What's to Come in 2013: Justice League

As we all by now know, both "Justice League" and "Aquaman" are getting new artists starting in December, along with that month featuring a crossover between the titles called "Throne of Atlantis." Now we don't really know much about the crossover beyond what the solicits and covers tell us which isn't much beyond the fact that Ocean Master is involved. But, if we begin examining the covers there are a few questions we have to start asking about the League.

Namely: Where is the Flash?

Cover to Justice League #15 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

At this point, if you haven't heard that Green Lantern left the League in issue #12 while stating that the League can blame him for the fight with Wonder Woman (which took place in either #10 or 11 of the series), then where in the hell have you been? So now we know why Hal isn't shown in October through December's covers and solicits (and probably won't into the New Year at least), but where is the Flash?

On the cover shown above (and on the cover to "Aquaman" #15, which features several members of the League as well), we don't see anything having to do with the Flash. Which has to make you wonder, where is Barry? Does he end up leaving the League, too? And now with the cover to #16 of "Justice League" already having been leaked, you have to wonder...who else might be leaving the League?

Cover to Justice League #16 by Ivan Reis & Joe Prado

We already know that Steve Trevor isn't friends with Superman and the gang anymore and he will be creating a rival League in "Justice League of America" (to come out sometime next year, possibly January). And by the looks of things, Aquaman may be making a turn against the League as well which would leave the team's line-up as of the end of January 2013 as only Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg. Justice League and Aquaman scribe, Geoff Johns, has stated that we will see the addition of the Atom and Shazam to the League (and he also said Shazam and Cyborg become quick friends, bridging the gap between science and magic, which probably means that Cyborg won't be leaving anytime soon). But as we saw at the end of "Justice League" #12, someone that they let onto the League is a traitor.

And I just wanted to throw this out there. Isn't this cover to #16 (shown above) oddly reminiscent of Ivan Reis' first dip into the New 52 League, seen in "Justice League" #8, with the League fighting the Martian Manhunter?

 

 All of this is making me wonder: Who, besides Shazam and the Atom, will be joining the League in 2013? And who besides Hal and Barry will be leaving the League? Not that I wouldn't mind seeing the roster change quite a bit, and with Hal and Barry gone that could open spots for a different GL (perhaps John or Kyle?) and a new, yet familiar, Flash in Wally West, but after five years of being a solid seven-member powerhouse of a group you have to wonder how it must feel for some of their most powerful members to leave?

What do you think is coming in 2013 for the League? Will we see any hero(ic) deaths? How will this tie into Trinity War? Will we see any more hero vs. hero action? Keep checking in here for more info on "Justice League," "Aquaman," "Justice League of America" and much more.

Justice League Group Solicits for December 2012!

Cover to Justice League #15 by Ivan Reis

JUSTICE LEAGUE #15
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Backup story art by GARY FRANK
Variant cover by BILLY TUCCI
1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
1:100 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale DECEMBER 26 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
• Part 1 of “THRONE OF ATLANTIS,” crossing over with AQUAMAN!
• Don’t miss the debut of IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO (AQUAMAN) as the new JUSTICE LEAGUE art team!
• Can the Justice League band together to battle the forces of Atlantis?
• And in the backup feature, Shazam comes face to face with Black Adam, and Billy makes a decision that will shock his friends!
This issue’s 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover connects with the AQUAMAN #15 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover to form a single image.
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

Cover to Aquaman #15 by Eddy Barrows

AQUAMAN #15
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by ARDIAN SYAF
Cover by EDDIE BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 B&W Variant cover by EDDIE BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA
1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
“We Can Be Heroes” Blank variant cover available
On sale DECEMBER 26 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Crossover with JUSTICE LEAGUE!
• Part 2 of “THRONE OF ATLANTIS!”
• Atlantis invades the surface world!
This issue’s 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover connects with the JUSTICE LEAGUE #15 1:25 “Throne of Atlantis” Variant cover to form a single image.

Cover to Wonder Woman #15 by Cliff Chiang

WONDER WOMAN #15
Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art and cover by CLIFF CHIANG
1:25 Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG
On sale DECEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Who is Orion — and what are the New Gods?!
• Massive changes are coming for Wonder Woman and the entire DC Universe!
• Get ready for round 1 of Wonder Woman vs. Orion!

Cover to The Flash #15 by Francis Manapul

THE FLASH #15
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Flash forward in time as Barry Allen goes to extreme measures to defeat Grodd!
• Barry uses the Speed Mind to glimpse the future, and things are not looking good for him and the Rogues.
• And that’s before things get much, much worse!

Cover to The Savage Hawkman #15 by Joe Bennett

THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #15
Plotted by ROB LIEFELD
Scripted by FABIAN NICIEZA
Art and cover by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• “HAWKMAN: WANTED” continues!
• Hawkman is a fugitive — and everybody wants to kill him for his Nth Metal Armor. Good thing Carter’s always ready for a fight!
• Guest-starring Deathstroke!

Cover to DC Universe Presents #15 by Ryan Sook

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #15
Written by MARC ANDREYKO
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and OCLAIR ALBERT
Cover by RYAN SOOK
On sale DECEMBER 19 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• The New Black and Blue team-up of Blue Devil and Black Lightning continues!
• Blue Devil’s suit is the source of his power, and it’s out of control!
• Black Lightning has to stop him…hey, maybe killing him will do the trick!

