The Comic Source Podcast

Jace and Rocky break down all 7 DC releases for the week of September 30, 2026. Wonder Woman Annual 2026 #1 gives the Matriarch considerably more depth and motivation, but Jace and Rocky both struggle with how this more vulnerable, emotionally driven characterization fits with the formidable version of the character established in Tom King's run. Bleeding Hearts #8 expands the complexity of Dennis Camp's zombie world by introducing different perspectives within the undead themselves, while Jace and Rocky praise the shifting viewpoints and striking artwork even as Jace sees the issue largely as setup for what comes next. Poison Ivy #48 leaves both Jace and Rocky frustrated by what feels like a regression for Ivy after so much character development under G. Willow Wilson, with Jace questioning whether the Bad Seeds storyline can ultimately use this setback to push her forward again. Superman: Kingdom of Zod Special #1 brings the nine-part crossover to a conclusion that Jace and Rocky find far less satisfying than its promising beginning, although Jace is much more enthusiastic about the numerous epilogues and the Superman stories they set up for the future. Zatanna #6 continues to divide the hosts, with Jace admiring Jamal Campbell's artwork but struggling to become invested in the expanding cast and magical lore, while Rocky remains enthusiastic about the Hidden City, its political intrigue and Campbell's continued world-building around Zatanna. Bizarro: Year None #3 earns praise from both Jace and Rocky for its artwork, but neither connects with the story, with Jace finding it forgettable between issues and Rocky still struggling to understand exactly what the series is trying to accomplish after reading the issue three times. Adventures of Superman: Book of El #12 closes Philip Kennedy Johnson's saga with Jace appreciating an earned resolution built around Superman's compassion and the larger mythology Johnson has added to the character, while Rocky remains unconvinced by this vision of Superman's future. There are no facsimiles or other reprints this week, but Jace and Rocky cover a substantial group of collected editions before ranking all 7 books and revealing their Books of the Week.

Danny Trejo is taking on the Devil — and the fight lasts 500 years. Jace is joined by co-creators Keith Arem and Chris Yates to talk about Danny Trejo's YEAR OF THE DEVIL, a supernatural action-horror epic that transforms the legendary actor into Diego de Rojas, a conquistador whose encounter with the Devil leaves him cursed to be reborn across centuries. After sacrificing himself to keep the Devil imprisoned, Diego discovers that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been unleashed. His only chance to finally find peace is to hunt them across history. Keith and Chris break down how their years of working with Danny led to the creation of the project, how Trejo's heritage and personality influenced Diego, and why the team wanted something that felt like a genuine collaboration rather than simply putting a celebrity's likeness into a comic. They also discuss blending history, mythology, religion and supernatural horror; matching the Four Horsemen to different eras of history; the enormous response YEAR OF THE DEVIL received at San Diego Comic-Con; and the artists bringing Diego's 500-year journey to life. Plus, Keith and Chris explain how writing dialogue for Danny became a collaborative process once Trejo began performing and improvising as Diego — further blurring the line between the fictional character and the man who inspired him. YEAR OF THE DEVIL is a five-issue story collected as a 160-page graphic novel and launches on BackerKit September 29.
Check out and support Danny Trejo's YEAR OF THE DEVIL on BackerKit: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/pcb-entertainment/danny-trejo-s-year-of-the-devil/pre-launch
Follow The Comic Source on all social media with our Linktree - https://linktr.ee/thecomicsource. 
Chapters
00:00 — Hook: Killing Off the Main Character
00:23 — Welcome: Chris Yates & Keith Arem
01:27 — Danny Trejo vs. the Four Horsemen
03:38 — How Year of the Devil Came Together
05:37 — Building the Story Around Danny Trejo
07:06 — History, Mythology & the Four Horsemen
08:24 — Religion, Mythology & an Unreliable Narrator
09:41 — Bringing Danny Trejo Into Comics
12:18 — Year of the Devil Takes Over SDCC
17:28 — Why Danny Trejo Connects With Fans
19:05 — The Artists Behind Year of the Devil
23:34 — Supporting the Project & Its Community
24:35 — Why BackerKit & What Backers Can Get
26:18 — Building a Long-Term Community
29:56 — Finding the Voices of Diego & the Devil
32:29 — Writing Specifically for Danny Trejo
33:37 — Danny Improvises & Shapes the Character
36:10 — Final Thoughts from Chris & Keith
37:33 — Closing Vibe Vibe

