DC Comics is heading into the summer in a big way as not long after the big crossover between Batman and The Flash that delved into the mystery around Rebirth we are getting a new big event. Not only does June bring a big DC Rebirth event but also proves to be a big anniversary month for the company. Throughout the month many comic books are hitting their 25th issue, with some using the occasion to wrap up or bring together stories that started when DC Rebirth kicked off. What else does DC Comics have in store for us in June 2017? Let’s find out.
Dark Days For The DC Universe
Scott Snyder has written some big events in the Batman comic books throughout his career at DC Comics. Now it looks like he is finally taking the reins on a big event that crossover through the entire DC Universe. While Batman will most certainly be a central figure in ‘Dark Days,’ this will be Snyder’s big chance to write other DC Universe characters like Aquaman and Flash in a main protagonist role.
What’ll be interesting to see is what dark secret that Batman is withholding from his friends and family. We already saw during a recent issue of Justice League that his teammates finally learned about his contingency plans to take each of them down if they ever went rogue. So since that has already been revealed to the Justice League could it possibly be that Dark Days will be the introduction of Brother Eye, something Batman created to monitor heroes and villains? It wouldn’t be out of the question given everything he has been doing in All-Star Batman, Detective Comics and Batman ongoings.
Batman: Year One & The Long Halloween Get Rebirth Treatment?
Tom King has really made the Batman ongoing series his own. One of the best aspects of his run is how he is using the entire spectrum of Batman’s Rogues Gallery in new ways that explore the characters. Now with the big Bane-centric arc out of the way it’s finally time for King to get his hands on Joker and Riddler, two villains that played a major part in Snyder’s run. With how Rebirth has helped reset many characters it’ll be exciting to see what King does to further and differentiate the two characters from what we’ve seen from them since New 52 began. Drawing comparisons to Year One and The Long Halloween certainly build up the anticipation for this Batman anniversary issue.
Reverse-Flash Returns For Revenge
As much as I am over The Flash TV show dealing with speedsters as the main villains the comic book has done a good job varying things. And with how much Barry has already dealt with since DC Rebirth began this is the right time for Eobard Thawne to make his presence known as Reverse-Flash.
What I’ll be intrigued about from the “Running Scared” arc is what Reverse-Flash knows about what we’ve learned about the New 52 reboot since DC Rebirth started. This arc could very well be a sequel to the Batman/Flash crossover since Reverse-Flash did play a major role in Flashpoint. Learning some of these facts would be a perfect thing for a Flash anniversary issue to do.
Justice League Going Political
Bryan Hitch’s work on Justice League has not been the stellar storytelling we’ve come to expect from the series, especially coming off Geoff Johns’ epic run. That said it is interesting to see that come June Hitch is going to go on a political route by dealing with DC’s allegory for immigrants. Hitch certainly has experience with political comic book stories with his work on The Ultimates back when he worked for Marvel. But unlike The Ultimates, where Mark Millar was the writer, this time Hitch is the one writing the stories. Will his time with The Ultimates help him write a compelling story with the Justice League? Or will he fall down the dark rabbit hole that is politics and comic books merging, getting lost in the two in the process? We’ll find that out starting in June.
Dark Times For The Titans
Since forming both the Titans and the Teen Titans things have not been easy for the next generation of heroes. Though “The Lazarus Contract” will be over by the time June starts, the aftermath of the crossover looks to be lingering for both teams. This especially seems to be the case for the Titans, where Dan Abnett is now teasing a betrayal from within. Since Terra isn’t on the team it could be anyone on the team that Omen sees in her visions as a traitor, even herself.
On the Teen Titans side of things, it’s interesting to see Kid Flash finally taking the spotlight. So far Wallace West has been able to take on the Kid Flash role successfully. But since he is a kid still full of doubt being on a team with Damian Wayne is probably not a positive for him. That is something Benjamin Percy looks to be tackling along with integrating the new Aqualand in a team that is looking more like the Young Justice cartoon’s team.
Wonder Woman Stories Merge
Though I did end up liking what I read from Greg Rucka’s early issues of Wonder Woman the story structure was a turn off from reading the series on a monthly basis. It all felt like it would be better read in a trade paperback with each story being told in one cohesive package. So because of that I am excited by the possibility that Wonder Woman #25 will tie everything up and we get a better cohesive structure where we aren’t skipping around too much.
WB Cartoons Get Real With The DC Universe
DC Comics has really been big on doing cross-promotional crossovers lately. This time around they are working within their own family company as June sees the DC Universe crossover with major Looney Toon characters. From the covers alone there is something to be excited for from each one-shot issue. And even though I am not a Jonah Hex fan, I am oddly excited for the Jonah Hex/Yosemite Sam Special #1 the most. Something about that crossover makes the most sense out of all of them.
Though I do hope that the Legion of Super-Heroes/Bug Bunny Special #1 isn’t the only comic book that has a Looney Toons cartoon style to it. I want to see different types of artist tackle each issue, rather than just going with the “What if the Looney Toons existed in the DC Universe” route. The Martian Manhunter/Marvin The Martian Special #1 would especially benefit from a more psychedelic art style.
There are other big things that I am excited for from DC’s June 2017, like Batman and Zatanna teaming up and the status quo of the Green Lantern Corps, and the above were just the biggest things that stood out. Let us know what you are looking forward to from DC in June 2017 in the comments below.
