Griffin’s Picks for the week of 1/28/2026
1: Absolute Martian Manhunter #8 - DC
As many are aware, I’m quite fond of this book. However, in an effort to keep things fresh, I won’t do a deeper dive on this issue this month.
2: Savage Dragon #278 - Image
A Time Warp customer once said that it’s a red letter day for comics any time that Savage Dragon comes out and not only is that true, but it’s lodged itself into my brain. Erik Larsen has been the sole writer and artist for the main Savage Dragon series for all 278 issues, first starting in 1993 (yeah, there’s the three issue mini series in ‘92, blah blah blah). As such, he only releases a handful of issues every year and there hasn’t been an issue since July.
Blow me down! Popeye?! In Savage Dragon?! That’s right folks, thanks to the public domain, everyone’s favorite Sailor Man shows up and has a chat with the original Dragon’s grandson, Tyrone. It may not be the best place for a newbie to jump in if they’re wanting to experience Savage Dragon for the first time, but you probably won’t be too confused if you fit that description.
I fundamentally disagree with the concept of ‘guilty pleasure’, because it’s like an unnecessary qualification, just enjoy what you want to enjoy. With that being said, Savage Dragon would be the closest thing to a guilty pleasure for me. It’s not Alan Moore level writing and Erik Larsen’s art has seen better days, but dammit do I love it. If nothing else, it’s fascinating to see one creator’s vision for a character ebb and flow over the course of 30 years and #278 issues. Sometimes it’s borderline pornographic and sometimes it's your standard super-hero fare, depending on what Larsen is feeling. I once called this book ‘stupid’ in an effort to sell it and the customer admonished my salesmanship, but that’s not derogatory, it’s why I love it!
3: Batman: The Killing Joke Facsimile - DC
Alan Moore? Brian Bolland? As far as creative teams go, it doesn’t get much better than that. If you’re a Batman fan, you know the significance of this issue and if you’re not, or have a fleeting interest, you should check it out regardless.
If you’re one of the few people that doesn’t know about this book, the general synopsis is that according to the Joker, all it takes is ‘one bad day’ to reduce a sane man into a lunatic like himself. In an effort to torment Jim Gordon and prove his point, he shoots Barbara Gordon, paralyzing her from the waist down. It also includes a possible origin story for the Joker himself. The best part about this facsimile is that it includes the original colors, which are, for me anyways, miles better than the recolored editions.
There’s not a whole lot to be said about this book that hasn’t been said already. It’s a seminal Batman story and if you don’t own it or haven’t read it, this is the best opportunity that’s happened in years. It’s $7.99 for a squarebound comic, with an embossed cover. In 2026, that kind of value doesn’t come around very often.
4: Creepshow #5 - Image
I’ll always go out of my way to pick up an issue of Creepshow if I’m a fan of at least one of the creators. In this case, I love me some Tradd Moore and wish that he would do more interior work (or work in general for that matter). But it also features a story from the G.I. Joe team, Joshua Williamson and Andrea Milana, so I’m looking forward to what they put out.
We’re working with two stories here, the first being a Frankenstein-esque tale featuring some ponderance on the beauty of imperfection and what sort of implications A.I. have with flaws and its impact on art. The second is about a beautiful woman and her loneliness despite her outward appearance, the question is, is she really alone?
This was a solid issue, but damn was it short. I often frustrate myself with how slow I read but I plowed through this issue in about 5 or 6 minutes. It’s by no means a complex yarn but the Tradd Moore story gave me goosebumps, probably because of the simplicity and not in spite of it. The Joshua Williamson and Andrea Milana bit was fun albeit a bit too derivative and predictable for my tastes.