#pharm and graft

[helenaheissner]

Top 10 Superman Villains

10: Manchester Black

9: Eradicator

8: Doomsday

7: Pharm & Graft

6: DARKSEID

5: Mxy

4: Cyborg Superman

3: Zod

2: Lex Luthor

1: Brainiac

[evilhorse]

Superman #11

[gotham-at-nightfall]

Luthor tells Superman the truth as they fight to save Metropolis!

Superman #12

[shaydh]

Have you seen dr pharm and mr graft from the recent superman comics? They seem like your type

ohhhhh holy shit i just looked them up and???

these guys??yeah they're my type okay maybe i will read a superman comic for the first time in my life

[thevindicativevordan]

So, overall thoughts on 2024 Superman stuff, and hopes for 2025?

Pretty good year for Superman with a few exceptions.

Obviously the biggest news on the comic side is the launch of Absolute DC, with a new incarnation of Superman as part of the first wave. DC finally does a proper "Ultimate" line and surprise, surprise, it's a success! Who could've predicted that a new line without DC's messy mainline continuity weighing things down would connect with people (me that's who)? I've loved every issue thus far, Aaron's creation of a working class Superman in the vein of both Siegel/Shuster and Morrison/Morales has been a welcome sight, and the worldbuilding done plus the changes to the usual formula has me excited to see where he intends to go. Ironic that after all the back and forth with various new Supermen meant to replace Clark as the Superman for the 21st century (Jon, Val, Kenan), the comics, film, and animation divisions ended up simply doing revamps of Clark to fill that space. Also Sandoval's art is amazing, if he stays on the title he will definitely go down as a definitive Superman artist when all is said and done.

Williamson's run dipped at the start of the year with the underwhelming conclusion to the Pharm and Graft storyline, but I enjoyed House of Brainiac and the Absolute Power tie-ins. Mora joining on art, Williamson cutting back on how many titles he was writing, and a number of genuinely surprising plot twists has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for this book. Part of why I'm so hard on Waid (more on that below) is that Williamson is doing a far superior job at what Waid is trying: mixing together the DCAU with Silver Age tone and Modern Age characterization/stakes. Current rumor is that both Superman and Batman are getting relaunched in 2025, which could mean the end of Williamson's tenure is in sight. If so I hope Williamson can deliver a satisfying resolution to the Zod and Lex storylines he's set up.

Superstars has on the whole been inferior to the best of PKJ's Action, although I can admit that the book declined steeply post Warworld for reasons I don't believe are PKJ's fault, but I did enjoy Aaron and Simone's arcs. Aaron wrote one of my favorite Bizarro arcs and Simone perfectly captured how Superman feels about fighting imo.

Downside has to be Waid's fall off. If you had asked me to pick who out of the Superstar writers would be the weakest, I would never have picked Waid, but that's what happened. His handling of the Aethyr plotline PKJ set up was dreadful, his sanitizing of Jor-El only made the character worse, to the point I actually dropped the book because of that decision. World's Finest began strong this year with the Magog arc, but has since started to feel like filler and driven me to drop that book too. Now it's just JLU (which I'm unsure if I'll continue to read) and LDoLL (which I actually do remain excited for). Waid's schtick has grown stale for me, tragic irony being is that he seems to have grown disenchanted with his own style as well per his comments on BluSky in the wake of Trump's re-election. We'll have to see if that results in any actual shakeups to his writing approach.

Already dove deep into the trailer and poster here, only thing to add is that at the time of this post, the trailer has hit 50 million views, the lifetime total of the third MoS trailer which was the most popular MoS trailer. Folks if Gunn delivers a film on par with his Guardians trilogy, I think this is going to be the breakout hit of the summer even with Jurassic World and F4 for competition

S&L S4 largely seems to have satisfied the fans of the show and as I thought, has seemingly been forgotten in the wake of marketing for Gunn's reboot beginning. Suppose that's fitting given the DC CW shows by and large always had to toil in the shadow of whatever WB was doing with the characters on the film side. Nice full circle moment that DC on the CW began and ended with a Superman show set in Smallville

MAWS S2 ruled, can't wait for S3. Wish more of you bought the tie-in comic which I thought was excellent and featured my man Bloodsport. Hopefully Gunn tosses some of that Creatures Commandos money this show's way.

