Absolute Batman, Amazing Spider-Man, And More Comic Reviews for June 17, 2026

[00:00:02][music] What's up everybody? Welcome to the stack. I'm Alex.

[00:00:10]>> I'm Justin.

[00:00:11]>> And on the stack, we talk about a bunch of books that have come out this week.

[00:00:15]Comic books to be precise. So, let's get into it because it is a big week in the comic book industry. Kicking it off with Absolute Batman number 21 from DC Comics, written by Scott Snyder, art by Nick Draod. Lots of stuff going on in this issue as the Robins are coming directly for Batman. Meanwhile, the quote unquote villains. Too Faced, Penguin, Riddler, Killer Croc are all dealing with the death of Jim Gordon a couple of issues back, as is Barbara Gordon. And there's a bunch of other things going on as well. Uh, this is the biggest issue, biggest issue, biggest series in comic books right now. But how are you feeling about it? How do you feel about this issue? How you feel about this book?

[00:01:00]>> I mean, it's really settled in. I like this issue because there's like multiple trains running. I like the flip of the Robins coming after Bruce. Um, I like that they're sort of bad guys. We get a reveal in this issue that the leader of the Robins um knows Alfred uh in a way that is like going to be something. I think like all the little like uh web connecting threads are coming into focus. The the rogues being like misfits but not bad.

[00:01:33]>> They're like, "Uh, we're monsters now.

[00:01:36]Should we be evil?" [laughter] But they're actually being a little bit vigilantes in this. They're sort of trying to do good in monstrous ways, >> which I think is just another like he's Scott's doing such a Jacob's ladder with his absolute book. It was like everything's extreme. Some things are flipped on their heads. Some things are like a a distorted version of what you already know.

[00:02:00]to come at it from those multiple uh POVs rather than just being like it's the mirror image of Batman or whatever the more simplistic version of this would be the more it's like everything's a little more shitty. He he's surpris he's able to surprise us in every little pocket of the story.

[00:02:17]>> Uh it's interesting you feel that way. I of course like this Nick Dakota's art is always phenomenal. I don't know how he fits so many paddles and so many different paddles on every page. I do like all of the individual characters. I think I said this with the last issue as well, but but maybe I just need to be used to this new rhythm, but I missed the focus of the first couple of arcs.

[00:02:40]Like we had Black Mask for the first couple of issues, and there were other things running under the surface and in the background, but that's what that was. And then we had, you know, I think it was the two-parter of Mr. Freeze or whatever, and that's fine. Then we had Bane. Then we had Poison Ivy. And now we have like 15 things going on at the same time when I feel like this could have just been several issues of him taking on the Robins or it's supposed to be the Scarecrow arc and Scarecrow doesn't even show up here in we even introduce another villain at the end of this issue who we got some hints of before and it seems like they're going to be entering the mix. So, it's starting to feel a little messy to me in a way. Um, where I think it can get back on track. Maybe they just feel like, "Okay, we got to set up the stuff because there's things coming probably at issue 25 I would throw out there that they want to make sure are set up. I like all the individual things, but I feel like we're starting to get like snapshots in the life of Absolute Batman rather than these like balls tothe-wall epics that we got at the beginning." Well, I would also argue you perhaps you're missing missing the focus on Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is definitely something other characters are observing in this issue rather than the real point of view character that we've had for most of the run. But I don't know, these all all these elements were in the mix. They were just a little closer to Bruce and now they're sort of uh like like [snorts] little baby robins. They've flown the nest a little bit, Alex, and they're away from Bruce. And maybe you're missing your pal Bruce because you're such a Batman freak. You can't even enjoy a Batman book that talks about other characters. Um, >> and that may actually be it that with Bruce de voting himself to being Batman full time, there's these other things that are filling the cracks. Like, spoiler here, but they already talked about it at Heroes Con this past weekend, and we kind of knew this was going to happen anyway. Barbara Gordon is going to become the bat um and not exactly be like I'm best friends with Batman but be slightly on his side versus the Robins. So we are getting these different forces in Gotham City filling the hole that not Batman left but Bruce Wayne left which is interesting and again all of the ideas are interesting. I just there was this promise at the beginning of the Scarecrow arc. I thought that first scene where he comes out of the cornfield and kills those two dudes was so strong. The scene with Scarecrow again and Joe Chill, same sort of thing, but he's more this outside force versus like the main operating principle of what we're saying over the course here. So, I don't know. I don't know, man.

[00:05:28]>> You're going to get your scarecrow.

[00:05:30]>> Yeah.

[00:05:31]>> The thing with these guys, though, >> you're going to get my scarecrow and his dog, too.

[00:05:35]>> Scarecrow. That's a threat I'm always using. The thing is like these guys are masters at at the at the craft. So like they can't just keep telling, you know, three, four issue arcs where it's like, okay, insert the next villain and Batman will find a way to defeat him.

[00:05:51]>> Sure.

[00:05:52]>> They're they're adding the complexity to it so they can get to something that is uh bigger than the sum of its parts.

[00:05:57]>> No, I hear you. But I want to throw out something that actually my son said to me the other day about this that really struck me. You're really setting up he's going to take your spot on this podcast.

[00:06:08]It's all you talk about. All you talk about is your son.

[00:06:10]>> It's going to happen eventually. Our our children will rise up and continue this podcast.

[00:06:15]>> They'll kill us and wear our skin. Uh, no. He was saying that he felt like obviously this title is very manga focused and that's what you have in manga is you have one villain for multiple parts potentially multiple volumes then they take care of the villain and then they move on to the next villain and that's what you got at the beginning and now we're shaking that up a little bit and it feels a little less manga-esque and a more American comicsesque in the rhythm of what they're doing.

[00:06:45]>> The rhythm of the night if [clears throat] you will. The Dark Knight. The Rhythm of The Dark Knight.

[00:06:48]>> Took me a while.

[00:06:49]>> I believe in the rhythm of The Dark Knight.

[00:06:51]>> Anyway, why don't we move on to another big one? Amazing Spider-Man number 31 from Marvel, written by Joe Kelly. Art by Patrick Gleason. This is something they've been teasing very heavily for a while. It's called The Talk. We found out last issue that Aunt May had a secret baby. And this issue, we find out how that secret baby came to be. And I was very shocked because I didn't know how babies were made. And they got very graphic.

[00:07:16]Yeah. Uh, if you're not reading this comic and that's a selling point for you, you will be disappointed if you're expecting to see some sort. I'm sorry.

[00:07:27]>> Uncle Ben and Aunt May sex scene that Alex seems to have been jonesing for for quite some time.

[00:07:33]>> You got [clears throat] to draw your own in the middle. So, you know.

[00:07:36]>> Anyway, uh, we finally do get this talk.

[00:07:38]It's a very dramatic issue, but it's also crosscut with Spider-Man entering a secret villain auction that's run by the Vulture, who now has a very long nose.

[00:07:49]Um, what uh what do you think about this one, Justin?

[00:07:52]>> It's it's an interesting structure. I find they tell this very heavy emotional story about like like you're saying in gripping detail about Aunt May and Uncle Ben and how they uh struggled uh to get pregnant, got pregnant and then lost the baby and then the a grown-up is is here and we get we get that story. We don't get any resolution on what's going on and what's going [clears throat] to happen which I thought was cool. And then it's intercut with this very [snorts] boisterous, very I don't mean this in a negative way, but like a a boilerplate Spider-Man fight.

[00:08:29]>> He's just like kicking a bunch of ass.

[00:08:30]And I >> I think like why do you think that was the way to tell this? Cuz it'd be too heavy. So was like shaking it up or is there a larger?

