BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS/CRIMSON CORSAIR DELUXE EDITION HC

Written by LEN WEIN and JOHN HIGGINS

Art by JAE LEE, JOHN HIGGINS and STEVE RUDE

Cover by JAE LEE and JOHN HIGGINS

Retrosolicit • On sale JUNE 26 • 256 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS

Writer Len Wein and artist Jae Lee delve into the mind of the smartest man in the world: Ozymandias. How does one grow up to become the world’s smartest man? Adrian Veidt begins his journey, both spiritual and physical, that will one day make him one of the most pivotal players in the world changing events of WATCHMEN.

This volume collects BEFORE WATCHMEN: OZYMANDIAS #1-6, “Curse of the Crimson Corsair,” and BEFORE WATCHMEN: DOLLAR BILL #1.

 

BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN/SILK SPECTRE DELUXE EDITION HC

Written by DARWYN COOKE and AMANDA CONNER

Art and cover by DARWYN COOKE and AMANDA CONNER

Retrosolicit • On sale JUNE 26 • 288 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS

Darwyn Cooke tells the tragic tale of the Minutemen, assembled to fight against evil in a world spinning out of control. Can these heroes from completely different backgrounds and with completely different attitudes on crime come together? Or will they fall apart before they begin?

Then, Cooke and Amanda Conner take an look at the Silk Spectre’s early years with her overbearing, Super Hero mother, chronicling her journey down the winding path toward becoming her own kind of hero.

This volume collects BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN 1-6 and BEFORE WATCHMEN: SILK SPECTRE 1-4.

 

BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL/DR. MANHATTAN DELUXE EDITION HC

Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI

Art by ADAM HUGHES, ANDY KUBERT, JOE KUBERT, BILL SIENKIEWICZ and EDUARDO RISSO

Cover by ADAM KUBERT, JOE KUBERT and ADAM HUGHES

On sale JULY 10 • 288 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS

Writer J. Michael Straczynski is joined by artist Andy Kubert in flight with the gadget-savvy hero known as Nite Owl, as Dan Dreiberg inherits the role from Hollis Mason…but can Dreiberg work with the vigilante called Rorschach?

Then, JMS teams with fan-favorite artist Adam Hughes for a tale of Dr. Manhattan. For Dr. Manhattan, past, present, and future are one and the same. But as he observes the events of his life, do they remain the same?

This volume collects BEFORE WATCHMEN: NITE OWL #1-4, BEFORE WATCHMEN: DR. MANHATTAN #1-4 and BEFORE WATCHMEN: MOLOCH #1-2.

 

BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN/RORSCHACH DELUXE EDITION HC

Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO

Art and cover by LEE BERMEJO and J.G. JONES

On sale JULY 10 • 256 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS

Writer Brian Azzarello brings his gritty, nuanced storytelling to these two unforgettable characters. COMEDIAN, featuring art by J.G. Jones (FINAL CRISIS, Wanted), plants the famed war hero within the context of modern American history, as we discover the role he played in the Vietnam War and the Kennedy assassination.

In RORSCHACH, Azzarello teams with artist Lee Bermejo (JOKER, LUTHOR) to show how one of most dangerous vigilantes the comics world has ever seen became even darker.

Collects BEFORE WATCHMEN: COMEDIAN #1-6 and BEFORE WATCHMEN: RORSCHACH #1-4.

 

GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL. 2: ALPHA WAR HC

Written by PETER J. TOMASI

Art by FERNANDO PASARIN, CAFU, SCOTT HANNA and MARC DEERING

Cover by FERNANDO PASARIN

On sale JULY 3 • 192 pg, FC, $24.99 US

When the Alpha Lanterns, the internal police force for the Corps, arrest Green Lantern John Stewart for the murder of a fellow Lantern, it sends shock waves throughout the entire Corps—especially since Stewart refuses to defend himself against the charges. Now, in these tales from issues #8-14 and 0, it’s up to Guy Gardner and the rest of the Green Lanterns to break Stewart out and bring down the emotionless Alpha Lanterns.

 

GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS VOL. 2: BEYOND HOPE HC

Written by TONY BEDARD

Art by TYLER KIRKHAM, BATT, TOMAS GIORELLO and MARCIO TAKARA

Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM and BATT

On sale JULY 31 • 144 pg, FC, $22.99 US

In this volume collecting GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #8-12 and BLUE BEETLE #9, Odym, the homeworld of the Blue Lanterns, is being attacked by alien conquerors know as The Reach. But faced with betrayal by one of their own, the New Guardians’ uneasy alliance teeters on the edge of destruction.

 

BATMAN AND ROBIN VOL. 1: BORN TO KILL TP

Written by PETER J. TOMASI

Art by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY

Cover by PATRICK GLEASON

On sale JUNE 5 • 192 pg, FC, $16.99 US

The first eight issues of the hit DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 series is collected for the first time in trade paperback! Batman and Damian – the new Robin – are driven apart by the insidious Nobody!

