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Crushing Comics includes definitive comic book guides, essays about characters and titles, collecting strategies, comic reviews, and more!

DC Finest Announcement: DC Finest Western – Requiem for a Gunfighter

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DC Finest Western - Requiem for a Gunfighter, starring Jonah Hex and ScalphunterWhoa, nelly! After two months full of Marvel Omnibus announcements, now it’s time to begin shifting our attention to DC catalog announcements – including new DC Finest Volumes! I collect every one of these comprehensive paperbacks of DC’s pre-Flashpoint history and I was incredibly proud to partner with DC to present the first ever DC Finest Most-Wanted Poll! And, today I’m happy to take a look at what seems to be the final DC Finest volume of 2026: DC Finest Western – Requiem for a Gunfighter.

DC Finest: Western – Requiem for a Gunfighter is a book from the #23 most-demanded era on the 2026 DC Finest Poll, which we voted on as “Western: Jonah Hex (1972 & on) [volumes after The Hangman Never Loses].”

In fact, this is the volume that immediately follows The Hangman Never Loses, which included the first appearances of Jonah Hex.

DC Finest: Western – The Hangman Never Loses was released in March 2026 and collects following contents:

Tomahawk (1950) #130-140 (the final issue of this title); All-Star Western (1970) #2-8 & 10-11; Weird Western Tales (1972) #12-17; material from Super DC Giant (1970) #S-15 (“Stand Proud the Warrior Breed”); and the covers of All-Star Western (1970) #1 & 9 (both of which were all-reprint issues) and Super DC Giant (1970) #S-14 & #S-22

That takes a bit of explaining, which will also help to explain the contents of this new volume.

DC and Marvel both released many Western comics from the 1940s through the 1960s, although the genre was beginning to die off as we reached the start of the Bronze Age in 1970-1972. At DC, the surviving Western title at that time was Tomahawk (1950), which primarily starred Thomas Haukins, a white 18th Century soldier of the French and Indian Wars who later became a frontiersman.

The Hangman Never Loses collects the final two years of bi-monthly issues of Tomahawk (1950). It also collects the newly-launched All-Star Western (1970), which ran alongside those issues. It was an unremarkable title in its first year, until issue #10 – the final issue of 1971, which introduced a new gunslinger named Jonah Hex. [Read more…] about DC Finest Announcement: DC Finest Western – Requiem for a Gunfighter

Marvel Omnibus Announcement: Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 8

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The Amazing Spider-Man 1963 0250 coverNear Mint Condition announced one of the final Marvel omnibuses for the first half of 2027, and this June 2027 book is arriving earlier than many of us guessed it would! Of course, there’s always money in Spider-Man – especially right now – so it’s the perfect time to announce this book: Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 8

The “Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus” line are what many of us refer to as a “Masterworks” line of omnibuses. That’s because they are generally based on the restoration work and mapping of Marvel Masterworks hardcovers. Masterworks began by collecting their characters’ first stories from the Silver Age, but have now extended through the Silver Age into Bronze (and, in some cases, beyond).

New volumes of this Amazing Spider-Man line used to arrive at a 2-5yr interval, which is why it has been somewhat shocking (and prediction-defying) that we’ve now had three volumes in three years – Volume 6 in 2025, Volume 7 out last month, and now Volume 8 in 2027.

That is the quickest pace Marvel has ever set for a Masterworks-based line of omnis. We have no precedent for it whatsoever.

I suspect that part of that accelerated pace has to do with what this book double dips and what is just on the other side of the contents of this omnibus. [Read more…] about Marvel Omnibus Announcement: Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol. 8

Pull List: Survivor Mode! – Reading Comics Released on 15 July 2026

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Can I live through The Pull List: Survivor Mode, reading comics released on 15 July 2026? I had so much fun with the pilot of this new stream idea last week that I wanted to give it another try with a special mid-week stream while it was fresh in my brain.