[00:08:38]>> I think that was part of it. And it was also showing how Spider-Man is dealing with this because so much of the focus is on Aunt May. It gives us presumably this is taking place after they've already had the talk and he has to blow off some steam by fighting all of these villains and >> by fighting an old man. That's how I >> fighting an old man. Yeah, exactly. Um I will say I really like the concept. The concept of it is it's an auction but the way they auction off the stuff is the villains fight in a ring and whoever wins gets the item, which I thought was pretty neat. I'm sick and tired of like the say old villa auctions where it is a straightforward auction. This was a very fun riff on it. Um, do you think having this detracted at all from the Antme part because that's something that I was wrestling with a little bit.

[00:09:30]>> I mean, it definitely it made for just like a tonal such a big tonal mismatch, but it's it's so intentional that I can't really it's not like it was whoops, I've messed up the tones here.

[00:09:41]No. So, and knowing that it's intentional, I sort of I sort of like it. It makes me [snorts] It fixes my emotions on both sides. Um, and truly is like a ser a pallet cleanser for the heavy emotionality of the AMA story.

[00:09:56][snorts] I I I wish I I wish I got to read it all at once. Like, I want to see the resolution of the fight or or something here.

[00:10:03]>> I was That was my biggest problem, isn't it?

[00:10:05]>> Yeah. I was just mainly very surprised that they I don't know. I was expecting something like uh was it the issue in Ultimate Spider-Man where Mary Jade and Peter talk about him being Spider-Man called the talk as well? So I was expecting something like that where it's one issue and it's just a conversation.

[00:10:24]>> Maybe there was a talk about that talk and how they didn't want to do exactly the same thing again. But I feel like this would have been a little stronger if it just took you into Antme's perspective, focused on that, kept it on that, and that was the issue. You know, >> I like that they took a swing to shake it up. Um, all right. I just want the next issue immediately.

[00:10:44]>> We're just not agreeing on anything today. Let's see if we can >> Oh, for two, Alex.

[00:10:48]>> Come to a concordance on this one.

[00:10:50]Concrete: Stars Over Sand. Number one from Darkhorse Comics by Paul Chadwick.

[00:10:55]After 20 years, Paul Chadwick is back on Concrete. He talks about this a little bit in the back, but this is actually an idea that he's had percolating since I think he said 1996 >> basically >> from a trip he took in 1996 to uh where >> and this picks right up after the last Concrete story which I was not expecting at all. Uh if you don't know, Concrete is a guy who was kidnapped by aliens and put into this enormous >> concreteesque body. Uh, mostly he uses it to wander around and think about things most of the time. And here >> he is driving through the desert with his two friends slashco-workers, whatever you call them. Uh, when >> it's not.

[00:11:38]>> Yeah, there's some other stuff going on there, I guess.

[00:11:41]>> Now you're so bashful about [laughter] this.

[00:11:43]>> I don't know. I don't know. Uh anyway, they end up in the desert and then some other stuff happens by the end of this issue that sends Concrete on a new adventure. Uh quote unquote, this is phenomenal. Like this is great. Uh >> I mean, we're fully in the bag as Concrete fans, but the fact that it picks up I thought it was going to be like a standalone, >> you know, story. The fact that it picks up on the continuity incredibly hard I thought is great while putting concrete like the tone is the same. The characters are still so internal. We get to hear their thoughts, what they're struggling with individually and concrete like you say that there's action and there's certainly action in this and the art is also fantastic um from Paul Chadwick. But the action of this story that is setting up the rest of this arc is concrete and this is a spoiler. Concrete has been struck by lightning and is stuck laying down in the sand.

[00:12:40]>> Yes. [laughter] >> So, >> which is such a concrete plot, too, that it's not like he got struck by lightning and he gets electrical powers. It's like, nope, >> he's just going to keep sinking onto the bottom of that sand.

[00:12:53]>> He's laying down so hard.

[00:12:55]>> Yes. Oh, and I should have mentioned is way too late, three titles in, but spoiler warning for everything that we're talking about here in the stack.

[00:13:02]The thing that I was really impressed by, and maybe I got this wrong, but like he updated it anyway. Like even though it's 20 years later, there's some talk of cell phones if I recall in the issue.

[00:13:15]So it doesn't take place in 1996. It takes place in 2026, but there's no time dash or anything like that. It's just like, yeah, let's just let's keep going.

[00:13:24]Let's keep going.

[00:13:25]>> I I think that's a great choice. It's very like deafly done. And it reminded me of the previous arc, which is when Concrete essentially had a baby.

[00:13:35]>> Mhm.

[00:13:36]>> Um, and the way that it happened is he he the last arc and maybe last two arcs of this from so long ago were about him falling in love with his scientist co-worker Moren and not knowing how sex or attraction work, feeling like he could never be loved by her. But then she does and they have a a sexual encounter and then his alien body makes a baby. [laughter] >> Yeah.

[00:14:05]>> Right.

[00:14:06]>> Which I was like when I read that I was like that's that's awesome. Like it's so wild and then but so justified and it's very sexual when it's used the scene.

[00:14:17]>> Yes.

[00:14:18]>> I have such a distinct memory of reading concrete. I think I was on like tour with my sketch comedy group and I would got to that volume and I was reading it in the back of a van while we were traveling and I got so overheated and uncomfortable when I was doing because like >> it's called turned on Alex.

[00:14:36]>> Yeah. I first time I experienced that.

[00:14:38]Thank you for letting me know. Uh no, it was I was very like oh my god this is way hotter than [laughter] I thought it was going to be.

[00:14:46]>> Exactly. [snorts] Um, and then but that and that story being picked up here, I'm like very I'm so back there mentally where I'm like, yeah, what's going to go on with this relationship? What he's his son almost died because it the body just made this baby >> and they're dealing with that and then he's but his the main action here he has to write a speech for some public remarks he's doing >> and he gets struck by lightning. It's just wild. No other comic has that story.

[00:15:14]>> It's great and it's beautiful as well.

[00:15:16]like absolutely gorgeous. It's in color as well, uh, which is pretty exciting. A lot of the other stuff, at least that I've read, is black and white. Um, so great. This is great. I highly recommend reading the rest of Concrete first before you get here, but just a beautiful book. I'm glad it exists.

[00:15:33]Absolute Green Arrow, number two from DC Comics, written by Pornac Pichot, art by Raphael Albquerky. We are following Dina Lance as she investigates a Green Arrow killer who is going after billionaires who have done wrong. She investigates two of the suspects. This issue leading to another death by the end here of a character that I did not expect at all to die. No.

[00:15:59]>> Justin, you called this one out on the show. What' you think about issue two?

[00:16:03]>> Uh, great. Like still pushing the story forward like quickly. like no holds barred the character that dies. I was like uh they get shot with an arrow and I like oh okay that should be fine. And I was like oh no that that killed that killed that character.

[00:16:21]>> Yeah. [gasps] >> I was like that was a not a real core wound but >> uh surprising. Um so that like that's catching me off guard. It remains topical and like there's no better takedown of the billionaire class in comics right now than the absolute green arrow.

[00:16:41]>> There's an exchange that happens in here. They have flashbacks to Oliver Queen who died in the Absolute Evil special. And this issue we're introduced to Mia Deiran who is a genius coder who he hires and works with on his app. his partner, Jubel Slade, who he's known since college, was basically Epstein.

[00:17:03]Like, that's essentially the standard of this universe and has already been killed. But in this flashback, the conversation that he has with Mia where Mia's like, he's having sex with he's raping 14-year-olds and he's like, "Oh, I I don't think Jubil would do that. I I don't know. I'll have a talk with him."

[00:17:21]And it is this boy club of mentality of like no but I know him. You hear it all the time on every level particularly like Hollywood. You hear people talking about like you know but Kevin Spacy he's a really beautiful actor.

[00:17:37]>> Yeah.

[00:17:38]>> Things like that or like but Brett Ratner I don't know he directed the Rush Hour movies. Sure I'll work with him.

[00:17:43]like all of these people on different levels who are horrible abusers and people make excuses for them because they know them or they worked with them or they never saw things happen themselves. And we talked to the team about this where they were like, I'm shocked we got away with this. Read the first issue. I was like, yeah, I mean, you know, this is pretty violent, but I feel like you could have gotten away with this. This one is the one where it really starts to push it, I think, even harder. Well, essentially that's the the character who's doing this is Green Arrow is Oliver Queen before he dies.

