For those who don’t remember Ravager (and what happened to Deathstroke’s son back in the day), we get a REBIRTH reimagining of that final, fatal scene. Slade wants nothing more than to…turn back time? Can he really do that? And how does this fit with both the TITANS and the new Teen Titans group? Want to know more? Follow us after the jump!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
We’ve already seen that the main Flash title will be crossing over with Batman in April/May, and have seen the other May solicitation for The Flash. Now Comics Alliance is reporting a May crossover between the Titans, Teen Titans, and Deathstroke books, called “The Lazarus Contract”. The name’s an obvious reference to the classic Deathstroke/Teen Titans story “The Judas Contract”, but this one will at least partly pivot around the original Wally West: apparently Deathstroke has learned that Wally’s return will help bring back his son Grant from the dead. And through this, the Titans and Teen Titans both get involved.
TITANS #11
Written by DAN ABNETT, BENJAMIN PERCY and CHRISTOPHER PRIEST—Art by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND—Cover by MIKE McKONE—Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
“THE LAZARUS CONTRACT” part one! When Deathstroke discovers that Wally West’s return holds the key to bringing his son back from the dead, he’ll stop at nothing to do just that! Don’t miss the debut chapter of the epic crossover event that you’ve been waiting for!
On sale MAY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
TEEN TITANS #8
Written by DAN ABNETT, BENJAMIN PERCY and CHRISTOPHER PRIEST—Art by KHOI PHAM and WADE VON GRAWBADGER—Cover by MIKE McKONE—Variant cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
“THE LAZARUS CONTRACT” part two! The Teen Titans collide with the Titans after both groups are targeted by the World’s Deadliest Assassin—Deathstroke! But when Robin interrogates Nightwing about his history with Deathstroke, dark secrets are revealed and alliances are broken!
On sale MAY 17 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
DEATHSTROKE #19
Written by DAN ABNETT, BENJAMIN PERCY and CHRISTOPHER PRIEST—Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ—Cover by MIKE McKONE—Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
“THE LAZARUS CONTRACT” part three! Will Slade succeed in reuniting with his son even at the risk of cataclysmic disaster? Or will the Titans and the Teen Titans be fast enough to stop him from changing the world as we know it? Find out what happens when the World’s Deadliest Assassin becomes the Fastest Man Alive!
On sale MAY 24 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+
TEEN TITANS ANNUAL: THE LAZARUS CONTRACT #1
Written by DAN ABNETT, BENJAMIN PERCY and CHRISTOPHER PRIEST—Art by PAUL PELLETIER—Cover by MIKE McKONE
“THE LAZARUS CONTRACT” finale! The conclusion to our epic crossover is here, the consequences of which will be felt for years to come! What does the future hold for the Titans teams after this game-changing run-in with their greatest enemy? Find out here as we set the stage for the next era of Titans, Teen Titans and Deathstroke!
On sale MAY 31 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
One wonders how Deathstroke will acquire speed, and what he’ll do with it. It’s no surprise to see him pursuing the Titans and Teen Titans to get what he wants, as he’s traditionally been one of their greatest enemies. So he’s a natural villain for the first meeting of the two Titans teams in the Rebirth era, and hopefully the crossover between the three books will feel properly organic.
So, the DC reboot* is upon us, and it’s time to make some decisions:
I’ll tackle the second question later. For now, here are the books I was looking at when the New 52 was first announced, and what I’m looking at now.
As with Action, it was the creative team that got me excited about the fifth relaunch in as many years. (Seriously, DC, pick a direction and stick with it.) And as with Action, every interview, every announcement since then has chipped away a little more at my interest. But then Francis Manpul posts a new piece of artwork, and I feel like can’t possibly pass it up. TENTATIVE YES.
And yes, that’s a sad verdict for someone who’s spent the last 15 years running a Flash fan site, but it is what it is.
Love the concept, hate the title. I had high hopes for this when it was announced, but the execution of Flashpoint: Secret Seven, by the same writer and featuring many of the same characters, has me worried. TENTATIVE YES.
The complete opposite of Action Comics. When I first read about it, I thought, “Hmm, that sounds sort of interesting, but I just don’t know.” But everything I’ve heard about it makes me more interested. DEFINITE YES.
