THIS WEEK'S ADVANCE PICK
THE MORTAL THOR #1 (Marvel, $4.99) is by Al Ewing and Pasqual Ferry. To be clear, I haven't been reading Ewing's Thor. But now I may have to.
Thor is on a hero's journey that may require me to break out my Joseph Campbell. Immortal Thor fulfilled a prophecy, and ended (SPOILER) with you-know-who taking a dirt nap. Now nobody remembers Thor or Asgard, which has never been part of Earth's history. And there's this steelworker, Sigurd Jarlson, who favors a blacksmith's hammer, who goes around doing good deeds. Say, this all sounds awfully familiar!
"Now that IMMORTAL THOR #25 is on the stands for you to read -- and please do -- we can be a little more open about the exact nature of the second act of the story,” Ewing explained. “This was an idea that sprang into being from the original pitch; I wanted to treat Thor as a God, and give him a truly mythological story ... but as well as the son of Odin, he's the son of Gaea. So we find ourselves in winter. Thor is dead, and Sigurd Jarlson walks the earth -- without power, without fame, without memory. And yet the fate of Asgard and Midgard rests on this mortal man making the journey to return the magic of the Gods to the Earth. And to get there -- to even learn the nature of the quest -- he's going to have to fight."
Here's a quote from a different press release:
"Since the very first issue of IMMORTAL THOR, Thor's been facing the end of his tale ... but that was only the end of Act One,” Ewing explained. “As the next chapter begins, Thor must face threats he's never faced, from a place he's never been... until now. Is he alive? Is he dead? Is he immortal ... or much, much more? You'll have to join us to find out."
“BRING ON THE BAD GUYS”
BRING ON THE BAD GUYS DORMAMMU #1 (Marvel, $4.99) is by Alex Paknadel and Javier Pina. This one was supposed to ship last week. I'm pleased to see that even despite the delay, the series' climactic issue wasn't delayed, and will ship on time this week (see below).
BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: MEPHISTO #1 (OF 7, MARVEL, $4.99) is by Marc Guggenheim and Álvaro López. The climax. Who's going to stop Mephisto from taking over all the souls on earth? Normally I'd guess Doctor Doom, but he's busy in a different crossover. Maybe he can multi-task.
"IMPERIAL"
IMPERIAL WAR: BLACK PANTHER #1 (Marvel, $4.99) is by Jonathan Hickman, Victor LaValle (Wolverine: Sabretooth War) and CAFU (Venom). Hickman's Imperial isn't over yet (and it's only four issues), but here come some one-shots dealing with the repercussions. In this one, Black Panther has to find out who has framed the Wakandan space empire for an assassination, while enduing attacks from a couple of Hulks.
“Working with Jonathan Hickman on an interstellar epic — who wouldn't be thrilled by that idea? I'm excited to start working on the Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda because there's not enough stories about Black folks in outer space. There could always be more. By the time I'm done, T'Challa and Shuri will have constellations named after them, in some distant galaxy,” LaValle said.
IMPERIAL WAR: PLANET SHE-HULK #1 (Marvel, $4.99) by Jonathan Hickman, Stephanie Phillips (Phoenix) and Emilio Laiso (Godzilla Vs. X-Men). She-Hulk tries to keep the peace on New Sakaar when a war of succession breaks out.
“She-Hulk’s voice just came naturally to me from the first line — she’s so sharp, funny, and confident,” Phillips shared. “It’s been incredible getting to bring her story to life as part of IMPERIAL and see what this talented lineup of creators is building together.”
“ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM”
AVENGERS #29 (Marvel, $3.99)
“SUMMER OF SUPERMAN”
ACTION COMICS #23 FACSIMILE EDITION (DC, $6.99) is by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Gardner Fox and various. First appearance of Luthor. I did a re-read in the The Massive, Extravagant, Over-the-top Golden Age JSA Re-read.
SUPERMAN #29 (DC, $4.99): It's possible the Dark Legion of the Absolute universe has already eliminated "our" Legion. Ruh-roh.
ABSOLUTE COMICS
ABSOLUTE BATMAN: HAUNTED KNIGHT HC (2025 EDITION, DC, $100.00) is by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. Collects the three "Long Halloween" Halloween specials, plus the Catwoman: When In Rome GN. I have read all the Long Halloween stuff, but I confess I don't know how much I have of it on my bookshelf. A lot, I'm sure. But I might not have these specials.
ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER #6 (OF 12, $4.99) is by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez. Growing a little tired of too few answers. Six issues is about the right amount for a mystery-box story. Twelve issues is too long.
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #11 (DC, $4.99): Still my favorite Absolute book.
INTERESTING STUFF
DEADWEIGHTS GN (Ahoy, $18.99) is by Tyrone Finch and Sebastián Píriz. It's about two henchmen who try to give up the life. I read the first issue, and it seemed like fun.
“At its core, Deadweights is about friendship,” Finch said. “It’s the story of two people who have been relentlessly beaten, battered, tossed off of bridges and forced to live in hideouts with no electricity or plumbing. But somehow, the two of them have never given up on each other or their dreams. When you look past their costumes, battles and vows to subjugate the human race; they’re just a couple of guys looking to find a place for themselves in this crazy, mixed-up world.”
“Jerry and Clarence are two guys you can’t help to feel bad for,” Píriz said. “The more you know them, the more you’ll root for them — but that’s the moment where Tyrone sends a curve ball to remind us that, just like in real life, things rarely are so simple as we’d like.”
“I love the idea of DEADWEIGHTS,” said AHOY Comics Senior Editor Sarah Litt. “No one really looks at the aftermath of the fight, only the fight itself. I think DEADWEIGHTS is what happens when the villains figure out that maybe that life doesn’t pay off after all.”
HELLBOY AND THE B.P.R.D.: PROFESSOR HARVEY IS GONE #1 (One-Shot, Dark Horse, $3.99)
is by Mike Mignola and Giuseppe Manunta (Artemis, Sherlock Holmes and the mystery of Haut-Koenigsbourg). Since both Professor Harvey and Hellboy are dead, you might guess it takes place in the past. Hellboy searching for the missing antiquities professor. I'm not an expert on Hellboy backstory, but I imagine he finds him.
“I’m a big fan of Giuseppe’s work so I was thrilled when he told me he wanted to do a Hellboy story — the only problem was that I had sort of (finally) run out of Hellboy stories,” Mignola said. ”My head is so much in my new LANDS UNKNOWN series now that for a while I was really drawing a blank. Then I remembered a plot I had given to Chris Golden a while back. He wrote it up as a Hellboy story for Weird Tales magazine (THE CITY IN THE SEA — Weird Tales issue 367) but that was an unillustrated prose story and there were (I thought) some terrific visuals in that story so I thought Giuseppe would be a terrific artist to put those on paper. So I reworked that original story and idea and turned it over to Giuseppe to work his magic.”
IMMORTAL LEGEND BATMAN #1 (of 6, DC, $4.99) is by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Erica Durso and Dan Mora. I'm not really sure what this is, but I suspect it's inspired by anime or video games. Here's the description: "Humanity broke the barrier between our universe and our universe's shadow. From the void came horri?c apparitions that craved nothing but destruction. But from this terror...a legend was born. A warrior who found a way to access the energy that binds our universe and the shadow universe, transforming him into a cosmic dark knight. This immortal legend was named Batman. He fought to keep us safe but then one day abandoned the war. Though he didn't disappear entirely. Now they say he hunts a rouges gallery of monsters...born from the shadows!"
THE MAN WHO DREAMT THE IMPOSSIBLE: A TRIBUTE TO JACK KIRBY TREASURY EDITION (One-Shot, Image, $9.99). This sounds like it would excite Kirby fans. I don't know much about it, but here's the press release:
FICTIONALIZED TRIBUTE TO JACK KIRBY—THE MAN WHO DREAMT THE IMPOSSIBLE—WILL HIT SHELVES THIS AUGUST
It will be released on Wednesday, August 27, the eve of Jack Kirby's birthday
PORTLAND, Ore. 06/02/2025 — Writer Mário Freitas and artist Lucas Pereira team up to pay tribute to the Jack Kirby legacy with a fictionalized tribute to the comics icon in the upcoming, The Man Who Dreamt the Impossible. This treasury edition one-shot will hit shelves in August from Image Comics and is a must-read for any fan of pop culture history.
“This book is huge. In format. In scope. In ambition. Just like Jack did. But this is not a biography. It is more of a classic 'what if?' scenario: what if Jack Kirby had lived well beyond the age of 76? What if he had survived his Roz; if he had spent his last years in a care home, reunited with his old creative pals from the days of the ‘House of Ideas’ (a term so well spread by propaganda, as if American comics hadn't been a house of ideas since the days of McCay, King, or Herriman)," said Freitas. "It is, above all, a narrative corollary to the great strengths of Kirby's career: the complexity of human relations and the relentless pursuit of the impossible that lies hidden in the Cosmos. But different. Original. Just like Jack did.”
