Sorry for the late column, folks. Been a busy week at chez Staeger. But time marches on, and DC marched through this Wednesday with another sizable week of digital releases. There are 55 new releases in all; it seems like 58, but issues 1 to 3 of Identity Crisis are listed in the New Releases section along with this week’s issue 4.
Foremost among DC’s debuts is Green Lantern Corps. Not only did DC wrap up the introductory Recharge miniseries this week, but it went right into the ongoing, kicking it off with the first six issues. There are a handful of issues later in the run already collected, too, from the Sinestro Corps War, and if this release is any indication, GLC will probably be closing the gap between them pretty quickly. With the Green Lantern movie trailer stirring up excitement for the property, I can only imagine DC wants as much GL material as possible available.
DC’s other big releases this week come from Wildstorm. The first is the adaptation of the TV show Chuck. It’s a six-issue mini, so my guess is we’ll see the rest of it released in singles for the next four weeks.
Next is the first issue of World of Warcraft: Curse of the Worgen. This seems to be DC’s second day-and-date release, this time without the fanfare that Justice League: Generation Lost had. (At least in comics circles; things may be different among gamers.) Like Gen Lost, this is priced at $2.99. Interestingly, the second issue of Telera Chronicles, another video-game adaptation, was released the same day issue 3 hit the shops; it’s priced at the standard online charge of $1.99. I suspect an experiment is going on here. Is a one-dollar discount worth a one-month delay?
There are a couple of other debuts – JLA Secret Files, and New Years Evil: Prometheus, but both seem more like something to augment the JLA releases than anything else.
Other than that, the week is mostly about moving the ball forward for the various existing titles. Vertigo sees another issue of 100 Bullets, Fables, Sandman and Y, and two more each of Hellblazer, The Invisibles and Transmetropolitan. In addition to Chuck and the videogame books,
Wildstorm sees another issue of The Authority, Ex Machina, Planetary, Welcome to Tranquility and Sleeper, down to one issue this week.
DC has an unusual three free secret origins this week: Elongated Man, General Zod and Prometheus. It continues the Death of Superman with four books this week, including Adventures of Superman, Superman, Superman: Man of Steel and Justice League America, a book that because of its title and issue number is currently being slotted after the existing Meltzer/Benes incarnation of Justice League. (Incidentally, JLA 69 doesn’t have a triangle number, but it should be read between Man of Steel 18 and Superman 74.)
DC’s also continuing Morrison’s Batman, The Long Hallowerrn, Birds of Prey (2 issues), Flash: Rebirth, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Identity Crisis, JLA (2 issues and a Secret Files), Justice Society (2 issues), New Years Evil: Prometheus, Power Girl, Starman (2 issues), Superman (“For Tomorrow”), and Wonder Woman (2 issues).
The DC Store banner is World of Warcraft this week; Superman: For Tomorrow, the GLC, and The Invisibles as its featured picks on the side.
Rob
Comments
Saints preserve us! Is it ok if I just read the 8-issue series and the Batman and Superman ones?
BTW that's $236 odd if they charge $2.99 each.
"BLACKEST NIGHT EVENT part 1 of 79!"
Hopefully this is a signal that DC/Comixology is working on a mechanic to track crossovers across titles.