TOP O' THE WEEK
ABSOLUTE FLASH #1 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by writer Jeff Lemire and artist Nick Robles. Wally West fans get what they've always wanted: Flash without Barry Allen even existing. That's even better than being dead! Now, see, Barry Allen was Flash when I was 12, so he'll always be MY Flash. But the youngs must have their day, so I am determined to be tolerant. I am curious, though, how you have a DC Flash without the Speed Force.
You know, the lightning bolt logo with the line through it sort of implies "broken" to me. That's probably a choice.
CROSSOVERS
'ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM' WEEK 6
ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #2 (OF 9, MARVEL, $4.99) is by writer Ryan North and artist R. B. Silva.
The Fantastic Four "strike at Earth’s beloved new leader while he delivers a rousing speech at the United Nations." It will not go well. And what about Naomi? Sorry, Valeria! What about Valeria? Can she talk her "uncle" down? Given this title runs seven more issues, and the awful things we've seen happening to the FF in solicitations, Magic 8-Ball says "probably not."
“Things really kick off in ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #2,” North said. “Doom is consolidating his power, and of course, the only thing that's really standing between him and his ambitions is the Fantastic Four. So, Doom simply solves that problem. The way he does it will have repercussions for the FF for quite a while! This issue in particular is basically a surprise secret issue of Fantastic Four — and anyone reading that book will not want to miss it."
'X-MANHUNT' WEEK 3
X-FORCE #9 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by writer Geoffrey Thorne and artist Marcus To. "X-Manhunt Part 6" sees Professor X asking Sage for help. I'm a little fuzzy on their backstory together — I get the impression it's extensive — so maybe I'll get some clarity here. Let's hope they didn't date, since all of Professor Xavier's ex-girlfriends eventually try to kill him.
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #7 (MARVEL, $3.99) is by writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Carmen Carnero. There are eight X-books involved in "X-Manhunt," a seven-part story. The explanation for the mis-math is this issue, which doesn't have a crossover number. Instead, it's labeled "X-Manhunt: Collateral Damage." It involves a character named Axo, with whom I am unfamiliar, "pulling closer" to "charismatic techologist Sheldon Xenos," with whom I am unfamiliar. That's what I get for not buying every single X-book every single month. But the cover shows Xenos' shadow being that of Mr. Sinister, with whom I am familiar. P.S.: After Krakoa, why has SInister been allowed to live?
'POOLS OF BLOOD' PART 4
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #31 (MARVEL, $3.99) by Cody Ziglar and Luigi Zagaria.
MORE ITEMS OF INTEREST
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #6 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta.
Absolute Wonder Woman ended its first storyline with issue #5, but Absolute Batman's first story climaxes here, with issue #6. Bruce Wayne has to take down the Black Mask and his gang of Party Animals, and there are a whole lot of them. Evidently, Bruce's childhood friends — Edward Nygma, Waylon Jones, Harvey Dent, Oswald Cobblepot and perhaps Selina Kyle — will play a role.
CONAN BARBARIAN #19 (MR, TITAN, $3.99) starts a new storyline by writer Jim Zub and artist Doug Braithwaite. Braithwaite's art, as you can see from the preview below, is mouth-watering.
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #9 (OF 12, ONI PRESS, $4.99): Announced creators include writers Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets) Christopher Cantwell (Out of Alcatraz), Michael W. Conrad (Plague House) and artists David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Peter Krause (The Power of Shazam), and Christopher Mitten (Hellboy: The Silver Lantern Club).
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
ALLEY OOP IN THE ANCIENT LOST ATLANTIS TP (MANUSCRIPT PRESS, $37.50): Comics strip collectors alert!
BATMAN #613 FACSIMILE EDITION (DC COMICS, $3.99): More Hush.
BATMAN/CATWOMAN TP (MR, DC COMICS, $24.99) collects Batman/Catwoman #1-12, plus stories from Batman/Catwoman Special, Batman Annual #2, Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 and Detective Comics #1027.
