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Poppa Is Back for Chapter 2 (of 5)
“Poppa” is a heartfelt hero’s tale that sits in the sweet spot between a Silver Age classic and a modern superhero story. Originally envisioned as a 110-page graphic novel from…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
DOLL VALLEY ONE-SHOT is Coming!!!!
The first title from the brand new Advent Comics SHRIEK Horror Imprint Line DOLL VALLEY One-Shot On June 1, 2026, everyone will see the first release of the SHRIEK Horror Line Imprint…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
NEW COMICS SHIPPING THIS WEEK
DC ABSOLUTE GREEN LANTERN #15 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN BOOK OF EL #9 (OF 12) BATGIRL #20 BATMAN #10 DC X SONIC THE HEDGEHOG THE METAL LEGION #2 (OF 5) DEADMAN…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
Artist on the Rise – Fish Lee
If you’ve spent any time around independent comics in recent years, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the work of Fish Lee. Hailing from Arkansas, Lee has steadily built…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
INDY SPOTLIGHT: Snake Homecoming #1
Snake Homecoming #1 When an infamous outlaws arrives in Cambra, when the local bullies try to strong arm her, Eliza makes it her mission to teach them a lesson in…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
Dethklok Conquers San Diego (a concert review)
Thr Metalocalypse was upon us as Dethklok stormed the gates of San Diego this past week at the Observatory North Park. Offering a dose of brutality and nostalgia, the band…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
Garden State Comic Fest is June 27th and 28th
Garden State Comic Fest 2026 tickets are NOW ON SALE! Get you tickets now for Saturday June 27th and Sunday June 28th as Garden State Comic Fest returns to the…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
JUST IMAGINE! September 1959: The Super-Lad of Space!
Even in 1959, at the age of 5, a guy knew when he was being had. So Jimmy Olsen just coincidentally happens to be wearing a Superman costume for a…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
ABSOLUTE HOMAGES: ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
Welcome back my fellow homage hunters. For a long time, homage covers were usually homages of comics of the past. They were mostly homages to the classics…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
Robert Kirkman Expands Skybound Empire with Reported Gold Key Heroes Licensing Deal
Robert Kirkman is reportedly bringing the legendary Gold Key heroes to Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, a move that could dramatically reshape the independent superhero landscape. According to industry reports…
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
[Parsulan] The Prismatic Lake
In the Berlaith region of the content of Parsulan, there is a magical body of water known as the Prismatic Lake. The reason for the name is obvious: clear as it is (and its waters as remarkable pellucid), they are tinted with a rainbow of colors. The reason for the lake's unusual appearance is the naturally occurring manastones that are embedded in its depths that leak arcane energy into the water.
The lake covers nearly 40 acres and is near circular. Scholars believe it was formed by the unlikely interaction of a shadow cyst emergence causing a collapse into an underground space beneath, possibly an attenuated dungeon root. The heart of the cyst was lost, causing it to burst, but the resultant magical release altered the landscape.
However, it came to be the Prismatic Lake draws wizards and other adventurers hoping to harvest the manastones within. It's not an easy task, given the strange effects the magical energies can have on divers in addition to the problem of working the stones free underwater. Monsters are also attracted to the stones, so they pose another danger.
A (somewhat) easier target for adventurers out to make quick coin is catching the lake's fish. Several highly unusual varieties live there, each with magical properties. Alchemists and magical researchers will pay handsomely for specimens, particularly alive. Would-be fishers should beware: many of the fish are dangerous due to the same magical properties that make them sought after.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs, Tabletop Gaming Blogs
Wednesday Comics: DC, August 1985 (week 5)
I'm reading DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to the end of Crisis! This week, I read the comics on sale on May 30, 1985.
The "Meanwhile..." feature this month mentions work continuing on new Batman project that isn't named but is clearly Dark Knight Returns. There's also discussion of a Matt Wagner project that is the forthcoming Demon limited series from the following year. Interestingly, there's also mention of a Jason's Quest revival that never came to fruition.
Detective Comics #552: Moench and Janson pick up the Black Mask story from this month's Batman. Black Mask recruits more members into his gang and takes more deadly reprisals against people he feels have wronged him, which are mostly newly installed Janus execs. He also has Circe, the model who jilted Sionis when his fortunes turned, kidnapped and subjects her to a diluted portion of the cosmetic. After that torture, he gives her an ultimatum: join him or get the full treatment. Circe accepts a mask without the tainted cosmetic in it. Batman figures out Sionis is Black Mask just as the False Face Society, but he can't find out where his hideout is or what his ultimate plans are.
