By Zack Quaintance — It’s been a big week for DC Comics, who announced a number of the big books for the DC Comics May 2022 solicitations in advance. While the highlight is arguably the new Tom King and Jorge Fornés 12-issue maxi series, Danger Street. But that book is far from the only highlight. In fact, we’ve pulled out nine others to highlight…

Enjoy! Oh, and as always, you can check out these solicitations in full from our friends at The Beat.

DC Comics May 2022 Solicitations - The Highlights

ACTION COMICS 2022 ANNUAL #1 - On Sale May 31, 2022
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON and SI SPURRIER
Art by DALE EAGLESHAM and IAN CHURCHILL
Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Variant cover by STEVE RUDE
$5.99 US | 48 pages | Variant $6.99 US (card stock)
As the Warworld Saga reaches a breaking point, battle lines are drawn between the two towering forces at odds: Mongul and Superman. In this special 2022 annual we’ll explore how our combatants have evolved over the years to represent the beacons of hope and tyranny that they respectively embody…and witness the first chilling chapter of their ultimate final battle!
Why It’s Cool: I’ve written about why this current Action Comics run just totally whips ass, and the preview for this annual looks to maintain all that. Armed with a guest writer visit from Si Spurrier and art from heavyweights like Dale Eaglesham and Ian Churchill, this book takes stock of the current storyline by looking back at the past. Sounds excellent to me. (Zack Quaintance)

AQUAMAN: ANDROMEDA #1 - On Sale June 7
Written by RAM V
Art and cover by CHRISTIAN WARD
Variant cover by BRYAN HITCH
1:25 variant cover by ANAND RK
1:50 foil variant cover by CHRISTIAN WARD
$6.99 US | 48 pages | 1 of 3 | Prestige Plus
8 1/2″ x 10 7/8″ (All covers are card stock)
ON SALE 6/7/22
17+
Deep in the Pacific Ocean, at the farthest possible distance from any land, sits Point Nemo: the spaceship graveyard. Since the dawn of the space race, the nations of the world have sent their crafts there on splashdown, to sink beneath the silent seas. But there is something…else at Point Nemo. A structure never made by human hands. And that structure seems to be…waking up. The crew of the experimental submarine Andromeda, powered by a mysterious black-hole drive, have been chosen to investigate this mystery. But they aren’t the only ones pursuing it. Anything of value beneath the ocean is of value to the master pirate Black Manta…and anything that attracts Black Manta attracts Arthur Curry, his lifelong foe, the Aquaman! But heaven help them all when the doors of the mystery at Point Nemo swing wide to admit them…
Bringing a bracing cosmic-horror sensibility to the world of Aquaman, rising superstars Ram V (Venom, The Swamp Thing) and Christian Ward (Thor, Invisible Kingdom) team up to put Arthur Curry through an exercise in psychological terror that could break the will of even a king!
Why It’s Cool: Ram V has stated he doesn’t have dream characters, but rather is fascinated by gaps in a character’s history with storytelling potential. Despite being around since 1941, Aquaman has never had the classic DC evergreen title. There is no All-Star Superman or Dark Knight Returns for our resident king of the sea, and that provides Ram V a runway he can race down, uninhibited. Andromeda excites me because it has the double promise of providing Aquaman a prestige format, easily accessible story and giving him a new spin with a sci-fi horror adventure that the character has never gone on before. Added to that mix is the incredible art of Christian Ward, who combines the ideal of superhero action with an appreciation for the eerie, the lurking and the dangerous. The Aquaman line has been going strong, and this book seems to indicate that trend is not slowing down any time soon. (Steve Baxi)

BATMAN: FORTRESS #1 - On Sale May 24
Written by GARY WHITTA
Art and cover by DARICK ROBERTSON
Variant cover by DOALY
1:25 variant cover by DARICK ROBERTSON
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 8 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/24/22
When an unknown alien ship enters Earth’s atmosphere, disrupting global power and communications and plunging the planet into chaos, the world is left wondering…where is Superman when he is needed most? In the mysterious absence of the Last Son of Krypton, Batman must rally the rest of the Justice League to counter the alien threat…but first, he must quell a crime wave on the blacked-out streets of Gotham!
Gary Whitta (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) and Darick Robertson (The Boys) have joined forces to tell a brutal and shocking adventure that will turn everything you think you know about Superman upside down!
Why It’s Cool: Look, I get that people like to poke fun at how many Batman comics DC publishes — it makes for easy jokes, but you won’t catch me doing that because I enjoy how varied the tone, concepts, and creators on these books are. The newly-announced Batman: Fortress is no exception, bringing a favorite artist of mine — Darick Robertson — in to do more work with the Caped Crusader. (Zack Quaintance)

