TOP PUBLISHERS
NO. 1: MARVEL COMICS
BATTLEWORLD #1 (OF 5, $4.99) is by Christos Gage (Superior Spider-Man) and Marcus To (X-Force). It's the same as, or similar to, the Battleworld in Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars. Or maybe Jim Shooter's. But the characters are "hand-picked" across time and space. They don't say who does the picking. Announced characters include Starbrand, "Days of Future Past’s" Storm, Kushala the Spirit Rider, Maestro and new versions of Wasp, Captain Marvel and Spider-Man.
I've made a decision to avoid starting any new miniseries, after disappointments like The Question: All Along the Watchtower, Zatanna and Justice League: The Atom Project. I'll finish the ones I've started, but start holding back on new ones to see what the reviews are (especially here). If they're good I'll get the trade, if not, I missed a bullet. Here are the creator comments:
“I was a rabid consumer of the original Secret Wars when it came out in 1984, so a chance to revisit the Battleworld ‘destroy your enemies’ concept was irresistible. Then they offer me Hank Pym, one of my favorite Marvel characters to write, and the amazing Marcus To on art?!” Gage recalled.
On choosing the cast, Gage said, “When Wil suggested that the fragments of Battleworld could come from different timelines, I jumped at that, because Marvel has so many awesome ones, from Days of Future Past to 2099. Using Hank gave me the idea to build a team of characters with mistakes to atone for or tragedies to overcome, so we added a very young Spider-Man whose guilt over Uncle Ben is as raw as his inexperience; a newly sober Carol Danvers; King Thor, who rules over a dead future Earth; a fugitive Luke Cage, Hero for Hire; Bucky Barnes, fresh from the front lines of WWII; and more. But then, when I thought I was already in nerd heaven, they let me have Star Brand. The ORIGINAL Star Brand, Ken Connell! I still have the entire run of his New Universe comic that I bought personally between 1986 and 1989, so yeah, we're gonna go a little nuts with this one. I haven't even mentioned our Big Bad, Korvac, and Hank Pym's first encounter with Arcade since he kidnapped a bunch of Hank's Avengers Academy students...”
“When Wil approached me about being the artist for Battleworld with Christos Gage, I jumped at the opportunity,” To added. “As a comic fan growing up, my favorite stories were books like Avengers Forever, Onslaught, Heroes Reborn and others. I was always excited to see all these different heroes and villains share the stage with each other, and I couldn't wait to draw all these heroes and villains that I have loved reading.”
DOCTOR STRANGE BY JED MACKAY OMNIBUS HC ($100.00). Tempted.
GODZILLA DESTROYS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE #3 (OF 5, $4.99): Tradewaiting.
SPIDER-MAN '94 #1 (OF 5, $4.99): I didn't get X-Men '92, so I'm unlikely to get this one. I was mid-40s in the mid-'90s, and not watching cartoons.
TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 HC ($100.00): Oh, great. Now I'm gonna have duplicate Masterworks.
ULTIMATE COMICS
ULTIMATE HAWKEYE #1 ($5.99) is by Taboo (of the Black Eyed Peas) & B. Earl (Daredevil & Echo, Werewolf by Night) and Michael Sta. Maria (Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk). There’s a framing sequence by the Ultimates creative team, Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri. The Ultimate Hawkeye is a female Native American (I think) named Charli Ramsey.
“It’s an honor to bring Good Medicine with this ULTIMATE HAWKEYE one-shot!” Taboo said. “Getting a chance to write another book for Marvel is a way for me to channel my creativity and bring positivity and great action-packed storytelling to the world. And this book will be dedicated to my Indigenous relative Jeffrey Veregge.”
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #21 ($4.99) is by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto. The Sinister SIx aren't getting along.
NO. 2: DC COMICS
DC K.O. ASHCAN #1 ($1.99): I'm grateful to DC for all the money I'm going to save by not buying an event whose premise turns me off.
JLA: EARTH 2 DELUXE EDITION HC (2025 Edition, $29.99): This is a Top 10 JLA story, maybe Top 5. I have it in multiple formats, and still want to get it again. (I won't. But it's good enough I want to.)
