Batman Solicitations - November 2011

November's Batman solicitations have been released and my highlight from the months new books might surprise you: not normally a title I pick up but I'm really looking forward to The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #13 - a story from Sholly Fisch that sees the Phantom Stranger gathering together every former Boy Wonder ... just for the record there are 5 - not 4 - of them!

Aside from that title my eye was caught by the covers for the second issues of a couple of mini-series: Guillem March providing the cover for The Huntress and Szymon Kudranski providing both cover and interior art for Penguin: Pain and Prejudice.

Further details from a variety of sources including Comic Book Resources and The Source.

THE ALL-NEW BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #13
Written by SHOLLY FISCH
Art and cover by RICK BURCHETT and DAN DAVIS
On sale November 9, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED E
Batman is seriously injured, so it’s up to a whole team of Robins to stop the League of Assassins! How? The Phantom Stranger reaches through space and time to gather everyone who’s ever been “The Boy Wonder,” but will their combined skills be enough?

THE HUNTRESS #2
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by MARCUS TO and JOHN DELL
Cover by GUILLEM MARCH
On sale November 9, 32 pg, 2 of 6, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Helena Bertinelli takes a trip to Naples, Italy, but she’s not there on holiday. As her alter ego, the Huntress, she’s uncovered a human trafficking and gun-smuggling ring that only scratches the surface of Mafioso activity! With no backup, no safety net, can this one-woman wrecking crew clean up the mean streets of this ancient city?

PENGUIN: PAIN AND PREJUDICE #2
Written by GREGG HURWITZ
Art and cover by SZYMON KUDRANSKI
On sale November 9, 32 pg, 2 of 5, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Writer Gregg Hurwitz and artist Szymon Kudranski continue their dark examination of the Penguin in PENGUIN: PAIN AND PREJUDICE. The Penguin runs a vast crime empire that’s always one step away from faltering, thanks to the interference of Batman. How can Penguin keep Batman at bay and maintain the power and image that’s become so important to him? And what dark family secrets is the Penguin hiding?

BATMAN #3
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art by GREG CAPULLO and JONATHAN GLAPION
Cover by GREG CAPULLO
1:25 Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:200 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
On sale November 16, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
As Bruce digs deeper into the mystery of the recent owl murders, he soon finds himself face to face with a shocking enemy - an enemy the Wayne family has secretly been at war with for centuries. Be there for the first shots of the war for the soul of Gotham City. Friends will become deadly enemies and secrets will be revealed - revelations that will change the Bat-family forever.

DETECTIVE COMICS #3
Written by TONY S. DANIEL
Art and cover by TONY S. DANIEL and RYAN WINN
On sale November 2, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
He makes dolls out of his victims - and he's tired of being referred to in the media as the Gotham Strangler. His moniker is the Dollmaker, and he and his insane family are going to hunt down Gotham City's public figures and turn them into the ultimate collectables. As the Dollmaker ups the stakes, Batman finds himself in a race against time - because one of his allies is the Dollmaker's next target!

BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #3
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Art by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND with JAY FABOK
Cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
On sale November 23, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
A wave of fear washes across Gotham City as a mysterious toxin radically alters the bodies of its criminals, sending crazed villains into the streets and stretching the resources of the police department. Can Batman and his vigilante partners follow the clues and uncover the perpetrator's real identity? And when one fabled hero is stricken by the poison, the trail will point to the mysterious White Rabbit.

BATWING #3
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art and cover by BEN OLIVER
On sale November 2, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Massacre's crusade of blood continues, and the only one standing in his way is Batwing, who finds himself fighting alongside a legendary hero of Africa: the mighty Thunder Fall! As more heroes are targeted by this madman, the mystery of why begins to unfold, as does the story of Batwing's dark past.

BATMAN AND ROBIN #3
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
On sale November 9, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
As Robin does all he can to keep his own killer instincts at bay, Batman focuses his energies on Nobody, the deadly enigma from Bruce's past who has arrived in Gotham and is hellbent on forcing him to accept a new world crimefighting view even as he infiltrates the Waynes' personal lives.

BIRDS OF PREY #3
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by JESUS SAIZ
Cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
On sale November 16, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Someone's come up with a way to turn ordinary citizens of Gotham City into undetectable walking bombs...and only Black Canary (a.k.a. Dinah Laurel Lance), Starling (a.k.a. Ev Crawford) and new team member Katana (a.k.a. Tatsu Yamashiro) can stop them. But will Canary's choice of a fourth team member, a notorious bioterrorist, tear them apart first?

BATMAN: ODYSSEY VOL. 2 #2
Written by NEAL ADAMS
Art and cover by NEAL ADAMS
1:10 B&W Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS
On sale November 30, 40 pg, 2 of 7, FC, $3.99 US RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Batman’s odyssey has brought him to the underworld, where The League of Assassins has been firmly established for decades! The League is liquidating its enemies to make way for the Sensei to take over his father’s kingdom, and after that, the world itself. But if Batman can’t conquer his inner demons and learn to save lives by taking them, he may forfeit the war to the League!

CATWOMAN #3
NOT FINAL COVER ART
Written by JUDD WINICK
Art and cover by GUILLEM MARCH
On sale November 16, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T+
Cats hate baths. Cats hate dogs. And cats hate being caught. Catwoman stole from the wrong man, and now he's got her. He wants his stuff back, he wants answers and he wants blood. Cats had better have nine lives, because Selina Kyle is about to lose one!

BATWOMAN #3
Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN
Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III
On sale November 9, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Horror! Batwoman faces the terrifying villain stalking Gotham City's children. Can she defeat the gruesome monster in time to save the city's most innocent victims? Intrigue! Kate Kane unearths a ghost she has tried hard to bury, even as the D.E.O. closes in on Batwoman. Can Kate outrun her past and Cameron Chase? Romance! Kate's relationship with Detective Maggie Sawyer continues to evolve. But will Kate's nocturnal activities cause a rift between the two?

BATGIRL #3
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by ARDIAN SYAF and VICENTE CIFUENTES
Cover by ADAM HUGHES
On sale November 9, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
It's the story you've been waiting for! As Barbara Gordon struggles to find her place in the world, Batgirl and Nightwing collide with the unstoppable force of a train wreck! Will it be sparks flying, or fists for this star-crossed duo? Also, the terrifying Mirror ups the ante in his bizarre war on the citizens of Gotham City! Featuring the eye-popping art of rising superstar Ardian Syaf!

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #3
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT and BLOND
On sale November 16, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
Red Hood, Arsenal and Starfire enter the Chamber of All to discover what the Untitled wanted - but they'll need to leave their most cherished memories as collateral! And when you're a reincarnated sidekick who lets your madon get the better of you, a former addict turned soldier of fortune, and an intergalactic princess who never quite recovered from a childhood spent as a prisoner of war...? Well, there aren't a lot of cherished memories to choose from! All this as the trio draws ever closer to dealing with a threat that's already killed the ancient caste of assassins who taught Jason Todd everything he knows about the art of killing!

NIGHTWING #3
Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art and cover by by EDDY BARROWS and JP MAYER
On sale November 16, 32 pages, FC, $2.99 US, RATED T
The Big Top comes to the Windy City! After the massive events of issue 2, the circus heads to Chicago - and Dick Grayson is along for the ride! But as Nightwing puts pressure on ex-Haley connections in search for answers about his past, one lead may be far too explosive to handle! Be here as Nightwing takes his quest for the truth to the Second City!