Here is a picture of that pancake. I was not expecting it to be that size. I want to say 12"-14"
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Hey everyone, another assistant editor week. Dirty D has been on vacation so still giving him a break. Pretty big week for FOC that I actually knocked off some books from the list to keep it streamlined. Here is what is on tap:
NEW FRIENDS, NEW ENEMIES! Batman and Alfred have formed a tentative alliance, but the Black Mask has some new friends too...and they're coming to Gotham to wreak absolute havoc. Plus, discover the dark secret that will rock Bruce to his core and make him question everything...Why? Already a great series, but rumor of a big first appearance
THE 8 DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN CONTINUES! Cytorrak's most dangerous scion, CALLIX, and his deadly CRIMSON CANINES take their turn to inflict physical pain on Spider-Man. Spidey doesn't have many deaths left to spend.Why? First appearance of Callix, another scion of Cytorrak. Plus, first cover appearance of Doom Suit.
"MAY THE HOUR OF THE DEVIL BEGIN..." The harrowing journey through the dark heart of Gotham reaches a fever pitch in this penultimate installment of Rafael Grampa's visionary series! Batman's investigation leads him into the deadly lair of Doctorgeist--where his presence is not only expected...but welcomed. Their savage fight for the soul of Gotham--and the soul of Bruce Wayne himself--will send shock waves through the city from which it might never recover. And elsewhere, the fugitive Crytoon makes a twisted acquaintance that finally gives him something to smile about...Why? First appearance and first cover of Little Joker
Cobra Commander unveils the next phase of his plan, meet THE VALKYRIES, the newest Cobra special operatives unit. And as they race to retrieve the new mysterious weapon, will Duke suffer his first failure as the leader of G.I. Joe?Why? Introduction of the Valkyries, female Cobra troops.
GHOST RIDER '44! 1944: As U.S. Sergeant Sal Romero is parachuting into Nazi-occupied Europe, young Nazi officer Felix Bruckner becomes the host for an unspeakable evil. In the aftermath of their violent meeting, Romero is reborn as GHOST RIDER '44, who sets out not only to take revenge on Bruckner and the Nazis, but to save mankind from annihilation! Featuring an ALL-STAR CAST of Marvel's most badass heroes, don't miss the origin of the INCREDIBLE HULK's GHOST RIDER '44!Why? People loved Ghost Rider '44 when he first appeared. This fleshes out his story and gives people more of what they love.
43% of the cells within a healthy human body belong to something other than the human host. Microbiomes, invasive bacteria, fungal and viral agents, and something else, something... more. When the BLOOM happened, humanity was changed forever, transformed by symbiotic fungal megasystems that infected their bodies. Some affected people grew new body parts, some found their personalities changed in radical new ways, while others reported contact with some... other intelligence not their own. In this revolutionary new world, Agent Spears finds herself investigating a series of mysterious murders, a chain of violence that leads her to a terrifying question on which the fate of every living being rests.Why? New Boom series combining body horror and sci-fi in a very entertaining read.
HISTORIC FIRST MEETING! Your favorite foul-mouthed adolescent, KIDPOOL, is back in comic book form starring alongside the biggest debut character in recent memory, SPIDER-BOY! Will the Adolescent-Arachnid be able to keep the Murderous Middle-Grader from causing the return of the Comics Code? UNLIKELY! But Bailey is going to try! Don't miss the comic that every kid and kid-at-heart in America is going to sneakily read under their sheets with a flashlight!Why? Comic debut of MCU version of Kidpool.
THE MYSTIC MUTANT GOES DEMON HUNTING IN HER OWN NEW, ONGOING SERIES! The X-Man Ilyanna Rasputina strikes out on her own with new allies and dark powers arrayed against her. Something ancient has awakened beneath the Alaskan ice. Unfortunately for it, that's Magik's territory now!Why? First appearance of Demon Crow, plus people love Magik and Magik covers.
Cover Spotlight
ACTION COMICS #1080 CVR A CLAYTON HENRY
Why? Just a sweet dead Superman cover.
BATMAN SUPERMAN WORLDS FINEST #34 CVR D DAVID NAKAYAMA ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Why? I don’t think I need to say how great Nakayama is with female characters. Throw in the simple purple lines separating the white background from her suit. Just love it.
DEADLY TALES OF THE GUNSLINGER SPAWN #2 CVR B MARK SPEARS
The journey of the Gunslinger continues, but he is not alone. While his transformation is complete, there are those who are hunting him, looking to steal his power.Why? Mark Spears just owns this one
Aren’t the Valkyries in the new G.I. Joe series (Skybound)? G.I. Joe #2?
thanks for the edit, you are right and I linked the wrong book. Fixing it now
Sorry…just sent in my picks!
Also, Gunslinger Spawn 1 is on FOC this week…TFAW messed it up having 2 with the same FOC.
I actually didn’t use tfaw for the doc list, so its funny that two major retailers had the date wrong
I present to you the real Dirty D’s FOC post…
Hey CHU, I’m back from a one week hiatus as I took a little vacation. Feels like I’ve been away for a longer…
Thanksgiving/Black Friday is just around the corner…then it’s DECEMBER…which means a lot of wallets are likely tightening up. It does seem like a bit of a lull lately with some titles…this week’s FOC is a bit light anyway. So that may be good for those of us watching our expenditures these next few months.
COVERS
Ram V and Evan Cagle bring the Fourth World to a whole new generation in this epic of cosmic proportions. An old god has died…the New Gods are born!New series of New Gods. What stood out to me is that there’s this Acetate variant…can’t really tell from the preview how this will look, but haven’t seen one of these in a while.
