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DC Comics July 2022 Solicitations - The Highlights

The DC Comics July 2022 solicitations have arrived, and, as usual, we have put our heads together here at Comics Bookcase to compile a list of our personal highlights from among the releases. The big news for DC Comics in July is that both Batman and Detective Comics are getting new creative teams. In addition, we’ve found some other gems, too. You can read the full DC Comics July 2022 solicitations via our friends at The Beat.

You can find our full list of DC Comics July 2022 solicitations highlights below…enjoy!

DC Comics July 2022 Solicitations - The Highlights

Batman #125 - On Sale July 5, 2022
Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
Art and cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
Backup art by BELÉN ORTEGA
Variant covers by JIM LEE, SCOTT WILLIAMS, GABRIELE DELL'OTTO, INHYUK LEE, and FRANCESCO MATTINA
Acetate variant cover by SIMONE DI MEO A
1:25 wraparound variant cover by JORGE JIMENEZ
1:50 variant cover by JOCK
1:125 variant cover by ALEX GARNER
1:250 variant cover by CHIP ZDARSKY
1:500 variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
Superstar writer Chip Zdarsky joins legendary artist Jorge Jimenez to define a new era in Batman!
Bruce Wayne is at a turning point, haunted by dreams of a dark future, while Gotham City billionaires are being gruesomely murdered. With the discovery of an archenemy's involvement and a tragedy unfolding, the Dark Knight's nightmares are just beginning.
"Failsafe" starts here.
And in the backup, there's chaos in Gotham as the underworld fights over one of its crown jewels…and Selina Kyle is caught in the middle. Can she stop the bloodshed and maybe even make a little money in the process?
Why It’s Cool: Have you been reading writer Chip Zdarsky’s work on Daredevil? What about his work on Batman: The Knight? They are both good, real good, and now he will be scripting the flagship Batman title, starting with this issue. Even better, he’ll be joined by returning series artist Jorge Jiemenz, who has just done fantastic work with the Caped Crusader for a few years now. (Zack Quaintance)
Read the announcement here!

Batman: One Dark Knight HC - On Sale September 20, 2022
Written by JOCK
Art and cover by JOCK
$29.99 US | 168 pages | 8 1/2" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-77951-028-0
It was the sort of mission Batman had run a thousand times. From high above the sweltering summer streets of Gotham, Batman would escort the GCPD as the dangerous metahuman supervillain known as E.M.P. was transferred from a temporary holding cell to his permanent home at Blackgate Prison in Gotham Harbor. E.M.P.'s electrical powers posed a dangerous threat, but the situation was well in hand. Until it wasn't. Now every light in Gotham is out, the police have been knocked into disarray, and a broken, bleeding Batman must fight his way to Blackgate, block by block, dragging E.M.P. behind him. But it's not just the gangs who want to make life difficult for him. The dark corners of Gotham contain many surprises…and E.M.P. has many more shocks to deliver before the night is through! One of the most iconic Batman artists of the 21st century, the incomparable Jock (The Batman Who Laughs, Batman: The Black Mirror), has focused all his storytelling powers on the tale of one very, very dark night in Gotham City. It's always darkest before the dawn—if it ever comes… Collects Batman: One Dark Knight #1-3.
Why It’s Cool: I haven’t read the third issue of this series by Jock yet, but through the first 2/3, this story has been an absolute banger. It plunges Batman and the rest of Gotham City into total darkness via a supervillain named E.M.P. (who as his name implies can do things like that), and what results is a Batman story that feels like it falls somewhere between The Warriors and Serpico. (Zack Quaintance)


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DC Vs. Vampires Content
Why It’s Cool:
DC vs. Vampires expands once again from it’s initial twelve part mini series! In July we will both revisit the main line with issue #7 after a brief hiatus; as well as embrace a new series to go with it. DC vs Vampires: All Out War #1 promises to bring the concept of Total War to the story. Writer Matthew Rosenberg himself calls this new title, an, “all-you-can-eat buffet of grindhouse mayhem,” and that is pretty much all I needed to hear to be sold. As an added bonus, all of these titles are rocking hard with elite cover work. (Larry Jorash)
DC VS. VAMPIRES: ALL-OUT WAR #1 - On Sale July 19, 2022
Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG and ALEX PAKNADEL
Art by PASQUALE QUALANO
Backup written and drawn by GUILLAUME SINGELIN
Cover by ALAN QUAH
Variant cover by KAEL NGU
1:25 variant cover by JAMES STOKOE
1:50 variant cover by EJIKURE
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Black and White | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
One of the last secret, underground human cities is facing total annihilation and its leader—John Constantine—must plan a suicide mission to assassinate a key lieutenant in the vampire empire! Against unreal odds and with an unlikely team including Booster Gold, Deathstroke, and Mary Marvel, does the Hellblazer have one more trick up his sleeve?
A gritty, violent, monochromatic companion series to DC vs. Vampires, this series will feature a brutal story with a cadre of talented creators delivering 32 pages of original content for $3.99!
DC VS. VAMPIRES #7 - On Sale July 5, 2022
Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG and JAMES TYNION IV
Art by OTTO SCHMIDT
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
Variant cover by FRANCESCO MATTINA
1:25 variant cover by LEIRIX
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 7 of 12 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
The nightmarish second arc begins! The Earth is now cloaked in darkness as the victorious vampire empire has taken full control. Pockets of humanity can still be found, and they struggle to live but hope fades with every darker day. The leaders of the last surviving resistance force—Green Arrow, Batgirl, and Supergirl—hatch a desperate plan to save the world…or die trying!