BATMAN: KILLING TIME #3, Specifically Greg Smallwood’s Variant - On sale May 3
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by DAVID MARQUEZ
Variant cover by KAEL NGU
1:25 variant cover by GREG SMALLWOOD
$4.99 US | 40 pages | 3 of 6 | Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/3/22
A shocking heist has the mysterious and deadly figure called the Help cutting his way through Gotham City in search of Catwoman and the Riddler and their stolen artifact. Only the Dark Knight stands between this strange new villain and his prey…but can even Batman stop his bloody rampage? Tick-tock…the clock is drawing nearer to the Killing Time!
Why It’s Cool: Greg Smallwood is one of the best (if not the best) comics artists choosing to work in superheroes, and this Smallwood variant cover for Batman: Killing Time #3 is just phenomenal. Check it out above, it really speaks to its own coolness better than anything I can type here. (Zack Quaintance)

DANGER STREET #1 - On Sale May 3
Written by TOM KING
Art and cover by JORGE FORNÉS
Variant cover by STEVE RUDE
1:25 variant cover by LEE WEEKS
1:50 variant cover by BEN OLIVER
$4.99 US | 40 pages | 1 of 12
Variant $5.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/3/22
17+
Joining the Justice League is a goal for any superhero, but what happens when a quest for membership takes a sinister turn? Join Starman, Metamorpho, and Warlord as they look to prove themselves worthy by summoning and defeating Darkseid in battle. Soon they’ll learn that calling upon a New God never ends well, and their world is headed for a crisis as a result! The journey to save the day will be a treacherous one filled with princesses, knights, and all kinds of monsters. Each person the heroes encounter plays a crucial role in this sprawling yet gripping narrative that is a little bit silly, a whole lot dark, and completely cool. Expect the unexpected with a supporting cast featuring Manhunter, Lady Cop, the Green Team, and the Creeper! Inspired by the heroes and villains of 1st Issue Special, Tom King and Jorge Fornés (Rorschach) return for an unforgettable maxiseries that reimagines the characters and their stories. A multicharacter, multilayered crime drama starring some of DC’s most obscure creations: no one will see it coming, but everyone will want to see where it goes!
Why It’s Cool: Tom King has been on something of a tear lately with must-read new books like Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Love Everlasting, and Human Target. Now the writer is re-teaming with always-interesting artist Jorge Fornés on the wildest superhero maxiseries concept I’ve heard in some time, Danger Street. Cannot wait for this. (Zack Quaintance)

DUO #1 - On Sale May 17
Written by GREG PAK
Art by KHOI PHAM and SCOTT HANNA
Cover by DIKE RUAN
Variant cover by DENYS COWAN
1:25 variant cover by NIMIT MALAVIA
$3.99 US | 32 Pages | 1 of 6
Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
When Milestone returned, Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan weren’t planning to stop there! Now they welcome you to a whole new realm of original characters, extending far beyond Dakota…welcome to Earth-M!
Nanotech engineers Dr. Kelly Vu and Dr. David Kim are committed to only one thing more than each other: using their regenerative nanobots to save the world. And following a violent attack, those very same nanobots end up saving David and Kelly’s lives…sort of. Their salvation comes with an unexpected consequence: husband and wife awaken to realize that they now share one super-powered body!
Writer Greg Pak (Action Comics, Batman/Superman) and artist Khoi Pham (Teen Titans) team up to introduce two thrilling new superheroes in the body of one, with the power of billions of nanobots. But how close is too close, with the love of your life literally in your head? And what happens when a couple so closely bound discovers they have very different ideas about how their newfound powers should be used
Why it’s cool: Greg Pak doing superhero work again is fantastic. It being in the Milestone universe? Even better. (Keigen Rea)

