Hello Comic Shop Friends! First, holy Batman Day, Batman! It was absolutely the best Batman Day, so thank you everyone who came out! If you weren’t able to make it, we still have plenty of the Batman of Two Worlds one-shot left! They’re $2.99, and if you have Absolute Batman on your pull list, we have one in your file for you.

There’s one lonely Batman reusable bag left for $3, and this week we have new Absolute Wonder Woman/Wonder Woman reusable bags!

This Saturday the 26th is Local Comic Shop Day! We’ll have some exclusives for the day including variant covers for Fox Mask Killer, Six of Us, the second volume of Dungeon Crawler Carl, and a brand new Ignition title, Mad Science Division, among others! Support your local comic shop and stop in on Saturday!

MARVEL COMICS

It’s time to play the music! It’s time to light the lights! It’s time to get things started as the Muppets Take the Marvel Universe tonight! If you want a delightful read from start to finish, here you go! We get six stories dropping the Muppets throughout the Marvel Universe, starting with Chip Zdarsky and Pete Woods’ “The Greatest Show (Not) On Earth” where Mojo dognaps Rowlf to lure all our favorite Muppet Show and Marvel Universe characters to Mojoworld so he can force them to perform on his new streaming service. Spider-Man and Fozzie bond over jokes! Emma Frost recognizes Miss Piggy’s fabulous nature! Deadpool and Gonzo are the death-defying duo you didn’t know you needed! And you know Sam the Eagle is in awe of Captain America! They’re all going to have to perform their hearts out to get out of this one!

And that’s not all! Bunsen and Beaker come up with “A Terrible Invention” when Bruce Banner and Hank Pym guest star in Kyle Starks and Mike Henderson’s story! The Pigs in Space meet the Guardians of the Galaxy in Mackenzie Cadenhead and David Baldeon’s “Pigs of the Galaxy”! Wolverine gets a ride with Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem Band, and is not having a good time, until he and Animal encounter a “Bad Man” in Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Athila Fabbio’s short! Clea Strange is sick, and the only one who can make the soup she desires is the Swedish Chef! It’s “Just What the Chef Ordered” in Ashley Allen, Chef Paul Carmichael, and Paco Medina’s tasty tale. Finally, “Muppets Assemble!” Some new recruits are needed to stop a Doombot army, but do Pepe, Lew Zealand, and the rest of the Muppets have what it takes? Find out in Adam F. Goldberg and E.J. Su’s finale! This is the book we all enjoyed reading the most this week, and that’s high praise for a week with three DC Absolute titles!

The march to Hulk War begins! Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Jonas Scharf’s killer Infernal Hulk title continues with the first of four one-shots leading directly to the Hulk War event! Some mutants have joined the Infernal Hulk’s cause, and some, like Glob and Multiple Man, have gone missing. The X-Men have a lead on their possible location, and Wolverine is sent to investigate! Wolverine has had his fair share of Hulk fights, but is he prepared to face the Father of Horrors? He thinks he can handle it alone. Jubilee thinks she can help. I think it’s all going to end badly, but we’re going to get one hell of a bloody battle out of it! Next up, the Infernal Hulk Vs. the Fantastic Four in October!

DC COMICS

A trifecta of Absolute issues all dealing with fear. My suggested reading order for the three are Absolute Flash first, followed by Absolute Wonder Woman, and finish with Absolute Batman, to build toward the reveal at the end, and lead into the milestone 25th issues coming soon!

The cover gives it away, but there’s a new Bat in Gotham! Scarecrow has infected Bruce. A Robin is dead, and Batman is blamed. He has a chance to leave Gotham and start over. He also has a chance to stay and fight, and take down Scarecrow once and for all. What will he choose? What choice does anyone in Gotham have? Batman has awoken something in the city… and it just may be what it needs. From our boys Snyder and Dragotta.

Diana knows Phobos and Deimos are behind the massive eye above Gateway City. They are the Gods of Fear, and they know how to manipulate Wonder Woman to get her to act on her fears. She knows to be clear of mind and free of fear, but Barbara’s disappearance weighs heavy upon her. How can Diana overcome her worries to protect the city once again? Can she beat back the Gods themselves? Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman continue their absolutely wonderful run.

Central City is overrun with horrors. Linda and Grodd are trapped by Abra Kadabra. Wally is beaten. He is succumbing to the dark. There is nothing but horror and fear. As Wally thinks he is dying, he sees his father pleading with him to get up. How can he when Zolomon can see every move coming? How can they break free of the fear? Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles have a trick up their sleeves as someone new shows up that may be Wally, Linda, and Grodd’s only chance to survive.

SMALL PRESS COMICS

A mismatched buddy crime comedy, and one of the buddies is an ape! Writer Eliot Rahal and artist Mattia Monaco’s new series is about two best friends, Doctor Kermit Groeden and Amigo. Kermit is an animal trainer and animal rights activist. Amigo is the first gorilla nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award. Their lives should be great, but an incident on a late-night talk show, Kermit’s dalliance with a married woman, and a murder, force them to go on the run. Framed for a crime they didn’t commit, they’ll have to reveal their darkest secrets and hidden pasts in order to clear their names. Can their friendship survive the ordeal? Is this going to ruin Amigo’s chance of becoming the first ape Oscar winner? Probably! Just remember, “No bananas!”

Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips’ That Texas Blood is back! After revealing some of the history of Ambrose County in The Enfield Gang Massacre, the creators return to more recent history in this new series, set during the early days of the Iraq War in 2003. As the country watches the events unfold overseas, another war starts closer to home for Sheriff Joe Bob Coates and his family. Mary Allison has a plan to get what is rightfully hers, and that involves getting a team together for a heist. Family grievances aren’t the only things blowing up, and as Sheriff Coates and Deputy Hart respond to a call, they find Allison Ranch under siege! With bonus material including cartoons, a letter from Chris Condon about the return of the series, a conversation with journalist and comic writer Spencer Ackerman about the 9/11 era, and a conversation with filmmakers E.L. Katz and Jim Mickle, who are adapting That Texas Blood for television.