Cavalieri and Moore/Patterson have Green Arrow and Black Canary facing a rash of tenement fires, arsons that Arrow believes were committed by the owners for the insurance and redevelopment. The meat of the story, though, is about what happens when Black Canary confronts a fire-throwing super-villain arsonist, Bonfire, and the Canary is strangely frozen with fear. After her rescue, she later tells Ollie that she had a strange episode of deja vu while in the blaze. Later, she's looking through her scrapbook at old pictures of her mother, the first Black Canary, and she's struck by a revelation.
Action Comics #570: The first story by Kupperberg and Schaffenberger/Hunt has a Superboy vibe, except that it has Jim Olsen as its focus instead of some random Smallville kid. A blast of cosmic energy splits off Jim's inflated ego into a super-villain who calls himself Alter Ego. The bit of mystery here isn't in Alter Ego's identity. Superman figures that out early on. Rather it's in how Jim got split and how to fix it.
The second story by Boldman and Bender/Marcos is more "humorous" than the first. One might say "silly," even. After saving a man's life, Superman accepts the guys invitation to dinner for beef bourguignon, but then stays and stays, making a complete annoyance of himself. This could have easily turned to horror as having a super-powered bore for a house guest might in real life, but once the man blows his top at the super-freeloader, Superman drops the act and reveals the truth: the man had been infected by some alien something or other in the initial incident and only making him angry could cure him.
I mention the "stuck in the past" nature of this era of Superman a lot but should also point out this isn't inertia or ossification. Superman was different at points in the 70s ("Kryptonite No More," and all that). Superman was different just a few years prior with stories by Wein and Starlin and Wolfman. This was a choice editorial made.
Ambush Bug #3: Giffen, Fleming, and Oksner deliver their funniest issue yet, provided you like silly, absurdist humor goofing on silly DC characters of the past. It's actually kind of clever, structurally, we get vignettes in text and comic form uncovering what happened to a lot of obscure and best forgotten in the estimation of Fleming and Giffen DC characters like Egg Fu, The Green Team, and Binky. It's also sneakily taking a swipe at Crisis on Infinite Earths and the rationale for it, as all of the segments point to a mysterious woman being involved in their disappearances or deaths. In the end, we find out who is responsible: Jonni DC, Continuity Cop. Just as she confesses, she's blasted by Darkseid for the recurring "next issue, a fight with Darkseid" gag.
Arion Lord of Atlantis #34: Kupperberg and Duursema get Arion and Chian back to the City of the Golden Gate and into the business of selecting a new king. In Atlantis, that's done by a council of wizards presided over by Arion. These days the wizards have only the barest magic except Arion, but still tradition. There's one scheming wizard up to no good, though, and he disrupts the proceedings and gets Arion trapped by shadow bat things. Meanwhile, Wyynde is reunited by Mara. He finally returns her affections in a leering sort of way which puts her off. Apparently, having a dog head for a while changes a guy! Who isn't put off by the new Wyynde is the princess and potential successor to the king, T'Galla. She and Wyynde get along quite well to the irritation of Mara.
All-Star Squadron #48: Mike Harris takes over as artist. This is his first work for the Big Two. He goes on to do a fair amount of work at Marvel in the '90s on grittier titles like The 'Nam, The Punisher, and Cops: The Job. Here, the All-Stars travel to the UK, meeting the Blackhawks on the way. Churchill wants them to find the Shining Knight who disappeared investigated something at the site of Camelot. The All-Stars find Shining Knight in the company of other Arthurian characters who turn out to robots. Our heroes are captured, and they learn that Dr. Fate's old enemy, Wotan, is behind it all.
World's Finest #318: Cavalieri and Delbo/Alcala bring back Sonik who had his debut and only appearance to date back in issue 310. Beyond that the issue is very much of its era. Lilanne Stern is now on RTV. There's a wealthy popstar named Marlon Monroe (a Michael Jackson stand-in) who is menaced by robots made by one of his staff, and a boy in a bubble with an immunodeficiency syndrome someone may be trying to kill. Superman and Batman are on the case though, and everything works out in the end.
Tales of the Legion #326: We start the reprint era this month, so I won't be reviewing this title anymore, but I wanted to note it.
V #7: Newell steps in as writer, and we an issue that focuses solely on Julie as she goes back to her now empty hometown, trying to get some time to herself to go to terms with everything that has happened. A mother and father get mentioned and the implication is that perhaps both are dead due to the Visitors, though based on the V wiki, this appears to be new material. Anyway, she's followed by an assassin that has the appearance of a high school friend, but when a Visitor patrol attacks them, the assassin seems to have a change of heart and saves her life. The issue is rather ambiguous on several points, which was perhaps Newell's intention.