The comic industry lost an incredible talent this week with the sudden passing of artist Josh Cassara at only 46 years old. Jace remembers his friend, his incredible work on X-Men, X-Force, Wolverine and more, and the conversations they always thought they would have more time to continue. Also this week, there's important clarification on Popverse: the website itself is not shutting down, but its news operation is coming to an end. The 2026 Ringo Awards have also been announced, with Absolute Batman winning Best Series and the Absolute Universe having a huge night. Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos return to Alias for Jessica Jones' 25th anniversary, while Jessica Drew gets a dramatically different status quo as the new host for Carnage in Spider-Woman #1. Plus: Hammerfist reaches a third printing, Mirka Andolfo returns to the world of Mercy with Merciless, The Forgotten Five launches at Image, Ghost Machine expands The Rocketfellers and celebrates Geiger #25, Skybound reveals new Universal Monsters and M.A.S.K. variants, Swamp Thing crosses into the Slaughterverse, Stan Sakai has two new Usagi projects, and BAD IDEA collects Megalith in a massive deluxe hardcover. Then Jace gives his What Hit predictions for the September 23 releases, counts down the latest Prana Top 10 Bestsellers, checks last week's predictions against the finished countdown, and finishes with 20 books approaching Final Order Cutoff on September 28. 
Follow The Comic Source on all social media with our Linktree - https://linktr.ee/thecomicsource.
 
00:00 Opening Hook
00:45 Introduction
01:32 Remembering Josh Cassara
03:26 Popverse News Is Ending
05:14 2026 Ringo Awards — Absolute Batman Wins Best Series
06:30 Jessica Jones: Alias Returns
07:18 Spider-Woman Becomes Carnage's New Host
09:15 Hammerfist #1 Goes to Third Printing
09:55 Mirka Andolfo Returns With Merciless
10:47 The Forgotten Five
11:57 The Rocketfellers Introduces Invaders Y'All
12:52 Geiger Reaches Issue #25
14:10 Bride of Frankenstein Lives Connecting Covers
15:10 M.A.S.K. Streetwear Variants
16:36 Swamp Thing Is Killing the Children
17:35 New Usagi Yojimbo Projects
18:21 Megalith Deluxe Hardcover
19:47 What Hit — September 23
25:56 Prana Top 10 Bestsellers
33:18 What Hit Results — 8 for 8
34:06 Final Order Cutoff — September 28
40:04 Closing

Jace and Rocky break down all 10 DC releases for the week of September 23, 2026. Absolute Wonder Woman #24 builds toward the inevitable confrontation between Diana and Barbara Minerva, while Jace finds Phobos and Deimos finishing each other's sentences distracting even as Rocky argues their deliberately irritating dialogue fits the characters and the story. Absolute Batman #24 reveals that Bruce has not given up after all, with Jace especially appreciating the slower pace and increased characterization as Batman regroups, brings Barbara Gordon into his plans and prepares to confront Jack Grimm. Harley Quinn #66 interrupts Elliott Kalan's ongoing story for a Bad Seeds tie-in that neither Jace nor Rocky finds essential to the crossover, particularly with Poison Ivy's role limited to little more than being mentioned. Green Lantern #39 turns its deliberately ridiculous food-fight premise into something more substantial as Kyle Rayner finally gets a cathartic confrontation with Major Force, while the ominous epilogue suggests the series may soon shift back toward more serious territory. Absolute Flash #19 gives Linda Park real agency against Abra Kadabra, demonstrates just how dangerous Hunter Zolomon is to Wally and brings Ray Palmer into the action, with Rocky calling it possibly his favorite issue of the series so far. Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #2 shifts perspective toward the sinister forces operating beneath its supernatural espionage world, giving Jace and Rocky more pieces of the puzzle without surrendering the mystery that makes Ram V and Mike Perkins' slow-burn story work. Superman #42 turns the time-travel thread into the central conflict of Kingdom of Zod as a younger General Zod arrives in the present, forcing Superman to find a solution that will stop him without altering Krypton's history before next week's finale. Superman: Father of Tomorrow #5 continues to surprise Jace and Rocky, with Jace particularly praising the emotional character work in Jor-El's conversation with Ma Kent and the very different relationship created by having an adult Kryptonian become a confidant of the Kents rather than their adopted son. Justice League Unlimited #23 continues Mark Waid's long-form character work with the team, paying off relationships and developments that have accumulated across the series rather than treating the League as the same group of heroes it was when the book began. The Flash #37 forces Wally to confront the moral consequences of using his glimpses of the future to stop crimes before they happen, with his philosophical argument with Green Arrow becoming the centerpiece of an issue that Jace calls brilliant storytelling. Jace and Rocky also cover this week's collected editions before ranking all 10 books and revealing their Books of the Week.
Follow The Comic Source on all social media with our Linktree - https://linktr.ee/thecomicsource
 
