AKAPAD featured on Awestruck Comics Podcast (AWESTRUCK NEWS-DAY: E144 – ABSOLUTE BATMAN PRINTER DAMAGE/ MORE HBO MAX’S LANTERNS FURY / BARBARIC)

AKAPAD featured on Awestruck Comics Podcast AWESTRUCK NEWS-DAY: E144 – Absolute Batman Printer Damage / More HBO Max’s Lanterns Fury / Barbaric

I had a blast jumping on Marc The Merc’s mic for Episode 144 of the Awestruck Comics Podcast! We dove headfirst into the wild world of current comics: the printer nightmare hitting Absolute Batman #20 and other DC books, the latest on HBO Max’s Lanterns series (and why that “only one can wear the ring” ad is driving fans crazy), the underrated brilliance of Barbaric, Marvel’s cloaked covers and Jeep tie-ins, sales charts, variant drama, and plenty more.

From NJ Comicop’s birthday blowout and collector culture to honest industry talk, this episode is packed with laughs, hot takes, and real talk. If you love comics as much as we do, hit play and join the conversation!

[00:00:00]
Summary of NJ Comicop Birthday Event and Community Dynamics

• The podcast opens with a mention of NJ Comicop’s birthday celebration, highlighting a special sale event at a New Jersey comic store where comics were priced at 50 cents, with special deals on “fill a short” and “fill a long” options.
• The host was present at the event from 11 AM to 2 PM and reflects on the community atmosphere, noting local collectors such as Tim Quicksell and the “Fat Albert gang” of South Jersey.
• The session emphasized the collector mindset: many attendees were focused on completing sets with an obsessive-compulsive approach, knowing exactly what they wanted.
• A humorous camaraderie exists among collectors, with light-hearted banter about shirts and working in comics, underscoring that working in comics is a constant labor.
• The host shares a personal anecdote about acquiring a less popular comic, Red Blade by Vince Dano, showing personal collecting passion that goes against mainstream tastes.
• Vince Dano’s work is noted for its unique artistic influences, including connections to artists like Dan Penosian, with comparisons drawn to other comic series like Terminal.

[00:03:44]
Discussion of Green Lantern TV Series and DC Comics Continuity

• The host critiques a recent Green Lantern advertisement claiming “only one can wear the ring,” dismissing it as logically flawed and not consistent with DC lore, which has thousands of Green Lanterns across various sectors.
• Chris Mundy, the showrunner, confirmed two timelines in the show, implying Hal Jordan’s death in the first timeline (2016) and John Stewart’s prominence in the future timeline (2026), aligning with existing DC continuity.
• The showrunner’s approach is seen as predictable, with the “worst kept secret” being John Stewart’s role.
• The host expresses frustration with the handling of the Green Lantern mythos, citing the immense number of Lanterns (minimum 3600, possibly over 7200), which contradicts the advertisement’s premise.
• A trailer for the Green Lantern series was reviewed as visually impressive, featuring multiverse elements and notable actors like Brian Posain and Lauren Lapis, who are praised for their performances.

[00:10:26]
Comic Book Printing Errors and Industry Challenges

• Significant spine damage and printing errors were reported for recent DC comic releases including Absolute Batman 20, Absolute Martian Manhunter, and Barbara Gordon Breakout.
• These defects include a “spine tick” in the center bottom of the comic, affecting the card stock and potentially the grading quality.
• CGC (Certified Guaranty Company) has been made aware of these defects, creating uncertainty about grading and value.
• The host criticizes DC’s response, which involves offering second printings with corrected images and partial credits, rather than recalling or pulping defective first prints.
• By contrast, Image Comics is praised for a more straightforward approach to correcting print errors.
• The defect affects the collectability of key books, such as first appearances, complicating the market for collectors and retailers who face thin margins.
• The host also comments on the overall poor state of the comic book industry, noting contractual issues, low pay, and the difficulty for stores to sustain themselves, compounded by printing quality problems.

[00:16:01]
Marvel Midnight Universe Cloaked Cover Strategy and Nostalgia

• Marvel’s new Midnight Universe comics employ a “cloaked cover” design, partially obscuring the main cover art, reminiscent of a 1990s style where covers had overlays or blurs to entice buyers.
• This approach is seen as a nod to nostalgic ’90s comic gimmicks but the host expresses some confusion about the exact unveiling method and whether the cloaked cover unfolds or is simply replaced by a variant cover.
• The concept is compared to DC’s New 52 anniversary double gatefold covers, which revealed a surprise image on the back, creating a collectible “page turn” effect.
• While the host dislikes blind bag style gimmicks overall, they acknowledge some exceptions where blind bags offered surety of variant or foil covers, making them less frustrating for collectors.
• Robert Kirkman’s Terminal series is mentioned as a possible future candidate for innovative blind bag or collectible cover strategies, with expectations to “push the envelope” due to previous criticism.

[00:19:36]
JLA/Avengers Crossover Variant Covers and Marketing Critique

• The upcoming JLA/Avengers crossover series features variant covers that form a combined image across multiple issues.
• The host criticizes the execution: only two covers (issue #3 DC and Marvel) form one half of the image, with no clear plan for a four-part combined cover, which could have been more impressive.
• The trade dress design mockup is also criticized for poor aesthetics and unclear branding.
• Artist evaluations:
• Ryan Stegman’s cover for issue #1 is rated a B+ but considered less impactful than his Venom artwork.
• Dan Mora’s cover for issue #2 is noted as unseen and the host expresses skepticism about its quality and marketing.
• The lack of foil variants on some variants, such as the Dan Mora cover, is seen as a missed opportunity to capitalize on collector interest.

[00:23:01]
Upper Deck Fleer and Superman 90s Anniversary Card Set Overview

• A new Upper Deck Fleer trading card set commemorates Superman’s 90th anniversary with a mix of new and recycled artwork.
• Pricing for blister packs is around $36 per box, but details about the total number of cards in the set and how many are truly new are unclear.
• The host expresses disappointment with some artwork, describing it as boring or recycled, though some pieces remain appealing.
• Mention of Nelson DeCastro’s involvement in a 3×9 card puzzle set, highlighting his connection to the Matt Reeves Batman universe (referred to as the “Matt Reeves averse”).
• Casting news includes Charles Dance as Harvey Dent’s father and Sebastian Stan as Harvey Dent, with some roles undisclosed.

[00:27:45]
Barbaric Comic and Related Media Development

• Barbaric, a comic by Michael Marici featuring an “Owen the Barbarian” character with a talking axe, is highlighted as a strong, underappreciated series.
• Artist Nathan Gooden is noted for consistently drawing the main series and spin-offs, with a style reminiscent of Windsor Smith.
• The comic was once slated for a Michael Bay movie adaptation or Netflix series, but the project was dropped, with uncertainty over rights and payments.
• Gooden also illustrated Big Rig by Post Malone, which was well-received but has not yet been adapted into screen media.

[00:30:06]
Marvel Jeep Tie-In Criticism

• Marvel released a $50,000 limited edition Jeep with a Marvel tie-in design, reportedly limited to 5,000 units.
• The host strongly criticizes the design as uninspired, lacking notable Marvel branding on the hood or front, and compares it unfavorably to other themed vehicles like She-Hulk Jeeps seen locally.
• Anecdotes include a mortgage client who owns a Black Panther Lexus, showing enthusiasm for themed vehicles despite niche appeal.
• The host suggests a better approach would be a simple “Hound Jeep” with iconic markings, emphasizing authenticity over over-design.

