Yeah, DC won Comic-Con. It has been selling like crazy...
What else can they possi--
AAAAAAA
THE WEEK OF DC (AGAIN)
You are getting tired of reading this at this point, but we’re living in a dream age of DC comics right now.
Both Firestorm and Deadman got extended recently, and if that does not bode well for this week's new releases, I don’t know how else to convince you.
Actually, I do. Because I have read all of them, and I’m dying to tell you about it. Let’s change levels right now.
First off is Legion of Super-Heroes #1, coming from Joshua Williamson and SUPERSTAR Hayden Sherman, dividing his time with the award-winning (and Walt-venerated) Absolute Wonder Woman.
Legion fans might be tired of reboots, but I would argue reinvention is at the core of the franchise. And I promise you, you are gonna LOVE this. The book is nothing short of electric. Hayden creates multiple lively worlds, and Williamson’s character construction is incredibly sharp.
This means old Legion readers will feel like their franchise got exciting new life, and new readers will have an open invitation to dive into this iconic world. It’s an explosion in the making that feels nostalgic and fresh at the same time. This is the book to watch for awards next year.
Next up, Teen Titans #1 from Kyle Higgins (creator of Radiant Black and forefather of the Massive-Verse) and Daniele Di Nicuolo, very well known to Power Rangers fans and whom Tom Taylor fans will recognize from C.O.R.T. and Seven Secrets.
This is not your childhood Teen Titans, and that’s the best thing you could want. In a fun reversal of roles, instead of looking to Nightwing as a mentor, these kids are more interested in Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, and his view of superheroics.
This follows new heroes, and when I say new, I really mean some of DC’s newest creations, like Cheshire Cat, Flatline, Fairplay (Mr. Terrific’s son), and some truly new faces like Proxy and Wildcard, as they form their own group in a Discord analogue called “Teen Titans”, but not to pay reverence to the figures. They’re paying reverence to the idea of choosing your own path.
Higgins is great at giving these kids distinct and clashing personalities, while the art is as cool as it can be. The Dick and Jason plot is very intense, and for a lot of moments, it reminded me of Wayne Family Adventures but with the mainline DC tone. The kids indeed will be alright.
Now, taking a dive into weirder corners. Doom Patrol is back.
Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon reintroduce us to the team as they perform a very important cat rescue mission (wait, are there aliens involved?).
I like that this starts very quiet and introspective, giving some breathing room for audiences to remind themselves of Rita, Larry, and Cliff, while giving the characters themselves a chance to ponder their own positions. Their mental states and the plot are on the verge of some massive change, and we can feel it all over the first issue.
A slow-burn build-up that doesn’t bother doing Morrison or Pollack from the get-go. But it’s Doom Patrol. There are things lurking in the background.
Poelgeest is known for the critically acclaimed (and also Walt-championed) Little Birds and its sequel, Precious Metal, while Henrichon is a relative newcomer to being the main artist of a book, but Marvel fans will remember him from Meet the Skrulls.
Meanwhile, outside the main line... We have an Elseworlds Superman story with Superman: The Stranger #1.
Wes Craig, from Deadly Class (one of Luana Vecchio’s life-changing book picks), reunites with his Kaya collaborator Jason Wordie to bring Superman back to the Golden Age.
This is tracking back to the character’s origins with a period drama very much dealing with the Great Depression, the rise of workers’ unions, and the beginning of the nuclear age, with Clark working as a janitor and Lois Lane having to deal with a chauvinistic workplace.
I read the first three issues, and I cannot wait to read the rest. It’s politically driven and returns the character to some of its core working-class values while being brutally honest with its parallels.
AND that’s not it for DC today because Batman Day 2026: Batman of Two Worlds #1, the first crossover between the Absolute and mainline... well, almost. Matt Fraction and Scott Snyder task their respective Batmen with solving the same crime. A really cool idea.
This will be available as a freebie on Batman Day 2026, meaning, much like Free Comic Book Day issues, you won’t be able to pre-order it. But we will have it in stock on release. Freebie rules apply.
QUICK BITES:
Legends Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen are collaborating on the new Image indie Crowbound. This is moving Lemire away from the empty American cities and bringing back his sci-fi roots with a futuristic Hunger Games-esque reality where people are bound to factory work once they reach their teenage years.
We follow a mom trying and dying to rescue her kid from a much worse fate. But the dying is just a small fall into a much more mystic destiny.
Marvel might not have three new releases this week, but it has The Muppets Take the Marvel Universe #1.
Listen, I love these guys, sue me. I hope they take the Marvel Universe and do whatever they want with it. Is Kermit our new editor-in-chief?
All books on FOC today
...can be found here. Our orders run until Saturday, 4pm (Sorry for being a bit late with the newsletter this week. IT WAS A LOT OF NEW TITLES).
Reach out to Heiko if you have any questions on ordering and Manage Comics (BUT NOT Batman of Two Worlds, please. He will murder me in cold blood if you do).
I also hear he might be striking back soon in the newsletters with some recommendations of his own. (I’m sure that will decrease the number of jokes I do with the poor guy, right?)
See you.