 

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 2: CYCLE OF VIOLENCE HC

Written by GREGG HURWITZ

Art by DAVID FINCH, RICHARD FRIEND,

MICO SUAYAN and JUAN JOSE RYP

Cover by DAVID FINCH

On sale JULY 17 • 160 pg, FC, $22.99 US

In this second New 52 volume, The Scarecrow has returned! The villainous genius has always preyed on the worst fears of his victims, but now he’s refined his fear toxin to greater effectiveness—and deadlier consequences. As The Scarecrow’s origin is revelead, Batman must find out not only how to conquer this dangerous psychopath, but how to beat his own worst fear. This volume collects from BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #10-15 and #0.

 

CATWOMAN VOL. 2: NO EASY WAY DOWN TP

Written by ED BRUBAKER

Art by BRAD RADER, RICK BURCHETT, DAN DAVIS, CAMERON STEWART, MIKE MANLEY and JAVIER PULIDO

Cover by CAMERON STEWART

On sale JUNE 12 • 400 pg, FC, $24.99 US

In this new volume collecting CATWOMAN #10-24 and CATWOMAN SECRET FILES #1, The Black Mask, longtime foe of Batman, has his sights set on Gotham City’s East End to house his drug trafficking empire. When Selina Kyle discovers the Black Mask’s intentions, she declares war against his operation. Don’t miss the noir-style tales written by Ed Brubaker!

 

TEEN TITANS VOL. 2: THE CULLING TP

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and FABIAN NICIEZA

Art by BRETT BOOTH, IG GUARA, J.P. MAYER, ALE GARZA and others

Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND

On sale JUNE 19 • 192 pg, FC, $16.99 US

In these tales from TEEN TITANS #8-14 and DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #12, the organization called N.O.W.H.E.R.E. captures Superboy, the Teen Titans and Legion Lost and pits the young heroes against each other to weed out the weak! It will take everything these heroes have to save themselves—but the ruthless Harvest won’t give up easily!

 

SUPERMAN VOL. 1: WHAT PRICE TOMORROW? TP

Written by GEORGE PEREZ

Art by GEORGE PEREZ, JESUS MERINO,

NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT

Cover by GEORGE PEREZ

On sale JUNE 26 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US

Metropolis fears him—and The Daily Planet agrees. In this new paperback, the young Man of Steel must dodge public scrutiny and stop a monstrous threat to Metropolis – one that he somehow is the cause of! Collecting issues #1-6 of the DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 series!

 

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS VOL. 2: THE STARFIRE TP

Written by SCOTT LOBELL

Art by KENNETH ROCAFORT,

ARIO ANINDITO, TIMOTHY GREEN II and PASCAL ALIXE

Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT

On sale JUNE 26 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US

As if Jason Todd didn’t have enough trouble, now Red Robin is knocking on his door—because “Night of The Owls” is here! With Batman in dire need of help, will Red Hood answer the call? Find out in these adventures from issues #8-14! Plus: When Jason and the team find out that Starfire is one of the most feared (and dangerous) commanders in all of space, the team will take to the stars to help decide the fate of the throne of Tamaran.

 

CRISIS ON MULTIPLE EARTHS VOL. 6 TP

Written by GERRY CONWAY and ROY THOMAS

Art by GEORGE PEREZ, DON HECK and others

Cover by GEORGE PEREZ and MIKE DeCARLO

RESOLICIT • On sale JUNE 5 • 208 pg, FC, $19.99 US

The JLA meet the JSA as the teams face Gorilla Grodd and the Secret Society of Super-Villains, then battle the Crime Syndicate and the Crime Champions of Earth-1. This new title collects JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #195-197 and 207-209, plus ALL-STAR SQUADRON #14-15.

Retailers: This title is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.

 

DEATHSTROKE VOL. 2: LOBO HUNT TP

Written by ROB LIEFELD

Art and cover by ROB LIEFELD

On sale JUNE 12 • 208 pg, FC, $19.99 US

For anybody else, hunting Lobo would be suicide. For Deathstroke, it’s just business as usual. But can Slade Wilson handle the power of the intergalactic slaver and last Czarnian? He’ll need some help and he’ll be getting it from Zealot in these stories from DEATHSTROKE #9-14 and 0.

 

HARLEY QUINN: NIGHT AND DAY TP

Written by KARL KESEL

Art by PETE WOODS, TERRY DODSON,

RACHEL DODSON, AMANDA CONNER, PAUL CHADWICK and others

Cover by terry dodson and RACHEL DODSON

On sale JUNE 5 • 192 pg, FC, $16.99 US

In this second Harley collection, Harley gets fed up with crime and decides to switch sides—much to the chagrin of Batman. Then, Harley must whip her gang into shape while battling Killer Croc. Collects HARLEY QUINN #8-13 and HARLEY QUINN: OUR WORLDS AT WAR #1.

