TOP O’ THE WEEK
KRYPTO: THE LAST DOG OF KRYPTON #1 (OF 5, DC COMICS, $3.99) is by writer Ryan North and artist Mike Norton. Maybe it's the recent Superman Family and Superboy reprint books, but I find myself missing Krypto. And lo, he appears! Here in print, and on the silver screen!
Frankly, I can't resist a story with a good boy in it, and Krypto is the bestest good boy. And this series is written by Ryan North, who has impressed me on Fantastic Four and One World Under Doom. I've begun ordering Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, and am looking forward to it. Now excuse me, I must go hug my dogs now.
“Krypto's origin has always been done at kind of a high level," North said. "The little guy starts out on Krypton, ends up on Earth, and helps Superman fight crime. The chance to really define Krypto — to show what a little lost dog would go through if he landed all alone on a strange alien world named Earth — was really enticing. And I also fell in love with the idea of treating Krypto as the actual dog he is: he doesn't talk, and we don't cheat by reading his thoughts in balloons either. Mike Norton’s art captures exactly what needs to be ‘said’ in every scene. Krypto tells us who he is and how he's feeling like all dogs do: through his expressions and behaviour, through body language and barks and snuggles and licks and sighs. Dogs are some of the most expressive animals, and we absolutely love them, and I wanted to tell a story that really captured and honoured these animals—Krypto in particular."
“I’m always ready for drawing more dogs in comics,” added artist Mike Norton. “Krypto is dream project!”
“Each issue of this miniseries is a complete short story, combining to tell the full story of Krypto the Superdog” continued North. “Throughout these stories we see Krypto face a strange new world. He travels from town to town, meeting and befriending people, sometimes helping to solve their problems — and sometimes finding problems of his own. He’s a very good dog. Even in the face of evil, Krypto never gives up hope. He is strong, and he is brave — and brave enough to be kind.”
Also, it appears that a facsimile edition of Krypto's first appearance will ship this week ... and is free? It would almost have to be, since it's got a contest, and federal law says contests have to be "no purchase required." Maybe local shop owners will charge anyway, or make some other rules, like limiting how many you can have, or only allowing one per X amount of dollars spent. I don't know. But the prize is a trip to L.A. to watch the Superman premiere, which would be pretty cool. Here's the full press release, in case I got something wrong:
“KRYPTO’S GOLDEN BISCUIT” SWEEPSTAKES
TWO DC COMIC BOOK FANS WILL WIN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND THE WORLD PREMIERE OF DC STUDIOS’ “SUPERMAN” IN LOS ANGELES
Pick Up a Copy of Adventure Comics #210 Facsimile Edition at Comic Book Stores on June 18
Two lucky comic book fans will win the opportunity to attend the World Premiere of director James Gunn’s Superman in Los Angeles by discovering “Krypto’s Golden Biscuit” hidden inside the front cover of DC’s facsimile-edition reprint of the 1955 comic book Adventure Comics #210 that will land in local comic book stores starting on June 18. Written by Otto Binder with art by Curt Swan (including art by Ramona Fradon and George Papp), this iconic comic book with cover art by Curt Swan features Krypto’s first appearance in comics in the story “The Superdog from Krypton,” where a young Clark Kent rediscovers Superboy’s best friend in a heartwarming reunion spanning years of time and light years of space.
Starting on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, fans can head to their local comic book shops to pick up a special polybagged edition of Adventure Comics #210 for their chance at discovering “Krypto’s Golden Biscuit.” Copies of Adventure Comics #210 Facsimile Edition can be preordered from your local comics shop, so talk to the staff at your favorite store about adding comics to your pull list.
DC Studios Presents a Troll Court Entertainment/The Safran Company Production, A James Gunn Film, Superman soars into theaters and IMAX® nationwide on July 11, 2025, and around the world beginning July 9, 2025, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. U.S., 18+. Enter by 6/25/25 @12:00 p.m. ET. Prize award subject to verification & compliance with Affidavit/Release and background check requirements. Winner must be able to attend DC Studios’ Superman film world premiere in early July. Unclaimed prizes NOT awarded. Subject to Official Rules (including how to enter w/o purchase and odds) at www.KryptoGoldenBiscuit.com. Sponsor: DC - a Warner Bros. Discovery Company, Burbank, CA 91522.