Detective Comics #1062 - On Sale July 26, 2022
Written by RAM V
Art by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Cover by EVAN CAGLE
Backup written by SIMON SPURRIER
Backup art by DANI
Variant covers by LEE BERMEJO and J.H. WILLIAMS III
1:25 variant cover by INHYUK LEE
1:50 foil variant cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
$4.99 US | 40 pages | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
Gotham Nocturne part 1 of 4: "Overture." It's a new era for the detective of the night as we introduce award-winning new series writer Ram V (Catwoman, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr), and artist extraordinaire Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire, Superman/Batman)! Together, they'll be turning Gotham into a tragic yet beautiful gothic opera for our eyes and ears to feast on.
Something is terribly wrong with Batman. No matter the tests Bruce takes, nor the numbers he counts, the greatest detective in the world can't pin down the source of this creeping dread—of his own inner demons and a looming mortality. Meanwhile, real demons roam the shadows as an ancient melody haunts the Gotham night. Here now the curtains rise and as the eerie tune streams in…who is human, who is demon, who is to tell? As Batman investigates the songs and the demons of Gotham, he is forced to confront the oldest question…whether there has been a demon within him all along…and if so, what does it want?…and why hasn't it taken over yet?
Why It’s Cool: If Rafael Albuquerque’s concept art wasn’t enough to make me excited about this new run of Detective Comics, Ram V’s writing surely would. I don’t usually read too many Bat-centric books, but this one has to be the exception. Gotham is a creepy place, and this series seems to only up the ante on how scary it can be. Playing with the aesthetic of the city creates all the best Batman stories and I fully believe this creative team is going somewhere we’ve never seen before. (Deidre Freitas)

Kamandi by Jack Kirby, Vol. 1 - On Sale August 9, 2022
Written by JACK KIRBY Art and cover by JACK KIRBY $39.99 US | 456 pages | 6 5/8" x 10 3/16"| Softcover
ISBN: 978-1-77951-631-2
A great disaster has destroyed civilization, leaving a young boy to search for safe haven in a world populated by mutated animals and strange wonders. Join Kamandi's band of anthropomorphic supporting characters as they search for answers and adventure across the wastelands of Earth! In this volume, legendary comics creator Jack Kirby introduces a whole new world as Kamandi faces dangers unimaginable with an open heart, a savvy mind, and brave friends! Collects Jack Kirby's run on Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth #1-20.
Why It’s Cool: It’s a new paperback collection of Jack Kirby’s first 20-issue run of Kamandi, which creates the character and his interesting world. I know we could technically do this for every item on this list, but really, I think that’s all that need be said about why this one is cool. (Zack Quaintance)

Superman: Space Age - On Sale July 26, 2022
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art and cover by MIKE ALLRED
Variant cover by STEVE RUDE
1:25 variant cover by NICK DERINGTON
1:50 variant cover by MIKE ALLRED
$9.99 US | 80 pages | 1 of 3 | Prestige
Meet Clark Kent, a young reporter who just learned that the world will soon come to an end (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and there is nothing he can do to save it. Sounds like a job for his alter ego…Superman!
After years of standing idle, the young man from Krypton defies the wishes of his fathers to come out to the world as the first superhero of the Space Age. As each decade passes and each new danger emerges, he wonders if this is the one that will kill him and everyone he loves. Superman realizes that even good intentions are not without their backlash as the world around him transforms into a place as determined to destroy itself as he is to save it.
Uniting the critically acclaimed writer Mark Russell (One-Star Squadron and The Flintstones) and Eisner-winner Mike Allred (Silver Surfer and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams) for the first time, this series promises fans an unforgettable journey through U.S. history and culture starring our beloved characters.
Why It’s Cool: I'm excited to add this gem to my "No, Superman is actually amazing in the right hands" arsenal. Between Mark Russell, who proved very adept at handling mainline DC property with Year of the Villains one-shots Riddler and Sinestro, and legendary, neo-silver age maestro Mike Allred, these are very much the right hands. If that wasn't enough to convince you, the spellbinding variants from Steve Rude and Nick Derrington certainly will. (Harrison Stewart)

The Swamp Thing #15 - On Sale July 26, 2022
Written by RAM V
Art and cover by MIKE PERKINS
Variant cover by CHARLIE ADLARD
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 15 of 16 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
The Earth stands on the precipice of destruction as the Parliament of Trees considers a truly dangerous proposal from the Pale Pilgrim. Now Swamp Thing is all that stands between the natural world and Armageddon…or is he? Enter Trinity—an unprecedented being created by humankind's most destructive moment who may prove to be our only hope of salvation.
Why It’s Cool: The penultimate issue of The Swamp Thing has me already wishing for more. From Ram V and Mike Perkins, this series has been easily one of the best DC’s had in the last year. Revitalizing a character like Swamp Thing and telling a compelling story is no easy task, and I cannot wait to see how they entwine The Green’s history with the previous avatars. I cannot wait to see how Levi’s story ends. (Deidre Freitas)

Who’s Who, Vol. 2 Omnibus - On Sale September 6, 2022
Written by VARIOUS
Art by VARIOUS
Cover by BRIAN BOLLAND, GEORGE PÉREZ, and others
$150.00 US | 1,216 pages | 7 1/16" x 10 7/8" | Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-77951-519-3
DC's encyclopedia of heroes and villains steps into the 1990s in this massive hardcover continuing the classic Who's Who biography series! Also includes the spin-off series Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes, spotlighting DC's greatest team of the 30th century. Collects Who's Who in the Legion of Super-Heroes #1-7, Who's Who in the DC Universe #1-16, and Who's Who in the DC Universe Update 1993 #1-2.
Why It’s Cool: These Who’s Who comics — which they should absolutely bring back someday, ahem — are so much fun, serving as sort of a serialized encyclopedia of what’s happening within DC Comics. These sort of retroactively omnibus-ed collections of them serve as fascinating snapshots of moments in time. I just love them. (Zack Quaintance)

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