Revelations, Resolutions and Goodbyes

HERE’S THE ROUNDUP!

Sometimes when the stakes are this huge and the scale this massive, twenty pages just isn’t enough. It’s fortunate, then, that Vertigo have their extra-sized Annuals. This week sees the release of four of them, some kicking off exciting new storylines, others offering explosive finales.

In her very first New 52 Annual, things between Batwoman and the DEO finally come to a (skinless) head as she confronts Mr. Bones once and for all. This Annual is a must read for fans of the series, finishing off BATWOMAN #24’s unfinished storyline and closing the door on one chapter of Kate Kane’s life while setting her on a new path that’s ripe with possibilities. But will that path put her at odds with Batman? Don’t look to us for answers, you’ll have to read the comic!

Meanwhile in THE FLASH ANNUAL #3, the new writing team of Van Jensen and Robert Venditti continue their shocker of a storyline that started in last week’s THE FLASH #30. Central City’s a mess after Forever Evil, Barry Allen’s traveling through time and it seems to have something to do with Wally West. Yes, that’s right, Wally West! Though judging by the end of issue #30, his story may be over before it’s even begun.

Of course, great as all this Annual awesomeness is, we’d be very, very remiss if we didn’t also highlight this week’s cool new Vertigo release, VERTIGO QUARTERLY: CYAN #1. If you read Vertigo comics (and if you don’t, why the heck not?), you may already know that about every three months, Vertigo releases a new anthology comic. It’s a great way to both introduce new talent, as well as giving established writers and artists a chance to stretch their wings and tell the sort of story they might be unable to elsewhere. However, this year, the anthologies have a color-based themed. The debut issue targets the first color in the CMYK spectrum—cyan (or if you prefer, blue). The color could be reflected in the palette the colorist uses, could influence the tone of the story, or just factor into the plot in some way. We don’t know at this point. But if the cover tells us anything, it’s to expect bold storytelling.

All this, plus Annuals for Batgirl and Green Lantern: New Guardians, as well as new issues of Batman Eternal, Adventures of Superman, Injustice: Year Two, Batman ’66 and more!