Derf's Picks of the Week (April 16, 2025)

 

It's the 3rd week of April and we have a lot of catching up to do.

Before I start making picks, what are your thoughts

 on the 1st season of Daredevil: Born Again?

It did not disappoint in my opinion.

I cannot wait until Season 2.

With that said, let's look at the comics I picked this week.

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DARK HORSE

Shadow of the Golden Crane #3

Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums #2

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DC COMICS

Absolute Flash #2

Batman / Superman: World's Finest #38

DC x Sonic the Hedgehog #2

Detective Comics #1096

Nightwing #125

Summer of Superman Special #1

Titans #22

Wonder Woman #20

Zatanna #3

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IDW

Mothra: Queen of the Monsters #2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #8

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IMAGE

Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger Spawn #5

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Spirit #1

King Spawn #44

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MARVEL

Cable: Love and Chrome #4

Daredevil: Unleash Hell – Red Band #4

Exceptional X-Men #8

Godzilla vs. Hulk #1

Power Man: Timeless #3

Sam Wilson: Captain America #4

The Spectacular Spider-Men #14

Star Wars: Legacy of Vader #3

Superior Avengers #1

Ultimate Wolverine #4

Web of Venomverse: Fresh Brains #1

Wolverine #8

X-Factor #9

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Well, that is all for this week.

I hope you found something you will enjoy!

Until next time, get your READ on.

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Comic Cover of the Week

Cable: Love and Chrome #4 (Variant)

MARVEL

Cover Art by Gerardo Sandoval 

Derf's Picks of the Week (January 1, 2025)

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

WELCOME TO 2025!

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DC COMICS

Absolute Superman #3

Batgirl #3

Batman #156

Batman: Full Moon #3

DC Horror Presents: Creature Commandos #4

Justice League: The Atom Project #1

JSA #3

Poison Ivy #29

Two-Face #2

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IMAGE

Knights vs Samurai #4

Spawn #360

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MARVEL

The Avengers #22

Cable: Love and Chrome #1

Daredevil #17

Deadpool / Wolverine #1

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #28

Sam Wilson: Captain America #1

The Spectacular Spider-Men #11

Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider #9

Star Wars: Ahsoka #7

The Ultimates #8

Werewolf by Night #6

What If...? Galactus Transformed Hulk? #1

X-Factor #6

X-Force #7

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I hope you were able to find something 

to start the New Year off a bang!

Until next time, get your READ on!

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COMIC COVER OF THE WEEK

Absolute Superman #3 (VARIANT)

DC COMICS

Cover Art by Christian Ward

Saturday Showcase: S.U.R.F.

 

Sticking with the Atlantis Attacks theme, I decided to Showcase the team of Atlantean Mutants known as S.U.R.F.  I have to give Dr. Jay his props because the idea popped into my head after he gave me an issue of the New Mutants Annual #5 while we were volunteering at the hospital for their annual Christmas gathering for the youth.

SURF is a team of three mutant Atlanteans. They first appeared during the largest Atlantean invasion yet attempted, the so-called "Atlantis Attacks" affair. However, instead of joining their brethren, the Surf acted as outlaws, saving several surface dwellers from harm. They remained together as Atlantean outlaws ever since.

The three members are Eel, Sharkskin, and Undertow.

Sharkskin is a powerful Atlantean born with a physical mutation. Sharkskin has superhuman strength and durability, even more so than the normal Atlantean.

Eel is the "shapeshifter" of the group.  His powers include the ability to flatten his body and turn himself semi-rubbery, although he does not appear to be capable of elongating his flattened body.

Undertow is capable of manipulating water for various effects, including water blasts, grappling attacks, creating air pockets underwater, and pedestals of water to carry himself and his teammates.

The team was introduced as part of the Atlantis Attacks storyline of the '90s but they have made a resurgence in the Major X series during 2019.  To be honest, they may have been used briefly in the Marvel Universe,  but I would buy a Marvel Legends set of this trio.

Publication Information

Created by Louise Simonson & Rob Liefeld

First Appearance: New Mutants Annual #5 (June, 1989)

Aliases:  Namor, Namorita

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I think next week my showcase may feature someone from another GALAXY.  That's your hint, lol.

Until next time, get your READ on!

Saturday Showcase: Psycho-Man

 

    For my devoted followers, you know I play the game Marvel: Contest of Champions.  Recently they added one of my favorite villains of all time, Psycho-Man. He was mainly used as a villain to fight the Fantastic Four, but he has had run-ins with the Avengers, Spider-Man, Cable, and the Micronauts to name a few.  Well, when I saw him in the game, I knew I had to make him star in my latest Saturday Showcase.  So, sit back and enjoy reading the origins and abilities of the villain known as Psycho-Man.