[00:18:16]So, it's like it's not even just a a character that will emerge as a villain later. It's the hero ostensibly of this book even though he's dead.

[00:18:26]>> And then the rugpull later of like the investigation, the character that um she finds like, "Oh, that's the killer."

[00:18:34]>> It's [snorts] like, "Nope, nope. He's dead. He died. He was killed." So, like I'm that mystery, the unfolding nature of that mystery is really really done well as well.

[00:18:42]>> Yeah. Spider-Man: The Long Way Home, number one for Marvel, written by Jonathan Hickman, art by Adam Cubert.

[00:18:48]This is the first book of, I believe, two that are basically teeing up Spider-Man: Brand New Day, but also not doing it at all. Uh, here we've got Hickman and Cubert mixing Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Punisher, three characters that are going to be in that movie. but again has nothing to do with the movie.

[00:19:09]It is about the Punisher being sent on a mission to the jungle where he discovers a cosmic cube. Hulk is also after the cosmic cube and by the end of the issue, Spider-Man has recruited to go after it as well. This is very much Hickman in his Wolverine revenge mode versus anything else. What do you think about this?

[00:19:30]>> I mean, I like the story. If you didn't know that this was vaguely tied in, I'm assuming vaguely tied into the movie, it would feel like Jonathan Hakeman reached his hand into a Marvel bag and was like, "Oh, I got Spider-Man, Hulk, Punisher, and Cosmic Cube." Yep.

[00:19:46]>> And I guess I'll write a story about those things. Um, feels very random, but but it's good. I like the characters, especially the way that the cosmic cube is working once the heroes >> or the soldiers get their hands on it.

[00:20:00]I'm like, "Oh man, I haven't seen it done this way in a while." Very good.

[00:20:05]The weirdest part of it is that Spider-Man shows up.

[00:20:08]>> Yes. Even he is like, "Why am I here?

[00:20:10]Why? What's going on? You really want me?"

[00:20:13]>> Um, so yeah, it's fun. Wolverine Revenge was also fun. I don't think it's like a major work of Hickman's or anything like that, but as a weird ride, I certainly enjoyed this. I also liked because this is out of continuity. You've got Punisher is going by the code name Punisher and he has a little painted skull on his face instead of on his chest. And I was like, "Oh, that's cool.

[00:20:35]I like that." [snorts] >> Uh, but a little shout out to the art as well. There's a great just two-page Hulk moment in this that is awesome.

[00:20:43]>> [snorts] >> Um, a lot of great like classic Marvel fodder like AIM and Hydra people getting just absolutely wrecked like uh lot to like here I think.

[00:20:55]>> Yeah. The trillion dollar kid number one the life story of Elon Musk from Ghost Machine and Image Comics [clears throat] written by Jeff Johns, Peter J. Tobasi and Francis Matipul. Art by Stfano Simeone. This actually has nothing to do with Elon Musk but is >> the timing.

[00:21:10]>> The timing it's incredible. Good for them. Good for them. They're going to sell so many issues because of that.

[00:21:16]Anyway, >> people are crazy for trillionaires.

[00:21:19]>> They love it. Everybody loves it and feels good about it. And ultimately, it's good for society is what I think.

[00:21:25]You know, >> you're talking about this comic, of course.

[00:21:28]>> Yeah, of course. This is a big plus, this comic. This is part of the Unbelievables, which used to be the family odysseies universe that also includes Hornsby and Halo and the Rocketefellers. Here we're getting the origin, the first kid trillionaire in this universe who decides to go on a journey to explore the unbelievables for a reason that becomes apparent by the end of the issue. Now, Justin, you've been asking why are we doing this even though you've been enjoying the zero issues they've been putting out. Now that you know why they're doing this, how do you feel about it?

[00:22:00]>> Well, I mean, this this issue really like establishes this character, the trillion dollar kid. get Origin. Um, I was like, interesting. Band-aid sales is what really pushed this kid into the trillionaire.

[00:22:16]>> Yeah. I mean, everybody uses band-aids.

[00:22:19]>> That's true. Uh, good thinking. [snorts] Um, and and then we get the complication and then we get at the end of it to sort of the the idea of what the unbelievables are. And if I'm getting this correct, the unbelievables are like magical holiday creatures like Santa Claus [laughter] that live in a town.

[00:22:37]>> I mean, that's one type of unbelievables. It's just seems to be a capsule for whatever weird idea that they have that they want to put it out in the world and maybe do a series off of is the thing. [snorts] >> Yeah. I mean, wait, are you saying the Unbelievables is every one?

[00:22:55]>> Yeah, it's every one of those things.

[00:22:57]It's the There's a town where holiday creatures live. There's a genie who escaped her bottle. There's a monster band. There's the Rockete Fellers, Hornsby, and Halo, etc. >> Yeah. And we get a a tip into that. Um, but it's just funny to in this like very straightforward introduction of The Trillion Dollar Kid and sort of the the drama around it. I was like, "Oh, I really like this." And then they're like, "Well, you know what else you like is everything. It's just like it's like having a big plate, having a great like considered meal tasting menu and then they drop the last course and it's like a stack of every candy and they're like you can't leave until you finish it.

[00:23:39]>> I to take a little bit of a step back and then we'll see how this turns out.

[00:23:43]It could be totally fine. But I'm a little weirded out that we're going to get the first issue of this title and then it's continued in Hornsby and Halo and then the Rockete Fellers before it comes back to that. That's weird to me.

[00:23:55]That has the potential to be confusing to read if you go from trillion dollar kid number one to trillion dollar kid number two. The other thing is >> but that's a classic crossover. That's the oldfashioned way of doing a crossover >> with the first issue.

[00:24:10]>> I mean less so with the first issue.

[00:24:12]Yes. But that's the like that's how a lot of crossovers used to be where it was like >> Yeah. No, no. I I don't have a problem with that. I'm saying that like I I think the status quo and the mystery here is interesting. This is an interesting character. There's good mystery. He has turned his town almost literally at points into Wonka Land among other things. So like I want to see that. I want to see more of that and how he explores that before he leaves and enters these other titles as a special guest star. But I don't know.

[00:24:41]I'm cart before the horse here. It's probably fine.

[00:24:45]>> Let's talk about another event. Justice League Dream Girls a DC Pride event number three from DC Comics written by Nicole Mains and Jazzia Axelrod and G Willow Wilson. Art by Brandonstein, Jan Basil Dua, Rosie Kemp and Maria Love it.

[00:24:58]The front story dreamer and Galaxy are dealing with two things. One, in the dream world, the key is trying to get some info out of Dreamer while in the real world is maybe going to be kicked out of the Justice League. They're both very messily dealing with that. And there is a backup story about what else?

[00:25:18]Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn uh from G Willow Wilson and Maria. Love it. Um this is great. I've said this every issue, but I love this event. You know, I was thinking about something we were talking about on our Patreon Discord.

[00:25:34]>> I want to say a month or two ago. It doesn't really matter. But um we were talking about how gay characters aren't allowed to be messy the way that straight characters are often in comics.

[00:25:46]>> Yeah.

[00:25:46]>> Dreamer and Galaxy are a mess. Like abs like self-admitted complete utter mess and they are using that >> and Jazzy Axelrod and Nicole Mains are so expertly using that to allow them to grow which is something that you don't actually see from mainstream comic book characters a lot. Uh it's great. I love the action. I love the story. And I thought the backup story was great as well. What a great use of Maria. Love it in particular.

