Elle Collins

Dick Grayson, the former Robin and occasional Batman currently known as Nightwing, has a lot of fans on social media. And what's interesting is that this turns out to be just as true in the DC Universe as it is in our world. In Nightwing #16, by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernandez, current Robin Damian Wayne discovers Nightwing's online popularity, and he's not thrilled about it. What really gets under Damian's skin is the assumption that Nightwing will eventually take the mantle of Batman for good. He also doesn't seem to love seeing Dick referred to with the hashtags #TheOriginalRobin and #BestRobin.

Courtesy of DC Comics, ComicsAlliance brings you an advance look at new periodical comic books, collected editions, graphic novels and collectibles going on sale in May 2017 (and in some cases beyond) from the publisher’s superhero line, Gerard Way's Young Animal, and the mature readers Vertigo imprint.

Those two Marvel guys you like with the guns are in one book together this spring. Deadpool Versus The Punisher is a five-issue miniseries written by Fred Van Lente with art by Pere Perez. It seems like this is something that should have already happened by now, but I'm sure there's an appetite for it either way. The guy with all the weapons and the sense of humor who can't be killed, versus the guy with even more weapons and no sense of humor, who can be killed but somehow never dies. It's a match made in gun-based-crossover heaven.

The deadliest woman in the galaxy is getting her own series from Guardians of the Galaxy movie screenwriter Nicole Perlman and artist Marco Checchetto. Gamora #1 promises insight into how the once-favored daughter of Thanos gained her impressive representation, and why she became a hero instead of the assassin she was raised to be.

In these troubled times, we all need heroes we can believe in, and Hawkeye #1, written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Leonardo Romero with colors by Jordie Bellaire, brings us one such hero in Kate Bishop, the second and greatest Hawkeye. The book finds Kate back in L.A., where she first moved in Hawkeye Annual #1 by Matt Fraction and Javier Pulido, and once again working as a detective. She shared that book with her mentor, original Hawkeye Clint Barton, but she's going to have this Hawkeye title all to herself, while Clint is busy over in Occupy Avengers. As a longtime fan of both Kate Bishop and Kelly Thompson, I'm really looking forward to this book. And the panel in the preview where Kate leaps into action, in costume, while a handful of onlookers smile admiringly, is exactly the sort of thing I want to see in it.

It feels almost too clichéd to be worth saying: whether you're naming a favorite superhero or a favorite comics monster, the Thing is no surprise for the top of either list. In fact the archetype of the monster as member of a superhero team started with him, and with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who introduced the character in Fantastic Four #1. He wasn't exactly the first superheroic monster, but he was the first one who wasn't a loner, and the first whose gruff but self-conscious demeanor contrasted with the sunnier dispositions of his non-monstrous teammates.

The spooky season marches on, and I've been looking for comic book monsters to build movies around. And of course my favorite Marvel monster (at least of the superheroic variety) is Hank McCoy, the Beast. So today I'm imagining a movie based on his solo run in Amazing Adventures back in the early '70s, which was written by Gerry Conway and Steve Englehart, with art by Tom Sutton. This is the story in which he goes from a bouncy human-looking guy with big hands and feet to an actual furry monster.

Batwoman's returning to her own solo ongoing in 2017, written by Marguerite Bennett with art by Steve Epting. This is about as exciting a creative team as Batwoman could possibly have. Bennett already writes an alternate version of Kate Kane in DC Comics Bombshells, and in that and her other books like Insexts and Angela: Queen of Hell, she has not only proven herself to be one of the most talented young writers on the rise, she's also shown a particular interest in portraying the lives of queer women, all of which makes her the ideal choice for Batwoman.

Welcome to Cast Party, the feature that imagines a world with even more live action comic book adaptations than we currently have, and comes up with arguably the best casting suggestions you’re ever going to find for the movies and shows we wish could exist. This week we’re returning to the subject of a previous column, Neil Gaiman‘s Sandman.

Welcome to Costume Drama, a new feature where we turn a critical eye toward superhero outfits and evaluate both the aesthetics and the social issues that often underlie them. For this first installment we're looking at a costume created by Jack Kirby, and still in use with only minor tweaks today: T'Challa's Black Panther suit.

Writer Jason Aaron and artist Chris Bachalo are still going strong on Doctor Strange. The 12th issue starts a new storyline called "Blood in the Aether." It features a powerless Stephen Strange, weakened by the events of "The Last Days of Magic," forced to deal with all of his greatest enemies who've decided, for obvious reasons, that this is the perfect time to come after him. The preview features Strange hiding out in what looks like a mystical Tiki Bar, which is then attacked by something terrifying, which he must fend off with just a glowing green sword.

Shade the Changing Girl is a sight to behold. From the creative team of writer Cecil Castelluci, line artist Marley Zarcone, and color artist Kelly Fitzpatrick, the title is part of DC's Young Animal line, overseen by Gerard Way. Though it spins out of the classic Peter Milligan Vertigo series Shade the Changing Man, and protagonist Lorna is an admirer of the earlier Shade, this series looks set to stand on its own, judging from this first look.