This week Clay, Kyle Josh and Daniel welcome Comic Writers Howard Wong and Josh Stafford to discuss their upcoming project Damned, Cursed Children from Source Point Press, available January 27, 2021
We hope everyone stays Safe and Healthy. Please WEAR A MASK & WASH YOUR HANDS!
FUTURE STATE: DARK DETECTIVE #1 “Dark Detective” written by MARIKO TAMAKI art by DAN MORA “Grifter” written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Dark Detective #1 Covers by Dan Mora and Variant by John Paul Leon
DARK DETECTIVE The world thought Bruce Wayne was dead. They were dead wrong! When the sinister para-military organization known as the Magistrate seizes control of Gotham City, the original Batman went big to put them down…but even the Dark Knight couldn’t predict how far this evil force would go to stop him. Now, Bruce Wayne is on the run! From Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and rising star artist Dan Mora, it’s the story of a Batman pushed to the brink—with nothing left to lose. “This is one of the most anticipated titles in the FUTURE STATE line.” Daniel from the Next issue Podcast
Preview Art for Dark Detective #1
GRIFTER Grifter is back! Cole Cash is having a bad day, and that’s not going to improve when the detectives of the GCPD show up! Will a chance meeting with Luke Fox change his luck? Or is his day about to get a lot worse? What can we expect from Grifter as he is back in Gotham?
Preview Art for the Grifter story in Dark Detective #1
Will you be picking up DARK DETECTIVE #1? In Shops: January 12, 2021 (DC Tuesdays!) $5.99 US | 48 PAGES CARD STOCK VARIANT COVER $6.99 US
Written by Daniel co-host of the Next Issue Podcast @eckospider on Twitter. Find the bi- Weekly podcast @NextIssuePod anywhere podcasts are available. Podcast available at Next Issue Podcast page
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 is a comic book published by DC Comics Written by Scott Snyder Art by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Yanick Paquette & Bryan Hitch Colors by FCO Plascencia, Nathan Fairbarn & Alex Sinclair Letters by Tom Napolitano
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 cover by Capullo, Glapion & Plascencia
AN ANTI-CRISIS, PART VII: A SLAP IN THE FACE DC’s biggest, baddest battle for control of the Multiverse! The Darkest Knight is on the verge of ending this concert once and for all, but Wonder Woman stands ready to shred the Darkest Knight. This extra-sized finale issue includes not one but two mind-blowing epilogues that lead directly into the next phase of the DC Universe—and no fan will want to miss that!!
This will contain a bit of spoilers for anything prior to issue number seven. This issue is the culmination of the battle for the universe and the faith of everything going forward. We pick up with Wonder Woman fighting the Darkest Knight but she is not the only one, multiple battles take place across the battleground and although the story focuses on DC’s Trinity, there are many characters whose arcs come to a close in this last chapter. This battle will be settled here.
Scott Snyder‘s final symphony of Death Metal brings about the most epic fight in the history of the Multiverse. This issue is not only delivering a fantastic, bombastic story, but it’s rewarding long time readers of the comic books and those engulfed in DC continuity. This is a very emotional issue and it’s a roller coaster of a ride from the beginning, the pacing picks up as the issue ramps up to its crescendo, and the moment when you feel all is lost Snyder’s writing picks you back up and rallies back to continue the fight until we arrive at a moment of peace and serenity.
The team of Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia is a well oiled machine and this may be their best collaboration in comics to date. There are so many individual characters and the level of detail in each of them is outstanding. The panel layouts of this book are one of the most impressive parts of the full composition, not only does Capullo and the team make the reader physically turn the book as he has done in the past, but the layouts illustrate multiple events happening at the same time but it allows the reader to be clear on what is happening on each page Plascencia colors are vibrant and elevate the art and the impact at the conclusion of the event the art becomes simple and very calming The two back of stories have completely different art in our teams and this helps understand that the world is now different moving forward
This whole issue is accented and rounded off by Tom Napolitano‘s lettering. The multiple styles portrayed for each of the universes and the different characters that inhabit this issue allow the reader to have a clear distinction on the difference between them.
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7really feels like a combination of years of storytelling and hard work on behalf of the team and DC comics. The event as a whole is an impressive showcase of both talent and the depth of the DC Multiverse and although it may not be the most “first time reader friendly” book, it is an enjoyable ride that rocks everyone’s faces off.
