Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview

 

Being an actor may seem glamorous. But actors spend their lives portraying others. Devoting so much time to being someone else can stress your relationships off the set or stage. And when you spend every day being someone else, how do you know who you are anymore? Isn't it wrong to define yourself by who you used to be, when you will become many more people in the future?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview

Writer: Jude Ellison S Doyle

Artist & Cover Artist: Fran Galán

Variant Cover Artists: Mike Del Mundo & Dave Johnson

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

Ahead of DC Studios’ Clayface movie, 

witness Basil Karlo bring the mud and the pain 

back to DC Comics!

 

 

Before he was Clayface, Basil Karlo was one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. As he breaks out of Arkham once again, he’s ready to stage his comeback, but there’s just one problem: Someone already beat him to it, and Basil Karlo is already a massive star. But if that’s true, what’s next for the real Basil? And what does his predicament have to do with young women disappearing in Los Angeles and a new supplement causing hideous transformations in its users?

 

Acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and rising star artist Fran Galán join forces for a bold new miniseries that’s equal parts body horror and Hollywood glamour.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For more recent series involving Clayface, 

See my review of DC K.O. Knightfight #1,

My preview of Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes #1 & 

My review of Batman and Robin: Year One #1. 

  

 

 

Green Lantern Corps #18 Review

 

Green Lantern Corps #18 Review

Writer: Morgan Hampton

Artist: Fernando Pasarín, Juan José Ryp, Will Conrad, Ig Guara, Oclair Albert & Jason Paz

Colorist: Matt Herms & Lee Loughridge

Letterer: Dave Sharpe

Cover Artists: Fernando Pasarín, Oclair Albert & Arif Prianto

Variant Cover Artists: Jorge Fornés & Rian Gonzales

Editors: Jillian Grant, Kathleen Wisneski & Paul Kaminski

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

Everyone had their expectations of Guy Gardner. And it didn't help that they worshiped him as the Allsight. So, when the Manhunters devastated his team, abducted Aya's body, and used her improved design to stage a takeover of the emotional spectrum, Guy felt like it was all his fault. Reeling emotionally and struggling to respond to the crisis, his life went sideways as he fell into a black hole. But instead of finding all the matter that gravity should suck inside, Guy Gardner confronted himself.

 

Now he's back on Oa. Time has rewound. Can the Green Lantern Corps prevent Oa's sun from going supernova? And will Guy Gardner demonstrate the qualities that drew the emotional entities to him in the first place? Let’s put on our power rings, leap into Green Lantern Corps #18, and see!

 

Story

With the Manhunters approaching Oa, Jessica Cruz wants her Lanterns to host the emotional entities. She orders Guy to hand them over for her disposal. But Guy Gardner, who has interacted with them, insists that Ion, Butcher, and the others are not his to give. As the Allsight, Guy touches her face to help Jessica see things from a different perspective.

 

In Green Lantern Corps #18, Guy Gardner has got his confidence back. But with it comes humility. He recognizes the Corps’ tremendous responsibility to these sentient beings. And he also equates Jessica's attitude with the Manhunters'. But while Guy and Jessica seem locked in a trance, someone must take charge and lead them into battle against the Manhunters.

 

As Morgan Hampton portrays the Corps Leader and the Allsight’s journey into another realm and the Lanterns' defense of Oa, another battle takes place on the planet's surface. Aya exemplifies how the Manhunters would safeguard the emotional spectrum. Yet even though the Manhunters have stolen her body, Aya seeks ways to protect the Corps and her new life on Oa. Once, she was an emotionless entity like the Manhunters. Now, she has friends, a lover, and people she will sacrifice to protect in Green Lantern Corps #18.

 

Art

While the emotional entities hover overhead and the other Corps leaders look on, Jessica Cruz and Guy Gardner argue. As their argument grows more heated, Jessica and Guy move toward each other. Ophidian surrounds them, Butcher and Proselyte hover, while Predator observes the two leaders knock their heads together. Then, Guy touches Jessica's face. As energy suffuses them, their glowing bodies resemble Aya, who also watches in hologram form.

 

As Fernando Pasarín, Juan José Ryp, Will Conrad, Ig Guara, Oclair Albert, and Jason Paz unite to portray a cast of thousands, Matt Herms and Lee Loughridge team up to fill Green Lantern Corps #18 with a palette of bright, luminescent color. As a sea of red and blue Manhunters swims through space, led by their green-and-white leader, they look ahead with glowing orange eyes. When the Lanterns of Oa rise to greet them, a green hologram of Jo’s face appears above the buildings, evoking how the emotional entities hovered above the squabbling leaders. Despite all the colors of the spectrum, the orange, red, and yellow streaks of departing Lanterns dominate the sky. Yet as Guy and Jessica explore the emotional expanse, blue dominates this realm filled with vibrant colors.

