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With Further Ado #400: Our 400th Smash Column

Posted on June 17, 2026June 17, 2026 by Ed Catto

I remember clearly, way back when I was a kid, when one of my neighborhood pals, George Riley, was telling me about the Batman 200th Smash Issue! Now, the gang each had our area of expertise back then: I was the Batman guy, Joe was the Fantastic Four guy, Hans was the Iron Man guy, my brother Colin was the Western comics guy, my other brother, Chris, would become The Flash guy, and George was the War comics guy.

Why was he, the War comics guy, telling me, the Batman guy, about Batman #200? And why was it a Smash Issue?
I’ve never really figured it out. I think that Smash Issue, in ‘60s DC parlance, just meant anniversary issue. But I’m still not sure.

I am sure that I love anniversary issues. It’s great to be celebrating With Further Ado #400. Whoof-that’s a big number. What a joy it’s been to write these. I hope you’ve been enjoying reading them.
So, for the With Further Ado “Smash Column” (it’s not really an “issue”) let’s celebrate by showing a few other 400 issues. As usual, I have a few thoughts on them:

Action Comics #400 has a wonderfully creepy Neal Adams cover, but I’m not sure it was designed specifically to be an anniversary cover. Continue reading “With Further Ado #400: Our 400th Smash Column” →

New Number Ones: New Comics Series and Specials Coming for the Week of 1/17/2024

Posted on January 16, 2024January 16, 2024 by Bob Harrison

Welcome to the New Number Ones!

Each week we bring you the list of new series and special editions coming this week. We are highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace.

We have an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from the publishers of some of the cool new comics that are coming out this week. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you about the new comics in question.

This week is certainly eclectic in the genre of books that made this list, but it is definitely a high quality list. We have books on this week’s list from: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and Image Comics.

We will bring you reviews of these debut issues as they come out, and don’t forget to use the comments section to let us know what you think of this list.

New Series
New One-Shots and Special Editions

New Series This Week

Avengers: Twilight #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Daniel Acuña
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Alex Ross & Daniel Acuña

In a gleaming new world of prosperity, Captain America is no more. But Steve Rogers still exists, floating through an America where freedom is an illusion, where THE AVENGERS are strangers and his friends are long dead. But is the Dream? How do you assemble Avengers in a world that doesn’t want them? PLUS: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of this issue!

Release Date: January 17, 2024

PCS NOTES: I gotta say. This looks pretty interesting.

Cable #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Fabian Nicieza
Art by Scot Eaton, Cam Smith, Victor Nava, & Javier Tartaglia
Letters by Joe Sabino
Cover Art by Whilce Portacio & Alex Sinclair

THE FUTURE MUST NOT COME TO PASS! All the signs are here: The Neocracy is coming—and with it comes not only the end of mutantkind, but all of the humankind as well! As if rescuing Young Nate from the ongoing threat of Orchis weren’t enough, can Cable root out this growing threat and decimate it before the Neocracy has a chance to take hold. But is he already too late to change the future? Don’t miss out on Fabian Nicieza and Scot Eaton’s explosive first issue of CABLE!

Release Date: January 17, 2024

PCS NOTES: Certain people should write certain characters. This is one of those such combinations. Continue reading “New Number Ones: New Comics Series and Specials Coming for the Week of 1/17/2024” →

Rapid Reviews: New Comics for the Week of 5/17/23

Posted on May 18, 2023May 18, 2023 by Bob Harrison

Welcome to our latest Rapid Reviews column.

This week we have some debut issues and some middle issues to discuss. Both Marvel and DC relaunched major team books this week and we have reviews of both of those as well as some excellent smaller books that we think you should check out.

For all the New Number Ones and Special Issues for May check out our monthly rundowns on Here and Here.

Our reviews are spoiler free and focus on the positive aspects of comic storytelling in each issue. You can find all of these books at your Local Comic Shop now or wherever you get your comics.