[00:26:13]>> The Yeah, the I love the backup. It was so good. The art's awesome. And then like you're saying about the the the main story, like we get to I feel like in a lot of these events, um the the Pride events, but sort of all the events, you get, you know, you're you're in character and then it's like then you're bopping around the DC or Marvel universe for a while. But the POV stays so strongly on Galaxy and Dreamer in this. And it it's both when they're encountering the larger Justice League where it's it's fun, funny, and like all over the place. And then these great like just smaller scenes where we get to see Galaxy really have a conversation and affect a character and be affected by a character. Um, and then it all sort of comes back to the the main action.

[00:26:56]Um, it's just it's just very well done.

[00:26:58]And Dreamer continues to be like one of the main characters of the DC universe, it feels like, and that's really surprising and good.

[00:27:07]>> Yep. What if Thor, number one from Marvel, written by Torren Grund, art by Sergio Devilla. What if Thor indeed? We talked to Toran about this on the pod bonus episode of the podcast a couple of weeks back, so go and listen to that.

[00:27:22]But this is part of the 50th anniversary celebration of what if. And here are the ideas. What if during Secret Wars, the original one, Thor got the symbiote instead of Spider-Man? And we see what happens off of that. Basically, what happens is the whole King and Black thing happens much quicker.

[00:27:41]>> Yeah, we get right to some null stuff.

[00:27:44]>> A lot of the nonsense in the middle.

[00:27:46]>> Yeah, there's a lot of Yeah, we don't need a bunch of other uh symbiots. We're light on goops in this. We get right to the goop boss uh very quickly. There's a lot of making fun of Null's name in this um for what it means in uh Norse tongue.

[00:28:02]Yeah.

[00:28:03]>> Huh.

[00:28:03]>> Yeah, >> I guess. So, but then like I thought we were going to get a dark the last one of these what ifs was like a real bummer ending. Um that was the Phoenix one or what if Nathan if Scott Summers had stayed with Meline rather than getting back >> which I want to mention I know I wasn't on for that show. I'm going to guess Pete hated it because he doesn't like whatifs. This is my absolute favorite thing about whatifs. That issue where it was like what if Maline Prior stayed with Simmers, which is like a very simple idea. At the end is like the world exploded.

[00:28:38]>> World died. He barely >> like that is a great what if thing where it's like well it was this minor thing and then everybody died.

[00:28:47]>> Yeah.

[00:28:47]>> Very fun. I agree with you and honestly that set me up to expect this to have some like big gravity um response here and it's mostly Thor's like awesome and then he divorces the symbiot symbiot technically sacrifices itself for Thor in a cool scene. [snorts] Um so I like that but then Thor's like I'm Thor again and I'm like okay. [laughter] >> Yeah. Yeah. It's just a little simpler than the other one. And I I like the story. The art is good in here. It's a fun issue, but just personal preference.

[00:29:21]My mode for what if is something very simple like what if the thing ate toast this morning instead of pancakes and then by the end the galaxy has turned into a black hole.

[00:29:31]>> Yeah, it was interesting the way that um Thor and the symbiate, the Venom symbiot just really like powled around. They became the much better co-workers Spider-Man [laughter] and Venom.

[00:29:42]>> Also good redesign. We were talking about this a little bit with Torin, uh, whether he was going to get like a little hammer instead of a spider, but I think they made a better choice in here.

[00:29:51]>> Well, I think that the symbiot did what it did with Spider-Man. It was like, I'll dress like you uh like your little Thor.

[00:29:58]>> Yes. And also, I mean, it's a little inacronistic, but there's a very funny section in here where Loki and Cyph are teasing Thor about his new costume. That was very funny.

[00:30:09]>> Yeah.

[00:30:10]>> Yeah. That's all.

[00:30:11]>> Good stuff.

[00:30:11]>> All right. Hellboy in Love Obsidian number one from Darkhorse Comics written by Mike Mola and Christopher Golden. Art by Alex Needto. This is following Hellboy and the woman he has been dating as first they go to a nude beach. Don't worry, Hellboy is not nude. And then they fight some tiny gross spiders.

[00:30:29]>> Here's what's [ __ ] up. He Why? He should have been nude.

[00:30:32]>> 100%.

[00:30:34]>> What's he afraid of?

[00:30:35]>> Yeah. Well, he explains it in the issue, but I don't think it was a good explanation.

[00:30:39]>> I agree. And like she's very nice about it cuz they're in love. But I'm like, "Bro, you're used to sticking out. Let's go."

[00:30:46]>> Yeah. I want to see that hell butt. You know what I'm talking about?

[00:30:49]>> Yes. Exactly.

[00:30:49]>> Do you know what I'm talking about? Do I need to explain that for you?

[00:30:52]>> Um, I guess I know uh most of what you're talking about cuz you think his butt has little horns.

[00:30:57]>> Yeah, I think so. And he had to shave them down. Also, like one of the characters in this issue says something about like, do you think supernatural stuff exists with Hellboy sitting in the backseat of the car? That's a little weird. I feel like we've passed the Rubicon with that once Hellboy shows up.

[00:31:18]>> But I do think like Hellboy has he's moved into like sitcom logic where everyone's like, "Hey, what's up? You're the scientist and scientist's boyfriend.

[00:31:27]Okay, come on. Uh, we're just going to go look around." Like there's no no one's like what the [laughter] >> Yeah.

[00:31:34]>> I don't know. But I feel like there should be a little bit of it. Like what do they think? He has a weird skin condition that made one of his arms very large and look like stone. I don't know.

[00:31:44]>> Just raises questions.

[00:31:45]>> It does. But I like that they move past it. And let me say I've been a little bit hard on these Hellboy stories where I'm like, let's get to some actual stuff. But I find these Hellboy and Love stories, especially this one, very sweet. I like the relationship so much.

[00:32:00]>> We get um there this the dialogue with them is very like um before Sunrise uh the the movie uh the awesome trilogy of movies. They're like talking about love, talking about being in love while also doing their job and it's just like a hang with a fun couple. It honestly like I had the same reaction reading this issue that it could have almost been a little more concrete where I was having such a delightful time with them on the dude beach just hanging out going on vacation chatting with each other that when the gross little spiders came in with the human faces I was like a no come on I was having a nice time >> I do that was well done though I thought tension wise you ever been to a nude beach >> I have not have you >> I have been >> any further details or Uh there were a lot of details. [laughter] Uh the almost exclusively details.

[00:32:53]>> It's a weird vibe because you're like we're all cool here, but it's like nobody's making a big deal out of anything, right? [laughter] >> All checking in with each other.

[00:33:03]>> But there's it's not cool to check in.

[00:33:05]It's you got to check out. But it's also unless you you're a regular. It's sort of like it's hard not to check in. I'm here at this situation.

[00:33:15]>> Yeah.

[00:33:16]Let's go.

[00:33:17]>> Yeah. Oh, yeah. Let's uh do a podcast from a nude beach. I think that would be interesting.

[00:33:22]>> Audio only.

[00:33:23]>> Yes. Audio nude beach. Uh Absolute Flash number 16 from DC Comics.

[00:33:29]>> Absolute Flash. That's what you do at a >> written by Jeff Leamir. Art by hating.

[00:33:35]In this issue, we are following up on Grod and Papa Grod are on the loose.

[00:33:40]Also, the Flash finally gets a name, which is the Flash. You knew that, but he didn't know that yet.

[00:33:46]>> He didn't know that.

[00:33:47]>> Uh, obviously we're in the tank for Absolute Batman and Absolute Green Arrow at this point. How are you feeling about Absolute Flash?

[00:33:55]>> Um, this this book does weirdly feel like it's it is the pushing the larger story. It's doing the thing that DC's done for decades now where a character will be like, "Look at this." And it's a piece of paper that says like, "What is the Omega stuff?" or >> Yeah. and we get that here. And it does feel like Flash is going to be the character that somehow is the catalyst for the next larger move in the Absolute universe. So that's that's cool. It makes me want to read this more. Um I also like this one has settled in to become the most like superheroy of of the absolutes. Um with still some nice changes from regular Flash continuity.