 

Dave Sharpe fills round and rectangular dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters. Jessica Cruz, Guy Gardner, and Jo Mullein shout green words, while Aya speaks green letters into white balloons. Jessica and Aya share their thoughts in green narrative boxes. Words grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. While the leader of the Manhunters uses white dialogue balloons, black energy radiates from the borders. Amid the battle, sound effects show how effectively the Manhunters fight, while Jo relies on her willpower and imagination for defense. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

The Manhunters believe they can safeguard the emotional spectrum better than the Green Lantern Corps. Jessica Cruz believes that, if the entire spectrum of the Corps worked together, they could defend the Universe better than ever before. Yet as rival groups compete for the right to safeguard existence, Guy Gardner and Jessica Cruz must achieve a meeting of the minds in Green Lantern Corps #18.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Green Lantern Corps #18. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Green Lantern Corps #17. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Green Lantern Corps #16. 

 

 

Bleeding Hearts #6 Preview

 

 

Everyone has their favorite holiday. For Poke, it's Out-Break. The annual event unites zombies as a species. As they gather in their holy shopping malls, the zombies look forward to a ritual hunt. But ever since Poke's heart started beating, he's lost his taste for Live Ones. Sadly, his best friend Mush found the mother and daughter Poke was trying to protect. 

Now, Mama is dead. And, as the zombies pursue the few Live Ones they have captured, little Rabbit runs for her life from the hungry horde. Can Poke rescue the girl from his own people? And can he continue to live among them, when their values suddenly seem foreign to him?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Bleeding Hearts #6 Preview

Writer: Deniz Camp

Artist & Cover Artist: Stipan Morian

Variant Cover Artist: Ariel Olivetti

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Age Rating: 17+

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

It’s Time to Party like

You’re Never Gonna Live!

 

 

It’s the 11th Annual Outbreak! For months, hordes all over the world have been preparing to celebrate the unholy origin of our species with a week of Bone-Tower building, ritual Live One hunts, live food, undead music, and so much more! You are what you are—be proud of that and of death’s victory over life!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Bleeding Hearts #5. 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #4.

For how this series began, see my preview of Bleeding Hearts #1. 

 

Heaven Review

 

Heaven Review

Writer, Artist, Colorist & Letterer: Katie Skelly

Publisher: Fantagraphics

Book Length: 100 Pages

ISBN: 9798875002243

Hardcover Price: $19.99

Release Date: July 7, 2026

 

Once, her world seemed bright. But now, Dolores is struggling. Faced with a Creative Writing assignment, Dolores writes about how she sees the future. Sadly, her teacher doesn't understand. Then, some classmates offer her a ride home. Could these girls help Dolores feel less alone? And can she find the strength to pull herself out of the hole she has fallen into? Let's leap into Heaven and see!

 

Story

When Jenny calls out to her, Dolores walks over and climbs into the back seat. She recognizes Sheila from gym class and Alex from Chemistry. Although they have drifted apart, Jenny lives down the street from her. Dolores suggests that Alex drop her off with Jenny, and she can walk from there. Instead, Jenny, Alex, and Sheila invite Dolores to join them at their local hangout.

 

While relaxing over drinks, the girls mention a strip club outside town. They’re intrigued by the reviews they see online. But while they’re curious, they’re not old enough to get in. Having recently turned 18, Dolores can enter the mysterious premises. But only if she offers the manager a convincing reason for doing so.

 

In Heaven, Dolores seeks an escape from her misery. Her parents have broken up. Her mother is navigating her own roadmap of grief. Finances have forced Dolores to give up the gymnastics she loved. While she cannot face her bleak existence, Dolores can focus on something new. Even if the strip club is another hole she can get sucked into, it’s new. And perhaps it will give her a sense of purpose again.

 

Yet in Katie Skelly’s story, once Dolores immerses herself in her new career, Jenny, Sheila, and Alex begin to worry. While they were intrigued by the online chatter, they suspect that the strip club holds greater dangers than 1-star reviews. As Dolores discovers meaning and belonging and gains a sense of empowerment, the girls feel guilty for getting Dolores into trouble. And they look for ways to help their new friend as she drifts toward ruination in Heaven.

 

Art

After school, Dolores clutches her backpack as she stands beside the bus stop bench. When Jenny calls out to her from the front seat, and Sheila smiles at her from the back seat, Dolores climbs in the back of Alex’s hatchback. Sheila wears her dark hair in Mickey Mouse-style buns. Alex uses a hair clip to part her long red hair on one side. In the driver's seat, Alex rests her Alien Eyes sunglasses atop her blonde hair. Yet inside the restaurant, Alex wears her sunglasses as she sits in the booth.

