMAN #12
Written by TOM KING
Art by TONY S. DANIEL and BELÉN ORTEGA
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
Variant covers by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO and TONY S. DANIEL
1:25 variant cover by JORGE FORNÉS
Swimsuit variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH
Resistance variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/21/24
Meet the new dynamic duo! Wonder Woman teams up with the unlikeliest of allies, Robin, on a top secret mission to save their fellow heroes. Will Damian and Diana’s quest to break into Waller’s Gamorra supermax prison be a successful one? Or is it all part of a more elaborate trap for Wonder Woman and her new sidekick?
Damien Wayne and Diana? That could be fun. In the real world, a heterosexual 12-year-old boy would be hormonally incapable of doing anything other than what Wonder Woman tells him to do. But this is comics, so he'll probably be the little jerk he always is.
GREEN LANTERN #14
Written by JEREMY ADAMS and MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art by FERNANDO PASARÍN and DARICK ROBERTSON
Cover by ARIEL COLÓN
Variant covers by CHRIS SAMNEE and IAN CHURCHILL
1:25 variant cover by CHUMA HILL
Resistance variant cover by MIKEL JANÍN
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 8/14/24
Hal Jordan must don the weapons of DC’s greatest villains to escape Amanda Waller’s clutches and reconnect with the heroes who are set to strike back at this new Absolute Power! Meanwhile, Carol sets out on a mission to help others, learning what it means to be a hero along the way. PLUS: Witness the rise of the SHADOW LANTERNS in an all-new backup story by MARC GUGGENHEIM and DARICK ROBERTSON!
One of the things I always wondered about as a kid is why superheroes never called in the cavalry. I know the IRL answer is "drama," but in-story, why not whistle up the Green Lantern Corps, or Themyscira's Amazons, or the population of Kandor when you get into serious trouble? So I appreciate when big events like this answer those questions before I ask them.
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