I was initially put off by this story, which has Selina Kyle and Joker as drinking buddies early in their careers, gives Andrea Beaumont an exceptionally bad day and extrapolates the Bat-cast into old age (They don't all make it.) But then I did what I usually do with Tom King books: I took it out of continuity in my head. "This is Earth-King," I say to myself, "where characters I love can get sticky ends or bad character turns but are left unaffected back on Earth-Prime." And suddenly the story gets exceptionally good.
Editor's Note: Does not work on Heroes in Crisis.
CREEPSHOW VOL 3 TP (MR, IMAGE, $14.99) collects the third Creepshow series, #1-5. I've been enjoying this title on a par with Oni's EC revival.
CRIMINAL VOL 4: BAD NIGHT TP (NEW PRINTING, MR, IMAGE, $16.99) is by the phenomenal Ed Brubaker-Sean Phillips team. As I've been saying throughout this re-issue, if you like crime noir and haven't read these stories, read them now.
CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12 FACSIMILE EDITION (DC COMICS, $4.99): Last issue.
DARK KNIGHTS OF STEEL: ALLWINTER HC (DC COMICS, $29.99) collects Allwinter #1-6. I started buying the HCs of "DCeased" ... and then DC stopped publishing the HCs, releasing only the TPB versions. Unwilling to have a mix of HC and TPB cover dress (and size), I resigned myself to waiting for an omnibus that I didn't know would happen. (The latest DC solicitation says it will happen.) Having learned my lesson, I am doing the same for "DC vs. Vampires" and "Dark Knights of Steel." Will these alt-Earth series eventually get omnibuses? I don't know, but I'm willing to wait and see. Is that FIFO? Probably.
DAVID MAZZUCCHELLI'S DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN ARTIST'S EDITION HC (MARVEL, $150.00): Just in time for the TV show of the same name.
DC FINEST: TEAM-UPS — CHASE TO THE END OF TIME TP (DC COMICS, $39.99): Finally, a DC Finest that I don't particularly want. I read these issues from DC Comics Presents and The Brave and the Bold when they first came out, and feel no need to re-visit them. If you haven't read them, you'll likely feel differently.
DOOM TREASURY EDITION TP (MARVEL, $29.99) collects Doom #1 (2024), Fantastic Four #583 and Runaways #1 (2015 series). If this is actually Treasury-size, I'll probably get it, even though I've read all the stories. Size matters!
FANTASTIC FOUR #3 FACSIMILE EDITION (MARVEL, $4.99): Third of 12.
HELLO DARKNESS VOL 1 TP (MR, BOOM, $19.99) collects Hello Darkness #1-4. I've been enjoying this title on a par with Oni's EC revival.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC (MARVEL, $100.00) is the OLD Ultimate Fantastic Four, not the NEW Ultimate Fantastic Four. Don't be fooled!
UNCLE SCROOGE INFINITY DIME GALLERY EDITION HC (MARVEL, $34.99): This was a pretty decent Uncle Scrooge story, but if I'm gonna get an Uncle Scrooge gallery edition, it's gonna be Carl Barks.
THE WITCHER CLASSIC COLLECTION TP (DARK HORSE, 296 PAGES, $29.99) collects the original six-issue comic series released in Poland from 1993-1995. "Adapting the short stories of Andrzej Sapkowski and written by renowned Polish science fiction and fantasy editor/writer Maciej Parowski, this collection features the art of Boguslaw Polch, the cover illustrator of the majority of the first editions of Sapkowski's books in The Witcher series." If I were a big Witcher fan, I'd probably find this very exciting.
X-MEN: FATAL ATTRACTIONS OMNIBUS HC (NEW PTG, MARVEL, $100.00) is from back when Magneto was a villain. Remember that? Because the X-Men don't.
ZATANNA: BRING DOWN THE HOUSE HC (MR, DC COMICS, $29.99): Zatanna in fishnets. Black Label. I'm there, baby.