Jack King is the eldest in the care home. A prodigy of imagination, always telling fascinating stories, but recently suffering from extreme fatigue and lack of motivation. Then comes Mike, a young orderly who will help restore Jack's spirit and his much-loved library, a place fallen into disarray and near abandonment, certainly not unrelated to the sinister pestilence lurking on its shelves…
Pereira added: “A textual and visual exploration of what could have been—but also of what truly was. Kirby suffered greatly in real life from what was done to him and to his work, and this story is no different. We don’t sugarcoat what needs to be said or shy away from reflecting on what actually happened. Jack is a genius, but his creations were, over time, distorted and rearranged at the whim of a former caretaker at the nursing home. Now, with Mike’s help, Jack King will set everything back in its rightful place—where it never should have ceased to be.”
This story is a salute to Jack Kirby, to the men who better took care of his work, and to others who suffered the same creative and editorial constraints throughout their careers.
MASTERMINDS #1 (of 5, Dark Horse, $4.99) is by Zack Kaplan (Kill All Immortals, Dark Empty Void, Mindset) and Stephen Thompson (Aliens: Defiance, Satellite Falling, Star Trek: Year One). There are masterminds who secretly rule the world. And you can oin them if you're "smart enough to survive their deadly game of riddles, puzzles and tests." I imagine things won't go well for you should you fail.
“We live in a fast-moving, cut-throat world where the rules have changed,” Kaplan said. “You can’t just work 9 to 5, pay your dues, be a good person and expect to get ahead. We all know it, after years of watching one another work so hard for so little. Nobody respects work ethic and quality. The deck is stacked against you, against us all. To win the game of business, the game of life, you have to get on the inside. That’s when doors just open for you. But to get on the inside, you have to join. And to join, you have to play the game. Prove your intelligence and your character. Stephen, Thiago, Hassan and I had the chance to join Masterminds, and it’s changed our lives. But I can’t really say any more. Except, I hope you have what it takes. And I hope you’re ready.”
"As an artist, I'm all too aware that Big tech is poised to eat the world and automate away our creativity,” Thompson said. “So, the last truly inventive people are turning to the all-to-human arts of conspiracy, collusion and cunning to get ahead. The smart ones are, anyway. If you want to join us, the first step is admitting you've been played. But the Masterminds are here to offer you a second roll of the dice, and a chance to risk it all for the life of your dreams.
SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE COMPENDIUM 2 TP (DC, $59.99) is by Matt Wagner, Steven T. Seagle, Guy Davis, Matthew Dow Smith, Michael Lark, more. I've decided to bite the bullet and get these compendia, and probably Wesley Dodds: The Sandman TP, which will give me all the post-Golden Age, Wesley Dodds solo stories that have been reprinted, I think, including whatever one-shot he appeared in during the 1999 "Justice Society Returns" event, which was reprinted in JSA Omnibus Vol. 1, which is already sitting on my shelf. (I already have all the Golden Age material that's been reprinted, I think.) This collects Sandman Mystery Theatre #37-70 and stories from Vertigo: Winter's Edge #1-2.
SONJA REBORN #1 (Dynamite, $4.99) is by Christopher Priest (Superman Lost, Conan the Barbarian, Black Panther) and Alessandro Miracolo.
Christopher Priest, who's currently doing some cool things with Vampirella, tries his hand at a deconstructionist take on Red Sonja. Instead of writing a standard tale of the She-Devil, he's positing a modern woman transported to the Hyborian Age, wh takes on the role of Red Sonja and must learn to survive. And maybe stab some people.
“We might have called this book Becoming Red Sonja,” Priest said. “The book delves into the culture shock of a presumed nightmare from which you cannot awaken. Both Black Panther and Quantum & Woody employed observational humor of the sidecar character, a voice from outside of the conceit of the fictional universe it observes, which can underscore both the drama and the humor of a world gone completely insane. Sonja Reborn is our 'Kelvin Universe' alternate take on the classic, branching off from familiar paths in order to spiral chaotically into the unknown. I’m having a blast writing it, which is equal parts endorsement and warning!”
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE INVISIBLE MAN #1 (of 4, Image, $4.99) is by James Tynion IV (Something Is Killing the Children, Exquisite Corpses) and DANI (The Low, Low Woods, G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero – Jinx #1). All of these Universal riffs have been excellent to date, so I'm pretty chuffed about this one.