Regarding Demon Knights and Justice League Dark, it seems that the Matt Wagner/Amy Reeder Vertigo series has made me a fan of Madame Xanadu. Who would have expected that?
I really liked the Seven Soldiers version of the Frankenstein monster, and the idea of him as a sci-fi secret agent sounds like a lot of fun. Plus the Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown miniseries was enjoyable (despite a dip in the middle issue), so I’m on board for this one. DEFINITE YES.
I keep meaning to read the articles about this, but somehow keep forgetting to come back to them when I have time. So I still don’t know a whole lot about it, but the concept is interesting enough to make it a TENTATIVE YES.
Announced as part of the second wave of new titles, the 12-issue miniseries launches in October. I like the character, especially the modern interpretation, and I really enjoyed the 4-issue miniseries James Robinson did back in the 1990s, so I’m on board for this one as well. DEFINITE YES.
Grant Morrison brings Superman back to his roots. Sounded great at the time, but the more I’ve heard about the actual direction, the less interested I’ve gotten. PASS.
I’ve been burned too many times, and I think what I really liked about the series was the Wolfman/Perez dynamic, which I’ve come to realize is never going to exist again. I actually think it’s a good thing that they’re taking the book in a new direction, even though it’s clearly not for me. PASS.
As fond as my memories are of the series 20 years ago…I just can’t. PASS.
I liked his solo series back in the day, but between my changing taste and the emphasis on ultra-violence, I don’t have any interest in the new version. PASS.
(OK, except for the issue where he destroys the 405 freeway. I live in LA and commute on that damn thing. It’s a revenge fantasy.)
So that’s my DC Comics pull list for September. 5 comics out of 52 (plus The Shade) may not sound like much, but considering I was only reading one DC proper title before Flashpoint, it’s actually a pretty big increase.
Edited to add: For context, this brings the DC Universe back up to 50% of my active pull list. The rest is 1 Vertigo (The Unwritten), 3 BOOM! (Elric, Farscape & Darkwing Duck, at least until Farscape & Darkwing Duck end in a couple of months), 1 Dynamite (Wheel of Time) and 1 Aspen (Lady Mechanika). Mostly sci-fi/fantasy, with the closest to a traditional superhero being Darkwing Duck.
How about you? What are you planning to pick up?
*Of course it’s a reboot. They’re resetting the system, with some things altered and others preserved. They installed a service pack, and now they’re rebooting. People use the term reboot to mean starting over completely from the beginning, but if we’re going to use the computer metaphor properly, that would be a wipe-and-reinstall.
Our series reacting to DC’s September relaunch is almost complete. So far we’ve covered the Justice League, Green Lantern, Batman, Dark and Teen books. This time around we’re looking at the “edge” series.
Stormwatch · Blackhawks · Sgt. Rock and the Men of War · All-Star Western · Deathstroke · Grifter · OMAC · Suicide Squad · Blue Beetle
DC is announcing the creative teams and first covers for eight of the fifteen Flashpoint miniseries today. Each announcement comes along with yet another teaser.
DC seems to be announcing them alphabetically, but I’m moving the Flash-related ones up to the top because, well, this is a Flash site! So far we’ve got Citizen Cold, Batman: Knight of Vengeance, Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager, Deadman and the Flying Graysons, Hal Jordan (a new one), World of Flashpoint, Emperor Aquaman, and finally…Legion of Doom.
Click on the covers to read the original announcements.
Covers: Scott Kolins
Writer: Scott Kolins
Art: Scott Kolins
“He loves someone he shouldn’t.”
I was fully expecting Scott Kolins as the artist on this book — his style is perfect for the modern take on the Rogues. But I wasn’t expecting a one-man show. I really figured Geoff Johns would want to write the Captain Cold mini himself.
Going by the weapons and gloves, those hands look like the Weather Wizard, Tar Pit, Fallout, the Trickster and the Mirror Master…opposed to Captain Citizen Cold. Update: I have some more commentary on this one.
Covers: Miguel Sepulveda
Writer: Adam Glass
Art: Rodeny Buchemi & Jose Marzan
“Whatever Happened to the World’s Greatest Super Villains?”
You know, I thought it was odd that Heat Wave wasn’t on that Citizen Cold cover…
Also, this makes one more book that I’m going to have to check out. Not because of Super Friends nostalgia, but because of Heat Wave.