SS: KTJL was a total bomb that appears to mark the end of DC pushing them. Apparently RS is haphazardly resurrecting the JL in cutscenes made on a shoestring budget but I genuinely wonder why. Conroy is dead so we probably won't get another Arkham Batman game, the WW game features a different WW, and none of the other Leaguers are ever getting their own game. I am totally fine with Arkham Superman staying dead, only NRS did a worse job handling the character, and I absolutely would not want to play a Superman game that had to try and salvage the mess RS made of Superman and his setting. In the unlikely scenario where we ever did get a new Superman game, it would probably be either off on it's own world or congruent with the Wonder Woman game anyway.

Looking Ahead to 2025

Don't feel hyperbolic in proclaiming that next year will be the most important year for Superman since 1978. This is likely the last chance we have to get WB to push Superman back up there with Batman and Spider-Man the way he was decades ago.

Obviously the biggest hope for me is that Gunn's Superman movie is a critical and commercial success. Even if I don't love it personally I would still benefit from that. If it succeeds it reaffirms to WB that Superman is a money-maker, and that would lead to more Superman projects in animation, comics, film, etc. MAWS would be more likely to get more seasons. Wonder Woman got a video game off of her first movie being a hit. Anyone who wants that for Superman has to root for this film to be a hit.

Comics wise if Williamson is leaving then I'd prefer someone other than Slott took over. Totally fine with Slott getting Action, but I'd prefer Williamson either stay or we get someone like Dan Watters handling writing duties. I cannot wrap my mind around DC potentially relaunching Superman for a past his prime Marvel creator again. But better him than Taylor I suppose, who I expect will be getting one of the books next year.

Speaking of Taylor I hope Injustice 3 is at least one more year off. It's less cancerous for the character with the movie, Absolute Superman, and MAWS in the picture but I still hate that franchise with every fiber of my seething fanboy heart. DC needs to get people to like Supes and Injustice solely exists to dump on him and Wondy while wanking Batman. Let's not remind people of childkiller fascist Muderman while trying to reintroduce Superman to the general public ok?

Can't wait for PKJ's book, with that and Absoute I will at least have two Superbooks to read no matter how things shake out with the mainline

For S3 of MAWS I am crossing my fingers for Zod in addition to Lex. I want a Superman cartoon that has the Big 3 (Lex, Brainiac, and Zod) all together, and the tease they've done about Krypton's fate has my mind scrambling over all the possibilities. Mostly I'm interested to see how they would differentiate a MAWS Zod from their Brainiac who already shares some traits in common with "classic" Zod. I'd also like a more traditional Metallo but it kinda seems like they'll be making Henshaw into Metallo based on the new opening shot of the baddies.

Seems likely Kara will get a new book, I wish it would be a team-up book with Kon. I liked their dynamic in HoB!

Would be cool if Kenan got something written by a good writer but I'm not holding my breath

[sailing-ever-west]

NEW LIST of VETTED Palestinian Fundraisers from people who have reached out to me PERSONALLY

@ahmeadhilles

Vetted

@bilalassadabedrabou (advertised by @kareemyounes10)

Vetted

@ghaziyounes1967

Vetted

@mohammed-atallah

Vetted

@yahyaahmed5

Vetted

@hayanahed

vetted here and here

@alaakh9

vetted here and here

@wafans-blog (HELPING NEW FAMILY MEMBERS - Wafaa's own campaign has now ended!)

Vetted

Previous lists HERE, HERE, and HERE.

[birdies-blog1]

Dawn of DC

Superman

Issue #4 Review

In this issue we get to see more of Clark and Lex’s partnership. They’re actually starting to work together semi cohesively. We also learn about Lex’s backstory where he fought the villains Dr. Pharm and Dr. Graft, as a hero. Then we see the Drs attack and excitement of the Silver Banshee, and force her to attack Superman. This is when we discover she’s actually Jimmy’s girlfriend.

Rating: 6/10

+1 for unlikely allies

+1 for Lex defending Clark’s honor

-1 for young Lex’s horrible hair and fashion choices

+1 for dating hot super villainess’

+1 for art style

+ 1 for accurate character types

+1 for redeemable Lex

+1 for plot advancement

Not the best comic I’ve read but it’s furthering the story.

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Superman #11

Superman #11 preview. Superman is back from his blast to the past but finds that Mr. Graft and Dr. Pharm have gathered some of Lex Luthor's greatest enemies #comics #comicbooks #superman

[nfcomics]

SUPERMAN no.11 • cover art • Warren Louw [Feb 2024]

THE LEX LUTHOR REVENGE SQUAD ATTACKS! Superman is back from his blast to the past but finds that Mr. Graft and Dr. Pharm have gathered some of Lex Luthor's greatest enemies with a mission to wipe out Lex and everything he loves from Metropolis. Superman will fight to save Lex's life but when he learns the truth about Lex's past…will he want to?

