Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition Coming From Act 4, Paul Pope’s THB Gets Collected, Popeye Joins I Hate Fairyland | Comic Book Club News For September 4, 2025

Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition coming from Act 4. Paul Pope’s THB gets collected. Popeye joins I Hate Fairyland.

SUBSCRIBE ON RSS, APPLE, SPOTIFY, OR THE APP OF YOUR CHOICE. FOLLOW US ON BLUESKY, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK. SUPPORT OUR SHOWS ON PATREON.

Powered by RedCircle

Episode Transcript:

Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition coming from Act 4.

Paul Pope’s THB gets collected.

Popeye joins I Hate Fairyland.

This is Comic Book Club News for September 4, 2025.

Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition Coming From Act 4:

Ever wanted to get up close and personal with Steve Ditko’s Spider-Man art? Now you can with The Amazing Spider-Man by Steve Ditko Artist’s Edition, from Act 4 Publishing.

Previously announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the oversized book is 15″ by 22″, and features, per PR, “dozens of classic splash pages, story pages, covers, and several never-before-published images from the early 1960s done for fans, with every page scanned from the original art.” This includes Amazing Fantasy #15, the introduction of Spider-Man, and Amazing Spider-Man #33, aka the “Spider-Man lifts a bunch of heavy stuff” issue.

You’re going to have to lift a heavy wallet to pick this up, though, as the book will cost $195. It hits comic book shops on May 6, 2026, and book stores on May 19, 2026.

Paul Pope’s THB Gets Collected:

Paul Pope’s THB is to be collected by 23rd Street Books. The imprint of First Second will release Pope’s sci-fi series in three definitive editions.

First published 30 years ago, per PR, the books will feature “remastered art and exclusive new materials,” and the Eisner-nominated series will be printed in black and white. And it’s been a long time coming: Total THB was initially supposed to be collected into four volumes by First Second back in 2007, with initial publication starting in 2009.

In THB, “Mars is a planet divided. In the north, the bohemian Plutonium City teems with music and art. In the south, the people of Velo City are stifled by an oppressive bureaucracy with a tightening grip. And it is in Velo City that we find HR Watson, the sheltered daughter of a wealthy industrialist, and THB, her loyal but mysterious bodyguard who can expand from a tiny rubber ball to a nine-foot-tall humanoid with just a splash of water. To HR, THB is a novelty—a strange new toy of dubious value. But when she finds herself in the crosshairs of her father’s enemies, HR will quickly discover the true extent of THB’s power.”

Total THB Volume 1 hits stores on November 11, 2025, for real this time.

Popeye Joins I Hate Fairyland:

He’s Popeye the sailor man, and he’s joining I Hate Fairyland with issue #45.

Written by Skottie Young, with guest art by Jay Fosgitt, Popeye entered the public domain on January 1 this year, meaning he’s fair game for the Image Comics series.

In the issue, while main character Gert sails the ocean in search of a “dastardly sea beast that may hold the key to Gert returning home… they find themselves outmatched and in need of help… from none other than Popeye the Sailor Man.”

This is just the latest cameo in the series, which has also featured Dorothy and Toto, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Steamboat Willie’s Mickey Mouse, and presumably in 2034, Superman.

I Hate Fairyland #45 will hit comic book stores on October 15.

For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And what can I say, I yam what I yam.

Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.

For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comicbookclublive.com.

Listen early and ad-free on Patreon.com/comicbookclub.