[00:34:36]Didn't we, this is a little off topic, but talking about the like notes that mean things. Didn't we do an interview series with Dan Dio in front of a whiteboard that had a bunch of clues on it for Neworama? Am I remembering that wrong?

[00:34:49]>> Yes. And I was like I you know, the one in the comic feels like very meticulously made, thought over. The one in Dan's office feel like I don't know.

[00:35:01]I'd be very very curious to carbon date the um dry erase marker when it hit that board. Was it 10 minutes before we got there? 30 4 seconds.

[00:35:12]>> Yeah. Who knows? We'd have to go back in time like the Flash. I also really enjoy this. This is not necessarily my top of the list for the Absolute books, but it's just a really solid, very different Flash book. I like how it's developing and this Grod stuff is interesting.

[00:35:27]Uncanny X-Men number 30 from Marvel written by Gail Simone. art by Roier Antonio. This issue, a bunch of stuff going on with the X-Men down in New Orleans. As the cover says, Mars needs mutants, but we are getting some weird aliens or something. We don't exactly know what's going on here attacking them as they go about their day. It is maybe prom, definitely some sort of formal dance happening at the high school and the kids need the adults to help them pick out corages and take them to their dates, which is very cute.

[00:36:02]Meanwhile, we're dealing with the fallout of the falling down of Grey Malin prison. Monae is in charge now and trying to find out what the prison was really about, as well as quelling the prisoners from rebelling. So, lots of stuff being juggled in this issue, but I got to say this continues to be my absolute favorite of the X-Men line. It just really there is a lot going on, but it keeps it well balanced throughout this issue and all of the individual story lines are really interesting. I also think like that arc we had previously where the kids were taken back and put into like a dream state, an AI dream state of the old professor's mansion. Really just like focused in on who these new outliers characters actually are. Spent some time with them. So this is great.

[00:36:54]It's funny. There's some great romantic stuff happening with Nightcrawler. I'm really enjoying this. The Nightcrawler romance is transcending all of the X-Men universe. It feels like everyone's like, "This guy's in love. It's nice and everyone wants to have a little scene of him doing that."

[00:37:11]>> Yeah.

[00:37:11]>> Um, in all the books, and that's sweet.

[00:37:13]You can just tell what an affection everybody has for Nightcrawler. I also like this. I would argue though, there's just as much going on in this issue as there is an absolute Batman. But you're not mad at this issue.

[00:37:23]>> No.

[00:37:24]>> Interesting. Interesting.

[00:37:26]>> It's because of the pattern that this book is set up. It's always been dealing with a lot of stuff and sometimes, particularly in the early going, it felt a little jumbled and hard to hold on to.

[00:37:36]There'd be individual scenes or things that I could pull out, but it the past couple of arcs, like I've been talking about, I think it just like it focused in, figured out the characters, figured out the right rhythm for this stuff. Um, I do feel like I want to see the stuff with Bode and the stuff with the New Orleans Xbed not be two parallel trades running that never meet. I want to see them come together and I think they will. Um, >> but >> but other than that, all of the various scenes, it's it's giving that soap opera feel that you want from X-Men. And that's the other thing is that like Batman is a very different thing from X-Men. X-Men, there is an expectation, no pun intended, of like Thank you.

[00:38:23]>> of jumping around and following all these different things that it's not just one mission of the week and that's it.

[00:38:28]>> Yeah. And I do like um the focus on the younger mutants. The the prom stuff is really good. We get to see um Gambit and Wolverine being funny there. Um I love Monae. Like the fact that we get to see her when when she was introduced in Generation X so long ago, I was like, "This character is such a badass." And she's never really in that book she was good and uh we got to see a lot of her in Age of Apocalypse who was very cool but never really ascend to being like a prime mutant and be a true badass and this issue >> is the most of that maybe we've seen in her entire run as a character. So love that. Love the idea of seeing more uh from her >> um going forward. And then the the Mars needs mutants. Is this an Ooko >> uh a what >> storyline? the Mars. Is it Aroko? The >> uh Aracco. No, I think that's just like they're making a joke >> about Mars needs. Uh what's it called?

[00:39:24]I'm forgetting what the actual title of the movie is.

[00:39:26]>> Moms.

[00:39:27]>> There's >> Moms. Yes. Uh I I mean, we get the brood in here. I don't think it's actually the brood since they're holding guns, which is weird for the brood. So >> maybe there's more AI stuff going on.

[00:39:42]Maybe there's something else. I'm just I'm not sure, but we'll see. Maybe.

[00:39:46]>> We shall see.

[00:39:48]>> Invincible Universe: Battle Beast number 10 from Skybounded Image Comics, written by Robert Kirkman. Art by Ryan Atley.

[00:39:54]Last issue, Conquest arrived on the p planet that Battle Beast is currently making his home, at least temporarily.

[00:40:02]This issue, as you all demanded, they sit down to dinner together. But don't worry, they also fight and start to wreck the planet at the same time. Uh, you know, we talk a lot about different Robert Kirkman books and there has been, not to keep bringing up our Patreon discord, but a lot of talk about void rivals and stuff in the Ender John universe in particular. And I agree that that can be a little jumbled and hard to follow sometimes, including, frankly, Transformers.

[00:40:30]>> Yeah, >> this is just you can tell the fun that he's having. Like, it's light. It's very fluffy. There's not too much going on here. you know what you're getting, but I'm having a good time reading this book.

[00:40:42]>> Well, this was my favorite issue of this whole series. Like, it's really >> it really crystallizes here where you're like, these two are like at odds from the second they you read the first page.

[00:40:53]The art's big and bold. All the other characters there are like, "These two dudes are going to kill each other."

[00:41:00][laughter] The same thing we're thinking. And it takes a while to get to it. And then they have an awesome fight where they're both uh posturing going against um Todd McFarland's uh advice in our um live show from yesterday where um these characters are spouting action movie lines [laughter] back to back to back >> um saying being the biggest badass of all. But it makes for a good fight.

[00:41:27]There's a lot of great turnarounds in this. It's crazy that I was complaining about this in the last issue where I'm like, we know what happens with these characters. They both live until they fight next to each other without referencing this situation obviously >> um in the Invincible War, [snorts] >> but it's still I was still caught up in it. I wasn't feeling the uh plot armor on them at all in this.

[00:41:51]>> Yeah, great stuff. Fun issue. New Titans number 36 from DC Comics written by Tate Bramble. art by Marcus Toe. Now, in the first arc of this series, the regular Titans had been captured by an evil version of Cyborg and some new Titans were brought in to rescue them. Now, they're all living together in Titans Mountain and trying to figure out what that means. The new team um as well as some new characters that have been introduced. We I believe love the first arc of this not exactly new series but this iteration of Titans. Uh how do you feel about it kicking into arc number two?

[00:42:31]>> The these are my favorite types of issues in com especially big team comics where they're like we're trying to figure out who's on the team. They're all like catching up with each other.

[00:42:41]Some characters are sort of eliminated from it where we get a nice scene here um with Starfire and Nightwing. other characters are feel like, yes, Batgirl is gonna be a badass part of this. I'm so hyped for that. Like, there's just like it's that rare issue in comics where you could feel a lot of shifts happening and it feels like it's going to be at least semi-permanent.

[00:43:01]>> Um, and that's what we get here. As well as the interesting stuff going on with Cyborg and Eva, I thought was very cool as well.

[00:43:08]>> Mhm. Uh, yeah, this is great. I love this. And what I love about this is how they're playing with classic Titan storylines in a new way. Like the first arc, I think they explicitly said at one point, "Oh no, an evil cyborg is a grid." And they're like, "No, it's a different thing, but it's kind of the same thing, but in a new way." And this issue, we get >> the absolute terrifying reveal of at this seaside town, there's just an enormous demon that seems to be eating babies. and then there's more than that. And I think they're doing like a riff on a classic Triod storyline, but without Triod and again in an entirely new way. And I love that.