(W) Joshua Williamson (A) David Baldeon (CA) Warren Louw

[esonetwork]

The Earth Station DCU Episode 378 – Dead Boy Detectives Series Premiere

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/the-earth-station-dcu-episode-378-dead-boy-detectives-series-premiere/

The Earth Station DCU Episode 378 – Dead Boy Detectives Series Premiere

This Week on Earth Station DCU! Drew Leiter and Cletus Jacobs are bewitched by the Dead Boy Detectives. Lex Luthor and Joker team-up to search for an ancient treasure at the Rock of Eternity in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25. Catwoman rescues Documentary film maker Justice Jordan from the underwater nation of Tritonis in Catwoman #63. The Justice Society attempts to recruit another villain to their team in the Harlequin’s son, while a golden age hero returns to join the team in Justice Society #9. Batman and Nightwing team-up to uncover Iko’s real killer in Nightwing #112. Pharm and Graft make their move against Luthor in Superman #11 & 12. All this plus, DC News, Shout Outs, and much, much more!

————————

Table of Contents

0:00:00 Show Open

0:01:00 DC News

0:05:05 Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25

0:10:47 Catwoman #63

0:14:40 Justice Society #9

0:19:24 Nightwing #112

0:23:50 Superman #11

0:30:52 Dead Boy Detectives S1 Ep1 – The Case of Crystal Palace

0:40:48 Show Close

Links

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25

Catwoman #63

Justice Society #9

Nightwing #112

Superman #11

Superman #12

The Stonekeeper: A Graphic Novel (Amulet #1) (Cletus’s Read More Comics Pick)

Earth Station DCU Website

The ESO Network

If you would like to leave feedback, comment on the show, or would like us to give you a shout out, please call the ESDCU feedback line at (317) 455-8411 or feel free to email us @ earthstationdcu@gmail.com

[dispatchdcu]

Superman #8 Review

Writer: Joshua Williamson Artists: Gleb Melnikov, Norm Rapmund, David Baldeon & Jamal Campbell Colorists: Alejandro Sanchez & Jamal Campbell Cover Artist: Jamal Campbell Publisher: DC Comics Reviewer: StoryBabbler Superman uncovered a dark secret of Lex Luthor’s, the enigmatic man called “the Chained”. His release was instigated by the mad scientist brothers Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft, and amid some…

[kara-zor-els]

Comics this week:

DC

Superman #12: the end of the Pharm and Graft arc, which, although they weren't the most exiting villains, was pretty fun to read. I liked the role reversal between Clark and Lex with Lex being out in the field and Clark being the guy in the chair. Comic writers should remember that Clark is supposed to be super smart more often.

Amazons Attack #6: villain motivations fell flat at the end but I enjoyed the Nubia character work. I only wish Cassie and Yara (who now calls herself wonder girl... ugh) got the same amount of spotlight. Although I guess that at least they are also showing up in the main WW book. Anyway dc needs to have an AC run for WW characters, like Sensational Comics.

Alan Scott: Green Lantern #5: old man yaoi ❤️ also I knew legitimately nothing on Alan lore before this but I'm having a good time

Wonder Woman #7: Going by everything of King's I've read he truly knows how to write a good Superman. Not so much WW, but I actually enjoyed this issue the most out of everything else in this run so far. I love the wholesome friendship of Clark and Diana (I don't mind the idea of them having dated briefly in the past but imo superwonder work far better as friends, and the same thing goes for wonderbat and superbat). The lack of narration boxes was also a very welcome change.

Marvel

Ultimate Spiderman 2024 #1-3: I have never been a spiderman fan aside from watching the occasional movie or cartoon, but I really enjoyed this. It's a good start for new comic readers, since it offers a new spin to the story (Pater is older and married, Ben is alive, etc) while requiring no previous comic knowledge. I loved Peter and little May's relationship, and I'm very curious to see how the relationship between Peter and Harry is going to unfold.

Ultimate X-Men #1: This is literally just "marvel does jjba part 4" (although the first thing I thought of when I saw the armor was the suzanno). I'm not an x-men reader, which is just as fine because this isn't an x-men book, but rather a manga. I can see myself picking up issue two.

Indie

Helen of Wyndhorn #1: This is from the same team as Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (Tom King, Mat Lopes, Bilquis Evely), aka my favourite comic of all time, and it truly feels like a successor to that. I wish I could eat Evely's art. The only thing that makes me mad is that TK isn't putting the same enegry in his current WW run

[gotham-at-nightfall]

The final plan to destroy Lex Luthor comes to fruition!