[00:32:06]
Upcoming Marvel August Releases and Cover Art Discussion

• Marvel releases three August books: What If Captain America Was Unfrozen 2099 (with Ron Lim art), What If Runaways Hadn’t Run Away?, and What If Cassandra Nova Killed Charles Xavier in the Womb?
• Ron Lim’s involvement is a highlight, given his legacy with X-Men 2099.
• The Runaways series is noted as having improved in later runs but remains niche in appeal.
• The Cassandra Nova cover art is described as heavily 90s-inspired, with a style reminiscent of Age of Apocalypse.
• The host is generally indifferent to the covers, labeling some as AI-generated or uninspired and preferring classic or more charismatic artwork.

[00:33:49]
Top 50 Comics Sales and Industry Observations

• Surprising endurance noted for titles like Corpse Knight, GI Joan, and Black Cat (not the McCay version).
• Sales figures illustrate a complex market where some indie and Image titles maintain strong footholds alongside major superhero franchises.
• The host questions how profits and payments distribute among creators, given the market conditions.

[00:36:23]
Deadshot Next Level One-Shot and Cover Art Commentary

• A Deadshot one-shot titled Next Level features multiple variant covers by artists including Jerry Duggan, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Mark Spears.
• The host praises Carmine’s cover as the best, highlighting its strong composition and style.
• The Mark Spears cover is criticized for resembling a trading card more than a comic book cover.
• Discussion includes the anticipation for Spawn 77 anniversary issue and the Jim Lee variant cover designed for that milestone.

[00:38:31]
Artist Tier Rankings and Legacy Character Action Figures

• The podcast discusses ranking comic artists in tiers (A-tier, B-tier, etc.) with mentions of Cedric Noon, Brett Booth, and Todd Nauck.
• The legacy character action figures by McFarlane Toys are reviewed, noting characters like Shadow, Dragon, Spawn, Witchblade, and Ripclaw.
• There is debate over the popularity and quality of these figures, with some priced as high as $70, leading to mixed reviews.
• The host reflects on industry dynamics where original creators and newer artists sometimes clash or overshadow each other in fan reception.
• Personal anecdotes include remembering Michael Turner, a beloved artist who died young, and the challenges around Witchblade casting and adaptations.

[00:43:06]
Exclusive Variant Covers and Collectible Toy Discussion

• Rob Lo Creations offers exclusive covers priced around $40, focusing on rarities with less than 100 copies made.
• The host critiques background choices on these covers and the absence of certain key characters like Young Blood volume 2 creators or Alan Moore’s Young Blood.
• An unpublished cover by Cedric Noon inked by Tim Townsend is highlighted as a desirable item for collectors.
• Discussion of collectible toys touches on the challenge of balancing detail and price, with praise for McFarlane’s Deadpool figure’s ink work, contrasting poor ink usage on other figures.
• The coloring style on some toys recalls 1970s spot color techniques, adding nostalgic charm but also highlighting limitations.

[00:45:48]
Upcoming Maniacs Comic Launch and Creative Process

• The Maniacs comic is preparing for a pre-launch on June 1st, with an official launch targeted for July 1st.
• The host shares exclusive insights into the comic’s art style, heavy inking by artist Dex, and design choices to ensure the logo’s readability despite the stylized title spelling (“Maniacs” with an X at the end).
• Emphasis is placed on showcasing at least five pages to demonstrate creative capability before launch.
• The host expresses excitement about the project and requests positivity from the audience despite frustrations with the broader industry.

[00:47:24]
Closing Remarks and Positive Outlook

• The podcast concludes with encouragement to keep reading comics and maintain a positive attitude despite challenges in the industry.
• The host acknowledges the frustrations caused by industry issues, printing errors, and marketing missteps but stresses the importance of continuing to support comics and creators.
• The sign-off includes a playful note: “Keep positive and keep keep on strucking.”

Key Insights

• Community and Collector Culture: NJ Comicop’s birthday event showcased the strong, obsessive dedication of comic collectors, revealing the social and emotional bonds within the hobby.
• Industry Challenges: Printing defects and DC’s handling of the errors highlight systemic issues in quality control and publisher-retailer-collector relations.
• Marketing and Product Criticism: Both Marvel and DC’s marketing strategies, including variant covers, blind bags, and merchandise tie-ins, are scrutinized for missed opportunities and lack of innovation.
• Artistic Legacy and Creator Recognition: Discussions about artist tiers, legacy characters, and collectible figures reveal ongoing debates about creator prominence and fan preferences.
• Sales Data and Market Trends: Marvel leads in top-selling comics, but Image’s niche titles remain competitive; DC struggles with print quality yet maintains strong franchises.
• Upcoming Projects: New comics like Maniacs and continuations of legacy titles indicate ongoing creative activity, even as the industry faces structural challenges.

Frequently Mentioned Names and Terms

• Vince Dano: Comic artist with a distinctive style, creator of Red Blade.
• Chris Mundy: Green Lantern showrunner confirming dual timelines.
• Brian Posain & Lauren Lapis: Actors praised for performances in Green Lantern series.
• Ron Lim: Artist for What If Captain America Was Unfrozen 2099.
• Michael Marici: Writer of Barbaric.
• Nathan Gooden: Artist known for consistent work on Barbaric and Big Rig.
• Rob Lo Creations: Producer of exclusive variant covers.
• McFarlane Toys: Maker of legacy character action figures.
• Dex: Colorist for the upcoming Maniacs comic.
• CGC: Grading company involved in assessing comics with printing defects.

Here’s the transcript for this episode:

00:00:00
All right, let’s do it. Hello everybody. It’s also comics podcast tight show tight show today. Uh it’s NJ comicop’s uh birthday. Uh so yesterday we >> the comic store where you spend some of your time some free time falls New Jersey. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So I’ll be there today from 11 to 2. Uh, but everything’s 50 cents or fill a short for 60, fill a long for free plug, fill a long for 100 bucks. I guess by the time I put this out, it’s not going to be there. But >> done.

00:00:34

Sal’s done, everybody. Sorry, but uh, >> this was yesterday. This is pretty pretty fun. There’s a pad right there. >> He’s famous. >> Who’s Who’s the Who’s that heavy dude in the lime green shirt? >> That’s me. >> Oh, look at that. You’re like the sun. Oh, >> that’s what the store looks like, huh? I know. You should probably go to the store. Yeah, that would be something that, >> you know, it’s funny for me to call

00:00:58
other people fat because I’m just like fat. >> Look at this fat bald loser. >> But there was a lot. Well, what’s funny was when we when I got there, it was literally like uh Tim Quickixle, Connor. Uh these are all like local guys. Then, um >> the the Fat Albert gang, the comic fat Albert gang of South Jersey. >> Yeah. Rich from Welcome Back Comics was there and I was like, “What are you doing? you’re just going to buy this to put in your and and a lot of them are a

00:01:23
lot of them I think a lot of them are just like OCD people, right? So Tim is completing sets. He doesn’t have a list. Tim Quicksell, he’s you know he’s a funny he’s just such a South Jersey guy. I was mad at him because the shirt he had on the last time was like a cool shirt he got from Shane K. >> And I was like yo I was like where’s your shirt? And he had like a completely blank shirt on to which Duca is like yeah man it’s it must be uh must be laundry day. And I was like you always

00:01:49
have it. He’s like, “Yeah, but I’m not working.” I was like, “Well, you’re kind of you’re kind of working.” Like, everyone’s working. >> If you work in comics, you don’t ever stop working. >> You don’t ever stop working, you know? But I do think it’s funny like I don’t see a list, but I He knows what sets he’s getting. And like it’s just we’re we’re completely Matrix people. Like we get into a place and we’re just like, I

00:02:08
know what I want. And you see people pass over stuff. You see people like like really value stuff that I’m like, that’s trash or why you getting that? I don’t really actually I don’t really do that. I don’t yuck anyone’s yum really. I’m just like, you know, >> nobody thinks Red Blade is good, but you like had to go order it from eBay cuz you wanted it so bad >> because Walt bought it for out from under me at the store I work at, which was insane to me. >> A book we never heard of by an artist we

00:02:30
didn’t know anything about. Like >> Vince Tano, baby. >> Yeah. Now we know >> I have like a I have like 90% I have like a 90% Vince Dano collection. Like I’m pretty sure I have pretty much everything. Like I I got all the Shadow of the Bats. I got all of uh I had Manhunter anyway. I had the zero hour Manhunter. >> Not quite as good as Pcella, but better than MC Wyman. Do you know what I mean? >> That’s a That’s a fair inked by Penosian. Like, you know what I mean?

