Nick's Picks 175

✅ This issue is still flying under the radar, similar to DC All-In #1, which introduced the Absolute Trinity

Not only does it introduce (and kill) Oliver Queen who may or may not be the figure behind the spectacularly designed mask of Absolute Green Arrow, but it also presents a dramatically different version of Lex Luthor, whose fallout from his family’s massacre is on the precipice of being explored in Absolute Superman

Bonus: Absolute Hawkman, depicted as a wraithlike mercenary, could flourish in future stories

✅ Just a reminder, a fairly well-known actor will voice Rotta the Hutt in the Mandalorian movie, who looks like a badass in this image published in Empire Magazine - tap cover and swipe to view image

✅ Yo Joe! If your childhood was like mine, you watched the G.I. Joe animated movie from 1987 to the point of memorizing all of Sgt. Slaughter's memorable lines

If that's you, then you'll also recognize the inspiration for this cover as a very nostalgic homage to the opening sequence of the movie

✅ Notable alone for its significance to comic book history being the first published book by Dark Horse who set the standard for creator-owned properties, this issue also introduced Concrete which cut through the superhero clutter to tell a story that elevated sequential storytelling

Now 20 years after the most recent concrete story, Paul Chadwick will return to the character in the series Stars Over Sand, on-sale June 2026

✅ I would love to see an Absolute Universe version of this character

✅ While pricey, I could see a post-credit Masters of the Universe scene introducing She-Ra and causing the market to go ballistic

✅ Cloak and Dagger are a good speculative duo considering the Darkforce Dimension was introduced in the Wonder Man TV series as the means to which Doorman traveled

✅ There's a lot of interest in Christopher Nolan's upcoming epic 'The Odyssey' and if you want to go in with some classical mythology experience, check out this series from Marvel

✅ Here’s an overlooked issue that could be hiding in long boxes and sells for $100+

Remember to check the Dollar Bin Diving category to discover higher-value comics that can still be found out in the wild

✅ I feel Joe Quinones captured retro style beautifully on this cover

Magik is a top-tier variant character, and her scarcer covers often command a solid resale value on eBay

✅ Superman versus the Flash is great but who wouldn't want to see these two speedsters in a race

✅ Another character that could have a major moment in comics and get promoted to A-List

✅ This is such a fun cover with great colors and a lot of fun Easter Eggs of different characters from the Bat Mythos

✅In the style of the 1980s classic Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Image published an A-K and K-W of the Invincible Universe

✅ Leading up to the Dwayne Johnson led Black Adam film, this issue was selling for close to $600 ungraded

Now you can scoop it up for under $200 and with a long future of DC movies and TV, it is likely we'll see him once again

✅ New Teen Titans #2 (Deathstroke), Teen Titans #44 (Nightwing), and DC Comics Presents #26 (Cyborg, Raven, Starfire) are all undervalued key issues in my humble opinion (IMHO for the kids), but none is as undervalued as Forever People #1

Darkseid has been the premier relevant threat in the DC Universe for decades, and he shows no sign of slowing down as the universe reels from K.O., with the company continuing the Darkseid saga throughout 2026 and 2027

plus, we could really use a strong onscreen adaptation of the character. The latest 9.8 copy of Forever People #1 sold for $2,000, compared to Thanos’s first appearance published just two years later in Iron Man #55, which fetched $6,800 for a 9.8

Unfortunately, Darkseid’s first full appearance is preceded by a brief TV-screen cameo in Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134, which sells for $10,000+ for a 9.8, though copies below 9.0 go for a more palatable $350

✅ Here's another fun Key Issue for Darkseid's first use of the Omega Beams

✅ As the daughter of Darkseid, Grail has yet to become a DC villain worthy of her pedigree, but that could change

✅ It seems like every James Tynion property becomes a hit, and soon Killboy, first previewed in this publication, will get his own comic book series, though no release date has been set yet

✅ Brand New Day will pit Spider-Man against Boomerang, among others, and the two first clashed in this issue

✅ We’re getting a lot of villains in Brand New Day, but the MCU hasn’t properly paid Hydro-Man his dues, and the water elemental in Far From Home doesn’t quite count

✅ There is considerable speculation that there will be some mutant presence in Brand New Day

however, with so many villains already confirmed, the film could feel overcrowded

It seems more likely that Spider-Man will meet the X-Men (or mutants) at some point later in the MCU, which highlights how undervalued this historic comic remains as a first meeting

Earlier comics featuring Spider-Man alongside the X-Men did not depict the characters interacting in the same scene

In this issue, Spider-Man meets Beast and Iceman, while Professor X telepathically urges them to invite him to join the X-Men

Notably, there are still many ungraded copies available for under $100 on eBay, along with a handful of 7.0–8.5 graded copies listed between $100–$300

✅ While you don’t get a substantial amount of new content from the recently deceased, one-of-a-kind artist Sam Kieth, this compendium is likely difficult to find, with an estimated 3,227 copies ordered by shops, especially when compared to the relatively scarce final issue, which saw around 22,000 copies ordered

✅ Not to put too fine a point on Sam Kieth’s contribution to comics, but if you were a collector in the ’80s and ’90s, his instantly recognizable style felt like a fresh coat of paint on the hobby, similar to the efforts of McFarlane, Liefeld, Jim Lee, Jae Lee, Silvestri, Turner, Larsen, the list goes on

Beginning with Marvel Comics Presents #85, Sam Kieth and various writers add detail to Wolverine’s backstory, including the origin of his codename and suit, during the most defining era of the A-list mutant’s history