From: tyg@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Thomas Galloway)
Subject: DC: General Editorial plans for '92
Reply-To: tyg@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Thomas Galloway)
Organization: Interleaf, Inc.
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 92 23:04:15 GMT

The following information was obtained from the DC Editorial Presentation
book for '92. It was produced for distributors and dealers, and this should
be kept in mind where I quote some of the hype/marketing direction for some
items. Books are spoiled in various levels of detail, usually just future
guest stars and general plot directions, so the meat is after a ^L

This post deals with superhero books not grouped into some special subuniverse,
such as the GLs, Legion, Titans, and Bat-

BLACK CANARY gets an ongoing monthly by Sarah Byam, drawn by Trevor Von Eeden
and Stan Drake. The first two issues will go over her origin and career to
date. While unscheduled, there's mention of a planned four part crossover with
GREEN ARROW later this year.

A BLACKHAWK SPECIAL, set in 1963 and possibly later, will be written by John
Ostrander and drawn by Mike Vosburg. Unscheduled.

DANGER TRAIL is a four issue mini by Wein and Infantino featuring King
Faraday, apparently set when there was still an USSR and Berlin Wall.

In addition to the imminent LOBO'S BACK 4 issue mini-, 4th quarter '92 has
scheduled another one titled LOBO:FRAG RACE 2000 by the usual suspects of
Giffen, Grant, and Bisley.

SALVO is an ongoing series scheduled for 1st quarter '93. Done by Steven Grant
and Pat Gabrielle, it's described as "The Punisher as done by Lucy and Desi",
featuring the best marksman in the world who lives with his mother in an
Italian-American neighborhood.

SGT. ROCK SPECIAL is a one-shot in July. It'll feature a new Rock story by
Kanigher and Joe Kubert, a Gunner and Sarge story by Tim Truman, a WWI story
by George Pratt, and a story by Ron Wagner.

VIGILANTE is about the 40s Vig and is set in the 40s as it redoes Vig's origin
and has him taking on Bugsy Siegel. It's by James Robinson (who's also doing
the GOLDEN AGE mini-) and Tony Salmons and is a 4 issue mini- and is
unscheduled. 

FLASH will see Pied Piper continuing as a supporting character, and adding Jay
Garrick to the cast as well.

JLA will have an appearance by Monarch sometime after #68.

JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE will be written by David Michelinie and will have
only three regular characters; J'onn and Gypsy, and a career politician as
coordinator. Other characters who may or may not be JLI members will
appear, with a different team for each 3-4 issue arc/mission.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA debuts in July by Len Strazewski and Mike Parobeck. 
In addition to the freed from Limbo members, regulars will include Liberty
Belle and Johnny Quick and their superpowered daughter. Johnny Thunder's
Thunderbolt will be passing to a 15 year old foster child and the Tbolt
will reflect her personality. A crossover with the JLI is planned for the
second year.

Amusing point; AMBUSH BUG is listed under the "Earth's Protectors" category.
For the Ambush Bug special in August, we'll learn that Julie Schwartz
is DC's answer to Aunt May, still alive and on the job in the 30th Century.
Returning DC characters in the special will be Casey the Cop, Cap from
Cap's Hobby Hints, and Sugar of Sugar & Spike.

ANIMAL MAN shifts gears again with #51 as the Tom Veitch storyline ends and
Jamie Delano and Steve Pugh take over the book.

ATOM is scheduled for a special in the first quarter of '93 by Tom Peyer and
Steve Dillon. Those who were involved in the discussion about Shrinking
Violet's powers a while back may enjoy this one. Ray will be shrinking an
electron microscope down with him to atomic size to see what he can see
there. It'll also deal with how he breathes when smaller than oxygen atoms
and will have him shrink to photonic size, go through a prism, and split
into seven different colored Atoms (this one may make the book an early
favorite for a certain category of the '93 Alternative Squiddys).

THE HACKER FILES by Lewis Shiner and Tom Sutton is finally scheduled for
June, and will be a 12 issue series. It's about a world-class computer
hacker in the DC Universe.

