After a nearly 90-year legacy of Marvel Comics in New York City, the House of Ideas is moving shop across the country to Burbank, CA — and that kinda fucking sucks. Not for functional reasons necessarily, but for the romanticism of Lee and Ditko and Kirby creating so many seminal characters in NYC. For the days of the mythic Marvel bullpen in the 70s and 80s.
The books were set in the same city where they were made — Spider-Man in Queens, Daredevil in Hell’s Kitchen, the Baxter Building in the middle of Manhattan. New York wasn’t just a backdrop — it was a co‑creator.
Moving to Burbank isn’t the end of Marvel Comics, but it certainly slams the door on pretending that’s how it still works.
Because if we’re being honest, those days have been over for a long time. Writers and artists work remotely from around the globe, as do many of the rest of the Marvel staff. There’s probably about 100 employees actually living and working in NYC. And I absolutely feel for those people who now have to make tough decisions about relocating themselves and their families across the country or looking for new jobs. That sucks and I hope they all land on their feet, whatever decisions they make.
Ultimately, on paper, this is just a corporate move, though — and one we should have seen coming given the recent leadership changes with Brad Winderbaum now steering the ship from California. In our hearts and heads, it’s the end of the Marvel we grew up romanticizing. But from the fan perspective, what’s really going to change?
Well, creatively, I think the biggest changes are going to have a lot less to do with the move from NYC to Burbank and a hell of a lot more with the newly announced Editor-in-Chief. That’s the interesting part of how Marvel chose to announce the move. They didn’t just say, “We’re out of New York.” They paired that bombshell with the news that C.B. Cebulski is out as Editor-in-Chief and Steve Wacker is in.
That was a very deliberate move. It’s Marvel saying, “We’re not shuttering comics and throwing everything in a Burbank warehouse. We’re shaking shit up and trying to make this line matter again.”
Cebulski’s run as EIC is defined by most as, well, undefined. He’s known as a beast when it comes to talent scouting and is a regular presence at cons around the country. People inside the industry generally like him as a person. But if you ask, “What does the Cebulski-era Marvel feel like?” it gets kinda fuzzy. I can list a lot of things that happened during his tenure that I love — the Jed MacKay era of Moon Knight, the Phillip Kennedy Johnson era of Incredible Hulk, finding one of the best colorists in the game today in Rachelle Rosenberg, entrusting the Daredevil ongoing title to Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett. But there was no clear tonal shift, no strong line‑wide identity. In a moment where DC has figured out how to feel like something again, that’s a problem.
In fact, most publishers are experiencing a boom right now in comic shops across the country. And while Marvel hasn’t seen declining sales, they have stayed relatively flat while everyone else is on the rise.
So when Steve Wacker’s name hit the news, the industry collectively said, “Yeah, that’s the guy.”
Wacker is not a hype‑man. He’s an editor’s editor. His reputation comes from doing the hard, unsexy work well:
Herding the chaos on Amazing Spider-Man through Brand New Day and Superior Spider-Man
Shepherding Mark Waid/Chris Samnee’s Daredevil
Overseeing Hawkeye, Venom, She-Hulk and other books that actually had a distinct voice.
Helping pull off DC’s 52, which is still a fucking logistical miracle
You can hate some of those story choices and still admit those books had personality. They felt curated. They felt like decisions, not just content being dumped out to fill shipping slots. That’s what good editorial does.
People who’ve worked with Wacker describe him as “creative‑first,” good with talent and capable of managing big initiatives without turning everything into the same bland mush. And that’s exactly what Marvel’s been missing — not competence, but flavor. A sense that there’s someone at the top with taste, making choices on purpose.
I want to reiterate, I like C.B. Cebulski. I think he did a lot of great things as EIC. But the one thing he was missing is I think the biggest thing that Steve Wacker is going to bring to Marvel Comics — and this is when Marvel needs it most.
Will he fix everything overnight? Absolutely not. Comics move slowly. But Wacker is the kind of person who can actually give an era a shape.
Zoom out and you get this:
Marvel is finally admitting, physically and symbolically, that it’s not the scrappy New York bullpen anymore. It’s part of a giant entertainment machine headquartered in Burbank.
At the same time, they’re not quietly letting comics rot in the corner. They’re putting a proven, creator‑friendly editor in charge who actually knows how to make books with personality and manage big swings.
To me, this means that Marvel is determined to carve out a new editorial identity moving forward and brought in a leader who is not fucking around.
It’s the death of a myth and the start of… something. The question isn’t “Will Marvel survive?” It will. The question is, “Will Marvel feel like anything again?”
