TOP PUBLISHERS
NO. 1: DC COMICS
DC FINEST: THE FLASH — THE FASTEST MAN DEAD TP
(W) Robert Kanigher, Cary Bates, Various (A) Irv Novick, Dick Giordano, Various (CA) Dick Giordano
CAN THE SCARLET SPEEDSTER OUTRUN DEATH? Barry Allen races toward his landmark 200th issue and beyond in this volume of Flash adventures from the early to mid-'70s. This collection also features the first issue written by Cary Bates, who would continue to be one of the Flash's longest-serving scribes. In this collection, Iris West's mysterious true origin is finally revealed, and Abra Kadabra sends Barry on one of his most bizarre adventures yet. Plus, the return of Captain Boomerang, the Trickster, Mirror Master, the Turtle, and more! Collects stories from THE FLASH #197-229, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #99, and a two-part crossover with the Man of Steel in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #198-199.
I thought these stories were fun when I first read them, but it's been 50 years and I haven't the slightest idea how well they hold up.
ABSOLUTE
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #18: Reading.
ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #12: Not reading.
VERTIGO
BLEEDING HEARTS #2
MORE DC
ACTION COMICS #242 FACSIMILE EDITION: First Brainiac.
ACTION COMICS #1096
DC X AEW #2 (OF 2)
DETECTIVE COMICS #475 FACSIMILE EDITION: The Joker "Laughing Fish" story, by Englehart/Rogers. It was stunning at the time, and has become a classic.
EMPEROR AQUAMAN #15
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #14
HARLEY AND IVY: LIFE AND CRIMES #4 (OF 6)
SIRENS: LOVE HURTS #2 (OF 4)
SUPERGIRL #11: I've dropped this one. It was entertaining for a while, as a sort-of parallel-world Supergirl, who is still a teenager -- and a pretty wholesome and earnest one, like the original. But eventually the whole coming-of-ageness of it got to me. I'm a half-century away from my own teenage years, and I have no interest in re-living them. But it's very well done and I recommend it to teenage girls everywhere.
COLLECTIONS
GREEN LANTERN: THE SINESTRO CORPS WAR COMPENDIUM TP
BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLDS FINEST HC VOL 08 20000 LEAGUES
CATWOMAN: THE NEW 52 OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL: ALLWINTER TP:
FLINCH: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP: I seem to remember this being very good when it came out ... a quarter-century ago. I guess it's being revived now because Vertigo is.
SUPERGIRL: BIZARROGIRL TP (2026 EDITION)
NO. 2: MARVEL COMICS
ALIAS: RED BAND #1 (OF 5)
Writer: Sam Humphries
Penciller: Geraldo Borges
Cover Artist: David Mack
In 2001, Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos introduced an all-new, gritty side of the Marvel Universe in Alias. The acclaimed series, now considered one of Bendis’ signature Marvel works, marked the debut of super hero private investigator Jessica Jones, a breakout character of the 2000s who later headlined her own television series and is set to return in the second season of Daredevil: Born Again next year. Announced earlier today at Polygon, Marvel Comics will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Alias this March with the launch of ALIAS: RED BAND, a five-issue series by writer Sam Humphries (New Avengers) and artist Geraldo Borges (Thunderbolts). Renowned artist David Mack will return to grace the series with his gorgeous mural-like painted covers, just as he did with the original series. And while the original series was published under the MAX imprint, the new series will be polybagged for mature content as a RED BAND series.
Humphries and Borges will follow in Bendis and Gaydos’s footsteps with an all-new saga that blends Marvel super hero storytelling with noir crime mystery, following Jessica Jones as she investigates a series of grisly murders. To solve the case, she’ll have to join forces with an unlikely partner, Daredevil supervillain Typhoid Mary, while dealing with the scrutiny of being married to the Mayor of New York City, Luke Cage. The series sets the stage for both Luke and Jessica to take a pivotal role at the center of the Marvel Universe later in 2026.
THE RETURN OF JESSICA JONES!