 

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN VOL. 2: THE FIRESTORM PROTOCOLS TP

Written by ETHAN VAN SCIVER and JOE HARRIS

Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER, YILDIRAY CINAR, DANIEL HDR and others

Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER

On sale JUNE 19 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US

In this New 52 title collecting issues #7-12 and 0, the Firestorms are spiraling out of control—and when countries around the world begin to create their own Firestorms, new alliances must be forged.

 

TALES OF BATMAN: ARCHIE GOODWIN HC

Written by ARCHIE GOODWIN and JAMES ROBINSON

Art by WALTER SIMONSON, ALEX TOTH, SCOTT HAMPTON, GENE HA and others

Cover by JIM APARO

RESOLICIT • On sale JULY 17 • 480 pg, FC, $39.99 US

These tales from legendary writer Archie Goodwin include the entire Manhunter saga. Collecting DETECTIVE COMICS #437-443, DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #3, SHOWCASE ‘95 #11, LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #132-136, BATMAN: NIGHT CRIES and stories from BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE #1 and 4.

Retailers: This title is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.

 

BATGIRL/ROBIN YEAR ONE TP

Written by CHUCK DIXON and SCOTT BEATTY

Art by MARCOS MARTIN, ALVARO LOPEZ, JAVIER PULIDO and ROBERT CAMPANELLA

Cover by MARCOS MARTIN and JAVIER PULIDO

On sale JUNE 19 • 424 pg, FC, $24.99 US

For the first time in one trade paperback, it’s the year one tales of both Robin and Batgirl, from BATGIRL YEAR ONE #1-9 and ROBIN YEAR ONE #1-4. See what happens when Robin dons his costume for the first time, then learn how Barbara Gordon transformed from ordinary citizen to costumed super heroine.

 

STORMWATCH VOL. 1 TP

Written by WARREN ELLIS

Art by TOM RANEY, JIM LEE, PETE WOODS and others

Cover by JIM LEE

On sale JUNE 12 • 296 pg, FC, $19.99 US

Don’t miss this new collection of Warren Ellis’s STORMWATCH epics from issues #37-47, as The Weatherman transforms the team into a proactive, take-no-prisoners strike force. Starring Jack Hawksmoor, Battalion, Jenny Sparks, Apollo, Midnighter, Rose Tattoo and more!

 

RESURRECTION MAN VOL. 2: A MATTER OF DEATH AND LIFE TP

Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING

Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO, ANDRES GUINALDO, JESUS SAIZ, RAMON BACHS and JAVIER PINA

Cover by FRANCISCO FRANCAVILLA

On sale JUNE 12 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US

In this volume collecting issues #8-12 and 0 plus SUICIDE SQUAD #9, Mitch Shelley learns that the Suicide Squad want his body as the forces of good and evil battle for the soul of the Resurrection Man.

 

SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES VOL. 1 TP

Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO

Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR

On sale JUNE 26 • 128 pg, FC, $12.99 US

Superman! Superboy! Supergirl! Krypto the Superdog! The entire Superman family is reimagined here in this energetic all-ages graphic novel. Don’t miss the heroes of Metropolis fighting such foes as Bizarro, Metallo, Lex Luthor and more in these tales from issues #1-6 of the all-ages series!

 

Click here to see a gallery of covers for the above titles.

 

(SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES VOL. 1 cover by Art Baltazar)

 

Since the launch of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 in September of 2011, prolific writer and comic book industry legend Grant Morrison has been writing the adventures of Superman in ACTION COMICS.

 

But on March 6th, the release of ACTION COMICS #18 will mark Morrison’s final issue as the series’ writer. Concluding a story nearly a full year-and-a-half in the making, this special oversized issue will surely quickly become a “must-have” item for comic book collectors.

 

“It's possibly like no Superman story before, there's a lot of stuff going on it,” Morrison told MTV GEEK about his finale in ACTION COMICS #18. “The readers themselves are implicated in the story. We're going to se a lot of Red Kryptonite hallucinations. The idea is basically; the villain is from the 5th Dimension, this character Lord Vyndktvx is attacking Superman in a lot of different levels. I thought it would be fun to show what it would actually be like to be attacked by a being from a higher mathematical reality who's got control of all your life and can enter from any point. And from that it seems that would be a kind of big battle, it wouldn't just be a big physical battle it would happen in all kinds of levels. So I think what we've done to the comic is we've created this battle between Superman and a monster that resonates across a whole bunch of different ways of attacking Superman including conceptually and morally and physically. So it's a real big assault on the idea of Superman and of course our hero fights back.”