00:02:56
Like, so like it’s only by Dan Penosian. I know. I know. I know. And sometimes he was in by Pengian. Yeah. It’s it’s Well, he wasn’t in by Posian like he does. He inks himself, but it feels like it’s inked by Penogian. Early Penosian. Like >> I swear you look at Red Blade. You feel like you look at Red Blade, it looks like a prequel to Terminal, correct for his new comic. Like that’s what I when I look at that book that’s what it almost looks like. Maybe that’s why it looks

00:03:17
like terminal in a weird way. >> Yeah. I got So we got tight. We’re do literally do have to do a tight 40 because I got a heart out. Hard out everybody. >> You and your heart outs, dude. >> Me and my heart out >> sometimes. No, never mind. Pack. >> They put this out. They put this ad out. This doesn’t make any sense to me. Okay. Um >> I don’t understand this. Only one can wear the ring. This is not Highlander, everybody. It’s not Highlander. Okay.

00:03:44
And and I just want to say that that doesn’t make any sense. Chris Mundy, the showrunner, says that there’s going to be two timelines, which basically confirming that Hal Jordan’s going to die. So, he’s going to be probably dead in the first timeline from 2016 because everything we see, I think, from 2026 is probably just that John Stewart screen. Like I Why are you You’re gearing up to We now know it’s like It’s like worstkept secret, right? >> Yeah. >> Way to go. Um and I just want to remind

00:04:14
everyone this is a recent cover for Green Lantern 600. Okay. There’s Scott by Scott Koblish. There’s not one Green Lantern. There are minimum 3600. 3600. Okay. And in some cases >> actually double that. There’s 70. Right. >> Right. >> Actually probably like 72 7208 because Earth has like 10 Green Lanterns. >> And is that just Green Lantern? And that’s the thing. It’s like you’re saying there could there’s already a Green Lantern knowing in continuity in

00:04:51
in the DCU in the James Guniverse, right? Like I can’t take it. I can’t take it. I can’t wait for this to be gone. >> Like how are you getting this this wrong? Hrix is giving him a blank paycheck. You’re getting this so wrong. Now, I don’t know. Did you see this trailer? Did you see this trailer two days ago? The Big Bang Theory like Apocalypse trailer. The um Steuart fails to save the universe. Have you seen this? >> I watched half of it before I got distracted by something else. And the

00:05:17
trailer’s not bad. >> I didn’t watch Big Bang Theory. >> I watched I watched Big Bang Theory, but they they were pretty good on on comic geek stuff for a bit, but the lazy comic book geek stuff that that they do, they usually say like you live in your mom’s basement. It’s the It’s the cheapest, easiest go-to joke. And when they hit that, I’m like, “Ooh, no.” Cuz they they were they were pretty good comic geeks because I think the references that they

00:05:40
had, especially Sheldon, were kind of current. I think there was like a Flash reference that was like new. There was a couple references that were like really really new. >> Yeah. Yeah. Clearly adult men live in their mom’s guest bedroom. >> Not That’s right. Upstairs. Come on. Or your sister’s or your sister’s vacated bedroom when she got married. I don’t know what I don’t I don’t have any experience in this. You know what I mean? So, >> in in New Jersey, a lot of basements get

00:06:06
kind of wet. A lot of bases in New Jersey kind of >> very flooded. Yeah. >> You got you have to have like a a se they got to have a >> what is that called? A French drain. >> Sub pump or French drain. >> Sub pump, French drain. >> Uh if you’re Ron Hoffman, you don’t you don’t you don’t get upstairs to the bathroom. You just pee right in the sink. You know what I mean? If you’re Ron Hoffman, >> you >> you just pee right. So don’t

00:06:25

unless unless you live on which is like which is which is next to like the washer dryer. >> So it’s like I’m not going to I’m not going to go upstairs. I’ll just pee in the dry sink. >> Awesome. So >> my first house the basement. >> All right. I’ll stop talking about it. >> We love We love South Jersey. So >> we do. >> Uh anyway, so I love this. So anyway, so basically the comic book store guy my cat’s moving my computer. the comic book

00:06:48
store guy uh Stewart who actually had like a villain who’s also in this and it’s like multiple it’s multiverse but it just seems like really perfect and fun and Brian Posain is in it as the character he is but then when they go to another universe he’s like a he’s like a warrior and then and Lauren Lapis is in this too and she’s always good >> I I do like both of them >> all this looks really good like I’m I’m shocked at how good this trailer looked and I was like yes I want to do this

00:07:15
also like because I can I kind of feel This feels like it’s it’s a further extension. It’s almost like Ted season two. Like Ted TV show season two just was like we’re going to do whatever the [ __ ] we want. We’re going to do more. >> I need to remember to watch that because I watched the first season. >> Second season better. >> That’s what I heard. And I like the first season >> and they can’t do anymore. Like they >> You know what’s pretty key about that

00:07:39
show? The parents. The parents are so well casted. I like both those actors. >> She’s great. That mom is super versatile. She plays everything. Most famously right now, she’s the mom in Euphoria. But that dad is a Seth McFarland writer who was really good on the Orville. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That’s right. I recognize her from the from the Orville. Um >> the one thing that that’s crazy about Yeah. Alana Unbox. If you go on to Instagram, go on Alana Unbox fans or

00:08:04
Box, whatever her name is, and then they have reels of her throughout the year. She’s she’s the girl who has a crush on uh in the Brady in the Brady Bunch movie. She has a crush on Marsha >> and then she sleeps over with Marsha and there’s like it’s a crazy like full-on like lesbian performance like way back when >> that was just kind of like buried. And what’s crazy is in the movie and I you you watched the pit yet or no? >> No. >> Okay. >> I’m never I’m never going to watch it.

00:08:31
Just >> you should watch it. >> Uh you should watch it. But what’s crazy is is there’s a girl at the end. >> Yeah. The pit. There’s a girl at the end at at the end of the Brady Bunch movie, if you remember, who notices like her being shunned by Marsha. And that girl is is actually the uh she’s on the pit. She’s the girl who like runs she’s the the charge nurse. And I’m like, “Oh my god.” Like these are like super character actors like when they’re 20,

00:08:58
you know what I mean? Like they’re like so young and now they’re like >> that girl, the first girl, uh the mom, she was on like some kid show with like a giant rat character. >> Oh, that’s Yeah. Yeah. you know, which is funny. Uh, I like those Brady Bunch movies. Both of them. I think they’re fantastic. >> Didn’t they do a third one on Fox, though? >> Oh, so bad, dude. >> Replace people. >> They replaced everyone except like Gary Cole and Shelley Long.