PS ARTBOOKS
It's another PS Artbooks "dump week" (as Jeff of Earth-J terms it). It sure is a strain on the ol' wallet.
GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: CAPTAIN TRIUMPH VOL 1 HC (PS ARTBOOKS, $52.99): Getting it.
GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: DOLLMAN VOL 4 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Getting it. I just finished the first Doll Man collection, and while the stories were Golden Age dopey, there was a lot of art by Lou Fine and Reed Crandall that was genuinely eye-popping. No wonder this character lasted so long.
GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: THE SPIRIT VOL 3 HC (PS ARTBOOKS, $52.99): Already have the entire series in HC.
GOLDEN AGE THRILLING COMICS PRINCESS PANTHA VOL 1 HC (PS ARTBOOKS, $52.99): Getting it.
PRE-CODE CLASSICS: BAFFLING MYSTERIES VOL 2 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Got it in HC.
PRE-CODE CLASSICS: DARK MYSTERIES VOL 2 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Got it in HC.
PS ARTBOOKS: PLASTIC MAN VOL 7 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Getting it.
PS ARTBOOKS: AMERICA'S GREATEST COMICS VOL 3 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Getting it. This is the only PS collection so far to collect interior pages starring Captain Marvel (there have been plenty of facsimile editions, and a few covers). America's Greatest Comics only ran eight issues, but those issues were so big -- 100 pages -- that we only get two issues per paperback. The good news is that the title will be complete with the next paperback. Since this book demonstrates that the Big Red Cheese is fair game in the UK, I can only cross my fingers that Whiz Comics or Captain Marvel Adventures will take AGC's place on the schedule.
PS ARTBOOKS: BULLETMAN VOL 4 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Getting it.
PS ARTBOOKS: CATMAN FACSIMILE ED #4 (PS ARTBOOKS, $15.99): Nope. As discussed elsewhere, these facsimile editions are a huge rip-off, IMO. For twice the price, you could buy a PS Artbooks trade paperback (called a "softee") with anywhere from four to six times the content. History has shown that eventually PS will collect the content of these facsimiles in paperback, but with the costs of converting print material to digital already paid for by the facsimile customers, it will cost them next to nothing. That's good for the publisher, for whom the profit margin will be exaggerated, and for TP buyers, who get relatively cheap reprints. It's not so great for the facsimile consumer, who is underwriting it all.
PS ARTBOOKS: MASTER COMICS FACSIMILE EDITION #10 (PS ARTBOOKS, $15.99): Nope.
PS ARTBOOKS MASTER COMICS FACSIMILE EDITION #15 (PS ARTBOOKS, $15.99): Nope.
PS ARTBOOKS MASTER COMICS FACSIMILE EDITION #16 (PS ARTBOOKS, $15.99): Nope.
PS ARTBOOKS RED BAND COMICS FACSIMILE EDITION #1 (PS ARTBOOKS, $15.99): Nope.
PS ARTBOOKS STARTLING COMICS VOL 2 TP (PS ARTBOOKS, $32.99): Getting it.
PS ARTBOOKS CLASSIC SCI-FI COMICS VOL 8: SPACE DETECTIVE HC (PS ARTBOOKS, $52.99): Getting it.
MORE COMICS
ADVENTUREMAN: FAMILY TREE #1 (OF 3, IMAGE, $3.99) is by writer Matt Fraction and artists Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson. Mini-Series Premiere.
I don't know how I've managed to not read a book by Fraction and the Dodsons, but that stops now. Adventureman has been going on for a while, so naturally I have little idea what's going on. But evidently there's an Adventureman pulp novel series, that modern adventurers are in some way emulating. This issue features a girl named Rita who's an EMT, who's engrossed in an Adventureman novel involvoing luchadors, who represent one of seven ruling families. The daughter doesn't accept the patriarchal marriage set-up, and fights her own father in the squared circle to win her right to choose her own mate. Meanwhile, Rita's attacked by axe-wielding bad guys while doing her EMT thing. I imagine at some point these two stories will converge.
