Back Issue Bin 121 "DC 3-Packs Again"

As far as I can tell, DC quit its Walmart 3-pack initiative  sometime last year.  I kept hoping to find new packs, but they were eventually outright pulled from the shelves at my local store, only to recently resurface, all the familiar stock they had the last time the packs were available.  I figured I'd pick some of those up just for argument's sake.  Three more packs, nine comics, here's the results:

Batman #1 (Batman #9)

This is the start of Tom King's second arc, "I Am Suicide," and I really don't mind reading it again, as it's a great issue, a walkthrough of his recruits for a private Suicide Squad including Ventriloquist, Bronze Tiger, Punch & Jewlee, and Catwoman.  The issue holds a lot of nice little tidbits, including one of King's early Kite Man appearances, not to mention a direct reference to "War of Jokes and Riddles" (at that point two arcs away), an appearance by a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes (probably) locked up in Arkham, and of course the start of King's Catwoman arc, where readers were initially shocked to learn she was suddenly a mass murderer.  Of course, we later learn that she was covering for a friend, Holly Robinson, which itself becomes a running subplot.  The Legion arc is still a ways away, as evidenced by several months worth of advance solicitations here in 2018 still yet to feature a follow-up, not to mention that "Suicide" is also part of King's long-term plans for Gotham Girl, which likewise have seen no advancement with the focus shifting to Batman's upcoming nuptials to Catwoman.  "Suicide" was the start of Bane's appearances in the series, so far culminating in the later "I Am Bane" arc.  "Suicide" also features King's addition to Batman's origin that the young Bruce Wayne was in fact suicidal prior to making his vow of a war on crime.  This arc was actually the start of massive complaints against King's Batman, which have never affected sales.  I don't really get readers not appreciating all this, especially with such a strong kickoff.  Too many readers, I think, don't let the work carry its obvious momentum.  Then again, there are plenty of readers who do.  The wedding is a clear lure, and buzz is crucial for all forms of popular entertainment, usually crushing any immediate backlash.  And hopefully in the future all this will be duly appreciated for the landmark work it is.

I'm not sure whether this is the first time I've obtained the Walmart variant (minus the "I Am Suicide" arc dressing in the Rebirth banner, and the numbering as indicated), but it's at least the third time I've read the issue, including the original publication and the later I Am Suicide collection.

Batman/Superman #31
(from July 2016)

Part of Pete Tomasi's "Final Days of Superman," what turned out to be a New 52 Death of Superman arc, far less heralded in the media than the 1992 version. 

Bizarro #3
(from October 2015)

A humor title launched in the DCYou initiative inspired by the success of "the Batgirl of Burnside" and coinciding with, among other things, the launch of King's Omega Men.

Convergence: Harley Quinn #2
(from July 2015)

I loved Convergence as an event.  Turns out the whole idea was probably executed mostly to help DC move to California with minimal publication disruption (insofar as material was still be released, just not regular series material) for a couple of months.  Captain Carrot appears here, part of an unlikely revival for the character that included appearances in Grant Morrison's Multiversity.  The Divergence title previewed in the issue is Garth Ennis's Section Eight.  I remain uninterested in Garth Ennis comics.

Infinity Man and the Forever People: Futures End
(from November 2014)

This is another 3-pack alum I suspect I've gotten before but not in the past half-year.  Anyway, as with all Futures End specials, its story jumps five years into the future but not necessarily related to the events of the weekly Futures End itself.  Beautiful Dreamer finds herself cursed to try and escape the pain of the team's destruction.  With the right creative approach, all of Jack Kirby's New Gods concepts could have massive breakout appeal, including the Forever People.  I'm glad DC keeps plugging away at its periodic attempts.

Batman and the Justice League: Outbreak #1 (Justice League #10)

The lead comics in these packs all had altered covers to varying degrees.  Many of them were calculated to broaden their appeal, hence the League lining up with Batman's popularity.  This was part of Bryan Hitch's run, which recently came to an end in favor of Scott Snyder's revival.  Hitch was good for fairly standard League material, but the outsize quality Grant Morrison popularized and DC keeps chasing is definitely something Snyder is interested in delivering.  The whole Dark Nights: Metal event turned out to be a League story, demonstrating how wild they can be. 

Red Hood and the Outlaws #34
(from October 2014)

Scott Lobdell's work in this series and its sequels has never gotten the respect its due, mainly because of Kenneth Rocafort's early artwork, his depiction of Starfire, which was part of the renewed culture wars we're still enjoying today.  This later issue is a Starfire spotlight (no Rocafort in sight), featuring her backstory of having once been a slave. 

Swamp Thing #37
(from February 2015)

I've been amazed to find Charles Soule's reputation evaporate so quickly during his tenure at Marvel; at DC he'd been considered one of the fastest rising stars in comics, thanks in part to stuff like his Swamp Thing.  This issue features the birth of the Machine Queen, part of the tapestry of kingdoms that was the focus of the New 52 Swamp King mythology.  A lot of fans seem to have been turned off by the kingdom concept in the Dark titles, especially the "Rotworld" crossover arc and related material, thinking it took up too much attention.  But I consider focus to be a good thing, putting things into perspective, and I find the kingdoms fascinating.  I'm often at odds with the logic of other fans...

Batman: Trinity #1 (Trinity #1)

Here was the last of the headlining acts, as evidenced by the variable title.  This was, aside from all other considerations, the launch of Francis Manapul's title focusing on Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, offering his insights into their character at the start of the Rebirth era, all of them still trying to make sense of Superman's new status quo.  While Manapul's art had apparently once again begun to evolve, it's still his recognizable hopeful style, "hopeful" insofar as it invites the reader in as a friend of these characters, which is always, for me, a good thing.

Unless new packs appear, I think I'm probably done buying these things.  Fun ride while it lasted.