A lot of Mark Spears fans on CHU. Here’s his latest cover for Action Comics.
Timeslide #1 (Spoiler Variant)
An X-Man from the future arrives in the present with a dire warning: One of mutantkind’s most hyper-advanced foes is eating his way through time, trying to stop the X-Gene from ever evolving in the first place. Only two X-Men can stop this chronal predator from achieving his goal-if they can tolerate working together long enough. Join BISHOP and CABLE on a trip through futures past, present and beyond. Your first look at the most unforgettable stories of 2025 begins here!Not sure what could be spoiled here (maybe the x-man from the future revealed?), but could be a new character. Worth keeping an eye on.
NUMBER ONES
Not sure anyone asked for this, but we’re going to get it. Team up series for these two…expect more “kids” to join as the series moves along…
The terror of the Darkseid shockwave has cascaded across the DC Universe…tearing open the very fabric of time and space itself! Only one band of super-scientists have the right stuff to challenge the fate of a universe…enter: THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UKNOWN. Ace Morgan, June Robbins, Prof Haley, Red Ryan, and Rocky Davis must team with Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League to seal the rifts that threaten the galaxy. But a mysterious foe from the Challengers’ past lurks in the shadows, and its connection to the godshock will put the DCU on borrowed time!The Challengers are back! In a 6 issue limited series.
This series will tell the true origin of Gunslinger Spawn.
From the character’s first appearance in Spawn #174 to his adventures in the present day, all will be laid bare to the reader. The series, set in the past before the Gunslinger is pulled to the future, unravels his place in the Spawn Universe. It is a brutal tale of Old-West violence and mayhem by two of the comic industry’s finest.
REPRINTS
New printing of the facsimile edition. But this time there’s a foil variant. Issue #2 is next month as well, and oddly enough a few dollars cheaper…?
The Crisis foil facsimiles continue.
INDY SPOTLIGHT
This series of five, one-shot comic books-all featuring original protagonists from marginalized backgrounds set in a popular genres and inspired by pop culture icons-highlights how each character’s unique background allows the stories to go into new directions.Not much caught my eye on the Indy circuit, but this book seemed to stand out.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Batman’s investigation leads him into the deadly lair of Doctorgeist–where his presence is not only expected…but welcomed. Their savage fight for the soul of Gotham–and the soul of Bruce Wayne himself–will send shock waves through the city from which it might never recover. And elsewhere, the fugitive Crytoon makes a twisted acquaintance that finally gives him something to smile about…This book was originally supposed to come out early this year…but got delayed indefinitely (issue 2 was released in December 2023!)…but now it’s finally back on FOC. This issue debuts a new character…”Little Joker”…
Book Three introduces readers to a new acquaintance for Crytoon, one that’s the most chilling yet. He will come to be known as ‘Little Joker.’” “Crytoon is a character that has very little to laugh about,” says Grampá. “In ‘Little Joker,’ he finally finds a twisted balance of evil in its purest form, and in the laughter of this sinister child.”It’s also possible that all the delays could cause this book to be passed over at FOC…so if Little Joker hits it big, supply may not meet demand…and for that reason this book is the Dirty D Pick-Of-The-Week!
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I forgot about, “Gargoyle of Gotham,” and I enjoyed it! I just forgot because it has been so long.
I read Gargoyle of Gotham 1 and was so completely underwhelmed with the book that I never even bothered to read issue 2. Both were dollar bin pickups.
From a spec perspective, do Black Label books ever really warm up? I usually think of these purely as good reads (again, minus this particular series IMO).
Being black label doesn’t disqualify it from being speculatory. The only thing against it is it’s not in continuity…but we know with multiverses and TV/Movies dipping into various concepts for characters that doesn’t really matter anymore.
I think the Batman White Knight series is technically “black label”. Then there’s Batman Damned. Nice house on the lake had short term, and possible future potential.
Just some examples. But even so two of them are notably Batman related…so that boosts the potential as well for this week’s as pick, given it’s potential to link to Batman’s rogues gallery.
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All good points!
As I’m reading this thread, I realize how sad it is that well written stories, that hobbyists want to read, have very little spec. But the Digitally produced/AI produced hot babe cover or 1st appearance of the Green Panther and the Red Panther (or any other dumbass new characters) are all about spec.
I’m not saying I dont understand it. I do understand it. 1st appearances are what we have understood often goes up in value. Cheescake certainly sells.
But in the end, 10/15 years from now, it’s the story that meant something to me that I want to go back to. (i.e. Watchmen, Dark knight, etc., Long Halloween, Year One, etc…).
Just an observation how cheescake covers and 1st appearances are so far above and beyond considered over great stories for spec.
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You could probably attribute much of that to the trade paper back being mass produced after each 5-6 issue story arc completed. It used to be (pre 2000) only the best most in demand stories got the trade (Death in the Family, Death of Superman, etc)…now every arc is followed with a trade, it seems. So where is the incentive to pay a premium for an entire arc if it’s one truly just wants to read the story?
There are certain arcs that resonate with me where I’ll have a key book (or two) in the run, but I buy the trade for the whole story. Infinity Gauntlet, Batman Under the Hood, Captain America Winter Soldier come to mind.
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i would spec buy 100 copies of red panther
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love the hellhunter 1 windowshade variant. the nazi tank driver looking out the port hole at ghost rider 44
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That is a cool perspective.
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Id be into the Pink Panther, but hes already taken 
The jingle is stuck in my head now…
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“Dead ant, Dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant dead ant dead annnnnttttt”
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