DC VS. VAMPIRES – HUNTERS #1 - On Sale May 24
Written by MATTHEW ROSENBERG
Art by NEIL GOOGE
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS
Variant cover by MICO SUAYAN
$3.99 US | 32 pages | One-shot | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/24/22
A blood-soaked one-shot tale of vampire violence! The Son of Batman, after years of training to be an assassin, is on a path toward utter destruction of the vampire race…Enter Damian Wayne: vampire hunter!
Why It’s Cool: I find that for me DC Comics is at its very best when the shackles of a greater universe are broken. DC v Vampires is a well-written, thrill ride of an outside-continuity book, and this tie-in is sure to provide much of the same energy. The son of the Bat, Damian Wayne, is going full master-assassin on his quest to eradicate the vampire scourge. This has serious Blade-II/From Dusk to Dawn vibes attached. Lead title writer Matthew Rosenberg (a favorite writer of mine) is joined here by artist Neil Googe for all the blood-soaked action to come. (Larry Jorash)

THE JURASSIC LEAGUE #1 - On Sale May, 10
Written by DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON and JUAN GEDEON
Art by JUAN GEDEON
Cover by DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON
Variant cover by JUAN GEDEON
1:25 Megalustre “Dino Skin” variant cover by WALT SIMONSON
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 1 of 6 | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/10/22
You know the story: an infant escapes the destruction of its home planet and is deposited on Earth to be raised by human parents. A goddess from a lost city defends truth. A Tyrannosaurus rex dons the visage of a bat to strike fear into evildoers’ hearts. This heroic trinity, alongside a league of other super-powered dinosaurs, join forces to save a prehistoric Earth from the sinister machinations of Darkseid.
Wait…what?
Okay, maybe you don’t know the story. So join us and bear witness to a brand-new—yet older than time—adventure and experience the Justice League as you have never seen them before!
Why It’s Cool: As I wrote about in the news note following this book’s announcement, The Jurassic League #1 has very pure Comics Are Good, Actually vibes, and I can’t wait for this madcap absurdist adventure to begin. (Zack Quaintance)

MONKEY PRINCE #4, specifically the Michael Cho variant cover - On Sale May 3
Written by GENE LUEN YANG 楊謹倫
Art and cover by BERNARD CHANG 張伯納
Variant cover by DIKE RUAN 阮迪克
1:25 variant cover by MICHAEL CHO
AAPI variant cover by MARCUS TO 杜世柱
$3.99 US | 32 pages | Variant $4.99 US (card stock)
ON SALE 5/3/22
The Penguin, now possessed by a demon trying to consume Batman, has both Batman and Marcus Sun’s henchpeople parents captured! It’s up to Monkey Prince and Robin to work together in this unlikely hijinks team-up you never knew you so sorely needed to see for this not-so-dynamic duo to rescue their parents!
Why It’s Cool: Gene Luen Yang is one of my favorite creators in comics right now, and seeing him doing an original superhero story at DC is delightful in general. The Michael Cho variant this month (1:25 order threshold bleh) perfectly encapsulates why this is one of the series’s I’m most excited for since the first issue dropped. (Keigen Rea)

ONE-STAR SQUADRON #6
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art and cover by STEVE LIEBER
$3.99 US | 32 pages | 6 of 6
ON SALE 5/3/22
Funeral for a coworker! The former employees of Heroz4U mourn the loss of yet another one of their own as they all struggle to return to civilian life. Have things changed for the better for some? Or are they all destined to be one-star heroes for good? Be sure to check out the grand finale of the critically acclaimed miniseries by Mark Russell (The Flintstones) and Steve Lieber (Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen)!
Why It’s Cool: See my One-Star Squadron #1 review for plenty of words about why this series as a concept is cool, but in general, I’ll just say that this has been the perfect match of creative team and concept. Satirists Mark Russell and Steve Lieber take aim at late model capitalism through a superhero lens, and the result is a relentlessly-smart comic. In May, this issue will mark its finale (Zack Quaintance)

Check out our Marvel Comics May 2022 solicitations highlights!

Read the Comic Bookcase team’s recent reviews of new comics!