 

“You can look forward to the debut of a new DC Comics super team in ACTION COMICS #18, and it ties into one of the characters that’s been in there before,” Morrison teased to IGN. “There’s a lot of Easter eggs and surprises.”

 

To read more from Morrison about ACTION COMICS #18 and his run on the series, check out the full interviews with the writer that went up this morning on MTV GEEK, IGN, COMIC BOOK RESOURCES, NEWSARAMA, COMIC VINE, IFANBOY, and AOL’s COMICS ALLIANCE. And be sure to visit all seven of these outlets for a sneak peek at the interior art for this month’s ACTION COMICS #17, which ties directly into Morrison’s epic finale!

 

Hitting stores today, SUPERMAN #16 serves as the next chapter in “H’El on Earth” - a crossover event taking place in SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY and SUPERGIRL that unites all of the Super Family for the first time in DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 and puts them into battle with the maniacal alien, H’el, who will stop at nothing to bring back Krypton from extinction … even at the expense of Earth!

 

If you’ve already read the issue, then chances are your jaw is still mopping up the floor underneath you. And you likely have tons of burning questions – like does the appearance of the all-new [name redacted] really mean what it says it means? And if so, what will the Man of Steel have to do in order to save [info redacted]?

 

While there’s still a month until your questions get answered in SUPERMAN #17, the startling conclusion of “H’El on Earth,” we’ve got a special surprise for you today to help make the wait until February 27 a little easier. Below, take an exclusive first look at Kenneth Rocafort’s interior art for SUPERMAN #17, and sound off in the comments section below about what you think will happen in the explosive finale to this tremendous crossover!

 

 

 

 

Over the past few weeks, “Best of” lists dominated the Interwebs—ranging from music to television to, of course, comic books. We even made a blog post linking a few of them that featured some of the great DC titles from THE NEW 52, Vertigo, and more.

 

Yesterday, we posted the first half of our own list celebrating the awesomeness of DC Comics in 2012 with the 12 "Holy Smoke!" Moments in Comics from 2012—six moments that had us screaming in excitement and surprise and that pumped us full of unbridled fan-thusiasm. It’s like regular enthusiasm covered with a healthy dose of fantasticness!

 

Today, we finish up our list with the final six "Holy Smoke!" Moments in Comics from 2012!

 

Aquaman’s Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

For anyone who doesn’t like venturing into the ocean, this moment is probably one of your biggest fears. You’re swimming along—an act of which the sole purpose is to make sure you don’t die—when all of a sudden you look behind you and you see rows of giant white gleaming fangs. This is exactly the situation a young Arthur Curry found himself in while diving into the deep in AQUAMAN #0. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, indeed.

 

 

Penguins Can't Fly
From the first image released of Alfred of BATMAN: EARTH ONE fans knew one thing for sure: this it not the Alfred we’re used to seeing. Needless to say, Alfred proved how much of a badass he was throughout the entirety of the Geoff Johns-penned OGN. But without a doubt, the ultimate "Holy smoke!" moment came during the book’s climax when Alfred blew the Penguin out the window with a shotgun. Jaw-dropping and insanely awesome.

 

Superman Goes Home
SUPERMAN #0 presented an interesting tale stunning illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort that explored the lives of Jor-El and Lara as the pair discovered not only that Lara was pregnant with the would-be Man of Steel, but that Krypton was doomed. However, the real twist came at the end, when we observed Superman on the planet during this time. How he got there and what it means is still yet to be seen, but he was wearing a costume similar to the one in the promo image for Andy Diggle and Tony Daniel's upcoming run on Action Comics.

 

Gods, Old and New
This was a bit of a tough one. With a single splash page, Brian Azzarello capped off his first year on Wonder Woman with a literal "BOOM," one that sent fans into a frenzy of delight and excitement. It seemed impossible for him to top it, but with the very next issue—WONDER WOMAN #0—he did it through sheer ingenuity. Not only did Azzarello present a wonderfully engaging flashback story beautifully illustrated by Cliff Chiang, but he also told it in a very clever way through Golden Age-style narration.

 

The One Who Knocks
We’ve been anxiously anticipating the Joker’s return to Gotham ever seen he disappeared at the end of DETECTIVE COMICS #1. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo sent chills down our collective spines in BATMAN #13 and made sure to keep the Joker in the shadows until the climatic final scene. The issue ended with the Joker revealed in all his gory glory... while attacking Alfred at Wayne Manor. It was a moment that immediately set the stage and raised the stakes for this Batman epic.

 

Trinity War
The DC COMICS—THE NEW 52 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY special answered some questions and asked one really, really big one (with a really, really big gatefold illustration): what is the Trinity War?

 

 

Saw anything we missed? What were YOUR favorite DC Comics moments from 2012? Let us know in the comments below!