Info on DC's upcoming Doc Savage, Spirit series and other "First Wave" plans

DC has spilled a few more details on its upcoming First Wave project, which focuses on pulp/noir heroes such as Doc Savage and The Spirit (who owns the comics rights to The Shadow these days? Seems like he'd be a natch for this, too).

I was a big fan of Marvel's Doc Savage comics. Didn't really get into DC's earlier take on the character. But this whole idea of a "pulp world" populated by these characters seems like a cool approach. I may give it a try.

You’re all familiar with FIRST WAVE, right? The pulp-y, neo-noir epic from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Rags Morales hits in March and brings readers into a world where the Batman, Doc Savage, the Spirit and many more hard-boiled heroes stand side by side.
To further flesh out the FIRST WAVE world and give some of these iconic characters some much-needed face time, we’re launching two new ongoing series: THE SPIRIT and DOC SAVAGE.
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DOC SAVAGE #1 kicks off the Man of Bronze’s very own ongoing, as Doc Savage finds himself the target of a brazen attack on New York City. And things get worse as tragedy befalls one of Doc’s allies, and it’s starting to look like someone may not survive the opening pages of “The Lord of Lightning” arc. Featuring a story from Paul Malmont, the national bestselling author of THE CHINATOWN DEATH-CLOUD PERIL, with art by Howard Porter, with covers by superstar artists J.G. Jones and John Cassaday.
That’s not all, though. the DOC SAVAGE series will also sport a JUSTICE INC. co-feature, courtesy of crime novelist Jason Starr (Vertigo Crime’s THE CHILL) and artist Scott Hampton. The first installments finds our star, Richard Benson, the Avenger, chasing down the criminals that have abducted one of his own detectives, sending Benson into an heated, unforgiving rage.
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THE SPIRIT, written by Mark Schultz (Superman: Man of Steel, Xenozoic Tales) with art by DC newcomer Moritat and a snazzy cover by LADRÖNN, puts the spotlight back on Will Eisner’s fedora-wearing vigilante. What happens when the international crime syndicate known as The Golden Tree decides to help the villainous Octopus consolidate control over Central City’s criminal underworld? Well, it’s safe to say this is the kind of thing the Spirit handles best, even if The Golden Tree has offered up one of their deadliest – and sexiest — assassins to take down the Spirit.
Check out a few pages of Moritat’s lovely work below:
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The first issue also features the debut of the eight-page THE SPIRIT; BLACK & WHITE co-feature, showcasing some of the industry’s finest talents interpretation of the classic hero. And what better way to kick things off than a tale of the Spirit by writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Bill Sienkiewicz?

2 comments:

  1. I hope the Doc series proves better than the recent Doc-Batman crossover, which I found terribly disappointing and not much in keeping with the original novels - unlike the black and white Marvel magazines of the 1970s, which I've long maintained came closer to capturing the spirit of the original pulps than any other Doc comic series (with the possible exception of Dark Horse's Doc/Shadow crossover).

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  2. I'm with you. I loved those old Marvels, especially the black-and-white mags. I've heard good stuff about Malmont's novel--need to read it myself. Reportedly, it really captures the pulpy feel of vintage Doc and Shadow tales. So that's encouraging. I really want these to be good, but I want ALL comics to be good. Hence, I'm disappointed a lot.

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