Superman Red & Blue 2025 Special #1 Preview

 

 

Clark Kent may have superhuman powers. Still, he realizes that everyone's life is a miracle. So, Clark treasures each day of life. See how he pays it forward by helping others in these stories that celebrate the Humanity of Krypton's favorite son!

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Superman Red & Blue 2025 Special #1

Writers: Paul Dini, Dan Abnett, Michael Walsh & Rainbow Rowell

Artists: Caitlin Yarsky, Michael Walsh, Cian Tormey & More!

Cover Artists: Chris Samnee & Michael Walsh

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: $5.99/$6.99 Card Stock

Price: 48 Pages

Release Date: October 29, 2025

 

A special Superman one-shot from Eisner-Nominated creators!

 

The beloved, Eisner-nominated series returns with a special one-shot to put a cap on Superman’s monumental year! Witness visions of the Man of Steel in his signature colors of red and blue brought to you by comics’ finest writers and artists.

 

Paul Dini soars from Gotham to Metropolis for a touching tale. Meanwhile, Dan Abnett (Titans) gives a reporter the Superman scoop of the century, Michael Walsh (Exquisite Corpses) makes his DC debut, and Rainbow Rowell (Runaways) revisits Lois and Clark!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 Review

 

Writer: Dan Abnett

Artists: Alessandro Miracolo, Emiliana Pinna & Luca Colandrea

Colorist: Ellie Wright

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artist: David Nakayama

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $19.99

Release Date: September 20, 2023

(Previewsworld.com's stated Release Date: November 1, 2023)

 

Riding through a storm, Red Sonja spies a house in the woods. A wizened man carrying a staff offers to let her spend the night, but only if she tells him a story. The hitch? It must be true! Why did the man reject her money? Let's leap into Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 and find out!

 

Story

Sonja has left Hyboria far behind. Compelled by a cursed shirt of chain mail, she has traveled to the land of Logres. She can't remove it until she finds someone to free the spirit from the cursed armor and let it live again as the reborn king.

 

Her host explains that the High Paindragons once ruled this land, and the last king was Arthr, son of Uthr. His nephew Mordread killed him with dark sorcery amid a devastating war. The kingdom fell, and the land became a cursed wilderness. Alas, only his house testifies to this once prosperous land.   

 

So begins Dan Abnett’s tale in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1. The British author delves into Arthurian folklore as he pits the She-Devil With A Sword against ogres and giants, the Lady of the Lake, the Green Knight, and more. If she can find Merlyn, perhaps she can finally remove the armor shirt she’s worn for nearly a year. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to listen to the talkative spirit anymore!

 

Red Sonja action figure available at Entertainment Earth

 

 

Art

Alessandro Miracolo, Emiliana Pinna, and Luca Colandrea imbue Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 with All Ages Appeal. Rough-hewn characters are expressive and undergo dramatic transformations. Haunting monsters wield weapons that will test our Hyborean heroine's prowess. Sonja's armored blouse suggests a night out with friends, but nightclub owners might confiscate her sword. While lacking in detail, landscapes and buildings draw you into English lands before invading Anglo-Saxons redrew its borders.

 

Ellie Wright loads her palette with a wide range of colors. Grey mist rises from the cursed land. Sonja's cloak and hair match her Chestnut horse, while the opponents she fights are often green. White haze often mutes battle and light sources, but objects and people glow at night.

 

Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1. Smaller lowercase white words in black narrative boxes convey the cursed armor's conversation. While eye-catching, Jeff Eckleberry’s first three chapter titles demand concentration. But his colorful sound effects enliven clashes between monsters’ weapons and a sword that emerged from a pond. 

 

 

 

An extensive cover gallery featuring artists like Joseph Michael Linsner, Junggeun Yoon, and Jae Lee proves a treasure trove in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1.

 

Final Thoughts

The She-Devil With A Sword hacks and slashes through the worst that Arthurian folklore can throw at her and learns the surprising nature of curses in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1.

 

Rating 8.3/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Another Look at Rocket Raccoon

Rocket Raccoon, Drax the Destroyer,
& evil Church dude

In Guardians of the Galaxy: The Complete Collection Volume 1 by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, our heroes fight an evil church bent on conquest and destruction. As these stories coincide with Marvel's mammoth Secret Invasion crossover, the Guardians discover that the shapeshifting Skrulls have infiltrated their ranks. How can any of them know that the others aren't Skrulls infiltrators?

