DC has released advance solicitations for their comics coming out in September. Some selections and my thoughts on them follow.

COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #1
Written by Steve Gerber and Matt Sturges; Art by Justiniano & Walden Wong and Stephen Segovia
The Helmet of Fate has landed…on Kent Nelson — a man so far down on his luck, he doesn’t know what luck is! The transformative nature of the helmet grants him powers he can’t begin to comprehend…but will they make his life better, or even worse?

I've always liked Dr. Fate. The tie-in to Countdown makes is a minus, especially when i remember how anticlimactic the Infinite Crisis tie-ins were.

COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE #2
Written by Adam Beechen and Justin Gray; Art by Eddy Barrows & Julio Ferrera and Fabrizio Fiorentino
Meet Champ Hazard, the hero of Rann. But what happened to Adam Strange?
And in the backup story, Forerunner travels to Earth-10, the universe where the Nazis won World War II, to recruit superpowers for her master’s cause.

Rann and an alternate Earth with Nazi versions of Bats, Supes and Wonder Woman? I might have to pick this one up. However, again Countdown link is off-putting, and it sounds like Forerunner is going to retrace Harbinger's steps from Crisis on Infinite Earths, and that's boring.

THE ALL-NEW ATOM #15
Written by Gail Simone; Art by Mike Norton & Trevor Scott
The Search for Ray Palmer is interrupted as the Atom is literally plucked from the Nanoverse by the mastermind behind all of the problems in Ivy Town — and the man who may or may not hold some answers for Ryan Choi about his fallen idol Ray Palmer!

I have faith that Simone will incorporate the Event stuff in a non-sucky way. I'm looking forward to whatever craziness she's brewed up to populate the Nanoverse. Is that where the big floating head comes from?

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #13
Written by Dwayne McDuffie; Art by Joe Benitez & Victor Llamas

McDuffie was a big part of the Justice League cartoon, which was very good, so i'll likely give this one a chance. When JLA is good, it's a lot of fun.

THE GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY WEDDING SPECIAL #1
Written by Judd Winick; Art by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti

I'm not buying this. I just wanna say i'm agin it. The asshole should not get the girl. Nuff said. Conner is an awesome artist, though.

INFINITY INC. #1
Written by Peter Milligan; Art and cover by Max Fiumara
When Lex Luthor and his Everyman project was taken down by John (Steele) Henry Irons, it appeared the story of Infinity Inc was over. But one year-plus later, it seems that life hasn't been kind to Starlight, Fury, and Nuklon. John suspects the problems may lead back to their experience as on the Everyman Project, opening doors that can never be shut!

Milligan did some crazy, inventive stuff of X-Statix a few years ago. Steel is a cool character. So i'll give this one a shot.

SUICIDE SQUAD: RAISE THE FLAG #1
Written by John Ostrander; Art by Javier Pina & Robin Riggs

Ostrander, Suicide Squad, i'm there.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #16
Written by Dave Gibbons; Art and cover by Pat Gleason & Prentis Rollins
“The Sinestro Corps War” continues as Mogo is attacked by the Sinestro Corps. Can the largest Green Lantern of all defend itself from a squadron of Sinestro Corps members?

GLC is a very good comic. It's got action, several interesting plot threads, and strong characters. Gleason's art is real purty, too!

THE QUESTION: ZEN AND VIOLENCE VOL. 1 TP
Written by Dennis O’Neil; Art by Denys Cowan & Rick Magyar
A new trade paperback collecting the 1980s adventures of The Question, the faceless, morally conflicted avenger based in corrupt Hub City! A martial arts master, The Question delved into Eastern philosophy as he battled crime and the crooked politicians of his hometown.

The Question is a great character, and this series is highly regarded.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE GREAT DISASTER FEATURING THE ATOMIC KNIGHTS AND HERCULES VOL. 1 TP
Written by John Broome, Gerry Conway, Jack Kirby and others; Art by Murphy Anderson, Jack Kirby, Walter Simonson and others. This thrilling volume collects futuristic tales from Strange Adventures, First Issue Special, Hercules Unbound, Kamandi, Weird War Tales, House of Mystery, Superman, Amazing World of DC Comics, and House of Secrets! 576 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

There's too much talent in this one to skip it. Kirby and Simonson under the same cover? Awesome. This stuff is a bit obscure, but it's apparently going to be adapted to the current DCU. I expect this to be some of Kirby's more "out there" material, which i find endlessly entertaining.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: METAL MEN VOL. 1 TP
Written by Robert Kanigher; Art and cover by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito
From the 1960s comes this volume collecting BRAVE AND THE BOLD #55, METAL MEN #1-16 and SHOWCASE #37-40, starring one of the strangest super-hero teams ever, now featured in a new miniseries! Created by Dr. Will Magnus, the team includes six robotic heroes: noble Gold, powerful Iron, loyal Lead, hot-headed Mercury, timid Tin and lovely Platinum! 528 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

Okay, i'll admit it, DC: you hooked me on Magnus & the Metal Men with 52. Congrats.