[00:43:50]Like I love giving us this thing that we know, but through the lens of these new Titans. There's ongoing mysteries with Cyborg has the heart of Apocalypse in the middle of the mountain, which is crazy. Um, so I said this the last issue that it took me too long to realize that this is basically them doing uncanny X-Men back from the beginning but with Titans, but all of these elements are working. It's just it's great. It's fun.

[00:44:15]I'm having a good time.

[00:44:16]>> Well, and this was reminding me of what I've been missing um by not having like a Legion or Legionnaire's title.

[00:44:22]>> Um, which is also something we've been talking about uh recently on the podcast.

[00:44:28]>> Next up, The Spectacular Spider-Man.

[00:44:30]Brand new day number two from Marvel written by Dad Slot. Art by Marcus Toe.

[00:44:34]Once again, this is a maybe miniseries.

[00:44:37]When we had Dan Slot on the live show, he was like, "Keep buying it and it'll become an ongoing series." But was the second of our two not exactly tying into Spider-Man brand new day books because Punisher is in it and maybe Mr. Negative is in the movie, but I'm not 100% sure.

[00:44:55]Spider-Man is for sure. it. How do you feel about this cover?

[00:45:00]>> That's a big gun that The Punisher has in a very specific place.

[00:45:07]>> It's very much >> his crotch.

[00:45:08]>> It's a very much a crotch gun from from Dust Till Dawn uh situation here except on a much larger scale. And especially the way the cover is laid out where it's like a circle which is even more emphasizing the fallus that the Punisher and Spider-Man's looking not at us and not at Punisher. He's looking at the gun like hey man this isn't a nude beach.

[00:45:30]Put that thing away. [laughter] Very strange cover I find. Uh but the internal issue I as I was reading this and I mentioned this to you before like I'm like are some of these elements what's going to be in the Spider-Man movie? Like are we going to get a Mr. negative. Uh, >> I don't think so.

[00:45:47]>> You say hard no, but >> some of I feel like sometimes a lot of times they they are about comic continuity, but this one's not really about comic continuity at all. It's about the characters. And I'm like, are there movie elements here not used the same way as the movie obviously, but laid out a little bit? Are we going to get Mr. Negative somehow driving John Bernthal in the Brand New Day movie? Uh maybe possibly. I don't know. I look at this more like Dan Slott's way of retconing a bunch of stuff into the continuity of Brand New Day. Like this is the second issue in a row that we've had what's his name? Bailey Bass, Spider Boy show up in the book. So that like of course he was there all along. There's a couple of other characters.

[00:46:34]>> It looked like maybe Silk was in there as well potentially, but maybe I'm wrong about that. I don't know. Whatever it is, it's it's just Dan Slot having a lot of fun with Spider-Man and going forward. It's very light. It's fun. It is what it is.

[00:46:50]I don't think you should be looking at it for movie clues, but we'll know in a month. So, >> we'll see. Alex, will The Punisher have a big old dick gun in the movie?

[00:47:01]>> Gosh, I hope so.

[00:47:02]>> Yeah.

[00:47:03]>> P R-rated first R-rated Spider-Man movie. That's what we're going to get.

[00:47:07]Babs, the Black Road South, number four from AOY Comics, written by G. Andis, art by Jason Burroughs. This arc of the title has very much been a parody of Lord of the Rings as our heroes, I guess, find themselves heading towards Mordor, dealing with a one ring, except it's an orb type situation, and there's a one remaining hobbit, who I believe is our Sam, who is now wearing a Gib suit and wants to kill them. find out a lot more about that about as well as why this issue. Um, I think you've been enjoying this more than I have, Justin.

[00:47:44]>> Well, I I do like it. I mean, first off, not to be the Pete here, but the cover of this is awesome. I kept reooking at the cover. Um, if you haven't seen it, it's uh Babs with a snake corpse pulling her um her cohort, her peer out of the um snakes's dead insides, which is very good. And then this story does a great job of balancing some pretty hard parody [snorts] with like the emotional reality that Babs is like maybe confessing to being a bad person or formerly a bad warrior. Um within the context of this >> uh story about a Sam who was confessing his love for his Frodo right when Babs knocked him into Mount Doom.

[00:48:31]>> Yeah. [snorts] Um, so I >> I think not to get too repetitious with this book, it's fine. Like if you like Getta stuff, which I generally do, and if you like Jason Burrows, which I generally do, this is straight across the plate, profane, gross. Uh, but like you're saying, there is some good emotional stuff in there as well. It's just the first series was so good and so sharp with its satire. I continue to miss that versus being like this being like the Hobbit movie instead of scary movie, if you will.

[00:49:03]>> It's leaned a little bit harder into the story, the Bab story, and out of the satire and parody elements. And maybe that's you're saying that's a betrayal.

[00:49:13]>> Uh yeah, definitely like a strongest of all possible betrayals 100%.

[00:49:18]>> Great.

[00:49:18]>> Yeah, >> I feel betrayed.

[00:49:21]I'm giving up comics.

[00:49:23]>> If destruction be our Lot number two from Image Comics, written by Matthew and Mark Elijah Rosenberg, art by Andy McDonald. We are following a robot Abe Lincoln in a far future where it seems like all humans have disappeared. Except of course they haven't. and he is headed to the scrap heap this issue because he is having what is society robot society continues some uh cons considers excuse me some malfunctions Justin you've been loving this book right yes >> I I have been uh big fan I think this issue continues a lot of the promise that we got in the first issue um we get Lincoln realizing or being told we're being told that he's very special which I think is he but he's not really taking it in.

[00:50:10]He's just tumbling C3PO style uh through a bunch of Right.

[00:50:16]>> Here's here's not to interrupt you, but >> Matthew Matthew Rosenberg his newsletter, every iteration of his newsletter, whenever he sends it out, the subject line is a quote from C3PO.

[00:50:30]And I didn't notice it in the first issue. This issue, it is crazy out of control. Like >> he is 100% in a C3PO situation. You're right. He says C3PO lines throughout here where I didn't mind it. Like I love this book. The art is gorgeous and everything, but it was a little distracting for me being like, "What?

[00:50:52]Why?"

[00:50:52]>> Well, it wouldn't have been such a thing except there he keeps tumbling through like the droid wrecking spots that we see so many times throughout the Star Wars cannon. um from the Jawa ship all like we're in those same situations and he's being like what is this place who a lot >> well but he keeps saying things I'm forgetting the exact lies but he's like oh dear at one point which I was like that's not Abraham the odds I think he says over and over again >> yeah he says something about many chlorans as well I believe >> uh but I do think like that doesn't bother me maybe as much as you I I think it's a a protagonist finding like over this first few issues finding his sort of juice, finding his power. Um, and he doesn't have it yet. He's not aware of the world. The call to action is happened a little bit and then it happens again by accident, but he hasn't made the choice yet. So, um, I think we're going to get to see a little bit more agency, a little less C3PO and a little more R2-D2.

[00:51:55]>> Yeah. Do you think I was about to ask, do you think Mary Todd Lincoln is like Abraham Lincoln's R2-D2?

[00:52:02]um in real life.

[00:52:04]>> Yeah.

[00:52:05]>> Uh yeah, I think so. They were always appearing in every part of American history. They're the only consistent thing in American history.

[00:52:13]>> And John Wils Booth is kind of like that Stormtrooper who blasts C3PO in Empire Strikes Back.

[00:52:19]>> Yeah. And I believe his last words were like, "Oh dear, please find my torso, you big pile of hair," or whatever [laughter] is quoted.

[00:52:28]>> We've seen these movies before, I'm sure. Lobo number four from DC Comics written by Scotty Young, art by Jorge Corona in a bit of actual movie tie-in because Scotty Young told us as much when he was on the live show. Yeah, >> Lobo faces down with Supergirl in this issue. Um, this if anything, I mean, it's not exactly tying into the movie, but I think they do a pretty good job of being like, hey, if you saw the movie and you want to see Lobo and Supergirl fight, here you go. Well, and this is definitely feels like it's in line with at least the vibe of the movie um if not the story line. And I was surprised how late in the comic Supergirl um comes in.