No, I don't understand all of it. But Fraction helps me understand enough, while the Dodsons do their amazing thing. Sold.
ARCHAIC #4 (OF 5, AHOY COMICS, MR, $3.99): Ahoy Comics collectors alert!
ARCHIE IS MR JUSTICE #3 (OF 4, ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, $4.99) is by writer Kenny Porter and artist Maria Laura Sanapo. Set in alternative Riverdale, Archie is Mr. Justice, Reggie is Kid Wicked, and Mr. Lodge is Lex Luthor. Or a wannabe Lex Luthor. Anyway, Archie's trying to deliver justice, Lodge is destroying people's lives to make money, and Reggie just wants to punch Archie in the face.
This story is told from Betty's POV, and she's the sweet, brave kid she's alwsays been. That made for a pleasant read. In general, this is a pleasant read.
AVENGERS #24 (MARVEL, $3.99) is somehow NOT connected to "One World Under Doom." But the title will rejoin the crossover next month, so I'm buying this issue to stay in the loop.
BUG WARS #2 (OF 6, MR, IMAGE, $4.99) is by writer Jason Aaron and artists Mahmud A. Asrar and Matthew Wilson. There's a hot bug-chick on the cover, in the tiny bug world that our protagonist has found himself in. You just know she's gonna be a princess. And fall in love with our hapless human, even though he's a different species. I've read A Princess of Mars! I've watched Avatar! In fiction, all gorgeous women from alien cultures are princesses, and they are all human-curious. Call it the ERB Effect.
CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN #4 (OF 6, DC COMICS, $3.99) guest-stars Green Lantern (Hal Jordan).
THE CONFESSIONAL HC (MR, SILVER SPROCKET, 200 PAGES, $29.99) by Paige Hender. I thought Silver Sprocket's raison d'etre was to provide a publisher for LGBTQIA+ stories. But this one seems hetero (well, vampire-human hetero). So maybe they're more of a offbeat-artist pubisher.
Anyway, in this one, a newly turned vampire wants salvation (and sex) from a priest who uncovers her secret in 1922 New Orleans. "A gothic story of adoration, power, and manipulation, lushly told in Art Nouveau-inspired illustration." Which we can see below.
CRUSH DEPTH #1 (OF 5, MAD CAVE, $4.99) is by writers Tim Daniel and DB Andry and artist Alex Sanchez. This is about people on a submarine after the apocalypse, where life on the surface is said to be impossible. It appears to be civilian, so there's no military discipline, and things gang agley. Our protagonist is a female science officer who is caught between the two male co-captains (the solicitation doesn't say in what manner, but I'm guessing they're both hot for her), and she is given a choice to go to the surface or go to "crush depth." Given the title, I think we know what she chooses. And evidently they don't all die immediately (at least not for four more issues). Mykindofweird.net has a PREVIEW.
Mad Cave was a minor indie prior to Diamond's bankruptcy. But they seem to be making all the right moves (they jumped ship to Lunar early), and their books look interesting and professional. So it may emerge from this stronger. It may even break into the top 10. That's just a guess on my part, so don't rush out and buy stock or anything.
DC X SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #1 (OF 5, DC COMICS, $3.99) is by writer Ian Flynn and artist Adam Bryce Thomas. It's exactly what you think: The Justice League crosses over with the Sonic cartoon characters. If that floats your boat, here ya go.
DINOSAURS VS COWBOYS #1 (SCRATCH COMICS, $6.99): Scratch Comics is a new British publisher, and this is the first book they've released in the U.S. (It may be their first book, period.) It's drawn by John McCrea (Hitman, Dead Eyes), so if you're a fan of his work, or just "dinosaurs vs. ..." books in general, then here ya go. Sorry, couldn't find a preview. (This is unrelated to the 2015 movie Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs.)
