I dig the graphic as well!
Standing in line at Terrificon this morning. Yesterday was quite the adventure (I have a thread going documenting the experience if youâd like to have a glimpse). But with 49 minutes before the line starts to move, I figured Iâd squeeze in a little F.O.C. Article.
Another slow week. We seem to be in a summer doldrum or sorts. But that just means more money to blow on cons!
So letâs see what might be worth throwing money at before FOC closesâŠ
Â
COVERS
Â
THE DEAD RISE AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME! It was the most important space flight in the history of the Marvel Universe - four intrepid heroes took off into the unknown and returned changed, gifted with great abilitiesâ and hungering for human flesh! Travel back to the birth of a Marvel Universe parallel to our own but chock-full of horror since its very inception! Which heroes will rise to become the champions we know and love? Which will be torn limb from limb? And which will devour the scraps? Find out in this blood-soaked series!New Marvel Zombies book, but this time itâs red banded. Which means more red ink.
Â
REPRINTS & FACSIMILES
 One of my favorite modern books and covers. I have a few copiesâŠhow can I pass up the foil?!
Â
Oh, Jason Howard got me good this week. I canât pass up these 2nd print coversâŠ
Â
     Â
NEW ONES
Â
[DC K.O. #1 (Local Comic Shop Day Ashcan)]
DCâS MAJOR 2025 EVENT IS HERE! SCOTT SNYDER AND JAVIER FERNANDEZ WELCOME YOU TO THE SLUGFEST OF THE CENTURY! The Heart of Apokolips has transformed Earth into a hellscape in preparation for the return of Darkseid! The end of the DC Universe is here! The Justice Leagueâs only chance to defeat Darkseid is to enter a deadly tournament, an epic and over-the-top battle royale that will surprise you! The Worldâs Greatest Heroes fight to become the champion to enter the ring against Darkseid, but thereâs a catchâŠthe closer you get to the Heart of Apokolips, the more it corrupts you, changes you into something dangerous. Which DC character has what it takes to make it to the end? Who is willing to do what it takes to win it all, even if it means taking down their friends and family? You want to get nuts? Letâs get nuts!This is listed on FOC this week. May be a late edition. Midtown Comics seems to be offering it, but I canât find another well known shop.
Â
Â
Â
Superman returns! Fan-favorite Future State: Superman: House of El creators Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scott Godlewski reunite for Adventures of Superman: Book of El! As the Super-Family settles into a well-earned time of peace, a powerful ally-turned-enemy invades Earth with an army at his back and a god-aspect of Olgrun, mad god of the First World. When even the Super-Family lacks the power to stop him, Superman is sent against his will to a place even heâs never beenâŠwhere heâll find allies he could never have expected. Concluding the events of Future State and Phillip Kennedy Johnsonâs Action Comics, the next epic adventure begins here!Â
Â
THE BATTLEWORLD FROM SECRET WARS RETURNS! âSLAY YOUR ENEMIES, PROVE YOUR WORTH AND ALL YOU DESIRE SHALL BE YOURS IN THE WORLD TO COME!â Heroes from across the Multiverse are thrown together on a patchwork world to engage in their own Secret Wars for the survival of their timelines! Who or what has created this Battleworld, and for what nefarious purpose? Enter Maestro. Is he friend, or foe?Isnât there already a Maestro? That Old Man Hulk guyâŠWhat if itâs Maestro BobâŠ?
Â
Â
Â
DEATH TO THE VENOMVERSE! Return to the Venomverse! Where anyone can be the host of their favorite alien life-form! However, Carnage is on the loose, and heâs tearing these symbiotic relationships apart left and right! Who will be strong enough to end the red menace before he kills all the Venoms in the multiverse? Collecting the digital DEATH OF THE VENOMVERSE tie-in in print for the very first time!What Venomverse seriews are we up to nowâŠ?
Â
Â
ULTIMATE HAWKEYE STARS IN THEIR OWN SOLO ADVENTURE! Spinning out of THE ULTIMATES, breakout hit character HAWKEYE goes on a covert solo op that will have a massive impact on the future of the Ultimate Universe!He breaks out so fast, heâs one and done.
Â
Â
THE IRON FIST RISES! The Book of the Iron Fist declares that every IRON FIST will die by the age of 33âŠbut who wrote this false prophecy? DANNY RAND was killedâŠbut can you truly kill an IMMORTAL IRON FIST? Learn the TRUTH about the legacy of the Iron Fist as Danny Rand rises once more to snuff out those that threaten that legacyâŠbefore Dannyâs time run out.I loved the Immortal Iron FirstâŠNot sure what the difference is between immortal and undeadâŠmight be interesting to learn. Is he a zombie?
