Thursday, August 16, 2012

Martian Sightings for November, 2012



Alright M'gann-- it's up to you once again to carry this column! Well, maybe...
ACTION COMICS #14
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Backup story written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art by RAGS MORALES and MARK PROPST
Backup story art by CHRIS SPROUSE and KARL STORY
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by STEVE SKROCE
1:100 B&W Variant cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale NOVEMBER 7 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information.

• Brainiac first warned of the Multitude, and now Superman comes face to face with them — on Mars!
• Plus: In the backup story, what appointment is so important that Superman would drop everything to attend it?
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
Reference to a trip to Mars in a DC comic, especially one followed by an exclamation point and written by Morrison, typically means the Manhunter is on his way. Perhaps Brainiac bottled a bunch of Silver/Bronze Age Alien Atlas supporting players? No one but Morrison could even give me hope of such a thing...

Miss Martian
YOUNG JUSTICE #22
Written by GREG WEISMAN
Art by CHRISTOPHER JONES
On sale NOVEMBER 21 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E

• The Invasion continues!
• Earth's greatest heroes are kidnapped by Kylstar!
• Brainiac has Metropolis under glass and Lex Luthor's secret weapon is on the loose!
DC NATION #2
Written by VARIOUS
Art by VARIOUS
Montage cover
On sale NOVEMBER 7 • 64 pg, FC, 8" x 10.5", $4.99 US
• DC NATION is back with an all-new, Bat-tacular issue!
• Enjoy exciting holiday adventures with your favorite DC heroes (and villains)!
• Featuring an exclusive sneak peek at the much-anticipated new series Beware The Batman!
TEEN TITANS BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS HC
Written by GEOFF JOHNS, BEN RAAB, JAY FAERBER, JUDD WINICK, JEREMY JOHNS, MARK WAID and MARV WOLFMAN Art by MIKE McKONE, JUSTINIANO, GEORGES JEANTY, MATT CLARK, IVAN REIS, TONY S. DANIEL and others
Cover by MICHAEL TURNER
On sale JANUARY 30 • 1,440 pg, FC, $150.00 US

• In this massive hardcover from superstar writer Geoff Johns, Superboy, Kid Flash, Robin, Wonder Girl and Cyborg join together as the DC Universe's premiere teen super team!
• Plus, meet new arrivals Miss Martian and Ravager and witness a battle for the fate of the universe as the INFINITE CRISIS arrives!
• Collecting TEEN TITANS #1/2-26, 29-46 and 50, LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2, TITANS SECRET FILES #2, TEEN TITANS/OUTSIDERS SECRET FILES 2003, BEAST BOY #1-4, TEEN TITANS/LEGION OF SUPER HEROES SPECIAL #1, OUTSIDERS #24-25, ROBIN #147-147, INFINITE CRISIS #5-6 and TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #1.

11 comments:

will_in_chicago said...

We could hope that J'Onn would appear in a comic set on Mars. However, I am not sure that DC is even sure what to do with J'Onn post-Stormwatch. Mind you, considering the last documented meeting between J'Onn and Kal-El, I doubt that there would be a very warm reunion with the Man of Steel.

Anj said...

I actually think this will be the first meeting of Kal and J'Onn. In fact, as a couple of sole survivors, I bet they'll be buddies. I can't imagine Morrison doing anything else.

I mean somebody had to sponsor J'Onn for the JL.

will_in_chicago said...

I thought that Action Comics was not still doing issues in the past.

aota said...

Maybe this Multitude is the big threat that J'Onn was saying the JL weren't ready for.

will_in_chicago said...

From what I have read of the current Justice League level, they strike me as pretty unprepared to work well as a team. They had trouble working well together against the Talons in a recent issue.

Diabolu Frank said...

I spend thousands of dollars on weekly art commissions that rarely rate more than a comment or two, but two day old vague solicitation copy gets a slew of hits. I can't win at internet.

Anj, it always irks me when Superman, a part-time satellite Leaguer in the early years, gets credit for bringing co-founder J'Onn J'Onzz into the fold. I think that got started in a Year One annual from the '90s, and much prefer the 1977 retcon where the Flash helped "out" J'Onn (who would likely have remained incognito if not for Barry's shepherding of the Silver Age of super-hero comics.) That said, Kal and J'Onn have been tight since the Bronze Age, and I seriously do think Morrison would be the one guy to work out another Mars II-type scenario from Brainiac refugees. It would explain cryptic comments made in Stormwatch, and he's often left blueprints for such things to be followed.

Will, "The Trinity War" feels very arbitrary to me, like Johns didn't get to stuff intended for Infinite Crisis, which itself felt pretty arbitrary. I guess this is his chance to play off yet another Alan Moore story, Twilight. I still think J'Onn would be drafted into either the Superman or Batman house, rather than set up one of his own, but we'll see.

will_in_chicago said...

Frank, from what I have read, the Trinity War will involve a war against the Trinity of Sin -- Pandora, Phantom Stranger, and the Question. Still, I hope that J'Onn is used in some big events. Perhaps if Twilight is used as a basis, it will be J'Onn who solves the big problems. As things stand, he seems to be a troubleshooter in the DCnU, joining potential dangerous organizations (Justice League, Stormwatch), learning about them, and being ready for future threats.

Diabolu Frank said...

Will, I'm waiting to see what the "Trinity War" refers to, but there sure seems to be hero-on-hero action that may allude to a conflict amidst the JLA's main trio.

will_in_chicago said...

If that is indeed the case, Frank, then maybe J'Onn will be a voice of reason -- or will have to try to knock some sense into Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. (From what I have read of the Justice League, I could see sharp divisions leading to conflict. When Stormwatch seemed to be more efficient and perhaps have some more camaraderie (with the noteworthy exception of Midnighter and Jenny Quantum), it is not so much a team as a lose alliance.

Diabolu Frank said...

I'm sure it says more about the New 52 than anything else, but it certainly doesn't hurt the Post-Crisis premise that J'Onn J'Onzz was the glue holding the JLA together that the team is so shabby without his mooring presence at their foundation.

will_in_chicago said...

Perhaps J'Onn's belief in humanity is something that the JLA desperately needs. Batman is often cynical, Superman believes in humanity but J'Onn seems to take a very long view of humanity --- appropriate for a long lived Martian.

Batman once said that J'Onn had the best understanding of interpersonal dynamics of anyone he had ever met. So, perhaps J'Onn could help a team see themselves ad friends and people who can accomplish a lot for the world. The JLA seems rudderless and often Stormwatch seemed to be more effective -- particularly after Adam One died. Somehow, I think that the average citizen of the DCnU would be shocked to see that the JLA is not the group of Superfriends that they seem to be portrayed as by Steve Trevor and others.