FOC PICKS FOR 3/9/2026
The clocks have sprung forward…and that means Spring is around the corner. Can you believe it? Can’t get here fast enough. Alright…FOC picks/highlights for the week, coming right up.
NORMAL COVERS
Another Ivy cover for the Eom fans out there.
Pop Kill is the New Do-You-Pooh…same book, new theme cover.
WEIRD COVERS.
I’m not sure why Weird all is getting covers…and why they call them “Cameo” covers. How do you cameo on a cover? Silly…just like Al.
And then there’s Bizzaro Weird Al…or maybe we just call him Al (if he can call you Betty…).
Why do I have a short little span of attention…?
New Ones
LEARNING TO CRAWL! Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, Silk, Araña, Spider-Boy and Spider-Girl have one thing in common – THEY AREN’T READY. According to former Resolute Spider-Man NORMAN OSBORN. So he and Spider-Woman are going to TRAIN THEM to meet the next threat – the only way the Green Goblin knows how. Because the next threat might well BE the Green Goblin!
I get some of these characters may need some schooling…but I think Gwen, Miles, Silk and Arana have been to a few rodeos…if it’s that big a threat…why not call in the Avengers…I have to believe Osborn can network some bigger heroes…
Meh.
How hot does Geiger burn? What is the Committee on Spectral Affairs? Did George Washington really die? This new limited series collects all-new entries teasing tantalizing stories to come, as well as updated goods on Ghost Machine’s characters from across its hit titles beginning with The Unnamed Universe from GEIGER, JUNKYARD JOE, and REDCOAT! With interior character art from Ghost Machine’s all-star artists, don’t miss the outstanding classic homage covers that let you decide what ’80s inspired guidebook look you want to collect! This initial volume covers the first half of the world of The Unnamed from Albert Einstein to the High Plains Zoo!
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
OVERSIZE ANNIVERSARY ISSUE! This issue features an adventure so big, not only are Robin, Supergirl, Jimmy Olsen, Batgirl, and the rest of the Super-Bat Family joining in but Dan Mora makes his return to the series he helped launch!
I didn’t realize Mora had left. But whatever you do…don’t look at the Mark Spears variant…
I SAID DON’T LOOK!!!
FREE COMIC BOOK DAY
Spotlighting Keenspot comics for teens and up like MARK SPEARS MONSTERS, TIM SEELEY’S LUCKY, MAID CAFE, SKYCLAD, HOLY BRAWL, GREENHORNS, OTTER SQUAD, KIDS THESE DAYS, and more. This Free Comic Book Day 2026 special features the first appearance of at least ONE new character, and includes a bonus centerfold pull-out poster by Mark Spears!
Not sure where you can order this…maybe speak to your LCS. I guess keep it in mind for FCBD.
ONE AND DONE
SUPERSTAR CREATORS PRESENT UNFORGETTABLE ALL-NEW COBRA SILENT MISSIONS The face of comic books changed forever when G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #21introduced fans to the “Silent Interlude”, an action-packed story with NO DIALOGUE. Now, Cobra finally gets their turn in the ssspotlight! In a standalone thriller from superstars JÖELLE JONES (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and DECLAN SHALVEY (Mystique), the BARONESS must prevent Cobra intelligence from falling into the hands of G.I. JOE… and DESTRO?
New forms of fear are bursting onto the scene with this newest curation of jaw-breaking talent!
Test your nerves and prove your guts with the grossest, squishiest, gruesomest comics in… Hello Body Horror, a fresh collection of spine-cracking tales and stomach-churning terrors!
In “Body Positive” by Mark Bouchard and Rye Hickman, a fitness influencer striving for greatness has her mind go where her body cannot follow…yet.
In “Minimal Scarring” by indie sensation Derick Jones, a plastic surgeon who caters to the ultra-rich uses what pieces they leave behind to transform himself.
Also featuring stories by Michael W. Conrad, Martín Morazzo, Jeremy Bastian, Ziyan Qiu, Jenna Cha, and Robert Hack for a veritable “Who’s Who” in “Kill U Comics!”
One shot by Boom. $5.99 price tag may discourage heavy ordering. Quite a few variants though.
Throughout history, KILROY, a being of unknown origin and power, has been cursed to wander the Earth, avenging the innocent and protecting the weak, always leaving his trademark signature “Kilroy Was Here” to mark his presence. But what if his life has been a lie? The war to end all wars is imminent. Which side will he choose? From Eisner Award winner JOE PRUETT (VIKING MOON, VOICES IN MY HEAD, X-Men) and legendary artist DALIBOR TALAJIC (Deadpool, THE KIDS, Hit-Monkey) comes this tale of timeless horror. What would you do if you could decide the fate of the world?