New York Marvel is gone. That sucks and it’s okay to say it out loud. But if the trade‑off is a comics line with a real editorial heart and some actual direction, there’s a chance this whole messy, corporate, unromantic move might be the start of a new era that’s worth giving a shit about.
And now …
Ok, so there was absolutely zero fucking questions as to which covers would be featured this week. For me, in more than six decades of Daredevil history, there are two issue #16 covers that stand head and shoulders above the others. The first is the legendary cover by comics icon John Romita Sr. Not only is it a great cover, but it is the first time Romita ever drew Spider-Man, published months before he would take over art duties on the Amazing Spider-Man title. This cover represents an iconic moment in comic book history.
The second cover highlighted today is from Issue #16 of Daredevil Vol. 2. The cover art is by my personal favorite artist of all time, David Mack, and it is from one of my all-time favorite Daredevil story arcs — Wake Up. It’s written by Brian Michael Bendis, with David Mack taking on the interior art as well as the cover. It’s a phenomenal story that every Daredevil fan should read. As the cover alludes, Ben Urich is the driving force behind the story in this arc and I love how Mack depicts the intrepid journalist.
In issue #1 Zdarsky set the stage for the battle and issue #2 is that battle with zero punches pulled. And I mean zero. David Colton opens up a can of whoop-ass and unleashes holy hell on Ross and his Hulks. But with massive collateral damage, friction among the Avengers, plus Russia’s Winter Guard making its own moves in the shadows, Armageddon is just getting started. This feels like it’s building to something BIG. A lot of times there are “events” that don’t really feel all that grand in terms of scale or impact. This ain’t that. This feels like it’s got real weight and consequences.
And that sense of scale is driven home by the amazing artwork from Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone draw Red Hulk, or maybe even the raging face of any Hulk, better than these guys. There are multiple splash pages that grab your eye and refuse to let go. Every panel feels like a frame taken straight from a film. The whole issue is cinematic. Then you add the colors from Sonia Oback and it just takes it to the next level. I especially love how she handles sunlight coming through the forested canopy during one section of the battle between Colton and Ross. Not to mention the color contrast between the deep greens of Colton’s costume and the reds and blues of Iron Man, Carol Danvers, Sam Wilson, Red Hulk, etc. It makes Colton really stand out in contrast to not just his enemies, but his own teammates — and that works so well with this story.
There’s one page with Bucky Barnes and David Colton that is my favorite in the whole issue. Not a word of dialogue or exposition anywhere to be found. But that one page says so much.
Oh, and we also seemingly learn the source of the powers Colton got from Earth 6160 and let me just say … fuuuuuuuuck. Armageddon, thus far, is living up to the hype.
Good event tie-in issues can stand on their own and that’s exactly what you’re getting here from Chip Zdarsky. And the title for this story arc — Hell’s Angel — man, that hits on multiple levels.
And while this is not your typical Captain America story — traversing Hell and gathering souls for a war against Mephisto — at its core it is absolutely true to what makes Steve Rogers who he is. When it comes to power levels, there are other heroes who are stronger. But he is always the one you want leading the team. Because, as Sharon Carter says, he is the best of us. And Zdarsky drives that home through a powerful moment with Spider-Man by Cap’s bedside in the hospital, proving that he gets and writes both characters so well.
And while Steve’s body is in that hospital bed, his soul is in Hell. Cap is on a mission and how he approaches that mission stands in stark contrast to how his greatest enemy — Red Skull — views the task laid before him. And that’s something I really dig about what Zdarsky is doing here. It’s not just about using the biggest name in Cap’s rogues gallery to sell books. It’s about using Red Skull as the perfect foil to show why Steve Rogers really is the best of us. Zdarsky’s Cap run continues to be some of the best work at Marvel right now.
When Iron Man sends one of the heroes’ biggest and heaviest hitters away on a mission that takes them out of the fight, you know it’s dire. What could be so important that you take one of your biggest weapons off the chessboard? And that’s what Phillip Kennedy Johnson has done so well in this entire Hulk run — building tension and setting stakes that feel epic. There’s also something to be said when a guest artist like Adam Gorham on this issue can come in and so seamlessly capture the look and feel of Nic Klein’s work on this run, to the point where you have to check the credits to confirm that it was in fact not Klein who did the issue. That’s a credit to both Gorham and Matthew Wilson on colors, maintaining that visual continuity.
