Updated on December 10, 2021
Here’s my graphic novel picks post for December 2020 (and beyond).
(Disclosure: The blog is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and will earn a commission for purchases made through Bookshop links.)
Boom! Studios
A full list of solicitations is available here.
DC Comics
A full list of solicitations is available here.
- Nubia: Real One GN, on sale Feb. 2, $17 (Amazon, Bookshop)
- DC’s Greatest Detective Stories Ever Told TPB, on sale Jan. 12, $30 (Amazon, Bookshop)
IDW
A full list of solicitations is available here.
Marvel
A full list of solicitations is available here.
Comments
Marvel stuff (and MCU ties)
Marvel has a large amount of “Eternals” reprints out this month. It’s likely a byproduct of the MCU movie’s original release date being this November, but now pushed back to late 2021 due to the pandemic.
Until that movie (and several others) can be released (ideally in theaters), Disney and Marvel are focusing more on releasing Marvel material to Disney+. “WandaVision” is set to come out in January, for instance.
“Strange Academy” is a new Marvel book about Dr. Strange opening a magic school for young mages. The description mentions the students playing “pan-dimensional games of tag.” That could also be a vague reference to the upcoming Dr. Strange movie, which is centered around the MCU’s version of Marvel’s multiverse.
On a tangent, multiverses seem to have made a big comeback in recent years, between “Into the Spider-Verse,” DC’s multiverse return in the aughts (and expanded upon—there’s now an entire evil multiverse), and so on. A complete turn around from the 1980s, when DC claimed multiverses were “too confusing” as justification for “Crisis on Infinite Earths.”
A reprint of the final Earth-1 Lois Lane story
Over at DC, they’re reprinting some number of Superman stories, including the “Superman in the Fifties” trade paperback and a detective-themed trade featuring the 1986 “Lois Lane” miniseries.
This two-issue limited series, written by Mindy Newell, features Lois investigating missing children in Metropolis. The stories were cover-dated August and September 1986, just before Byrne’s “Man of Steel” #1 reboot (cover-dated October). This makes this short miniseries the final pre-Crisis Lois Lane story. It’s likely also the pre-Crisis Lois’ final appearance; the Grand Comics Database says issue #2 came out a few weeks before “Man of Steel” #1 went on sale (per sale dates). The DC Fandom wiki states her last appearance is in “Superman Annual” #12; it’s cover-dated August 1986, but the GCD says it went on sale before Lois’ miniseries was released.
Nubia’s back, in her own graphic novel
Speaking of Earth-1, DC’s bringing back a new version of another Bronze Age character, Nubia, in her own graphic novel. This revised version‘s a teenager, but still has ties to Wonder Woman and the Amazons. She’s also being raised by two Moms in this version.
Nubia was introduced in “Wonder Woman” (vol. 1) #204 (January 1973), as the until-then-unknown twin sister of Diana. However, she was kidnapped as an infant by Mars, the Roman god of war, and raised by him as part of his own plans. Nubia’s made sporadic appearances ever since, including:
- A “Super Friends” story in the 70s.
- A post-Crisis version (with fewer ties to Diana and an altered backstory) in the 90s, renamed “Nu’Bia.”
- An appearance in “Scooby-Doo Team-Up.”
- An alternate future as Wonder Woman, in DC’s upcoming “Future State” event.
That said, this graphic novel is Nubia’s highest-profile appearance in years, and seems to have generated plenty of interest. A panel at DC’s FanDome virtual fan event last summer was dedicated to Nubia.
The graphic novel’s written by L.L. McKinney (author of “A Blade So Black”), and drawn by Robyn Smith (a Jamaican artist).
Image from “Strange Academy: First Class.” Art by Humberto Ramos. (Marvel)
