(W) Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Apr 09, 2024 SRP: $4.99
THE PLACE BETWEEN PAGES Welcome, Outsiders. Welcome to a pleasant small town, sitting just outside the periphery of memory. Please, do make yourselves at home–there’s much to do, and all the time in the world to do it. Take a stroll past long forgotten faces, visit places that no longer are, and leave the worries of your endless existence behind. At long last, you have nothing to fear. Welcome to the Place Between Pages. Welcome outside.
DC’s Eisner and Ringo award-winning Pride comic book anthology returns for 2024 in the form of a universe-spanning travelogue like you’ve never seen! DC’s comics are as vast, varied, and fantastic as the incredible and weird locations found across the DC cosmos, and DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters are everywhere, belong anywhere, and can do anything they set their hearts and minds to. How they get there is as important as where they’re going, so join them as they explore the farthest edges of the DC Multiverse, together! DC’s 2024 Pride collection of books and comics will be available at your local comic book shop, bookstore, library, and beyond, taking DC’s characters across the far reaches of the Phantom Zone, the Fourth World, and beyond!
DC Pride 2024 #1, DC’s annual anthology containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan favorites, will publish on May 28. The 104-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kevin Wada, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by David Talaski, foil and card stock variants by Babs Tarr, and Wada’s main cover offered as a 1:25 card stock variant.
In DC Pride 2024, DC will host an unmissable autobiographical story written by industry legend Phil Jimenez about the fantastical worlds that shaped him, brought to life by Giulio Macaione. This heartwarming story is a can’t-miss highlight, plus Dreamer makes a first-time pilgrimage to her ancestral planet, Naltor, in a story by Nicole Maines and Jordan Gibson; Poison Ivy and Janet from HR go spore-hunting on Portworld in a story by Gretchen Felker-Martin and Claire Roe; Superman (Jon Kent) gets Jay, Bunker, and the Ray together for a boys’ night out in A-Town in a story by Jarrett Williams and D.J. Kirkland; Steel (Natasha Irons) works up the courage to face Traci 13 at the Oblivion Bar’s Pride party for the first time since they broke up in a story by Jamila Rowser and ONeillJones; Aquaman (Jackson Hyde) catches an unexpected ride to the Fourth World just in time for their annual Love Festival in a story by Ngozi Ukazu; Circuit Breaker’s unstable powers fritz him into the Phantom Zone in a story by Calvin Kasulke and Len Gogou; plus a Blue Starman story written by Al Ewing and character pinups, in a volume celebrating how the LGBTQIA+ community is everywhere and belongs anywhere—even the farthest reaches of the known and unknown worlds!
As an additional DC Pride teaser, this year’s anthology features a special preview of DC’s upcoming YA OGN The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley by New York Times bestselling author of Wicked LovelyMelissa Marr, teamed up with celebrated artist Jenn St-Onge.
When Harleen signs up to participate in a clinical research trial with her girlfriend, Pamela, her only goals are extra cash and a chance to control her anxiety. But what she gets instead are increasingly larger gaps in her memory and stolen mementos from some guy named Jack. Soon Harleen discovers she’s sharing her life with Harley—a take-no-prisoners, who-cares-about-attendance, maybe-we-oughta-save-the-bunnies kind of girl. She is the opposite of Harleen in every way. And although she’s throwing Harleen’s life completely off track, maybe she ain’t so bad either…
New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr and celebrated artist Jenn St-Onge, with color by Jeremy Lawson and lettering by Lucas Gattoni, explore the twisted transformation from Harleen to Harley in this compelling new YA original graphic novel on sale beginning September 3!
In the 1990s, writer Rachel Pollack did the impossible: she raised the bar for surprise and strangeness in her beloved run following Grant Morrison’s career-making Doom Patrol! To celebrate her life and works, DC will publish a spotlight issue,DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack, hitting shelves on June 6. This 96-page one-shot comic book reprints the debut of the iconic Coagula, DC’s first transgender Super Hero, from Doom Patrol #70, penciled by Scot Eaton, along with the long-unavailable one-shot Vertigo Visions: The Geek (with superstar artist Michael Allred)!
And in a final, original short story, Rachel’s most beloved creation, Kate Godwin, a.k.a. Coagula, returns to the spotlight in a tale of triumph over death itself written by Joe Corallo, Rachel’s longtime friend and collaborator, and drawn by Rye Hickman!
Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story is the untold origin story of Dreamer, the first trans Super Hero ever to appear on TV! DC’s newest YA graphic novel publishes on April 2, written by Nicole Maines and drawn by Rye Hickman with color by Bex Glendining and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
Nia’s spent her whole life taking a back seat to her older sister, Maeve, who was expected to inherit their mother’s Seer powers: the ability to see the future through dreams, passed down to one woman in each generation. But when Nia, a trans girl, starts having visions of the future, she must suppress her powers to protect her relationship with her sister.
Soon Nia’s dreams become impossible to ignore, and she has no choice but to distance herself as she navigates her new reality. Taking off for Metropolis, Nia is quickly swept up in the bustling city and, guided by her dreams, connects with a group of queer girls who feel more like sisters than her own. As Nia starts to discover her powers may be more than just a burden, she’s given a choice: accept her new responsibility as a Seer or give it all up for a chance at normalcy.
From Nicole Maines, the actress, activist, and writer who originated the fan-favorite role of Dreamer on the groundbreaking Supergirl TV show, and with art by Rye Hickman, who captures Nia’s depth and humor, comes this joyful and gut-wrenching graphic novel featuring characters from Galaxy: The Prettiest Star in DC’s first YA crossover!
Throughout its line of monthly comic books, DC will highlight Pride-themed variant covers on series that feature queer characters in regular and lead roles. This year, look for DC Pride covers on Action Comics #1066 (Betsy Cola),Batman #148 (Skylar Patridge),Green Arrow #13 (A.L. Kaplan), Poison Ivy #23 andHarley Quinn #41 (W. Scott Forbes), Nightwing #115 (Bruka Jones), Outsiders #8 (Don Aguillo), Suicide Squad: Dream Team #4 (Fatima Wajid), Superman #15 (Angel Solorzano), The Flash #10 (Nick Robles), and Wonder Woman #10 (Phil Jimenez and Arif Prianto).
And if you missed picking up previous years’ variant covers, DC has you covered with DC Pride: Uncovered #1! DC’s most iconic LGBTQIA+ artists put the party in Pride with their fabulous array of variant covers spotlighting LGBTQIA+ characters across the DCU year after year, and this art book collects a robust selection of fan favorites in one place for the very first time! Don’t miss out on a gallery of gorgeous art as imaginative and colorful as the characters themselves.
DC Pride: Uncovered #1, on sale June 11, is a gallery comic of gorgeous covers from Jen Bartel, Phil Jimenez, Jim Lee, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, David Talaski, Babs Tarr, Kris Anka, and more! DC Pride: Uncovered will have a main cover by Jen Bartel, with variant covers by Oscar Vega; Luciano Vecchio; Mateus Manhanini; and Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Tamra Bonvillain. DC Pride: Uncovered #1 will be scripted by DC editor Andrea Shea.
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Mar 12, 2024 SRP: $4.99
Nocturne. The world is dying. Welcome to the funeral. You–and the Outsiders–are invited to the biggest social event of 2024: a gathering of the most terrifying monsters from across the DC Universe. After all, horror is in right now. Follow Kate Kane, Luke Fox, and Drummer as they step into the shadows of Kate’s past after receiving a strange invitation from her former lover, the vampiric Nocturna. Why have they been invited? What other monstrous entities will be attending? How many will die before the night is through? And who’s faintly crying in the other room? Accept your invitation to find out–but be warned that once you open the page, there’s no turning back!
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Feb 13, 2024 SRP: $4.99
Luke Fox assembled the Outsiders to brave the unknown. To discover the forgotten, to bring the hidden to light, and to use the truth underneath them all to find a better way forward. Little does he know the Drummer has a plan of her own–and she’s one step closer to bringing it to fruition! Something happened at the turn of the millennium that shook the universe, and in this pivotal chapter, the Outsiders head into the strange shadows of London’s underground to discover just what–or who–is at the center of this new crisis!
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Jan 09, 2024 SRP: $4.99
TRAVEL DEEPER INTO THE MULTIVERSE THAN EVER BEFORE! DREAMING OF BATS. Only two things are certain about the mysterious door that has appeared in the Outsiders’ ship. The first? It was opened by the Drummer, using a set of Multiversal coordinates discovered in a dream. The second? Their computers have identified it only as a “narrative singularity.” For most, to step through such a door would be unthinkable, even insane—which makes it a perfect mission for the Outsiders! As Kate Kane and Luke Fox venture into the unknown reaches of the Multiverse, they will fall deeper and deeper into a maze of darkness, guided by unfamiliar versions of familiar faces. What is this strange world they’ve discovered? How are they connected to it? And who is lurking in the shadows, ready to destroy it all?