Bruce Banner also makes moves in this issue that reveal the lengths he’s willing to go to and, perhaps, the lines he is willing to cross in order to save humanity from the wrath of the Infernal Hulk — again, making the stakes feel very important. There’s some great character work here through a really poignant moment between Banner and Doctor Voodoo that explores addiction and reframes the character of Bruce Banner in a way I had never thought of before. PKJ’s Hulk run continues to be one of the best things at Marvel today, hands down.
The final and best issue of this story arc, by far. When Ben and Quentin are fighting to survive in Schwarzchild’s mindscape, avoiding traps laid by Cassandra Nova and racing against the clock to shut his powers down before Magneto kills Schwarzchild in the real world, shit gets real. MacKay lays out a compelling moral dilemma for Ben to contend with in the face of everything he has already endured at the hands of 3K, and of all people he’s got Quentin Quire as the voice of reason. This was an excellent finale for the arc and the perfect set-up for some dark times ahead. Hopefully the next issue takes that momentum and runs full-speed ahead with it.
This one was a big disappointment for me. Didn’t hit — at all. The other recent What If… books all had that feel of the classic What If… line. They had weight and consequence to them. The changes weren’t minor. They were world- or universe-altering. The ripple effects could be felt far and wide. And often, the realities that branched off from the one we know went to some really dark places for some characters. This book has NONE of that.
The one “twist” — if you can call it that — you could see coming a mile away. There was nothing that made me want to know more about THIS Jessica Jones and what her life looked like. Where the other recent What If… books took big swings, this one strikes out watching the pitch go by. I really wanted to like it because I’m a huge Jessica Jones fan. But all I could think after reading it was what else I could have done with that $5.
Right as this issue was hitting stores, DC announced that Absolute Green Arrow was being extended to 12 issues. And if Pornsak and Albuquerque can make them as good as these first three, we’re in for a hell of a ride. Issue #3 is a roller coaster. Intense action punctuated by character scenes where layers of the mystery are being peeled back. But with each answer we get, the mystery gets deeper and weirder.
We get a lot of Roy Harper here, with some creative nods to elements from his mainline DC Universe counterpart’s past. So, if you’re a longtime Green Arrow fan, there’s a lot here to recognize and appreciate, but with the fun twists we’ve come to expect from the Absolute Universe. And speaking of twists — we get a major one at the end of this issue that takes the origin of one character in particular and completely reimagines everything about him. And Albuquerque clearly has a lot of fun with those last few pages.
With only three issues out so far it’s hard to make comparisons with others that are 20+ issues deep, but if the quality holds up over the next nine, Green Arrow will have to be considered up there with the best of the entire Absolute Universe.
As disappointed as I was to hear that Patric Reynolds’ time as the main artist on this book was coming to an end, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the art from Jordi Armengol in this latest issue to be an excellent fit. And as always, Jimmy Palmiotti writes a western better than anyone else in comics today. So, Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger Spawn should still sit firmly atop your Pull List.
There’s some good action here, but the craziest thing is, I think my favorite page in the whole issue is one where Gunslinger is riding his horse and slowly succumbing to exhaustion and his wounds. The entire page is Palmiotti so vividly describing Gunslinger’s deteriorating state in such a way that I swear the book was getting heavier in my hand — like I was feeling his exhaustion. And with each panel, Armengol makes subtle changes in the frame composition and Gunslinger’s body. That one page tells its own complete story in a way some creators struggle to do in an entire issue.
But trust me when I say there is plenty more to enjoy in the rest of this issue. And Palmiotti has created one cold fucking bastard to be the villain of this book, and I can’t get enough of him. Everyone should absolutely be reading this book.
I hadn’t read a synopsis before reading this, so other than knowing it was a one-shot taking place sometime during the story of The Last Ronin, I was going in pretty much blind. I was a little nervous because, while I thought the Re-Evolution series had some strong points, I just haven’t really connected with the new group of younger turtles that Casey Marie is training. Fortunately, while they serve as a sort of bookend to this story, this one-shot is really about Michelangelo training Casey Marie back during the events of the original Last Ronin story.
It’s as much about him struggling to be the Sensei as it is about her struggling to be the student. He wants to live up to the memory and legacy of Splinter and how he trained Michelangelo and his brothers, but also doing it in hours instead of years. There’s a lot of action, naturally, and in traditional Last Ronin fashion, the art style changes when there’s a shift in time or dreams vs real world. Those shifts are seamless and work well within the context of the story, providing fun nods to classic eras of TMNT lore and art.
Training Day is a fun one-shot. There are no massive revelations or shifts in the TMNT world, so don’t get your hopes up there. It’s just an entertaining story set in a familiar era. It’s not on the same level as the original The Last Ronin — did anyone actually expect that? — but it’s a nice add-on.
