The Three Most Interesting Things From NYCC 2026 (In My Opinion)

I followed the news as it trickled out from this year's New York Comic-Con. Three things stuck out to me the most. Let's discuss...

1. In terms of comics, DC looks like it keeps firing on all cylinders; Marvel appears to be struggling.

Marvel generally is doing fine in the comic-book sales market. However, it doesn't feel that way. With the insane success of its Absolute line, a vibe that DC is letting creators be creative with cool mini-series/one-shots, and there is an air of excitement with the publisher. Then, Marvel talked more about how it incorporated Miracleman into its main continuity, will be doing that Star Wars crossover that is getting lots of trepidation from fans, and has an anniversary issue planned for, "Daredevil," hitting 700-ish issues when you add them all up. There is an appearance that Marvel's comic division is aimless beyond going, "Let's reboot the Avengers comic again," and even if Chip Zdarsky is a great writer and will be doing that, Chip can only carry so much of the weight of Marvel on his shoulders. Would the upcoming, "Avengers: Doomsday," flick help fix some of the image problem the film division has and assist the comics a bit because a rising tide lifts all boats? Perhaps, but even if the MCU is, "Saved," this December by the latest Marvel movie, the comics might benefit from some kind of shot in the arm of creativity/energy/etc. At least Jed Mackay's work on, "Moon Knight," remains fantastic (as long as it doesn't get canceled). Perhaps if the, "Midnight Universe," does well, there's some hope to fix the optics?

2. "Something is Killing the Children," escapes development Hell.

"Something is Killing the Children," became a massive breakout hit over at BOOM! Studios. It got optioned, but seemed to be stuck in some kind of limbo. Was it going to be a Netflix show? A streaming movie? Go to theaters? Animated? Well, at NYCC the plan was finally made clear. Blumhouse is producing a theatrical (live-action) movie with Craig Zobel set to direct. SIKTC is probably one of the biggest non-Marvel or DC properties within comics in some time, so I am curious if its movie can cut through the, "Noise," of many other comic-book adaptations and strike a nerve that few comic-book flicks outside DC or Marvel have managed--there have been some, of course (Ron Pearlman's Hellboy remains beloved).

3. Grant Morrison is writing a, "James Bond," comic for IDW.

One of my favorite comic creators of all time, Grant Morrison, is no stranger to tackling epically popular franchises with their own unique take. "New X-Men," remains my favorite run on the team ever and, "All-Star Superman," ranks high on many, "Best Superman Stories," lists. Now, we'll be getting their version of, "James Bond," via publisher IDW. I've seen some great Bond stories in various forms, and some pretty messy takes too. I'm excited for Morrison to be at the writing helm of a Bond story, however. The Bond franchise can be grim or gritty as well as quite outlandish and wacky. Morrison is already promising we'll get something quite strange, and I'm totally here for it.

Upper Deck ePack, Trading Card, “Breaks,” and the Question of Just What the Future Holds for Sport and Nonsport Cards

It started in early 2024, or so. I didn’t follow any sports besides Hockey, and figured I would dabble in hockey sports cards. I’d mainly collected some nonsport cards at other times in my life, such as superheroes (I’ve always loved comics) or things that were funny, such as the Garbage Pail Kids. I saw on some internet forum/Reddit/Twitter/whatever that because Upper Deck was the sole company with a hockey license, you could buy the physical boxes and packs in stores or do this thing called, “ePack.” It was a way to buy the cards online–but not some weird digital card/currency. You couldn’t do much with, “Base,” cards, but could always mail any inserts home. Plus, you could easily trade with anyone on the site–no more waiting for mail or worrying someone will flake and rip you off! Plus, besides the hockey, there was nonsport from X-Files to James Bond, Marvel (then, when Topps got Marvel, Upper Deck started doing DC-themed stuff), and more. Almost any boxes in stores (that were Upper Deck-branded) could also have packs, boxes, or a whole case bought online; how great! Right?

A great infographic from a Nova Scotia organization.

Let’s take a step back and talk about slot machines. They are designed to make you want to keep playing. You get a bad spin and mumble to yourself, “One more try.” You get a big win and say, “Well, now I’m on a hot streak!” It is gambling, and the lights, sounds, and so forth make you want to keep playing as well. Trading cards are gambling-adjacent to a degree, no matter what some claim. People buy a pack or box, rip it open, and hope they get something good. Perhaps to trade, sell, or keep. Unless you only buy singles or sets online, if you ever buy a pack or box with nothing more than the hope some odds are in your favor, you’re engaging in a gamble. Once you open up your cards, however, you’re done. Now, what happens when you combine the thrilling sights and sounds of the slot machine with trading cards? A perfectly addictive and patented process (Topps can't do it) cocktail known as ePack.

