Posted in: Comics | Tagged: action comics, Batman, dc, event leviathan, justice league, lex luthor, superman, year of the villain

DC's Year of the Villain Details Revealed, And Yes, There's Variants

Published Thu, 11 Apr 2019 13:19:28 -0500

by Jude Terror

Comments

DC Comics has revealed the details of their Year of the Villain event conglomerate super-mega-crossover event launching this May with the Year of the Villain One-Shot, which will lead into major villain-centric stories in Justice League, Event Leviathan, and Batman.

From the press release, these are the Justice League details:

JUSTICE LEAGUE

In DC's YEAR OF THE VILLAIN #1 written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV with art by Jim Cheung, Lex Luthor has decided once and for all that heroism is a false dream and for man to ascend to his place in the universe, he must embrace his basest, most evil instincts. But this means making an incredible sacrifice to achieve his goal and gain the support of Perpetua, the first being to be imprisoned within the Source Wall, now freed from the events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL.

Beginning with June's issue #25, Luthor's plans begin to crystalize in a "prelude" story co-written by Snyder and Tynion with art by Javi Fernandez. In July, he makes "The Offer" to some of the DC Universe's most noteworthy characters; he alone holds the key to them realizing their full potential. This kicks off an epic event taking over 2019, setting the stage for an all-out clash between the forces of Justice and Doom:

July – Year of the Villain: The Offer
August – Year of the Villain: Dark Gifts
September – Year of the Villain: Evil Unleashed
October – Year of the Villain: Doom Rising

It's unclear whether those four titles are stories inside Justice League, additional one-shots, or something else.

Here's the details on Event Leviathan:

ACTION COMICS/EVENT LEVIATHAN

Beginning with the "Leviathan Rises" storyline in ACTION COMICS #1007, Brian Michael Bendis and Steve Epting continue to explore the DCU's clandestine world of espionage and terrorism. The organization known as Leviathan continues to remove competitors from the playing field while its ultimate purpose (and the person behind it) remains unknown.

In DC'S YEAR OF THE VILLAIN #1, Batgirl and Green Arrow dive further into this mystery in a story featuring a moody style reminiscent of a spy thriller (courtesy of artist Alex Maleev), where offers are made and suspicions about the identity of Leviathan are raised. Fans can follow the ongoing mystery in ACTION COMICS #1010 (April 24), #1011 (May 11) and SUPERMAN: LEVIATHAN RISING SPECIAL #1 (May 29) before the DCU's greatest sleuths and detectives join forces to thwart this full-blown threat as the six-issue EVENT LEVIATHAN miniseries begins on June 12.

And Batman: City of Bane:

BATMAN: CITY OF BANE

It's going to be a long hot summer for the Dark Knight as well, courtesy of Tom King and Tony S. Daniel as "City of Bane" begins BATMAN #75, on sale July 17. This extra-sized anniversary issue kicks off a new multi-part storyline tying together all the threads of the first 74 issues of Tom King's epic Batman run.

Bane's minions have moved into Gotham City, taken control and rule with an iron fist; and they aren't above rounding up any rogue villains that aren't ready to get with the program. Meanwhile Batman is nowhere to be found – at least not the Batman that anyone knows. And if Gotham City is already under Bane's thumb, what kind of offer can Lex Luthor make him, and will he accept?

But that's not all. Portraits of DC villains accepting "The Offer" from Lex Luthor will also grace select DC titles in November, with cardstock covers and a dollar price increase. DC also shows off several Year of the Villain banners which will grace some covers. Check 'em all out down below.

Luthor's influence spreads across the DCU with a select number of titles carrying a themed "Year of the Villain" banner featuring a haunting image of a Lex Luthor that's more than he used to be. In addition, certain July issues will receive special "portrait" variant covers featuring characters to whom "Apex Lex" makes the ultimate offer. These covers will be printed on cardstock with minimal trade dress, presenting the art in a bold, dynamic setting and carry an increased cover price ($1 extra) over the standard version.