Â
INDY SPOTLIGHT
Â
MINISERIES PREMIERE Jack Chandler is the sole survivor of the zombie apocalypse in his rural farming community, but rather than eliminate them, he has chosen to continue living alongside the undeadâincluding the husband and adopted daughter he fought so hard to have. But when his town is discovered by outsiders, Jack suddenly becomes the one thing standing in the way of those who hope to kill his family for good. Eisner Award-nominated creators TATE BROMBAL (Barbalien, Batgirl) and** JACOB PHILLIPS** (THAT TEXAS BLOOD, NEWBURN) team up for a haunting rural character piece set during a zombie outbreak, best described as THE WALKING DEAD meets Essex County.Sort of like a different kind of twist on Walking Dead.
Â
Â
Adapting the hit French graphic novel, author Romuald Giulivo and artist Jakub Rebelka come together to give us the dreamlike story of the very last day of H.P. Lovecraft. See the final journey of a complex and tortured man, facing his choices, his writings, and his mistakes at the very last moment of his life. Designed as a strange Gothic cathedral, The Last Days of H.P. Lovecraft is an extraordinary story that explores the end of a man and the beginning of a myth.Â
Parting Thoughts
Not much else to say this week. A lot of #1s, but not any true âspecâ books. Enjoy the covers and reads!
1 Like
This showed up on my FOC form, but I donât know that it was truly âFOCâ?
I definitely wonât pass on a McFarlane Batman though.
3 Likes
It is on FoC this week as far as I can tellâŠ
they also have trade dress bundles of 25 being offered to retailers.
1 Like
Is it just me, or does that Batman cover look to plain? I was expecting more cape actionâŠ
They messed up â thatâs Alan Davis art. And they misspelled Davisâ name.
3 Likes
Of course, we all know if it was McFarlaneâs CA it would have that 3rd hand somewhere in there⊠
1 Like
That cover is not from Batman Year Two (Detective Comics run). Thatâs from the Batman Fill Circle graphic novel. Which was Alan Davis, yes.
Should have used Neal Adams art from Batman 237 much better Reaper coverâŠ
Actually, Robin doesnât come around until year 3âŠbut they could have photo shopped someone else in with AI!!
2 Likes
So thereâs no Mcfarlane cover?
Iâll be a bit irritated as I wouldnât have likely ordered it for my shops FOC preorder if it wasnât advertised as a McFarlane cover???
Sort of a big goof.
AndâŠI certainly canât "not buy it, as that isnât fair to my shop either.
1 Like
Smart advertising on their part.
Next time they should offer a Sydney Sweeney variant, then after FOC correct it to Sweeney Boo.
3 Likes
Pure evillll
August 17, 2025
Hey CHU-sers. Long day in the heat today. Pretty tired. Going to make this quick.
Iâll be honest, not much to get excited about this week. Blind bags and NYCC is around the corner though.
Â
REPRINTS & FACSIMILES
 The mashup covers keep coming.
Â
Captain America #2 (2nd Print)
I believe this was the first David Colton as a super soldier. Not sure if this is the final cover art.
Â
Unlikely to be a 4th print, I would think. Would imagine this would be a low print run if youâre specâing on this book.
Â
NUMBER ONES
Â
BOBA FETT finds himself trapped in a situation he seemingly canât get out of! The EMPIRE and an extreme REBEL faction are after the same bounty! Fett needs to track down a deadly individual who has played both sides, and - to make things even more impossible - his target is hiding out in a volatile volcanic system!Â
Â
The year is 1940. Most of the Western world is embroiled in a war against a fascist regime whose march across Europe shows no sign of defeat. With the specter of global war looming, itâs a time of fear and paranoia for those living in Gotham. Itâs only been a few months since the city was rescued from undead monsters by the masked vigilante known as The Bat-Man, but a vicious killer has been on a murder spree thatâs taking the city to its breaking point. Bodies are turning up in theatrically gruesome waysâŠall staged with the killerâs calling card: a hangmanâs noose. While The Bat-Man endeavors to solve the spate of murders, a young reporter from the Daily Star named Lois Lane arrives in Gotham. Meant to cover a movie premiere, it doesnât take long for Lane to find herself caught in the grips of a new villain in Gotham. One whose mastery of fear will plunge the city into chaos!Follow up to the First Knight series.