Not the best in this series. It’s basically Shredder fighting with an alien parasite in his mind, then scolding a bunch of ninjas for being impressed that he beat said parasite. Shredder is at his most badass when he’s fighting other ninjas or the Turtles. When we start getting into cosmic entities, it’s not as interesting because that’s just not the kind of character Shredder is. I want him on the streets of NYC, not in some mindscape or outer space. This series has had its ups and downs, but I think it’s run its course and needs to wrap up so we can get him back as the big bad villain he deserves to be in the mainline TMNT title.
There’s just not a lot for me to say when it comes to Absolute Flash lately because none of it is particularly interesting to me. You can make a teenage hero interesting and compelling, like Spider-Man, but this just feels like — well, NOT Spider-Man. There’s nothing really compelling about this version of Wally West right now, or Linda. I don’t love the visual design of Grodd. There’s no villain to really drive things. This issue was the first of a two-part arc, so I’ll read the next one. But after that, this may be one I retire and only jump back into down the road if I hear that it picks up. It’s not particularly bad. It’s just not holding my interest anymore — certainly not like the other Absolute books.
This one has the least action of any issue so far — and might just be my favorite. And the setting for all of this is a diner on the side of a dusty highway — the type of setting we’ve seen in countless movies. That’s why, along with Fleecs’ writing and Di Giandomenico’s anamorphic widescreen-esque art, the series continues to feel like a summer blockbuster movie.
The whole thing centers on the relationship between Slade and his daughter, Rose. Both are killers, but they have very different codes. This leads to the question of whether we can accept that just because we love or have a family connection with someone doesn’t mean they are inherently a good person. And it is pointless to think that someday they might just decide to be better.
Oh, and when I said this issue has the least action of the run thus far? Trust me, there’s still a body count. And in this case, less is more.
The first half of this issue was rough, not gonna lie. It just didn’t bring the funny. Nothing plot-wise was really grabbing my attention. No big splash pages that made you want to stop and stare. But then Supergirl shows up, and with her we get the funny. We get the action and the fun art. We get Kara and Lobo antagonizing each other. And now I’m in. The second half of the book made it worth the price of admission.
Outside of one or two pretty cool pages, I’m still not feeling the art style of this book from DaNi. I don’t hate it. It just doesn’t work for a Batwoman book — for me. However, this was my favorite issue of this new Greg Rucka run so far. The story is starting to come into focus and I’m liking where it’s going. Enough so that I’m invested in seeing what comes next and less concerned with the art style. It’s hard to say exactly what I’m liking without going into spoilers, though. Anyway, it’s still toward the bottom, but at least for now, remains on my Pull List.
Psylocke is one of my favorite X-men characters and, obviously, Elektra is one of my all-time favorite characters. So any time we get them in the same book, with their shared past as assassins for The Hand, there’s a metric fuck-ton of storytelling possibilities. This latest issue has some cool action beats and I like how they play with the psychic powers of Psylocke throughout those battles.
I think my biggest gripe with an otherwise entertaining miniseries is that this is the PG version and I want the R. I want an art style that is grittier and uses more shadow and contrast rather than the bright and super saturated K-Pop feel I’m getting here. Give me some F-bombs and some more blood and broken bones. Give me a body count worthy of a story that centers around two former assassins for The Hand.
Ultimately, I’ll finish this miniseries and enjoy it well enough but likely forget all about it shortly after. Can’t say I would recommend paying cover price for it, though it’s worth reading for free if you already have a Marvel Unlimited subscription and can wait three months after the street date to read it. Trust me, you can wait the three months. There’s nothing here that urgently needs to be read. But if you’re bored, give it a shot.
Until next time, here’s this week’s Pull List …
MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #6
SPIDER-MAN: LONG WAY HOME #2
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #33
UNCANNY X-MEN #32
QUEEN IN BLACK #1
QUEEN IN BLACK: HELA #1
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #21
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #22
THE PERIL OF THE BRUTAL DARK: AN EZRA CAIN MYSTERY #6
SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #49
GUNSLINGER SPAWN #56
KING SPAWN #57
ODIN #3
TMNT #20
WONDER WOMAN #34 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
DETECTIVE COMICS #1110 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
GREEN LANTERN #36 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
ZATANNA #3 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
SUPERMAN: FATHER OF TOMORROW #2 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
THE FLASH #34 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
BIZARRO: YEAR NONE #2 (DC INFINITE ULTRA)
DEADLY HANDS OF KUN-LUN #3 (MARVEL UNLIMITED)
…and much more.
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