A series of grisly murders in Hell’s Kitchen pulls Jessica Jones into a mystery more sinister than she could’ve ever imagined. As the wife of Mayor Luke Cage, she’ll have to tread carefully as she forms a dangerous alliance with Typhoid Mary to track down the killer. But as she delves deeper into Hell’s Kitchen’s dark underbelly, the evidence she finds presents more questions than answers…
"No one does it like Jessica Jones. She's sharp, bitterly funny, and tenacious as hell. Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos snapped when they created her, a totally singular character with a unique POV on the superhero game," Humphries told Polyon. "I'm excited to push the limits of the kind of cases Jessica Jones can investigate, and how far she'll go to solve them."
The original Alias stunned me. It was head-and-shoulders more sophisticated than most Marvel comics ... which, admittedly, was a pretty low bar in 2001. But I remember it fondly. The TV show was excellent, too, especially David Tennant.
SPIDER-MAN: MEALS TO ASTONISH (2025) #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO, KEN NIIMURA, GUSTAVO DUARTE & PAUL ESCHBACH
Art by ROI MERCADO, KEN NIIMURA, GUSTAVO DUARTE & E.J. SU
Experience a heroic adventure that’s sure to satisfy your every craving in SPIDER-MAN: MEALS TO ASTONISH #1! The first-of-its-kind one-shot will deliver a story by writer Steve Orlando and artist Roi Mercado that sees Spider-Man team up with a real-world hero—Michelin-starred and James Beard Award-winning chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian, José Andrés, alongside his fearless team at World Central Kitchen! SPIDER-MAN: MEALS TO ASTONISH will be the first in a series of one-shots this year celebrating José’s life-changing and impactful work to provide food and nourishment to communities in crisis around the world.
“I’ve always believed food can be a force for good, and that sharing a meal in a time of need can be a heroic act,” said Andrés. “Getting to bring that idea into the Marvel Universe - alongside my friend Spider-Man - is a dream come true.”
In SPIDER-MAN: MEALS TO ASTONISH, Peter Parker heads downtown to photograph the opening of world-class chef José Andrés' brand-new restaurant at New York’s famous Mercado Little Spain but soon finds it crashed by an insatiable villain: Electro! The electric fiend came prepared for Spider-Man, so José must chip in with Spidey to save the day—and everyone's dinner!
“With my own secret origin, working in the wine and spirits world before comics stepped in as my main gig, SPIDER-MAN: MEALS TO ASTONISH feels like a perfect moment of kismet,” Orlando shared. “The chance to write a Spider-Man adventure set in the food scene is one I could never pass up -- the two arts, the two worlds I love the most are finally colliding in a delicious and exciting way! This is the kind of story I've been waiting for--and I can't wait for folks to dig in!”
In addition to the main story featuring Andrés, fans will be able to experience the T.E.S.T. KITCHEN INFINITY COMIC for the first time in print! The story follows Chef Anna Ameyama whose dream of running her own food truck has finally come true—until it’s crushed into collateral damage during an Iron Man fight! But when Tony Stark tastes the deliciousness he just devastated, he offers her a new job: as his personal chef! The best part? Anna’s recipes (created by Michelin-starred chef Paul Eschbach!) are included so you’ll see how surprisingly easy it is to eat like an Avenger right in your own home!
I cheerfully admit that I have zero interest in food. All the prep, all the cleanup. Deciding what to eat, every single day, and having the same discussion with my wife, every single day. And then all the physical maintenance, from dentistry to colonoscopies to the myriad problems that come with a GI tract. I'd happily take three "meal pills" a day, if that was possible, and avoid eating altogether.
But I know I'm an outlier. So, while the appeal of a book like this is a mystery to me, I'm probably a minority of one.
X-MEN UNITED (2026) #1
Written by EVE L. EWING
Art by TIAGO PALMA
This March, the X-Men come together to build a new way for mutantkind to thrive in X-MEN UNITED! The previously-teased series, part of the line’s upcoming Shadows of Tomorrow era, will be by written by Eve L. Ewing, following her acclaimed work on Exceptional X-Men, and drawn by Tiago Palma, the rising star who made his Marvel Comics debut earlier this year in New Avengers.
