Scott and Dan pick the comics they’re most looking forward to…
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Dan Greenfield, editor, 13th Dimension
Batman #8, DC. Fraction and Jimenez have made a great team but this issue gives us the fabulous Ryan Sook as guest artist. Oh, boy!
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World’s Finest #50, DC. Lotsa guest stars! Lotsa stuff happens! Lotsa variants!
Speaking of variants, check out Frank Quitely’s. Notice anything?
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JSA #18, DC. The finale to what’s been an excellent new origin story, by Jeff Lemire and Gavin Guidry. This miniseries-within-a-series has lived up to its promise and makes me want to read more from these guys about the Justice Society’s World War II years.
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Batman: Dark Patterns, DC. The trade paperback collecting Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman’s first-rate take on Batman’s early days, from 2024-25. They manage to bring a fresh perspective on well-trod ground, which is a real challenge. (It came out about the same time as Batman & Robin: Year One and Batman: The Long Halloween — The Last Halloween and somehow was the most consistently entertaining of the three.) Would love to see these creators return for an encore. Highly recommended.
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Daredevil #1, Marvel. I don’t know which Big Two ongoing series has had the most #1s, but I’m willing to wager that Daredevil is a contender.
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MAD About DC #1, DC. Today’s comics writers and artists do the MAD shtick with the world of DC. An April Fools’ special.
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Scott Tipton, contributor-at-large, 13th Dimension
Avengers Epic Collection: Absolute Vision, Marvel. Roger Stern’s mighty Avengers run rolls on, with the Vision’s rise to chairman, Mockingbird’s introduction, the team getting swept away to the Secret Wars, and so much more!
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Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth (New Edition), DC. All of Paul Dini and Alex Ross’ treasury-size spotlights on DC’s icons are absolute treasures (no pun intended), so it’s always a joy to see them returning to print.
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DC Finest: Justice League of America — Starro the Conqueror, DC. The debut and first adventures of DC’s greatest super-team! With Starro, Kanjar Ro, Amazo and other villains whose names may or may not end in “o.”
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March 30, 2026
Back when Editorial Novaro had the DC license, they used to translate almost all character names (not always literally), so I’ll add another villain with a name ending in “O”: Felix Fausto. Novaro didn’t have to make any weird changes to the name.
March 30, 2026
Batman Dark Patterns was a nice surprise. A bit heavy on the edginess, but still very good.
The art was gorgeous! It’s just a shame that it didn’t get the hardcover treatment.
March 30, 2026
DC has been putting out some great stuff lately. I think the biggest reason is that you can tell the creators are having fun. They are allowed to have the ridiculous aspects of superhero comics again, which means that the darker moments have a greater impact.
(I’ve always said no comic universe needs to be exclusively one way or the other. In our world, The Marx Brothers were performing while the Nazis were committing atrocities in Europe.)
I think the variant covers and the facsimile editions can get excessive at times, but if they allow us to have the quality comics we are getting, sign me up for variant cover #251.
March 30, 2026
Paul Levitz, Joe Staton, and Bob Layton’s JSA origin in DC Special #29 is a tough act to follow, and this JSA:Year One comes nowhere near to it.
March 30, 2026
OK
March 30, 2026
This version retcons it! It’s clear they all haven’t met before (Except Sandman and Hourman who have in Sandman Mystery Theater)
March 31, 2026
Gotta agree with you. Though I’ve enjoyed it to some degree. Now DC Special #29, that’s a facsimile I’d buy a handful of to have. It’s a classic.
April 1, 2026
New universe, new origins. Even though the Multiverse is back, the main Earth isn’t exactly the same as it was before (as evidenced in the New History of the DCU). DC Special #29 is a great read: 100%. But with Batman and Superman featuring so prominently, it is set squarely on Earth-Two. If they already have to retcon it to make it work, why not tell a brand-new origin?
(Also, there is room at the end of the current origin to fit in a revised version of DCS #29 ((i.e. no Superman or Batman)) if you need to have it in canon).
I like the new story quite a bit. The characters all have personalities, as opposed to being cookie cutters with different powers – like they were in the 40s.
March 31, 2026
The art on that Avengers collection by Milgrom is not good.
March 31, 2026
That’s putting it mildly. I only put up with the art because I had a complete run of Avengers at the time and didn’t want a hole in the collection.
March 31, 2026
The Avengers were my great love. This run made me drop it until Busiek/ Perez started.
March 31, 2026
The art inside that Avengers collection by Milgrom is not good.
April 20, 2026
When will you start posting the weekly Hot Picks again??
April 20, 2026
Next Monday!
April 20, 2026
Cheers!