Absolute Batman Ark-M Special #1
Peek behind the curtain and discover the secrets of one of Gotham’s oldest institutions, Arkham Asylum! Before it was a nightmare labyrinth of human experiments gone horribly right, it was a beacon of hope for Gotham City’s most troubled souls, until everything fell apart.
Scott Snyder has yet to miss, crafting another astounding entry into the series and further cementing Absolute Batman as DC’s best book in years. This time around, Snyder’s joined by writer Frank Tieri. They trade the book’s usual over-the-top action for a meditative thriller that plays out in tense conversation between the good Doctor Arkham and the mysterious benefactor who’s come to take the crumbling asylum off his hands.
As Amadeus Arkham recounts his life and the asylum’s creation, he reveals his greatest pride and his greatest shame, and ultimately the forces that led a once noble project into ruin. It’s a fantastic read, suspenseful, unsettling, and perfectly melancholy, as an old man reflects on his hopes and dreams gone awry.
This is the most atmospheric issue of the series, and Snyder adds historical layers to Gotham that bring it to life in an unnerving fashion. Snyder is great at imbuing Gotham with a sense of mysticism without going into full supernatural territory. This issue feels like a ghost story, and you’ll walk away feeling that maybe, just maybe, Gotham is cursed. It’s all brought to life by guest artist Joshua Hixon, whose heavy pencil lines give the book a distinct and somber tone, complemented by Roman Stevens’ muted color palette.
Lastly, it wouldn’t be a comic without an end-page tease, and this issue more than delivers on that front. There are more monsters for Batman to face, and I have to wonder if Snyder will ever give poor Bruce a break. In the meantime, make sure to pick up this essential entry in the world of Absolute Batman!
Hank Howard Pizza Detective in
The Two Hollywoods #1
Action, intrigue, and pizza color this black-and-white gem from the maniacs at Bad Idea. What this book lacks in color, it makes up for in personality. It’s a pulp detective story complete with crooks, ineffectual cops, and a hardboiled protagonist who’ll stop at nothing to crack the case.
Hank Howard takes pizza seriously. Most of his nights are spent following delivery drivers, making sure they deliver the pies and that everything stays above board. He respects the pizza business and its faithful practitioners. But when corners get cut and bad guys try to get a slice of the action, he springs into action to defend this beloved food. After all, he can't trust the cops to ensure the sanctity of the pizza industry. So when a new driver starts exceeding delivery times, it's up to him to make sure the crook is caught red-handed (from the sauce, ofc) and brought to pizza justice.
I love how straight this book plays its premise. Hank Howard, bless his heart, is a pizza detective. It’s not clear who he works for or if he’s even employed. What we do know is that he takes his job very seriously. What’s funnier is that everyone around him is normal. The rest of the characters seem confused by his job, and even more so by how far he’s willing to go to get it done. The world feels very much like our own, which makes his unflinching dedication to pizza both endearing and hysterical. It’s the funniest book I've read in a hot minute, so grab a book and a slice (Little Caesars is right there!) and enjoy what’s sure to be the most offbeat detective story of 2026.
Twilight Zone #3
James Stokoe takes the reins in a phenomenal third entry in the newly revised Twilight Zone series.
I've always found that the sentiment “style over substance” defines the American ethos. It's never about what something is at its core, but what it promises and what it makes you feel. If you present even the simplest products or ideals with enough grandeur, they become grand.
Before Jordan, Nike shoes were considered bottom-tier compared to Adidas and Converse. Before Coco Chanel popularized the “little black dress,” she made sweaters out of jersey, a material used for men's underwear.
Over time, and through good PR, the symbols took on a life of their own. From the Nike swoosh to the Chanel double C, they began to communicate status and, depending on your disposition, add value to those who don them. This is all done with good presentation because when something looks cool and enough “important” people nod and agree that it is, it transcends itself.
Given enough time, these symbols can become legendary, deified even.
That's where this story begins, in the remnants of a land once called America. Two factions fighting to the death with arrow, sword, and fist in the name of power and their new gods on a sprawling, medieval-esque battlefield rendered in perfect gritty detail by Stokoe.
The scenery is a departure from Twilight Zone’s usual sci-fi and Cold War Americana fare, but Stokoe sticks to his guns, delivering an epic battle that pulls you in and refuses to let go. Like any good Twilight Zone story, the draw is a mystery, and in this story that is the unknowable and powerful deity that empowers the defending faction to face insurmountable odds without fear. The invading conqueror is a nonbeliever, and his conversations with a prisoner of war drive the story forward. As each drop of information trickles out and builds this strange new world, you’ll be on the edge of your seat trying to piece it all together.
Stokoe’s unique style and unconventional setting make this a standout story for Twilight Zone fans, pushing the boundaries of what The Twilight Zone is while retaining the core storytelling that made the original show a classic. If you’re a fan of classic Twilight Zone like me, or if you just like stories that leave you reeling at the end, pick this issue up expeditiously!
I've worked at Dr No's for just less than a year and I've been patronizing them for half my life. I like comics, video games, music and sometimes sports.
I’m a GSU graduate, veteran sandwich artist, and aspiring writer. Ask me about the X-Men or my anime car sometime.
I think all comics are good they're human expression, dreams put to a page through days, months and years of dedication. They're windows into other worlds, aspirations of all we can be, warnings of what we may become and everything in between. Above all I think comics can help us understand the things we often don't consider.
That's what I want these reviews to do, help folks understand maybe even appreciate something they haven't seen before, but yea lemme wrap this up I got books to file. Happy reading!
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