[00:53:08]>> Um it's sort past the halfway point. But the thing that was awesome here is Jorge Crona's art. Like when Supergirl shows up, it's such just the art's fantastic.

[00:53:19]Krypto, uh Lobo and his dog, like that kind of stuff is fun. we get the the comedic push through in the back half where you see them being like, "Oh, no."

[00:53:30]Uh is is well done. And this book just continues to be such a high octane version of of Lobo that I think is the best presentation of the character.

[00:53:42]>> Yeah. Predator Bloodshed number five from Marvel written by Jordan Morris.

[00:53:46]Art by Ruari Coleman with Roland Bossi.

[00:53:50]This is the final issue of the series that has found a bunch of souped-up Mortal Kombat style MMA fighters taking on a Predator. We also had Jordan Morris on the show a couple of weeks back to talk a couple of months back to talk about this. So, check that out. But this was very fun. Really liked the conclusion here. Left it open for more as well. But wellched characters throughout is the thing that really set this apart. These are fighters that I wanted to spend more time with and hopefully we will get to do exactly that.

[00:54:25]>> Yeah. I mean, I I there's a a po a moment where one of the fighters um who's not our main character, our main duo, it's like, I'll take the Predator. And I really was riding for her fight with the Predator.

[00:54:37][laughter] >> I really liked that character. She seemed fun and sort of like bit of a rogue, like I'll do this. And then she gets so unceremoniously killed.

[00:54:47][laughter] It I was I was definitely bummed at that moment.

[00:54:51]>> Yeah, this is a very fun series. If you missed it, definitely go back, pick up the issues or pick it up in trade. Odin number two from Image Comics written by Margaret Bennett and James Tit. Art by Leticia Katanichi. is about a journalist who is undercover with a bunch of neo-Nazis who decide to take a trip to the fatherland, not Germany, but Norway, where they believe all whiteness comes from. And the oopsy at the end of the last issue is they all got high and ate one of their friends. So that's where we pick up here with them wrestling with, oh no, we did a cannibalism and things somehow get worse by the end of the issue. Um, yeah, this is a stressful read.

[00:55:34]>> Yes. And I like it, >> but it's definitely a like, oh no, another and then we get a a really big horror [snorts] moment. And what's cool about this, something you don't see very often, is sort of a double hit of the horror. We get like the visionary version of it and then we get the like not [ __ ] up version of it and it's still [ __ ] up. Uh, >> that's a well done. And I think the other thing that's stressful about it is you don't know who to ride with. Like technically it should be this journalist, >> but there's multiple points in this issue in particular, I think very pointedly, where she's like, I should escape.

[00:56:12]>> Except maybe. And you're like, "Oh, come on, man. You maybe like this a little bit or into this or some finding it a little engrossing." There's something about the sort of leader and the mystery of him that keeps drawing our main character in and draws us as the reader in because he is >> in [snorts] a a place that's feels like hell. He's like confidently standing and just observing standing still and observing every everyone and everything and that's [snorts] it's well done. I I'm curious. I just don't know at all where the story is going.

[00:56:47]>> Yeah, agreed. Star Trek the Last Starship number eight from IDW written by Colin Kelly and Jackson Lansing art by Herman Gonzalez in this issue last issue I think you said that they kind of entered a event horizon type situation and that's what they're dealing with partially the fallout of here as Agnes the Borg queen tries to assimilate everybody on the ship. Meanwhile, they're dealing with a bunch of other stuff. And Captain Kirk, who is made of nanites, is trying to stop her from destroying everybody. Um, leading to yet another big cliffhanger at the end of this issue. Uh, how are you feeling about this title?

[00:57:26]>> It It's scary. It's so psychedelic, [ __ ] up stuff happening. When we first started reading this and we talked to these guys uh about this and they were like, "Wait, do you see we're doing so much?" And I was like, "Yeah, okay. I'm It's like a Kirk focused story in this place where that's so unexplored." But I just can't believe how much like is jammed in here that feels so metaphysically horrifying and and and very like mindbending. There's a lot of like physical, psychic [snorts] pressure on the characters that is like making them all feel so crazy. And I mean just like I'm like what is happen what's going to happen here? Like what is anyone going to walk out of here and be on the next Enterprise and be like all right let's go explore some [ __ ] space now.

[00:58:19]>> Yeah. I don't think so. And my one little like quibble here is that there's not even so many characters, but I feel like we they keep giving us a new point of view character who I need to take a second be like who is that?

[00:58:33]What's going on with that person? And by the end, I'm into them, but then they're usually dead by the end of the issue.

[00:58:39]So, it's hard. It's a little hard to get invested with these characters other than Agnes, who I know from Star Trek Pequard, and Kirk, who we know from being Captain Kirk. Yeah, we know from our time with Captain Kirk. But also, it's just it reminds me of how um the lost scripts were written where like, and this isn't a roast, uh just a reality, where [snorts] there's this character who has a dark secret, and then the last panel is like, yeah, they're a [ __ ] bomb inside.

[00:59:10][laughter] And I was like, what?

[00:59:14]>> It's It's pretty crazy. It's a crazy Star Trek book. There you go.

[00:59:18]Deathstroke, the Terminator, number four from DC Comics, written by Tony Fleece.

[00:59:21]art by Carmine D. Gian Dominico.

[00:59:25]Deathstroke has been accused of the murder of his best friend, Winter Green.

[00:59:30]And this issue, Rose Wilson, aka Ravager, his daughter, comes to first watch him die and then team up with him and then maybe some other stuff by the end of this issue. Uh, another great issue of this title. I really like focusing in on the relationship between Slade and Rose, the differences between them. Carmine DG and Dominico's art continues to be really good. This is a defining Deathstroke story. [snorts] It really is like it's it's so good. And in this stack alone, let alone all the other comics we read, we see a lot of like people get murdered uh for what some people think are the right reasons, heroes, villains, there's a murder in this issue that I was like really upset by. Even though the character is being a huge [snorts] [ __ ] and probably a criminal monster, but even so, the way that that Deathstroke kills him, I was like, uh, I don't think you're supposed to do that [laughter] from a hero or even mercenary point of view.

[01:00:36]>> Yeah.

[01:00:37]>> Right.

[01:00:37]>> Uh, yeah, it's really well plotted and it is really pushing those things because it would be easy to go the route of like, well, Deathstroke's a hero and he's not. He's not a hero at all. And that's what we're driving home. But there's also a moderation between hero and villain that we don't usually get in these sort of titles. It's usually one or the other.

[01:00:58]>> And like I think we've gotten him trending toward hero. Like I have to solve this murder. I'll kill people my way. But even like the last issue, he didn't kill a bunch of people. He was just fighting for his life.

[01:01:09]>> And in this issue, the the killing feels like he [snorts] needed to do it. He wanted to do it, needed to do it, and the guy was just being a a gross monster in this moment. And then we see not only do we we see him go to kill him, we see the corpse, and then Rose finds out about it. And I thought that was just a great scene as well.

[01:01:31]>> Yeah. Well done, G.I. Joe number 23 from Skybounded Image Comics, written by Joshua Williamson, art by Andrea Milana.

[01:01:39]The Joe's and the Cobras are both being tortured by Crystal Ball, a guy who has some sort of Energon powered fear machine or something like that. Uh, we talked to Joshua Williamson recently about this book and then many others.

[01:01:54]Not to keep plugging our podcast on our podcast, but you can check out that chat for more. Uh, this is a very fun arc. I think Andrea Milana, not I think Andrea Milana and Joshua Williamson obviously know how to work together really well.

[01:02:08]So, they're well coordinated. Uh, and we find out a little bit more about Risk, who is a new character for this book, who is very intriguing, too.