00:09:23

So, I’m glad you kept them, >> but you got rid of everyone else. Like, it doesn’t matter if they age up. It’s It’s funny if they’re aged up and they still look ridiculous. The guys who wrote that movie wrote a Gilligans Island script that is supposedly hilarious. Like, ridiculously funny, >> but it was too much for the studio. No, they never did it. >> Yeah, that’s a bummer because there’s so much weird like I’d like to watch the Brady Bunch movies now. Uh because they

00:09:45
do stuff with um Who’s the Maid where they go downstairs at one point and she’s in like a bondage outfit or something. You’re like, “What the [ __ ] am I what the what is going on?” >> Funny, dude. >> And then she talks about Sam the Butcher like he really packs my meat. So like crazy. He’s like, “Oh, I’m delivering me or whatever, you know?” Yeah, it’s really good. And Marsha, uh what’s Ben Stiller’s ex-wife’s just so ridiculously

00:10:05
hot, Matt. Like crazy. Ex-wife’s a new wife. But did he remarry? >> So he he can have Yeah. Well, I think they’re just going to be together. I think that’s the Yeah. If you watch the the HBO documentary, which wasn’t as good as it hyped, uh, they end up getting back together. So >> that’s awesome. >> So, we talked a little bit about this. I don’t know, and you had a good point on this. So, there was a ton of spine damages last week at Absolute Batman 20

00:10:26
and some other DC books, and I have some coverage on the other image books were done. What I don’t understand, and I think this is why we talked, we kind of joked that when we were on the phone the other day, that this industry just sucks. It’s like every contract sucks. No one gets paid. It’s the margins are ridiculous. Stores barely hold on. You know what I mean? They have to have stunt like and now stunts, which I’ll get into more stunts in a in a bit on what has to keep for sales. Now, the

00:10:49
[ __ ] up thing about this is that the printing error is this. So, and the way that these comic books are made, the way that even my brother, the 616 comic stuff when he gets printed, from what I understand, every single retailer one or online retailer ones, these all came from the printer with some type of ding in the middle in the bottom to bottom middle. There’s a there’s a spine tick, but then you get the card stock over and then the card stock over might be okay. So, like a lot of the online exclusives

00:11:20
are fine, but then when you open it up now, the problem is they’re all they’re basically trading cards at this point. No one like if you’re buying something they’re they’re going in and then they they never really come out of the bagging board probably, right? Not not really. So, >> correct. >> So, you may never now and and also CGC was made aware of this. So, I don’t know how you would grade this. Um, now the way and you said which I think is completely understandable. How is the

00:11:50
how is the the printer not responsible and how are they going to have insurance that be like, “Hey printer, you need to reprint all these books. We need to pulp all of them.” Instead, that didn’t happen. DC said, “Hey, everyone’s aware of it. We’re going to give you potentially free full quantity replacement copies and freight credit with corrected with corrected image.” Oh, this image. So, so Image is is fix is just completely fixing them. DC is not DC is doing something strange.

00:12:19
They’re doing they’re going to >> Did you say a Didn’t they call it a second print later? >> They’re going to have a second print. They’re going to have some type of like look maybe a Roman like a Roman numeral. So, you’re never going to be able to get a first print >> graded like and this is the first appearance of Well, it’s the first appearance of the new Robins. Absolute Roberts, >> which is a he it was going to be a heavily CG- rated book. Every new

00:12:46
appearance is getting CGC graded for this run cuz it’s absolute Batman. >> I I don’t I don’t really believe in C. I don’t believe I don’t believe in, you know, the phrase coffining. I don’t I don’t believe in it. I think it’s weird. You know, >> I think to each their own. Me personally, no seed, no coffins, mind you, I I do I do >> free them. >> Yeah, you read them. It’s do both. If you could do both, yeah, free them. free the tatas. >> Now here there I mean but like spawn 375

00:13:15
like that’s not it should be it’s so weird that like that had two covers and it was the regular and then like a variant black and white which wasn’t a Brett Booth cover. It’s very confusing. So the stuff here you know dork fifth printing probably not that you know but they did they still had retail exclusive covers on top of that. Witchblade Department of Truth Dork Undiscover Country 36. I can’t believe that book’s still going. Uh I have no idea about that book. um the thing on the doorstep

00:13:39

4. It’s a pretty good book. Um but yeah, absolute marsh man or absolute Batman, Barbara Gordon, Breakout, they’re pretty much like 80 to 90% damage. I don’t understand this industry and how it works. Image is going to do the right things, >> right? If you pull up a run that fresh printing counts as first printing, >> correct? >> But if you go and say here’s a second printing, people will be like, well, oh, we don’t have any mint condition first printings. But how many copies do you

00:14:06
think of Absol was a half a million or something? Like it’s it’s this one is a big one. It’s a big number. Probably the biggest this year. >> Probably better than Absolute Joker, which was like 400,000. >> This maybe because I feel like there were more covers for this. I feel like Absolute Joker, they didn’t they kind of [  ] it. I don’t They didn’t [  ] it up. They They did fine, but I just I feel like this had more. >> They’re going to be okay.

00:14:28

They’re pro. I don’t get it. I don’t get it where the money’s where the money’s going. So, that’s confusing to me. Um, >> like I said, the printer is usually responsible for mishaps. If it’s your mishap, it’s different. But >> DC is proposing to offer complimentary second printings on all a covers and a 15% credit for varying cover orders of Absolute Batman, Absolute Martian Maner, and Breakout number one. Barbara Gordon, Breakout number one. I don’t I don’t I

00:14:51
don’t know. I don’t It’s >> Is this the same? Also, is this the same printer? Are they getting their stuff printed at the same place? >> I don’t know. Did they Is lack of quality? Did capitalism take over and now you have less people doing the same amount of work? >> Yeah, I I I I don’t think that there’s Listen, we already know there’s kind of like no editors or very or there’s editors editors are there, but they’re probably so spread thin they they miss

00:15:13
stuff. I’m shocked that some books that come out and just have complete like I don’t there shouldn’t be any mis uh there shouldn’t be any spelling errors anymore. I feel like that should be over and there there are, you know, >> there are >> uh >> there shouldn’t be any spelling >> error, grammatical, you know, unless you mean it to look grammatically incorrect. Everything I do get, you know, they want to throw it in my face like, “You sure you want to do that?” I’m like, “Yes,

00:15:37
that’s how the guy that’s how that’s how this guy sounds.” >> Right. Right. Right. Right. So, um, speaking of like gimmick covers, I guess I just missed this cuz I didn’t care about this like launch. So, we covered this last week, the Marvel Midnight Universe, which people keep saying it’s like an absolute universe. I don’t really know if it is or not. Um, but they they’re doing what’s called a cloaked cover. So, this is almost like a blind bag, but you can kind of see it. I

00:16:01
This is kind of I I’m actually okay with this because I feel like this is a throwback to like ’90s comics a bit. They would do this with FA. Remember FA? They would have like a nude, but you still want to have some of the cover. So, you have the cover obscured with like boobies and stuff, right? No boobies. Um, so here they have they have a reveal, but I guess I also wonder like so here’s your here’s your cover. This is when if you get if you go to it, whether it be Polyback or whatever,

00:16:24

we already saw this cover. So, it’s kind of like >> Yeah. >> Yeah. But but I I didn’t realize that it was like this is how it’s going to be on the shelf. So, that’s how it is on the shelf. And then this is either the v or either the variant or is it all uncovered. I’m not exactly sure how they’re going to do it, but it doesn’t seem very clear cuz I would think that this would just this would just un unfold. I don’t know. I don’t think this

00:16:46
is a done design yet. You know what I like? When DC New 52, one of their anniversary years, >> they they showed you the front cover, but they in the solicitations, but they wouldn’t show you the back cover. It was a every cover was like a g a double gatefold cover. So, when you got the comic, the back was like something like crazy, like, oh, here’s here’s the big picture. >> And it was something like awesomely strange or crazy. So, it was like really kind of that was kind of fun. It was

