Scott and Dan pick the comics they’re most looking forward to…
—
Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Batman: Dark Patterns #3, DC. I’m reading a lot of good Batman right now. But this 12-ish series by Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman juuuuuuuust might be the most rewarding. So far, anyway.
—
Fantastic Four #2 Facsimile Edition, Marvel. Pssst. Let me let you in on a little secret. I’ve never read these issues of Fantastic Four. Crazy, right? But I’ve decided that if I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it one ish at a time, like the olden days. What’d you think of the trailer, by the way?
—
Aquaman #2, DC. Tula Lotay casts Raquel Welch as Mera for this variant cover. (Come on! Tell me that’s not Raquel Welch! It’s totally Raquel Welch.)
—
Batman #610 Facsimile Edition, DC. I’ve never been a huge Killer Croc fan, but I definitely prefer the “I got a skin condition!” version to the “Stop calling me Curt Connors!” version.
—
Green Lantern Corps #1, DC. I dig the new logo.
Here’s an unobstructed look, from the sketch cover. Nice:
—
Sam Wilson: Captain America #2, Marvel. Groovy Khary Randolph variant. I’m going Saturday, so don’t spoil it for me, huh?
—
Scott Tipton, columnist, 13th Dimension’
The Amazing Spider-Man #129 Facsimile Edition, Marvel. First appearance of the Punisher, with some beautiful Ross Andru art (inked by Frank Giacoia and Dave Hunt). Cover by Gil Kane and John Romita.
Dan adds: I have the previous FE release, so I’m skipping the main one this week. I am picking up the foil-cover edition, though. Not because I’m a Punisher guy — I’m not — but because writer Gerry Conway’s run is the best Spidey there’s ever been. (With deep apologies to everyone else.)
—
DC Finest: Doom Patrol — The World’s Strangest Heroes, DC. These were some of the most bizarre and nihilistic comics of the Silver Age. Highly recommended.
Dan adds: Collecting the first several years of the Doom Patrol, including appearances in The Brave and the Bold #65 (teaming up with the Flash), Challengers of the Unknown #48, and Beast Boy’s first meeting with his future besties in Teen Titans #6.
—
Deadpool Team-Up #5, Marvel. Supposedly Rob Liefeld’s final work for Marvel. I hope not; I wasn’t the biggest fan of his stuff back in the day, but the guy loves comics and there should be a place for him considering all his success.
February 10, 2025
TOTALLY Raquel Welch!
February 10, 2025
Before I clicked in the article I saw the thumbnail for it and thought, “there’s a Raquel Welch comic book coming out?”
February 10, 2025
>> What’d you think of the trailer, by the way?
>>
I think tear’d up some when I saw Galactus.
February 10, 2025
“Pssst. Let me let you in on a little secret. I’ve never read these issues of Fantastic Four. Crazy, right?”
I never read them either until about five years ago when I finally sat down and started reading the first omnibus.
Man, what a chore to get through.
After hearing for years how great those early issues were, I thought I was going love these. But to say that I was disappointed would be an understatement. I found them to be borderline unreadable. The Kirby artwork is good, but aside from Joe Sinnott, Marvel had a lot of terrible inkers in those days (particularly Dick Ayers and Vince Colletta), so they just completely overpowered the artwork (I’m biased toward Mike Royer’s inks on Kirby’s Fourth World stuff which, when compared to photocopies of the penciled artwork, was much closer to Kirby’s intentions). But the stories are just so banal. They don’t even work as children’s stories. There’s no discernible narrative structure, no narrative tension–things just happen and then the story ends, often abruptly with no denouement of any kind. As a Gen-Xer who didn’t grow up on this stuff as it was being released, the appeal of Stan Lee just completely and totally baffles me.
If other people like these stories, more power to them. Just not for me.
February 10, 2025
I agree with you. I think Lee, Kirby, Ditko, et. al. deserve a TON of credit for the characters they created, the worlds they built, but in terms of plotting and scripting stories, they leave a lot to be desired.
February 10, 2025
I think early Spidey stories hold up.
February 10, 2025
That’s funny. I thought it was Natalie Portman. https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/natalie-portman-miss-dior-parfum-2024-ad/
February 10, 2025
THOR was the best inking that Kirby ever got including the inks he did himself. Vinnie brought an illustrative, artistic element to Kirby’s blocky pencils. Royer just traced him which left the art looking very one-dimensional. Sinnott was good, perfect actually, but not in the class of Colletta when he took his time.
February 10, 2025
The later issues like the Galactus trilogy probably hold up better for FF stories. However, some people really do like earlier Thor better.
February 10, 2025
You have a treat in store with the early FF stories, Dan! I read them in a paperback they released in the 70s and they were a blast! I have the Spidey issue with Punisher; also a blast! And Raquel Welch’s least-known fantasy credit was as a stewardess in an early episode of “Bewitched.” You don’t even see her face in the episode!