If you pull a card most would subjectively consider, “Good,” on ePack, it will glow red and make a sound effect. With hockey, it is the horn of a goal; with nonsport cards,  it is a bit like a triumphant symphony. It is easy for some to buy a pack or back, digitally, “Rip,” it and be done. However, what if you rip a pack or two and get nothing? All you have to do is charge your credit card the price of another pack (which can vary immensely depending on the set) and see what happens. Then again. Maybe once more, because at this point you’re chasing something, anything. Perhaps you do get a, “Flasher,” and a sound effect, but it is not that great of a card. You could keep going, and before you know it, about an hour has passed where you just dropped a few hundred dollars on thirty bucks worth of cards–that you’d have to ship home to then list! That, or you can transfer the cards to a digital storefront also associated with ePack, who takes a cut of your profits as well, of course.

It adds up quickly.

If you’re not big on using the internet for much more than checking in on family or reading the news, this all sounds complicated and unwieldy to have these digital-but-physical cards, and it is! When you sit and think about it logically, the only benefit to ePack is that you’re saving space with thousands of cards in some warehouse instead of your house, and trading stuff is a bit easier with its little trading marketplace. Otherwise, it is a hassle to get the cards in your actual hands. That’s logic, however. Once you get that first amazing, “Grail,” card, sensibility melts away. You put another twenty in the trading card slot machine and hope luck is on your side. As with all gambling, however, the, “House,” eventually wins.

Spend even more money and get extra bonus cards as thanks for the debt!

You don’t end up totally empty-handed when you do ePack. You always get some trading cards, and you can get cool ones! Autographed cards, sketch cards, and so forth. The thing is, outside of a small number of ePack-exclusive sets and pricey, “Achievements,” for acquiring certain cards…you generally can buy a physical pack/box/whatever of the thing you like for cheaper. It is the ease of access where you just hop on your computer and smartphone that is the, “Blessing,” that is more of a curse for those with an addictive personality. You don’t have to find a liquor store like with booze. You don’t need to be 21 and go to a casino, or be in a state with legal online gambling, because this is totally not gambling, right? I mean, never mind the sounds and flashing when you, “Win.”

Bye bye money.

From 2024 through 2025, I spent more than I should have on ePack. I didn’t drive my family to bankruptcy, but I was irresponsible. I had to talk with my wife and other loved ones about how it was becoming an issue. I quit at the start of 2026 for a good six months, and tried to dabble in it just a little this Summer, but saw there was no way for myself to just barely engage in it when there was always some sale, promotion, or cool new metaphorically shiny thing to pursue. I am not opposed to ePack for those who find it easier to do or like the social aspect of it. I met some really nice and cool folks I am still friends with whilst doing ePack–and some of them quit it as well eventually or still enjoy it with healthy moderation of their spending. For me, however, ePack doesn’t make sense. I don’t have the funds for it, it takes up a ton of my time, and the fact that it is so easy (too easy) to open a browser and rack up a big ol’ credit card bill in less than an hour is worrisome too–for me at least. 

"Breaks," are getting to be a big thing.

One thing that nags at me about ePack, though, is whether it's a niche of the trading card industry or a sign of what is to come with the gamification of sports cards, especially, but nonsport to a degree as well? For those of you who seek out the newer releases of stuff and aren’t just buying the older sets, you’ve probably seen, “Breaks,” on Facebook, the Whatnot app, eBay Live, or other spots online. People buy dibs/a reservation of sorts on a specific character/insert/whatever, and when the, “Breaker,” opens a box or case, should that person/character get pulled, the person who purchased the mere chance of such a card gets it. Yes, someone could spend a bunch of money to guarantee they get any cards with, say, Wolverine in a new Topps Marvel set, only to find nothing gets pulled they put up all that cash towards. I, personally, think breaking is inane, even more equivalent to gambling (it is currently a legal gray area), and even worse than ePack. You may as well simply throw your money down a sewer drain. Some card companies, the aforementioned Topps especially, have really embraced this, “Trend,” however. 

He makes some good points.

We’ve got Upper Deck with ePack, Topps with breakers, and the whole idea of trading cards has become less about, “Trading,” to make a fun little set and more about, “Winning,” some notable card that you can sell for a big payday. It all starts to sound more like buying a lottery ticket and praying for the best than it does a hobby about actually, you know, collecting! Is this how sport and nonsport card collecting changes with the times, or does it create a new bubble reminiscent of the, “Junk Wax,” era of the 90’s–for all cards, not just sports? Some may say, “Card collecting needs to evolve, sports and nonsport.” Sure, but is this an evolution, or does it put the hobby on a path to extinction?

