Wednesday Comics

Comic book by DC Comics
  • Superhero
Publication dateJuly 2009No. of issues12Editor(s)Mark ChiarelloCollected editionsHardcoverISBN 1-4012-2747-3

Wednesday Comics was a weekly anthology comic book launched by DC Comics on July 8, 2009.[1] The twelve issues of the title were published in 14" x 20" broadsheet format,[2] deliberately similar to Sunday newspaper comics sections. Each edition featured 15 pages, each from a different story by a different creative team.

Publication history

Spearheaded by DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello,[3] creators were approached and asked to develop stories for the characters they would most like to write. Each issue was 16 pages, with each story taking up one full page when folded out.

The first Superman story was printed in USA Today[4] and subsequent installments were posted online at the USA Today website.[5]

Stories

Each issue printed the strips in the following sequence:

  • Batman – story by Brian Azzarello[6][7] with art by Eduardo Risso. Batman becomes entangled in a battle over who should inherit a murdered man's estate.
  • Kamandi – story by Dave Gibbons[8] with art by Ryan Sook.[9] Kamandi rides to the City of the Apes in an attempt to aid the Tiger Army.
  • Superman – story by John Arcudi with art by Lee Bermejo.[10] An alien attack provokes feelings of unease within the Man of Steel.
  • Deadman – story by Dave Bullock/Vinton Heuck with art by Dave Bullock.[11] While attempting to stop a serial killer, Deadman is pulled into a mystical demonic dimension where he is still alive.
  • Green Lantern – story by Kurt Busiek[12] with art by Joe Quiñones. Hal must help an astronaut and former friend who has been transformed into an alien monster.
  • Metamorpho – story by Neil Gaiman[13] with art by Mike Allred.[14][15] Metamorpho accompanies Simon Stagg to an expedition for a rare diamond in a lost temple in Antarctica.
  • Teen Titans – story by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway. The Titans face a dangerous enemy, Trident, hell-bent on destroying the team.
  • Strange Adventures – story and art by Paul Pope[16] and José Villarrubia. The warlord Lord Korgo besieges the city of Ranagar intent on acquiring the secret of Adam Strange's zeta beams.
  • Supergirl – story by Jimmy Palmiotti[17] with art by Amanda Conner.[18] The Girl of Steel has trouble looking after the irrationally behaving Superpets Streaky and Krypto.
  • Metal Men – story by Dan DiDio[19] with art by José Luis García-López and Kevin Nowlan. The Metal Men foil a bank robbery only to discover a more sinister motivation behind it.
  • Wonder Woman – story and art by Ben Caldwell.[11]
  • Sgt. Rock – story by Adam Kubert with art by Joe Kubert[20] Rock is captured by Nazis and tortured into giving up the whereabouts of the Easy Company.
  • The Flash – story by Karl Kerschl[21][22] and Brenden Fletcher with art by Karl Kerschl. Using his superspeed while attempting to foil Gorilla Grodd's plans, the Flash finds himself dealing with a multitude of problems - Iris West's estrangement from him not being the least of them.
  • The Demon and Catwoman – story by Walt Simonson[23] with art by Brian Stelfreeze. Catwoman is hired to steal an artifact from Jason Blood, not knowing that it is all a ploy of Morgaine Le Fay to regain her youth.
  • Hawkman – story and art by Kyle Baker.[24] Katar Hol fights off airplane hijackers who are really aliens and ends up landing on Dinosaur Island.

Awards

Wednesday Comics won the 2010 Harvey Award in the category Best Anthology.

Collected editions

The series has been collected into an individual volume:

  • Wednesday Comics (200 pages, DC Comics, June 2010, ISBN 1-4012-2747-3; Titan Books, July 2010, ISBN 1-84856-755-3)

The collected edition contains two stories not printed in the monthly released newsprint:

References

  1. ^ "Wednesday Comics #1". DC Comics.com.
  2. ^ "Sunday Comics on Wednesday? DC's New 'Wednesday Comics'". Newsarama. March 19, 2009.
  3. ^ Brady, Matt (March 20, 2009). "Creating 'Wednesday Comics' - Talking to Mark Chiarello". Newsarama. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  4. ^ Colton, David (June 15, 2009). "Superman to leap off these pages". USA Today. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  5. ^ Brady, Matt (June 20, 2009). "Heroes Con '09 - 'DC Nation' Panel". Newsarama. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  6. ^ Trecker, Jamie (September 3, 2009). "Wednesday Comics Thursday: Brian Azzarello on Batman". Newsarama. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  7. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (August 19, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Brian Azzarello". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  8. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (August 26, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Dave Gibbons". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  9. ^ Trecker, Jamie (August 6, 2009). "Wednesday Comics Thursday 4: Ryan Sook Brings Kamandi to Life". Newsarama. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  10. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (September 16, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Arcudi & Bermejo". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  11. ^ a b Renaud, Jeffrey (September 10, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Ben Caldwell and Dave Bullock & Vinton Heuck". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  12. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (August 5, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Kurt Busiek & Eddie Berganza". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  13. ^ Geddes, John (May 25, 2010). "Neil Gaiman on 'Metamorpho' and 'Wednesday Comics'". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  14. ^ Minnick, Remy (January 30, 2009). "Gaiman & Allred on Metamorpho". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  15. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (July 8, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Mike Allred". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  16. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (September 23, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Paul Pope". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  17. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (July 15, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Jimmy Palmiotti". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  18. ^ Trecker, Jamie (August 20, 2009). "Wednesday Comics Thursday: Amanda Conner Brings the Cute". Newsarama. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  19. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (June 18, 2009). "Dan DiDio Talks Wednesday Comics!". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  20. ^ .Renaud, Jeffrey (July 22, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: The Kuberts". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  21. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (July 29, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Karl Kerschl". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  22. ^ Trecker, Jamie (September 2, 2009). "Wednesday Comics Thursday #5: Kerschl and the Flash". Newsarama. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  23. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (September 2, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Walt Simonson". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  24. ^ Renaud, Jeffrey (August 12, 2009). "Wednesday Comics: Kyle Baker". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved May 27, 2010.