The "Meanwhile..." feature this month mentions work continuing on new Batman project that isn't named but is clearly Dark Knight Returns. There's also discussion of a Matt Wagner project that is the forthcoming Demon limited series from the following year. Interestingly, there's also mention of a Jason's Quest revival that never came to fruition.
Detective Comics #552: Moench and Janson pick up the Black Mask story from this month's Batman. Black Mask recruits more members into his gang and takes more deadly reprisals against people he feels have wronged him, which are mostly newly installed Janus execs. He also has Circe, the model who jilted Sionis when his fortunes turned, kidnapped and subjects her to a diluted portion of the cosmetic. After that torture, he gives her an ultimatum: join him or get the full treatment. Circe accepts a mask without the tainted cosmetic in it. Batman figures out Sionis is Black Mask just as the False Face Society, but he can't find out where his hideout is or what his ultimate plans are.
Cavalieri and Moore/Patterson have Green Arrow and Black Canary facing a rash of tenement fires, arsons that Arrow believes were committed by the owners for the insurance and redevelopment. The meat of the story, though, is about what happens when Black Canary confronts a fire-throwing super-villain arsonist, Bonfire, and the Canary is strangely frozen with fear. After her rescue, she later tells Ollie that she had a strange episode of deja vu while in the blaze. Later, she's looking through her scrapbook at old pictures of her mother, the first Black Canary, and she's struck by a revelation.
Action Comics #570: The first story by Kupperberg and Schaffenberger/Hunt has a Superboy vibe, except that it has Jim Olsen as its focus instead of some random Smallville kid. A blast of cosmic energy splits off Jim's inflated ego into a super-villain who calls himself Alter Ego. The bit of mystery here isn't in Alter Ego's identity. Superman figures that out early on. Rather it's in how Jim got split and how to fix it.
The second story by Boldman and Bender/Marcos is more "humorous" than the first. One might say "silly," even. After saving a man's life, Superman accepts the guys invitation to dinner for beef bourguignon, but then stays and stays, making a complete annoyance of himself. This could have easily turned to horror as having a super-powered bore for a house guest might in real life, but once the man blows his top at the super-freeloader, Superman drops the act and reveals the truth: the man had been infected by some alien something or other in the initial incident and only making him angry could cure him.
I mention the "stuck in the past" nature of this era of Superman a lot but should also point out this isn't inertia or ossification. Superman was different at points in the 70s ("Kryptonite No More," and all that). Superman was different just a few years prior with stories by Wein and Starlin and Wolfman. This was a choice editorial made.
Ambush Bug #3: Giffen, Fleming, and Oksner deliver their funniest issue yet, provided you like silly, absurdist humor goofing on silly DC characters of the past. It's actually kind of clever, structurally, we get vignettes in text and comic form uncovering what happened to a lot of obscure and best forgotten in the estimation of Fleming and Giffen DC characters like Egg Fu, The Green Team, and Binky. It's also sneakily taking a swipe at Crisis on Infinite Earths and the rationale for it, as all of the segments point to a mysterious woman being involved in their disappearances or deaths. In the end, we find out who is responsible: Jonni DC, Continuity Cop. Just as she confesses, she's blasted by Darkseid for the recurring "next issue, a fight with Darkseid" gag.
Arion Lord of Atlantis #34: Kupperberg and Duursema get Arion and Chian back to the City of the Golden Gate and into the business of selecting a new king. In Atlantis, that's done by a council of wizards presided over by Arion. These days the wizards have only the barest magic except Arion, but still tradition. There's one scheming wizard up to no good, though, and he disrupts the proceedings and gets Arion trapped by shadow bat things. Meanwhile, Wyynde is reunited by Mara. He finally returns her affections in a leering sort of way which puts her off. Apparently, having a dog head for a while changes a guy! Who isn't put off by the new Wyynde is the princess and potential successor to the king, T'Galla. She and Wyynde get along quite well to the irritation of Mara.
All-Star Squadron #48: Mike Harris takes over as artist. This is his first work for the Big Two. He goes on to do a fair amount of work at Marvel in the '90s on grittier titles like The 'Nam, The Punisher, and Cops: The Job. Here, the All-Stars travel to the UK, meeting the Blackhawks on the way. Churchill wants them to find the Shining Knight who disappeared investigated something at the site of Camelot. The All-Stars find Shining Knight in the company of other Arthurian characters who turn out to robots. Our heroes are captured, and they learn that Dr. Fate's old enemy, Wotan, is behind it all.