Groot, Star-Lord, Cosmo, Rocket Raccoon, Quasar

The group is based on Knowhere, a space-city built into the excavated skull of an extinct Celestial. The city's Head of Security is Cosmo, a talking dog and former Russian Cosmonaut. When Knowhere's residents, including the powerful scientific and diplomatic parties from other civilizations, complain that the Guardians are attracting too much trouble to their home-away-from-home, Cosmo stands by the Guardians, even if he and the members of group don't always get along.

In addition to the shapeshifting Skrulls, members of an earlier incarnation of Guardians of the Galaxy keep turning up at their base on Knowhere. As you can imagine, all this makes it difficult for members of the group to trust each other. 

I decided to make another portrait of Rocket Raccoon, this one based on penciler Paul Pelletier's interpretation of the character. Drawing his features took ten-to-fifteen minutes, but roughly two hours passed before I finished. Colorists make an incalculable contribution to comics, but never get celebrated as much as those who draw (or pencil) the initial black and white image. So I'd like to dedicate my drawing to GURU-eFX, the colorist who worked on the above three images from Issue 4 of Abnett and Lanning's book.

This second portrait of Rocket Raccoon may be more of a copy than my first study of him, that quick pen-and-ink sketch I made that day at Dave & Buster's. Still, what better way to start than by replicating the efforts of others more advanced than ourselves, before we embark on our own unique creations?

Dragon Dave  

Rocket Raccoon & Iraq

Have you met Rocket Raccoon?

After finishing my first drawing of the Doctor snorkeling, I turned my skills, such as they are, to the back of my admission ticket, a piece of 8.5x11" copy paper. I've been thinking a lot about Rocket Raccoon lately, probably because I've seen him three times now in Marvel Comics' new movie "Guardians of the Galaxy." I enjoyed how he was portrayed in the movie, even if it was different from how authors like Bill Mantlo, Dan Abnett, and Andy Lanning have approached the character. I've seen artists draw him in various ways, and my friend Justin Ponsor, who works as the colorist for the current Guardians series written by Brian Michael Bendis, has even drawn a picture of him (and his friend Groot) that was accepted by Teefury.com. So I wondered what I could do with him. 

Instead of outlining his head, I started by drawing his fur, then his eyes, then defining his ears. Then it was more hair, and along the way, I started in on his snout. I've never been good at faces, let alone noses, and I was working from memory, with no images or models in front of me. I only spent a few minutes on my drawing, and most of that on his fur, but I'm happy with this first attempt. It's something to build on for later.

Dave & Busters may not have live raccoons for artists to draw, but they do employ waiters to serve their human customers. Twice while I was sketching a young woman came by and asked me if she could get me anything. Both times I assured her that I was doing fine, but I wondered if it bothered her that I was taking up space without buying anything at one of the booths in her area. So afterward, while I was waiting for the youth leadership conference to finish, I got up and spoke to her as she printed out checks at the cash register.

She thanked me for my concern, and told me that she had no problem with me sitting in her area. I asked her if she enjoyed working at Dave & Busters, a place that seemed synonymous with fun. Sadly, she said no, as people brought money for their food and games, but seemed to regard tipping as unnecessary. She was working her way through college, and upon graduation, it was her dream to go to Iraq, or some less-well-off country, and teach young children to read, write, and be more tolerant of others customs and beliefs. In the meantime, she was scraping to get by, pay for her education and living, and relying on Medical if she got sick. 

She seemed a rather erudite young woman, who claimed she rarely watched TV, and never saw a movie in the cinema before she read the book. In addition to her studies, she typically reads three books at a time, two nonfiction on subjects that interested her, and one novel or book of short stories. I've no doubt she could do well for herself should she decide to stay in the United States after she graduates, and her mother has argued repeatedly with her that she should do so, that going to countries like Iraq is unnecessarily dangerous. But she's more interested in changing the world, and making it a place where people regard others with respect, and live harmoniously with others. Her example lifted my spirits, and proved a welcome contrast to the words and actions of the minister in the banquet room. 

Please adequately tip your waiter or waitress, folks. You never know the potential ministry you may be funding.

Dragon Dave

Related Internet Links
Justin's drawing of Rocket & Groot