IDW Has Plans...Will They Pan Out?

IDW, as a company, has had a number of very public ups and downs because it is, in fact, a publicly traded option on the stock market. They've lost some juicy licenses but have managed to hold onto other ones for dear life (TMNT), plus there have been some hit comics they've put out lately. "Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees," is a weird serial killer comic with cute anthropomorphic critters and, "The Exorcism at 1600 Penn," was just optioned and has a sequel on the way. Things could be worse, but they could also get better, hence IDW recently discussed on an investors' call various plans from having a company-owned imprint where all creations are owned by IDW to...just hoping to get lucky with some more hit books.

I have enjoyed a number of series released by IDW over the decades and hope the company keeps chugging along. DC's Vertigo tried to take away the creators' rights to their comics, and that led to the imprint eventually ending as more creators fled en masse for Image and such (it just came back because nothing stays dead in comics, but yeah). Plus, companies can make their own luck, but it can be hard to predict what might get popular--obviously! I suppose we'll see what 2026 holds for IDW, and I wish them well.

DC's Vertigo Line Returns With a Bunch of New Series

DC shuttered its Vertigo line some years ago. It kinda brought it back with the Black Label line (more adult takes on Superheroes, for the most part), but not really. It was discussed by DC how Vertigo would return, but then radio silence on the subject...until now.

At NYCC 2025, DC announced a whole slew of new quirky-sounding titles with Vertigo and some old favorites returning/getting relabeled. "100 Bullets: The US of Anger," marks that series coming back, along with, "The Nice House by the Sea," and its predecessor, "The Nice House on the Lake," retroactively becoming Vertigo. There will be zombie stories ("Bleeding Hearts," and "Necretaceous,") as well as thrillers ("The Black Tower: A Raven Conspiracy," and "The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery,") plus some weird horror ("Fanatic," and, "A Walking Shadow,") to name just some upcoming comics.

I am all for a bigger publisher trying out quirky and weird stuff because thanks to being larger, they can afford strange little experimental books (in theory, at least). I look forward to Vertigo's official return this February 2026.

"The Nobody," to be Republished by Dark Horse

"The Nobody," is a fantastic original graphic novel by Jeff Lemire (a favorite creator of mine) that has been out of print for some time. Originally released by Veritgo (when it existed) as a hardcover in 2009 and a paperback in 2010, it is a bit of a retelling of that horror classic, "The Invisible Man," but reimagined in a number of ways. It's a bit sci-fi, a bit horror, and features Lemire's gorgeous art along with his writing.

Taking place in a small fishing village in 1994, the town finds itself intrigued by the arrival of a man covered in bandages who claims he was a burn victim in the past, but seems to be hiding a lot of secrets. Some of my favorite work by Lemire marries everyday life with strange and surreal elements, so "The Nobody," was a book I loved way back before I even had this blog to write about it. Now, however, I have the blog and the book is coming back into print via Dark Horse. So yeah, preorder your copy of, "The Nobody," for its re-release in February of 2026!

A New Printing of, "The Filth," Has Been Released, so Go Buy it!

"The Filth," is a creator-owned comic that was published over 13 issues by DC's Vertigo imprint (when it existed). Written by Grant Morrison with art by Chris Weston and colors provided by Gary Erskine, it is my absolute favorite thing Morrison ever wrote--and they've written a ton of stellar comics. Describing, "The Filth," is incredibly difficult as there is a lot going on within its pages. Basically, it focuses on a secret organization known as the Hand who serve the World by removing or recruiting those who could pose a danger to the stability and safety of society. This results in stories about a massive cruise ship that descends into violent chaos, a hyper-fertile porn star with amnesia, living inks being used to create comic-book-inspired weapons, a Russian chimp that claims to have killed JFK, and more! Now, thanks to DC, you can get a new 2024 edition of, "The Filth!"

I don't use the word, "Masterpiece," a lot, but, "The Filth," is one. I'm pleased that DC has re-released this amazing comic--now under their, "Black Label." This printing also includes some extra content including pieces of artwork that did not appear in the original comic due to it being a bit too risque but which was included in certain other printings as backmatter--so if you like bonus stuff, this publication has it! The only strange thing is multiple sections refer to Morrison with male pronouns and a chunk of years ago they came out as nonbinary--a bit of an editorial oversight. I understand old review quotes would use he/him terms, but the biographic section too? That note aside, go get yourself a copy of this newest printing of, "The Filth," and enmesh yourself in its amazing weirdness.

DC Comics Allegedly to Launch an, "Absolute," Line of Comics With Scott Snyder at the Helm

Marvel and DC love creating lines of comics set in alternate universes. Whether it is Marvel's Ultimate line (which is now back and doing well in a new iteration), the New Universe, DC's Elseworlds or some of the Vertigo stuff (that's a little complicated), unique lines of comics often occur over the decades. It seems Marvel bringing back the aforementioned Ultimate line has piqued DC's interest as they aren't going to do a full reboot like in 2011 with the New 52, but are going to launch an, "Absolute," line which is not to be confused with their big hardcover Absolute collections. Bleeding Cool is a bit of a tabloid site with way too many ads (seriously, without an adblocker it is impossible to navigate) but it sometimes breaks big news and it seems Rich Johnston and company found somebody to leak them the juicy story about the Abstolue line.

These Absolute Comics will have a separate continuity and start DC over fresh in a new-reader-friendly manner. The rest of the DC Universe will continue doing its own thing so as not to enrage longtime readers and Scott Snyder--a skilled writer for sure--is spearheading much (if not all) of this new Absolute Comics line. The heroes in Absolute Comic will be heavily reworked versions of DC heroes and will share their own universe but be separate from the main DC one. It'll all be the same multiverse, apparently, so I imagine in 10 or so years these heroes might overlap with the main DC ones or such as eventually all the separate Universes end up interacting at some point or another. The line supposedly will kick off in late 2024 and early 2025, so now we just await the, "Official," announcement from DC since this big ol' leak.