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Dec 12, 2023 SRP: $4.99
MONSTERS OF THE UNKNOWN. What hidden tragedies lie inside the Forever Storm of the Enlil Triangle? On January 1, 2000, a storm kicked up near the Enlil island chain in the mid-Atlantic. And it never stopped. As a West Point cadet, Kate Kane encountered something monstrous in those turbulent waves…and now, she is returning to face it alongside the Outsiders! But can she control her desire for revenge in the service of Luke Fox’s mission of understanding? What secrets will they discover deep beneath the monster-filled waves of the Enlil Triangle? And how will the Outsiders survive their encounter with the monster-hunting specialists of the DC Universe: the New Challengers of the Unknown? This new, boundary-breaking dive into the secret history of the DC Universe is just beginning!
The weekend is almost here! What geeky things are you all doing? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for the weekday to end and the weekend to begin, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web.
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Robert Carey In Shops: Nov 14, 2023 SRP: $4.99
Never the End. A universe of secrets is about to come to light. Batman protects Gotham City from evil. Batman Inc. protects the rest of the known world. But what of the unknown world? What of the ancient evils in hidden tombs and forgotten tragedies from a magic-and-mad-sciencefueled super-heroic century? Using his fortune, Luke Fox launches a new organization dedicated to shining light into the world’s darkest corners. His first recruit: Kate Kane, the Batwoman–who will re-embrace her military background to protect Luke’s dream and encounter every bit of strangeness the DCU has to offer. And just wait until you meet the Third Man…or learn what universe-shattering secret they’ve discovered buried under Antarctica. Outsiders is the return of comic book archaeology, digging into all the forgotten corners of DC’s history to preserve, record, and better understand the true nature of the DC Multiverse…and the forgotten stories that make up its fabric.
It was new comic book day yesterday! What did you all get? What’d you like? Sound off in the comments below. While you ponder that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.
When I think of “Outsiders,” I think of a team put together by Batman to deal with threats outside of Gotham. But, that role is now taken by Batman, Inc., and beyond that generally having a “Bat” theme in the characters, the mission feels a bit similar. But, what about what’s unknown? The weird? That’s where this new Outsiders comes in, with Outsiders #1 planting a big flag and opening up worlds of possibilities.
Luke Fox is on a mission. His goal is to build a new organization to deal with the weird and dark corners of what’s out there. For that, he needs to build a team and the first recruit is Kate Kane… Batwoman. But, there’s actually another member already and their first mission is to deal with something buried under Antarctica. What’s buried there is a corner of DC… really Wildstorm’s… history.
Written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Outsiders #1 is a lot of fun and an intriguing start. The trio of the team each bring a very solid aspect that makes this one to watch out for in the future and delivers a dynamic that feels a bit different than what else is out there. Overall, it kind of feels a bit X-Files but with superheroes, and that’s not a bad thing at all.
But, the biggest aspect is what’s teased throughout the issue and revealed at the end. The comic may be an re-introduction to some classic Wildstorm properties that have lingered in the DC vault. With the recent WildC.A.T.S. and Zealot’s inclusion in Birds of Prey, it’s clear DC is dusting off these characters and properties and figuring out how to integrate them properly in the DCU. But, that’s also a negative because if you don’t know what’s teased the impact isn’t quite as exciting. Still, it takes a fun debut issue and boosts it to the next level.
The art by Robert Carey is solid with color by Valentina Taddeo and lettering by Tom Napolitano. What’s key about Outsiders #1, beyond the action, is the scope of size of what’s discovered. The team really nails that down well giving us a feeling of just how tiny the characters are compared to where they are and in many ways it feels like a message that these characters are infinitesimal compared to the missions they’re about to undertake and world they’re about to dive in to. I’ll question why Kate’s snow gear has a cape, but beyond that, the designs and visuals are great taking us from varied locations and with varied characters, into a world that feels cohesive. The comic starts in a warzone but ends in an alien ship and it all feels like the same world.
Outsiders #1 is a fun start that delivers a dose of sci-fi superhero action. It teases a lot to come that may be a huge addition or shakeup to the DC Universe, but we’ll see how it all plays out. Until then, it’s a debut comic that’s a lot of fun and delivers a beginning that feels grand in its scope and ideas.
Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Robert Carey Color: Valentina Taddeo Letterer: Tom Napolitano Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