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED #11 ($3.99): On my pull list, but now that there's almost a year separating the title from the event that launched it, it's on the chopping block. I'll go to #12, and evaluate then.
NEW FUN COMICS #1 FACSIMILE EDITION ($9.99): As everyone know who's reading the Massive, Extravagant, Over-the-Top Justice Society re-read (which is, of course, everyone), neither Jeff nor I were very impressed with this, the very first DC comic book. If it was, in fact, a comic book, which it may not be, according to indivdual definitions. Anyway, I do encourage its purchase and perusal, if you're at all interested in comic book history. But don't expect fireworks.
NEW HISTORY OF THE DC UNIVERSE #3 (Of 4, $5.99): Like everyone else, I'm eagerly awaiting this.
SUPERMAN #30 ($4.99) is on my pull list for Darkseid's Legion.
WONDER WONAN #25 ($4.99) is by Tom King and Daniel Samepre. The Matriarch debuts, a character that promises to be the physically powerful and philosophically opposed arch-enemy Wonder Woman has always needed. (The Cheetah? Gib mir ein pause, bitte.) Ares is pretty close, but he's borrowed from mythology and not unique to Wonder Woman. Matriarch promises to be to Wonder Woman what Red Skull is to Captain America: Someone who can stand toe to toe, but also undercut the ideals for which the hero fights. That's her, below right.
ABSOLUTE COMICS
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #12 ($5,.99): Still my favorite in this line. Even if Diana does kinda look like a linebacker.
NO. 3: IMAGE
MONSTRESS COMPENDIUM VOL. 1: ENTER THE HALFWOLF TP ($59.99) is by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. I've long wondered about this title. Is it recommended, Legionnaires?
"In a lot of ways, Monstress is one of our secret weapons," said Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics. "Since the first trade paperback was released, it has sold and sold and sold, making it one of our most successful series of the past 10 years. For anyone not already seduced by this series' many charms, this massive compendium is a great opportunity to fall in love with one of comics’ modern masterworks."
THE SHADOW PLANET TP ($12.99) is by Giovanni Barbieri and Gianluca Pagliarani. It's described as Lovecraftian horror in outer space, which is a good place for it.
“It’s some kind of Star Trek with cigarettes, sex and bad language," said Barbieri.
Pagliarani added: “It’s a bonanza of rusty rockets, clunky space-suits and hideous monsters.”
SKINBREAKER #1 ($4.99) is by Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead) and David Finch (Batman, New Avengers). It's about a tribe on another planet that's collapsing under multiple threats as the time of the current chief comes to an end. I'm not sure why we should care, except for the stellar creators, who will probably make us care.
"I have wanted to work with David Finch for the entirety of my career,” said Robert Kirkman. “We’ve gotten close many times over the years, but we wanted our collaboration to be something truly special. Skinbreaker is that series. I feel like this book is a high-water mark for both our careers. An action epic that is unrelentingly brutal but also contains a ton of emotion and heart. It’ll shock you and make you cry.”
“Skinbreaker is a labour of love. It’s a story that resonated very deeply for me, and it’s been the privilege of my career to help bring it to life,” said David Finch. “Everyone involved has put every last ounce of effort into this book and I couldn’t be more excited and proud to finally share it with you.”
"This is the finest work of David Finch’s already masterful career,” says Sean Mackiewicz, SVP, Publisher, Skybound. “Together Robert Kirkman and David have created a savage, new world full of wonders and creatures that have to be seen to be believed. Only two absolute comic book legends working at the top of their game could create Skinbreaker.”
“I’ll give two quotes,” said Kirkman, again, unprompted. “David Finch is one of the greatest comic artists to ever live. This is the artist who made Moon Knight outsell Batman. Even a casual glance at any of his work in Skinbreaker will prove to you that this is historic material. His work on this series has to be seen to be believed. It would be impossible to overhype it.”
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE INVISIBLE MAN #2 (OF 4): Tradewaiting, eagerly.
VIKING MOON #1 (OF 5, $3.99) is by Joe Pruett (Voices In My Head, Cable, Domino) and Marcelo Frusin (Hellblazer, Loveless, Kick-Ass: The New Girl). Vikings vs. Werewolves! (And Native Americans!) In 1003! In the New World!
