New York Comic Con has come and gone, and with that, we have a bunch of cool news!!!
DC very much hit it out of the (Central) Park and won the con without a single doubt. The Absolute Catwoman book would already be enough to keep me happy, but we also got:
- The first batch of titles in the relaunch of Vertigo, with books by everyone's favorite team of creators, includes a new 100 Bullets with Azzarello and Riso back; a Mariko Tamaki weird doll-thing; a Deniz Camp zombie-thing; a Tom Taylor zombie-dinosaur-thing; and a lot of other non-zombie-but-also-cool-
things. Jokes apart, maybe the most exciting indie lineup ever. New Vertigo is coming with the best talent around. The announcement of a new initiative, “DC Next Line,” giving books to a bunch of fan favorites that are often forgotten, like Firestorm and The Demon. And that includes Greg Rucka coming back to Batwoman.
- Rick Veitch finally getting to publish his banned Swamp Thing script from his run in the ’80s. And that’s not the only thing happening with him, because Swamp Thing is also apparently killing the children (yes, in an upcoming crossover with BOOM!’s/James Tynion IV’s blockbuster indie franchise).
- And this image, which I thought was someone making a joke, but apparently is real:
Yes, that is the murder bear from Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, and yes, if you’re not into DC K.O., this image will probably make you want to jump in while there’s still time. But to be honest, I’m still not sure if this is real or if the world is pranking me.
Ok, this is the single-issues newsletter, not the DC news newsletter, so let’s stop and go to the F.O.C.s (which may or may not also include DC, sorry).
Ultimate Endgame #1
The empire strikes back by breaking our hearts! If there was one big Marvel news coming out of the con, it’s that they are REALLY ending the Ultimate Universe, and this is the beginning of that end. We love big culminations in comics, and this seems to be Marvel’s most anticipated event in quite a while.
To commemorate, the blind bag initiative is in full swing. If you don’t know what this is, well, I’d describe it as the same feeling of collecting sticker albums as a kid but taken to the comics-obsession level -meaning VARIANT COVERS. You get a blind bag, and inside you might find a variety of covers from multiple famous artists, ranging from rare to extremely rare (original art rare 😱).
So it’s a game of chance, with big risks and high rewards. If you want to increase your odds, we at Walt’s are offering these awesome blind bag packs on pre-order - from packs of 5 to packs of 100. Marvel’s editor-in-chief traveled all around the world to get some of these cover sketches, and I know we all kind of roll our eyes when they do this, but GOD, it’s so fuuuuuun.
Also, everyone at Walt’s always publishes videos opening their bags, and the FOMO I get from missing out is something that should be studied.
Anyway, back to sadness! When I met Jonas Scharf (who is drawing Endgame) at the 5-year anniversary event, I was kinda bugging him about how I don’t believe they’re ACTUALLY ending the line. Jonas was very kind and looked at me like 👀. God, they’re actually doing it... wow. Gotta say, nothing in comics ever gets to end things their way, so if this is truly the end, good on them for having a vision and executing it with the level of creative quality the line has had.
(But I still kinda don’t believe it, sorry, Mr. Scharf.)
Batman/Static #1
Aaaand we’re back to DC.
Talk about a title giving goosebumps! The two most underrated properties DC has, and some big fan favorites, thanks to those wonderful 2000s cartoons we used to watch in the morning, in our pajamas, while eating milk with cereal but weirdly as separate entities instead of combining them. (Ok, maybe that last part is just a me thing? Am I a sociopath?)
Fact of the matter is, both Batman Beyond and Static Shock were very much ahead of their time and, if you think about it, were great indicators of where comics were going. But of course, Milestone was revolutionary and still somehow doesn’t get all the credit it deserves. Milestone changed superheroes forever, and in doing so started a revolution that would pave the way for Miles Morales, Kamala Khan, and brought many people into comics because of it (myself included).
All this to say, I’m so glad DC is finally putting Virgil back on bookstore shelves and giving him his first Black Label book. To me, allowing these characters to continue pushing new ground and giving them the same space to be explored in creative and innovative ways, something major characters are always easily given,THAT is keeping Mr. Dwayne McDuffie’s legacy alive.
Sorry, I said a lot. This is so rad. Pre-order this!
The Lion King #1
My out-of-norm pick of the week is this. I love what Dynamite has been doing with Disney properties (that includes a Gargoyles and Fantastic Four crossover, with the second issue also on pre-order). Scar got a miniseries a few years back, and it kinda ruled.
Look, it’s all very kid-friendly stuff, but not everything needs to be “Absoluted” (a term I’m inventing, and if you don’t start using it too, you’re an absolute dork!). Some of these properties should just be what they are, and I cannot wait to revisit Simba and the gang. I might even wear pajamas and get milk and a separate cereal bowl. (Not getting into this again.)
Call me a Disney adult, I don’t care! I’ve been called worse. My name is Matheus, and I’m living in Europe. Do you have any idea how people pronounce my name??
Wait, do I even have pajamas??
Guys, my newsletters are running long, and Gloriana will for real MURDER me if I keep going over the line, but we have so many new indie sci-fi books that I’m personally pulling and want to recommend to you, so let’s all hope for the best, and if everything goes wrong, I hope I can see all of you at the funeral.
THE legend Peter Milligan is releasing Liquidator with Mad Cave Studios, about a woman whose job is to fix glitches in time, in what seems to be a really cool art-and-time-hijinks thing.
The newly launched Ignition Press is coming up with Arcadia, a new project from the Miranda Brothers, and the solicits made my head hurt in that good THIS SOUNDS INSANE sci-fi way of names and high concepts. What do you mean “mysterious technological chrysalises known as Superdragons”?? Sign me up!
And if that’s not enough high-concept indie for you, Kieron Gillen’s sequel to his DIE series is coming up. And Jimmy Palmiotti is writing a Daredevil / Punisher crossover for the new Marvel Knights. What does that have anything to do with indies? Nothing. I just wanted to sneak in one more FOC, and I’m being corny.
Ok guys, definitely see you at my funeral then. Or at the Chip Zdarsky event. Depends on how dumb I can play it that I didn’t realize it was too long again!!!!
Goodbye,
Math.