Here’s the pitch: Instead of just reading comics and encountering both good and bad ones along the way, what if Pull List reading was more like a video game – complete with health scores, damage, and special challenges?

Could you put your pull in the right order to read only the VERY BEST books so you could keep reading for as long as possible? What if you had to read a book from a different publisher every time? What if you had to start with your LEAST FAVORITE book on your pull list? Or what if you had to read a random #1 issue?

And, what if you had the superpowers of one of your favorite heroes to help you avoid defeat?

Will I survive the experience? Tune in to find out!

Marvel Omnibus Announcement: Spider-Man: Big Time Omnibus Vol. 1

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The Amazing Spider-Man 1999 0648 cover - The first issue of the Big Time era collected in Spider-Man: Big Time Omnibus Vol. 1Near Mint Condition announced another Marvel omnibus for May 2027, and this book fills a massive modern gap with a map that is very much Krisis-Approved! Readers remain divided on this material 15 years after its release, but regardless of the fan sentiment I am happy this will exist: Spider-Man: Big Time Omnibus Vol. 1!

“Big Time” was the banner that kicked off the era of Spider-Man that followed “Brand New Day.” Like “Brand New Day,” this involved Amazing Spider-Man (1963) shipping multiple times a month, so there was only one other supporting Spider-Man ongoing on this period. Unlike “Brand New Day,” instead of being steered by brain trust of writers, “Big Time” was written by a single lead writer: Dan Slott (with frequent assists with his more deadline-oriented friend, Christos Gage).

Dan Slott was part of the writer-go-round during “Brand New Day,” but this omnibus kicks off the collection of his eight continuous years writing Spider-Man. To this point, the only omnibus collections of that entire period are the Superior Spider-Man Omnibus, Super Spider-Man Returns Omnibus, and the Spider-Verse / Spider-Geddon Omnibus.

That leaves us with some big gaps to fill!

Fans have stayed divided on this run because it’s more of post-MJ Spider-Man. Some readers are simply never going to enjoy Spider-Man not with Mary Jane, and that’s their prerogative. Personally, I don’t care so much.

Also, certain fans simply never cared for Dan Slott’s writing for Spider-Man. I don’t like Slott on every comic, but I found him endlessly engaging during this run. However, I’d agree he could write Peter Parker as a bit of a careless asshole and not just stuck with his Parker Luck. Also, Slott’s track record in writing women other than She-Hulk is abysmal. From Carlie Cooper to Cindy Moon to Mockingbird, almost every supporting woman who turns up in this run is treated like a shallow accessory to Spider-Man rather than a character with their own motivations.

You’ll note that this omnibus does not say “by Dan Slott” in the title. I think that’s a positive thing, and it shows in the mapping of this book. This could have simply collected Amazing Spider-Man (1963) issues, including the issues that interacted with the line-spanning event Spider-Island. Instead, it collects all of Spider-Island, including mini-series and one-shots not by Dan Slott.

That’s a different approach than the recent Amazing Spider-Man by Zeb Wells omnibus line, which avoided collecting non-Wells tie-ins to both Dark Web and Gang War.

Some folks object to all of this non-Slott material in the book, saying it waters down the story. Pour moi, I think it’s a good thing for two different reasons.

[Read more…] about Marvel Omnibus Announcement: Spider-Man: Big Time Omnibus Vol. 1

Patrons-Only: Crushing Comics Club Aftershow – Post Modern Epic Collection Update Hangout and Q&A

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Every week after my Sunday stream I keep on streaming for another hour of uncut, unlimited, unfiltered, and unhinged Q&A exclusively for live viewers and Patrons.

Join me for unlimited Q&A, stories from my life in New Zealand, and maybe a few random bars of a song as I chat with the commentariat until they run out of comments.

Please don’t publicly share this video link! It is an exclusive benefit for live viewers and Patrons of CK.

(Note that Sunday stream Afterparty links are a benefit for Patrons who support CK at the Pledgeonaut level, but other Aftershows or video exclusives are available on to the Crushing Comics Club level.)