It’s Groundhog’s Day! And unfortunately Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. But before you get all discouraged about another 6 weeks of winter, just know Phil is actually better at getting it wrong than right (i.e., he’s right less than 40% of the time going back 150 years…

So I think scientist should look into that…maybe adjust the algorithm they’re using and align it with more current data. Or yank a different animal from their home.

But have you seen the process? The guy is trying to sleep…meanwhile, outside his burrow loud music is playing, people jumping up and down, screaming “PHIL PHIL PHIL!!!” Then they knock on his door, break into his house and yank him out of his bedding…holding him up high, naked for all to see…everyone screaming at him…let’s just say I don’t think it’s his shadow that frightens him back into slumber…

Anyway, still a few fun things to talk about. So here’s this week’s picks.

COVERS

The current Superman arc is not the first time Lois has been Superwoman and, nor is this her first cover. But it may be one of the best. Just wish these were not card stock as they’re very unforgiving and subject to spine tick and scratches. Dirty D’s cover of the week.

Wouldn’t be an FOC without a Mark Spears cover highlighted these days. This one I believe he may have used a photo of Mel Gibson’s William Wallace for inspiration….

Not sure if this got pushed out a week. It doesn’t come out until March 26th, but I’ll highlight it here. Godzilla “team ups” seem to be all the rage at the moment. To the point it’s overdone. But this homage to a vintage boxing advertisement is pretty cool. And who doesn’t like a good Thing vs. cover?

The ADAMANTINE saga reaches new heights, with a shock twist and surprising return you’ll have to read to believe! The GOLDEN metal means death for WOLVERINE…but is it also the world’s salvation?

Solicitation promises a “key appearance” in this issue. Normally publishers shouldn’t be telling collectors what is a key or not, but you can’t go wrong with this Platt homage of Wolverine 88. I believe the character holding up Wolverine is Romulus, so that may be the key appearance they’re referring to. Or maybe it’s an entirely new character or someone else. Issue 6 comes out this week.

I think we’re on the 3rd printing of this facsimile. This time instead of a foil variant they’re offering an Alex Ross variant which is the same art used for a variant dust jacket for the 1st Omnibus. They really need to start printing these in silver age format, though, if they’re going to keep coming out with new printings…give the fans what they want!

POP Kill #1 (of 4) (Cover D – Stelfreeze Explicit)

Not going to post a pic of this one as it’s NSFC (Not Safe For CHU). Even the “censored” version is a bit riske’. But it’s getting some attention pre FOC. Could be one people talk about for a while.

READS

The shadows of Gotham extend and darken as Asema’s bladed grip on the city’s underworld tightens. Now, while Batman struggles to keep his city safe, he begins to suspect that he has uncovered the identity of this bloodthirsty menace…and it may be someone very close to Bruce Wayne.

Many have been talking about this arc in Detective being pretty good. It introduced a new villain, Asema, and this issue supposedly will reveal the identity.

INDY SPOTLIGHT

In 1982, a tranquil town becomes the backdrop for a series of eerie and unsettling events. During a routine evening patrol, Sheriff Depero encounters a chilling scene: a blood-soaked woman dashes toward him, screaming that her life is in danger. Horror stands at the gates of the city!

Not much going on with Indy’s this week. But this one is from Keenspot…and I think Diamond was their only distributor (doesn’t appear Lunar or PRH are offering this book). So this could be interesting as Diamond could close its doors for good before this book gets distributed.

You can always order these direct from Keenspot. If anything there are some creepy covers!

PICK OF THE WEEK

MARVEL RIVALS VARIANTS

Round two of the Marvel Rivals Netease variants are on FOC. Now, shops aren’t likely to be caught sleeping this time around, so don’t expect good flips. But if you’re collecting these best not to take the chance and just pre-order them. Nothing else really speaks to me this week, so for that reasons these are the Dirty D Picks-of-the-Week.