DC Reveals Preview For Midnighter and Apollo #1, "The Book We Need Right Now"

09/09/2016 11:05 am EDT

The day after DC revealed the first variant cover for writer Steve Orlando's upcoming Midnighter and Apollo miniseries, the publisher have released a five-page preview of the first issue, featuring art by Fernando Blanco.

After having spent some time on his own in the critically-acclaimed Midnighter solo series, WildStorm's answer to Batman is back in a relationship with Apollo, WildStorm's Superman pastiche. The pair will have a lot on their plate, according to Orlando, in a battler that will unleash magic -- one of the few things it's difficult for Apollo to easily punch into submission -- on the power couple.

And while the stakes and the setup might be different than Orlando is used to from his time on Midnighter, what's clear from this preview is that the wonderfully creative layouts that made that series instantly recognizable in a crowded field of "DC You" launches last year remain in full effect.

"Midnighter and Apollo is the book we need right now, as comics' most iconic queer couple face down a new enemy and show us that we can never give in to fear, hatred, and evil," Orlando, who recently revealed that he will be writing Justice League of America in 2017, said in a statement. "And they do it with their own brand of action movie wit…and punching. I won't just deliver fans the much-anticipated return of Apollo. I'll also feature the Lords of the Gun and the iconic Mawzir from DC's seminal Hitman, as well as Underworld Unleashed's Neron. And that's just the beginning. It's a knock-down, drag-out, DC Universe western revenge thriller that starts kicking from page one!"

As members of StormWatch, Midnighter and Apollo were created by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch as part of a book that was commonly seen as the WildStorm Universe's version of the Justice League. When ultimately WildStorm merged with the DC Universe, many of the characters struggled to find a place for themselves, but Midnighter and Apollo have endured, in part because their relationship differentiates them from other Batman and Superman stand-ins in a meaningful way that has allowed for some interesting storytelling over the years. Writers like Orlando and, before that, Christos Gage and Keith Giffen have particularly has success carving out a niche in the DC Universe for Midnighter.

Midnighter and Apollo #1 debuts October 5th, 2016. Final order cutoff at your local comic book store is Monday September 12th, so if you want to be sure you'll have one, get those orders in now. Orlando's Midnighter Vol. 1: Out is available now, and Midnighter Vol. 2: Hard arrives on October 19th in comic book stores and October 25th wherever books are sold.

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