Cover to Earth-2 #7 by Ivan Reis

EARTH 2 #7
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by NICOLA SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Who is Hawkgirl? The secret is revealed!
• Mr. Terrific makes his first appearance on Earth 2 since he left our world!
• Don’t miss the aftermath of “THE GRUNDY APOCALYPSE!”

Cover to Worlds' Finest #7 by Kevin Maguire

WORLDS’ FINEST #7
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by KEVIN MAGUIRE, GEORGE PEREZ and SCOTT KOBLISH
Cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
1:25 B&W Variant cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Robin begrudgingly helps Huntress track down the threat to Wayne Enterprises, but little do they realize that threat is actually tracking them!
• Meanwhile, Power Girl continues to explore the connection between Earth 2, Apokolips and this Earth, only to find herself in a stand-off with...a bunch of heavily armed 10-year-olds?!

Cover to Green Arrow #15 by Aaron Lopresti

GREEN ARROW #15
Written by ANN NOCENTI
Art by FREDDIE E. WILLIAMS II and ROB HUNTER
Cover by AARON LOPRESTI
On sale DECEMBER 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Ollie begins a downward spiral as he slowly loses everything!
• Betrayed and alone after the loss of Q-Corps, can the Emerald Archer hold on to his arsenal?

Cover to Fury of Firestorm #15 by Dan Jurgens

THE FURY OF FIRESTORM: THE NUCLEAR MEN #15
Written by DAN JURGENS
Art and cover by DAN JURGENS and RAY McCARTHY
On sale JANUARY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Firestorm vs. Captain Atom!
• Two of the most powerful heroes in the universe go head to head, and things are going to EXPLODE!
• Don’t miss this issue’s shocking conclusion as the first hints of a disturbing new force in the DCU are seen!

THE FLASH and AQUAMAN solicits

Here's the solicit:

THE FLASH #9
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• Continuing the debut of GORILLA GRODD in DC Comics – The New 52!
• THE FLASH travels to GORILLA CITY for the first time!
• Who are the “RUNNERS” – and what do they mean for THE FLASH and the SPEED FORCE?

Here's the solicit:

AQUAMAN #9
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale MAY 23 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
• AQUAMAN and YA’WARA star in part three of the epic “THE OTHER LEAGUE!”
• More secrets are revealed about the team AQUAMAN belonged to before the Justice League!
• Plus: MERA learns a startling truth about ARTHUR’S past from Shin.

Flashpoint part one...the Mini's

Lead-Up to Flashpoint
Starting with Flash #9, Barry Allen & the Flash crew (Wally West, Jay Garrick, and Bart Allen) meet a new character named Hot Pursuit who is trying to stop Flashpoint from occurring.

Cancellation of the Flash Series
DC has announced recently on their blog, The Source, that the only ongoing series crossing-over with Flashpoint is Booster Gold. When someone asked what will be happening with the Flash ongoing series will be ending after issue #13. This has made me very disappointed and sad. I think that they might as well be canceling Superman or Batman because Flash is someone who deserves their own series.

Mini-Series
There have been many Flashpoint crossover mini-series announced. Credits for mini-series:


<--- Batman: Knight of Vengeance
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso


Citizen Cold --->
Writing & Art: Scott Kolins





<--- Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager
Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti
Art: Joe Bennett & John Dell



Deadman & the Flying Graysons --->
Writer: JT Krul
Art: Mikel Janin



<--- Hal Jordan
Writer: Adam Schlagman
Art: Ben Oliver



World of Flashpoint --->
Writer: Rex Ogle
Art: Paulo Siqueira





<--- Emperor Aquaman
Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Ardian Syaf & Vicente Cifuentes



Legion of Doom --->
Writer: Adam Glass
Art: Rodney Buchemi & Jose Marzan





<--- Project Superman
Plot by: Scott Snyder
Script: Lowell Francis
Art: Gene Ha


Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown --->
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Art: Ibraim Roberson


<--- Kid Flash Lost Starring Bart Allen
Writer: Sterling Gates
Art: Oliver Nome


Wonder Woman and the Furies --->
Writer: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Scott Clark and David Beaty



<--- Lois Lane and the Resistance
Writer: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art: Eddie Nuñez


Abin Sur-The Green Lantern --->
Writer: Adam Schlagman
Art: Felipe Massafera



<--- The Outsider
Writer: James Robinson
Art: Javi Fernandez


Secret Seven --->
Writer Peter Milligan
Art: George Perez and Scott Koblish


>Phew< Finally done with all of that amazing art and intriguing titles? Well 1) I will have more next week. 2) I'm not done yet! So of all of those series, there are a few that I will be picking up no matter what; World of Flashpoint, Abin Sur-The Green Lantern, Project Superman, and Secret Seven.

There are several reasons for picking these series...World of Flashpoint because of the fact that it seems to be the mini that will be tied in most with the main Flashpoint series, Abin Sur-The Green Lantern because I'm very curious as to what is going to happen to Abin and why it is called "Abin Sur the Green Lantern", Project Superman because I know this series will be tying into the Flashpoint series and it looks rather interesting, and Secret Seven solely because it's George Perez on the art! How could I ever pass up George Perez art?

If I happen to have enough money, I'll buy them all because they all look great! But if I had to choose a few, it'd be them.

In a Q&A Geoff Johns had with Newsarama, he stated this is probably the most accessible event he has ever done...meaning that he is saying this series really doesn't need any prior knowledge! It's a perfect jump-on point for any new comic fans!