00:00 Intro / Popverse Closure
11:36 Absolute Wonder Woman #24
19:39 Absolute Batman #24
45:25 Harley Quinn #66
54:50 Green Lantern #39
1:11:36 Absolute Flash #19
1:18:24 Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #2
1:27:28 Superman #42
1:36:11 Superman: Father of Tomorrow #5
1:43:05 Justice League Unlimited #23
1:52:34 The Flash #37
2:11:24 Facsimiles & Other Single Issues
2:13:29 Collected Editions
2:17:45 Rankings & Books of the Week

Comic book media may be shrinking again as ReedPop is reportedly preparing to close Popverse before New York Comic Con. Jace looks at what the reported closure could mean for comics journalism and why dedicated comic book news outlets continue to disappear. Plus, Marvel reveals the massive creative lineup for Amazing Spider-Man #1000, David Colton completes his transformation into Miracleman in Avengers: Armageddon #4, Sam Alexander returns in Nova: Return of the Rings, and Marvel Masterworks continues through Clover Press. On the DC side, Wonder Woman #40 will conclude Tom King and Daniel Sampere's run, three Next Level launches are already headed back to print, and DC lays out its plans for New York Comic Con. Also covered: The Princess Murders from Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley, The Last Driver #1 reaching a third printing, Arthur Adams returning to interiors on Terminal #6, the next Transformers arc, Benedict Arnold becoming Redcoat's arch-nemesis, Six of Us, Kill All Immortals, Year Zero: The Zomnibus, Warbird #2, Danny Trejo's Year of the Devil, and the rumor that Joanne Starer may be taking over Harley Quinn. Then Jace makes his What Hit predictions for the September 16 releases, checks those predictions against the latest Prana Top 10 Bestseller list, and finishes with 18 books worth watching before Final Order Cutoff.
Year of the Devil - https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/pcb-entertainment/danny-trejo-s-year-of-the-devil/pre-launch
Marvel Masterworks by Clover Press - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpress/marvel-masterworks
 
Follow The Comic Source on all social media with our Linktree - https://linktr.ee/thecomicsource.
 
00:00 — Hook 00:40 — Comic Source Weekly Intro 01:15 — Popverse Reportedly Shutting Down 07:00 — David Colton Becomes Miracleman 09:30 — Amazing Spider-Man #1000 12:30 — Nova: Return of the Rings 14:15 — Luke Cage: Truth to Power 16:45 — Marvel Masterworks Returns 20:00 — King & Sampere Ending Wonder Woman 24:15 — DC Next Level Books Return to Print 26:00 — DC's NYCC 2026 Plans 28:30 — The Princess Murders 30:30 — The Last Driver Third Printing 32:00 — Arthur Adams on Terminal #6 34:30 — Transformers #37 36:15 — Benedict Arnold vs. Redcoat 38:15 — Indie News Roundup 40:30 — Harley Quinn Writer Rumor 42:00 — What Hit — September 16 50:00 — Prana Top 10 — September 9 60:00 — Final Order Cutoff 72:00 — Closing