World's Finest #318: Cavalieri and Delbo/Alcala bring back Sonik who had his debut and only appearance to date back in issue 310. Beyond that the issue is very much of its era. Lilanne Stern is now on RTV. There's a wealthy popstar named Marlon Monroe (a Michael Jackson stand-in) who is menaced by robots made by one of his staff, and a boy in a bubble with an immunodeficiency syndrome someone may be trying to kill. Superman and Batman are on the case though, and everything works out in the end.
Tales of the Legion #326: We start the reprint era this month, so I won't be reviewing this title anymore, but I wanted to note it.
V #7: Newell steps in as writer, and we an issue that focuses solely on Julie as she goes back to her now empty hometown, trying to get some time to herself to go to terms with everything that has happened. A mother and father get mentioned and the implication is that perhaps both are dead due to the Visitors, though based on the V wiki, this appears to be new material. Anyway, she's followed by an assassin that has the appearance of a high school friend, but when a Visitor patrol attacks them, the assassin seems to have a change of heart and saves her life. The issue is rather ambiguous on several points, which was perhaps Newell's intention.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs, Tabletop Gaming Blogs
XNOO is Nearly Upon You!
The latest Kickstarter from the Merry Mushmen is XNOO #1, a 276 page "aperiodical" fantasy comics anthology. It features work by several rpg and comic artists, among them James West, Stefan Poag, and Jason Sholtis. Of interest to readers here, it also features the debut of the Land of Azurth comic "The Runaway Shadow" written by me and featuring art by comics veteran Mike Kazaleh. There's also great stuff by artists like Alexey Gorboot. Kennon James and Tim Molloy, and more!
In addition to the comics stories, it's filled out with articles by the likes of James Maliszewski and myself on related topics. My text piece is on comics adaptations of literary Sword & Sorcery characters.
You're going to want to check it out.
Head over to Kickstarter now to be notified on launch tomorrow.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs, Tabletop Gaming Blogs
REY MYSTERIO IS ANNOUNCED AS THE GM FOR AAA
For decades, Rey Mysterio has been one of the most beloved and influential figures in professional wrestling. Now, the legendary luchador is stepping into a brand-new role that could shape…
The post REY MYSTERIO IS ANNOUNCED AS THE GM FOR AAA appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
NEW COMICS SHIPPING THIS WEEK
DC COMICS ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #20 BATMAN #163 BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #4 (OF 4) FACSIMILE EDITION DETECTIVE COMICS #1109 FLASH #33 GOTHAM ACADEMY FIRST YEAR #4 (OF 6)…
The post NEW COMICS SHIPPING THIS WEEK appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
JUST IMAGINE! December 1951: The Girl of Tomorrow
Superman encountered several super-females during his long career, including his own cousin and various amped-up versions of Lois Lane and Lana Lang. But Susan Semple was a variation on…
The post JUST IMAGINE! December 1951: The Girl of Tomorrow appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
Artist on the Rise – Fernando Menezes
Fernando Menezes is one of those comic book artists whose work instantly grabs your attention. The Brazilian illustrator has built a strong reputation through dynamic storytelling, expressive characters, and exciting…
The post Artist on the Rise – Fernando Menezes appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
RICH REVIEWS: Battle Beast # 9
Title: Battle Beast # 9 Publisher: Image Comics Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Annalisa Leoni & Ryan Ottley Colorist: Annalisa Leoni Letterer: Rus Wooton Covers: Annalisa Leoni & Ryan Ottley, Mike…
The post RICH REVIEWS: Battle Beast # 9 appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
RICH REVIEWS: Birding Is My Favorite Video Game
Title: Birding Is My Favorite Video Game (GN) Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Author/Illustrator: Rosemary Mosco Price: $ 18.99 US, $ 25.99 Can Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Website: http://www.andrewsmcmeel.com…
The post RICH REVIEWS: Birding Is My Favorite Video Game appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
DC COMICS AUGUST 2026 SOLICITATIONS
POISON IVY #47 Written by G. WILLOW WILSON Art by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ Cover by JESSICA FONG Variant covers by NOOBOVICH, KYUYONG EOM, and MANNY VINCENT CARBONILLA $3.99 US | 32 pages…
The post DC COMICS AUGUST 2026 SOLICITATIONS appeared first on First Comics News.
Categories: Comic Book Blogs
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