by 
Last updated on December 10th, 2021
Here’s my monthly look at what’s coming out from DC Comics. A full list of solicitations is available here.
Comics
- Future Quest Showcase #2, on sale Sept. 20, $4
- Looney Tunes #239, on sale Sept. 27, $3
- Scooby-Doo Team-Up #30, on sale Sept. 27, $3
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #85, on sale Sept. 13, $3
Trade paperbacks/graphic novels
- DC Comics Bombshells, vol. 5, on sale Oct. 11, $20
Comments
Not much to choose from this month. Well, unless you’re interested in stuff like Garth Ennis’ “Dastardly & Muttley” (something that exists). That, or “Wonder Woman’s long-lost Amazon brother.” Never mind that DC’s recent trend of inserting men into Diana’s backstory/setting misses its point. (This story also sounds a lot like Nubia‘s origin, as someone on Twitter pointed out.)
A Batgirl omnibus volume of her Bronze Age stories is being released. While it’s quite thorough, one story seems missing: “Adventure Comics” #453 (from October 1977). There, Barbara’s a 12-year-old girl at a Smallville summer camp, where she briefly gains superpowers and meets Superboy.
Vertigo (including “Astro City”) is noticeably almost absent this month. I’m wondering if it’s a sign of a dim future for Vertigo, especially with the “Young Animal” line around. That line also has closer ties to the DCU-proper, DC’s main priority from a business and intellectual property development standpoint.
“Looney Tunes” is back this month, this time featuring a “Star Trek” parody. I like the cover; Daffy looks less than happy about being a red shirt (for good reason).
“Scooby-Doo Team-Up” this month features the Challengers of the Unknown. The Challengers are a team of adventurers that first appeared in “Showcase” #6 (February 1957). They were created or co-created by Jack Kirby (Wikipedia is vague on this point), presumably during his short-lived late 50s stint with DC before returning to Marvel. The team’s origin is that they’re the survivors of a plane crash; deciding they’re “living on borrowed time,” the group decided to combine their talents to aid mankind as risk-taking adventurers.
Similar to later Kirby creation the Fantastic Four, the Challengers deal with all manner of science-fiction themed threats. Unlike Reed Richards and company, the Challengers don’t have any superpowers. While they’ve never been as prominent as the actual superheroes, the Challengers of the Unknown are one of the mainstays of the DC Universe.