BIRDS OF PREY #110
Written by Tony Bedard; Art by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood
In the aftermath of her new team’s first mission Oracle is reminded of how, sometimes, a smaller task force is needed even on some big assignments.

I think this is Bedard's first issue? The Negation series he wrote for Crossgen was a blast, and i already love the Birds, so this is on my list.

BLUE BEETLE #19
Written by John Rogers & Keith Giffen; Art by Rafael Albuquerque & David Baldeon
The Beetle’s truce with crimelord La Dama is put to the test when someone puts a Giganta-ic price on her head!

Blue Beetle is by far the best thing to come out of OYL. This is one of the most likable new heroes to show up in a long time. The supporting cast that Rogers & Giffen have developed for his is very strong, too. If you like Invincible or early Spiderman, you oughta check it out.

CHECKMATE #18
Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
Amanda Waller’s unauthorized Black Ops game is exposed! “The Fall of the Wall” begins here!

The fact that this solicit makes me think "oh yeah, now this shit is ON" means either this is a great comic, or i need stronger medication.

THE FLASH #232
Written by Mark Waid; Art & cover by Daniel Acuña. What alien menace lies beneath the Flash’s own home? And what’s his dark, dark family secret — the one that’s helping him keep the peace in Keystone?

I'm not digging that cover, but Waid is back on The Flash--thumbs up! And if it's Wally back as the Flash, too, double thumbs up!

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #9
Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Dale Eaglesham & Ruy Jose. Don't miss this important prologue to an event that will rock the world's first and best super-team! In this issue, a fight between Wildcat and Wildcat; a firehouse pancake breakfast; Power Girl's quest to unlock the secret's behind her cousin's death; Citizen Steel's new family and the fate of Starman! And that's just the beginning as we prepare the Justice Society for their newest and most surprising member to date...

It sounds like this series continues to rollick along with several ongoing plots, all of which interest me to varying degrees. Eaglesham is the shit, too.

METAL MEN #2
Written by Duncan Rouleau; Art and cover by Rouleau. Unaware that he is a pawn in a ruthless war that spans both time and space, Magnus attempts to rescue his Metal Men from certain destruction while wondering at the same time if he should even create them. Can the greatest robot-maker of all time discover his true path to the future, or is he doomed to wander “Inside In the Inside Out.”

Like i said above, the Metal Men are cool.

OUTSIDERS #50
Written by Tony Bedard; Art by Matthew Clark. A new era dawns for the Outsiders! Batman makes a stunning last-minute change to the Outsiders’ new roster — but there’s a bigger surprise in store as the team uncovers a worldwide upheaval within the supervillain community! FINAL ISSUE

Here's Bedard again, but this is the final issue? I reckon it gets relaunched next month. I'm not sure i want Batman back in the Outsiders, but oh well.

SHADOWPACT #17
Written by Matt Sturges; Art and cover by Doug Braithwaite. It’s Shadowpact vs. a horde of zombies! Plus, a new villain hits the team at its weakest point! And it’s training day for the Warlock’s daughter; and her tutor is the team member she hates the most!

Huh? It's not written by Willingham? What gives? Shadowpact is another one that i look forward to every month. It's always good.

THE SPIRIT #10
Written by Darwyn Cooke; Art by Cooke & J. Bone. The Spirit becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder case that is at the center of a swirling media feeding frenzy. To make matters worse, the victims are the TV personalities who usually fan the flames of discord! But all is not as it seems…

This is one of the best comic series going right now. Highly recommended.

FABLES #65
Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Mark Buckingham & Steve Leialoha. Flycatcher is in trouble. He hasn’t had food or water for more than a month and the power he’s been drawing from his magic armor is running out. If Flycatcher falls, his army perishes with him.

I don't expect Flycatcher to survive this.

JACK OF FABLES #15
Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Tony Akins & Andrew Pepoy. In the conclusion of “The Bad Prince,” our hard-luck group of crash survivors try to find a way out of the wilderness. And along the way we learn more about Wicked John, and our boy Jack doesn’t like a bit of it. But it does give him an idea of how he might possibly get fabled Excalibur removed from his chest. In the story of the Sword in the Stone, Jack hates playing the stone.

More fun with Jack being a self-absorbed ass, and ocassionally getting horribly mangled.