Poyo’s Spec and Drek for July 11th, 2018

Not a big spec week for me but there certainly could be a few surprises. A lot of indie books hit stands this week but for my pick I went with a book that saw some heat on it’s first issue.

So here they are, the books you should spec on, pick up to read or just buy for the cover art because 1 year later Shawn B. will tell us how wrong I was most likely. But that’s okay, for every 100 books I pick, there’s at least 1 that ends up being a hit or worth more than cover price.

DC/Vertigo Pick

The market already seems to have picked this one as a potential winner.

This weeks pick goes to Titans #23, which could see an appearance from the new Crush character. The punk rock emo looking character.

I’m still not sure how I feel about this new character and why the hype is present. I honestly feel this is a character DC is pushing onto readers as a marketing ploy to increase sales of books. I for one don’t read any of the Titans or Teen Titan titles but then again I don’t read many DC books nowadays anyways. I even lost a bit of interest in Batman after the whole proposal back in issue #24. But I do admit, I’m behind on my readings.

Marvel Pick

You know, for a new reboot launch, they really did suck at some of their variants for Amazing Spider-Man #1 with Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley taking over. Which if you haven’t noticed, is my Marvel pick regardless of the sucky variants.

The Greg Land Variant is pretty cool (maybe since it’s different) but come on Marvel, really? Did anyone notice that 3 of the variants are practically the same cover by different artists. How many covers do we need of Spider-Man in the same similar pose with his hand extended out to shoot his web? Should have spread these across 3 different issues I say.

So I say this again Marvel, If you’re going to reboot a title so you can push all those #1 variants on us, at least try and make them more appealing instead of them all having the same similar pose across half of them. If I did have to pick one of these 3, I’d go with the Opena though, only if found at cover price.

Indie Pick

A lot of new Indie Books hitting stands this week but I’m sticking to Zinnober #2 this round.

I expect a smaller print run for this issue and with the heat we saw on issue #1 with sets going for an easy $20 or so, this one has potential if the story stays interesting.

So grab a copy or two if you find them.

These are already selling out online at most retailers which could be a clear indication of that smaller print run, which is always expected after issue 1.

Small Publisher Picks

I have two small publisher picks this week. The first one is from the showrunner and co-creator of AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire. I’m in computer technology for my day job so this was one of those few shows I watched religiously as I don’t watch much television.

So with that said, the first pick goes to She Could Fly #1 from Dark Horse.

Seems like an interesting concept and story.

In Chicago, an unknown woman appears flying at speeds of 120 miles per hour and at heights reaching 2,000 feet. Then she suddenly dies in a fiery explosion mid-air. No one knows who she was, how she flew, or why. Luna, a disturbed 15-year-old girl becomes obsessed with learning everything about her while rumors and conspiracy theories roil. Will cracking the secrets of the Flying Woman’s inner life lead to the liberation from her own troubled mind?

Also being written by Cantwell this could likely have easy ties to become a show or movie. At least the potential is there. I also like Morazzo on art. If you liked Ice Cream Man interior art from Image Comics, you’ll certainly be pleased with the interiors of this book.

The second pick goes to Rob Guillory’s new book Farmhand #1. This has been hyped for some time. Most know and loved him from his work on Chew with John Layman.

So this book is not to be missed. There seems to be a lot of store variants going around for this one so if you do pick up a copy or two, make sure to get at least 1 cover A.

I don’t expect this to be a big spec hit but it certainly could be a long term hold if the series stays popular and interesting.

I’ve already read this issue and can’t wait for issue #2. This one certainly gets high praise for me, not only because I love Rob’s artwork but because it’s just a clever story that fills that void I miss after Chew ended.

Also a small mention to Aliens Dust to Dust that comes out with issue #2 this week. The first issue was a great read as I’m a Gabriel Hardman fan for both his writing and artwork.

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Now on with the dreaded “avoid” pick, every writer and artist worst nightmare when it comes to selling their hard work.

Sadly, I couldn’t find any comics to hate on this week. I’m displeased with the Amazing Spider-Man similar cover variants but those are easily avoidable and are a given as I’ve hated on the many many Marvel relaunches and reboots with dozens of covers time and time again.