The ambitious series unites the entire X-tapestry—from different generations, factions, and eras—under one, eXciting initiative, turning the classic concept of a school for mutants on its head with the introduction of Graymatter Lane! Founded by Emma Frost and with faculty including Wolverine, Magneto, Beast, Rogue and Storm and guest instructors from throughout the Marvel Universe, Graymatter Lane is more than simply an academy—it’s the central hub for mutant interaction across the world and beyond! This venture represents a bold undertaking that requires all hands on deck, but not all of the X-Men are ready to embrace the idea of another mutant institute for higher learning!
WELCOME TO GRAYMATTER LANE… LEARN TO SURVIVE THE EXPERIENCE!
“Build a school,” Charles Xavier told them, and the X-Men have done so—but in a manner nobody saw coming! Welcome to Graymatter Lane, a place where mutants anywhere in the world can come together in unity to teach one another the skills needed for their survival! With the greatest of the X-Men as teachers and a campus unlike any before seen, it’s the crossroads of the X-Universe as a student body from across the globe works to take mutantkind to the next step in their evolution—and to cope with a brewing threat to all of their number!
“X-MEN UNITED forms the center point of the mutant world,” said Conductor of X Tom Brevoort. “Steeped in the tradition of series like Astonishing X-Men and Wolverine & the X-Men, Graymatter Lane is a place where all of the major players in the X world will come together to fight, hook up and hash out their differences. There’ll be action, drama, faces old and new and dangers galore. Which young mutant is critically injured on the first day—and which X-Man is responsible? What secret is uncovered in Sinister’s lab? What distance-separated couple rekindles their connection? And how far will Cyclops go to bring the whole endeavor to the ground?"
“Working on the X-team for the past couple of years has been some of the most fun I've had writing comics ever,” Ewing said. “The idea for Graymatter Lane was a collective one, from lots of writers in a room brainstorming, and it's so cool because the psychic space allows for things to be weirder and more surreal, while still building on the classic Xavier's School energy we've all loved for decades.”
"Unreal! That’s how I would sum up the feeling of working on this new chapter of X-Men,” Palma shared. “And what an honor to get the chance to design the new Graymatter Lane campus. Loved the freedom to really play around with different shapes and super trippy ideas for such an iconic space for the group."
Here's what Rob Staegar had to say in "Coming Comics":
X-Men United: I'll probably just continue reading on the Marvel app, but Eve Ewing has been doing a great job with Exceptional X-Men, and this looks like an expansion of that concept in some ways. I hope the characters she created for Exceptional don't get lost here; they're fun.
MORE MARVEL
1776 (2025) #5
BLACK CAT (2025) #8
DOCTOR STRANGE (2025) #4
HULK: SMASH EVERYTHING (2025) #4
IMPERIAL GUARDIANS (2026) #1 (OF 5): A few weeks ago, I expressed my disappointment in Marvel's new cosmic line, which followed from Johathan Hickman's "Imperial" event. I had read three issues of Nova: Centurion, two of Planet She-Hulk and one of Black Panther: Intergalactic (aside from "Imperial" one-shots devoted to those characters), and decided I didn't want any more. "I'm probably just too old and out of step," I thought. "I prefer these characters as I remember them, not like this. The youngs will probably eat it up, though."
Not so fast. Because, as reported by Bleeding Cool, "Marvel Curtails Its Imperial Cosmic Plans Over Low Audience Figures." Four of the five "Imperial" books -- the three I mentioned and this one -- have been changed from ongoing titles to five-issue miniseries. The fifth, Exiles, won't come out at all. Maybe my tastes aren't all that far out of step after all.
LOGAN: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD (2026) #3
MAGIK & COLOSSUS (2026) #2
PLANET OF THE APES VS. FANTASTIC FOUR (2026) #2
STORM: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST MUTANT (2026) #2
THE END 2099 (2025) #4
VENOM (2025) #255
COLLECTIONS
AVENGERS: NO SURRENDER/NO ROAD HOME OMNIBUS (Hardcover)
FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 1: SAVE EVERYONE (Trade Paperback)
NEW AVENGERS VOL. 1: KILLUMINATI (Trade Paperback)
PUNISHER EPIC COLLECTION: SURVIVAL (Trade Paperback)
PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK, FRANK [MARVEL PREMIER COLLECTION] (Trade Paperback)
RED HULK VOL. 2: MISSION: LATVERIA (Trade Paperback)
NO. 3: IMAGE COMICS
TIGRESS ISLAND #1 (OF 5)
Fan-favorite writer Doug Wagner and artist Daniel Hillyard—the duo behind beloved series Plastic, Plush, Vinyl, and I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer—will reteam for the upcoming thriller, Narco. This five-issue miniseries is set to launch in March 2026 from Image Comics.