00:17:10
something like this where, you know, like this apathy, this would have been a good surprise if you would have saw a Nightcrawler cover and then here’s Storm, but she’s a vampire. You know, that would been a fun reveal. Like a page turn. Give me a page turn on the cover. >> Yeah. And and and again, I don’t want blind bags. I don’t think the blind bags I I I want that craze to kind of go away. Unless you’re doing something as as ambitious as the first like they gave no cover a when you bought a a

00:17:35
Battlebeast blind bag. First blind bag. You got sometimes a number two, sometimes a foil variant or you got you got a ratio variant no matter what. So you spend two extra dollars, you got a ratio variant no matter what. So you got a one in 10 of of one. Or you got number two, which wasn’t out yet, which I imagine maybe had some type of like printing in there. >> A foil cover of number two. Not even a regular comic. You could have got a foil cover of not number one. Believe it or not, there’s no foil cover for Battle

00:18:02
Beast One, but a foil cover for >> Well, I I have the mask one. That’s kind of foil. Like it’s a foil on the mask. >> You know what I mean? >> Yeah. You could have got but you, like you said, we could have got the foil faximiles of Invisible 19 or you could have got a Marvel comic. You could have bought your Battle Beast and got a Marvel comic. >> I think Kirkman’s doing the blind bags with Terminal and that might be the next chance to see something unique. I think

00:18:25
he’s going to he has to push the envelope now that everyone’s kind of, you know, ridden him on this. >> Yeah. Well, I it did they a lot all the a lot of the companies just did like if you bought some Daredevil I’ve seen Daredevil openings and there was a person I guess an online retailer got real mad because they ran like a whatnot and they did you someone bought it and then they open it for the person. So I guess you’re like you’re getting it and then you get it in the mail. So I guess

00:18:48
it’s kind of weird. You’re having someone else reopen your [  ] but you’re doing it on a whatnot. >> And then that person got like a was it a a signature? They got Frank Miller cover or something like that and they they like they got real excited and they threw they held it up and they bent the [  ] out of it. >> Uh you know what would be the best uh blind bag that Kirk someone like Kirkman could do? Live could do this too but he’s not. And Images of tomorrow with

00:19:09
your number one. Look here’s number 25. >> What? >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That would be fun. >> That would be fun. >> It would be 125. Oh. Anyway, so uh >> this is Okay. So they when when this was announced initially, I was like, are they doing anything special? They’re not. They have variants. I think they did the same exact thing with Dark Knight. They’re doing a Dark Knight faximile. And it wasn’t until like you saw like the one and two variants were

00:19:36
just whatever. One was a one was a I think a Jimly, one was a quietly. And I think like the Frank Miller one later was like cooler. Like I’m just like what? So I thought three and four of the variants were cooler. This is the same thing. This is your three and four variant. So here’s your three. So there’s there’s the original artwork which was on a comics interview. This crossover famously did not happen, >> right? >> So you have you have Alex Ross doing this. I saw this trade dress on one

00:19:59
website and I didn’t see it. So I think this is just a mockup trade dress cuz this is the way it’s going to look. >> But you’re going to do this is probably the trade dress which I also think sucks. Um >> if you can’t put your books together to make them look like one image, don’t don’t do this. But see what they’re doing essentially is that so number three from Marvel or no three from DC is going to be this image and then Marvel is going to be that image. Why aren’t

00:20:28
you doing four of these? Like I I I don’t know if you could split it a certain way or or make them bigger. I mean why wouldn’t you do four of these? Because here’s the thing. I went back. I’m like wait what was number one? So this is the number one like faximile cover. got Stegman, which listen, Stegman’s a B+. Like, it’s fine. >> He’s a He’s a Marvel A though. >> He’s a Marvel A. Pepe Larz would have been a better choice on this, but um he’s a Marvel Yeah, I think he’s a

00:20:56
Marvel A minus, I guess, right? But like, and I like Stegman. I have a pretty good Stegman collection somehow. Um I just I don’t like any I don’t like any I don’t know. I don’t like any anatomy on any of them. doesn’t feel stagman enough. Like I really love his Venom and I don’t feel this is as good as his Venom artwork. >> Yeah, this feels like uh Fantastic 4 stagman FF. You know what I mean? When he did Fantastic for a little bit with Hickman. So, okay. So, here’s your JLA

00:21:24
Avengers JLA 2. Dan Mora cover. Dan Moa does like two books a month plus. This covers nowhere. This cover is still nowhere. I >> We haven’t seen it yet. No. >> No. >> And like like it’s it’s coming out in July, I think. It’s like what the [ __ ] Like this is just wrong. I just feel like you could have done something here and maybe split it into four. >> Maybe not. I think this could have been four. >> Here’s the thing, Mark. >> I think he could have made it taller.

00:21:51

They’re not making a foil of this, though. Are they? >> I don’t know. Uh, let me see if they made foils in the other ones. >> They do make a foil, but it’s the regular. >> They make a foil of the regular. I’d rather have the foil of the regular. The regular is classic. >> You know, how about how about issue four? >> Why does it have to be either or? >> Yeah. When I was at when I was at the com well when I was at the comic store this week I was looking at the faximile

00:22:11
edition for Dark Knight Returns number four and there’s the beautiful variant by Frank Quley of you know Joker dead with a little batarang in his eye like >> why couldn’t I get that in foil you know how like that’s an awesome cover awesome nope no foil for that just and you know obviously people are fine with the regular >> it’s we got to do the all struck edition we’re going to go we’re going to go through DC’s like I said before give me a foil of the Dan Moa variant for Action

00:22:37
Comics number one. That thing’s so cool looking. >> Right. Right. Right. Yeah. I don’t know. I don’t I don’t understand. I feel like there’s there’s certain things that there’s just money on the table. >> Yes. >> That they could that they could do. >> Everyone Everyone does it, but like it’s weird that Well, you and I always have to point it out. >> Do it better. Do it better. Um I was on this and then this had a link for Did you see this? I didn’t know about this,

00:23:01
but like there’s >> it doesn’t say how many how many the total set is. >> Then I started watching this is uh the 2026 Upper Deck Fleer. Did Upper Deck and Fleer combine at some point? I guess I missed that. I don’t know. >> Probably >> Fleer Ultra. >> Mark, why would you sit in the Upper Deck >> by Upper Deck? You could be in the front row. >> I just don’t I don’t understand why. I don’t know what the set is, I guess. And then so I went on to YouTube. So, this

00:23:29
is a new Superman, I guess, almost like an anniversary ’90s anniversary type of situation. Um, and you could buy a box, like a box of blister packs I saw online, for it seemed wrong. It seemed like 36 bucks. But I was looking through here and I couldn’t really tell if some of this was was like shade artwork or newer. It says new artwork, but some of the stuff when I went through it, some of it was not new artwork. So, I couldn’t really tell. That was like a foil. But I mean I think right now in

00:24:01
in the way like that’s a new Jurgens. These other ones, you know, that clearly is uh not um but I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t tell you how many are in the set. It’s confusing. You know, it’s a lot. >> You going to get it? Look, there’s a signed one. >> No, half the artwork looks kind of boring to me, Mark. >> Yeah. And I think some of it’s like recycled. Yeah. Like I don’t know. It seems like it seems like a lot of it could be. They say new, but I can’t

00:24:33
really tell. I can’t really tell. >> Listen, I like >> Nelson Dcastro is doing a three nine card puzzle set. You know, Nelson Dcastro from Udam. Udon. I never knew how to say that. UDamon. Uh DC Universe news from the Matt. What is it? No, it’s from the Matt Reeves averse, which is not the DC Universe. And if I’m not mistaken, I I think I heard that. So Charles Dance is playing Harvey Dent’s dad. I don’t know what that is. Um and then so Sebastian Stance Harvey Dent Scar

