HEIKO STRIKES BACK
Long-time single-issues newsletter readers (my mom and MAYBE my boyfriend) know that in every single newsletter, I poke fun at our single-issue wizard Heiko (aka the actual guy who gets the books into your lovely hands). From sending cake recipes his way (he hates cakes, how could I predict that???) to all sorts of shenanigans and tomfoolery.
It seems Heiko has finally had enough, and now he’s ready to RAISE HIS VOICE against the establishment.
AKA Heiko will be popping up in the newsletters to give you some of his MUST HAVES of the week.
WELCOME HEIKO. I’m excited about that but also deeply afraid of getting some blowback. (And of accidentally increasing my pullbox a bit.)
Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand #1
The only person more excited than me about this is... well, everyone, I guess. Cassandra is getting all the love.
Not only do we have an ongoing, we have DC Finest and the announcement of the much-awaited Omnibus. And now Cass is debuting in the Absolute Universe. Debuting in the Absolute Universe is the new getting a movie, isn’t it? (We don’t talk about the time Cass did get in a movie.)
This is spinning out of the Catwoman ongoing. It’s a one-shot, but if we wish upon a star, it might be more. (C’mon DC, what can one more Absolute title do?)
The Amazing Venom #1
Boomerang is Venom now!
That’s it, I’m not talking about this for one second more.
(I’m kidding, I’m a sucker for Superior Foes so I’ll follow this dude anywhere.)
Ok. Much like Venom, moving on.
Spawn 77 #1
In what is the coolest pitch I have heard in a while, Image seems to have found a way to get Todd McFarlane back to his Spawn A-game in a creative fashion.
Once a small idea in the mind of a Canadian fella, Spawn is now one of the biggest franchises comics have ever held as an I.P. And whatever movie and TV adaptations we may have had, Spawn is something that still feels like it belongs exclusively and undoubtedly to comics. But you know who had him first? Todd.
That’s the whole point of this series. Together with Mark Spears, Mr. McFarlane will revert back to the ORIGINAL IDEA he had for the character before it became what we know. It’s promised to be vastly different and a cool addition to the mythos.
I’m sorry, this is a great idea. A creator taking his million-dollar I.P. back to the one single thought that made the millions in the first place. I was never a Spawn guy, but this pitch is just cool.
Star Trek #1
Star Trek comics have been having a stealth good-comic game for a while now. I can tell you all about my beloved and undersold Star Trek: The Last Starship. I once PROCLAIMED to Walt that I would make it my mission to sell more people on this series... and then kinda forgot, but it is absolutely good, I promise you.
WALT, I’M BACK AT MY MISSION. The Last Starship will be Walt’s number 1 selling comic, or my name is not Heiko Jr.
Well, this time Christopher Cantwell and Dennis Menheere are delivering Trek’s first ongoing series in a while. And if all the names in the solicitation scare you and you think you have missed this 60-year-old train... the good thing about Trek is how taking a small dip into these waters opens you up to so many incredible possibilities.
Doesn't matter how many names and species and languages you don’t recognize, the core stays the same and, more importantly, it’s always enticing enough that you will want to recognize those names.
It’s a 60-year-old passion ready for the taking. And if we comics fans have anything in common, it’s our love of always wanting more.
TIME FOR SOME HEIKO-MENDATIONS
Batman Bad Seeds Gotham General #1
Even though the order in this toplist doesn’t really indicate how highly I rate my picks, Gotham General is, without a doubt, the miniseries I’m looking forward to the most in the Bad Seeds event.
We’ve already had (and still have, see below) a glimpse into everyday police life in Gotham. We know just how crazy things get in Arkham, but the sheer chaos that unfolds in the central hospital offers a wonderful new perspective, one that holds so much storytelling potential in my mind that I’m sure we could fill an entire Omni with it at some point. And Greg Rucka writing this gives me hope.
So let’s keep our fingers crossed (and pre-order like crazy) so that this idea becomes Gotham City’s 'The Pit' or, if you prefer the gray-haired dude, 'Emergency Room'.
Batman Bad Seeds Gotham Central #1
Before I read about the Gotham General idea, my eyes lit up when I heard that Bad Seeds was bringing us a two-part Gotham Central story.
To be honest, though, my expectations aren't too high here because Christopher Cantwell has only managed to wow me on rare occasions so far... well, at least entertain me... But hey, Jacob Phillips is handling the visuals, and that gives me hope for a bit of GCPD noir.
Either way, this one is another must-preorder (for the sake of Brubaker memory lane alone).
Pro tip: get the stunning Simmonds cover. You will still get the Phillips cover underneath it, so you get two gorgeous artworks.
Karman Blade #1
This is yet another one of those FOCs where the kid inside me is bouncing excitedly on the box spring bed the whole time and chattering away nervously, as if it had just had one too many simple carbs again.
I'm so looking forward to this visual treat. Ian Bertram and Matt Hollingsworth are back, and following their outstanding debut “Little Bird” and the mind-blowing, mind-bending “Precious Metal,” they're now bringing us another sinister fantasy miniseries.
Once again, I'm expecting the perfect blend of sophisticated, thought-provoking art and gripping, accessible entertainment.
(PS: Walt, now I understand why you looked at me with such pity back then when I said, “I have never heard about Little Bird.”)
Pop Kill #1 Seasonal Flavors Yishan Li Labor Day Themed Card Stock Variant
Simply because it's the coolest running gag in comic book marketing.
Mad Cave always manages to find some occasion or holiday to release yet another reprint of Pop Kill #1 with a cover (girl) that matches the holiday.
By the way, I can recommend this series to anyone who enjoys popcorn-style action comics with a late '80s, early '90s vibe, ones that don't take political/gender correctness, or themselves, too seriously but are great fun.
Get the trade; they will never reprint more than the first issue, for sure.
Tank Girl Blue Helmet Summer Special #1
It may just be a reprint, and I'm not a big fan of reprinted single issues, but since I'll probably have a hard time finding the April/May 1992 issues of Deadline Magazine in 2026, this definitely belongs on my top list for this FOC.
Why? Well, it's Tank Girl.
Never read Tank Girl? Well, one more reason to preorder this 24-page glimpse into Hewlett & Martin's ageless post-apocalyptic fever dream.
Oh, and it says One-Shot, so please do not hit subscribe! ;)
Honorable Mention: Drumsticks Of Doom Band On The Silver Mountain #1
It's not exactly the most earth-shattering comic out there, and I was actually the only one at Walt's who had ordered (and read!) issue #3 of Drumsticks of Doom. But, and maybe partly because of that, I have to mention this one, the sequel.
The storytelling still needs some work, but the concept, the idea, is great, and the artwork (and printing) is even better. It's one of those black-and-white comics where you don't realize the color is missing until much later.
DoD would work great as an ongoing comic strip in a metal fanzine, but it can also stand on its own just fine. And let's see, maybe the storytelling did actually evolve. So, Metalheads, give it a try (and here you can actually hit subscribe; it's three issues. :)
All books on FOC today
...can be found here. Our preorders run until Saturday, 4 p.m., and now that Heiko is talking in the newsletters, I’m sure he will call you guys out if you keep ordering after that. Well, you can email him here and ask all your questions.
I’m honestly just glad Heiko did not strike back at my jokes. Yet.
(Do I just live in fear forever now?)