The, "Fables," Comic and Copyright Law--A Complicated Tale

Bill Willingham is a comic creator known for his work on the, "Fables," series. It took a bunch of old fairy-tale characters and put them in a shared universe. Folks really dug it. I have to be honest and say I never read, "Fables," or any books that tied in with it. There is no real reason why I skipped it, but I have so much stuff I already struggle to read and by the time I knew of, "Fables," there was so much content I just kind of shrugged and figured I could miss out and someday give it a read. Willingham has had, "Fables," at DC's Vertigo and then the Black Label. He has apparently been having a lot of trouble with DC so he got pissed off and said, "Fables," is now in the public domain. He told folks to do whatever with it as he surrendered the copyright to fans.

Willingham could be considered a complicated author. Depending on whom you ask he leans a little right politically but is an okay guy regardless of his politics. That, or he is incredibly far-right and a huge bigot, some folks might tell you. He has fans of all kinds of political persuasions thanks to, "Fables," so it has been weird to see some folks who don't ever get along uniting a bit to praise Willingham for this action.

The thing is, DC has already said, "Not so fast!" and is making it sound like this is more of a case where Willingham is doing a meaningless symbolic gesture than a real case of releasing his copyright to the wilds. DC has made it clear they co-own the copyright with Willingham and if anyone tries to make a single cent on the, "Fables," property without permission with a movie/television show/comic DC will take action--e.g. sue your ass. It is going to be a long and messy process that I'm sure has some copyright lawyers salivating at how much money could get tied up in all this. It's gonna be a process.

Television Tuesday: "The Sandman," Has a Release Date

I read a chunk of, "The Sandman," which was written by Neil Gaiman and had a variety of fantastic artists. It is considered by many to be among the best stuff to come out from Vertigo (may that imprint rest in peace). The television show adaptation on Netflix was announced what feels like forever ago but now we've got a trailer with an official release date--August 5th. The comic was a great blend of fantasy, horror, and general weirdness. The bit we've seen advertised looks pretty snazzy too. Here is that trailer with the release date:

I'd be open to checking it out! Gaiman has been heavily involved in the show's creation and it has a fantastic cast. Guess we'll see come August 5th how it is!

A, "Rorschach," Comic is Coming

In news that did and didn't surprise me, we are getting a new, "Watchmen,"-themed comic. That part I could've predicted as, "Doomsday Clock," was relatively successful and the, "Watchmen," television show was a smash-hit. It is titled, "Rorschach," and focused on that popular character--again, not too hard to call. The part I would not have predicted is that Tom King will be writing it in the style of his 12 issue maxi-series that tend to be really good, with Jorge Fornés on the artwork. It'll be a Black Label book, as the other mature-reader lines are now dead (we miss you, Vertigo).

I'm intrigued about this new title as when Tom King is on, he is on with his works, and generally his maxi-series are his best work. Fornés is a skilled artist as well so the book is gonna look swell too. Seeing these properties used without the permission of Alan Moore--who was so horrendously mistreated by DC--fills me with a bit of dread and sadness, but at this point, DC clearly doesn't really care what Moore thinks and Moore is going to do his own thing as well. In the meantime, I hope King and Fornés give us something snazzy.

A Tale of Two Jesuses AKA Some Newer Comics Critically Examined Christianity

Comics and Christ

Two comics have come out relatively recently that feature an interpretation of Jesus. One of these comics is satirical and has the literal Jesus, another is more of a crime-thriller and features a person declaring himself, "The Christ," and performing miracles of sorts. They are both pretty good comics with pros and cons and each are published by smaller publishers who don't mind the possible controversy of touching upon religion. The books are, "Second Coming," from Ahoy Comics and, "Crucified," by SCOUT Comics.

Second Coming

"Second Coming," of course has gotten a good chunk more press, having started its life solicited as a part of a revamped (and now axed) Vertigo-line. DC got nervous when some arch-Conservatives whined about a book that dares question modern-dare Christians and how badly some interpret Jesus' gospel, so they gave the creators (Mark Russell, Richard Pace) the right to go to another publisher. Ahoy comics realized they didn't hate money (lots of press generally = sales) so they gladly let the creator-owned book come join the company. The first issue came out, and it is pretty solid. The general idea is that God is annoyed with how peaceful and laid-back Jesus is, wanting his son to instead dole-out some Old Testament-fashioned Justice to the dwellers of Earth. God notices a popular super-hero who is quite rough-and-tough, Sunstar, and asks him to take Jesus under his wing.

It is a wild concept and the book immediately does a good job showing how even if Sunstar is strong and powerful he isn't some hateful dunce (a sweet scene with he and his wife discussing wanting a child gives him a lot of humanity) and Jesus right away finds himself confused by this Earth he's returned to using the symbol of his death, a cross, as a representation of the religion that is supposed to follow his teachings. There is a lot of ground to cover in the first issue, but it does a solid job and nobody comes across as a caricature.

I would not say the book is anti-Christian at all as some people who didn't even read it claimed, it just is unafraid to take Christians to task for actually practicing what they preach. If any character is called-out, it is God himself for his treatment of humanity, growing enraged when it doesn't do exactly as he demands yet giving people free-will. Some of the jokes do fall a bit flat and I'm curious how the overall plot develops as we proceed, but it's a solid start.