CROSSOVERS
“BRING ON THE BAD GUYS”
BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: DOOM #1 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $4.99) is by Marc Guggenheim and Stefano Raffaele. Yes, it uses the title of one of seminal Stan Lee collections, but it has nothing to do with that. Instead, it's a story that pits Doctor Doom against Mephisto, as the latter is searching for something called the Soul Forge, which would give him dominion over all souls on Earth. Naturally, Doom considers that his province. The two will battle over the course of seven one-shots, each starring a different baddie. And there's a new character, Sister Sorrow, whose provenance and purpose is yet to be revealed.
Yes, I've ordered it. I'm having so much fun with One World Under Doom that I don't want it to stop. I honestly worried that Doom becoming a master magician was a bit much; he'd be too powerful for the status quo standoff with the Fantastic Four to stand. Which would stretch my susension of disbelief that he'd allow them to live. But Ryan North's understanding of Doom's psychology has convinced me otherwise, and now I see that Doom being a top-tier magic-user opens up a lot of challenges for him he didn't have before. And Doom being the underdog in these new conflicts (although he'd never admit it) is kinda fun.
“As someone who grew up with the original Bring On the Bad Guys on his bedroom shelf, this project is particularly exciting to me,” Guggenheim shared. “It’s been a while since I had the chance to work with other writers on a crossover event and I’m truly enjoying the collaboration. Marvel has such a rich roster of antagonists and it’s a huge amount of fun to not only give them their time to shine but also add a new villain to their ranks — Sister Sorrow — who is every bit as dangerous and formidable as these classic villains.”
“Marvel broke the mold with supervillains, pushing them past the archetypical to the complex and some even morally gray but still to be feared,” Editor Mark Paniccia added. “Each of these one-shots are an opportunity for fans to see what makes these villains some of the most dangerous characters in the Marvel Universe.”
“This is a real labor of love for all involved,” Guggenheim told Newsarama in a recent interview and first look. “On one level, we're just trying to tell a cool, self-contained Marvel Universe story that's worthy of being considered an ‘event.’ At the same time, we've worked in a lot of Easter eggs and visual callbacks to the stories that appear in the original Bring on the Bad Guys.”
"LORE WAR"
STAR TREK OMEGA #1 (IDW, $5.99) is by Christopher Cantwell, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and various. This is the finale of the "Lore War" crossover, not only showing the aftermath, but hinting at what's to come in IDW's Star Trek titles (which are rebooting, I imagine). I'm going to read the whole shebang this weekend. I might have to go back a bit, maybe all the way to "Day of Blood" (2023) for a full understanding, but I hope not.
“ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM”
AVENGERS #27 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $3.99) is by Jed MacKay and Andrea Broccardo. With the other Avengers off battling Doctor Doom, Black Panther takes on the Masters of Evil in their floating city. You'd think being outnumbered would be a drawback for T'Challa, but he has an ace in the hole: He has a movie, and the bad guys don't.
DOOM'S DIVISION #4 (OF 5, MARVEL, TEEN+, $3.99) is by Yoon Ha Lee and Minkyu Jung. I confess I've fallen a little behind on this title; of all the various tie-ins, this one interests me the least. But in for a penny, so I'll continue to the end. Hey, maybe Sunfire will do something stupid to liven things up! He usually does, so I'm hopeful.
IRON MAN #9 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $3.99) is by Spencer Ackerman and Julius Ohta. Iron Man, Black Widow and Winter Guard are "behind enemy lines," so to speak, in Latveria. The description doesn't say, but it's a good guess they're fighting each other.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
BENJAMIN #1 (OF 3, ONI PRESS, $5.99) is by H. Winters (Cruel Universe, The Last Policeman Trilogy) and rising star Leomacs (Epitaphs from the Abyss, Refrigerator Full of Heads). A Philip K. Dick-caliber sci-fi writer named Benjamin Carp dies of amphetamine abuse in 1982. Then he wakes up in a dingy L.A. motel room in 2025 with no idea how or why. The description asks "Is he a dream? A robot? A ghost? A clone? A simulation?" As a science fiction writer, Carp's pretty familiar with all of these concepts. Now he has to figure what he is.