“Going back to the first conversation I had with Skybound about the Universal Monsters line, there were two characters I knew I wanted to work on from the start. We started with Dracula, but in my heart my favorite Universal Monster film has always been THE INVISIBLE MAN,” said James Tynion IV. “It’s a thrill to peel back the bandages and approach Griffin’s story from a whole new angle, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be on this ride with DANI.”
"Working on The Invisible Man comic book series with such a great creative team is a dream come true,” said DANI. “I can’t wait to show the world the unshowable!”
Jack Griffin has always been invisible to the people around him — at least in his own mind. But when an experimental breakthrough presents a path to make his dreams of invisibility a reality, no one — not even the woman he loves — will stand in his way.
“James Tynion IV is one of the best horror writers this industry has ever seen, and THE INVISIBLE MAN is the character DANI was born to draw,” said Alex Antone, Editorial Director at Skybound. “These two powerhouses have created something truly special with this book ... and just like the Invisible Man, comic fans won’t see it coming!”
WALT DISNEY'S DONALD DUCK: DONALD DUCK FINDS PIRATE GOLD HC (Fantagraphics, $39.99) is by Carl Barks. It's here at last! The last (and, weirdly, the first) book in the Carl Barks library! Excuse me while I dance a little jig.
Whew! OK, now I need a nap.
WEDNESDAY COMICS HC (2025 EDITION, DC, $75.00) is by various. Very, very various! I remember really enjoying this when it came out. It's a collection of superhero tales done as if they were Sunday comics pages. I don't know how well it would hold up all these years later, but I'm gonna recommend it on warm memories alone.
MORE STUFF
DUNE: EDGE OF A CRYSKNIFE — THE RAGE OF SHAI-HULUD #1 (BOOM, $7.99). First issue, Dune-related. Here's MORE.
THE HERCULOIDS #7 (Dynamite, $4.99)
NAM 1966-1969 OMNIBUS HC (Marvel, $125.00): Did I really like this book, or did I just like the Michael Golden artwork?
NEMESIS FOREVER #1 (of 5, Dark Horse, $4.99) is by Mark Millar abd Matteo Scalera (The Ambassadors). A comic book celebrating a supervillain, who now plans to take over the world. Not my cup of tea, but here's the preview:
PROOF COMPENDIUM is by Alex Grecian (The Yard, Red Rabbit) and Riley Rossmo (Harley Quinn, The Moon Is Following Us) and is already out. Image sent me a press release because it's going to be turned into a crime procedural TV series at Fox. Collects Proof #1-28 and Proof: Endangered issues #1-5.
THE QUESTION: ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER TP (DC, $17.99) is by Alex Segura and Cian Tormey. I like Alex Segura's work. I like Renee Montoya. I like the idea of The Question being "the sheriff" of the watchtower. But somehow, despite liking all the parts, I didn't care for the sum. YMMV.
REBEL MOON: NEMESIS #2 (of 4, Titan, $4.99) is by Zack Snyder, Gail Simone and Federico Bertoni.
RED SONJA VS. THE ARMY OF DARKNESS #5 (Dynamite, $4.99)
SPEED GRAPHER VOL 3 TP (Titan, MR, $12.99) is by Tomozo.
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS — THE SEEDS OF SALVATION #1 (of 5, IDW, $4.99) is by Robbie Thompson and Travis Mercer. It puts Chapel, Una, La’An, and Spock on an ice planet with many mysteries. So, is Chapel now one of the central TOS characters? That's gonna take some getting used to for us old-timers. i do enjoy the show, so maybe I'll enjoy this.
“As a lifelong fan of STAR TREK (TOS forever!), I was absolutely thrilled to get the call from editor extraordinaire Heather Antos to pitch on a Strange New Worlds miniseries. Working on the fourth season of the Paramount+ series has been a dream come true and I'm so excited to play in this sandbox further and be a part of the amazing line of TREK comics IDW has created. I've been a fan of Travis Mercer's storytelling from afar, and it's been a blast working with him and the rest of the team. We're taking the SNW crew to one of the scariest and coldest corners of the universe, and I can't wait for TREK fans everywhere to see the cosmic horrors we've cooked up!” -- Robbie Thompson
“After reading what Robbie has in store for the Enterprise crew, there was no way I was going to pass up this opportunity! The entire team is bringing you a story that's about to make Strange New Worlds a lot stranger! Strap in folks!” -- Travis Mercer
Replies
Long Halloween is collected in the Absolute line? Is that right?
