The List - 6/17/09

After a stellar outing last week it seems like it's time to take a break, and while there's no lack of big titles hitting the stands this week, it's going to be pretty light on the wallet for me...

BATMAN: THE STREETS OF GOTHAM - An all-new Batman series by the DETECTIVE COMICS creative team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen! As a new Batman rises on the streets of Gotham City, the heroes, villains and citizens take notice. How will the police feel about this new Batman, and can he control the crime in Gotham the way the old Batman did? This new series also features a regular ongoing co-feature starring Manhunter written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Georges Jeanty (Buffy Season 8)! Kate Spencer lost a friend during the chaos of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, and now she wants payback. As usual, she'll use any means necessary to get it - The first of two Batman books helmed by All-Star Bat-writer Paul Dini launches this week, with two names closely associated with Batman on board (both Dini and Nguyen have headed up Batman books before) the real reason to pick this one up is that it's the second of DC's titles to offer the new back up feature stories (with the first being last weeks Booster Gold #21). It's an interesting experiment on DC's part to see if these titles can hold, or in some cases, gain readership with a price tag $1 higher than most of the lines books, but 10 extra pages of story.

THE OUTSIDERS #19 - "The Deep" part 5 of 6! With half of the Outsiders captured and the remaining members on the run, things have reached a boiling point for Alfred's new squad! And to make matters worse, Deathstroke the Terminator discovers he may have found a way to increase his amazing powers. Meanwhile, the search for the mysterious meteorite – and its strange connection to the Insiders - continues! - One has to wonder how long this title will stay relevant to the current Bat-mythos. This Alfred Pennyworth led team was handpicked by Batman and assembled after his passing to act in his stead. So now that there's a new face under the cowl how long could this new incarnation of the team be around? Hopefully for a while, as under writer Pete Tomasi, The Outsiders has been knocking it out of the park since the books original re-relaunch in 2003 under the pen of Judd Winnick.