Analysis: DC Comics December 2015 Solicitations

DC Comics begins December Solicitations with cancellations of previous titles including Doomed and Green Lantern: The Lost Army. Both those titles were never meant for the existing market. Doomed had no connection to Superman and the Green Lantern: The Lost Army was the Gilligan’s Island title. It was meant to last as long as sales were healthy.

Another two titles were added to the cancellation list however these did not have any connection to the current DC Canon: Batman ’66 and Sensational Comics featuring Wonder Woman. Batman ’66 was a nostalgic title to please adults who enjoyed the television series. Sensational Comics was basically another Woman Woman title under a different banner. Both of these titles were meant to pull in adult readers who could afford the $4 price tag. 

The highlights of December’s solicitations are Tom Taylor’s return to Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Annual and Emperor Joker trade. The first two years erupted with a civil war between super heroes, year three dealt with magic, year four faced the wrath of the Gods, and now year five deals with the return of the villains. Another highlight is the collected edition of Emperor Joker which was the Great Darkness Saga of my time. We didn’t know who the villain within the solicitations until the comics hit.

New story arcs begin as they march towards the 50th issues of various titles. Superman will continue to deal with the ramifications of his secret identity revealed to the world and deal with Vandal Savage. Batman will deal with Mr. Bloom. The Justice League continues the Darkseid War. The Flash deals with Professor Zoom. The Robin War begins as the various Robins deal with the Court of Owls.

When DC Entertainment moved from New York to California, we can predict the various characters popping up by their appearance in television and the upcoming movies. Vandal Savage is in the Superman titles as he is a huge player in the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow series. The 50th issues of the New 52 will hit stands as the Batman V Superman movie premieres. Ultimately the best DC Comics stories are behind them as very little surprise exists. This diminishes the value of the overall stories in the DC Universe.

New First Issues and New Story Arcs

Justice League #47

Justice League of America #7

Superman #47

Batman #47

Limited Series and One-Shots

Robin War #1

Superman/Wonder Woman Annual #1

Superman Annual #3

Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four Annual #1 

Hardcovers and Trade Collections

Superman: Emperor Joker