Writer: Justin Gray
Artists: Claude St-Aubin and Sean Parsons
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Superman teams up with Power Girl, but can they stop a nuclear strike from Lex Luthor and Stalin of Red Son Moscow?
Writer: Len Wein
Artists: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz
Colorist: Felix Serrano
Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson fight side by side in memory of Bruce Wayne as they decide who will become the next Batman.
Writer: Jerry Ordway
Artist: Ben Caldwell
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
The young heroes of Infinity Inc. must choose between the path set for them by their parents or the one they’ve set for themselves as they face post-apocalyptic Jonah Hex.
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artists: Tom Derenick and Trevor Scott
Colorist: Monica Kubina
Older and in full retirement under the dome, members of the Justice Society get the chance to regain their youths to stave off forces from the Qward Universe. But the promise of youth comes with a deadly price.
Writer: Paul Levitz
Artists: Jim Fern and Joe Rubinstein with cartoons by Shannon Wheeler
Colorist: Paul Mounts
The Seven Soldiers of Victory regroup to defend their city against the Qward invasion, while cartoonist Scribbly Jibbet transcribes their adventures.
Newsarama released the solicits for Week 4 of Convergence today, and I have to say April and May of 2015 is looking like a promising two months for Classic DC Comics fans like myself. Not only is it refreshing to see some familiar faces again, but it'll be a nice breather from the constant Doom and Gloom of the New 52.
I sincerely hope that Convergence is successful enough to lead to some much needed positive changes to the overall narrative of all of these characters, and especially bring back the much needed diverse storytelling that's so sorely lacking in the New 52. This especially rings true for the New 52 Earth-2 characters who have yet to have stories told about them, and not have their entire narratives centred on editorial mandates, Apokolips, or Helena Wayne's usurper grandfather, who by the way, is supposed to be dead, even on Earth-2.
More importantly I really want for Convergence to be a really strong message to DC Comics, letting them know that we want recognisable versions of our favourite characters again! I know I'll definitely be subscribing to the Earth-2 titles when I go to the shop tomorrow, and hopefully everyone else who is a fan of the Classic Earth-2 does as well.
The only complaint I have right now about these solicits is DC's constant obsession with needing to have a Batman character in every narrative that they have. The decision to rob Helena Wayne of her own narrative on Earth-2 in favour of her (supposed to be dead) grandfather in the New 52 was one of the many things that got me to stop buying Earth-2 after the Tower of Fate story arc concluded. The decision to completely mischaracterise Helena Wayne on top of that to advance the narrative of her grandfather was another bad decision that guaranteed I wouldn't give World's End a chance.
Believe me when I say 'New Earth-2 Batman' is the last thing I want to see on the solicitation of a Helena Wayne story that she shares with her former Bat sibling, Dick Grayson. It's especially insulting that DC is going back to this idea of 'needing a new Batman' on the version of Earth-2 where both Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson explicitly decided against taking over her father's identity and mantle, reasoning that legends should in fact stay legends, and that--as Bruce Wayne's successors--they should create new legends of their own as Huntress and Robin respectively. This was literally the story of Adventure Comics #462, first published in 1978. I honestly find this idea far more appealing (and with stronger story potential) than needing another Batman character for editorial to obsesses over.
Honestly, DC, let these legacy characters be the stars of their own narratives. Let Helena Wayne take over her father's job as the Huntress. This idea was already successful in the 1970s and 1980s. She was, in fact, one of DC's more popular characters in the Bronze Age. I really don't see why this same concept can't still work or be successful in the year 2015, especially as the daughter of DC's second popular flagship couple, Batman and Catwoman. Additionally, I don't have any problems with Dick Grayson reclaiming his Robin identity on Earth-2 either. Sure, update the costume so that the colours aren't all over the place and that it looks more appropriate for an adult male, but let him keep something that always belonged to him. Earth-2 does not need a new Batman to replace Helena's father, Bruce Wayne. Let me me repeat that:
EARTH-2 DOES NOT NEED A NEW BATMAN TO REPLACE HELENA'S FATHER, BRUCE WAYNE.
Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson can take over her father's job just fine on their own.
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