Crucified

"Crucified," is published by another indie-company I adore, SCOUT Comics, and is as tonally different from, "Second Coming," as could be possible. Done by writer Sheldon Allen and artist Armin Ozdic, it focuses on Los Angeles where a year previously from the book's timeline a huge race-riot had erupted between the Black and Latino population. Mayhem raged for two weeks and when it looked like the more affluent regions populated by White folk (Hollywood, and such) were at risk then the Mayor did a last-ditch effort. He reached-out to a popular speaker whom had been amassing followers thanks to his preaching and apparent ability to heal others known only as, "The Christ." The Christ marched to City Hall, simply said, "Enough," and then the riots just...stopped. Now a year later everyone is reeling from the implications of all this and trying to figure this The Christ guy out. It is a really good hook, but the book gets a little overstuffed with a ton of subplots.

In terms of story-lines fighting for space, we have The Christ's head of security who seems to be a bit crooked, an assassin hired to kill The Christ by people concerned he will bring too much stability and ruin businesses that thrive on mayhem, a reporter trying to get an interview with The Christ, and some other stuff that results in a very busy book that I feel could've benefited from maybe a double-sized debut issue just to really get stuff fleshed-out. Then again, the fact I was so eager to read more is a good thing as well, because the book is great.

"Crucified," is a bit less about religion as it is more-so about race, politics, and how money can get people to do terrible things. The power of belief clearly plays a role, but with so many plots and subplots happening in the book one character I really would've liked to learn more about, The Christ, is still quite a mystery. I'm curious how all this stories will come together as the book proceeds I am without a doubt eager to see where this goes.

Why Critically Examine Christianity?

One could ask, "Why bother?" of these comics that engage with Christianity and Jesus from a critical standpoint. After all, those who are super-Conservative and refuse to have any of their beliefs questioned won't read one of these comics, and those who are open to critical discussion will find these books are essentially, "Preaching to the choir." That said, there are plenty of people who may be a little religious (within Christianity or another religion) and find it interesting to see the subject of Jesus and his teachings looked at from a modern-day lens.

Whether it is more satirical with, "Second Coming," where Jesus finds himself upset at how humanity now practices his gospel or, "Crucified," with its intricate look at the way we might respond to a potential second-coming and all the socio-cultural complexities that might bring, both books are very well-done in their examination of Christianity, and it helps they are good reads in general too!

Attention DC Comics, That is Not How You Use the Word, "Pop-up," Okay?

I don't think DC Comics fully understands what a, "Pop-up," is. When you have a pop-up restaurant, library, or store it is a brief, temporary thing. It appears with little warning, cooks its food/checks-out its books/sells its clothes or whatever and then disappears, only to eventually return somewhere else when least expected. Having a, "Pop-up imprint," called, "Hill House Comics," as a part of your Black Label is not truly a, "Pop-up." Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of the imprint's founder/curator, writer Joe Hill, as his stellar comics and solid prose-work always impress. Hearing he has a line of books (some written by him as well as other talents) coming-out sounds really cool--even if it is a little hypocritical considering DC just announced it was getting rid of all its imprints (R.I.P. Vertigo), more-or-less (Bleeding Cool is quite cheeky about this, for sure). Again though, when you create a new imprint/sub-imprint/whatever and it releases mini-series of comics that retailers order two months in advance and expect on set schedule...what exactly is, "Pop-up," about that?

The one exception here where I could maybe, just maybe let this slide is if once Hill House Comics releases its announced titles it truly does just stop and disappear for awhile--like an actual pop-up business would do--only to reemerge some years later without warning. In such a case Hill House Comics is just barely like a pop-up, at least in one regard. Otherwise, calling your new line of books a, "Pop-up Imprint," just sounds like a desperate marketing/branding attempt that looks as cynical as it does foolish. Semantics aside though, I do expect Joe Hill and friends to give us some good stuff, although I wonder if this means he's done doing any further work with IDW where much of his great comic-output originated ("The Cape," "Locke & Key," and so forth). IDW is in trouble finance-wise, so they don't need to lose anybody else who can make them quality books.

Okay, so Vertigo IS Dead and the Black Label is NOT?

Excuse me if I'm late reporting some of this assortment of news and rumors, I'm on a vacation of sorts (visiting family and friends in Cortland) and only can handle so much confusion between sorting-through my old books and CDs here in-between eating at my favorite local food establishments. Anyway, I'm confused because it seems like every other week we hear that DC has killed their Vertigo imprint, revitalized it, and then might be axing it yet again. Now the same damn thing is happening with the Black Label. When Bruce Wayne's Bat-penis was exposed in a Black Label comic the whole line seemed to be getting quietly killed-off, now it is announcing new books.

One soon-to-debut title is, "Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity," comic featuring an out-of-continuity tale where over nine-issues we follow a young Harley Quinn, who works as a forensic psychiatrist and consulting profiler for the Gotham City Police Department. She is working at hunting-down a vicious serial killer, who will of course be the Joker. It sounds fine, but I feel like anything with the Black Label lately that has come out or been announced relates to Batman and his foes. Whatever happened to the Wonder Woman ones they talked about when the line first was discussed? Meanwhile, DC might be shutting-down the Vertigo line since the most recent re-launch in 2018 has basically all but died other than the stellar, "American Carnage," comic which is only set to go for nine issues, as writer Bryan Edward Hill told me in our interview.

I'm not exactly sure what is going on with Vertigo and the Black Label, but I can only hope that everything gets sorted out and the end result is quality stories. I mean, these aren't even the only imprints with DC making me befuddled, remember the death and return of Young Animal? Yeah, I need to go lie down now before I get dizzy.

