The Comic Source Podcast

In this episode we discuss;
DC Spotlight September 16, 2026: Absolute Green Arrow's Big Twist, End of Life Gets Wilder & Can Superman Save Everyone?
The Comic Source
 
Jace and Rocky break down all 15 DC releases for the week of September 16, 2026. Deathstroke: The Terminator #7 shifts the spotlight to Adeline Kane, using flashbacks to explore the already-dysfunctional foundation of her relationship with Slade while Doctor Ivo offers her a mysterious new power. A new arc kicks off Batman/Superman: World's Finest #55, pairing Poison Ivy with Ra's al Ghul as they assemble a new group of Four Horsemen while Jace praises the cleaner look of Adrián Gutiérrez's art under Vicente Cifuentes' inks. The Bad Seeds crossover disrupts Selina's ongoing story throughout Catwoman #91, though the continued focus on her relationship with Carmine Falcone gives Jace and Rocky something worthwhile to latch onto. Amanda Waller's increasingly brutal power grab drives Dark Knights of Steel II #3, especially the apparent murder of Lara, which provokes one of the strongest reactions of the entire episode. Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand expands Cassandra's history with Lady Shiva, David Cain and the surviving League of Assassins while revealing a compassion that separates her sharply from her mother. Yara Flor leads the Titans back to the Esquecida for New Titans #39, where Static's unreliable powers and characterization prompt sharply different reactions from Jace and Rocky. Blüdhaven gets dragged into Bad Seeds during Nightwing #142 through the tragedy of a former Gotham resident, even though Jace would rather Dan Watters' regular storyline had continued uninterrupted. Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh keep the absurdity and emotion working side by side throughout End of Life #8, as Eddie's captivity, Little Cock's torture and one very unexpected return make it one of the week's standouts. Lobo's trip back to Czarnia turns into a trap during Lobo #7, launching "The Last Death of Lobo" while Jorge Corona's darker, more visceral artwork earns especially strong praise from Rocky. Joe Kubert: 100 Years — A Life in Covers becomes a celebration of Kubert's ability to tell a complete story through a single image, even as Jace objects to the omission of his beloved Star Spangled War Stories #138. Verity Pennyworth becomes unexpectedly important to Detective Comics #1113 when she uncovers the lethal flaw in Commissioner Savage's planned herbicide, while the backup introduces the new villain Rhetoric. The return to Wonder War gives Wonder Woman #37 a major Diana-and-Steve reunion and gorgeous Daniel Sampere artwork, though Jace feels the emotional payoff is muted and the issue functions mostly as setup. Superman Unlimited #17 pushes Kingdom of Zod closer to its conclusion as Lana Lang helps purge Superman's kryptonite poisoning and he realizes there may be a way to save everyone else as well. Absolute Green Arrow #5 appears to finally answer the book's central mystery before Pornsak Pichetshote delivers another twist that completely reframes what Jace and Rocky thought they understood. Kate Kane answers Batman's call during Batwoman #7, returning to Gotham to deal with Vandal Savage's forces in a Bad Seeds tie-in that Jace thinks is slightly more interesting than the book's ongoing story, though neither host is especially enthusiastic. Jace and Rocky also cover this week's collected editions before ranking all 15 books and revealing their Books of the Week.
 
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00:00 Intro / Week Overview
05:06 Deathstroke: The Terminator #7
13:22 Batman/Superman: World's Finest #55
22:09 Catwoman #91
28:48 Dark Knights of Steel II #3
37:58 Absolute Cassandra Cain: The Shadow's Hand
47:13 New Titans #39
55:58 Nightwing #142
1:03:51 End of Life #8
1:13:48 Lobo #7
1:21:34 Joe Kubert: 100 Years — A Life in Covers
1:28:56 Detective Comics #1113
1:38:20 Wonder Woman #37
1:45:00 Superman Unlimited #17
1:52:04 Absolute Green Arrow #5
2:01:09 Batwoman #7
2:07:01 Batman Day / New Releases & Collections
2:11:03 Rankings & Books of the Week