 

While Dolores’ black hair links her with Sheila, her strand of blonde hair links her with Alex. Dolores' pink cellphone presages her visit to the nightclub, while the pink building's red accents link with Jenny's hair. Before approaching the door, Dolores borrows Sheila's black boots and Jenny's black jacket to disguise her appearance. But before Dolores can get into Heaven, she must choose from among a colorful array of outfits.

 

Katie Skelly divides her 100-page story into 5 acts. Handwritten uppercase black letters fill white dialogue balloons. Jenny’s thoughts fill white clouds. Inside Heaven, brown storm clouds with lightning bolt arrows address her. Although she never liked “Dolly,” Dolores grows more comfortable with her old nickname as she embarks on this new venture. Sound effects reveal the mechanical health of Alex’s hatchback, while giant letters fill the background when an applicant begins her audition. Yet a teacher's red grades and remarks bookend this story about teen struggles and growth. Thanks to Fantagraphics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

The High School years can be traumatic enough on their own. But Dolores’ family is falling apart. The school she attends offers more condemnation than comfort. So, when Dolores finds a place where the manager believes in her abilities and thinks she is special, Dolores leaps in with both feet. Heaven tackles the terrors of growing up, battles with depression, and the power of friendship in a world that holds more wonders than we often suspect.

 

Rating 9/10

 

Read the opening scene and/or purchase Heaven on Amazon. 

 

Discover what other reviewers have to say and/or purchase Heaven on Fantagraphics. 

Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3 Preview

 

 

Barbara Gordon knew Vandal Savage was arresting good people on trumped up charges. She knew they were dying in Supermax. Barbara insisted that the Bat-family needed someone inside. Now, she's Inmate 682281 in Vandal Savage's private prison. She's making enemies. Maybe even a friend. But can she trust Sparrow? And why does Barbara Gordon dream of the Joker? 

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Barbara Gordon: Breakout #3 Preview

Writer: Mariko Tamaki

Artist: Amancay Nahuelpan

Cover Artist: Karl Kerschl

Variant Cover Artists: Terry & Rachel Dodson, Chris Wildgoose & Jeff Spokes

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

Does the Key to Barbara’s Survival lie in the Past?

A DC Next Level series!

 

 

Barbara Gordon is just trying to survive in Supermax. Every day brings new danger… and more questions. Can she trust her new friend Sparrow? Has she clocked the real threats closing in on her? And why does she get the sneaking suspicion that there’s more to this prison than meets the eye? To answer these questions, Barbara will need to rely on the skills she learned as Batgirl and her own past to ensure she has a future…

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Barbara Gordon: Breakout #2.

For how this series started, see my preview of Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1.

For how Vandal Savage's TUCO squad caught Barbara Gordon, see my preview of Batman #9. 

 

 

Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3 Review

 

Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3 Review

Writer: Nancy A Collins

Artist: Mariano Taibo

Colorist: Marco Lesko

Letterer: Andworld Design

Editor: David Leach

Cover Artists: Kit Wallis, Andy Belanger & Piotr Kowalski

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $4.99 US

Release Date: July 1, 2026

 

Mead and Stix have worked together for a long time. Yet ever since Sayo asked them to find her sister Miyuki, Mead and Stix have been moving in different directions. Now, while Madame Nomura commissions Mead to investigate her daughters' deaths, Stix protects the Cheshire scientists who killed his fellow Replicants to eliminate Tyrell's programmed lifespan.

 

Leaving Tokyo behind, the Blade Runner from Los Angeles searches for answers in a village protected by a modern-day Ronin. As she searches for the experimental Aurora program, Rumiko seeks to learn how Miyuki and Sayo's brother produced a Replicant assassin with a copy of Stix's consciousness. Yet no matter what they do, or where they go, Alura’s shadow covers all of them.

 

Can Rumiko shut down the Aurora program before more copies of Stix begin killing people? And will Mead's investigation prevent the Cheshire scientists from extending Stix's life? Let’s leap into Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3 and see!

 

Story

After Mead and Stix left Boot Camp, they traveled to Kalanthia, where they met other participants in the Aurora program. By sharing Stix’s thoughts, Mead drew close to her Replicant partner. Some, like Munro and Nuri, went even further, filing paperwork to formalize their workplace relationship. But none of that mattered to the Tyrell Corporation. Once they demonstrated the merits of the Aurora program on Kalanthia, the company didn’t want the participants to leave the battlefield.

 

As Mead looks back on her past, she also pursues her investigation into Miyuki Nomura’s murder in Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3. She knows how Sayo, who originally commissioned her to find Miyuki, died. But the autopsy files Madame Nomura left with her make Mead reconsider her belief that Takumi Nomura used a Replicant with Stix’s consciousness to kill his sisters.