Â
Â
For centuries, an elite force known as the Camelot Corps has protected ancient secrets, waiting for the day when these myths are needed by the world. That day is today. Young Fel, Connor, and their friends are stunned when theyâre almost crushed by a giant stone falling from the sky. Their lives are changed forever when they find a sword stuck fast in the stone. These children of destiny will soon face a great evil. But they wonât do so alone. For these friends have been chosen to wield ancient, magical weapons. Great weapons bonded to knights of legend. Weapons thatâŠspeak? Weapons that argue. With the evil Mordredâs power growing, the fate of the world rests in the hands of the Children of the Round Table. New York Times #1 bestseller Tom Taylor (Superman, Star Wars, The Deep TV series, Neverlanders) and Daniele Di Nicuolo (Seven Secrets, Nightwing) team up to bring a new kind of hero to DC ComicsProbably more for younger readers, but you never know.
Â
Â
Jason Todd has left Gotham and Batman behind him. All heâs taking with him is his costume, his bike, and a metal briefcase containing two handguns (and lots of bullets). New Angelique seems like the perfect place for Red Hood to put down roots. Thereâs crime, vice, and corruption everywhere. When Jason discovers a superpowered serial killer who is targeting the cityâs police, he finds himself sucked into a terrible and bleak conspiracy with seemingly no end in sight. But Jason isnât the only person on the scene. Following his trail is Helena Bertinelli a.k.a. Huntress. Is she here to stop him or help him? What will happen when the two black sheep of the Bat-Family start working together? Get ready for Red Hood like youâve always wanted to see him.New ongoing series. New superpowered villain.
Â
Â
SERIES PREMIERE FOR FANS OF INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE: BATTLE BEAST COMES YOUR NEW FAVORITE SERIES! ** The dream team of ROBERT KIRKMAN** (THE WALKING DEAD_, _INVINCIBLE) and superstar artist DAVID FINCH (Batman, New Avengers) present a visionary action epic unlike anything youâve ever seen. Enor has led his tribe for many seasons, but his time as Chieftan is coming to an end. He wields the mighty SKINBREAKER, but at his age, he can barely lift it. Will Enorâs reluctant heir, Anok, take over before their world falls to ruin? As a bloody power struggle begins, an even bigger threat lurks in the darkness beyond their village. SKINBREAKER tells the story of a people on the verge of collapse and their fight for survival as the many threats they face close in for the kill.Been hearing some buzz about this book. Lots of variants. Iâd stick with Cover A.
Â
Â
Return to the Twilight Zone in this all-new anthology series featuring stories by some of the best creators in comics today! Each issue is a new tale in the vein of the iconic original television series thatâs captivated audiences for over 60 years. And like the show, these stories will be revealed in terrifying black and white! THIS ISSUE: Writer Dan Watters (Batman: Dark Patterns, Home Sick Pilots) and artist Morgan Beam (Swamp Thing: Twin Branches) present âBlank.â A terrified citizen regales a detective with a story about people suddenly frozen like statues. A once-bustling metropolis becomes quieter by the minute as people are replaced by featureless versions of themselves. Where one would have found hopes, laughter, tears, and struggles, one can now only find BLANKSâŠhere in The Twilight Zone.Â
READS
Â
Mary Jane Watson is finally in the swing of things as the new Venom host, using their powers in all-new ways to be the hero the symbiote never knew it could be! But as she cleans up the streets of New York, she remains blissfully unaware of the strands of darkness leading off into the darkness of the void. Knull, the creator of all symbiotes, was killed by Eddie Brock. Nothing could bring him back⊠but Knull rules over nothing. Knull has returned, and word is racing across the stars to the one who took him down before to prepare to do it again. Will Venom be ready? Join us for a huge celebratory issue as ALL-NEW VENOM becomes VENOM once more and shifts back to the legacy numbering with issue #250Knull is back.
Â
Â
THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH Celebrates its 5th Anniversary with an Extra-length #0 Issue! A new day has dawned at the Department of Truth. Lee Harvey Oswald and his ruthless new recruits are ready to do whatever it takes to make the agency great again. Donât miss this critical turning point in the Eisner-nominated series! Andâfor the first time everâDoT welcomes celebrated guest writer SCOTT SNYDER (Absolute Batman) and acclaimed artist JOSHUA HIXSON (THE DEVIANT) to tell the secret history of Elvis in the first of a three-part back-up story!Iâm expecting an aschan of this book at NYCCâŠ
Â
Â
**END OF STORY ARC ** OPTIMUS PRIME VS MEGATRON This is it. And the new era of TRANSFORMERS begins with the most shocking ending to ANY comic book this year!Are we going to witness the death of Optimus Prime and Megatron, shades of the summer of 1986? Donât let your kids read this book until youâve screened it, lol. Dan Mora and Robert Kirkman will be the new creative crew starting with issue #25, so the current team may look to go out with a bang.