Ahoy Comics Will Publish the Controversial Comic About Jesus, "Second Coming," and Make a Lot of Money Too

Ahoy Comics put out that, "The Wrong Earth," comic I absolutely loved, and now has a big get in the form of getting the rights to publish, "Second Coming," AKA that Vertigo comic DC panicked over and cancelled (whilst giving the rights back to the creators, thankfully). Yes, this means that the comic, "Second Coming," is indeed getting a, "Second Coming," as it seems everyone online with a fondness for puns is delighting at expressing. Writer Mark Russell and artist Richard Pace undoubtedly had plenty of interested publishers approach them after DC didn't think about how all this controversy could only help the book sell more copies even if some right-wing conservatives (who wouldn't have bought the book in the first place or probably any comics) claimed they would boycott it and DC if such a title came out.

For those unaware of all the hubbub, "Second Coming," is a satirical comic about how Jesus returns to Earth only to find himself incredibly disappointed in how people are interpreting his Gospels and seem to worship a popular super-hero named, "Sun Man," with a violent ideology counter to Jesus' message of peace. From what I have read and heard Jesus is never portrayed in a spiteful or insulting way, it is certain interpretations of Christianity that is criticized, so of course people who claim to be Christians but are in fact just hateful morons freaked-out in regards to the book. The fact these are probably the same people who think it is perfectly fine to draw and insult Mohammed yet they don't see their inherent hypocrisy in these clashing views is thought that would be hilarious if it weren't depressing.

Both Russell and Pace must be ecstatic that all this press-attention has probably helped to assure the book sells a ton of copies when its released this Summer and Ahoy Comics is probably more than willing to be threatened with boycotts from people who don't even read their books in exchange for tons upon tons of cash. Again, the comic isn't even anti-Christian or anything if people look at the subject matter, with Russell saying to the New York Times how it, "...is respectful of what Christians profess to believe. It’s not as respectful as to what they actually do. It’s not a satire of Christ so much as it is a satire on how his followers of the last 2,000 years have turned his message of forgiveness and empathy into one of power and domination, which is as un-Christlike as one can possibly imagine,”so this anger from certain demographics is laughable, frankly. Russell, Pace, and Ahoy Comics will also get to laugh, all the way to the bank, so good for them.

As I Have Said, Shit is Going Down at DC Coics

Just recently I observed that the comic-book publisher known as DC Comics had a whole lot of shit going down. People were being let-go, restructuring was clearly planned, and it seemed the company was getting more controversy-averse (for one example, see the Black Label/Batman's penis fiasco). Well, recent events only seem to further support how--as I have said--shit is going down at DC Comics.

Let's start with some less remarkable things occurring at DC. Namely, that the surprisingly-good series, "Doomsday Clock," has been delayed yet again, which isn't a shock as the artist, Gary Frank, is incredible but lacking in regards to turning-in his work speedily. Oh, and, "Batman: Damned," #3, the final issue in the series which started all the wiener-fuss, was delayed (probably to now clean-up any naughty bits in artwork)...and then all pre-orders were cancelled. Now, it is not uncommon for a heavily-delayed series to have issues cancelled to be resolicited at a later date, but maybe this signifies something else, such as possibly DC just wanting the series and the Black Label itself to quietly fade away (all the other new Black Label books also seem cancelled to maybe be solicited again too, after all).

An even bigger significant occurrence illustrating that DC is scared to rock the boat is that the upcoming Vertigo comic, "Second Coming," has been cancelled, but the creative team is being given the rights so as to take it to another publisher who won't mind some controversy (basically any other publisher, in other words). For those unaware, "Second Coming," was about Jesus returning to Earth and being extremely let-down to see how people were using his teachings, as well as appearing to worship a violent super-hero named Sun-Man more than himself. It is clearly a satirical comic and seems tame compared to other stuff DC's Vertigo imprint has made before--I mean, this is the company that gave us, "Preacher." Still, there was some media attention and so-called, "Christians," complaining the comic was offensive or blasphemous, so away it goes. I mean, these are the same people who protest they should be allowed to draw Muhammad in offensive ways thanks to our nation's freedom of speech, but when has hypocrisy ever stopped the far-right in our country?

DC seems to be wanting to do comics that carefully avoid pushing too many buttons, and instead of edgier work are going to give us stuff like, "The Year of the Villain," a comic-event where villains yet again go and work to take over the world (so..."Forever Evil," but this time it is villains from the same dimension instead of another one, I guess). It isn't all bad news at DC, however, as their planned films made by their owner, Warner Brothers, have had the ones with Jared Leto's mediocre Joker potentially cancelled, so we won't have any more of that to suffer through. Hopefully he'll be a better Morbius, as Leto has shown in other roles he is a solid actor (just not a good Joker). I'd be willing to get a whole bunch of crappy Leto-Joker flicks if it meant the publishing-arm of DC would actually put out challenging and thoughtful work, but that isn't my choice to make.

Shit is Going Down at DC Comics

Sometimes I am weirdly prescient. You see, my last post a handful of days ago was about a DC comic released at Walmart causing all kinds of controversy due to its depiction of the theoretical brutal murder of Lois Lane. I talked about how this comic was in a big issue of new stuff and reprinted materials that was geared towards general readers. I also mentioned how the Direct Market was in trouble, maybe necessitating comics for more general readers, albeit ones that hopefully didn't shoot Lois Lane in the head on the first page. Well, shit is going down at DC and it has laid-off a number of folk in relatively high-up positions of power.

One of the people unceremoniously let-go is a gentleman named Mark Chiarello, known by friend and industry-folk as, "Chi." Chi was previously heavily involved in a variety of the best-regarded and most critically acclaimed DC projects, such as my beloved, "Wednesday Comics," so his being given the boot especially stings for me, and in the opinions of myself and many others. Also, before you ask, the people let go were by no means disliked, with a lot of love expressed for them by assorted folk, and they all were lacking in any kind of scandal (to my knowledge) so this is in essence a move done by DC to focus on totally revamping marketing. Prestige projects or experimental stuff is less important, and creating a more unified identity seems to be the focal point. It is no secret DC has been struggling with its identity some, from the slow death and eventual rebirth of Vertigo, to the false-start of the, "Black Label," which was essentially sunk by Batman's penis making a cameo.

