Garth Franklin writes at Dark Horizons on Zack Snyder’s reflections on his take on the DC universe. Specifically, Snyder has thoughts on what made his comics universe work out differently than the success seen for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“[Marvel is] like an amusement park ride, right? The ups, the drops, the kind of cruising part, and then another drop. At the end, you’re like, ‘Wow, that was crazy, that was awesome.’ I had no interest in that. And you know, maybe that was a mistake. But I don’t think that way. I can’t do that. I’d rather just kind of talk about the mythology of them. And maybe that’s not as fun.”
This is a crazy take. Comic stories are inherently myth stories, even at Marvel. The Snyder-verse version of DC was dark and brutal. If that’s what Snyder means by “mythology,” then sure. Or you know, maybe Marvel just makes better movies.
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Game reviews for Marvel’s Wolverine game are starting to come in. I watched a few of them last night and read some more this morning. Here are a few for your consideration. Consensus is this is a just-ok, good-but-not-great game.
Let’s start with the most critical of the reviews I’ve seen. The Kinda Funny Games team is tough but fair, focused mostly on the expectations for Wolverine being high given Insomniac’s streak with their Spider-Man games. No one at Kinda Funny thought the game held up to that standard, especially around combat. As the Kinda Funny guys note, Insomniac takes a lot of chances with the way they tell comic-inspired stories, and if the combat doesn’t work, you’re left with strange story choices to carry a game.
The IGN review was likewise critical of the game’s combat and its simple and repetitive nature.
The disjointed story suffers from balancing so many elements; a second-act war with The Hand, Marvel’s ever-present ninja gang, comes off feeling like a five-hour DLC digression in the middle of Logan’s personal reckoning.
One man’s failing is another’s success. This same Hand diversion was praised as a nice respite from the otherwise lackluster gameplay in the Kinda Funny review above. It sounds like that’s part of the problem with this game, though. Insomniac took a something-for-everyone approach with this game, and again as Kinda Funny notes, when you make a game for everyone, you make a game for no one.
I will definitely still play this game when it comes out on Tuesday. My plans are to play every night after work and post my own review as soon as I complete the game. I imagine I will have similar reactions, but also, I’m such a sucker for any comics-based game, especially Marvel ones. I can’t wait to spend a few hours wandering around the Marvel Universe, even if this isn't the best from Insomniac.
[…] these are the top ten sellers for last week, from 1st of September to the 7th of September, 2026, including comparative sales ratios, with Batman #13 dominating, and the DC Next Level launch titles doing well, DC taking the top five, with seven in the top ten, against Marvel's three […]
These stats are surely directionally true. DC, especially the Absolute line, is the biggest thing in comics currently. Go to any comic shop and you’ll see rows and rows of Absolute comics, as well as other big hits like Batman. Marvel Comics are still stocked, but DC gets the premium shelf space.
I do wonder how much these week over week stats are skewed by Absolute Batman and other Absolute comic series reorders. A runaway hit will skew statistical trends. Again, this isn’t to say that Marvel isn’t getting it handed to it by DC right now. They are. But what would these stats look like if you removed reorders and additional print runs from the numbers? I suspect the gulf is not as wide as these individual stats make it seem.
Regardless, Marvel needs to correct this. They need hits. I’ve heard good things from those working for Marvel, about the Midnight Universe line and other things in the works with the new editorial leadership. Here’s hoping this new direction does its job. Marvel needs to correct this trend before it becomes a permanent pattern.
"As the writer of Origin and I have sort of agreed over the century, [Paul Jenkins] has his version, I have mine. I'm right," Claremont quips in an X-Men writers panel at Terrificon 2026, going on to explain that, while he did put forth his thoughts on the story to Marvel, he was never asked to write Wolverine: Origin.
This kind of mild creator beef has a long, rich history in comics. I love that fellow writer on the panel, Fabian Nicieza, was quoted as expressing his support for Claremont by refusing to read Jenkins’ Wolverine: Origin. This begs the question about where ownership for these characters lies. Is it Marvel as the parent company, or Chris Claremont as the writer who made him famous?
At this point, Jenkins’ version is the canonical Wolverine origin story. It's the one that made its way into film, TV, and even other comics. It doesn’t matter what Claremont’s version would have been. It's all just some playground game, the comics creator version of "I know you are, but what am I."
Until Marvel lets Claremont write his own version.
This issue seems spaces themed. I’m really curious what’s going on with this title, but I also really like G. Willow Wilson as a writer. I'm willing to give the series a try this week.
Speaking of writers I like, I’m here for Wolverine #27, written by Saladin Ahmed with art by Julius Ohta. The cover this week is such a great callback to classic Wolverine covers!
I just went out to get the mail and was struck by how much it feels like fall. It’s 82°F, still pretty warm, but there’s an accompanying breeze. That’s refreshing for here in Atlanta. I love a change of seasons, how one gives way to another. There’s a bit of surprise when that turn sneaks up on you.
I’m feeling this especially so today, not just because of the weather. Dragon Con is behind us, and I’m taking the day to recover. I’ve got laundry to do, cosplays to put away, and new comics to read. I’m trying to do a little bit of all that while I rest up. I spent Dragon Con going to panels, wearing a different cosplay each day, and spending a lot of time with my oldest daughter. We started going to Dragon Con when she was 14. It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 10 years of us spending Dragon Con and Labor Day weekend together. Time flies, as they say.