Avengers #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Jed MacKay
Art by C.F. Villa
Colors by Federico Blee
Letters by Cory Petit
Cover Art by Stuart Immonen

As the cover indicates, the Avengers are looking up. This reset and new beginning to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is encouraging. The debut issue to this volume is a well crafted jumping on point. It is accessible for new readers and establishes the rollcall through the use of structured flashbacks.

It is clearly a Carol Danvers story, and Jed MacKay has a good handle on the characters in this book. C.F. Villa delivers gorgeous and dynamic visuals and Federico Blee’s work adds an excellent mix of light and shadow that accentuates the important aspects of each page. It is a fun and exciting story that has me eager for the next issue.

Chilling Adventures Presents: Jinx, A Cursed Life #1
Archie Comics
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Craig Cermak
Colors by Ellie Wright
Letters by Jack Morelli
Cover Art by Cermak

This book is a rocking good time. Mags Visaggio crafted a fun one-and-done story with interesting personal dynamics and fun dialogue. Craig Cermak and Ellie Wright created a beautiful and engaging visual narrative. I will second the comments of editor Jamie Lee Rotante from the Letters column in that I love Visaggio writing the Jinx character. Continue reading “Rapid Reviews: New Comics for the Week of 5/17/23” →

So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Man #081: Tired of your Marvel Malaise

Posted on February 26, 2023December 30, 2023 by Marc Alan Fishman

The murmurs and mumbles of mediocrity started as early as Thor 2: The Dark World. They got louder with Black Widow. Louder still with Eternals. Then came the ire and fanboy rage over She-Hulk. And now it’s perhaps getting a bit too loud over Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

I’m sick of it.

In my day (shh, Mike Gold. Shh.) comic book movies were — at best — loud, kitschy affairs. For every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or ’89 Batman… we also got Howard the Duck, Superman III and IV, and Captain America. In the 90’s, Batman plummeted in quality, and was met by early CGI nightmares like Spawn, or obnoxious barely-based-on-their-source popcorn flicks like Judge Dredd or Tank Girl. And while these films were watchable… they were hardly of a caliber that one could present opposite more lucrative blockbuster sci-fi and action romps.

And then came Marvel.

It started unassumingly with Blade. Unlike so many neon-lit counterparts released prior… Blade felt like a horror action-movie. It was clearly inspired by the comic book origins and broad strokes of the character, but made smart choices in costuming, sets, and the watered-down plot. It wasn’t hokey. It was a blueprint.

1998’s Blade begat Bryan Singer’s X-Men. Similar to the vampire hunter… these were well-dressed (“what, you’d prefer yellow spandex?”) superheroes with well-thought-out effect work that made their mutant abilities feel believable. Combine this with the gravitas and star power of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan, and slowly but surely, the zeitgeist was changing.

Take a side-step from the mainstream, and you could see Hollywood begin to lean into the pulp and paper world. Ghost World, From Hell, Road to Perdition, and my personal favorite American Splendor showcased that comics beyond the punchy kind would also be applicable to mainstream (if a bit arty) America. But I digress. Continue reading “So Long and Thanks for the Fish, Man #081: Tired of your Marvel Malaise” →

New Number Ones: Comics Coming in January 2020

Posted on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by Bob Harrison

Welcome back to new year of New Number Ones!!

This is where we give our readers a preview of the exciting new comic book series debuting each month. We have compiled an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from PREVIEWSworld. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you some more about the new comics in question.

There are not a whole lot of new series of interest starting in January. There are a few new series from licenced properties coming out. Most publishers have more new releases queued up for February, but there is a decent list below.

We hope you will take a look and think about giving these a try. We will bring you reviews of most of these debut issues as they come out, and don’t forget to use the comments section to let us know what you think of this list.

Continue reading “New Number Ones: Comics Coming in January 2020” →

Everything We Read This Week – 07/31/2019

Posted on August 5, 2019September 4, 2019 by Bob Harrison

Welcome back to Everything We Read This Week. This is the place that we make our weekly trip through this week’s pull-list. It features mostly spoiler-free brief analysis and commentary of each book.