[01:02:16]>> Yeah. Um, I agree. Like, I don't um there's a lot of focus on Risk, and I was like, this is where like I need Pete here to be like, risk is really important or I don't know about risk either. What's the deal with Risk? And I'd be like, that's what I think. Risk feels like he's becoming important, but I don't know necessarily why in the larger story. But um the art in this is excellent. Like I all of the the crystal ball and this is what Joshua was talking about. Like I wanted to make him a big deal and make him be like a [ __ ] up villain. Something that he's weird but you can still tell a good story about him and I think it he's doing a great job for that.

[01:02:55]>> Yeah, absolutely. End of life number five from DC Comics written by Kyle Starks art by Steve Pew. We are following a dude who is an assassin who has gone back to his hometown and the news is really tightening on him here as a our old cartoonist who has become a gang leader has taken the one kid in town that means anything to him and he's basically browbeat into getting the kid back. Um meanwhile his dad who we thought was killed or at least I was pretty convinced was killed last issue is not dead and they are Yeah. and they are moving forward on their relationship, too. This is great. I think this maybe I'd have to look down the list, but maybe this is my favorite of the Vertigo titles right now. It's funny. It's hitting that >> maybe we mentioned this before, but it really feels like the heir to preacher more than anything, though it's not as supernatural, but it's absolutely ridiculous. There's some really good texture to the emotion that's happening with the main character and his dad, which I found very surprising in this issue in particular, and all of the villains are weird and horrible and very fun as well. Yeah, I agree. There's this great uh se sequence at the back end where he's being attacked [snorts] and then a bunch of the uh henchmen get shot and the villain's like, "He's got mind bullets." And he's like, "I have mind bullets." And then someone they believe it for another page and they're like, "No, he's got a sniper back, [laughter] you idiot." It just reminded me of that scene in The Jerk where it's like these cans. He hates these cans. And I sort of bet that's what Kyle was drawing from here. And it's really fun.

[01:04:41]>> Yeah. Of the Earth number two from Vibage Comics, written by Chris Condan and Andrew Eric. Art by Charlie Adlard.

[01:04:49]The last issue, a woman came home to visit her grandmother who lives in the middle of some oil fields and found her hunkered in the basement covered in oil.

[01:04:58]This issue she calls the oil company who's like, "Hey, what's going on here?

[01:05:02]My grandma >> Yeah, grandma's covered in oil." And they send a guy to help out. And things get even weirder by the end. I was intrigued by the first issue and I also like always like everything that Chris Condan puts out. But man, it gets real good this issue and even more intriguing. The mysteries are strange and disturbing. Charlie Adard's art is great. This is a good book. Yeah. Uh the pace of this is so well done. It's so like horror uh horror pacing where like like oh yeah, call the company. No problem. sort of normal interaction but just a little odd and then they're like oh yeah and there's a truck here that's that's weird oh there's a weird there's a truck here like we keep getting these little bits and pieces where you're like that's a little weird and it sticks in our brain and just starts to stress us out a little bit and that's humming along and then the stress is increased to we get full of horror by the end of it here. [snorts] Um, the art is really backing up the uh the oil, the amount of oil we see in here and that that being the supernatural I'm this is a guess the supernatural thing we're dealing with.

[01:06:14]Um, so yeah, I like this. I'm in and maybe I'm on a horror streak like everyone else in America with all the success of the box office, but um, this is hidden for me. Superman Unlimited number 14 from DC Comics written by Dan Slott, art by Lucas Meyer and Dan Msina.

[01:06:32]Now John Kent seemingly has been taken from the past. Meanwhile, the older version of John Kent is pretending to be somebody named tomorrow man to make space for his younger version, but we get a big revelation at the end of this issue that I thought was great. I They have this mystery of Jon doesn't seem to be working exactly how you would expect. I personally couldn't necessarily figure it out. So, I was surprised by the reveal here, but it makes total sense and I thought was really well done for the history of John Kent in particular. So, good issue.

[01:07:05]>> Yeah. And I really like that Lois is trying to figure it out sort of at the same time and we get that in a very emotional uh way talking to MPA Kent and so like the end hits so much harder with that giving a little bit of uh basis like emotional basis for the the reveal as well.

[01:07:24]Red Coat number 18 from Ghost Machine and Image Comics written by Jeff Johns.

[01:07:28]Art by Brian Hitch, our titular red coat. Simon Pure has a family and is trying to be a normal guy, but of course he can't because he's actually immortal, which all comes crashing down this issue. Justin, this has been one of your favorite books for a while. What do you think about this issue? I think it's really good that we get uh [snorts] an emotional confession from Red Code. He's settled into a life where he has a wife and a family and he's like, I'm a mortal and I live these ways and man is his wife not having it. And I was like, oh, that's a little I was surprised at that reaction. I think story-wise it makes sense and it is setting something up. I think it's setting two things up. One, I think the next arc is like he wants to not be immortal anymore >> uh because he's sad. I'm assuming because his wife and family left. But secondarily, the wife's like, "If you really love us, come find us." No clues.

[01:08:27]I'm like, "Man, that's some oldfashioned [laughter] [ __ ] up shit."

[01:08:31]>> Leave one one clue.

[01:08:33]>> I would leave a clue. If you really want to be found, you got to leave a clue.

[01:08:36]>> Yeah. You leave a postcard in the fireplace or something like that.

[01:08:40]>> Unless she's like, "Well, I went to my uncle's cuz that's where I go.

[01:08:44]>> Come find us. We're upstairs."

[01:08:46]>> Yeah. [laughter] Exactly. It's a real short term. I love a little play like that. A little like, hey, come find me.

[01:08:52]>> I was just thinking with this issue, it's kind of crazy that Brian Hitch has managed to pump out 18 monthly pretty much issues of this Red Coat book, which is wild. I was thinking about it was Ultimates, right? That was delayed years if I remember correctly.

[01:09:09]>> I remember we interviewed Brian Hitch sort of at the tail end. He's like, I did it. you. [laughter] I was like, "Holy [ __ ] this guy's been stressed for a long time about this."

[01:09:19]>> Yeah. So, it's a treat. His art is just so good, so detailed. Uh, every action scene he does is great. So, getting at this regularly is pretty wonderful.

[01:09:30]>> Yes.

[01:09:31]>> Last but not least, Smile for the Camera number four from IDW, written by Hata Rose May, art by Marriana Puglia. We are following a bunch of fashion models who have been infected by the smile entity.

[01:09:43]And there's only two of them left this issue. So, you know what's going to go down in the final issue. This has been really building nicely. I think it has been well observed about the fashion industry working in the whole smile thing. But this is uh my favorite issue of this so far. I thought it really just focused in very nicely on the smile stuff and was cool and scary and good.

[01:10:06]>> Yeah. I mean, I'm surprised how caught up I am in the lives of these models who are the they're trapped in this scheme where they have to pay for their like hotel accommodations and I'm like that doesn't seem real, but I still really hate that they're stuck doing it. Uh, so it's working on me >> and I haven't watched the Smile movies and I know they're good and I know I should watch them.

[01:10:30]>> The second one is good. The second one is good. Yeah, >> I don't quite know how it's spread, but I'm I'm really worried about our main character here.

[01:10:38]>> Yeah, you should definitely be worried for sure. I will mention that today uh or this week they announced they're doing another one which is based in the world of football called Any Given Smile, which is pretty funny.

[01:10:54]>> That's crazy.

[01:10:55]>> Yeah. Uh which is great. So, bring on more. I think they're doing a great job with these so far. And that is it for the stack. If you'd like to support this podcast and all the podcast we do, patreon.com/comicbook club. Also, we do a live show every Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to YouTube. Come hang out. We would love to chat with you about comic books. Apple, Spotify, Android, or the app of your choice to subscribe, listen, and follow the show.

[01:11:18]comic bookclublive.com for this podcast and many more. Until next time, we'll see you at the Comic Book Club. And as always, remember, any beach can be a nude beach if you take your pants off. Good night.

[01:11:32][music] [music] I want to be the blow your mind with the common senses [music] and they're already coming out of the city.