00:25:04
Johansson is do I want to say what’s her name? Gilded Dent, you know. So they’re going to do that I guess. And then Brian Zyri Henry is uh is going to be in it too. I don’t undisclosed role. Sebastian Cotch, I don’t know who that is. The lives of others. I don’t know. So plugging along. Uh I saw some screen caps of I guess he’s filming now. It looks to be the exact same like aesthetic. I guess I just like when they do a sequel and and it’s like maybe a different tone color or some [ __ ] you

00:25:33
know? Like Batman is a certain color and then I felt like two was blue. Like it was a little different because they they had a shot where uh what’s the name? Reeves put on his X and it might as well have been the the Batmobile from the first one cuz it’s like it’s it’s next to fire. It’s gold. And I’m like, “Okay, where’s all this?” You know what I Like you got you got to get me excited. You’re not you’re not getting me excited. >> Sure. >> Get me excited. Matt Reeves, give it to

00:25:59
me. >> Um although I do I will I will mentally play out this which I didn’t really think about but um but you have you know one of the best runs is there’s a Winter Soldier run that Jackson Gist drew um that was Ed Brew Baker run and it was Winter Soldier Black Widow. It was basically it basically was it was a great run and then >> it’s like 12 issues maybe and then Jason Lour came on if you remember >> our boy Nick Klein came on I just looked at that the other day cuz I have that

00:26:34
run and Jason Lour covers and Jason did and he knew it was going to be cancelled the second he got he knew it was canceled he knew he had like six >> he’s like this comic and me will both be cancelled >> will be cancelled and then he might he’s half coming back I’m not sure he’s coming back >> he’s half coming back so um but that so whenever when I saw when I see the movies and that’s the thing It’s kind of hard when there’s stuff that goes on in

00:26:53
the comic books and then these movie characters that may or may not have chemistry. They would have chemistry together for sure. Now, uh whereas Captain Marvel, Brie Larson, and Don Cheetel technically, right? Cuz it was War Machine and they were together for a bit and I’m like like I don’t want that. You know what I mean? So that’s like an old man. So anyway, >> then on the opposite you have a Brie Larson, you know, kind of she wasn’t flirty. Well, she dates Spider-Man at

00:27:21
one point. They go on a couple dates at one point. I’m like, “Yeah, Tom, Brie Larson.” Like, “Hey, Peter, you got something for me?” Peter’s like, “Yeah, I do. >> This needs this glove.” >> Yeah. Well, that’s right. >> It could be a glove of a different type. >> Leave it in. >> That’s correct. Whoa. All right, everyone. So, uh I’m a big fan of this book. This is Barbaric. Barbaric. Uh I have like I have a huge stack of their

00:27:45
comics, right? Huge huge stack. Um, so this is a vault book that Michael Marici writes. Did Michael Marici, why is that guy in my brain? Was he an editor or something for DC or something? Does that sound right? >> Something. >> I feel like he was something doing something for a bit. But he’s been doing this book. And I don’t know how this guy Nathan Gooden hasn’t been >> taken, but he drew he’s drawn every main series. There’s about five trades of this, plus there’s a couple spin-offs.

00:28:12
But it’s Owen the Barbarian. Just an extra hairy conany guy basically. But he has a talking axe. This is kind of like Head Lober where Head Lober always has Agatha the >> the the the severed head of a witch. Um this is similar in that Let me see. It wasn’t on this one, but Oh, there’s the axe. So his axe uh talks. So it’s just cool. Here’s a cool That’s a good uh a good uh Very Windsor Smith homage. Um that’s good. Good cover. >> I guess I missed this, but this is going

00:28:42
to be for me for Netflix. Um, and Nathan Gooden also drew the Big Rig comic by Post Malone, which is good, by the way, which is actually pretty good. I mean, it’s co-written by Postalone. >> We saw The Big Rig itself up in New York last year. >> Oh, that’s right. Yeah, that’s right. And it’s I’m I can’t believe how good that book was. That book was actually really good. I’m surprised it didn’t turn into a TV show or something like that. Or just do a movie. Do a do a good

00:29:08
be movie. Do a grindhouse movie with Post Malone. >> We We got it. It was called Fury Road. H. Oh, yeah. That’s fine. Um, but anyway, so this but I guess I missed this a couple years ago. This was going to be a a TV series or something or Michael Bay was going to do the movie of this and then it got dropped. It was Sam Sam Clafen, this guy. Um, and then he got that got dropped. >> I hope he got paid twice for rights. He loves >> you ever hear the story about Mike being upset if if they were to ever actually

00:29:40
make a bad man bad movie because he would stop getting, >> you know, money every every >> couple options. >> Yeah, probably paid for a lot of stuff. Um, here’s a really bad uh tiein. Did you see that? There’s a commercial for this. So, this is a new Jeep for 250. There’s a 250 Jeep, which is just a green Jeep that you can buy apparently. Um, this >> so you can apparently buy or or I’m not sure if that’s I think I think this is just going to be there’s another one

00:30:06
that’s a 250 green Jeep. So, this is a a Marvel tie-in, a bad Marvel tie-in, in fact. Uh, because you can buy I’ve seen Captain America like cover better than this. >> Yeah, tire covers better than that. Yes. >> Uh, and then here there is no And there’s nothing on the hood. They keep showing the back. There’s like two pictures of the front. I didn’t even find any. They just keep showing the back of this. Like, see this? See the back of it? See it? There it is. See it?

00:30:32

And this is $50,000. >> This cover is going to be >> uh you can It comes with the car. I guess there’s going to be I think 5,000 of these, something like that, but it’s not as good as this. A couple years ago, and I talked to someone at work at my mortgage job. I was on the phone with someone. He was talking about he owns this car. He has one of these cars and he’s like, “Well, maybe I’ll just sell that. Maybe I won’t do this this refinance. Maybe I’ll just sell the car

00:30:55
I have.” He’s like, “I have the Black Panther Lexus.” I’m like, “What?” And I don’t know why. And he starts talking about it and then he’s like, I got he got other stuff done to it. I’m like, I don’t know. Like I don’t know what else if you’re supposed to do that or not. I think when you have a limited edition car like this, maybe you can do a little bit, but at least here you have literally like a movie. But is that any different than getting like what was

00:31:17
that? Fat. Is it fatheads? The big the big stuff you just throw in a wall like we can get like our faces just >> Yeah. Yeah. >> So it almost looks like that. Like I mean I feel like I’ve seen wraps. I feel like I’ve seen there’s a Deadpool car in South Jersey. There’s a there’s a She-Hulk Jeep in South Jersey, which is awesome. >> Yes, I’ve seen I’ve seen I’ve seen both. >> Yeah. So, that’s really fun. Um, >> if I were to do a Jeep, I’d just You

00:31:37
should just make it Hound Jeep. Hey, here’s Hound. You don’t have to do anything to it. Just got to be green. >> Yeah, you got to have the star on it. And there’s Hound. Yeah, I know. I don’t know. So, bad bad job. Bad job, Marvel. And again, but that it’s so fitting that Marvel does it this way, right? because Marvel is so just like like slight like even with this stuff I think like I think and and I I took this by sideways. So the three August books here are what if Captain America was unfrozen 2099 Ron

00:32:06
Lim drawing >> which is cool. I’m excited about that >> because Ron Lim drew well I well he drew uncanny uh I’m sorry X-Men 2099 and probably drew some 2099 blah blah blah. Um what if runaways hadn’t run away? >> That’s fine. be nice if it were, you know, uh >> I don’t know. >> I guess I guess you don’t really want >> Oh, they join. They would just join their their villain parents. I guess >> they join their villain parents. >> What if Cassandra Nova killed Charles