DOCTOR WHO: THE FIFTEENTH DOCTOR TP (TITAN, $17.99)
DOPEMAN VOL 1 (MR, TITAN, $12.99)
DREAMWEAVER GIANT SYZ SPECIAL #1 (ONE-SHOT, $5.99) is by Chris Ryall (Tales of Syzpense) and artist Nelson Dániel (Strong Divers, Road Rage). It seems to explore how magic is used and passed on in the Syzygy universe.
“Dreamweaver is also about generational angst, knowing when to step aside and allow the next generation to take over, and knowing when and how to relinquish control,” said Ryall. “And what happens when you ignore all of those things and try to once again become the hero of your own story, without realizing along the way that you’ve become the villain."
Added Ryall: “I’ve worked with Nelson for years and every time I think I know what he can do and how good he is, he surprises me yet again with his inventiveness, his beautifully expressive art, and his unique and gorgeous colors. Dreamweaver is a series that explores, among other things, different forms of magic and its effect on the user, and Nelson is the perfect person to bring those kinds of elements to visual life.”
FOLKTALES OF THE CRYPTIDS #1 (MR, AFTERLIGHT COMICS, 30 PAGES, $9.99): This is weird. Why would Cryptids have folk tales? What would these tales be about, those awful human beings? Is there, like, a cryptid social club where they get together and tell these tales? And why would we care?
Oh, wait, this is folk tales ABOUT cryptids. Grammar is important, kids! Anyway, this is an anthology of cryptid horror stories that began life online. The art below doesn't do anything for me, but we don't see any cryptids, which would make or break the deal. (P.S., important note to the kids making out in the car. Did you not watch ANY 1950s horror movies? Kids making out in cars are the first to go!)
GI JOE #5 (IMAGE, $3.99) is by writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jordie Bellaire.
HEAT SEEKER COMBUSTION — A GUN HONEY SERIES #3 (TITAN, MR, $13.99).
THE HERCULOIDS #2 (DYNAMITE, $4.99) is by writer Tom Sniegoski and artist Craig Rousseau.
KOSHER MAFIA TP (MAD CAVE, $17.99) is by writer David Hazan and artist Sami Kivela. It's the Jewish Mob against the American Nazi bund in 1936. You know, I always kinda wondered about that.
LAST BOY #1 (BOOM, MR, $4.99) is by writer Dan Panosian and artist Alessio Avallone (James Bond: 007, For King and Country). Peter Pan is the last boy in Neverland, and Wendy Darling is growing up. An aging Captain Hook confronts Peter, which will somehow force our heroes to deal with adulthood. That's all I know, except that whenever you try to make Peter Pan realistic, it gets ugly fast. The concepts don't really fare well under adult scrutiny.Heck, Alan Moore turned it into porn without really changing anything. But maybe they'll surprise me. Here's a PREVIEW.
L.A. STRONG CHARITY COMIC FOR LOS ANGELES FIRES (ONE-SHOT, MAD CAVE, $9.99): Does this sort of thing really work any more? Did it ever? Well, Can't hurt to try, I guess.
LOOSE END #2 (MR, TITAN, $3.99)
MOUSE GUARD: DAWN OF THE BLACK AXE #1 (BOOM, $4.99) is by Dan Petersen. I've loved the Mouse Guard stories I've read, even if the odd shape makes them hard to file/save/display. I may have read all the stories I need for one life of overly serious medieval mice battling larger animals with ancient weaponry, but man, that Petersen art is awesome.
LEGACY OF VIOLENCE COLLECTION TP (MR, MAD CAVE, $29.99) is by writer Cullen Bunn and artist Andrea Mutti. Cullen Bunn-style horror. Amazon has a PREVIEW.
NEW CHAMPIONS #3 (MARVEL, $3.99): New Champions fight Old Champions, then they team up against a common enemy. I feel like I've read this before.
OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 (OF 5, ONI PRESS, 48 PAGES, $5.99) is a historical fiction by writer Christopher Cantwell (Plastic Man No More, Briar) and artist Tyler Crook (Harrow County, The Lonesome Hunters)! Here's the deal: Three convicts — Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin — disappeared from Alcatraz in 1962. Authorities have pieced together how their escape from the prison was managed, but whether they survived crossing to the mainland (something no other escapee has ever achieved) is unknown. This book suggests "yes, two of them survived, and this is what happened next." Slashfilm.com has a PREVIEW.
PANHARMONION CHRONICLES VOL 1: TIMES OF LONDON TP (MR, SHIFT PRESENTS, $27.99): I looked this one up, and it's a lot to summarize. The author is a French-English multi-hyphenatewho seems best known as LX8, who produces electronic music. This story is the first in a series of graphic novels, about "a multi-cultural female music composer who struggles with a conflicted identity, a traumatic past and repressed supernatural abilities while fighting a violent supremacist cult through Time." It's an alternatie-history story that seems to begin in a steampunk 1800s that diverges sharply from our own. Maybe I should stop trying to describe this and just send you to Amazon's PREVIEW.
SILVERHAWKS #2 (DYNAMITE, $4.99) is by writer Ed Brisson and artist George Kambadais.
RED SONJA ATTACKS MARS #1 (Dynamite, $4.99) is by Jay Stephens and Fran Strukan. Red Sonja must trek north of the Vilayet Sea to fight our favorite trading-card-inspired Martians. On the way, she must battle "serpent-men, metamorlocks and ancient, angry monster-gods." This is described as a genre-bending dark comedy involving retro sci-fi and Hyborian horror.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT TP (MAVERICK, $14.99) sounds educational.
TEDWARD HC (MR, FANTAGRAPHICS, $24.99) is by Josh Pettinger. It's a sort of "innocent abroad" story about a literal blockhead with a heart of gold whose ever-ready trust is always abused. Seems like an attempt at something Daniel Clowes-esque to me.
THUNDERCATS: LOST #1 (DYNAMITE, $4.99) is by writer Ed Brisson and artist Rapha Lobosco. A crew of Thundaran warriors are shot down behind enemy lines, but it's unclear who the enemy is.
THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #109: Beginning this issue and running to #114, variant covers by Whilce Portacio form a six-part connecting cover. Here's what they look like.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled for an absolute legend like Whilce to be drawing this set of covers,” said Nachie Marcham, Senior Editor at Skybound. “The art is reminiscent of a big '90s party, hosted by one of Image’s founders, featuring all of the main characters and antagonists of this arc.”
WHO ARE THE POWER PALS? #1 (DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by screen actor, writer, and producer Duane Murray (Better Place) and artist Ahmed Raafat (Quick Stops).
The Power Pals are washed-up actors Derek and Alex, who used to play superheroes when they were teens, and set out to do so again for real. Hi-jinks ensue.
"As an actor and writer who has had a few ‘almost’ situations that could have been career and life-changing, only to have them fall flat," Murray said, "coupled with making decisions that weren’t the best for me personally, in order for a slim chance at potential fame, some of which involved putting friendships on the line, these characters are close to my heart. And as a kid who laughed out loud reading the '80s Justice League, I hope readers will enjoy our attempt at focusing on the funny in ‘funnybooks’, while we sneak a little emotion in there while you’re busy wiping the tears of laughter away, or at least politely snickering.”
“When Duane and I first discussed the idea for the series," Raafat: said, "and he showed me what he had in mind, I was immediately on board. As someone who was a kid in the '90s, I grew up watching the same shows the Power Pals would have been in and have great affection for them. And as someone who worked in film editorial for magazines in the past and also someone who loves comic books (clearly!) and superhero films, this story scratched the right itch for me, a blend of those two worlds — with a twist! I can't wait for everyone to see what we've been cooking!"