If you’re interested in seeing How Deep to dive into the Tie-ins of this event check out our previous article
Dark Nights: Death Metal #7 is available January 5th wherever comics are sold.
Rating 5/5
Written by Daniel co-host of the Next Issue Podcast @eckospider on Twitter. Find the bi- Weekly podcast @NextIssuePod anywhere podcasts are available. Podcast available at Next Issue Podcast page
In a world of comic event happening every few months. DC comics prepares to launch Future State on January 5th 2021, but if you’re a new reader or have not been reading DC comics, the question remains, “What is Future State
DC Nation Presents: Future State
Here is the official description from our peeps at Comixology.
“DC Future State spotlights the World’s Greatest Super Heroes in fresh new roles, with all-new characters taking up their iconic mantles and terrifying new Super-Villains that will push them beyond their limits. DC Future State features an incredible array of creative talent, combining award-winning writers and artists with new voices from the worlds of TV, movies, and animation. In DC Future State, the Multiverse has been saved from the brink of destruction, but the triumph of DC’s heroes has shaken loose the very fabric of time and space! The final chapter of Dark Nights: Death Metal brings new life to DC’s Multiverse, kicking off this glimpse into the unwritten worlds of DC’s future!”
a full list of all the Future State titles
Starting this January, for two months, DC comics is taking a break form their ongoing continuity and skipping ahead into the future, a Future State where we’ll see the next generation of DC heroes having adventures, before returning to the present.
Presumably if some of those short miniseries about future heroes are really popular, they may get sequels. This potential glimpse into a future timeline. DC is has assembled an amazing roster of creator so handle these stories. It would be fair to assume that any series that is successful could be continued in the future although no official announcements have been made.
How to best pick what to read in Future State. Here is what we recommend. 1- Follow a creative team that you like even if you have never read that character or series. 2- Pick a character or family of characters (Batfamily, Superfamily, Magic etc) 3- Check out only the Anthology books, a few of the announced books are 80 page giants that contain 3 stories each, be advised those are priced at $7.99, most of the other titles range from $3.99 – $5.99 4 – If you have an unlimited budget, just get them all!! 5 – If patience is your strongest trait, wait for a collected edition or wait until the DC Infinite Service launches and they should be available to read there as part of your subscription in the next 6 months.
Let us know in the comments or twitter, which books you picked up, who are your new favorite characters and which stories you would like to see continued.
Written by Daniel co-host of the Next Issue Podcast @eckospider on Twitter. Find the bi- Weekly podcast @NextIssuePod anywhere podcasts are available. Podcast available at Next Issue Podcast page
THE NEXT BATMAN, PART ONE / OUTSIDERS, PART ONE / ARKHAM KNIGHTS, PART ONE
Written by John Ridley, Brandon Thomas & Paul Jenkins Art by Nick Derrington, Sumit Kumar, Raul Fernandez & Jack Herbert Colors by Tamra Bonvillain, Jordie Bellaire & Gabe Eltaeb Letters by Clayton Cowles, Steve Wands & Rob Leigh
Future State: The Next Batman #1 cover by Ladrönn
This first Issues is comprised of three different all new stories set in the FUTURE STATE The Next Batman Who is the Next Batman and how will Gotham receive this new Caped Crusader? Gotham City has always been dangerous—but now, it’s downright deadly! Following the tragedy of “A-Day,” the mayor allowed the private law enforcement group known as “the Magistrate” to take over policing so-called mask crime—and that has given rise to a new Dark Knight! What is this mysterious crime fighter’s connection to former Batman weaponeer Lucius Fox? The fight for justice has never been this dangerous!
Interior art by Derrington & Bonvillain
The Outsiders The Outsiders are back, but they have received a very cool upgrade. In a new tale of the Outsiders, everything in Gotham City may be under the thumb of the Magistrate—but even members of that totalitarian force know that the outskirts of town are protected by the sword of Katana!
Arkham Knights A new force rises out of Arkham, but whose side are they on? Ride with the Arkham Knights on their quest for freedom. Arkham Asylum has been decommissioned, and the Magistrate rules the land with an iron fist and zero tolerance. Now it’s time for the lunatics to take back their town! Follow Croc, Two-Face, Phosphorus, Zsasz, Clayface, and Astrid Arkham as the Arkham Knights raise holy hell on the occupiers of Gotham!
