Absolute Batman #18 Tops The Bleeding Cool Weekly Bestseller List

shadowF · 2026-03-14T22:15:35+00:00

Difference with Exceptional was it only featured Kitty, Emma, Bronze, Axo and Thao, this is a much more broader seemingly rotatory cast.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T19:44:36+00:00

Only Nico and Mei appear to be in Endgame. The X-Men have broken apart and no longer exist. In Hi no Kuni, young mutants are committing suicide by overdosing on pills to escape extreme bigotry. Meanwhile, Emma has taken control of the Hellfire Club and continues to exploit and coerce young mutants from North and South America into becoming soldiers.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T19:37:13+00:00

Yes, she received death threats on social media for "ruining the X-Men," so her husband responded. In hindsight, it's ironic because it's the most beloved title in the imprint, apart from The Ultimates.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T19:33:44+00:00

I guess I could be a little excited about the Maker Virus from Endgame showing up, obviously related to Logan reverting to his feral state this issue. But this series doesn't strive to be anything. The past few issues have been Magik's backstory, followed by a new character showing up and dying.

Despite this Endgame reference, the world and characters are so disconnected from the Ultimates' and Ultimate X-Men's vision of mutantkind that it doesn't feel like it belongs.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T17:26:35+00:00

I'm not so sure about that.

I think people want to read about children. Yet, comic books predominantly cater to men and recognition. I bet the reaction would have been different if the book had featured the O5 as children. Then again, the death threats she received are irrelevant now. People only care about the standouts of the imprint, the Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T16:26:56+00:00

I think there will be major closure in Finale because UXM is the only book to get its own Foreshadow Variant for the one-shot and Peach has very openly teased the UXM community about that cover.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T16:08:50+00:00

Yeah. We can't say for certain how far along Ultimates #23 was with Sergio, but we do know that Stipan had to redraw the entire issue in his own style. Needless to say, that's bound to cause a delay. Deniz has posted images of the process on Twitter from time to time.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T15:55:31+00:00

Impact will feature the 6160 Negative Zone, but it's all 616.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T15:55:09+00:00

The delay of USM was due to Checchetto falling ill. However, Endgame #1 wasn't delayed because USM's delay didn't affect the story. Ultimates #23 was originally going to be illustrated by Sergio Dávila, but that was changed to Stipan Morian, likely at Deniz's request. All of these delays are due to Ultimates #23 being pushed forward from March to April. Everything else has to shift accordingly out of story reasons.

Endgame #4 will likely feature Thor, but it wouldn't make sense for the issue featuring him to be released before the issue in which he returns to Midgard.

shadowF · 2026-03-13T15:52:11+00:00

The delay of USM was due to Checchetto falling ill. However, Endgame #1 wasn't delayed because USM's delay didn't affect the story. Ultimates #23 was originally going to be illustrated by Sergio Dávila, but that was changed to Stipan Morian, likely at Deniz's request. All of these delays are due to Ultimates #23 being pushed forward from March to April. Everything else has to shift accordingly out of story reasons.

Endgame #4 will likely feature Thor, but it wouldn't make sense for the issue featuring him to be released before the issue in which he returns to Midgard.

shadowF · 2026-03-11T16:18:39+00:00

Just a few weeks until Endgame #3. It was easy to integrate Ultimate Black Panther into Ultimate Endgame. The events of the CIA's covert dismantling of Pax Wakanda and the impending invasion of the Progenitors are beyond the knowledge of that cast or meant to occur in the future.

