Hi there,
Welcome to this week's FOC newsletter for single issues. I won't lie: it's not a BIG week. But that's not a bad thing, we can't have those all the time. No Batman #1 or universe relaunch and not even a blind bag to promote this time. Which makes the week kind of special again, you know?
Anyway, because focusing on on non-numbers ones (two weeks ago! where were you?!) proved to be way less successful than I'd hoped, that won't stop me from trying again. So let's start with my #1 FOC Pick of the Week (which is a #2):
FOC Pick of the Week
Skinbreaker #1
Some artists we just take for granted—and David Finch might be one of the best examples.
Sure, he worked on a bunch of big books in the 2000s, and had a pretty busy phase in the 2010s (like on Tom King’s Batman), but it’s been a while since he was, you know… big news.
Well, that’s about to change. Because Skinbreaker #1 dropped this week. And it’s DAMN AWESOME.
The story is pretty straight-forward:
We’re in a fantasy world that only slightly differs from a tribal Stone Age version of our own (or it's Cimmerian version). A generational shift is coming, and it involves a sacrifice that our hero (who’s surprisingly moral and humanistic for a caveman) refuses to make. Until he’s faced with an impossible choice...
It reads well, it’s Kirkman, after all. And who better to supercharge tribal-family conflict than the creator of The Walking Dead?
But the real selling point is the art. Finch goes all in: obsessive crosshatching, raw textures, and detail overload, in the best possible way.
Finch spent eight years on this book, and drew it on double-sized pages, and the result just hits you in the face. Even more so if you’re lucky enough to read it in the Treasury Edition. Rarely has this format made more sense than for this book. And they will continue to release the whole series in traesuries! What I especially loved: they used this rough, matte, “newsprint-style” paper for it, like back in the glory days. One small critique: the already dark and intense coloring gets a bit soaked into the paper, which makes things maybe too dark in spots. I’d guess that colorist Annalisa Leoni (Battle Beast!) didn’t necessarily tailor her palette for this kind of paper.
Anyway: still 100% worth it. And yes, we’ve still got copies of all covers in stock. And #2 is on FOC tomorrow!
TOP 10 Most Subscribed Series
The good news for Marvel: They still have one series left in the TOP10!
Sorry, can't help but being a little sarcastic. I can't remember Marvel lagging behind DC that crazily since I started to read comics (which is quite a while ago).
Meanwhile, the main Batman series is getting dangerously close to its Absolute counterpart. Will be exciting to see how the Bat-race plays out in the next few months!
We now have all Absolute books back in stock! DC releases reprints of all OOP singles, sometimes added new cool covers. Which means, that you can complete your runs of Absolute Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash etc. It's fantastic that DC keeps reprinting them, so that fans can jump on-board anytime.
And if you want to just sample the best-selling book of our times, you can buy Absolute Batman #1 for a super-low introductory price of 2.50€ here!
More FOC Highlights This Week
The Savage Sword Of Conan: Reforged #1
The classic Savage Sword returns... with a twist. This time it’s in full color, as two iconic stories (The Frost-Giant’s Daughter by Barry Windsor-Smith and Tower of the Elephant by Buscema & Alcala) get the modern recolor treatment. Will it add new depth? Maybe.
Does it mess with the mood? Also maybe.
Still, the stories and art are legendary and worth revisiting, even if your inner purist grumbles a little. And I am also way to curious to let this one slide!
Space Scouts #1
Speaking about magazine format comics! Matt Kindt and David Rubín (remember Ether??) go all in on this three-issue, magazine-sized sci-fi fever dream, where teenage recruits compete to become the next “Space Scout,” only to find themselves drafted into a war they probably won’t survive...
Kindt and Rubín are an instant sell for me, but I think it's safe to say that if you like sci-fi with teeth, format experiments, and the feeling that things are just about to go horribly wrong, you’ll also want in from issue #1. Also: there’s bonus content in every issue.
X-Vengers #1
Earth still needs saving, but the Avengers have changed. Years later, most have mutated, and Dani Moonstar leads a strange new squad: Hawkeye, Vision, Shang-Chi, Cannonball, and more...
Well, they had me at "C-list"! Honestly, I do not think this one will turn the tides for Marvel, but I always had a soft spot for Dani and less "cool and popular" Marvel heroes, so why not give this one a chance? Sounds fun.
More FOC goodness?
Check out all books on FOC this weekend here. Don't forget: we can only guarantee confirmation if you submit your pre-orders by Saturday 4 pm!
And I will leave you with a sketch cover Jonas Scharf did for my daughter... she told him (they had a good chat at our 5 year anniversary party!) about her love for Rogue and he was just so kind and cool to gift her this (well, not yet, it's a surprise for her upcoming 6th birthday, so psshhhhh). This was a really nice event. We're still full of 🥰🥰🥰
Cheers,
Walt
