Looking Forward to September: DC Comics

It’s the second week in the Looking Forward cycle, which must mean it’s time to check out what DC Comics has in store down the road! And the big news is basically just one thing: Zero Month.

Timed to the one-year anniversary of the launch of the New 52 initiative, Zero Month (September) will feature the release of #0 issues for basically all the series in the DC line-up. For that month, every DC Comic will be a zero issue! According to DC, the #0′s will be stand-alone stories. “Some issues will tell the origins of a character or a team, or in some case where an origin has already been told, they will fill in the blanks in terms of questions readers may have about the New 52 DC Universe,” said Bob Harras, DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief. “Each of these issues promises to reveal something surprising.”

And debuting at #0 are four NEW comic book series, essentially the "Third Wave" of the New 52, starting with Talon!

TALON #0

Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Guillem March

A new series featuring the Court of Owls’ unstoppable killing machine! Meet Calvin Rose, the only Talon ever to escape the grasp of the Court of Owls. This former assassin just wants to live a normal life…but that’s impossible, since he’s being hunted by his former masters!

The Court of Owls storyline has been totally enjoyable, and the fact that Scott Snyder is writing this is definitely promising!

PHANTOM STRANGER #0

Written by Dan DiDio
Art by Brent Anderson, Scott Hanna

Learn what happened to The Phantom Stranger after the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY story, and how he is responsible for the creation of The Spectre! And what else has he done that may have sealed the fate of the entire DC Universe? Major players in The New 52 will be introduced in these pages!

I honestly can’t remember what happened in the Free Comic Book Day story, so if anyone wants to fill me in please do so in the comments! At any rate, I’ve always liked the Phantom Stranger as a character so I’ll definitely be reading this. And hasn’t his origin always been somewhat of a mystery? Perhaps we’ll find out more in these pages.

SWORD OF SORCERY #0

Written by Christy Marx, Antony Bedard
Art by Aaron Lopresti & Various

In this new series featuring the long-awaited return of AMETHYST, Amy Winston leads a strange life on the road with her mother. She’s about to learn why it’s all been necessary when she discovers she’s the lost princess of Gemworld – and has powerful enemies hunter her! AMETHYST is written by Christy Marx, best known for her work on animated TV series including G.I. Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more, as well as the comics series Sisterhood of Steel. And in the backup story set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the monstrous warrior BEOWULF is charged with finding and defeating the evil Grendel.

I’m not sure I would categorize the return of Amethyst as "long-awaited," but the comic book world can always use more super-heroines. And the fact that this series is being written by the creator of 1980s cartoon icon Jem??? That’s just awesome.

TEAM 7 #0

Written by Justin Jordan
Art by Jesus Merino

Threads of the entire DC Universe collide in this new series set in the early days of The New 52 from writer Justin Jordan. As Superman emerges, so too does the world’s counter measures against him and his kind! Dinah Lance, Amanda Waller, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash, Slade Wilson are Team 7 – and their story will change everything you know about The New 52! 

This one is based on the 1990s WildStorm title of the same name. Team 7 is essentially the government’s superhero response team, made up of some faces you probably already recognize. You might also recognize the name of writer Justin Jordan as the man behind one of our favorite stories of 2012: The Strange Talent of Luther Strode! I don’t know if Team 7 will be as over-the-top as Luther Strode was, but here’s hoping!

FABLES
WEREWOLVES OF THE HEARTLAND HC

Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Jim Fern, Craig Hamilton and Ray Snyder

Bigby Wolf takes center stage in what might be the most action-packed Fables story to date. Bigby embarks on a quest through the American Heartland to find a new location for Fabletown. In his wanderings, Bigby stumbles across a small town named Story City, that, amazingly enough, seems to be populated by werewolves. Who are they and where did they come from? They aren’t Fables, but they sure aren’t normal mundys. They seem to already know and revere Bigby, but at the same time they’ve captured and caged him – but why? Unravelling the many mysteries of Story City may cost Bigby more than his life.

Lastly, gotta throw in a shout for this one. I know it’s a hardcover and technically an illegal pick, but come on… it’s Fables! And just about anything these guys put out seems to be high quality. From the long-running series to the Peter and Max novel. This hardcover’s only $22.99 for 160 pages of Bigby Wolf awesomeness.