This week was a Fifth Wednesday, and therefore DC had a very reduced publication list. The rest of the publishers also had a reduced slate. Despite that, we were able to read some excellent comics by a variety of publishers. Some important series began, and we have the reviews for you. Find the comics you like and remember, Read More Comics!!

We reviewed books from DC, Marvel, Vault, Abstract Studio, Dark Horse, Valiant, and AfterShock Comics this week. As always, we hope you might find what we say interesting enough to try some of these comics. Don’t forget we welcome comments on these and any other comics that you read. Feel free to leave a comment and get the conversation moving.

Also, Don’t forget to check our hotlist of new books debuting this month over here. You will see books that we were looking forward to with the designation Hot #1 by them. There are a few of them out this week, and they are really good.

DISCLAIMER:

There is a 4 star rating system. It is simple and not to be taken too seriously as everyone gets their own impressions of art. These ratings are just to give our readers an idea of what we thought of the book, and they will be on the generous side normally. So don’t expect to see a lot of 1 Stars. After all, it’s not often that you have a bad book on your pull-list.

The rating system is as follows:

Great

Good

OK

Not Good

And here are the books we read in alphabetical order:

Continue reading “Everything We Read This Week – 07/31/2019” →

Beat JENeration 33: Avengers: Endgame, Let’s Get Spoil-y

Posted on May 4, 2019May 4, 2019 by Jen Marchese

As promised, I have a few thoughts.

Now, if this column’s title didn’t give you pause, let me reiterate that I’m not holding back. Onward ho to Spoiler City we go!

But also, c’mon, if you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame by now, I have to wonder if you even care about spoilers.
Continue reading “Beat JENeration 33: Avengers: Endgame, Let’s Get Spoil-y” →

With Further Ado #040: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Victory Lap or Too Much of a Fan?

Posted on May 2, 2019May 2, 2019 by Ed Catto

It’s an amazing time to be a comic fan. The latest Marvel movie, Avengers: Endgame, shattered box office records, earning $350 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide…in the first weekend of release. Everybody’s happy: movie goers, theater owners, Disney stockholders. There’s a heaping amount of fan validation packed into it all. This incredible box office debut, combined with positive reviews, afford longtime fans the opportunity to say to the world at large, “See? I told this stuff is great!”

But a funny thing happened on the way to the victory lap. Continue reading “With Further Ado #040: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Victory Lap or Too Much of a Fan?” →

New Number Ones: Comics Coming in May 2019

Posted on April 30, 2019April 30, 2019 by Bob Harrison

Welcome back to New Number Ones!!

Here, we give our readers a preview of the new comic book series that we are looking forward to each month. We have compiled an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from PREVIEWSworld. Look for our PCS NOTES below where we just have to tell you some more about the new comic in question.

May, with five new release dates, has a great group of premiere issues that we are excited about. They are coming at you from a wide variety of publishers. Some of our favorite comic book talents are bringing us some of these new series.

Continue reading “New Number Ones: Comics Coming in May 2019” →

The Horrifying Implications of Avengers: Endgame’s Ending (that you probably didn’t think about until just now)

Posted on April 26, 2019April 26, 2019 by G.D. Falksen

This weekend, everyone is going to see Avengers: Endgame. That’s appropriate. It’s a great film, tons of fun, and an excellent capstone to the past eleven years of Marvel films. You should definitely go see it. In fact, go see it right now.

Welcome back. Did you enjoy the popcorn? Ok, now that we’re all on the same page, I’d like to address one big issue with the end of Endgame and the terrifying implications it leaves behind.

Spoilers ahead. Continue reading “The Horrifying Implications of Avengers: Endgame’s Ending (that you probably didn’t think about until just now)” →

Tag: Avengers

With Further Ado #400: Our 400th Smash Column

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