THE OUTSIDERS is scheduled for 4th quarter and will be by Mike Barr and
Bryan Hitch. Returning characters are Geo-Force, Katana, Halo, and Looker,
the latter two in new costumes. New members are Misfit, half-man, half-Lion,
Faust, the son of Felix Faust and a "hi-tech sorcerer", and Sanction who
has battle armor. The plot for the first year involves Geo-Force being
framed, with the other members considered guilty by association, and the
team being outside the law and sought by other super-heros. Furthermore,
a vampire has taken over Geo-Force's home country of Markovia.

SHAZAM will be a one-shot hardcover which reintroduces Captain Marvel.
Writing and art will be by Jerry Ordway, edited by Jonathan Peterson.
Topics hit on will be why Billy Batson was chosen to be The Big Red Cheese,
what happened to his parents, and just who led him into that abandoned
subway tunnel anyway. Dr. Sivana and Black Adam also appear, as do
Mary Batson and a set up for Tawky Tawny.

SHAZAM ARCHIVES is due for September, and will reprint the Captain Marvel
stories from Whiz #1-15 and the 68 page Special Edition Comics #1 which
was devoted to CM. 

SHOWCASE'93 is a 12 issue anthology series starting in December. The
18 page lead feature in each issue will be Batman related and written
by Doug Moench. It'll start with a 4 issue Catwoman arc, followed by
Robin, then Two-Face, and a Simon Bisley Joker story. The second feature
will be 2 6 issue serials, 10 pages per issue. The first will be Blue
Devil, while the second will be Deathstroke, Dr. Light, Katana, and 
Peacemaker vs. Kobra. No word on creative people for these. The last
feature will be a rotating 10 pager including Cyborg, Flash, Green Lantern,
Geo-Force, and Jade and Obsidian stories.

THUNDERBOLT is being written and drawn by "British creator Michael Collins";
any relation to r.a.c.'s British Michael Collins? It's due out in July.

WONDER WOMAN will have a five issue outer space arc in #66-70, and Lobo
will be showing up. #71 is supposed to have Diana be scarred, blinded
and handicapped.

ZATANNA is an unscheduled four issue mini- by Lee Marrs and Esteban Maroto
(artist on the Atlantis Chronicles). She'll be redefined, deal with Zatara's
death and have a John Constantine guest shot. By the end, she's supposed
to be up to Dr. Fate/Phantom Stranger levels. She also ditches the fishnets
for leather.

ECLIPSO is an ongoing spinoff from this summer's annuals and is by Giffen/
Fleming and drawn by Bart Sears. Serving as Eclipso's nemesis is a team
which includes his former alter ego Bruce Gordon and Amanda Waller. Starts
in September.

OK, so maybe all of DC's previous characters are being reworked. September
will see a 4 issue CONGORILLA series by Steve Englehart and Neil Vokes.
The set-up is from Swamp Thing Annual #3, where Congo Bill decided to
stay in Congorilla's body and gave the magic ring to Janu. Now, Janu is
in the hospital after a murder attempt by business partners he'd 
double-crossed. He deliberately switches bodies with Bill/Congorilla
and goes on a rampage. Bill, in Janu's body, has to track him down
and switch back. 

DEADMAN is a 2 issue prestige format follow-up to the previous Deadman
series by the same creators, Baron and Kelley Jones. Due out in the 4th 
quarter.

DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING is scheduled for early in '93. By Gaiman
(what a surprise...) and Chris Bachalo, it deals with Death in NYC on the
one day every century she becomes mortal.

THE DEMON will have a 3 issue arc where Etrigan runs for President
(Constitutional requirement that the President be born a U.S. citizen?
What's that?). Followed by his being summoned by a frat. This is followed
by an appearance of a Ghost Rider pastiche.

DOOM FORCE is a 64 page parody of X-Force by Grant Morrison with art by
Richard Case, Walt Simonson, Keith Giffen, Paris Cullins, Ken Steacy and
others. I've seen a preview of the first part of this, and unfortunately 
it has the same problem as the '60s Marvel parody of DP. Namely, while it
shows that Morrison can do an excellent job of simulating "bad" writing
styles, he goes so far that it's not so much parody as effectively an
issue of X-Farce.

GODDESS is an 8 issue series by Garth Ennis and fellow Brit Paul Winslade.
It's about a young adult woman with emerging extremely powerful powers.
No idea whether it ties into the DC universe or not.

