There’s never a dull day in the superhero business, and with the copious headlines and happenings occurring on a daily basis, it can seem a heroic task to keep up. That’s where I come in. My mission, as I choose to accept it, is to run down the major news stories of the week (with a dash of commentary) related to comics’ enduringly popular, fantastically powered, and impossibly proportioned poster children.


The first changes to DC Comics’ New 52 lineup have been announced, with six books getting the axe after their 8th issue in April. The titles are: Blackhawks, Hawk and Dove, Men of War, Mister Terrific, O.M.A.C., and Static Shock. Obviously these titles are underperforming and are thus ceasing publication, but replacing them are six new titles:

  • Batman Incorporated - The awaited continuation of Grant Morrison’s globetrotting Batman adventure.
  • Dial H - Popular speculative fiction author China Mieville’s first foray in comics.
  • G.I. Combat – A potpourri of military classics, including the Unknown Soldier, The War That Time Forgot, and the Haunted Tank.
  • Earth 2 – The welcome return of the Earth Two universe and the New 52 JSA, presumably.
  • World’s Finest – A team-up between Powergirl and Huntress, written by ex-DC Comics Publisher Levitz, with alternating art by George Peréz and Kevin Maguire.
  • The Ravagers – A Teen Titans/ Superboy spin-off.

Officially dubbed the “Second Wave” of the New 52, these titles are a vast improvement in my book, and I’ll be picking most of them upon their release in May. And fret not, Liefeld faithful. He shall return as the writer of The Savage Hawkman and Grifter, as well as the writer/artist of Deathstroke.

Never to be outdone, Marvel, while not debuting something as drastic as a new logo, also made some splashes in the headlines with their “Next Big Thing” string of announcements. For the last few days the publisher has been touting all the upcoming match-ups in the much ballyhooed Avengers Vs. X-Men crossover, crafted by Marvel’s Architects. In addition to the main AvX title, the event will also include Avengers Vs. X-Men: Versus, a twelve-issue companion series depicting showdowns between two Marvel heroes. Spider-Man vs. Iceman, Beast vs. Luke Cage, Storm vs. Thor, etc. While it seems the mutant messiah Hope and her future welfare (AKA a mentally unhinged, increasingly bionic Cable) will act as the catalyst for the conflict, AvX seems like it will be one bombastic and crowd pleasing ride.

Also in April, in conjunction with AvX, longtime Avengers writer Brian Michael Bendis will be joined by none other than superstar artist Walt Simonson on Marvel’s for a six-issue arc starting in April. These are two of comics’ biggest names joining forces, or rather assembling, on the publisher’s flagship title – a best-seller no doubt. In Secret Avengers news, Warren Ellis is leaving the book after a successful string of fun, espionage-fueled self-contained issues, with Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman taking over as writer and artist, respectively. Both creators seem like perfect tonal fits for the Secret Avengers, which will feature Hawkeye as the new team leader, replacing Steve Rogers. On a related note, Hawkeye will play second fiddle to Captain America as Captain America and Bucky becomes Captain America and Hawkeye for four issues starting in April. Following that Cap will team up with the likes of Iron Man, Black Widow, etc. I’m reminded of the old Captain America and the Falcon series, which no doubt increased the profile of the Falcon, and will hopefully do the same for Hawkeye et al.

Finally Marvel spilled the details on The Omega Effect, a crossover of the Avenging Spider-Man, Daredevil and the Punisher starting in April, centering around an omnipotent device called the Omega Device created by Reed Richards, and acts as the macguffin that everyone wants to get their hands on. It’s bound to be an enjoyable read if you’re a fan of the Marvel’s street-level heroes.


I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other goings-on in the superhero world. Recently we saw exciting developments for The Shadow, the pulp hero of the yesteryear that has enjoyed a number of revivals over the years. First, Dynamite Entertainment is releasing a new edition of Howard Chaykin’s 1986 miniseries Shadow: Blood and Judgment in April. For fans of vintage Chaykin (guilty!) this has been a long time coming yet still a pleasant surprise. In other Shadow news Dynamite also announced a new series written by Garth Ennis, with artwork by Aaron Campbell, starting in April. Unlike Chaykin, who transplanted The Shadow into a more modern setting, Ennis is keeping his story in the 1930s for that authentic noir taste.


Two of comics’ most longstanding female-led books got a fresh start recently as Witchblade celebrated its 151st issue with a new direction which saw heroine Sara Pezzini uproot her native New York for the Chicago. Why the move from the Big Apple to the Windy City? You’ll have to read to find out. This comes as part of Top Cow’s REBIRTH initiative, which is giving its main titles (Witchblade, The Darkness, Artifacts) jumping-on points for new readers, as is the trend lately. Also, this week saw the debut of Danger Girl: Revolver, a new series from IDW written by Danger Girl creator Andy Hartnell and drawn by Chris Madden, and featuring an all-new Danger Girl.

To cap off this inaugural column, two books that deal with superhero offspring: Image’s Hell Yeah (by Joe Keatinge and Andre Szmanowicz) and Millarworld’s Jupiter’s Children (by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely). Both books follow a new generation of “superkids” who possess the apathetic, insouciant attitude of today’s youth along with their burgeoning super powers, who must find their way in a world seemingly out of their control. Where books like Grant Morrison’s Zenith embodied the sentiments of Generation X via super powered adolescents, perhaps these new books will carry that tradition to Generation Y. Only time will tell.