Shoutout to Jesus for getting me a pack!
I'm not making a silly joke either; it is his name.

I still enjoy buying a pack or box of nonsport cards when they’re inexpensive (getting rarer and rare these days) and something that interests me. I was excited when a friend picked up a promotional pack of, “DC Absolute Universe,” cards at the latest Comic-Con International/SDCC and sold them to me for retail plus shipping. It was something I liked, for a good price, with little worry about it having any kind of big resale value or such. Is buying a card/some cards for cheap simply because you enjoy them an outdated idea now, however? Will sports cards manage to, “Flourish,” in this new gaming-styled ecosystem, but us nonsport folks will see our hobby fade away except for the handful of fandoms (superheroes)  that lend themselves to gambling-style methods of breaks or ePack? 

Is a market like this sustainable?

As for me, I quit ePack and refuse to ever, “Invest,” in a break. I know that I would love to see more people in their teens or twenties getting into nonsport cards (besides Pokémon) and picking up a publication like, “The Wrapper,” as I've discussed before, to learn fun facts about nonsport cards, do physical trades, and build relationships with other collectors. There has to be a happy medium in all this where everybody enjoys the hobby in their own way; I just have no clue how that happens. Do you? 

"Absolute Batman," is Getting an Animated Adaptation and Absolute Funko Pops Are Incoming

Back in April, I discussed my slight astonishment at how DC hadn't fully capitalized on the success of their Absolute Universe and, "Absolute Batman," in particular, with a ton of tie-ins. Well, DC has had enough time to gear up and get some stuff made, as recent announcements show. The biggest one is that out of DC's upcoing slate of animated projects, an adapatation of, "Absolute Batman," is planned. It'll be a series aimed to older/adult viewers, and it remains to be seen what network/streamer it ends up on, but it has been announced! Plus, a limited number of Absolute Universe-themed Funko Pops shall be for sale at Comic-Con International/San Diego Comic-Con, with doubtlessly more Absolute Pops planned. I'd bet DC has a lot more in the works with the massive success of everything-Absolute and will be interested in seeing what comes next.

"Absolute Green Arrow," is Getting Lots of Buzz and Selling Out and Before it Even Hits Shelves

DC's variety of books in the new, "Absolute," Universe have been huge hits. The main trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) have gotten a ton of buzz, but other characters' series and mini-series have been quite stellar too (Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter). The latest upcoming titles are, "Absolute Catwoman," and, "Absolute Green Arrow." Those who read the, "Absolute Evil," one-shot know that Oliver Queen was killed by the Absolute Universe's nefarious forces, but it seems that didn't stop him. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote with art by Rafael Albuquerque, Oliver Queen isn't truly gone. He's back as some kind of undead force of vengeance, and his new comic looks like a straight-up horror story, which I find quite interesting.

Other people are intrigued by the upcoming, "Green Arrow," as well. It has already sold out at the distributor level (shops won't be able to order more copies than they previously did), and a second printing is on the way. The first issue hits comic shops this Wednesday, the 20th, and if it is as popular as this early buzz indicates, you'd better move quickly to get a copy!

Marvel’s Midnight Universe Has Been Unveiled and It's a Bit Underwhelming

I wrote just a smidgen ago about how Marvel was hinting about a new, “Midnight Universe,” that would feature Marvel with more of a horror bent. Many people, myself included, thought this meant a lot of beloved and cult creepy characters Marvel has would be featured in dark, edgy tales. Well, Marvel just started releasing details this week. We’re getting X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man…but evil/scary. Yawn.  Oh, and the X-Men are, of course, vampires because Marvel always has had a weird affinity for making the X-Men hang out with or occasionally turn into vampires (hey, Jubilee).

A twisted universe with no heroes and only monstrous versions of Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, the Werewolf by Night, and Blade or such could be such a cool concept. Instead, we’re just churning out another iteration of the biggest characters Marvel has—but spooky! This news has evaporated much of my interest in the Midnight Universe. The creative teams are quite good, which is the only thing that hasn’t utterly erased a cautious optimism I feel. Jonathan Hickman with Matteo Della Fonte on the X-Men book, Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker doing Fantastic Four, and Phillip Kennedy-Johnson with Scie Tronc—the first-ever Marvel book he’s done art for.

I sincerely hope the Midnight Universe is indeed Marvel’s horror-heavy answer to DC’s immense success with the Absolute Universe. I want all comic publishers to do well, big or small, because then the comic industry itself remains strong. Healthy sales benefit everyone, but I just don’t know if this Midnight Universe sounds particularly interesting or all that new. The X-Men have had plenty of interactions with vampires, and Spider-Man has been a more spider-like beast on numerous occasions, too. The Fantastic Four comic does intrigue me a bit, however, because Percy and Walker are a Hell of a good team. Basically, I will try the first issues of each of these series, and we’ll see what happens from there.