    Psycho-Man first appears in the 1967 Fantastic Four Annual #5, as the leader of a technocracy that governs a microscopic system of worlds in the Microverse.  Due to overpopulation on these worlds, the character decides that the macroscopic world will be an ideal new base. Using technology from the mainstream universe, Psycho-Man remains microscopic in size but is able to function by controlling a suit of advanced human-sized armor. Using a portable device capable of influencing people's emotions, Psycho-Man enslaves a number of human subjects to build a larger version of the machine, with the intent of subjugating the world. The plan, however, is thwarted by Fantastic Four members the Human Torch and the Thing, by the Royal Family of the Inhumans and by the Black Panther; Psycho-Man is forced to retreat back to the Microverse.

    He eventually reappears and causes all kinds of havoc in the Macroverse including using his emotions machine to bring forth Malice against the Fantastic Four.  Which, in the long run, he loses and the Fantastic Four remain victorious and the Universe is saved.

    We have also witnessed heroes such as Spider-Man and Cable travel to the Microverse to put an end to the mad man's plans.  My favorite story arc is from issues 38 and39 of the Cable series.  In fact, one of my favorite Cable comic covers is issue 38.  Psycho-Man just looks so bad ass!

Publication Information

• Publisher: Marvel Comics
• First Appearance: Fantastic Four Annual #5 (Nov. 1967)
• Created by: Stan Lee (writer) & Jack Kirby (artist)

Origin and Abilities

• Place of Origin: Traan
• Abilities:  

1.     Genius-level intellect 
2.     Use of powered armor 
3.     Possesses a futuristic space vessel 
4.     Emotion manipulation via emotion-controlling device

Saturday Showcase: Zero (Mutant Liberation Front)

Can't touch this

    Not much is known about the character named Zero from the MLF (Mutant Liberation Front).  What we do know is Zero was created 2000 years in the future by the Askani as a prototype for the Ambient-energy Damping Automated peacekeeping Mechanisms (ADAMs). Zero was damaged and found by the mutant tyrant, Stryfe, who opposed the Askani. Stryfe reactivated Zero, leaving it mute and obedient. Zero would become Stryfe's most trusted ally. When Stryfe's armies were defeated, Stryfe and Zero fled, travelling back in time to the late 20th century.

Saved by Zero

    It is in the 20th century where Stryfe gathered a group of mutants and formed the terrorist organisation known as the Mutant Liberation Front. Stryfe's new team fought against Cable and the New Mutants and X-Force. During the X-Cutioner's Song, Stryfe was defeated on the Moon and Zero disappeared and was deactivated.  Leaving the secrets of Stryfe unknown to the world...but would those secrets remain hidden?

    This wouldn't be the end of Zero.  He would be reactivated later by a group of Mercs (including Deadpool) looking for the ultimate weapon.  This weapon was Zero.  Zero was now capable of speech and following his original programming: peace-keeping. It scanned its surroundings for any object and person who were a threat to peace on Earth and eliminated Slayback. He was about to eliminate Deadpool as well, but Deadpool convinced Zero that he had potential for good. Zero gave Deadpool the benefit and left.

Allies til the End?

    Zero went on to try to become more human.   His new goal was to achieve full sentience and become "alive". It sensed the potential to be alive in the techno-organic being known as Douglock and gave it independence from the Phalanx. Zero set out to teach Douglock about his new existence, but Zero was now hunted by killer androids, programmed by Stryfe to destroy Zero in case of his death. Zero and Douglock were assisted by Excalibur and together they tried to deactivate the androids from Stryfe's secret base below the Pentagon. Here, Zero realized that he had become sentient and also the reason why Stryfe wanted him killed: locked within his data banks, Zero had all the secrets of the Legacy Virus, Stryfe's final "gift" to the world. This revelation activated Zero's self-destruct sequence and the killer androids in Stryfe's base. 

    Shadowcat managed to remove the self-destruction device, but Zero realized that his sentience was a cruel joke and that Stryfe had programmed him to think it was alive. Zero sacrificed itself to protect Excalibur, Douglock, and a family of innocents from the base's self-destruction.   In Zero's last few moments on Earth, Zero transferred all of its memories to Douglock. So while its body is destroyed, the data that made up Zero's mind is still contained within the mind of Douglock.

the MLF

Powers:

• Teleportation: Zero is capable of opening gateways linking to places spatially without having to traverse the space between.
• Tracking: Zero can find a needle in a haystack so if you are trying to get away, you got no chance
• Intellect: Zero is a highly sophisticated android with an intelligence to match.  His data banks make it almost impossible to out think or out maneuver him.  

First Appearance:

• New Mutants #86 (Feb 1990)
• Created by Rob Liefeld and Louise Jones Simonson
• Published by MARVEL

ZERO

Until next time, get your READ on!

Comic Picks for 5/31/17

Derf's Comic Picks

Comic Cover of the Week

Cable #1

MARVEL

Cover Art by Dale Keown

AvengersXSanction

Hmmm, Mutants Vs Avengers...wasn't this done before?

You gotta love the art of Ed McGuinness! :)

What are your thoughts about the coming AvengersXSanction story coming soon to a comic store near you?