Hi there, Comic Shop Friends! Just a heads up, we will be closed Monday the 26th for Memorial Day. Enjoy your grilling and chilling!

But make sure to stop in on Sunday, the 25th for Raf’s Birthday Back Issue Sale! He’s probably putting Batman and Conan back issues at 50% off, but you’ll have to come in to find out!

MARVEL COMICS

Tony Fleecs and Leonard Kirk present the world’s greatest clobberin’ magazine! As Ben Grimm himself says, “I’m just a schlub from the neighborhood who got bombarded by cosmic rays and turned into a colossal, rocky monster…” but now the Thing stars in his own series! Word on the street is that somebody’s real mad at the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Thing, and is offering a ten-million-dollar payout to whoever can take him out. All because a childhood bully has shown up asking Ben for help finding his niece, which leads to a guy who knows a guy, who ends up being the Gladiator, who is stronger than he’s ever been. What happened to the Gladiator has been happening to others in the neighborhood, kids, old people, seemingly random people, just disappearing. There’s someone behind it, and they don’t want the Thing to find them out. Get ready for every super-powered criminal and bounty hunter in New York to show up for their chance to snatch that ten million! Get ready for a massive amount of Clobberin’ Time!

With Bruce Banner dealing with existential dread, he decides to visit a doctor, and there’s only one doctor who can help him, Doctor Stephen Strange! Banner is struggling with a question, if gamma rays make you more of what you were before exposure, what does that say about him? “Am I a bad person?” Strange can tell him over and over that he isn’t, but the only way for Banner to truly know is to go back in time to where it all started. This is another J. Michael Straczynski one-shot asking a universal question, presented through the eyes and experiences of a superhero. With art by German Peralta. Plus, a J.M.S. Aunt May and Agatha Harkness team-up story! Book club is interrupted at Agatha’s house, and May has to guard a cosmic portal! With art by Natacha Bustos.

Sent on a mission to find the Janus Directory, a database of the world’s double agents, Logan pulls in Peter Parker to hack into it because he’s “a dork.” The unlikely duo have their work cut out for them to stop the identities of the agents from being released, because they’re not the only ones after it. Omega Red and Kraven are the first to arrive and it’s up to the best there is at what they do (kill and not shut up) to keep them from getting to the Directory. Action packed, with a little side trip switcharoo through Wolverine and Spider-Man’s pasts, and a reveal that will lead into a plot too big for just one hero! Writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Kaare Andrews have even more villains, threats, and surprises in store!

DC COMICS

“The monkey’s gone rogue!” Lemire and Robles are not speeding through this story, giving us just enough more to build on Wally’s new powers and how he’s learning how to accept them. He’s learning how to stop. Learning how to connect. And Grood may be the ally Wally needs to outrun the Rogues. These Absolute titles continue to be amazing.

The Summer of Superman is shaping up, and shaking things up for Kal-El! The new ongoing series from Dan Slott and Rafael Albuquerque welcomes in the Dawn of the Emerald Era! When the Justice League sends Superman to tackle the massive asteroid of near-indestructible Inertron, it should be an easy task for the Man of Steel. But under the surface is a city-sized chunk of green Kryptonite! Forced to destroy himself in order to save every life that is in the path of the asteroid, and with his life flashing before his eyes, Superman must make the ultimate sacrifice to save his adopted home and those he loves. But things are not quite what we’d expect… Clark Kent’s life is about to change… if it doesn’t end first.

Who killed Ares? The second part of the Wonder Woman and Batman team-up story solves the mystery of who killed a god! With Bruce recovering from a lightning strike, it’s up to Diana to become a detective, and she’ll use her own methods to do it. A great stand-alone two-parter that fits well into the overall Wonder Woman title excellently. Featuring art by Guillem March.

SMALL PRESS COMICS

Zander Cannon’s new miniseries follows quiet, churchgoing, coffee shop employee Jonathan Reason. A seemingly normal guy in a small town, but suddenly, things start to get weird and violent. Something starts stalking the town, killing seemingly indiscriminately, and it just might be Jonathan becoming something else in his sleep. He wakes one morning to find his door open, his cat missing, and his lawn covered in blood and guts. Did he do this? Is it connected to a somewhat similar event years earlier? Does it have anything to do with the arrival of his school friend, Hipp? Probably yes to all three of those questions, but find out in this black, white, and red horror mystery!