DC's June previewed reviewed

I still can't quite believe that Ignore Watchmen is going to be a real thing, that DC is really going to go ahead and publish it, even though the first issues of four different prequel series appear in the latest round of solicitations (which you can read in full here).

In lieu of any details about the stories, the solicits for each of these include only a single line of suggestive dialog appearing in quotes, some of it as simple as "I'm a funny guy..." under Brian Azzarello's Comedian or "The hero known to the public only as Nite Owl announced his retirement today" under J. Michael Straczynski.

The only other new info regarding the project is, perhaps, the various variant cover promotional schemes attached to these issues, and the names of the artists who will be providing them (I say "perhaps" only because there's a good chance this info was already released and I just didn't notice). So feel free to add Jim Lee, Kevin Nowlan, Eduardo Risso, Dave Johnson and Michael Golden to your own personal I'm So Ashamed Of These Guys list.

I am glad to see DC's co-publisher Jim Lee contributing something, even though I wish it was the interiors of a project. As I've stated before, I would prefer to see the creator/executives at DC who apparently greenlit this controversial project and have tried to promote it in their one capacity also work on it in their creative capacity, as it somehow seems unfair to assign the shame/blame for more Watchmen to artists and writers other than yourself.

ACTION COMICS #10
GRANT MORRISON
Backup story written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art by GENE HA and RICK BRYANT
Backup story art by BRAD WALKER
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by BRYAN HITCH
...
On sale JUNE 6 • 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.
• CLARK KENT is DEAD!
• The three-part ACTION COMICS summer event storyline begins here!
• New villain NIMROD THE HUNTER is on SUPERMAN’S trail! He’s killed every living thing he’s ever tracked – but he’s never killed an ALIEN!

Did you know that DC has an old villain, one that only appeared in a single story arc, called Nimrod the Hunter? It's true! I wonder if Grant Morrison or the editors of Action Comics knew that or not...?

Also worth noting is the person doing the variant cover here—Bryan Hitch, whom I don't think has worked for DC since his half-assed run on JLA with Mark Waid (during which he didn't drawn a single entire story arc himself).


SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS VOL. 1 – SUPERMAN AND THE MEN OF STEEL HC
GRANT MORRISON
Backup stories written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art by RAGS MORALES, ANDY KUBERT, BRENT ANDERSON, RICK BRYANT, JESSE DELPERDANG and SEAN PARSONS
Backup stories art by BRAD WALKER, CHRISCROSS
Cover by RAGS MORALES
On sale AUGUST 1 • 256 pg, FC, $24.99 US
• The first collection of GRANT MORRISON’S epic run on ACTION COMICS, with art by RAGS MORALES, ANDY KUBERT and more!
• In these startling tales, the people of METROPOLIS turn on their new champion! Plus, the SUPERMAN of today and the LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES must save the jean swearing Superman of five years ago!
• Collects ACTION COMICS #1-8.

Surely there's one "Superman" too many in the title of this collection.


So Batman Inc looks pretty cool...


Hey, kids!


Black Manta!

BLUE BEETLE #10
TONY BEDARD
Art by IG GUARA
Cover by PAUL RENAUD
On sale JUNE 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• BLUE BEETLE is on the run from the D.E.O.!
• Seems this whole “living by himself in New York City” idea wasn’t JAIME’S best.
• Guest-starring MISTER BONES

Hey look, it's Director Bones! I wonder if his being in charge of an agency dedicated to monitoring and policing meta-humans has as much resonance now that he doesn't have a well-known history as a former villain-turned-superhero himself? At least, I assume "New 52" Bones wasn't a hero at any point. Like, Infinity Inc. couldn't have existed on this Earth anymore, could it? Even "former superheroes" of any kind seems a little of a stretch when sueprheroes have only been around for five years...

EARTH TWO #2
JAMES ROBINSON
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale JUNE 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. The variant cover will feature the standard edition cover in a wraparound format.
• MR. TERRIFIC – Michael Holt – lands on EARTH TWO!
• Don’t miss the origin of the Earth Two FLASH – and the first time he uses his powers!
• What could be a bigger threat to Earth Two than APOKOLIPS? Jay Garrick is about to find out!

The origin of Earth Two Flash, huh? I wonder if Jay Garrick's origin story will still involve smoking cigarettes...?


I'm resisting doing so, but I am forced to admit: Extra arms made out of fire are pretty cool.

FRANKENSTEIN, AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E. #10
MATT KINDT
Art and cover by ALBERTO PONTICELLI and WAYNE FAUCHER
On sale JUNE 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Welcome aboard new writer MATT KINDT!
• “SATAN’S RING” begins here!
• FRANKENSTEIN and THE CREATURE COMMANDOS must investigate suspected double-agents in SHADE field offices. Their first stop is the UNTROPOLIS – an exact copy of Metropolis that floats upside down in the 4TH CLOUD above Superman’s home town.

I like the word "Untropolis"


Give the fact that Jim Lee's Justice League was the first of the "New 52" books to ship late (even if it was only one week), and the fact that a few fill-in artists have already been announced, should fans worry that the cover for June's tenth issue is still just pencils only as of March?

I wonder if we're supposed to recognize that character? Is it a new character? I'm getting a Martian vibe, myself.


I don't have anything to say about this cover to Savage Hawkman, other than, "Look at this cover to Savage Hawkman."

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: RIP HUNTER, TIME MASTER VOL. 1 TP
JACK MILLER
Art by ALEX TOTH, BILL ELY, JOE KUBERT, ROSS ANDRU, NICK CARDY and others
Cover by NICK CARDY
On sale JULY 18 • 512 pg, B&W, $19.99 US
• Collects SHOWCASE #20, 21, 25 and 26 and RIP HUNTER: TIME MASTER #1-15.
• Rip Hunter and his band of time-traveling adventurers travel to the distant past and future to face strange creatures!

Cardy! Toth! Kubert! Time travel! Awesome!


I like George Perez art.

I do not like that stripe on the side of Power Girl's costume.

Nor do I like the way "Worlds'" sounds when spoken aloud, although I'm about 99% certain I will never find myself involved in a spoken conversation about this title.