The time has come at last…
To throw away this mask…
Now everyone can see…
My true identity…
(If you’re under 50, probably not getting the reference…)
(Editors Note: Kilroy was an indy character, a spirit of vengeance, published by Caliber Comics and ran in Negative Burn, High Caliber, and Calibrations)
Chip Zdarsky is a funny guy. Remember when he made that whole April Fools’ gag comic with rub ‘n’ smell farts? Oh, wait, that was me, DC Comics E-I-C Marie Javins. Chip was the one saying, I’d turn back if I were you, but he couldn’t stop me. Editors are a self-destructive lot. Which is why this year, I said, I give up, you do it, Chip, you are so much funnier and prettier and also better with cats than I am. And look, he went and did it. Chip demoted himself to editor. Chip is turning the DC universe on its ear and bringing you savage mockery of all we hold dear, and he is assisted in this brutal task by Matt Fraction, Gail Simone, Skottie Young, and many, many more. Next year? Back to farts. Includes MAD favorite Sergio Aragones with A MAD Look at Comic Book Stores, Guy vs. Spy by Jim Zub and Ramon Perez, and a DC Fold-In by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne. Plus a slew of MAD-style parodies of all DC Comics you hold dear, and some you’ve always hated anyway. MAD About DC #1 will fulfill your every comic book dream, or at least three or four of them.
It’s the cross-over no one wanted, but DC is giving it to us anyway…watch it be an unexpected hit, like DC K.O…
NEW CHARACTERS (Sort of)
A NEW ARC FOR THE ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE STARTS HERE FEATURING KING SHAZAM! Reign of the Superman kicks off here with the debut of not one but two Absolute Universe reinventions! The Battle of Kansas may have put the Lazarus Corporation into retreat, but it’s left behind some terrifying surprises in its hidden caches of weapons and world-ending secrets. The most dangerous of all? The sarcophagus of the legendary King Shazam! Don’t miss the start of a new epic that will change the hierarchy of power in the Absolute Universe!
King Shazam makes his debut in the absolute universe.
D’ORC OF THE WEEK
A teen witch owns the night- armed with spray paint and a spell book. The cops dont stand a chance.
That’s it. That’s all you get for a solicitation. No one is ordering this book based on this cover, or this description. No Ashcan (I’m aware of) and no incentive variants…no variants. What am I missing?
Why is the title even Grandpa…? So many questions…Maybe worth pre-ordering a copy…just in case FOMO hits…
(Another) INDY SPOTLIGHT
From the acclaimed artist of Don’t Run With Scissors! When young Ash’s superhero father is savagely murdered, all that remains of him are comic books, action figures and memories. As a cruel world pushes Ash further into depression, he discovers that, sometimes, a father’s love can reach from beyond the grave!
If done right, this could be a good read. Not sure I’d call it a spec book though…outside of Spears, Keenspot is far more miss than hit.
PICK OF THE WEEK
MINISERIES PREMIERE Twin brothers Paul and Castor have crafted the perfect poker hustle using their uncanny telepathic connection. But they might have finally met their match when they risk it all against the leader of the Bloody Cocks, the most ruthless criminal syndicate in Seoul. Eisner Award-winning writer DEREK KIRK KIM (THE LAST MERMAID, Same Difference) and rising star artist JACOB PEREZ (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) invite you to the shadowy back alleys of Seoul, South Korea, for a thrilling, mind-bending crime caper unlike any other!
Image has been hitting it out of the park lately. So even though this is a mini-series, I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not much else this week to spec on, anyway. I mean…how can you resist when it has a character by the name of Bloody Cocks…?
Good feeling about this one…may catch a few by surprise as the recent FOMO of new books seems to be waning a bit.
DREK OF THE WEEK
THWIP, THWIP AND AWAY! Fifty years ago, DC’s Man of Steel met Marvel’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, and the world of comics has never been the same! In celebration of that historic milestone, thrill to ALL-NEW tales of SPIDER-MAN and SUPERMAN and their friends and foes! Brad Meltzer and Pepe Larraz pit Spider-Man and Superman against LEX LUTHOR and NORMAN OSBORN as their greatest villains exploit some of their greatest weaknesses! In the shadow-laden 1930s, SPIDER-MAN NOIR encounters the original Golden Age SUPERMAN as told by Slott/Martin! A crisis ensues as Johns/Frank bring the Super- and Spider-families against each together at the summons of MYSTERIO…but is their true foe an ally out of control?! SYMBIOTE hordes invade METROPOLIS as a new War of the Realms ignites in Aaron/Dauterman’s epic. Co-creator of STEEL Louise Simonson hammers out the tale of John Henry Irons’ clash with the HOBGOBLIN, as drawn by Todd Nauck! Kelly/Ramos take us on a campus crossover between GWEN STACY and LANA LANG! MILES MORALES (SPIDER-MAN) teams with Superman, as Bendis and Pichelli re-team! All this, and more than a few super-surprises you’ll be talking about for the next Fifty years!
Didn’t we just do this last week?
No, last week was DC/Marvel: Superman/Spiderman. This week is Marvel/DC: Spider-man/Superman. Totally different.
Not really. For $7.99, i just don’t see the point in taking a chance. So many variants. If you must have it (to read) then maybe pick a cover that matches the prior issue from last week (e.g., pair up the two Adam Hughes covers, etc.). Otherwise I’d rather spend $8 on two separate $3.99 comics.
Parting Thoughts
I got nothing. It’s Sunday evening so lets get this thing out and on the street.
Later, CHU!!