Moments from the week that was at Dragon Con 2026
I do apologize for things going quieter here than I intended. I thought I could manage better at Dragon Con, but clearly that was wishful thinking. I am, however, ready to get back at it. There are so many new comics, films, and series coming our way this fall. We’ve got Marvel’s Midnight Universe launching soon, then VisionQuest. We’re also halfway into Lanterns on HBO, which is turning out to be the gold standard of premium superhero TV. I expect Avengers: Doomsday to be a capstone on the year.
It’s a good season to be a fan of comics and the geek culture that surrounds them, and it got here more quickly than I expected, like those nearly 10 years of Dragon Con with my daughter. I’m glad for all those moments—past, present, and upcoming—and I’m glad to be here writing about it all, no matter the season we find ourselves in.
While Marvel Studios still has a couple of months before it unveils Avengers: Doomsday, the next chapter already is looking to add to its stacked cast. Sources tell Deadline that Noah Jupe has been tapped for a secret role in Avengers: Secret Wars, which is set to go into production later this year.
The word secret there is doing a lot of work, leading to lots of speculation online. Here are my best guesses on potential roles, followed by my prediction.
This pic of Jupe screams Franklin Richards. Jupe is about the right age for an aged-up Franklin, and with the blond hair, there’s a clear match to the character’s look.
Actor Noah Jupe with blond hair
There’s also the picture included in the Deadline piece. This one is giving me Beyonder vibes. Just look at these two side by side.
Side by side comparison of the Beyonder from comics and actor Noah Jupe
I’m calling it now. Noah Jupe is the Beyonder. It also makes sense, given the desire to keep the role a secret. I don’t see an aged up Franklin being that big a casting secret, given we know Black Panther III will feature an aged-up T’Challa II.
We’re six weeks out from the launch of Marvel’s new Midnight Universe line of comics. It’s been a legit full court press of promotional info for this line recently. Comparisons to DC’s Absolute Universe are inevitable but misplaced. Let’s dig in on why.
For over 80 years, Marvel heroes have inspired hope. This October, that hope dies in the shadows of the MIDNIGHT UNIVERSE, a new publishing line where top creators unleash haunting new visions of Marvel’s greatest icons.
To get a feel for what this means, you should check out the line’s launch trailer.
Watching that trailer, you get why the phrase “the light had its turn” is the tagline for the series. This series is going to be dark. The writers and artists are pushing the boundaries on what’s possible at Marvel.
This series is something different for Marvel, and different from what the distinguished competition is doing.
Three Launch Titles
The line will focus on three comics at launch. It’s not clear yet if the line will grow beyond those titles. At least initially, this is a small comics line.
The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire.
Normally I’m all-in for anything X-Men related, especially with Hickman returning as writer, but I’m not that excited by vampire X-Men. This is probably the title I’m least interested in.
Midnight Spider-Man
In this version, Spider-Man isn’t bitten by a radioactive spider. The art portrays Peter Parker as literally infected. Marvel’s preview for Midnight Spider-Man #1 explains it like this:
A young man is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, he must embrace his grotesque new form to fight back.
The previews at Comic Book Club of Midnight Spider-Man’s first issue make me think this is horror meets manga. It’s an interesting take, but again, I’m not sure I’m the audience here.
Midnight Fantastic Four
I covered this one earlier, intrigued by the idea that Midnight Fantastic Four is a cosmic horror story. I’m still not sure what that means, but I like the idea of the Fantastic Four not being a family. That’s an interesting twist.
I think this is the one I’m most excited by.
Is this really Marvel’s answer to DC’s Absolute Universe?
There are some similarities with DC’s Absolute Universe. Midnight Universe is launching with a small initial offering, with room to expand. This is also a reimagining of core characters. These are different takes, and creators are given the freedom to do something new with the titles. There are some differences too.
The Midnight Universe is heavily focused on horror. DC’s Absolute Universe is horror adjacent for certain titles, sure, but DC’s line imagines what their heroes would be if you stripped away some core elements that readers associate with those heroes. There’s nothing like that aspect for the Midnight Universe. Also, Hickman was quoted at Bleeding Cool as saying that 12 would be too many books, implying they don’t want a large line of comics similar to DC’s line.
Marvel has put a lot on the line for these titles. There’s all this recent promotion effort, and these three titles are all that Marvel will be releasing on October 7. They’re clearly placing a big bet in a world where DC owns the sales charts recently.
Good for Marvel for trying something new! I am, however, skeptical. The Midnight Universe feels like a niche audience take on Marvel’s biggest characters, something more akin to What If…? I don’t see any evidence here that this approach will do for Marvel what the Absolute Universe did for DC, but with October 7 just around the corner, it won't be long until we know for sure.
The hottest collectible at the U.S. Open this year might just be a Spider-Man comic book. And not just for fans but also athletes participating in the Open. Even Coco Gauff had to get a hold of them ahead of her first-round match against Zeynep Sonmez on Tuesday.
It feels like Spider-Man is the star here, not the US Open.
