Griffin’s Picks for the week of 3/11/2026
1: Bleeding Hearts #2 - Vertigo/DC
Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian’s second issue of their new series from Vertigo sets an emotional tone for the rest of the series and was exactly what I was hoping for after the first issue laid out the premise.
The story revolves around a mother (Cara) and her daughter (Rabbit) who are knocked unconscious by Poke after trying to kill him. When they wake up inside of an abandoned high school, they find that neither of them have a scratch on them but Rabbit’s stuffed rabbit given to her by her now deceased father has gone missing. Resigned to the fact that they have to leave immediately, Poke shows up, food and stuffed rabbit in tow, but why should they trust him?
As elephant-brained readers may remember, I was a bit lukewarm on the first issue, mostly because it was setting up the premise of the series but #2 exceeded my expectations. The story is emotional and every character’s motivations make sense despite being at odds with both the situation they’re in and each other. There’s one panel in this issue that I’m quite surprised DC allowed but it’s clear that they’re leaning into the Vertigo imprint truly being for mature readers and I appreciate that.
2: Comics The Magazine #1 - Comics The Magazine
Comics The Magazine is a new fanzine that’s a spiritual successor to Wizard magazine, so if you love reading about comics as much as you love the comics themselves, I’d recommend picking this up. Also, if you spend $20 or more at Time Warp, you can get one for free!
This debut issue of Comics The Magazine features correspondence from current Captain America writer, articles about the upcoming Rick Veitch Swamp Thing and a write up on one of my favorite graphic novels of the past few years, Blood of the Virgin and more!
If you’ve missed Wizard magazine, then this is perfect for you. I find comics journalism fascinating, even if I don’t agree, it’s nice to see members of such a niche community have a platform. If you’re reading this now, there’s a good chance you share that sentiment.
3: TMNT Journeys #7 - IDW
TMNT Journeys is the fourth volume of the ninja turtles that was severely underprinted when it came out so they were basically impossible to find at reasonable prices, so I feel like I shouldn’t be disparaged for choosing this over a new book. It’s written by TMNT creator Peter Laird with some pretty awesome art by Jim Lawson.
April O’Neil is sick because of some nano-technology in her bloodstream (yay comics!) so the turtles have to go to the Utroms in order to utilize their tech to attempt to find a cure. While they do so, an Utrom peaks into another universe where the turtles are more traditional superheroes, hence the cover.
Reading this series for the first time as a huge turtles fan has been a great experience and getting to see new Jim Lawson artwork every month is really the cherry on top. Between the ongoing turtles series and this, it’s a great time to be a Shell-Head!