Sounds interesting, but I don't have a review copy. I'll see what the internet says before I invest.
EMMA FROST: THE WHITE QUEEN #1 (OF 5, MARVEL, TEEN+,$4.99) is by Amy Chu (Red Sonja, Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death) and Andrea Di Vito (Deadpool, Invincible Iron Man).
Take a look at these two covers. We have two women in almost identical poses. The one on the left features Wonder Woman, sitting in a chair with her legs crossed. The one on the right features Emma Frost with OMIGOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER LEG IS HER HIP DETACHED CALL AN AMBULANCE AHHHHHH!
Anyway, this series is set in the past, when Frost is the White Queen of the Hellfire Club, and not a good person. Inexplicably — I mean, who doesn't love a cruel and condescending ice queen? — someone's trying to kill her, and she must globe-trot to find out who. (We already know they won't succeed.) Couid be fun.
“It's a straight up action thriller,” Amy Chu told AIPT earlier this week in an edition of their X-Men Monday column. “This is pre-diamond mutation, pre-heroic Emma Frost, the Hellfire Club's most powerful mutant telepath in the Hellfire Club, a global mutant secret society in the finest James Bond sense. Someone is trying to take her out and she has to travel around the world to the various clubs to find out who. In the process, she may have to reluctantly make a friend or two, and you will get to see the Hellfire Club as you never have before.”
“If there's one character I've always wanted to write after Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death, it's Emma Frost, especially BAD Emma Frost,” Chu said. “This is going to be a whole new Emma-focused story set in the classic days before she joins the X-Men. We're going around the world to expose the inner workings of the Hellfire Club in a way you've never seen before and introducing some new baddies. I can't believe Marvel is letting me do this, it's so exciting!”
"I can't think of a character more deserving of her own series than Emma Frost,” Di Vito added. “Her complexity alone is fuel for infinite stories, and this is about the White Queen in her raw form, set during the time where she took her first steps towards true power. It's a privilege to illustrate these events, it doesn't get any more Emma than this!"
EPITAPHS FROM THE ABYSS #12 (OF 12, $4.99) features the work of Chris Condon, Tyler Crook, Matt Kindt, Klaus Janson and Alison Sampson. It's the last issue (for now).
FANTASTIC FOUR FANFARE #2 (OF 4, MARVEL, $5.99) is by Johathan Hickman, John Tyler Christopher, Mark Buckingham and Dustin Weaver. Three new tales: a Friday the 13th story, Reed talking to his future self and two Doom underlings who have to take care of the Seeker. The first issue hooked me, so I'm in for the duration.
GODZILLA VS AVENGERS #1 (MARVEL, $4.99) is by David F. Walker (Planet of the Apes) and George Jeanty (Star Wars: Mace Windu). The Avengers and Jet Jaguar take on Godzilla, and in the aftermath S.H.I.E.L.D. tries to figure out what happened. I'll tell you what happened: The Big G turned them all into toe jam! (Except Jet Jaguar. And maybe Thor. Is Thor there? I always feel better when Thor is there.)
“As a child, I was raised on Godzilla movies, and as an adult, the New Avengers was a beautiful reminder of why I love comics,” Walker shared. “The lineup of iconic characters in the New Avengers was a beautiful mix of quirky personalities and big adventures that kept me coming back every month. Bringing Godzilla and the New Avengers together for an epic showdown has allowed me to work with characters I have loved for a long time, in a way that I hope is as entertaining for fans to read as it was for me to write.”
“There are few things in life that feel better then when you get to recreate your childhood passions as a ‘serious’ adult,” Jeanty shared. “Drawing this one-shot allowed me to package two things I loved in my youth, Godzilla and the Avengers, and put it in a comic book! It has been a joy drawing these pages. I hope everyone who picks up this book will see all the love that went into to it.”
TM & © TOHO CO., LTD.
