Poyo's Spec and Drek for Sept. 19th, 2018

Welcome again to Poyo’s spec and drek. This looks like an exciting week with a bunch of great looking DC covers.

Honestly this should just be the DC cover week but I try to make my top picks from the big two out of DC and Marvel, then spotlight a small publisher and then an independent book.
So without further ado, here they are for this week.
DC/Vertigo Pick
I love close up Joke artwork and when it’s cover art, it’s a must pick up.
This weeks pick goes to Justice League #8 Jim Lee & Scott Williams Cover.
Probably a candidate for cover of the year. I’m willing to bet Mel has this down as one of his variants as well. Anthony will pick it as well. It’s just a given.
This is the type of cover that reminds me of The Killing Joke, at least the same potential as becoming one of those classic Joker covers.
It’s just a shame that this issue James Tynion IV is writing the issue. This could go down as one of those long term epic covers every Joker fan must have in their personal collection. I guess this is one way to get people to buy your comics, great cover art.
There’s also awesome covers for Batman Damned #1 (both covers in fact are great), Middleton has a new Aquaman Cover B out as well and Mattina has a sweet Batman #55 cover. All of these are almost must haves but this Joker cover is still the overall winner this week for DC.
Marvel Pick
Venom #6. Not because it’s Donny Cates writing it. Okay, you got me, it’s mostly because Donny Cates is writing this new Venom title but this cover is pretty sweet if you ask me.
And with it having a mostly black cover, it’s going to be hard to come by in NM+ condition.
Donny is already known now to possibly introduce surprise characters or a great story.
So if you’re not reading this title or picking up these books, you should. The potential that Donny’s stories and characters shaking up the Marvel Universe not just now but in the future is in these books he’s putting out for Marvel.
True Believers Marvel Knights 20th Anniversary Punisher First Appearance #1 is the dollar pick of the week. Who doesn’t like the classic Amazing Spider-Man #129 with Punisher’s first appearance. This is the book you grab when the original is out of your budget and these $1 books can result in easy flips, sometimes selling for $2 or more.
There’s a new Edge Of Spider-Geddon #3 with a Cover B Cully Hamner that’s already selling out online that everyone needs to keep an eye on and out for.
And be on the lookout for a possible Venom tie-in in the Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. It’s definitely one to keep a watchful eye on if the story within starts rewriting some Marvel history on the origins of the symbiote and Venom’s first appearance. Plus there’s a pretty cool looking Dell Otto variant available.
Indie Pick
After Shock is slowly becoming one of my favorite publishers. They put out great books. Not all are necessarily spec winners but overall, they do put out some quality comics with stories and artwork.
This week my pick goes to their new book Patience Conviction Revenge #1.
You read the description and be the judge for yourself if it peaks any interest:

NEW SERIES! Disregarded, disrespected and dismissed, Renny has a chip on his shoulder. Once an equal partner in a criminal syndicate that rules Las Vegas, he now finds himself living in a shack in the desert. But the shack has a workshop, and Renny’s been busy. It’s time to march his robot army into the neon hell of a cyberpunk Vegas and retake his seat at the table. Or take the wood from the table and build enough caskets for the whole syndicate. Old friends better run, because Operation PATIENCE! CONVICTION! REVENGE! is underway. Like an Elmore Leonard novel set in the world of Blade Runner, PATIENCE! CONVICTION! REVENGE! is offbeat and often funny, but all about the dark corners of cities and minds. A violent criminal genius with a bad case of monomania makes for the most fun you’ll have with a comic this year. Written by Patrick Kindlon (There’s Nothing There, We Can Never Go Home) and drawn by Marco Ferrari (Famous Monsters Presents) PATIENCE! CONVICTION! REVENGE! continues Kindlon’s exploration of difficult characters and irreverent themes. Having broken the chains of good taste, Kindlon goes all-in and writes a vengeance-obsessed lunatic as if he’s riding beside him-all wrapped in a gangster tale like no other, and that HAD to be told at AfterShock!

Small Publisher Pick
Black Badge #2 hits stands this week and it’s my small publisher pick.
Black Badge #1 was a great read. Matt Kindt is one of my favorite writers currently and it’s rare he disappoints. Matt Kindt teamed up with Tyler Jenkins takes it up another notch.
Grass Kings is a great series that shouldn’t be overlooked and honestly has media deal all over it, surprised it hasn’t happened yet.
I think Black Badge has the same potential.

Now on with the dreaded “avoid” pick, every writer and artist worst nightmare when it comes to selling their hard work.
This weeks pick is an easy one. Return of Wolverine and it’s gazillion covers. Buy cover A and don’t even bother with any others. This amount of covers for relaunches of the same characters is just getting ridiculous.

