Chip Zdarsky drew me a duck!
My childhood dream!! (late-20s)
If he thinks drawing me a duck will buy space in the single-issue newsletter…
Let me tell you, he’s absolutely right.
I did proclaim that Howard the Duck is probably my favorite Marvel comic ever. He told me, “Mine too—my first and probably best work!”
Then came an awkward silence while I searched for a funny response.
(I didn’t.)
So now Chip Zdarsky thinks I’m an asshole. I didn’t say, “Nah, man—you wrote Daredevil and Batman!” Or anything the quick-witted kids would say.
Or maybe Chip Zdarsky has better things to worry about. But probably not! He’s probably at the hotel thinking, “That Math guy is such a lame duck. Utter quack-tastrophe.”
SO YOU KNOW WHAT?
I’m not gonna sell out and promote him just because of precious bribes I’ll treasure forever! I’m not THAT lame!
PS: Talking Howard the Duck with Walt’s marketing team is like talking Harry Styles with a 15-year-old in 2010. We love the duck. We would die for the duck.
The Will of Doom #1
So my first pick is this new Doom book by Chip Zdarsky.
(Unrelated to ducks—this is a free, unpaid choice.)
Marvel Comics in 2025 was all about Doom and his bid as Earth’s ruler. So with One World Under Doom ending, we get this half-aftermath, half-teaser one-shot. It will wrap up this year’s event, and the solicitation promises the first steps for what’s next.
With Doomsday right around the corner, we know our favorite dude isn’t going anywhere. If he’s already known as Marvel’s best villain among fans, he’s about to become the A-lister we prophesied. In 2019, you heard Thanos everywhere, so I expect the same.
I wonder what the “Ant-Man should just crawl up his bum” will be for Doom. What orifice will we bother Paul Rudd about on every press tour for the rest of his life?
Will Doom have a weird CGI neck that we compare to NSFW things?
Maybe Chip will answer all this in this book. Probably not. But if you’re a Doom-boy like I am, you’ll surf this Doom high as long as they let us. Also, if Chip’s underrated Marvel Two-in-One—his stealth Fantastic Four run—is any guide, he’ll nail the tone.
(Chip, now you owe me at least four ducks.)
Batman / Green Arrow / The Question: Arcadia #1
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago (the ’80s), Dennis O’Neil told his now-classic Fables.
A three-story arc distributed between the annuals of the three title characters, Fables was noir-inspired goodness.
It will stick in readers’ minds everywhere.
It’s a poetic, human study on the heart of these three urban legends.
They fall far in personalities but stay close in life mission.
You can find it in the first Question omni or the first Green Arrow DC Finest.
DC is doing an homage and bringing all three back together for a Black Label book. It’s by Gabriel Hardman (you know him from the way-ahead-of-its-time Green Lantern: Earth One) and Rômulo Fajardo Jr.
The idea is to honor O’Neil and see how these class-rooted characters behave today. Class warfare now sits at the center of every political discussion. An open world to some, against some pretty closed-up guys. It’s perfect in relation to the original work, and it’s something I’d love to see here.
And the Arcadia title makes me think of “Arcadia” by Ash—one of my favorite songs ever written.
Criminally unknown!!!!
Did you miss D.C. K.O.?
Are you DC-k.i.dding me?
Lucky for you, issue #1 is getting a quick second printing.
It arrives November 26, with FOC this week.
Great timing, since issue #2 is also FOC’ing.
Also getting a new printing is Justice League: The Omega Act Special, the prologue to the event.
Are the gods telling you to jump in while the multiversal waters are hot? Yes.
In fact, the gods couldn’t be more obvious right now, dude!
I still think Starro was robbed.
Dark Souls: Mother of Mourning #1
I’m not a gamer (we comic nerds who can’t play Marvel Rivals are, by far, the most unfairly treated minority in the history of world minorities, I’m sure) - BUT all my gamer friends were obsessed with Dark Souls, so I thought I’d win some points with you guys here. (Include me! I can say mild-to-OK funny zingers while you play.)
I love when they make comics of game IP. I can read them and pretend I know everything, only to be greeted with “It’s nothing like the game.” The Tomb Raider Colossal Editions were, kind of surprisingly, very much in my wheelhouse, so if you know nothing about the game and enjoy dark medieval fantasies, this does look very dope.
If you’re already into the franchise, this new miniseries from Titan is written by George Mann, with art by Maan House, the same creative team behind Dark Souls: The Willow King. Maan’s art looks so dope! Have you been hiding a cool thing with this Dark Souls business all this time?
I’m on to you, gamers. Beware. Shout-out to the weird Prince of Persia comic I read as a teen to fit in, but it turns out it has nothing to do with the game (shocking). Was I the only one who ever read that book???
You can check out all of our single-issues on FOC
If you have doubts about the process, or want to vent about single-issue-related business, email Heiko—he’ll get you sorted. I emailed him on Monday morning this week, so you can’t beat me on the annoying-meter. Trust me.
And if you’ve never used Manage Comics and wonder what the hell it is and how it works, watch this:
Heiko, I never talk with you at Walt’s events. Are you hiding from me?
I have a Chip’s duck drawing, and I read comics about games. I’m a cool dude!
See you guys around—especially you, Heiko!
Listen to Arcadia by Ash, and Marvel at my duck again.
See you,
Matheus