"This a story I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but I did not want to do it unless I found the perfect artist for it … which I did in Marcelo Frusin," said Pruett. "I think Marcelo is doing the best work of his career with this series and I can’t wait for the world to see and love it as much as I do! He truly is a master in his element with this title. It’s an action-packed, edge-of-your-seat, horror tale that I promise will offer twists and shocks you did not see coming! It’s M. Night Shyamalan meets Vikings meets The Howling."
Frusin added: "From the very first moment Joe told me about 'Viking Moon,' I was fascinated by the combination of Vikings and werewolves, an epic and terrifying universe that offered me infinite visual possibilities. Joe's talent for handling these elements and crafting a captivating story moment by moment has impressed me from the start. As Joe develops the script, every decision he makes seems perfect to me and leaves me with a constant desire to know how the story will continue. I hope you all enjoy the comic as much as I enjoy drawing it!"
VOID RIVALS #23 ($3.99) is by Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead), artist Conor Hughes (White Ash, The Game). Skybound sends previews.
NO. 4: IDW PUBLISHING
MORE WEIGHT GN ($39.99) is by Ben Wickey. It's set in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, so you can guess the topic.
"Based on true events, set in three centuries, and hand-drawn over a decade, More Weightis a stunning visual symphony — a unique and profound inquiry into the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they still cast on us all."
STAR TREK: THE LAST STARSHIP #1 ($5.99) is by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and featuring breathtaking art by Adrián Bonilla. We see The Burn (See: Star Trek: Discovery) and how Starfleet reacts. Or at least one captain (who for some reason is a blue Vulcan), who receives an offer of help from an unbelievable source. These beings have a means of interstellar travel, and offer it in exchange for something on a quarantined Federation space station. (And you will not believe what it is they want.) The art is only so-so, but the story is a big swing, with a big premise. The U.S.S. Omega is the last functional starship (not the L.A. Starship, which is how I read the logo), and I'd bet a dollar their mission is going to be a lot longer than five years. I'm intrigued despite myself.
Here are creator quotes, with spoilers a-plenty. Don't read them if you don't want to know.
"Forget everything you know about STAR TREK,” remarked co-writer Lanzing. “THE LAST STARSHIP is a new crew, a new era, and a completely different tone; our aim is to be literary, intense, innovative, and most of all, accessible. We're bringing you into the Federation's darkest hour through the brilliant, noir-soaked lens of artist Adrián Bonilla with zero homework required.” The Eisner-nominated writer added, “ Longtime Trek fans will have a deep and fascinating reading experience, to be sure — this is a pivotal moment in Trek history that's never been even glimpsed before — but above all, THE LAST STARSHIP is a dark and complex sci-fi you can hand to anyone. We’ve spent the last eight years celebrating all that Trek has ever been. Now, it's time to rebuild it from scratch and discover all it can be."
“The only familiar face is the one you’d never expect to see in this era: Captain James T. Kirk,” stated co-writer Kelly. “William Shatner’s iconic performance transcends borders — Kirk is one of the great characters of the modern fiction canon with a timeless actor to match. He was also the first STAR TREK character we ever wrote — a leader and warrior poet with boundless tragedy and contradiction. Now, we’re honored to be taking this character into truly uncharted, groundbreaking territory in THE LAST STARSHIP — as the Federation’s greatest pioneer must face down the inferno that threatens to consume his entire legacy.”
TM & © 2025 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved
TWILIGHT ZONE #1 ($4.99) is going for a classic feel: Done-in-one "episodes,' in black and white. IDW promises wor, by Tom Scioli, James Stokoe, Nate Powell, and Francesco Francavilla. The first issue is Dan Watters and Morgan Beem, with whom I'm not familiar.
“Ever since I was a kid I wanted to write a TWILIGHT ZONE story and wondered if it was something I was even capable of doing,” commented Scioli. “How does one go about creating a classic? THE TWILIGHT ZONE brought to television one of the established formats of comic books, the sci-fi/horror anthology with literary ambitions, twist endings, and a social conscience. It pushed the limits of what you could do in the medium of commercial television and now we’re going to push the comic book medium to the breaking point of its stapled paper and see what lies beyond. With those impossibly lofty standards in mind, I’ve created something that I humbly submit for your approval.”