Â
Parting Thoughts
And that it, folks. No picks of the weekâŠno drek. Just an average week, mostly looking like reads.Have a great week!
2 Likes
FOC - August 24th, 2025
Hey CHU-ers. Running a bit late this week. Throwing this together quick. I wonât mince words. Letâs see whatâs on FOC this week worth a gander!COVERS
Â
Not much of a fan of his non-horror stuff. But He does Bizzaro right here.
Â
Â
NIGHTWING TAKES ON A SIDEKICK?! Nightwing finds himself thrust into the unlikely role of mentor to an aspiring hero with incredible power. But is the city of Bludhaven big enough for the both of them?I donât read Nightwing, but sometimes the variant covers are not heavily ordered. This one didnât seem to get posted prior to FOC, however I did see this on his instagram. So I think itâs the cover. Not sure if this new sidekick is being introduced here (first appearance?) or has been already introduced.
Â
REPRINTS
 Â
Â
Are you kidding me? Will there be a 9th printing? Who keeps buying these?
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is not far behind with a seventh printing as well.
Â
Â
Unlike previous facsimiles of this book, this is the Golden Age size. So itâs that much cooler. Thereâs also a blank variant and the regular cover as well (all Golden Age size).
Â
GIMMICKS
 If youâre putting together the set of trading cards, donât forget to pre-order and save a few $'s.
Â
NEW ONES
Â
SERIES PREMIERE?? The Emissary Bridge has always connected the citizens of Port Lindon to hope and opportunity.? But when one man shockingly sets himself on fire, the bridge now brings something else to the town? CERTAIN DEATH? A haunting story of crime, justice, death, and how far a small town will go to keep its secrets.?Iâm not sure why the solicitations have question marks after Series PremiereâŠdo they not know?
Â
Â
MINISERIES PREMIERE! Diomede Islands. For three months each year, you can walk from the USA to Russia across an ice bridgeâa frozen path known as the Ice Curtain. In 1963, when the body of a young woman is discovered on this icy no-manâs land, the already fragile relationship between the superpowers threatens to collapse. With nuclear tensions rising, an FBI agent and a KGB operative must solve the murderâbefore the ice meltsâŠand war ignites. From SOMETHING EPIC and BLOOD COMMANDMENT creator SZYMON KUDRANSKI comes the must-read thriller of the year.Interestingly enough, I was checking these islands out on Google not too long ago when I was vacationing in AlaskaâŠbasically the US and Russia are technically only separated by about 5 miles because of these islands (Big Diomede is part of Siberia, and Little Diomede is part of Alaska). Theyâre also known as Tomorrow Island and Yesterday Island, respectively, because the International Date Line passes between them, and the big Island is about a day ahead of the little island.
And if that wasnât cool enough, it looks like theyâll be doing movie homages of these books. I prefer the Hunt for Red October variant.
Â
Experience a bold new series where divine conviction meets dark compromise. Sister Marian is a witch hunter, a Mother Superior and a hereticâguided by a Goddess the Church refuses to acknowledge. When the Holy Father Church brands her order blasphemers, Marian strikes a dark bargain to become their personal enforcer. As she delivers murderous judgment night after night in the city of Vespers, she can feel her soul fractureâŠbut what can she do with the lives of her sisters at stake? Acclaimed writer Tini Howard (Catwoman, Excalibur) and artist Joe Jaro (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer), launches a provocative new take on nunsploitation, religious horror, and rebellion!If Cover A doesnât âexciteâ you, then thereâs a nice Frison variant cover 2.
Â
PICK OF THE WEEK
Â
THE MATRIARCH RISES! After days of searching through a mouse-infested world, Wonder Woman finally locates the lost Etta Candy and fugitive Amazon Emilie. Little does she know, they are hiding a tiny harbinger of death who will change Dianaâs fate forever! You wonât want to miss the first appearance of the Matriarch in this oversize anniversary issue that will set the stage for all Wonder Woman stories to come!Wait. What? A Wonder Woman book is the pick of the week? Has the Dirty D gone insane?
New Character. Sexy (and suggestive) Variant Cover. Slow week. Thatâs all you need to know here. Enough to take a flyer on, I think.
Â
Parting Thoughts
Thatâs all I got to say about that. Peace out!
1 Like
4 Likes
1 Like
DC has shown remarkable restraint with the Absolute Universe in terms of crossovers/events so far. Actually building the World carefully.
Forgot to post this
4 Likes
1 Like