Mark Chiarello

This shake-up and reorganization happening at DC isn't exactly coming-out of the blue, I distinctly remember back in June of 2018 when a lot of folk suddenly left the company entirely, or set-up special deals with it to no longer have certain positions of power but still be contributors. The comic-book market is in a state of flux, and DC clearly is having its own big shifts and changes too. Whether this will end-up working-out in the company's favor or this is the equivalent of that classic expression regarding rearranging deck-chairs on the Titanic is something I am by no means able to predict. I do think I can say without (intentionally) sounding too pessimistic however that things are probably going to get worse before they get better.

A Lot of Folk are Suddenly Leaving DC

I made this meme, I'm proud.
Seriously, no other Kermit-drinking-tea-memes exist.

DC Comics has had its quite successful, "Rebirth," occur, that's a good thing. There have been little hints here and there however that some things were amiss or going to be changing. There has been much going on at DC with lines seeming to end (Young Animal), coming back (Vertigo), plus new lines (Black Label), as well as talk of needing to figure out what to do with the film division and the importance keeping the many television shows profitable--and always, when things change people jockey for power.  Well, after what was supposedly a temporary leave of absence that started in March, DC's Entertainment President Diane Nelson made it official she wasn't coming back. Then Geoff Johns stepped-down as COO but in the process gets to make his own company (Mad Ghost Productions) which will be involved in the creation of a DC movie about the Green Lantern Corps and this new role will keep him involved in DC T.V. productions as well as getting his own DC imprint (yes, another new one), "The Killing Zone." Whether Johns was forced out and this is a, "Golden Parachute," of sorts or he wanted to strike-out on his own but still have heavy involvement with DC is a question nobody is gonna answer honestly.

We had those two big exits happen from DC (well, a half-exit for Johns) and then Ethan Van Sciver made it apparent he was departing DC for the sole reason to focus on creator-owned work, and absolutely no other reason--like how he's made many people angry through his association with terrible people such as the idiots of Comicsgate who basically exist because they dislike women and diversity in comic-books. Yeah, methinks DC told him he could either leave or be let-go, and he chose the route that looked better for him. Oh, and on top of all this going on it seems the Batman movie that's been in development Hell for what feels forever won't even have Ben Affleck involved as Bruce Wayne/Batman anymore. Keep in mind this was going to be a movie he directed and starred in, then wasn't going to direct but at least be in, and now who the Hell knows what is going on besides hopefully at least Director Matt Reeves (who my heart goes out to for being what is essentially the captain of a movie that's the metaphorical equivalent of a sinking ship)?

I mean, Ben Affleck actually did a solid job with some miserable material in these movies.

Everyone at DC in an executive or creative position continue to assure everyone things are fine and these changes are for the better. It strikes me as purse chaos, but maybe things will in fact work out for the best? After all, the film division (other than the, "Wonder Woman," flicks) is a huge mess, certain aspects of the comic-line are shaky and need extra loving focus. Hopefully all of the changes happening at DC are carefully planned, being executed precisely, and this isn't just one big clusterfuck where we get a calm and optimistic veneer being shown to outside world that's hiding a core which is literally rotting-away as it sheds a bunch of employees. I mean, if we at least get a good Aquaman movie from all the crazy stuff going on that's worth it, right?

DC's Vertigo Line Rises From the (Sort-of) Dead

DC has long struggled about what to do with its Vertigo line. What was once a home to some of the biggest comics has for a good deal of time chugged along with barely anything of note coming out besides the occasional revisit to Neil Gaiman's mythos of, "Sandman," or such. Well, Vertigo just announced what is in essence a relaunch featuring a focus on a wide variety of creators in the hopes a wide-ranging line of titles will appeal to potential new readers with Mark Doyle (someone who got their start in comics with Vertigo) overseeing this new iteration. The press-release has buzz-words such as, "Returning to our roots," and, "New stories, new voices, new possibilities," but corporate-speak aside, the seven books that have been announced as spearheading this era of Vertigo do at least sound like the kind of quirky and unique reads it was once known for. 

The books include a tale of a superhero meeting Jesus in, "Second Coming," a funny-sounding sci-fi thriller about the regulation of pleasure titled, "Safe Sex," or a clever fantasy-political yarn where the damage of mystical monsters is blamed on, "Illegals," in, "Border State," these titles sound funny and interesting. It isn't all humorous stuff however, with the story of a biracial FBI agent passing as caucasian in a white supremacist group within, "American Carnage," sounding appropriately intense. There's also futuristic-sounding stuff like, "Goddess Mode," with its super-powered artificial intelligence and the woman who does tech support on it as well as, "High Level," set in the future after the world ended and rebuilt itself in odd ways. Oh, and a comic about witches brainwashed to become subservient housewives who of course are going to get some revenge, which sounds hilarious. 

Pretty much all of the seven announced comics in Veritgo's rise-from-the-grave sound interesting and I would hope they are all good reads. We will see this latest attempt to reinvigorate DC's original mature-readers line will succeed or wither on the vine. Whatever happens, at least we'll get that really striking cover for, "Safe Sex," you can see above that just looks like a cool and edgy piece of art.