“These comics are for anyone who ever wished for more episodes of the original series like me,” added series co-editor Ellen Boener. “We’re capturing the silver screen nostalgia alongside the heart-rending humanity. Every detail is a love letter to the TV show: from the full black and white design to the connected cover set to the narrative style. Each issue serves as a unique door into the dimension beyond with the most fascinating minds in comics as your guides. I can’t wait to share what these creators have discovered.”
NO. 5: DARK HORSE COMICS
ARCHIE VS. MINOR THREATS #2 (OF 4, $4.99): Tradewaiting. Here's a PREVIEW.
ART OF FANTASTIC FOUR HC ($59.99): This is the second of a series of "thoughtfully designed and curated art books featuring iconic artwork by some of Marvel Comics’ most influential figures." The first featured John Romita Sr. and Gil Kane on Amazing Spider-Man, which I did not get. I probably won't get this one, either, because I have this art in a variety of formats already, some of them very large. I confess to being tempted by "essays and commentary." But then, such material rarely tells me anything I don't already know. Not because I'm smart, but because I'm old. Here's a PREVIEW.
“Reading these complete issues of Fantastic Four from Kirby’s original art gives fans rare access to the imagination and innovation of the most influential creator in comic book history,” said Ian Chalgren. “Presenting these pages in an oversized 10" x 14" format allows readers to enjoy Kirby’s dynamic line work and storytelling, which played a key role in defining the Marvel Age of comics. We assembled Bullpen Books The Art of the Fantastic Four to be a celebration and a resource — a source of inspiration, a tool for study, and a tribute to the legacy of Jack Kirby’s work.”
DUR-AN-KI GN ($14.99) is a fantasy manga, based on Greek and Mesopotomanian myths, by Kentaro Miura. Here's a PREVIEW.
HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE SWORD OF FLAWS #1 (OF 4, $4.99): Heads up, those for whom MOTU was a formative part of childhood. Here's a PREVIEW.
RIPTIDE OGN ($24.99) is by Alex Vede (Yucatan). Set during the Cold War, the story features a marine biologist who investigates Ceto, an underwater civilization believed to be a myth. This being a comic book, it won't be. Here's a PREVIEW.
NO. 7: DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
SILVERHAWKS #8 ($4.99)
SPACE GHOST VOLUME 2 #3 ($4.99)
VAMPIRELLA: HALLOWEEN HORROR #1 ($5.99)
NO. 9: ONI PRESS
LITTLE VISITOR & OTHER ABDUCTIONS HC ($24.99) is by Adam Syzm. They sound very Twilight Zone-y. Here's a PREVIEW at Amazon,
MORE PUBLISHERS
ANTARCTIC PRESS
INNKEEPER #1 (One Shot, $9.99) is by Naberna. I'm not quite sure what it is, but since it's distributed by Lunar (and not Random House), I don't have to search for the solicitation: "A mysterious stranger arrives in town of Sundweller to investigate a series of missing people. What dark secrets will she uncover from this town, and how will she deal with them?" Here are the covers:
MAD CAVE STUDIOS
THE PHANTOM #1 ($4.99) is by Ray Fawkes and Russell Olson. Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy ... these revivals never live up to my hopes, but a boy can dream.
TITAN COMICS
CAESAR'S SPY HC ($24.99) is by Jean-Pierre Pecau and Max Von Fafner. It looks to be a historically accurate (more or less) story about a Gaul burning with revenge against Julius Caesar becoming a slave, then a gladiator and then ... Caesar's spy? Curious.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT #1 (Of 4, $4.99) is by Jim Zub and Ivan Gil. Here's the next big REH crossover from Titan. I liked the last one because I learned so much about Howard characters not named Conan, Kull and Solomon Kane. And this one seems connected somehow. I don't know if Zub will include the whole Hee-Haw cast or not, but Imma find out!
Oh, right, what's it about? Well, as you might guess from the title, it's about Set the Serpent God, worshipped in both Hyborian Age and Thurian Age. The solicitation mentions a third age. I'm guessing the "modern" age, which I'd define as roughlly 3,000 BCE to present, and would include all the other REH adventurers. I could be wrong, though.
