With big things on the horizon for DC Comics readers, this week’s big release offers a preview of the major changes coming for Batman, Superman and the Justice League.
DC Nation 0
Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Tom King, Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson
Pencils by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Jorge Jimenez and Clay Mann
Inks by Jorge Jimenez, Clay Mann and Dexter Vines
Colors by Jordie Bellaire and Allejandro Sanchez
As we move away from the Rebirth era to whatever it is that comes next, DC Comics has big plans for the summer, and the publisher is using this 25-cent issue (free on Comixology) to tease what’s happening with Superman, Batman and the Justice League.
The most important part of the issue, I think, is the preview of Bendis’ MAN OF STEEL six-issue weekly miniseries, kicking off at the end of May. We get a taste for the world Bendis is creating in Metropolis and hints of what’s different from what we’ve known the last two years.
Most notably is the fact that Lois Lane is no longer at The Daily Planet and no one seems to know where she is. We also get a new character introduced, Robinson Goode, a reporter from Star City, who seems to have some secrets of her own as she’s seen talking to a shadowy figure at the end of Bendis’ story.
The information about Lois is about the only news we get out of this preview, as it’s really an opportunity to see how Bendis handles Superman’s supporting cast. We get a lengthy scene in the bullpen of the Daily Planet as editor-in-chief (and my personal hero) Perry White holds court. He tells his staff to move away from speculation about the bad Superman COULD do and focus on the good he DOES do, which probably isn’t a good attitude for the editor of a major metropolitan daily paper, but the sentiment is good.
I’m not sure how I feel about Bendis’ characterization of Clark, who plays up the bumbling, mild-mannered side that’s been almost entirely wiped away in the last 25 years. We’ll have to see how this plays in a full-length issue, and I’m looking forward to see how Bendis handles a little more sustained action in the DC Universe. Between this and his story in ACTION 1000, he’s off to a bit of an unassuming start.
Over in Gotham, Tom King teases the Batman-Catwoman wedding with a story about The Joker breaking into the home of some random person waiting for his wedding invitation. The homeowner is terrified as the Clown Prince of Crime waits patiently for the mail to show up. It’s such a ridiculous premise, but it works here. It does, though, raise the question of how this is playing in the media. I’m not sure I’ve seen it addressed, but is Bruce Wayne known to be marrying Selina Kyle? I guess there’s a level of suspension of disbelief in what King is doing in Batman. He did, after all, try and make KITE MAN a major focus of a storyline.
The final story, teasing the JUSTICE LEAGUE‘s NO JUSTICE event, is a bit all over the place, with the three writers for the event showing off the new teams that will be featured in the story. It seems to have more characters running through it than INFINITY WAR as four separate teams of heroes and villains are drafted to save Colu – Brainiac’s homeworld – from the Omega Titans, who were released after the events of Dark Nights Metal. It’s going to be a pretty epic story, clearly, with a lot going on. We’ll find out more with the first issue of NO JUSTICE set for release next week.
DC NATION is certainly worth the price (even if you didn’t download it free from Comixology – which you should).