Hey everyone!
I'm Matheus from the Beyond the Panels blog (yes, the one with enough Fantastic Four takes to last a whole lifetime).
So here's the deal: Walt caught wind of how much I spend on single issues every month (don’t ask), and decided to channel that into something useful. That's right, I'm officially bringing you this week's FOC picks!
This is your friendly reminder that making your pull list bigger is a crime... but it’s one that (can) absolutely pay. So this is a clear case for going ahead and adding that extra title. It's just between us, I won't tell!
So what's good this week? Let's dive in!
Superman Treasury 2025 #1
Boy, oh boy, let me tell you! We’re one month away from James Gunn’s Superman, and even if the movie ends up being terrible (which, c’mon - it won’t), the boost it's already given to Superman comics has made it all so worth it. Even if it means enduring daily Snyderbro rants.
And now we get this 80-PAGE SPECIAL written by Dan Jurgens, drawn by Bruno Redondo, and colored by none other than my fellow Brazilian legend Adriano Lucas.
Yeah. If the Jurgens factor, who had an incredibly exciting run on Action Comics - and EIGHTY PAGES of Bruno freaking Redondo isn't enough to sell you? Let’s talk about Adriano.
Brazilians have always crushed it in the American comics scene (looking at you, Deodato and Piccolo), but Lucas is the unsung hero of the Taylor/Redondo Nightwing run. His colors work has this warm, glowing quality to it that hits right in the chest. When I open one of his books, I feel like I get that fuzzy-feeling of "I'm reading comics" we all got at some point. The brazilian Marvel publisher got in trouble over not crediting national artists in their cover (the place they should be). So let me do it right: ADRIANO LUCAS ON COLORS. You’re welcome.
Anyway, this thing is basically a trade paperback disguised as a single issue (maybe next we’ll get trades disguised as omnis?) and it’s so cool to see big, chunky options like this back on shelves.
And I mean… 80 pages of Superman in one sitting. Don’t overthink it. (Even if you are a Snyderbro).
Doomed 2099 #1
I don't know if you’ve heard of this little unknown character, but he seems to be headlining about a dozen titles this year. Gee... I wonder why?
One World Under Doom has been a surprisingly fun read so far. It’s cool watching Ryan North play with the Marvel Universe like it's his own LEGO set. And with every event comes the sacred tradition of tie-ins. So enter this one, which looks especially cool.
Steve Orlando has been quietly rebooting the 2099 universe (yes, the futuristic Marvel Universe, with my boy and now movie-star Miguel O’Hara), and naturally, that timeline’s got its own version of Doom. Writer Frank Tieri (Wolverine) is pulling that future-Doom into the current storyline, one where our Doom is Sorcerer Supreme. Except, of course, he's running the title more like “President of the World.”
(Also: he rides a cool-ass Doom dinosaur!!!)
Being the calm and collected guys they are, I’m sure both Dooms will talk it out, share tea, and definitely not incite such things as monologues and fights, right?
The UnChosen #1
Finally, here’s my indie pick of the week. Haven’t read this yet, but I’m fully prepared to sacrifice my first three unborn children just to get my hands on it (or, you know, more realistically just beg Walt to forward it to me - whichever comes first).
If there’s one thing I love, it’s when creators use their Marvel/DC success to catapult themselves into indie work. And this is Dave Marquez’s time. If you don’t know him, he’s currently drawing Gail Simone’s Uncanny X-Men, and this book looks like it walked straight out of that universe. It’s about a 13-year-old girl who triggers a massive devastation with her powers (sound familiar, X-fans?).
This is Marquez’s debut as both writer and artist, and from all the previews I’ve seen, it plays directly into his biggest strength: character building. The new mutants he’s been drawing over at Marvel already feel like they belong in an Image comic, so I can’t wait to see what happens when he’s fully off the leash and in full creative control.
That's it for my first week on single-issues FOC. (It was really hard for me not to pick the Kamala Khan centered Giant-Size House of M #1, but you know I would be picking my girl every week).
Remember, you can check out the full FOC of the week HERE and then you can go ahead and get those pre-orders in by Saturday 4pm - and that way you don't need to go crying to Heiko like I did last month with We're Taking Everyone Down With Us.
See you,
Math