GOLDEN AGE OF REPRINTS
BATWOMAN ELEGY TP (DC COMPACT COMICS EDITION, DC COMICS, $9.99): Another Compact Comics edtion. I loved the J.H. Williams III art (and design!) on this series, but I already have it in a larger size.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE ORIGINAL COMICS OMNIBUS VOL. 5 (TITAN, 1008 PAGES, $150.00) is by J.M Dematteis, John Buscema & Gil Kane. Man, we didn't know how good we had it back then.
CRIMINAL VOL 7: WRONG TIME WRONG PLACE TP (NEW PRINTING, MR, IMAGE, $16.99) is by Ed Brubaker and Todd Phillips. I will always recommend these books, in whatever format they're printed. (I have them in HC, of course.)
DC FINEST: METAMORPHO THE ELEMENT MAN TP (DC COMICS, $39.99) collects Brave and Bold #57-58, 66, 68 and 101; Metamorpho #1-17; and Justice League of America #42. That's all of Rex Mason's appearances from 1965 to 1972. Which, for my money, is when the Element Man was most memorable.
Metamorpho had a two-issue try-out in Brave and Bold (which may have been intended for Showcase), before being awarded a series that lasted 17 issues — all written by the quirky Bob Haney and drawn by the legendary Ramona Fradon. This book also includes the famous "Metamorpho says — NO!" story, where the Element Man became the first character to refuse an invitation to join the JLA. The rest are the Brave & Bold team-ups of the era (also largely by Haney). Haney is famous for his eccentric dialogue, but Metamorpho is the one series where I felt like it was perfectly suited to the material. I have read all these stories, but Imma get this book for my shelf anyway.
After 1972 Metamorpho's appearances were few and far between, until he became a member of the Outsiders, which I didn't find particularly in character — or interesting, as I thought his prodigious powers were vastly underutilized. And he seemed to have some sort of facial tattoo, which WTF? I think they ended up making that Metamorpho some sort of sentient leftover of the original, and not the real one at all. I assume that was a retcon, and a pretty silly one at that. Because the original was still around, presumably, but somehow didn't notice he was being impersonated. And people who met the original Metamorpho (looking at you, Batman) didn't notice the personality change and apparently never asked about the Staggs.
I may have some of that wrong, because I didn't care for Outsiders at all and dropped it at some point, like maybe the middle of the second series. I haven't read it since, and have no idea what Metamorpho's current status is. Without Haney to write him and Fradon to draw him, I don't much care. But this SIlver Age material, IMHO, is classic.
METAL HURLANT VOL 1: OLD DREAMS YOUNG VISIONS TP (MR, HUMANOIDS INC, $29.99): Metal Hurlant gets translated into English for the first time (it says here), coming in a quarterly, 272-page anthology "curated" from the original run. That means it's not comprehensive, which is OK by me, since I'm sure I would find a lot of the original material baffling. The description doesn't say much about the format, but I'm guessing it'll be a perfect-bound magazine. I'll get the first issue for sure, to measure the level of bafflement, and to see how much Moebius, Druillet and Manara they give us.
MILESTONE COMPENDIUM FOUR TP (DC COMICS, $59.99): Milestone alert!
THE SAVAGE SWORD OF CONAN VOL. 2 (TITAN, 208 PAGES, B&W, $24.99) is by Jim Zub, Jeffrey Shanks, Ron Marz and Fred Kennedy. Issue #4, which Titan didn't send out for review, has some connection to the Battle of the Black Stone. I've read that miniseries, but I don't know how any SSoC stories are vital to the story, if they are. No matter. I just hope it has more of REH's non-Conan characters, like in the miniseries. Looking forward to finding out.
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR EPIC COLLECT VOL 1: THE FANTASTIC TP (MARVEL, $44.99): I don't know if the current Ultimate Universe has a Fantastic Four. But the first one did, and this is it.
WOLVERINE OMNIBUS VOL 6 HC (MARVEL, $125.00) brings us up to 1997 (Wolverine #118).