Marcus Wesphal blacks out from the slightest surge of excitement—a narcoleptic curse that’s kept him quiet, calm, and locked away at home. But when he witnesses the girl next door’s murder and collapses, he wakes to find himself the prime suspect. Now Marcus has one chance to clear his name: outrun his failing body, reconstruct the moments he lost, and hunt a killer before he blacks out again… possibly for good.
"If you haven’t figured it out yet, Daniel and I are a little bit obsessed with quirky horror, AND we're both huge fans of Alfred Hitchcock," said Wagner. "We’ve been talking for years about what OUR version of his works would look like. Well, Narco is that version. It combines our weird sense of horror and humor with classics like Rear Window and Psycho."
Hillyard added: "A Hitchcockian thriller with a whodunnit story and our usual twist of the unusual. If any of that piqued your interest then Narco might just be the one for you. Grab a pop tart, pet your possum (not a euphemism) and see if you can figure out who the killer is."
The copy says "Hitchcockian thriller" but the art (especially the covers) look like B-movie tittilation of the Caged Heat variety.
MORE IMAGE
BLOOD & THUNDER #11
DIE LOADED #5
D’ORC #2
FREE PLANET #10
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #326
KING SPAWN #53
ROGUE SUN #33
SEASONS #9
SPAWN #373
TRANSFORMERS #30
UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY #35
WITCHBLADE #19
COLLECTIONS
END LEAGUE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP
RADIANT BLACK MASSIVE EDITION HC BOOK 02
NO. 4: IDW PUBLISHING
A QUIET PLACE: STORM WARNING #1: I haven't seen the movies, and have no plans to watch them. But heads up if this is your bag.
EXORCISM AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE #1: I enjoyed the Exorcism at 1600 Pennsylvania at first, but my interest started to wane by the middle of the second issue, and I read the last two issues out of a sense of obligation. I don't know if it was altogether the story, but that was at least part of it -- I enjoyed the mystery of whether or not there was demonic possession, and when the mystery was gone, so was my interest. But it was also the art, which was scratchy, dark and not my cup of tea. It would have weighed down my enjoyment regardless.
GODZILLA VS AMERICA: PORTLAND
STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS #17
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #85
TMNT: JOURNEYS #7
TMNT #16
NO. 5: DARK HORSE
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE FALLBACKS SERIES 1 #2
HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #4: THE SWORD OF FLAWS PART 4
COLLECTIONS
BLOOD BLOCKADE BATTLEFRONT OMNIBUS VOLUME 3 TPB
THE ODDLY PEDESTRIAN LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER CHAOS LIBRARY EDITION VOLUME 1 HC
STEPHEN MCCRANIE'S SPACE BOY VOLUME 23 TPB
STRANGER THINGS VOLUME 10: TALES FROM HAWKINS 2 TPB
NO. 6: BOOM! STUDIOS
NO. 7 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
COLLECTIONS
POWERPUFF GIRLS HC VOL 01 THE DAY IS SAVED
SPACE GHOST VOL 02 BEWARE THE COUNCIL OF DOOM TP
NO. 8: KODANSHA
INITIAL D OMNIBUS 9 (VOL. 17-18)
KAIJIN FUGEKI: KINDLED SPIRITS 2
MARRYING THE DARK KNIGHT (FOR HER MONEY) 1
NO. 9: ONI PRESS
CROWNSVILLE #5 (OF 5)
HIGH STRANGENESS #5 (OF 5)
COLLECTIONS
BENJAMIN HC
FRANKIE AND THE CURIOUS: COCOON QUEST HC
OGREST TP VOL 05
NO. 10: VIZ MEDIA
DISNEY TWISTED-WONDERLAND: THE MANGA – BOOK OF SCARABIA, VOL. 1
KOMI CAN’T COMMUNICATE, VOL. 37
SLEEPY PRINCESS IN THE DEMON CASTLE, VOL. 29
TSUMIKI OGAMI’S NOT-SO-ORDINARY LIFE, VOL. 5
MORE PUBLISHERS
AHOY COMICS
TOXIC AVENGER TP VOL 02 LOVE AND BLIGHT
ARCHIE
BETTY AND ME #1 (ONE SHOT) FACSIMILE EDITION
(W) George Gladir, Joe Edwards (A) Dan DeCarlo, Rudy Lapick, Joe Edwards (CA) Dan DeCarlo
Kick off women’s history month with this special piece of Betty Cooper history… that’s right, the first-ever issue of BETTY AND ME from 1965, faithfully reprinted in a full-facsimile edition!