DC's Newly Announced, "Black Label," Line Sounds Like a Bland Concept With Potentially Stellar Comics

It had been rumored for a bit, but today DC officially announced their new, "Black Label line," of comics which will basically consist of R-rated and potentially out-of-continuity stories featuring popular characters. It is a little funny as back in the day DC's now-basically-dead Vertigo line was kind of an, "R-rated Elseworlds," and the current oft-delayed books in the, "Young Animal," line can be pretty mature what-with the swearing--and let's be honest, this line sounds like an excuse to let Batman say an unedited, "Fuck," and maybe show some illustrated breasts as DC already has shared extreme violence with us in the past via their non-mature readers comics (remember when it felt like every DC book had to feature someone getting an arm ripped-off? Wild times). This whole, "Black Label," honestly sounds like a somewhat dumb idea except for the fact that the announced books actually appear like they could be really, really good.

Putting aside how annoying, "Black Label," sounds as a line name (is DC trying to riff-on alcohol brands to seem extra grown-up?) the creative teams are mostly solid, with people like Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo working on Batman and Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo doing a book about the Dark Knight as well,  John Ridley's earlier-disclosed book about the, "Other history," of the DC Universe being a part of this, Kelly Sue Deconnick and Greg Rucka both writing a Wonder Woman title, and, um, Frank Miller giving us, "Superman: Year One," with John Romita Jr. That last one could be good or an abomination (hey, I said the teams were, "Mostly solid," not entirely).

If these titles had simply been announced as general comics that were possibly not a part of the, "Main," DC continuity I would have still been intrigued by many of them. This whole, "Black Label," however sounds like a bland concept--"Elseworlds with boobies and cursing!"--with some potentially stellar content from the creative teams. I'm for sure curious about almost all of the announced books and want to at least give them a shot regardless of if they are a part of this new Black Label, or whatever other line DC wants to throw-out a name for.

Whether the, "Black Label," as a concept is a hit or a miss is really only of concern for me if it possibly means we will get more cool-sounding books announced. If I have to put-up with DC using this dumb new name for a line of really cool comics I'll withstand the idiocy of how it'll sound when I go into the comic shop and ask for the latest, "Black Label," as if I'm ordering a drink. Now we just need to wait for the books to come-out and hopefully be great.

Rant-Reviews--Stuff I Wanted to Write About

Spurred Some Writing
Sometimes I will read a comic and not have much to say besides if I enjoyed it or not. Other times I have a number of thoughts I feel like sharing. I recently read these books and found they all made me want to at least say a chunk of something about them, so let's roll with it and do a batch of reviews!

The New Stuff
Michael Cray #4
Spinning-out of the first arc of "The Wild Storm," I have been really enjoying, "Michael Cray," so far. It seems to be following a bit of a routine of taking popular DC heroes and presenting them in a more twisted and evil version that Cray and his team have to confront. It's been clever and fascinating to see such wild designs of folk like Oliver Queen, Barry Allen, and Arthur Curry, with the book taking full advantage of how this is based in the new Wildstorm-verse and is of course removed from the main DCU (the whole merging of the worlds basically fell apart, didn't it?), allowing weird stuff like what we've witnessed.

It hasn't been too clear how some of these plot elements will relate back into, "The Wild Storm," but I don't mind as since this split-off from the main title it has been its own stellar little story. Michael Cray is a fascinating fellow who isn't just a skilled agent, but very sad and empathetic. He carries a solo title well and I'm eager to see what other murderous and imposing versions of DC heroes he comes up against in future issues!
5 out of 5 stars.

Motherlands #1
Look, I usually love Si Spurrier as a writer, but this new title from Vertigo (yes, that line does still exist) is a confusing mess. It has something to do with alternate universes, bounty-hunters, the entertainment industry, long-lost brothers, and I was just completely lost. I imagine Spurrier has some idea of where he's taking this, but I was just left scratching my head at the majority of this book. It still had some decent jokes and I understood a tiny bit, so it wasn't all bad. Still, talk about a really underwhelming start.
2 out of 5 stars.

Blind Justice #2
I feel like this book was delayed forever, as it is the last of the first, "Season," of the All-Time Comics that Fantagraphics put out. That said, it is a well-written and gorgeous book. I know some people didn't really like the whole throwback theme Fantagraphics had going with these books but I loved them and personally am immensely excited for when more issues come out in, "Late 2018," as the back of the book promises. This issue follows the titular, "Blind Justice," as he dons his heavy protective equipment to go fight a serial killer. It also furthers the overall, "All-Time Comics," plot with this being I believe the sixth issue released under that banner. It's more pulpy fun, which sums-up what these comics have been overall too.
3.5 out of 5 stars,

Twisted Romance #1
A four-part weekly anthology from Image Comics coming out in honor of how February is a month of love in all kinds of wild forms, this series of, "Twisted Romance," lives up to its name in the contents of the first issue already. Alex de Campi writes and Katie Skelly illustrates a stellar short piece about literally heartless people who basically make a business out of their ability to siphon life from people. It's delightfully strange and Skelly's stellar art abilities mesh perfectly with de Campi's darkly humorous writing. There also is a solid prose piece about supernatural creatures and a super-abstract comic on the opposite side of the book (you flip it around and upside-down). Alex and Katie's story is for sure the main attraction here, however, and boy is it a great star for the first issue to get people interested in future ones!
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Jessica Jones #16
Brian Michael Bendis is of course leaving Marvel for DC, but has to wrap-up some stories he's been doing before some of the books end and others are handed-over to other writers. Jessica Jones has always arguably been his baby (besides his, "Ultimate Spider-Man," works), a character he created for the first-ever comic under Marvel's line of, "MAX," comics with the title, "Alias." It was an amazing comic and Jones popped-up in other books afterwards, getting married to Luke Cage and having a child with him named Danielle, but the book truly recently returned when Bendis did this series with original,"Alias," artist Michael Gaydos. The title was of course changed as since the, "Alias," comic existed there was that television show with Jessica Garner of the same name, and the Netflix show which drew from the comics was simply titled, "Jessica Jones," as well. Anyways, all this lead-up is basically to establish that I'm sad to see Bendis leaving this character, but boy is he doing it with a bang.