30 thoughts on “Poyo's Spec and Drek for Sept. 19th, 2018”

      1. I’m actually avoiding Spider-Geddon #3 as well (unless of course I can make some money off some suckers). Good ‘ol Blue Collar Spider Uncle is probably the lamest hero ever.. even Spider-Gwen’s lame hoodie outfit that defies all physics in not being pushed back by air puts Uncle Ben’s HVAC repairman outfit to shame..

    1. How do you get people to buy a crappy title? Make a first appearance of a new character that’s the child of a character that most people like. Bravo Marvel, bravo! 😛

      2. Not me. I liked jug duck. You watch, there will be a cult following and d.cates will pitch so idea so out there marvel will have to try it….because after all it’s Donny “Midas Touch” Cates! Wait and see…

        1. I’m gonna give Donny cap for Juggerduck.. I think now he’s just trying to make the most ridiculous characters possible and he’s all laughing at the fools buying it all up.. 😉

    2. True..it feels like a mashup or new family member first appearance weekly now… in terms of some potential quick spec the 1:25 has been selling on ebay.

    1. DC had way too many covers out this week that I liked but that one won me over. I’m just a sucker for up close Joker covers.

      1. It doesn’t feel that original to me…been done before. I can pick out 4 covers between batgirl and Catwoman by artgerm than blow JL8 away.

        1. Yeah but Artgerm’s style is one of the same in and of itself as well. He’s done these fantastic girl covers and artwork so often, it’s not really all that original when you break it down on a technical scale.

  5. I am in agreement on the Return of Wolverine blatant photoshop ripoff. What a joke!
    It started with JSC doing 3-4 alternate costume/coloring covers. Land started to copy and do the same. Marvel took that as their queue to raise the game.
    Between the recent Iron Man #1 and now Return of Wolverine #1 (both outrageous money grabs), the dollar bins will be filled for years to come. Of course, unfortunately, this will come at the expense of Retailers who were suckered in by Marvel to order multiples of every cover.

    1. If I were a shop, I would only buy Cover A and just tell my customers I’m sorry if they wanted another cover. Better to ask for forgiveness than lose a bunch of money on a bunch of nonsense.

      1. If more shops took that stand Marvel wouldn’t do it in the future.
        I can only speculate, based on the LCS’ around me, a lot took the bait on Iron Man #1. Most of the shops have already moved the unsold covers into their 50% off or $1 bins. I find it hard to believe the incentive variants (1:25/1:50/etc.) made up the difference in eating all those covers.
        Will the LCS’ do the same on Return of Wolverine #1? We will have to see tomorrow but I hope they don’t. Marvel is only in it to meet sales quotas. The retailers have to be smart(er) and protect their business by not buying this crap.

      2. Count us among the stores that sort of got burned by the Tony Stark variant nonsense. Thankfully we had buyers for the inventive variants immediately, so we covered our costs. But the armor variants are all sitting in a box waiting for our next warehouse sale. It doesn’t help that the title has been dead on arrival. Of all the 2018 Marvel relaunches, it’s the one with the least buzz. Even Thor (with its hard-to-love art) is outselling Tony.
        But we learned our lesson for Wolverine. Ordered 8 shelf copies beyond what we had for subs. If we are sold out by Saturday, great. I’ll take the 100% sell-through and not worry about missed gambling opportunities.

        1. Poyo says, never bet on Slott. He’s like the Carmelo Anthony of the Comic Book World.. it’s like he dooms any book or title he starts writing. The only reason ASM survived is because ASM just has a huge fan base.

      3. Any shop that plans on staying in this Business for any length of time has to play by a certain set of rules as it relates to ordering .. buying into the Multi Variant trap will drain your cash flow quickly .. if a Customer must have that (Example) .. “Order 500 regular copies and get this One” hype when they turn in an Advance order, I politely say :: “I will happily order 500 for you, you can have them at cost, and, please cough up half the the money now as a good faith deposit ..”
        This is how I’ve stayed alive in the fickle business as long as I have .. as a jaded owner that’s suffered through more than one “bust”, you may as well take your money to a casino and drop it on Red / Black Roulette ..
        The hits mostly come straight out of left field .. there is no way to plan for it ..

  6. Is there any Wolverine book from a Wolverine series worth anything outside of maybe #1 in the first Mini series. I can only think of Wolverine origins #10 and besides the third claw variant it’s a $10-$20 Book. Even the origin of Wolverine and first Weapon x can be found in NM for under $10. Based off that I would avoid any book with Wolverine in the title.

    1. Very true. The only Wolverine book I’d bet on is Hulk 181 and it’s not even a Wolverine book. 🙂

      1. Wolverine V3 #66. But even that can be had for less than $100 in 9.8. Seeking Fantastic Four 558 too.

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