I get all the Archie facsimiles from the '60s and '70s, because those are the issues I love, and those are the ones that never get collected.
DRAWN & QUARTERLY
FANTAGRAPHICS
LOCAS: THE MAGGIE AND HOPEY STORIES HC
LOVE AND ROCKETS VOL I #1 FACSIMILE EDITION
MAD CAVE
51 #1 (OF 8)
CIRCUS MAXIMUS #5 (OF 5)
CYBERARCHY #4 (OF 4)
DICK TRACY ST. PATRICK'S DAY SPECIAL (ONE SHOT)
GATCHAMAN #16
INFINI T FORCE VOL 06
IT KILLED EVERYONE BUT ME TP
THEORY OF KO TP VOL 02
WHERE DOES THE RAINBOW END #3 (OF 4)
MASSIVE
BULLET ADVENTURES #6
EYRIE MAGAZINE #8
FURRLOUGH #201
ONE LAST TRICK #2 (OF 4)
SHUDDER #25
SOMETHING BEYOND THE PETRICHOR #3 (OF 4)
VAMPIRESS CARMILLA #31
PRANA PUBLISHERS
COMICS: THE MAGAZINE #1
(W) Various (A) Various (CA) Nick Dragotta, Rico Renzi
THE COMIC BOOK MAGAZINE YOU DEMANDED IS HERE! Do you love comics? Do you want to read more comics that you will love? Do you wish there were a magazine you could pick up every month that also loves comics? WELL, MY DUDES, ALL YOUR WISHES HAVE FINALLY COME TRUE! HOW TO MAKE ABSOLUTE BATMAN! That’s right, we’re kicking things off with the hottest book of the century, with a look at the past, present, and future of Nick Dragotta & Scott Snyder’s absolute masterpiece! Featuring interviews with the creative team and an insane cover by Nick and COMICS! The Magazine Art Director Rico Renzi! COMICS! The Magazine is everything you ever dreamed of and more! Want to find out about the next big thing before the Internet even knows? Want to discover the secrets behind the big comics you love and the indie darlings you’ve yet to read? How about interviews with people who make the work that excites you? Actual comics exclusive to the magazine? Maybe you’re a comic book creator who seeks external validation from actual sales numbers? ALL THIS AND MORE IN EACH AND EVERY ISSUE OF COMICS! THE MAGAZINE – THE NEXT BIG THING IS FINALLY HERE! KEY SELLING POINTS: LOOK AT THAT ABSOLUTE BATMAN COVER! Creator Interviews About What You Do Read! Features On What You Should Read! Staff Picks Of What You Will Read! Actual Comics You Can Read! Power Rankings with Real Sales Data! Maybe a Price Guide? Possibly Art Instruction and Classifieds! Comic-Sized to Fit on Store Racks!
The New Wizard, or the new Comics Buyer's Guide? I don't know, and it's kinda important!
TITAN COMICS
ESCAPE FROM SKULL ISLAND #2 (OF 4)
HEAT SEEKER: EXPOSED — A GUN HONEY SERIES #2 (OF 4)
LITTLE NIGHTMARES: DESCENT TO NOWHERE #4 (OF 4)
VAULT
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