In HELLBLAZER, Royal Blood will go through #55. After a 2 issue story
involving the military, there'll be a multi-part story co-starring Ellie,
the demon from Dangerous Habits. In August, there'll be a trade pb of
the first nine issues.

MAN-BAT is a 3 issue prestige format series by Delano and John Bolton set
for first quarter '93. The art will be painted, and Batman will be making
an appearance.

SANDMAN will have a trade pb of Season of Mists in July.

SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE is *not* Morpheus as done by Joel, Tom Servo and Crow.
Even though that'd be interesting come to think of it. Anyway, this is by
Matt Wagner and Guy Davis, is an ongoing series scheduled for early '93,
and features the golden age Sandman in New York in the late '30s and will
have a film noir/pulp feel to it. Davis is the writer/artist of Baker Street
btw.

SCARLETT is about a teenage female vampire hunter. An ongoing series outside
the DC universe set for October, it's by Tom Joyner and Keith Wilson with
art by Jim Fern.

SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN will become Shade, the Changing Woman starting in 
#27 as his current body dies and he has to find another one...and it happens
to have a bit more estrogen than testosterone.

SPECTRE is an ongoing series scheduled for the 4th quarter by John Ostrander
and Tom Mandrake. According to the description, it will deal with symbolism,
psychological horror, and will have similarities to the Michael Fleisher
scripted Spectre of the 70s.

STANLEY AND HIS MONSTER is a 4 issue mini- by Phil Foglio scheduled for
early next year.

SWAMP THING will see the return of Anton Arcane in #125, with a year long
storyline starting in #126 which will have John Constantine becoming a
semi-regular in the book.

I'm not bothering to do the !mpact books; there's been little interest
expressed in r.a.c. about them, and they're being cancelled anyway.

HAMMERLOCKE is a 9 issue series due out in July by Tom Joyner and Chris
Sprouse. It's set in 2033 and appears to be outside the DC universe.

For no particular reason I can understand, there'll be an adaptation of
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. It'll be 3 prestige issues adapted
by John Carnell and Steve Leialoha with Douglas Adams supervising. Given
that HGTTG is available as a radio show, book, computer game, tv series,
and ghu knows what else, I'm damned if I can figure out why DC thinks
an adaptation without any new material would sell.

IRONWOLF is a hardcover by Chaykin/John Moore with art by Mignola and
inks by Craig Russell. Due in August, it continues the story of Ironwolf
started a while back by Chaykin.

KAMANDI is an Elseworlds title 6 issue mini-series by Tom Veitch and Frank
Gomez which is unscheduled. No talking animals, but Kamandi is still the
last boy on Earth and there'll also be a 1,000 year old senile Superman.
Unscheduled.

NINE PRINCES IN AMBER will adapt the Roger Zelazny book of the same name as
a 3 issue prestige mini-series for first quarter '93. Adapted by Terry
Bisson, it'll be painted by Lou Harrison.

SPACE RANGER (see? there really may be hope for a Space Canine Patrol Agents
revival) will be an 8 issue mini- starting in October by Michael Jan
Friedman and John Calimee. Set in the 23rd century, it's stated that it
fills in part of the history gap between Omac and LSH.

STAR TREK will go biweekly for 6 issues starting with the August issue.
The 6 issue storyline will focus on Captain Sulu. ST:TNG will also go
biweekly for the same period.

DEBT OF HONOR, the hardcover Trek gn by Claremont and Hughes, is now scheduled
for July.

THE MODULA IMPERATIVE, the 2 ST and ST:TNG 4 issue mini-serieses, will be
collected as a trade pb in September.

XENOBROOD is an ongoing series by Doug Moench and Tomm Coker which is 
unscheduled. It's about four new heroes grown by an archaeologist who
finds tubes of DNA and instructions on what to do with them which may
have been left by ancient astronauts. All four have linked minds, and
the individual powers are strong guy, telekinesis/teleport,
posessesion/flight, energy/radition control. They'll start interacting with
the DC universe the second year.

"This must be the Red Sox' year. Statistics of the last 75 years prove that
the Sox always win the World Series one year after a Russian revolution."
  --Dan Shaughnessy
tyg  tyg@hq.ileaf.com

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