Firestorm is sticking around longer than expected as DC extends The Fury of Firestorm to 15 issues, Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 reaches an incredible tenth printing, and the long-rumored David Colton/Miracleman development in Avengers: Armageddon now appears to be confirmed. Jace also covers new Image launches and sellouts, Rob Liefeld's Chainkata and Avengelyne variants, Mike Mignola's Circus of Bones, Dark Horse's new Concrete omnibuses and compact editions, BAD IDEA's latest Lancer and It Demands Sacrifice news, the new Doctor Strange: Endless Nightmare graphic novel, Mike Wieringo's special Archie tribute, Ignition Press' new comic-shop finder initiative, and the debut of Los Angeles' ICON Festival.
Then it's time for What Hit, with eight predictions for this week including Fury of Firestorm #6, Barbara Gordon: Breakout #5, Batman: Bad Seeds — Gotham Central #1, Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3, Transformers #36, Wolverine #27, Spawn '77 #1, and Punisher #8. Jace also looks back at a perfect 8-for-8 performance from last week before counting down the new Prana Top 10, where DC takes seven of ten spots and completely sweeps the Top 5. The episode closes with 17 Final Order Cutoff books to watch before September 14. The recorded episode confirms the eight-for-eight result and DC's seven-of-ten / full Top-5 sweep.
SOURCES
https://www.dc.com/blog/2026-09-08/firestorm-burns-on
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/rob-liefelds-chick-with-chainsaw-variant-for-upcoming-chainkata-will-shred-through-shelves-next-month
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/rob-liefeld-reveals-special-avengelyne-1-midnight-release-variant-available-for-sale-on-wednesday-october-7
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/customers-answer-the-karman-blades-call-with-immediate-sell-out-rushed-back-to-print-this-week
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/upcoming-creature-corps-series-launch-promises-ultra-violent-battle-packed-showdown-this-december
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/vampire-erotica-meets-kubricks-eyes-wide-shut-in-chaykins-hardboiled-noir-black-kiss-compendium-paperback-on-shelves-this-holiday-season
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/chris-mooneyham-delivers-jaw-dropping-variant-covers-for-g-i-joe-a-real-american-hero-tomb-raider-from-skybound-image-comics-hasbro-crystal-dynamics
https://imagecomics.com/press-releases/first-look-circus-of-bones-the-art-of-mike-mignola-from-act-4-publishing-skybound-image-comics
https://www.darkhorse.com/newsfeed/concrete-stories-return-to-print-in-omnibus-format-in-2027/
https://www.darkhorse.com/newsfeed/fan-favorite-stories-now-in-compact-editions-from-dark-horse/
https://iconartfestival.com/
https://bleedingcool.com/comics/scoop-official-confirmation-of-that-avengers-armageddon-spoiler/
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0:00 Hook 0:28 Comic Source Weekly Intro 1:09 Firestorm Extended to 15 Issues 2:46 Battle Beast #1 Hits 10th Printing 4:03 Tales of Wonder #2 First Look 4:44 Rob Liefeld's Chainkata Variant 5:41 Avengelyne Midnight Release Variant 6:52 The Karman Blade #1 Sells Out 8:25 Creature Corps Launch Details 10:00 Black Kiss Compendium 11:05 G.I. Joe / Tomb Raider Variants 12:12 Mike Mignola's Circus of Bones 13:42 Concrete Returns in Omnibus Format 14:52 Dark Horse Compact Editions 16:02 Paul Pope Is the Lancer Cover 17:13 It Demands Sacrifice / Sam Raimi 18:28 Doctor Strange: Endless Nightmare 20:10 Mike Wieringo Archie Tribute 21:05 Ignition Press Comic Shop Finder 22:30 ICON Festival 25:03 Miracleman Rumor Confirmed 26:34 What Hit 30:05 Prana Top 10 35:38 Final Order Cutoff 43:00 Closing