MORE COMICS
ABSOLUTE FLASH #4 (DC COMICS, $4.99) is by Jeff Lemire and AL Kaplan. This version of the Scarlet Speedster barely resembles the "real" one at all, which I usually like. (Why go to the bother of having an alternate version if it's more or less the same? Looking at you, "Earth One" books.) But it's just not grabbing me. And I'd have preferred that, given a clean slate, Lemire had come up with Rogues that are more of a viable threat. And in the case of Captain Boomerang, maybe not just as lame as the original.
ARCHIE SHOWCASE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #24: HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN (ARCHIE COMICS, $9.99)
BLOOD & THUNDER #2 (MR, IMAGE, $3.99) is by Benito Cereno (Invincible Presents: Atom Eve) and E.J. Su (Tech Jacket). I didn't read the first issue of this story, which involves a space-faring bounty hunter and her talking gun. (Maybe they can team up with Owen and his talking axe or Babs and her talking sword.) But Image sent me a preview of this issue, so here ya go.
"Kirkman and the team behind Blood & Thunder were looking to strike a balance between (literally) kicking the door down with action in the first issue and laying the seeds for just what the hell's going on inside this gilded city floating in space," said Senior Editor Nachie Marsham. "And readers are going to see more of that balance in issue #2 and beyond. All the action, all the shouting, all the questionable decisions, and we're just getting started!"
BRAWLHALLA TALES: NIX TP (DARK HORSE, 112 PAGES, $19.99) is based on a video game.
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COPRA #50 (MR, IMAGE, $3.99): Final issue.
G.I. JOE #8 (IMAGE, $3.99) is by Joshua Williamson (Duke, Cobra Commander) and Andrea Milana (Cobra Commander).
INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE: BATTLE BEAST #2 (IMAGE, $3.99) is by Robert Kirkman (Void Rivals, The Walking Dead) and Ryan Ottley (The Amazing Spider-Man). Didn't read the first issue of this one, either.
JEFF THE LAND SHARK #1 (OF 5, MARVEL,$4.99) is by Kelly Thompson and Tokitokoro. I'm studiously avoiding anything to do with this concept. Now watch: It'll become Marvel's biggest hit just to spite me.
"Seeing Jeff rocket to stardom has been wild, and also exactly what he deserves,” Thompson said. “I'm obviously as biased as you can get, but what's not to love about an adorable land shark that wants to be friends with and/or eat everything he sees?"
I'm thrilled that the slow burn success of Jeff in comics and the wildfire success of Jeff in Marvel Rivals can work together to bring us the opportunity for not only more Jeff stories, but more complex Jeff stories,” Thompson continued. “The It’s Jeff series works almost like perfectly executed jokes, and I couldn't love it more; but it's exciting to take on the challenge of the complicated narrative that you can get from a mini-series."
LAST WITCH: BLOOD AND BETRAYAL #1 (BOOM, $5.99) is by Conor McCreery (Assassin’s Creed) and artist V.V. Glass’ (Kamen Rider Zero-One). A young witch must learn to control her powers and her temper. Looks cute. I'm not into cute, but maybe you are.
THE ODDLY PEDESTRIAN LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER CHAOS: CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT #1 (OF 4, DARK HORSE, $4.99) is by James Tynion IV (Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House by the Sea), Tate Brombal (House of Slaughter, Batgirl), and Isaac Goodhart’s (The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos, Constantine: Distorted Illusions). Here's a new miniseries about this character. I haven't read any of them.
"Witnessing Christopher's story resonate with so many people has been a highlight of my career, and it feels so good to be back!” said Brombal. “Prepare to meet Dr. Jekyll like you've never seen him before, as he flips the script and unleashes all kinds of chaos in Christopher's world. Now is the best time to jump aboard The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos because, believe me, we are just getting started."
“It is extremely good to be back on Christopher Chaos as our story continues to unfold!” added Goodhart. “With this new story we're going even bigger with higher stakes, a larger cast, and more heart. We're really swinging for the fences now and I can't wait for readers to see what we've been cooking up!”
RED SONJA NOIR #1 (ONE-SHOT, DYNAMITE, 40 PAGES, $5.99) is by David Avallone and Edu Menna. This book is described as "pulp adventure meets Hyrkanian steel." I always thought all sword-and-sorcery was, at heart, pulp adventure. But I'm guessing what they mean is detective noir meets Hyrkanian steel, as Sonja is after a MacGuffin named the Crimson Calypso.
STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA — CHAOS AGENT #1 (MARVEL, $4.99)
STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA — CHAOS AGENT #1 (MARVEL) is by Cherish Chen and Gabriel Guzman. I've never read word one of Doctor Aphra, although I have the omnibus of earliest adventures. I'll get to it some day. Maybe.
"In my humble opinion, there isn’t a more fun character to be writing in the Star Wars galaxy than the one and only Doctor Aphra,” Chen told Collider. “Cooking up new adventures for her in this new era, throwing her into increasingly tricky moral quandaries, and testing her resolve (alongside some familiar faces) has truly been like playing in the ultimate sandbox. Our favorite chaos agent is back, and I cannot wait to share what we’ve been working on and for you all to see Gabriel’s incredibly dynamic art."
TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS: LONG LIVE THE PUMPKIN QUEEN GN (DYNAMITE, $15.99) is by Liz Marsham, Alessio Petill and Ismeal. I enjoyed the movie well enough, but I don't think I need any more stories in that "universe." I'd change my mind if Jill Thompson was drawing it, but she only did the cover.
ULTIMATES #13 (MARVEL, TEEN+, $4.99) is by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri. Year Two begins here.
THE UNSINKABLE SHIP OF FOOLS TP (MR, IRON CIRCUS, 270 PAGES, $20.00) is by Jonas Goonface. "It's a gorgeous, life-affirming, liberating, and proudly smutty dark fantasy graphic novel that will brighten bedside tables and coffee tables alike." OK, then.
THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #115 (IMAGE, $3.99). Matt Wagner (Grendel, Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman: Trinity) will provide variants for issues #115-120 that form a polyptych. Altthough the third one is mysteriously cropped.
WEAPON X-MEN #5 (OF 5, MARVEL, $3.99) is by Joe Casey and ChrisCross. Final issue.
WONDER WOMAN #22 (DC COMICS): This preview came in just as I was posting Friday, so I'm adding it. It appears to be a flashback to the first appearance of Mouse Man, which will lead into the next story arc.
Replies
Maybe local shop owners will charge anyway, or make some other rules, like limiting how many you can have, or only allowing one per X amount of dollars spent.
Just guessing here, but I suspect it will be free with purchase of Krypto #1.
DC FINEST: METAMORPHO THE ELEMENT MAN TP
IIRC, Metamorpho was featured in the very first DC Showcase Presents ever released. I bought it, but never read it. Metamorpho is not a character I have ever been particularly interested in. I didn't pre-order this volume, but I may come to regret not buying it someday if I pass it up tomorrow. "The New Metamorpho Returns Again" was the back-up feature in my 14th (by my count) comic book. So this is the third appearance of the "new" Metamorpho?
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Also, it appears that a facsimile edition of Krypto's first appearance will ship this week ... and is free?
It is not. It is polybagged and priced at $3.99.
It would almost have to be, since it's got a contest, and federal law says contests have to be "no purchase required."
The link you provided above explains how to play without purchase.
According to Bleeding Cool there's a hullabaloo among retailers because there's a discount for DC's digital comics site included.
I know my LCS is selling polybagged version of Krypto at a buck a piece. To me this is just like every other sweepstakes. I can play McDoanld's Monopoly game for free, most people will play by buying a drink or fries or whatever for a game piece.
I've never read word one of Doctor Aphra, although I have the omnibus of earliest adventures. I'll get to it some day. Maybe. - I have..."In my humble opinion, there isn’t a more fun character to be writing in the Star Wars galaxy than the one and only Doctor Aphra,” Might be fun to write! I've never found her that interesting to read.
That Aphra omnibus goes to the bottom of the "to read" pile now!
I would also add, the concept of Dr. Aphra is appealing. Kind of the the Indiana Jones of the Star Wars universe, with a Han Solo "I want money" slant. She is out there looking for artifacts across the galaxy! Just the actual execution has never done much for me.
That's more than I knew about her before. Thanks!