Marvel Is Hinting at a New, "Midnight," Universe Coming This Fall

Marvel is in the process of wrapping up their reboot of the Ultimate Universe (I'm still shocked they are actually ending it) and just started hinting at something called the, "Midnight Universe," with the tagline, "A terrifying new universe from Marvel Comics arrives this fall." Upon seeing this my first thought was Marvel is going to try and do something similar to DC's smash-hit Absolute Universe, with some kind of dark or scary twist...hence the spooky-ish time of Midnight? Well, Bleeding Cool has announced with a big All-Caps, "SCOOP," that the Midnight Universe is a mix of Marvel's answer to the Absolute Universe and will have a horror focus. Jonathan Hickman, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, and Benjamin Percy will all be working together for a radically reimagined alternate Marvel Universe that will have a focus on Blade, Ghost Rider, Darkhold, Dracula, Morbius, and the good ol' Werewolf By Night.

This announcement has me feeling both a bit cynical and excited. I am rolling my eyes a bit at the idea of Marvel so unabashedly going, "Let's do our own Absolute-type thing!" but hearing it has a horror bent perks my ears up as someone who enjoys sci-fi and horror comics, as well as superhero stories that twist the genre a bit into those styles. Will there be enough interest in a more horror-styled alternate universe for this line to succeed or will it fall flat on its face? Nobody can (for sure) know as very few predicted the Absolute line would be as popular as it has become--I will say I am eager to learn more because I'm always down for a solid Blade or Ghost Rider yarn. Marvel will officially be revealing more next week, so let's stay tuned for the (official) details that will be coming before too long.

Assorted News and Links for March 2025

It's March. The weather doesn't know whether it wants to feel like a nice and warm spring day...or be brutally cold and snowy. We alternate between needing a coat, enjoying the sunshine, facing storms with hail, and so forth. That's March for ya, though. Besides my musings about the weather, I thought I would share some interesting links and news. Read on and learn something new, perhaps!

I used to live in Cortland, New York, and my folks still are there. I was saddened to learn the town's only newspaper, "The Cortland Standard," has declared bankruptcy, with today being their last edition. One of NY's oldest papers, the town of Cortland is now in a news desert to a degree, which sucks.

Cartoonist R.E. Burke is from Britain and has been backpacking around America and Canada. A Visa issue landed her in detention and treated horrifically because I.C.E. has become a modern-day fascistic wet dream under President Trump. A GoFundMe has been established to assist with legal fees, advisory support, and so forth.

DC's new, "Absolute," comics have been quite good and clearly are building up to the eventual formation of a new Justice League or such. There have been rumblings of a big event for the Absolute Universe at the end of 2025 and I look forward to such a thing.

"Moana 2," became available to stream on Disney+ yesterday. I've heard it isn't as good as the original, but solid. Our eldest (Clarkson) loved the first flick and our youngest (Gibson) adores this talking Maui toy we have, so I'm thinking we'll give the sequel a viewing sometime soon and see what our household thinks!

"Who do you think you are? I am!" is a famous phrase spouted by Pete Weber when he won a major bowling championship for a record fifth time. It was on February 26th, 2012 that he won the U.S. Open by a single pin and said--to give the entire phrase--"“Yes, goddamn it, yes! That is right, I did it! Number five! Are you kidding me?! That’s right! Who do you think you are? I am! Damn it right!” There is now an extensive oral history of how such a random statement became enmeshed in popular culture courtesy of Alan Siegel with The Ringer. Whether you know a lot about the sport of bowling or not (I know very little) it is a fascinating read.

A new videogame called, "Wanderstop," has as one big element of the game being brewing tea. There is a whole plot and characters and such, but you get to make tea with fancy contraptions and that sounds fun.

There is going to be a new, "Thunderbolts," comic coming out right in time to sync up with the new movie. It has a random assortment of members, including...Carnage? I get the idea that the comic is nowadays a bit like, "Suicide Squad," with baddies trying to do good (originally it was about villains as posing as heroes and the focus shifted), but Carnage is a psychotic monster who can't be redeemed. Wait, Eddie Brock (the original Venom) is now Carnage? Man, comic-books keep getting weirder and weirder. I'm not mad at it.

Lastly, there is a lot of fancy and high-concept talk regarding colonizing Mars. It is, quite frankly, improbable to the point of being impossible, as this humorous article by Albert Burneko discusses. Thanks to Kieron Gilllen for sharing it in his newsletter.