Jace and Rocky break down all 9 DC releases for the week of September 9, 2026. Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3 deepens the mystery around the two Basil Karlos, with Rocky praising the timely body-horror angle behind Lossomix while Jace finds the dual identities increasingly difficult to track. In Supergirl #17, Kara begins to understand Ursa's desire to save Krypton, while the time-travel mechanics leave Jace questioning how much damage their very presence in the past may cause. Action Comics #1102 pushes the dilemma further as Ursa tries to convince a younger Zod that Jor-El was right, while Kara wrestles with whether saving Krypton—and billions of lives—could erase Superman and all the good he would do. Batman and Robin: Year One — Dynamic Duos Chapter Two leans into Dick Grayson's banter with Alfred and his undercover infiltration of the juvenile gang, building toward an initiation that puts Catwoman directly in his path. Emperor Aquaman #21 sees Aquaman's enemies overwhelm his allies in Atlantis while his disrupted return through the Blue brings him unexpectedly face-to-face with the avatars of the Red and the Green, Maxine Baker and Swamp Thing. Barbara Gordon: Breakout #5 continues to improve, but both hosts remain unconvinced by Barbara's original undercover-prison plan as the mission to protect Vandal Savage's enemies continues to unravel. Green Lantern Corps #20 juggles shore leave, the returning Darkstars, Katma's unexpected connection to them and Guy Gardner's search for the Predator while continuing to add depth to Guy beyond his old macho stereotype. Fury of Firestorm #6 brings Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein to an emotional reckoning as they reunite to stop the Firestorm Matrix, with both hosts responding to the complicated father-son dynamic and the questions raised by the issue's final transformation. Batman: Bad Seeds — Gotham Central #1 gives Jim Gordon real agency in a Batman-free Gotham mystery, while Christopher Cantwell's take on Anarky turns the contradictions in his anti-system worldview into a compelling part of the character rather than a weakness. Jace and Rocky also cover this week's collected editions before ranking all 9 books and revealing their Books of the Week.
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00:00 Intro / Firestorm News & Opening Discussion
09:32 Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3
20:55 Supergirl #17 — Kingdom of Zod Part 5
37:30 Action Comics #1102 — Kingdom of Zod Part 6
59:06 Batman and Robin: Year One — Dynamic Duos Chapter Two
1:03:25 Emperor Aquaman #21
1:16:13 Barbara Gordon: Breakout #5
1:21:43 Green Lantern Corps #20
1:35:18 Fury of Firestorm #6
1:50:28 Batman: Bad Seeds — Gotham Central #1
2:04:37 Collected Editions
2:06:28 Rankings & Books of the Week

Jace catches up with Patrick Horvath at San Diego Comic-Con to talk about how Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees unexpectedly transformed his career and where Samantha Strong goes next. Patrick reflects on the runaway success of the series, using Samantha's story to process different periods of his own life, and the surreal experience of seeing Samantha enter the wider comics world. He also discusses growing as a sequential storyteller, collaborating with creators whose work he has admired for years, and stretching new creative muscles with Archie in Hell. Finally, Patrick gives an early tease of Samantha Strong's third story, which jumps ahead another ten years and explores a world fascinated by her crimes through law enforcement, true crime and a disturbing kind of fandom. Follow The Comic Source on all social media with our Linktree - https://linktr.ee/thecomicsource Patrick Horvath: PatrickHorvath.com

Jace sits down at San Diego Comic-Con with writers Susan and Tilly Bridges to talk about Star Trek: Voyager — Homecoming and what it meant to essentially create a new ending for one of Star Trek's most beloved series. Susan and Tilly discuss meeting through Star Trek fan fiction, how their very different personalities shape their writing partnership, why Star Trek's hopeful and inclusive worldview remains fundamental to the franchise, and the challenges marginalized writers still face within the entertainment industry. They also break down the decision to bring Species 8472 back for Homecoming, expanding the species and its culture beyond what Voyager could show on television, the fan response to finally seeing the Voyager crew return home, and why five issues of reunions and hugs probably wasn't going to satisfy IDW. Plus, they talk about writing for Star Trek Adventures, the unpredictable creativity of tabletop players, and their graphic novel Just Another Summer.
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00:00 Voyager's New Ending — Hook
00:08 Meet Susan & Tilly Bridges
00:38 Writing Together as a Married Couple
02:30 Meeting Through Star Trek Fan Fiction
03:28 Hope, Inclusion & What Defines Star Trek
05:55 Being Put in the "Queer Writer" Box
07:42 Why Sci-Fi Can Tell Any Kind of Story
10:24 Giving Voyager One More Roadblock
11:38 Why Species 8472 Was the Perfect Choice
13:00 Expanding Species 8472 & the Creative Process
13:24 Fan Reaction to Voyager: Homecoming
14:33 Writing Star Trek Adventures
16:07 Homecoming Collection & Just Another Summer
17:13 Closing