Superman #11

[hibiscera]

I want to know your opinions on the other metropolis rogues!!!!! mr mxyzptlk bizarro and the like

OKAY SO, a lot of my biases are based on STAS and the DCAU, since I still have a lot of Superman comics to read, so I hope that’s ok!

Obviously we know the favorites. Toyman, Parasite (Rudy our boy Rudy), and Ultra-Humanite, so I will put them aside for now.

I’m gonna get Darkseid out of the way first since idrc about him, HOWEVER. I fucking LOVE Kalibak. I have some ideas for him I want to try executing one day I just need to read more with him in it…

tbh I feel like I’m a lot more interested in the characters surrounding Darkseid rather than Darkseid himself. To me he exists more as a narrative piece of that makes sense.

I honestly love Brainiac quite a bit and also really want to draw a take on him as well… I’m a sucker for rogue AI characters (Mother Brain my absolute beloved) like him.

Livewire is PHENOMENAL, she’s always a blast in everything I’ve seen/read her in. The concept of a shock jock turned supervillain is great, and I particularly LOVE how that was translated in DCSHG G2 haha. That’s probably my favorite take on the character, she’s just so much fun in DCSHG and I love how unapologetically a jerk she is.

I have a soft spot for Bizarro, because my dear beloved sweet baby boy TFA Toxitron is based on him. 😭 He’s one of those characters I need more exposure to, but his episodes in STAS are great and I gotta look into more of him!!

Mr. Mxyzptlk is legendary. His debut episode in STAS has to be an absolute favorite of mine, I appreciate how he really pushes Clark to have to think outside of the box. I don’t think I’ve read any comics featuring him, but I really want to, I’m so curious to see what kind of creativity gets pushed from his whole deal.

Titano is a monkey :D This automatically makes him the best!

I have to continue reading the current Superman run, I kind of fell behind, but I quite liked what I read of Pharm and Graft this far, if anything just for their designs alone.

I was about to say, welp, I’ll finish here and see if I forgot anyone later!

Lex Luthor. I fucking forgot Lex Luthor.

I have… complicated feelings on him? I think he’s a fantastic character and a perfect antithesis to Superman, but it’s hard for me to get invested in him outside of him serving that purpose. I DON’T MIND HIM BEING FLESHED OUT, that’s extremely important to add to his purpose in a story imo. But it’s just… he’s not For Me outside of storytelling. If any of that makes sense?? 😭

Okay NOW I’ll end it here and add on if I remember anyone important I forgot.

[superpoweredfancast]

Superman #11 Review

Superman #11 DC Comics Written by Joshua Williamson Art by David Baldeon Colors by Rex Lokus Letters by Ariana Maher The Rundown: Pharm and Graft attack Supercorp and decide to recruit their most lethal weapon to take down Lex Luthor. Lena attempts to learn more about her past and discovers the truth behind her tense relationship with her father from the data and her grandmother. As the…

[thevindicativevordan]

Comics this week?

Great week this week.

Superman #11 - I was right that it was a Luthor under that armor, but it wasn't his sister Lena. Wish it was, this Revenge Squad is lame other than Pharm and Graft. Should've added Humanite to the mix. For a second I wondered if Williamson had forgotten the Bizarro tease, or if he had handed that off to Aaron, but it looks like Pharm and Graft simply got their hands on a dead Bizarro clone and used it for experiments with the Kryptonite. Guess the next issue will tell us the story of what went down between Lex and those two guys, I've enjoyed them but I'm ready to move on to the Brainiac storyline.

World's Finest #24 - A nice bittersweet note to end on. Magog kills Gog to keep the ALE out of Darkseid's hands... and thus alienates himself from the other heroes for good. Great to see Darkseid not job, but Waid hurt his takedown of Magog here by writing events in a way that makes the heroes chastising Magog for making the hard call come across as disingenuous. Darkseid crushed two Supermen with ease, no one else was close enough or able to stop him, Magog made the right call in my eyes. Our Superman is still willing to forgive David, and encourages him to seek redemption after the events of KC. I liked how Magog found that redemption by serving alongside a new generation including a new Superman (the Clark/Diana kid godfathered by Batman from the epilogue of KC). Until/Unless Waid chooses to flesh that story out, my headcanon is Magog served as the kid's mentor and helped guide him so he would avoid making the mistakes that Magog made. It's a nice note that Magog managed to forge a partnership with a Superman after all. And goddamn can Mora draw the shit out of Darkseid. Would love to see him do a Fourth World arc with the whole New Gods cast.