Three different Stories that will reshape both Gotham City and the Legacy of The Batman. This title will be available January 5th 2021 wherever DC comics are sold
Written by Daniel co-host of the Next Issue Podcast @eckospider on Twitter. Find the bi- Weekly podcast @NextIssuePod anywhere podcasts are available. Podcast available at Next Issue Podcast page
Dark Nights: Death Metal is the Sequel to Dark Nights: Metal from 2017. This DC Comics event has shaped the DC Universe over the past few years and this current event promises to change it all forever. The Main Issues of this event have been created by the team of Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia and Tom Napolitano.
Promotional Art by Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion & FCO Plascencia
These comic book events can often times have alot of supplementary tie-in comics and series. This article is not about the reading order, for that I recommend checking out this article be the great folks at How to Love Comics. This post is our way to help you decide how deep to dive into this event. We read all the tie-ins so you don’t have to, unless you want to.
The Main Core of the Story. These 7 issues are the main part of the story, there is enough here in these issues for complete story, no extra reading just pure DEATH METAL Dark Nights: Death Metal issues 1 – 7
Death Metal Issues 1 – 7
The Sounds of Death Metal! The following issues are all one shots that although not immediately relevant to the main story, really allow the reader to understand certain events and references that the characters in the Main DEATH METAL title are experiencing. These titles could be seen as side quest that are consequential to the main story. None of these issues are an ongoing series but they directly affect our protagonists and antagonists. Dark Nights: Death Metal – Legends of the Dark Knights Dark Nights: Death Metal – Trinity Crisis Dark Nights: Death Metal – Speed Metal Dark Nights: Death Metal – Multiverse’s End Dark Nights: Death Metal – Rise of the New God
The Coda of Doom If you are in this deep and need more lets go on a SIDE QUEST the issues below are part of an ongoing series and the events are directly related to DEATH METAL. The Events on this miniseries indirectly affect the characters and lead up to Death Metal issue #5 Justice League Issues 53 – 57 (2020) “DOOM METAL” This story directly deals with the fate of the Legion of Doom during the Events of DEATH METAL. For a Full breakdown check out this article from DC Comics
Justice League #53 – 57
Turn it up to ELEVEN, and ROCK OUT This level for the true completionists. If you are into the deep cuts these issues are for you. This is where the creators explore the backgrounds and motivations of everyone involved in the story. Explore the dark multiverse at your leisure. Although these titles do not directly impact the main story they add depth and substance. Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook Dark Nights: Death Metal – Robin King Dark Nights: Death Metal – Infinite Hours Exxxtreme! Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Multiverse Who Laughs Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Secret Origin Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last Stories of the DCU Dark Nights: Death Metal – The Last 52: War of the Multiverses
Tie-in issues for big events are not for everyone, but this should help you decide how to spend your money and how deep to dive into Dark Nights: Death Metal ROCK ON!!
Written by Daniel co-host of the Next Issue Podcast @eckospider on Twitter. Find the bi- Weekly podcast @NextIssuePod anywhere podcasts are available. Podcast available at Next Issue Podcast page
Kyle: Stories from the Dark Multiverse one shot & Transformers Manga collection
Clay: Klaus on Netflix
Daniel: Marvel’s Snapshots: X-Men by Jay Eddidin, Tom Reilly, Chris O’Halloran & Tom Orzeckowski – King In Black: Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing & Aaron Kuder
This week Kyle Josh and Daniel discuss their favorite Holiday Media!
We hope everyone stays Safe and Healthy. Please WEAR A MASK & WASH YOUR HANDS!
Previously on Next Issue … [01:00 – 20:00]
COMICS DISCUSSED
New Mutants 14 by Vita Ayala & Rod Reis
, X-Force 15
Iron Man 5
Endless Winter 3-6
Savage Avengers
Main Topic [20:00 – 01:04:00]
The Christmas Episode
Favorite Media related to the holiday times ahead
Why is it special?
Daniel’s picks
Movies: Scrooged, The Night Before, Die Hard (but I’ll let Clay Talk about this one), Home Alone (top grossing Xmas), Batman Returns, Elf, it’s a wonderful life (usually at the Angelika)
