Griffin’s Picks for the week of 2/18/2026
1: End of Life - Vertigo (DC)
Get used to seeing Vertigo titles in my picks for the foreseeable future, I’ve committed to reading the first three issues of each new series. The second week of the Vertigo relaunch brings End of Life by Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh.
Eddie Stallion is a member of an “international cabal of animal themed hit-men” called the Menagerie, who unknowingly takes a job burglarizing one of the head members of the Menagerie’s home. Afterwards a bounty is placed on his head, causing the entirety of the organization to hunt him down and he’s forced to hide in the last place he would ever think to go, his po-dunk home town, Pluto.
Kyle Starks wrote the most recent Peacemaker series and this definitely exists in the same vein. If you’re a fan of the Peacemaker tv show or the Deadpool movies, this has the same irreverent humor. Most of these Vertigo first issues are largely set up so the jury is still out, but this was a fun start.
2: The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1 - Mad Cave
I know that Mad Cave has been putting out good stuff for a while now and I haven’t read any of it! So when I saw the title, I thought that this would be a perfect start. Written by Fred Kennedy and James Clark, I think most people will know if they might have any interest in this series based on the title alone.
Jans M’jor Discau is the ultra wealthy owner of Disco Hippo Wonderland in Flamingo City, Florida. Unbeknownst to the general public, Discau is one of the biggest drug traffickers in the world and has had a new, ultra potent cocaine made called Coke45. Agent Clarke Nebraska is hellbent on bringing him down but Miquel, a police officer, throws a wrench in her operation when he tries to save his brother Tico, an undercover operative whose cover has been blown. This causes Discau to try and escape via an underground network of tunnels that’s beginning to flood and eventually results in the hippos at the park being exposed to significant amounts of Coke45.
Unsurprisingly, if you enjoyed the movie, Cocaine Bear from a couple years ago, then this will be up your alley. The first issue ends with the Coke45 being given to the hippos, so don’t expect a whole lot of hippo craziness in the first issue. It also has an irreverent humor to it similar to my #1 pick for the week and while I didn’t dislike the issue, I don’t know if I was hooked enough to keep reading after #1.
Honorable Mention: Ultimate Spider-Man #24 - Marvel
To be honest, I’m about six months behind on this title and couldn’t find where I placed #20 when I tried to get caught up. As such, we get a guest pick from Frankie once again!
Frankie Guest Pick: Muppets Noir #1 - Dynamite
When Griffin mentioned he was going to review this comic, I asked him if he would let me write the review as I am very excited for the Muppets return to comics. The Muppets, specifically Kermit the Frog, are one third of my childhood entertainment Holy Trinity (in case you are wondering what the others are, they are Batman and Star Trek–specifically Captain Kirk), which means that there isn’t a time in my life I can remember not loving these fictional characters and they were extremely influential in shaping my sense of humor, morality and world view. I also believe the first three Muppet Movies hold up against any trilogy in cinematic history.
As much as I love the Muppets, their comics legacy is definitely mixed...their voices,
movements and quirks are such a huge part of their identity and appeal, that it’s hard to
translate effectively into comics. Luckily, this series is written and drawn by Roger Langridge who is insanely talented and just gets the Muppets. He did a series of Muppets minis for Boom between 2008-2012 that are well worth hunting down. This mini-series is off to a strong start even though it’s been 15 years since he published any Muppets work.
This mini series, which sees the Muppets seamlessly and hilariously placed in a 40s style detective story, isn’t breaking any new ground. If you don’t already know and like the Muppets, this probably won’t convert you. But if you are a fan, even a lapsed one, this book should be right up your alley. I smiled throughout the issue and even laughed out loud once or twice.
The book opens with this line by Kermit, “Fifteen minutes to curtain–and we still haven’t
rehearsed Patricia Perkins and her Piccolo-Playing Panda!” Your reaction to this line will tell
you all you need to know about whether or not you should buy this book. Hopefully, it struck you as funny as it did me and you will buy one so we can show Dynamite that they need to continue to publish quality Muppets comics, hopefully written and drawn by Langridge!