Comics Catch-Up
Plus: When Nothing's Going On, Everything's Archie!
Hello Everyone!
Nate here—coming into your inbox on a Tuesday this week.
Due to both the holiday, and something incredibly exciting that was supposed to be launching today, I decided to post this week’s newsletter a day later. Unfortunately, the announcement isn’t up yet, so it’ll probably happen later today or this week. Keep an eye on my social media for when that launches, but hopefully I’ll be able to promote and talk about it next week.
There is one thing I’m going to promote a last time, though—the Kickstarter for Limit Break’s anthology Bump in the Night ends in just a few days. Be sure to go to this link here to back it before it’s too late.
All right, now onto it:
What I’m Doing:
I’m not going to lie, I’m starting to get a bit of cabin fever here. It’s just a lot of boredom while I’m between my graduation and finding my first real job out of college. I’ve been doing a lot of writing and spending time with people, which has been really nice. But also, hours are creeping by slower and slower each day. I had fun going into the city with some friends over the weekend though, and am going away for a few days later this week, so things’ll pick up more hopefully.
What I’m Writing:
Some REALLY exciting things are happening this past week (some I unfortunately can’t talk about on here just yet):
Project Facade: This is the aforementioned thing that’ll be fully announced and launched any day now. I’ve sent in some blurbs and bios and things like that this past week, and also saw a variant cover that blew me away focused exclusively on my story. This is a big one that has me so psyched, so I hope I’ll be able to talk about it more in-depth in the coming weeks!
Project Tarot: I just got some really great news about how this story will be released this year, and it’s even better than the original plan was going to be. It’ll now be a part of not one, not two, but THREE releases, which has me excited. It’ll be a bit longer, but a lot more people will be able to have this in their hands, and that’s amazing!
Project Eternity: I heard back from some people who read the issue one script, and they loved it! I’m so glad that this script that I had so much fun working on turned out well, and I’ll carry that excitement forward as I hopefully start on issue two’s script this week.
What I’m Reading:
I haven’t read much more of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five this past week, because I have now completely caught up on new releases. I always get so far behind a couple times a year when things get busier, so I’m glad I can now read things as they come out! Of what I read, there were a lot of amazing issues: Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 2025 Annual, Detective Comics 2025 Annual, Fantastic Four #31, Question: All Along the Watchtower #6, Red Hulk #3, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #3, Ultimate Spider-Man #16, Absolute Green Lantern #2, Absolute Superman #7, Fantastic Four Fanfare #1, JSA #7, Two-Face #6, Vanishing Point #1, Action Comics #1086, Aquaman #5, Batman: Dark Patterns #6, One World Under Doom #4, Red Hulk #4, Star Trek: Lower Decks #7, Supergirl #1, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #4, w0rldtr33 #14, Absolute Flash #3, Batman and Robin Year One #7, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #39, Detective Comics #1097, Fantastic Four #32, Terminator #7, Thing #1, Thunderbolts: Doomstrike #5, and Zatanna #4.
Because this is just a bunch of issues listed, I will say some standouts in particular of what I read were Black Canary: Best of the Best #6, Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma #2, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1, New Gods #6, Ultimates #12, and Wonder Woman #21. All of these were absolutely incredible! Black Canary wrapped up Tom King and Ryqan Sook’s epic story perfectly, New Gods and Resurrection Man were Ram V at his absolute best, and Battle Beast brought back the invincible characters in an action-packed story by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley. The best two issue ones I read though were Exquisite Corpses #1 by James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh and Superman Unlimited #1 by Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque. Exquisite Corpses delivered a sixty-page first issue which set the stage for what’ll surely be something incredibly special—a battle royale of twelve killers in a small Maine town on Halloween night, with control of the country on the line as wealthy families nominate their champions and place their bets. This is sure to be fun and expansive, as Tynion and Walsh invite other creators to play around in this sandbox of theirs. This was so up my alley, and I can’t wait for more! Superman Unlimited #1 saw legendary Marvel writer Dan Slott, writer of my favorite Marvel run of all time in his and Mike Allred’s Silver Surfer, come to DC and start up a new ongoing series for the Man of Steel. A kryptonite meteor threatens humanity’s extinction, and Superman is the only thing that stands in the way between the remnants of his original homeworld and the destruction of his adopted world. Clark’s life flashes before his eyes, and it is something rife with everything that makes Superman the best character in modern fiction. It also sets up so much exciting stuff to come, and I am going to be pre-ordering every issue of this!
I have also just received a shipment of a bunch of Archie Comics collections thanks to an amazing sale for Memorial Day weekend on their site. I absolutely love all things Archie, and have been tearing through these classic and modern stories about the happenings of Riverdale. Archie is just a perfect long-running soap opera inm the comics medium—delivering classic-feeling nostalgia, humor, and joy, but also through incredibly modern storytelling sensibilities. Archie Comics is a publisher doing everything right, and I couldn’t be enjoying my read-throughs more. I have been reading Archie: 80 Years, 80 Stories collection most recently, and going backwards from modern day to classic 1940s Archie and seeing how far it’s all come is both fun and fascinating. Archie is just joy and excitement incarnate within comics, and I love getting to unwind with stories of Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of Riverdale’s residents in their many forms.
What I’m Watching:
The Studio aired the second part of its finale this past week, and it was amazing! This show delivered a perfect first season rife with cinema, comedy, and cameos that I looked forward to each and every week. I’m so glad it’s been renewed for a second season, and am chomping at the bit for more. Doctor Who also aired the first half of its two-part finale a few days ago, and it was fun. I’m going to reserve any judgments until I can watch part two on Saturday, as it leaves a lot unanswered that’ll hopefully be wrapped up and utilized in the finale. I’m excited to see where it all goes, though, and hope Russell T. Davies, the showrunner, can stick the landing. I really hope this isn’t the end of Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor though, as he’s really become one of my favorites over these two seasons, and I’d hate to see him regenerate after only two seasons, as some rumors online suggest.
Last night, I also watched the Clint Eastwood-directed film on Max Juror #2. A compelling dramatic thriller with great actors such as Nicholas Hoult really selling the emotion and characterization. Equal parts Hitchcock and 12 Angry Men, with me honestly not knowing how things would wrap up until the credits began to roll. A great watch that I wish I’d gotten to sooner.
That’s all for this week—I’ll be back on Monday, hopefully able to share something really exciting. Follow my socials for the most up-to-date information, but if not, I’ll talk to you all in six days!
-NS