00:32:32
Dav that this feels like the most I don’t know who Ashley Allen is, but Sumik Kumar. >> So, this just I don’t know is one of these. It almost feels like an AI cover, right? I don’t care about that. I want the Jimly cover really either. >> Yeah, I guess that’s okay because like I guess this is this is just kind of the I don’t know. I I don’t know enough about runaways to care about this, right? >> It’s been a while. You know what’s funny? The last series

00:32:54

Wow. >> Last series was actually kind of good. The last long Yeah. I think it almost got like to 20 or 30. >> Yeah. I just I I never really cared for it. Um and then I just never I never attached myself. >> This is one of killed Professor X in the womb. Right. >> In the womb. Yeah. And I But but look at these design. These designs just feel like very 90s. They feel like very like um like age of a And that’s good. That’s That’s almost what this is. This is Age

00:33:19
of Apocalypse. >> Yeah, just do that. It’s Age of Apocalypse, right? But it’s it’s not Apocalypse. It’s, you know, it’s it’s what if, right? Age of >> Nova. Is that what >> Age of Cassandra Nova? Um, here’s your top 50 comics. Um, >> I There’s my horrible math. Okay, I don’t think it all adds up. Let’s see. 22 20 41 46. So, I missed a couple, but anyway, but Marvel still doing has 22 still counted. uh 20 DC, one IDW which was a Turtles and then five image

00:33:49

turtles 300 or just turtles just turtles 17. >> Just the turtles. Yeah, I think Turtles 18 is 300. So, but still in the top 10 uh 10 still Transformers, man. I just even though I know that most people, me and Ducha talked about this yesterday. We people don’t like the Alita stuff. It feels very uh feels very Christopher Nolan if I could be so woke. >> It’s woke. I guess people bother. >> It’s super woke. We love super woke stuff here. Uh, Dork still in the top

00:34:14

20. Corpse Knight, surprising that that’s that that’s that high. That didn’t have a lot of variance, too. But that was a pretty solid book. GI Joan 34. Exquisite. That’s your your quiet tinian image stuff. >> So, image 10. Transformers is still the number one Image book, followed by Battlebeast, >> and then Dorks down at number 20, which is still amazing. >> It’s amazing. Absolute Green Lantern Flash are so high still. >> Yeah, I I that’s you’re right. I was

00:34:40
going to mention that and that’s what I think is strange. Yeah, JLU is is down in the 30s. Black Cat’s still in the top 50 somehow. And that’s that’s not even the Jed Mccay Black Cat. That’s been handed off to I think it’s Alyssa Wong or somebody. Yeah. And even Nightwing’s in the top 50. And and I don’t even really remember who’s doing that. Oh, Dan Waters is doing that. >> D Waters. Is that crazy? Like you love him so much on one in particular thing. Uh, I don’t like I I liked Extra Soy,

00:35:07
but I don’t like his I liked his style that he did with In World’s Finest. I don’t seem to like his newer style, which is a a easier, cleaner style. I just I I liked it when it was more complicated. And it sounds weird. I usually like the opposite. Um, yeah. And Daryl number one still, it still was number one. Like, so even Death Spiral, like Daryl number one still didn’t get that high. It’s just crazy. I you expect Spider-Man Superman to be one and two, but Absolute Batman probably couldn’t variance. It’s $8

00:35:35
book. Yeah, it’s interesting to look through these. The tan is really high, too. That’s kind of nuts. So, I’d be I’d be curious to see what it would be. Infernal Hulk 32. >> You know what’s funny? >> I could look at this for an hour. >> Marvel’s version sold better than DC’s version. And DC’s came out first. >> And look at Swamp Thing, dude. The [  ] Swamp Thing 43. That’s [  ] bullets, man. That’s not bad. I wonder how that how that works

00:35:58
because like is everybody getting paid? You know what I mean? How’s how’s that work? Um why is this called I guess I missed the announcement on this. Why is this called deadshot one shot or it’s called it’s called next level oneshot? It’s it’s straight up it just spotlights or are they just going to have next level one shot one shots? I don’t understand the title of this. Just have it deadshot what I don’t understand. So but here’s the covers. There’s Blanco which is good.

00:36:23
You know it’s Jerry Dugen. There’s your Carmine. Great. Corona. The [ __ ] best. The best. >> Of course. I got you. >> That’s the best. It’s the best one. You blew it. You blew it. I almost said I almost said dreamwave. You You blew it. Skybound. And there’s your boring Mark Spears trading card look alike. I just don’t care. Don’t care. And then I thought this was kind of funny. >> Completely drawing spawn 77 or >> where is it? >> Right.

00:36:51

It’s being worked on Farane. I I watch. Yes, because he’s got other queen. >> Maybe they’re waiting for uh 27 when it’s the 50th anniversary of Spawn 77. >> Oh, that doesn’t actually that makes sense, doesn’t it? >> It does make sense. But too bad. Too bad. Uh but I do think this is funny. The one and 25 cover is like the Jim Lee design, right? That’s like the Jim Lee one, I think. Right. >> Good job. Good job. That was it for stuff. That was it for the news. I got

00:37:27
three minutes. I don’t know if we have time for your for your shenanigans. Let me see see how fast we can get through this. What we got here? Your ex shenanigans, everybody. >> All right. We already saw I think you saw we saw Thor. >> We saw the next >> Yeah, it’s a cool design for Thor. >> We had seen it. >> We saw We saw this one. >> Oh, yeah. Yeah, >> we saw link talked about that >> link in the interlude. Cedric Noon, everybody. >> Yes, this is a this is a he went when he

00:38:01
got hired by Extreme, they asked him to work on some inventory pinups before you do your pages. You know, they want to kind of trust you that you’re working hard. And I don’t think any of these got published. So, you got a Vogue, which is pretty nice. You know, these would all make cool legacy variants now. You know what I mean? You could still use this stuff or just put them in as pin-ups. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Whoa. >> You know what’s funny is that look, we were talking about like because I was

00:38:31
saying I grabbed that issue with Stormwatch and it was like a Ryan Benjamin backup and he says, “Well, how do we rank those guys?” Like what’s the best way to rank those guys? Like if you have your is your Brett Booth in the A tier and then like what would you put like a B tier for? Like with Cedric Noon, would he be like a C tier? Where’s Todd Nulk? was NA Ctier, you know, like where Matt had a B tier, A tier, you know, >> second wave of people. >> It’s it’s really interesting. Yeah. No,

00:38:56
you’re right. >> Um like Scott Clark because we we were we were discussing the the Witch Blade situation is that that McFarland’s making these uh these these action figures. The action figures are going to be the legacy characters from the founders, right? So Shadow makes sense. >> Dragon makes sense. Spawn makes sense. It should be Striker. No. Or Ripclaw. No, it’s Witch Plate. And there there have been >> But like to me, the people that that kind of like went past the main creator

00:39:27
is Jay Scott Campbell went past Jim Lee. Then Jim Lee gets jealous and Jim Lee like kind of takes over Gen 13 for a bit to try to be Jay Scott Campbell. And no one really liked it. No one really >> basically like, “Hey everyone, look, I’m still I’m still cool. >> Still relevant. Look at me. I can draw clothes. I can put some lines in the hair. You got that?” Uh, and then the same thing I think happened when Sylvester started doing Darkness. He’s like, “Okay, wait, hold on, hold on. I

00:39:48
draw I draw better than that guy.” >> And I feel like both those guys went away. They went to go and they were very successful. Unfortunately, uh, he was only 37. Michael Turn died at 37 of bone bone cancer. >> So terrible. And what a nice guy. >> Super nice guy. Super nice [ __ ] guy. But like, but those are the people that went. But to me, like and there’s different quotes that Duka was saying like uh like my best my biggest creation was witchblade. I’m like I don’t don’t even

00:40:16
say that. Like you can say my biggest creation was maybe to me because in my brain it just doesn’t it doesn’t register like if you conjure a witchblade drawing you know what was that was that that actually name Yansancy Butler? I I think of Yansy >> Yansy Butler. >> Um no I just I just think that was such a bad casting like right off the bat. I was like, “This lady is like 50.” You know, >> she looked older. >> There was hot. >> That show was a huge hit

00:40:41

and it last like if she didn’t get if if she didn’t have a drug problem, she probably would >> that show would have lasted a couple years. >> That’s really funny. >> Yeah, >> she straight up looks like she has a drug problem. >> Um, but just a real to me it’s just it was just a really bad like I I just think, you know, and and I feel like that they the quality of them like I saw the dragon one. The dragon one’s $60 or $70. You believe that? It’s like $70.

