Batman and the Outsiders #1 (DC)
[Goes on sale October 17, written by Tony Bedard; art by Koi Turnbull and Art Thibert; cover by Turnbull; variant cover by Ryan Sook. 40 pages, $3.50.]
Tony Bedard (BIRDS OF PREY, COUNTDOWN) and Koi Turnbull (Fathom) launch a bold new direction for the DCU's misfit heroes! The rules have changed all over the DC Universe — but for the Outsiders, they're still just things that were made to be broken!

It's a fresh game of dirty pool for the Outsiders as the Dark Knight sends his new team to the frontlines of a massive assault on metahumans. Batman and the Outsiders must fight even dirtier than their enemies...and risk becoming the supervillains they despise!

Death of the New Gods #1 (of 8) (DC)
[Goes on sale October 17, written by Jim Starlin; art and covers by Starlin and Matt Banning; variant cover by Ryan Sook. 40 pages, $3.50.]
The title says it all! For months now readers have witnessed the unimaginable and unthinkable as New Gods across the DCU have seemingly died, with Lightray's death in COUNTDOWN the biggest of them all. Now, the carnage continues but the mystery and adventure is just beginning! Jim Starlin — master of the cosmic odyssey — writes and illustrates this epic tale of death and destruction on a scale never seen before. With a cast of hundreds and cameos by the entire DCU, this intergalactic 8-part series cannot be missed!

June 2007

Metal Men # 1 (of 8) (DC)
[Goes on sale August 1, written by Duncan Rouleau; art and cover by Rouleau. 32 pages, $2.99.]
Bursting from the pages of 52 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN into their own new 8-issue miniseries by Duncan Rouleau — it's Gold! Platina! Mercury! Iron! Lead! Tin! And now Copper!
Doc Magnus's creations are ready to take on all-new threats and some old, reimagined ones: Chemo, Doctor Yes, B.O.L.T.S., The Balloonatic and his Orphan Army, as well as the Robot Renegades led by an old Manhunter Robot!
But the greatest threat lies in Le Cabinet Noir and its bid to control the natural order using dangerous lieutenants like the Nameless, an armored being that feeds off the blood of the innocent and controls the Gogoloth, giant stone Golems made of Granite, Bizmuth, Onyx and Lime.

Black Adam: The Dark Age #1 (of 8) (DC)
[Goes on sale August 8, written by Peter J. Tomasi; art by Doug Mahnke, Norm Rapmund and Christian Alamy; cover by Mahnke; variant cover by Alex Ross. 32 pages, $2.99.]
Spinning out of the weekly series 52 comes an epic 8-issue mini-series that follows Black Adam, the new über-villain of the DCU!
With the power of the gods stripped from him, Teth-Adam is on a quest to find not only the magical word that will restore him as Black Adam, but also the one thing that always kept his heart from turning completely black with rage.
Black Adam is a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of Bialyan citizens and wide spread destruction across the globe. He is a man on the run from Earth's heroes, who want to see him brought to justice. Some want him tried before a world court, while others want retribution; to exact a pound of flesh for the lives he has snuffed out. And some simply want him dead as quickly and as quietly as possible.

The All-New Booster Gold #1 (DC)
[Goes on sale August 15, written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz; art and cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund. 32 pages, $2.99.]
Exploding from the pages of 52 and exploring the timeline of the DC Universe comes a new monthly book featuring the greatest super-hero history will never know: Booster Gold!
Following the universe altering conclusion of 52, Booster Gold wants what's due to him — a spot on the Justice League of America! But the time stream's in trouble, and Booster Gold is in the center of it! Now he must make a choice: reclaim his former glory or do the right thing, forgoing the credit.
ALL-NEW Booster Gold will take you through time and space, to the greatest moments of the DCU that have happened and will happen.
"52 Pick-Up" begins in this extra-sized issue #1! Someone is exploiting the ravaged time stream, hoping to eliminate the world's greatest heroes — and only Booster Gold can stop them. But, really — Booster Gold? Why him? What does Rip Hunter truly want? And what shocking figure is behind it all?
And coming up in the months ahead in DC's time spanning monthly: the world's greatest Green Lantern — Sinestro, Jonah Hex, Barbara "Batgirl" Gordon, Flash and Kid Flash, and plenty more of DC's super stars from throughout its past and future!

April 2007

Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #5 (Marvel)
[Goes on sale June 6, written by Robin Furth and Peter David; art by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove; cover by John Romita, Jr. 48 pages, $3.99.]
ust outside Hambry, Roland makes a monstrous discovery: The evil Farson and his Coffin Riders have stolen the awesome weapons of the Old Ones and now have the oil to power them and launch an attack against the Affiliation—a group which counts among its members Roland’s father, Stephen Deschain! And, at just the wrong time, the young gunslinger’s ka-tet may be splintering, when Cuthbert accuses Roland of cowardice and rides off on his own. Things are going sour in Mid-World, sai. All this plus a six-gun full of extras!

Bill's 2005 Picks