My Favorite 2025 Comic Book (so far)

 

The Shade. 

 Is he a villain? A tragic hero? Both? Neither? 

The character first appeared in 1940s Golden Age DC Comics (as a villain in exactly one issue of Flash Comics), and then he was revived in a mid-1960s issue of The Flash (also as a villain). And he has continued to endure in the sixty years since the Silver Age! 

James Robinson wrote him perfectly in the 1990s Starman series. Geoff Johns wrote him perfectly on the Stargirl television series. He has even had his own multi-issue comic series in two different decades! (He was less of a villain in all those appearances.)

And now he has returned! A couple of weeks ago saw the publication of The Flash: Bad Moon Rising Specail #1. Strictly speaking this comic is labelled as Part 4 of a multi-part Flash story, but it works very well as a stand-alone Shade story if a reader is not up-to-the-minute in the goings-on over in The Flash. 

The Shade is definitely not a villain in this comic. The 40-page story is beautifully written and perfectly drawn; this is my favorite comic book issue up to this point in 2025. I was not familiar previously with writer Alex Paknadel nor with artist Daniel Bayliss but I will definitely be watching for their future work! 

 

Here Comes Capfan!

 

For quite a number of years Rob Imes has been publishing Ditkomania (the quintessential Steve Ditko fanzine) and now, in the same exact clean and compact format, Rob is starting up Capfan (which will aim to be the quintessential Captain America fanzine)!

I believe you'll be able to grab a copy of Capfan over here, but don't wait too long!

 

Superman and Jerry Seinfeld

 

You probably remember seeing the Superman statue in Jerry Seinfeld's TV apartment. I own that nice statue myself and probably you do too.

Over time it came out that Jerry in real life has always been a huge Superman fan.

Back in 1997, when Seinfeld was #1 in television ratings, great caricaturist and artist Glen Hanson crafted this drawing  and I think it is an excellent piece of artwork!

 

Amazon Prime Superman Preview

 

Probably you know that the Superman movie by James Gunn is premiering next week!

But here's a wrinkle you may not have heard:

You can see the movie THREE DAYS BEFORE Opening Day!

If you have Amazon Prime, you are eligible to buy tickets to see Superman in the theater three days early!

Well-kept secret, right?

The details are over here, and enjoy! 

 

  

Chicago Alternative Comics Expo 2025

 

 

CAKE! 

It has been my pleasure to attend this Expo for each of the last few years and I will attend again this upcoming weekend.

The creators of independent comics each sit at their own table and talk to their fans. There are no mainstream publishers in attendance and there is no cosplay! People talk to people and look at each other's artwork. This is what the earliest comic book conventions were like, and attending CAKE is a little like taking a step into the past! 

If you're in the neighborhood next weekend, check it out!

 

Jack Kirby's 1972 SDCC

 

Did you know that Jack Kirby drew the program book cover for the 1972 San Diego Comicon?

Kamandi and The Demon were the gentleman's new creations fro DC Comics that year, and in this drawing you get to see those two dancing and leaping about, as well as a more static Merlin (who appeared prominently in The Demon #1).

Nice, right?!

World Premiere: The Legend of Kingdom Come

 

Did you know there is a new documentary about Alex Ross and Kingdom Come? It's true!

The World Premiere of the film will be in Chicago this weekend.

 Maybe you'd like a little peek over here.