Wonder Woman #6 - Coolest Grail has been... ever basically? I'm a huge sucker for "the villain talks major shit to the hero before the two throw down" and I liked how Grail has a sense of honor compelling her to toss her own weapon since Diana has no sword. Grail constantly invoking her father as the source of her strength and pride vs. Diana invoking Hippolyta to the same effect feels like the first interesting thematic undercurrent between the two. Going to make a separate post on this, but finally, Grail brings something to the table beyond merely being an evil WW counterpart. Loved seeing Diana take on her entire Rogues Gallery, and while she might have "lost" (but since she took her entire Rogues Gallery down too I think we can say it was a tie), I think between Sov's narration and the Wonder Girls seemingly taking Steel off the board while keeping back, we can guess that even Diana's collapse at the end is part of her plan. Sampere is an absolute beast on art. Dude drew multiple pages that I can see becoming "iconic" down the road: Diana catching and throwing the Monument back at Giganta, Diana punching Grail in the face, etc.

GL: WJ #6 - I'm going to miss Varron man, even as a zombie he's such a dick and it's great to see him and John interact because of how much they despise each other Taking the form of John's dad is such a petty dick move lol. Hell yeah, PKJ's bringing in his Old God storylines from the Warworld Saga, I loved that stuff and am eager to see it continue. Great issue, John got to kick ass with all his constructs, and the reveal about the Revenant Queen is super messed up. She's a host for an Old God like Osul is, except she's Guardian John's wife. Could she be a Katma, or is this a new OC, perhaps even someone our John hasn't met yet? Can't wait to start unpacking all the Darkstar stuff next issue. Looks like the Darkstar is going to be revealed as an Aspect of Olgrun.

Batman #144 - Yawn. Another story where Joker tells Batman he loves Bats and Batman tells him to fuck off. C'mon, I liked how Zdarsky explained the three Jokers, but this is banal.

JLvGvK #5 - Alright we get it, Clark might be dead or maybe not, no need to keep beating us over the head with it. Next issue I want to see Lex's Mechagodzilla kick the BatMech's ass, let's see Lex finally get a big win. Then for the final issue, Superman comes back to team up with Godzilla and take Lex down.

Incredible Hulk #9 - Art did a good job of giving the whole story a macabre feel. Felt like I was reading a Hellboy story in certain parts. Damn Betty and Bruce simply can't catch a break can they? I hope we get more movement on the Eldest plotline soon, I want Betty to get freed and join Bruce and Charlie on their road trip.

Ultimate Spider-Man #2 - Hickman wrote this issue for the people who claim he's all plot and no character - this issue is nothing but character work. We get Peter growing into his own, his first fight with a supervillain, May finds out her dad is Spidey, Ben and Jonah begin investigating, and the Maker's Council pokes their head in via Captain Britain berating Fisk (or is it Captain EU given he's French?). I liked how May was scared of Peter's black suit and that's why he's going to change to the red and blue look, just like how MJ in 616 is the reason Peter switched back to his red and blue costume. I bet we get a Superman: For All Seasons moment where someone compliments Spider-Man's red & blue look and Spidey proudly says his daughter made it for him. There's an interesting parallel between Peter and Harry here. Peter keeps getting his ass kicked by Shocker while Harry keeps failing to kill Fisk. Both of them are trying to be who they're "meant" to be, but neither is great at it from the start, I really like that. Oh and while Ben and Jonah continue to be a great duo, I loved the squabbling between Richard and May while Peter and MJ were texting each other. Really want more interactions between them.

And yes of course I loved that OMD nod at the end, Marvel & Hickman know what they're doing!

I have a theory regarding Mary Jane. Here she's a businesswoman, and just like how the variant cover for issue 1 teased May finding out her dad is Spider-Man, the variant for issue 2 makes MJ out to be very successful as a businesswoman. Given this "zone" is run by the technocrats, I think we're going to see MJ get a villainous counterpart offer to what Tony offered Peter, the Maker's Council will approach her to replace Fisk after Spider-Man deposes him, or maybe even Stark later on down the road. It's made clear the the Council has lieutenants who rule their own sections of the overall domains shown in Ultimate Invasion. MJ getting her own offer of power from the opposite side is the kind of drama that could set up a nice character arc for her. I think MJ ultimately being tempted but refusing causes them to go to Harry next, who accepts.