Well, there's Batman: The Long Halloween, which was the original, 9-part story. And it's collected in many forms, including Absolute.
Then there's Batman: The Long Halloween -- Dark Victory, which is a sequel. It's collected in many forms, and I think Absolute is one of them.
Then there's Batman: The Long Halloween -- The Last Halloween, which is currently ongoing, I think. But with Tim Sale dead, I have questions. There's an HC due in November, and I'm sure an Absolute will happen eventually.
Now there's this Batman: The Long Halloween -- Haunted Knight, which collects the three Loeb/Sale Halloween specials. Plus a Catwoman GN that seems completely unrelated.
And I can't swear to it, but I think I have a Deluxe edition, or something similar, with both the original and the sequel in one volume. But I might be misremembering. I've got several Long Halloween books, some of which duplicate. I'll figure out exactly what it is I have someday.
I'll figure out exactly what it is I have someday.
PSA: "Folks, with your help, victims of Compulsvie Completist Collector's Syndrome may someday find relief."
NAM 1966-1969 OMNIBUS HC (Marvel, $125.00): Did I really like this book, or did I just like the Michael Golden artwork?
There were 84 issues, so this is only volume one.
What was your opinion of Nam, Richard? I'm sure you've said before, but if you have I've forgotten.
See "Coming Collections" (February 16, 2025, pages 82-82) for previous discussion.
I see! Thanks!
THE MORTAL THOR: Did Mavel just experience some "Big Event" or something? I bought the first two issue of the new Captain America series (which seemed like a bit of a reboot), and now there's this version of Thor. I was planning to try this one, but now I'm not so sure. Eh... this is going to be a light week (new comics-wise; if every coollection that was solicited to ship tomorrow actually shows up, not so much). So we'll see. I really have a thing about buying Marvel comics with stupid adjectives in the titles. I just read the entire solicitation. That really doesn't sound like anything I'd care to read. Maybe I'll move on to that Jurgens Thor omnibus soon.
A TRIBUTE TO JACK KIRBY TREASURY EDITION: This sounds like it would excite Kirby fans. - A "fictionalized tribute to Jack Kirby"? Never even heard of this one. Frankly, it could see it going either way. I'll give it a flip and report back here what I think.
SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATRE COMPENDIUM 2 TP - I bought the first one but I think I'll hold off on the second until I actually read the first.
CARL BARKS LIBRARY Vol.1: Better late than never. with all the uncertainty surrounding Diamond, I was afraid this one had gfallen through the cracks.
WEDNESDAY COMICS HC: I really enjoyed the discussion we had here when this was being released, but I decided (for whatever reason), to give it a pass the first time it came out in hardcover. I later changed my mind, but remembered seeing it at Half Price Books. I checked all the HPBs in town and couldn't find it, so I resorted to looing online. I found it all right... for like $200.00 and up. Then, sometime later, I was looking for something else on my "oversize books" shelf and was surprised to discover I already had a copy. (Apparently, when I saw it at HPB I bought it and forgot.) The moral to this story is: if you want a copy, butter buy it while you can for $75.
NAM 1966-1969 OMNIBUS HC: I posted something about this omnibus when it was first solicited. (I read the Michael Golden issues but dropped it after that.) I do have a tpb of the first four issues, which I did read a couple of months ago, and I ended up pre-ordering it.
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS — So, is Chapel now one of the central TOS characters? - No, she's now one of the central SNW characters (but I know what you mean).
NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #3:
This was supposed to have shipped tomorrow but it was pulled at the last minute.
Look for it on September 17 instead (and #4 on October 1).
Marvel always has the freedom to experiment between Avengers movies. There should be a return to the status quo by Spring 2026!
A TRIBUTE TO JACK KIRBY TREASURY EDITION: I gave it a flip. Eh. It doesn't look like anything I'd care to own. (Read, maybe, but not buy.) I'll keep an open mind, though. If anyone else here reads it and deems it something I cannot live without, I'll give it another look.
THE MORTAL THOR: As unsure as I was about the premise of this series in the first place, the interior artwork rendered it virtually unreadable. Pass.
ACTION COMICS #23 FACSIMILE EDITION: I had no intention of buying this one, but I didn't want to leave the shop empty-handed. Actually, the "Massive, Extravagant, Over-the-Top" etc. discussion has put me in the mood to fread some of the back-up stories.
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