NEVER BEEN DEADER: LIFELESS CARL AND THE NOT-SO-SWEET EMBRACE OF DEATH HC (112 pages, $16.99) is a black comedy about Lifeless Carl, who has a soul-killing job in the afterlife. It first appeared as a webcomic, by Tommy Devoid.
SYSTEM PREFERENCE HC ($29.99) is by Ugo Bienvenu, writer and director of Arco. An archivist in a dystopian future has to go on the run for protecting historical artifacts that are being deleted to make room for holiday snaps. Sounds about right.
VAULT COMICS
KID MAROON GN ($24.99) is by Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man, Doctor Doom) and Victor Santos (Polar, Violent Love). It's about a 12-year-old detective who tires of his small-town problems and moves to Crimeville to solve big-time crimes. I'm guessing it's a riff on young detectives like Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew, with a further conceit that these are "lost" stories from a drug-addicted cartoonist named Pep Shepard who disappeared in the early '50s after burying all his work in a field in North Dakota. The press release I got had an amusing faux history of Shepard, which is too long to print here.
“I’ve been wanting to write a Kid Maroon story for years upon years now,” said Cantwell. “Because Kid Maroon feels like me. It’s funny because I remember being a kid and how I couldn’t wait to grow up. Every day I feel like I grew up too fast. I often wish I could go back. Kid faces that same struggle in our book. Sure, his world is laden with pulp gangsters and killers, but he’s very much a child. This was always the undercurrent of the original Kid Maroon strips that Pep Shepard did. Sure, sometimes Pep occasionally had Kid rail against characters like Captain Pinko and write diatribes against Sales Tax, but at his best, those stories were always about a boy caught between worlds, his innocence always fragile, at risk of being shattered. That is the core of our book through and through."
"I must confess I did not know the existence of the character Kid Maroon, but as soon as I started investigating it was love at first sight,” added Santos. “That wild boy was a compact version of The Spirit, Dick Tracy, and I don't know how many other pre-code pulp heroes. But at the same time he was everything I would have wanted to be when I was a brat, sneaking into my uncle's room to read those crime comics which were supposed to be too violent for a kid to read. I couldn’t wait to take this awesome character and draw him into new adventures."
Replies
Homage? Black Cat? Catwoman? Could be. If so, it's an obscure one. Still, there's always someone who will get it.
TOMB OF DRACULA OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 HC: Oh, great. Now I'm gonna have duplicate Masterworks.
Here's the deal: MMW ToD v5 (solicited for release October 22), the final volume before the line is cancelled (stopping a volume or two shy of the end of the series), reprints through issue #55. So if you want a reprint of the complete series, in color, on high-quality paperstock, your best best right now is the tpb series (compplete in five volumes)... ot to trust Marvel to follow through with the omnibus series.
DC K.O. ASHCAN #1: I'm grateful to DC for all the money I'm going to save by not buying an event whose premise turns me off.
And I'm grateful to DC for printing a preview of a series that depicts Darkseid as a daikaiju so I know not to buy it.
NEW FUN COMICS #1 FACSIMILE EDITION: ...neither Jeff nor I were very impressed with this, the very first DC comic book.
It is a curiousity, an historical artifact.
Gib mir eine pause, bitte.
Fromage, et pomme de terre!
“It’s some kind of Star Trek with cigarettes, sex and bad language," said Barbieri.
Sounds wonderful.
SKINBREAKER #1 is by Robert Kirkman
...which is the only reason I would give it a try. This one would have flown beneath my radar if not for this thread.
"Forget everything you know about STAR TREK”...
I already had to do that to watch Strange New Worlds.
TWILIGHT ZONE #1
Possibly...
THE PHANTOM #1: Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy ... these revivals never live up to my hopes...
*SIGH* Mine, either. I'm twelve issue in to Dick Tracy, just praying for them to wrap up the first storyline so I can bail. I thought it was going to end with #12, but no. and next month is going to be a Hallowe'en-themed one-shot in lieu of #13, so that's a least another month I'll have to wait.