Jessica Jones biggest archenemy is arguably The Purple Man. A sociopathic villain with the ability to make people do whatever he says, the original, "Alias," comic established why Jones hates him so much (he basically abducted her when she was an active super-hero and nobody noticed) and he's returned for what seems to be the climax of Bendis' run on this book. What at first seemed like it would be a standard, "Beat-up the bad guy," story has spiraled into something much weirder, with Purple Man not exactly wanting to be a good guy, but basically so exhausted of being evil he's willing to try the opposite. It's a bizarre twist and could very well be a ploy, but I'm genuinely off-put by it (in a good way) and curious where this could be going. We're about at the end of Bendis' time on the book so I hope he sticks the landing--this is one of his shining jewels of his time at Marvel so I imagine he will.
4 out 5 stars.

Check Your Local Comic-Shop!
As these books all just recently came-out (besides, "Michael Cray #4," which is a few weeks old) and you can most likely buy them at your comic shop without much of any trouble. Therefore, I encourage you to visit your local comic store and buy whatever of these titles appeal to you, or anything else there you want, I'm not trying to boss you around or anything!

Rant Reviews Where I Check-In on Some Series

It's Not Only About Brand-New Stuff
I of course love to review and discuss new series. That said, they are plenty of ongoing series and mini-series I've been reading which deserve some attention too. Shall we review some?

As We Resume Reading...
Regular Show #34
I always enjoy a good 15-minute burst of, "Regular Show," with its quirky sense of humor complimenting my desire for televised absurdity very well. The tie-in comic is now up to its 34th issue and with this one we begin a new three-part arc where Mordecai and Rigby argue about which movie action-heroes have the best weapons. It is as usual a seemingly simple concept that flies off into all sorts of zaniness and hints at some dangerous trouble brewing for the next issue. There also is a funny back-up where the guys face-off against some bikers who also happen to be little babies. Again, it is very silly and if you don't have the kind of humor the show appeals to you may scratch your head in confusion about why people enjoy this stuff. However, should you be like me, and like a dollop of weird with your jokes, you'll have some fun with this.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose #97
This issue concludes a short story-arc which follows Tarot, her fiance Jon, and sister Raven, as they are transported into a surreal horror-tinged world apparently set within a demonic video-game console. The result is our heroes falling prey to various horror motifs (Tarot becomes a Frankenstein's monster, Raven is turned into a vampire, and Jon finds himself moprhed into a werewolf), and fighting against the evil entities of the world. I enjoyed this issue, and writer-artist Jim Balent sure can draw a superb werewolf. My only big complaint would be that the ending feels rushed and a bit anti-climatic, with another character who has activated the evil game console simply having himself disconnected from it, allowing Tarot, Raven, and Jon, to be transported back to the real world. I wouldn't have minded this story being allowed to breathe a bit with a third issue that follows our heroes working to find a way out of the twisted horror-world, but perhaps I'm just saying that because werewolf-Jon looked really cool. Whatever the case, as "Tarot," approaches issue #100--a huge milestone for any comic, especially an independent one--it continues to be as enjoyable as ever.
4 out of 5 stars.

Jacked #5
Written by Eric Kripke--who apparently helped create the show, "Supernatural," which my sister-in-law adores, "Jacked," has been a darkly humorous take on what happens when a normal guy named Josh who desperately wants to be powerful finds a drug named Jacked that inexplicably makes him, well, "Jacked." It has been a fun series so far but this issue really brings things to a head when Josh confronts some gangsters while high on some expired Jacked. This allows the artists, John Higgins and Marc Olivent to draw some impressively bizarre hallucinations ranging from talking snack-cakes to a brief appearance of some DC heroes (being a Vertigo comic has its perks if you want a Superman or Batman cameo it seems). The series started out a bit more sarcastic and fun before getting a bit more depressing, but a scene here where Josh realizes his family is the most important thing to him of all regardless of Jacked is sweet if a little bit on-the-nose. There is one issue left in this mini-series and I hope things work out okay for Josh, which is a sign of good writing when you care enough about a fictional character to desire they turn-out alright.
4 out of 5 stars.

Saga #35
Do I honestly need to review this? I mean, it's, "Saga." Many people love it, a few folk inexplicably hate it, but I find it to be one of the most consistently entertaining and engaging comics coming out. Plus, as this issue draws a bunch of plot threads together it is exciting to guess how much havoc is going to be breaking out soon. A good way to summarize this is to simply say: "'Saga,' it's the comic everyone should be reading." Plus, as is pointed out in the letters page, this is the issue before the last one which will be followed usual in-between-arcs-break has a literal cliffhanger, that's always fun!
5 out of 5 stars.

Spook #4
I read this and realized it was actually the last issue of the mini-series, making it less a case of checking-in on a comic than it is observing the conclusion. I'm still going to review it though because I found the series pretty interesting overall if a bit slow-moving at times. The basic idea is the CIA has in fact been able to turn a dead agent into a ghost--although it took until the end of issue #2 for that to occur--and thankfully after the slower-start things picked-up with the third issue and this now concluding one. The artwork is solid, a bit scratchy and impressionistic, and the plot has an interesting hook with some good dialogue even if the exact motivations of certain characters at times seems a little unclear (so why did the bad guy keep a potential threat alive? He doesn't ever really give a particularly good reason). Still, it was a solid read that hints at future series where more CIA ghost-agents are around, so if a sequel occurs I'll check it out, methinks.
3 out of 5 stars.