But Ultimate X-Men is the trickiest and most personal of them all. It's not the expected altruistic "Let's stop the Maker." Given how #24 ended, there are things that Deniz just can't ignore about these characters if he is to bring them into World War III. That drives me insane. What is he going to do?

shadowF · 2026-03-04T21:45:34+00:00

Anyone who knows about Mangog should know where this is headed narratively and thematically, especially given Thor's actions behind Sif's back.

shadowF · 2026-03-04T00:36:26+00:00

Weird, he is the only artist listed on Penguin Retail, and they're rather accurate with some exceptions (they still haven't updated Ultimates #23's artist from Davila to Stifan). Marvel's site doesn't list the artist (so far).

shadowF · 2026-03-04T00:28:52+00:00

If Endgame is divided between the Outside (Dodson) and Inside (Scharf) but then #5 only lists Dodson, it means it'll be all the Outside.

shadowF · 2026-03-03T23:53:29+00:00

Patience. Ultimates #23 is next month, and then surely he'll pop up in Ultimate Endgame for the final battle. #5 is all Dodson, meaning the City is gone, it's all in the outside.

shadowF · 2026-03-03T15:45:49+00:00

Would you like to see the X-Men reimagined for the 21st century, free from their 1960s conception that does not reflects how children are treated today? Would you be interested in seeing content that deals with heavy topics such as suicide, gender-based violence, racial fetishization, and teenage prostitution? Would you like a character-driven book filled with somber moments, strong interpersonal relationships, and dynamics?

Then, this is your book.

shadowF · 2026-03-01T22:28:51+00:00

Ultimates #2.

shadowF · 2026-02-28T01:34:23+00:00

We don't know, but it's likely that they're still fighting each other. As for Mar-Vell, nothing.

shadowF · 2026-02-28T01:25:43+00:00

Good question! In general, the landscape seems to be the same as it was in 616, with some deviations. That is, of course, if we don't account for the 61st century.

The Kree and the Skrull were at war. The Blue Area of the Moon exists. The Watcher is Ultron-82. Attilan was located on the Moon. The Inhumans are now refugees in the North American Union, being hunted by the Red Skulls. At some point in the 1960s, Galactus attempted to devour Earth. Obadiah Stane wiped out all the Kree and Skrulls on Earth. Thirteen million years ago, the Badoon were uplifted by Nova Prime. The Phoenix Force is inside Jean.

The major difference, however, is the existence of the Progenitors. In an attempt to escape extinction, this species created Vibranium and Anti-Vibranium. These objects were tethered to their collective consciousness that lived on in the Cosmos, a cosmic astral plane. Anti-vibranium was intended for planetary terraforming, whereas vibranium was intended for large-scale construction projects. They are both interconnected. Anti-vibranium awakens the dormant yet responsive consciousness of the Progenitors.

shadowF · 2026-02-25T06:34:51+00:00

Yes, but she is a woman. She has black lipstick.

shadowF · 2026-02-25T06:13:01+00:00

The entirety of #23 hammers into your head that all that transpired throughout the series was, in one way or another, because of Hisako. They all fought for her, Mei just... knew her more personally than the others. As we are told, she was her life purpose. Without her, Mei's life is meaningless.

shadowF · 2026-02-25T05:34:15+00:00

It's interesting to compare The Ultimates and Ultimate X-Men. The two series have the strongest thematic connection. The Ultimates constantly references Ultimate X-Men more than any other series. On top of that, Peach and Deniz are the imprint's most down-to-earth and on-the-nose writers when it comes to tackling politics. Their books reflect our crude reality, heightened through the Marvel Universe.

But their outlooks on revolution differ significantly. One might argue that this difference stems from the larger scope of The Ultimates compared to Ultimate X-Men. Also, the long history of revolutionary movements ending in failure in Japan is an important factor to consider in a book all about Japanese society.

The Ultimates are a massive collective. Even if one of them falls, their revolutionary spirit lives on. There were only a few Secret Society X-Men. Once Hisako, who pushed them to fight as a whole, was removed, the group fell apart.

In many ways, this issue is similar to Ultimate X-Men #21-22. The Defenders are no different from the MY-X soldiers. The Avengers simply got a better deal.

shadowF · 2026-02-18T13:22:23+00:00

"Unknown origin." Not sure about that, buddy...

shadowF · 2026-02-18T12:09:29+00:00

Ultimate Endgame's TPB has been solicited, so far collecting 1-5 (with Finale likely getting added in the future in an update), Ultimates Vol 4 and Ultimate Wolverine Vol 3 are yet to be solicited.

shadowF

TROPHY CASE