00:41:05
Someone someone did a review on it and they were like, “This looks okay.” >> Yeah, it does. >> Don’t give me a bigger box. Don’t give me three, four heads. Don’t give me extra hands. Just give me a $30 figure, $40 figure. >> I don’t know. Dedic Noon, everybody. But that’s real clean. >> Might want to ink that. Be curious. That >> absolutely should. >> Interesting. Yeah, that’s the uh that’s the exclusive cover that you can order

00:41:30
from the Rob Lo creations. >> Exclusive. >> Little pricier this time. It’s like 40 bucks through his website. >> Exclusive. >> There’s not that many of them. >> Yeah, it’s it’s you we have an entire collection of live uh the rare covers. We every cover we have is like less than 100 made. >> Yeah. You know what’s funny is that like it’s weird what he picked for the backgrounds, right? It’s weird that he picked >> Yes. You know,

00:41:55

it’s it’s not it’s actually not it’s not not a great background because >> you could have done it better. >> Well, yeah. Where’s Young Blood volume 2? Where’s Alam Moore’s Young Blood? Where’s Chad Bower’s Young Blood? >> Can’t do You’re not going to put Wait, you have Before You just put your live hell variants of those because there was always >> No, that’s No, that’s what I mean. I’m not even talking about using other

00:42:12
artists. You’re live. >> You can’t have Wait, is this is Blood Sport arcade? >> Yeah, you can have arcade. You can have Maximum Press stuff, but like >> was Blood Sport. Well, that was Image though. May maybe it was a cont arcade. It was arcade. >> Yeah. >> Did he put out a version through Image? I don’t remember. Maybe. >> Don’t. >> This is mine. This is mine. Cedric Nouku and inked by Tim Townsen. Die Hard. >> Tim Town. >> If I ever wrote If I ever wrote a Young

00:42:42
Blood comic, I would like use this cover as a variant. And I don’t like, you know, for me, I you know me, I love unpublished stuff. >> Yeah. Yeah, Tim Townsen was in. I think we were looking at I grabbed the I had an extra wizard I gave to Duke. We were looking at that yesterday. Eating cheese steaks. Yummy. We had Shades Cheese Stakes Philly 18th Street. [ __ ] dope. Dope. >> Um, real quick, go to the chat for one second. I I haven’t updated Maximum Supreme because I’m waiting on a

00:43:06
project. >> So, you’re you’re lucky. >> Yeah, we lucky Mark. >> You want to grab the Maniacs? >> No, no, no. Not Not the M. I mean, yeah, we could show the maniacs, but yeah, I added a a a young blood cover and a and a custom toy that you would like lose your [ __ ] over. >> Oh, it’s a herb shrimp. >> Look at that custom toy. Look at the colors on that thing. >> See that? See my the suck This is what This is what I think is really weird that uh DC tried to do it with like some

00:43:36
Jimly figures on the DC Direct before it went to McFarland and they would put lines in on there was a Jimly like something or other. I think it was a Jim Lee Hush Batman and they put lines on like ink lines and it just didn’t really go good enough and then McFarland does it with the Deadpool but I showed you the Deadpool where Deadpool like the front is inked the back they’re like well no one’s going to be looking at the back. I’m like [ __ ] just fill it out. It was a $40 figure 35 I think something

00:44:01
like that. >> Um but this is crazy. So they did a sculpt I guess right and then and then they went in and like Oh man, where was this? I just I saw it on Facebook. I’m like, “Oh my god, it’s like >> Jesus god.” And the coloring is it’s 70s inks. It’s 70s coloring where it’s just like spot colors >> and like the squiggles and stuff. Holy [ __ ] H uh let me think. What’s the maximum maximum press? What’s the maximum I would pay for this? I’d say

00:44:29
$70. Depends how big it is. >> Depend on how big it is. >> I think 707 is where that’s what she said. Um all right. So that’s fun. And then lastly, plug time. >> Well, no. Uh, there’s a Young Blood cover. I I threw up. I mean, we can talk about this. >> We already Oh, I see this Young Bloodood cover. And then we’ll go back to >> This is a Yeah, this is a new >> This is another version of Young Bloodood where since see Lifefeld, I don’t know if you saw the solicitations,

00:44:56
they took out a couple solicitations for Young Bloodood 100 because they really wanted to focus on founders and owners. So, every variant covered a Young Bloodood 100, it’s Sylvestri, it’s Larson, it’s Kirkman who’s a founder. You know, they had solicitations for a Perez cover and a Donnie Kates pencled live filled in cover. So, they took those two out and you know, McFarland updated this cuz he already did a cover like this with actual New Mutants coloring and replaced Young Blood with, you know, other image

00:45:24
founder characters. So, I think that’s kind of cool. >> I’ll take it. $4.99. I’ll take it. Yeah, that’s good. I mean, I liked uh I I want my shaft in there. Give me my shaft. >> Give me that. >> You will get your shaft. Well, yeah. I mean, the original one. Yeah. And then, of course, And then, of course, we got our Maniac cover back colored by Dex. We still got to put like the Allstar Comics logo on it. >> Inked the [ __ ] out. It’s inked heavy, bro. Good job.

00:45:48

He inked. Milligan inked the [ __ ] out of this thing. We’re hoping to launch the the pre-launch June 1st. Depends on when Dex gets back from his like vacation. >> So, we’re going to do a pre-launch June 1st, hopefully for the book, and then an official launch July 1. Give us a month to, you know, kind of But, you need a bunch of stuff. You need like at least five pages to showcase what you can do. This is exclusive. This is the first time this is being seen. I’m not posting

00:46:08
this to Twitter. I’m just talking about it here on the podcast today. >> About to make a separate video. >> I won’t post. Yeah, short. >> Yeah, we’ll do a short because by the time we get to the launch, we’ll have pages done hopefully. You know, >> I like the colors on it. I think the colors are real cool. I like the I like the the ambient light here situation. Uh I think that’s pretty fun. That’s good stuff. But yeah, that’s this is inked really heavy because I’ve seen this

00:46:33
image before. Image >> actually. You know what? This isn’t even the image we’re using. The one we’re using, uh, her wings are behind the maniac’s logo. Cuz I feel with the first issue of a comic, you really need to be able to read the logo. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then after that, [ __ ] it. After that, obscure by 30 to 50%. >> Yes. But first issue, first issue, you really have to showcase your name because you almost can’t tell cuz since we’re spelling maniacs differently, you

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got to be able to see that that’s an X at the end. >> Not a CS. Not a CS. CS Patrick. >> Correct. >> All right. All right, everybody. Well, let’s we’re going to do it doing it live and everyone have the best time and everyone >> I’ll see we’ll see everyone next week. Have the best time. Keep reading comics. Be positive. We’re trying. I try I try to be positive, but some of this stuff’s just making me insane. >> Keep positive and keep keep on

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strucking. Keep on.

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.