The Wicked and the Divine #18
Man, it really seems like forever since that last issue, and it in fact has been a couple of months as there was a break before this new episode in the increasingly twisty and complex, "WIC+DIV," as the kids call it--I think, at least; who knows what kids are into these days? Things definitely start off with a bang, as it is revealed someone we all thought dead--Laura, the main character for much of the earlier issues--is in fact doing quite alright, and ready to raise a bit of a ruckus. A ruckus does indeed get raised, as this is one of the most action-packed issues of the series thus far--writer Kieron Gillen admits in the back-matter that this latest story-arc is one where if something could blow up, it will. I'm quite excited to see where things go now.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Vision #6
This issue a whole bunch of nasty truths come out, some disturbing home surgery is performed and shit otherwise continues to get real. Awesome stuff. Seriously though, who would have predicted some months ago a comic about a robot (pardon me, synthezoid) that almost zero people care about would turn into what is possibly the best comic--not just best Marvel comic, but best comic, period--currently on the stands? From the intensely ominous first issue to the growing violence, fear, and general paranoia in later ones, a book about a lame Avenger within six issues has turned into a must-read series that has been confirmed as ending with issue #12, but if writer Tom King says that lets him tell the entire story he wanted to tell before going-off and becoming DC-exclusive then dear God let's treasure this half-way point. I say we should treasure it because the sixth issue is another stupendous piece within this magnum opus that is already being compared with other comic masterworks.
5 out of 5 stars.

It's Good to Keep in Touch
It is always good to check-in on titles, I'm glad they all seem to be doing at least moderately well or continuing to prove themselves as excellent.

Rant-Reviews: New Series Showcase

Brand New Debut
I just had some rant-reviews go up for an assortment of Image titles, but there are of course many publishers--both big and small--who are coming out with comics all the time. Let's review some 1st issues from an assortment of folk right now, why don't we?

The Premiere
New Romancer #1
A new comic from Vertigo (yes, they still exist). This is a variety of interesting ideas that writer Peter Milligan sadly can not manage to have it all come together in a coherent way. We've got the idea of artificial intelligence forming based on past historical figures. Then that idea is put into dead people and results in them coming back thinking they are characters from the past. But we also have this plot about dating websites, and evil corporations, and a protagonist whose Father used her as a lab rat for science experiments involving technology. Oh, and there's a killer on the loose.

 I'll give Milligan credit in that he is nothing if not eager to put his ideas on the page, but the problem with this comic is I see ideas that could easily make for two or three interesting series but instead he is trying to jam them all together. Milligan basically could give the reader a nice tasty soup, but has put the ingredients of three very different soups together and the result is an interesting but also pretty weird mess. If Milligan can flesh things out this might flow better, but right now, "New Romancer," an intriguing failure of a first issue.
2 out of 5 stars.

InSeXts #1
A debut title from the brand-new publisher, Aftershock Comics. Writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Ariela Kristantina here provide what I would definitely agree is an erotic horror story with some gross-out elements that bring to mind the more disgusting moments of, "The Fly [the Cronenberg version]," We have two Victorian-era women who have to keep their  love for one another secret and a cruel and uncaring husband who meets a nasty demise at the end of this issue. A lot of things are left unclear, but it is made apparent that one of the women has come across a rather nasty way for her lover to have a baby that contains both their genetics and use the cruel husband as an incubator of sorts. Cue a lot of raunchy sex scenes and one of the more hideously rendered images of a stomach exploding I've seen in some time--and that's meant as a compliment to Kristantina's superb art skills!

The mixture of sex and horror works quite nicely in this debut, and even though us readers are left in the dark on what exactly is going on, I imagine some answers will be forthcoming in future issues about just what these dangerous women and their child have in store for London.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

Squadron Supreme #1
Part of Marvel's big event and relaunch/reboot, I picked this up mainly because I really enjoy James Robinson's writing (when he's "On," and opposed to some terrible works), and because this features the Nighthawk from the Supreme Power Comic-verse (that made up some of the earlier Marvel Max comics) on a team of fellow survivors of destroyed Universes. The basic idea here is that these are people who literally are the sole survivors of worlds where billions of lives were lost, so now that they call this Earth (of the general Marvel-U) home, they ain't gonna let anything threaten it. This leads to a shocking death of a long-time character that most of the internet already spoiled but I won't in case you would like to be surprised

In essence we are riffing on some of the ideas of various comics that have featured incarnations of the Squadron throughout time, the idea of if people with this much power have the right to declare themselves makers-of-the-rules simply through their force of arms, or if they are acting wrongfully. The end of the issue illustrates that the rest of the Marvel Universe may have a problem with this group and I am eager to see where things go.
4 out of 5 stars.

X'ed #1
From somewhat-newer publisher Black Mask Studios, this comic is much like the earlier mentioned, "New Romancer," comic in that there are a ton of ideas and concepts in this comic. However, this book for the most part makes it work. We seem to have an organization that goes into people's minds and can help them forget painful memories, dig-up secrets, etc. So it's a little bit like, "Inception," but focused more on the mind in general than dreams. This idea of focusing on minds allows our characters to go inside people's brains and explore fascinating landscapes full of surreal imagery and metaphors. This was probably my favorite part of the comic thanks to being so weird. Then the book introduces the story-element where the facility in which these procedures take place gets attacked by some mysterious people who have a deadly app that can harm others and case damage just by simply having the phone pointed toward what needs hurting.

Yes, as you can see this is another comic full of strange stuff, but despite being a little confusing, "X'ed," actually seems to work for the most part. Some questions remain about just what exactly is going on, but enough is made clear that I wasn't left scratching my head in utter bewilderment, just minor confusion.
3.5 out of 5 stars.

Closing Thoughts
There are a lot of new comics always coming out. I like to think more good stuff than bad stuff gets released, so that's a good thing. These debut series may turn out to be really good or end-up being terrible, but at least I got some thoughts in on their first issues.