 

While Mead weighs what she's learned and how it affects her and Stix's relationship with Alura, Rumiko meets with Benkei in Nancy A Collins’ story. While Yakuza families like Alura’s carve out their territories in Tokyo, Daimyos rule distant villages as modern-day feudal lords. When she meets with Benkei at the Hikawa Shinto Shrine in Omiya, the Ronin has no reason to believe that she’s not just another assassin sent by a Daimyo to take over the village. And when Benkei learns that she is a Blade Runner, Rumiko must convince him that she is on Mead and Stix's side. Only then may he help her investigate how the Cheshire scientists used a Replicant with Stix's body and memories to help Alura with a Yakuza war in Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3.

 

Art

Torches mark a path through the snow as Rumiko trudges uphill toward a shrine. The Blade Runner's long coat contrasts with the historic armor strapped to Benkei's body. As the desk lamp illuminates the papers covering her desk, inset panels reveal Mead’s theory about Miyuki’s death. When she walks wearily toward the bedroom, Mead glances at Stix. Then, she stares at a photo on the wall.

 

As Mariano Taibo reveals Mead and Stix’s past, and Rumiko confronts Benkei, Marco Lesko applies a limited palette to Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3. Benkei’s red armor links with his face paint, while red also tinges Mead’s musings. In her imaginings, Miyuki’s pink garment links with the blanket covering Mead’s sleeping partner. Green adorns life on Kalanthia while foliage defies the snow blanketing Omiya. Yet red flows in both the past and the present.

 

Jim Campbell uses colored boxes to mark locations, reveal Mead and Rumiko’s thoughts, and help readers hear broadcast messages. Black uppercase dialogue in white balloons grows bold for intonation and swells for raised voices. Sound effects presage a discovery that will haunt Mead and Stix forever, while a sticker assures that Tyrell values the new life it creates. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

After natural disasters destroyed Japan’s infrastructure, corporations helped the country rebuild. While Tokyo enjoys the benefits, the surrounding prefectures return to their traditional ways. In theory, corporations like Tyrell, Cheshire, and Yuyona should make life easier for everyone. But while corporate executives and Yakuza leaders fight for profits, people like Mead, Stix, Rumiko, and Benkei strive for something greater in Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3.

 

Rating 9/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #3. 

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #2. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #1.

 

For how this series began, see my review of Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: Die In Peace. 

 

Absolute Catwoman #2 Preview

 

 

After her last job with the Calicos went wrong, Selina Kyle vowed to never work with other people again. Her solo career proved so successful that, at age 25, Selina decided to retire. Then Holly Robinson brought trouble to her door. And just like the day they met, Holly secreted something valuable inside a cake. 

Now, a gang of vicious cat burglars holds Holly in their claws. The flames devouring Selina's London penthouse also incinerate her plans. Can Selina rescue her friend from whatever trouble she's gotten into? And why did Holly hide a mysterious orb inside a Red Velvet cake?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Catwoman #2 Preview

Writers: Che Grayson & Scott Snyder

Artist & Cover Artist: Bengal

Variant Cover Artists: Leirix, Mirka Andolfo & Jonboy Meyers

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Eric Canete

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Age Rating: 15+

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

Selina on the Run!

 

 

Selina licks her wounds after her run-in with her mystery assailants. But she can’t linger long if she’s going to get her revenge.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Catwoman #1. 

For Selina Kyle's relationship with Bruce Wayne, see my preview of Absolute Batman #12, 

 

 My preview of Absolute Batman #13, and 

 

My preview of Absolute Batman #14. 

 

Absolute Batman #22 Preview

 

His father's death shook Bruce Wayne to the core. Then, once he remade himself as the Batman, his closeness to his friends destroyed Eddie, Harvey, Waylon, and Ozzie's lives. Jim Gordon has transitioned to the great beyond. A shadow hangs over his mother's fate. Bruce has even lost Joe Chill, the last person who linked him with the events that changed him forever. 

As Mayor Hill's high-powered mechs tear Gotham apart in their hunt for the Batman, a new helper arises to support the "murderous terrorist". Alfred Pennyworth may call her a demon child. But the "little anarchist" helps "the kid" in ways that surprise the veteran. Is Harley Quinn another of Jack Grimm's creations? And how far can Bruce Wayne trust her?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Batman #22 Preview

Writer: Scott Snyder

Artist: Werther Dell’Edera

Cover Artist: Nick Dragotta

Variant Cover Artists: Dan Quintana, Brett Bean & Derrick Chew

1:25 Variant Cover Artist: Werther Del’Edera

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Age Rating: 15+

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

The Origin of Harley Quinn!

 

 

As the Robins nest in Gotham’s backyard, and Batman faces ultimate defeat, Harley Quinn’s origin is revealed. How does Harley connect with Ark M, and how did the Robins fledge from hatchlings to birds of prey? The call of more than one predator will be answered in this issue.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Batman #21. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Batman #20.

For what happened even earlier, see my review of Absolute Batman #19.