It’s October, can you believe it? NYCC will be here before you know it…assuming it’s not under water. Then Tricks or Treats and all the holiday specials begin! October is such a fun month.
Earlier this week I tooks a gander through the FOC list….seemed pretty weak. I wasn’t even sure I’d be putting together an article. But as the week has gone on some nice covers have been revealed and some of the story descriptions seem better after reading a second time. So let’s see what’s up this week.
Bring Back the 90s!
Gimmick covers are in again. And I love it! Yeah, it’s a bit overdone…but it’s fun. As long as we’re not repeating the past by assuming these gimmicks make good flips. They don’t. But if I’m wavering on picking up a book for the read, a gimmick cover might be enough for me to give a book a shot. Brilliant.
Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Cover B – Cyborg Superman Die-Cut Variant)
Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Cover C – Steel Die-Cut Variant)
Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Cover D – Superboy Die-Cut Variant)
Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Cover E – Eradicator Die-Cut Variant)
Its 1993, and the Reign of the Supermen die-cut covers are hitting the racks. Action Comic #687, Man of Steel #22, Superman #78 and Adventures of Superman #501. Anyone collecting comics back then had copies of these as they were so cool.
Fast forward 30 years and we now see them in just about every dollar bin. But each time I see them it brings back a little nostalgia. Well, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Reign of the Supermen and Return of Superman (and capitalize on that nostalgia feeling), DC has brought back the original creative teams for new stories set in the wake of Superman’s death. These are $9.99 cover price 
, but if you order prior to FOC you can grab them for as low as $6.99.
Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (Cover F – Foil Variant)
And don’t forget about the foil wrap around variant!!!
Alan Scott the Green Lantern #1 (of 6) (Golden Age Foil Variant)
First issue of a limited series about the early days of the first green lantern.
Carnage #1 (Dell ‘Otto Foil Variant)
Cletus and Carnie are back together again, and they feel so bad. This cover will look spectacular in foil.
Something Is Killing the Children #34 (LCSD Foil Variant)
SIKtC is getting into the foil game now. Both issue 34 and 35 have Local Comic Shop Day variants…I never really understood the point of these when you can order them online and not from an LCS…
And last, but not least…
Wonder Woman #1 (2nd Ptg Cover B – Foil Variant)
a SECOND PRINT foil!!
Yes. We have now crossed over into the dark realm of 2nd printing gimmicks. And least I can’t recall a 2nd printing be a foil, when the first was not. What’s next, covers that roar at you…? Oh wait, that was last week.
Bring Back,the 2020s!
Ok, back to basic covers.
Action Comics #1058 (Cover C – Carla Cohen Variant)
Cohen does nice work. She doesn’t seem to do much for the big 2, but maybe that’s about to change. The one thing that I don’t like about this cover, and there is a lot to like, is that Supergirl is staring straight ahead…a little too straight on looking-in-to-your-soul for my tastes. She also has art on the next issue cover which is a much better pose, IMO.
Detective Comics #1075 (Cover C – Redondo Variant)
Nothing particular special about this book. The series has been taken over by Ram V, although I haven’t heard how that’s going. I just like this cover as it’s a different perspective than we normally see, and it’s almost an homage back to the Jim Aparo days.
Harley Quinn #33 (Cover B – Jenny Frison Variant)
Nice little throw back Harley cover this week.
Harley Quinn #33 (Cover F – Zullo Trick or Treat Variant)
I think this is the last in Zullo’s Trick or Treat series (or as TFAW calls it “Treat” or Treat). 
Its Jeff the Jeff-Verse #1 (Zullo Variant)
And drawn by Zullo, no less.
Something Is Killing the Children #34 (E.M. Gist FOC Reveal Variant)
Something Is Killing the Children #34 (FOC Reveal Spot Variant)
A couple of cool FOC covers for SIKtC 34. The first by E.M Gist (horror books might be a new avenue for him) and then a Spot (Rorschach) variant. Gist’s red background might make for a cool gold signature. And the Spot variant would be fun to have an artist sketch a face with the mask.
Read It
All-American Comics #16 Facsimile Edition
To go along with the Alan Scott Adventures book, DC is also releasing this facsimile of his first appearance. No foil this time, but I’m not sure this cover would look good as a foil….ah, who am I kidding? Nothing beats a foil cover! It’s like Rock in Rock-Paper-Scissors!
Flash #2 (Cover B – Mike Deodato Jr Variant)
A new character, likely antagonist, debuts in this issue, The Stillness. I’m not sure if it’s a group or single characters. It seems like group may be on cover A, but cover B is the “Character Profile” cover…and would seem to feature one of them.
THE VENOM OF THE WIDOW! After the birth of an all-new symbiote, what familiar face will cross its path and become its first host?!
Gee, I don’t know…but maybe you gave away the answer in the first sentence of the description (not to mention the cover).
Either way…should be a book everyone is picking up. Don’t go too heavy with extras as it’s probably just a short term thing.
And of all the freaking foil variants…why is this not one of them??!! Maybe they’re waiting for the second print. 
This would have been the pick of the week….except for the following…
Pick of the Week
Star Wars Hyperspace Stories #10 (Cover A)
So it looks like the Bad Batch are going to make their comic story debut in this issue. If you haven’t been watching their Disney+ series, you’re missing out. Every episode has been great story telling and character development. All sorts of Easter eggs for the eagle eyed fan.
However I caution against going too crazy buying multiples. It’s not like the bad batch has a long future ahead of them. Once the third season is over, it may just be the end of it. And this cover has been out there a while. It’ll be heavily ordered, for sure.
The Bad Batch character who really has some spec value is Omega, as she is the sister Clone to Boba Fett (known as “Alpha). Like Boba, her growth is not accelerated, and she is a child…meaning there’s a lot of stories to be told. Even after the Bad Batch series is completed.
In fact, she is the center point of the series, and yet she is not on the cover. The bad batch doesn’t meet Omega until after Order 66, and the solicitation talks to yoda & Windu, meaning it’s pre order 66. So I highly doubt Omega makes her first appearance here. That’s the book worth stocking up on if she shows up by surprise.
The B cover is interesting, but I don’t know what animal is on the far right. Cover A should be the winner here.
Cool cover of Moff Gideon in Beskar. Also the issue has the season 3 compendium.
There’s also the Previews Exclusive edition with Grogu hugging an Anzellan.
That’s if for this week. Stay dry!!