Replies
I remember in the 90s Untouchables TV series, Al Capone was played by William Forsythe (who also played Flattop in the 1990 Dick Tracy movie) and he gave a toast to Mussolini so maybe it depends on the country!
Did Capone really do it or is it something the screenwriter dreamed up?
OTOH, Kanye West embraces Nazism.
OTOH, Kanye West [insert something coughed up by a random AI prompt and it has a reasonable chance of being correct] Yeesh.
SUPERMAN: THE LAST DAYS OF LEX LUTHOR #2 - I'm not quite sure how I missed #1, but I had planned to buy it. Something else I need to follow up on.
Okay, here's the deal. Two things...
According to the owner of my LCS, Bryan Hitch told DC in advance when he agreed to the project that, after he completed #1, his schedule would not open up for 18 months... and they went a head and put #1 on the schedule anyway. My LCS had a seconf print of #1 on the shelf so I went ahead and bought #1 & 2.
I've no idea how you could've gotten the idea that Absolute Batman would be 5 issues long! Maybe from the big title page in issue 1 that says "The Zoo" Part 1 of 5?
The first thing I did when I picked #6 off the shelf was to flip to the end where I read the words "To be continued..." (Actually, that applied to the epilogue; the main story itself does appear to reach a conclusion.)
DC FINEST: TEAM-UPS — CHASE TO THE END OF TIME TP: I have not read most of these stories and I am going to buy it
Now that I've had a change to look at it, turns out I have more of these stories than I thought. One caveat: although the reproduction of the DCCP issues is clear, the linework of the B&B issues is muddy.
I decided to pick up Absolute Flash #1 today, simply because I've been kind of pining for a Flash comic without Si Spurrier's quasi-mystic speed force mumbo-jumbo. Which, granted, is what I got. But while Nick Robles's art is nice, on first glance it doesn't seem like there's anything terribly special about this re-imagining of the Flash. I'll continue to follow it, but it'll be online via the DC Universe app. I haven't read Superman yet -- I've been letting them build up -- but this is the first Absolute book that feels like a miss to me.
SUPERMAN: THE LAST DAYS OF LEX LUTHOR: There were a couple of other books with Luthor covers out at the same time as issue #1, so it would be easy enough to gloss over it. I should know, because I did. I assume this is where he gets his memory (and hatred) back?
As far as I can discern, this story takes place outside of any established continuity, but within a sort of über-continuity, if you will. I am reluctant to say any more about it, except that it goes beyond "recommened" to "highly recommend," well on its way to "highest possible recommendation."*
Regarding it's frequency, the indicia of #1 says "April 2025" (with no mention of a second printing), and #2 says "May 2025." #1 included a blurb which read "Next issue on sale March 2025" but #2 had no such blurb. Both volumes say "published bimonthly." I have no idea when too expect the next volume, but May 2025 woud be nice.
*Seriously, everyone should read this.
I saw the second issue of Last Days of Lex Luthor. Big! I don't remember the first, but that was a long time ago. I probably decided then, as I decided Wednesday, to await some sort of collection. Among other reasons, I seem to have lost the knack of keeping up with individual issues. The stack next to my bed is out of control. There are reasons: My vision is too poor to read just anywhere and anytime, my job keeps me at my post long past when my wife has gone to sleep (meaning no bedtime reading for me), I lost last weekend to the flu and the Westfield orders (and late arrivals) mean I'm always playing catch-up. I've also got a couple of other projects simmering. I'm currently trying to keep up with Absolute/new All In, X-Manhunt and One World Under Doom and failing at them all. I'm even two issues behind on EC's Epitaphs from the Abyss.
I used to use my time much more efficiently. But then, I was much younger.
I used to use my time much more efficiently.
Understood. Having said that, I strongly urge you to find or make the time to read John Byrne's X-Men: Elsewhen online.
I'm about halfway through; I'll have something more specific to say about it soon.
You'll be happy to know these'll be published by Marvel soon(ish)!
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