FOC PICKS FOR 2/16/2026
Anyone watching the Winter Olympics? I’m from snow country, so Hockey and Curling are my favorites. Been exciting so far, although watching the sons of Keith Tkachuk play on Team USA makes be feel old.
Some good books this week, including second issues of series hot out of the gate. Lots of interesting facsimile/reprints as well. Lots of potential for spec plays. A little something for everybody.
COVERS
Another sexy cover from Dekal.
Transformers #30 (Nakayama Variant)
Making Robots sexy again. Elita 1 takes on Optimus Prime in this issue.
NOTABLE REPRINTS
First Brainiac. This purple cover could look interesting in foil.
Facsimile edition, first Joker Fish (plus cover). Some of these facsimiles (like this book) are not that expensive to acquire an original copy. Head scratcher.
There’s a few variants of this foil reprint.
Original was a bound book…I think even the Fantasy Masterpieces were bound spines. Not sure what they’ll do for a card stock cover.
Number Ones
When an attack on New York – bolstered by a mysterious group called DNVR – exposes a dark part of Carol’s family history, she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew about the Danvers name! Carol suspects that answers lie in an investigation she was forced to drop when she was a journalist, and as lost memories from her past as Ms. Marvel resurface, she’s faced with her toughest battle yet. A journey through Carol’s past and present!
JSC cover plus a story.
A bold, high-stakes epic about MARVEL’S most dangerous hero – the SENTRY, a man with the power of a million exploding suns- and the dark entity born from his own psyche: the VOID. When the Void resurfaces, threatening to unravel reality itself, the Sentry must battle not only cosmic forces and criminal empires, but the monster within. A tale of impossible choices and devastating consequences. Can the Sentry save everything when the cost might be everything he loves?
Twenty years after Phase II of the High Republic, a brand-new team of Republic Pathfinders is dispatched to a distant corner of the galaxy to investigate the strange death of a Jedi Master! But as the team wades into a web of mystery, they discover not everything about this mission is as it seems. Can the team save the day and solve the Jedi’s mysterious demise?
Six issue mini-series.
NUMBER TWOS
Issue #1 was a huge payoff for those who got a copy. 2nd Print looks to be hot as well. How will issue #2 fair? Will it be a bust, or will it follow in the footsteps of Assorted Crisis Events?
If you’re in, I think sticking with Cover A is best.
Second issue of another hot book out of the gates by Image is on FOC this week. Issue #1 was interesting as the Dragotta variant seems to bet getting the love. Dragotta doesn’t have a variant for #2, so stick with cover A here as well.
ONE AND DONE
The origin of an all-new superhero: MidKnight Man. Who is he? Where did he come from? And how does he fit into a world overrun by monsters and madness? All will be revealed in this standalone origin story that launches a bold new hero into the Monsters Universe.
A one shot book from Spears. The 1:50 High Score variant has a character on the side of an arcade game that looks eerily similar to the hulk.
READS
CAPTAIN AMERICA VS. RED SKULLA.K.A. BUCKY! Captain America must face the demons of his past and the old friend who has become his darkest enemy! An explosive confrontation amid the global chaos of Endgame!
The Winter Solider storyline (Brubaker) which brought Bucky back since the silver age was one of the best Captain America stories in modern history. Cap vs. Bucky stories typically are pretty good. I like the Cover A artwork as well.
As Infernal Hulk prepares to deal his death blow against Earth, a being of unimaginable power descends from the heavens to save us: the Creator of the Marvel Universe himself! Everything on Earth will change after this shocking, never-before-seen battle for the ages: INFERNAL HULK versus THE ONE ABOVE ALL!
Looks like “Jack Kirby” is back…
INDY SPOTLIGHT
MINISERIES PREMIERE. A group of down-on-their-luck actresses are kidnapped to an island prison run by a sadistic female warden. Working together is their only chance of escape, but trust issues abound! Action-adventure inspired by exploitation films. Ridiculously fun. Seriously sexy.
Image is on a role. Could this be the next in a recent line of hit series? The “bondage” cover (below) could be a sleeper, if so. There is also a NSFW variant if that’s your thing.
PICK OF THE WEEK
After the explosive reveal ending last issue, and Batman continues to fight Poison Ivy’s mutated monsters and winds up uncovering an even more gruesome horror that has embedded itself in the city’s very foundations. All while the Joker’s machinations start to coalesce in a partnership with a new ally.
Not sure if we’ll get a cameo a the end of issue #17, but based on the cover this is looking like the 1st (maybe full) appearance Court of Owls.
Although no one is sleeping on Abs Bats these days, and the Image books above may be better spec plays to take a chance on, I’m looking forward to see how crazy they can make the Court of Owls. So this pick of the week is more a read pick, with some spec potential thrown in.
Parting Thoughts.
Back to the Olympics! Have a great week!