It might be hard to believe, but exactly two years ago this week, I started writing the Watercooler section of this very newsletter for Friends From Work. At some point during those two years, I took over writing the entire newsletter, save for occasional special sections written by Robby (check out another fantastic comic recommendation later in this edition- ahem). It has been a privilege to take on that responsibility, and every week, I try to curate only the most essential news, videos, links, and rumors for MCU fans.

To kick off year 3, I am happy to announce a brand-new FFW partnership with the apparel company Homage, a company I have personally been buying from for several years now. Founded in 2007, Homage offers the softest, most comfortable specialty tees, sweatshirts, and more. They offer unique designs and are licensed with several major brands, including Marvel! They offer collections featuring the X-Men, Deadpool, Captain America, and, most recently, Spider-Man. All designs are hand-drawn by their in-house creative team. So, please use the following affiliate links to check out Homage and consider supporting both them and Friends From Work!

Be sure to tune in to this week’s podcast for even more details on this exciting new partnership. Speaking of this week’s pod, Robby and Kyle plan to go LIVE on YouTube Tuesday night around 9:30 pm CT after the finale of Daredevil: Born Again to break everything down. You won’t want to miss it.

Finally, in case you didn’t hear about it on last week’s pod, Thunderbolts* tickets are now on sale, and the guys had another exciting announcement regarding the movie’s opening weekend. Saturday, May 3rd, is Free Comic Book Day across the country, and Robby and Kyle will be at Austin Books & Comics that morning to meet with fans and maybe even record an episode.

Got all that? Now, over to…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• Thunderbolts* continues to roll out promos, featurettes, and trailers as the marketing campaign kicks into high gear. That includes the featurette above about “The Jump,” where Florence Pugh jumps off the second-tallest building in the world (yes, really!). The World Premiere is just over two weeks away.

• Entertainment Weekly debuted a new, exclusive cover story on The Fantastic Four: First Steps last week. The comprehensive story about the upcoming 37th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe features interviews with the main cast, director Matt Shakman, and production designer Kasra Farahani. Set aside time to read it all because it will get you hyped.

• Marvel announced last week that Captain America: Brave New World will be available for purchase on digital starting this Tuesday, April 15th. Additionally, the movie will be released on 4K Blu-Ray, along with a collectible steelbook, on May 13th. Special features will include deleted scenes, a gag reel, and an audio commentary with director Julius Onah and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau.

• Harley Davidson (yes, the motorcycle company) conducted an exclusive interview with Thunderbolts* stunt coordinator Heidi Moneymaker and stunt rider Joe Dryden to talk about how they used the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 ST in the movie to “perform incredible, scene-stealing stunts without CGI.” This interview may come from an unlikely source, but it is not one you’ll want to miss.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• As promised, the new trailer for Mission: Impossible— The Final Reckoning was released last Monday, and it was spectacular. Tom Cruise continues to perform impossible, death-defying stunts, and the trailer promises to be a true culmination of 30 years of storytelling. May 23rd can’t come soon enough.

THE ORGANIC PRICED BOOKS PICK OF THE WEEK

Daredevil: Born Again Gallery Edition

Robby here! Again!

I won't have a recommendation every week, and I definitely won't be able to point you to an under-$25 oversized masterpiece every week. But with Daredevil: Born Again heading for an epic finale on Tuesday, I couldn't resist the urge to give one more plug to the Miller/Mazzucchelli classic that gave the series its name.

I've said it before. I'll say it again. This isn't just the definitive Daredevil story; it's one of the greatest (if not the greatest) stories in six decades of Marvel Comics. But don't take my word for it. Check out famed Daredevil scribe Chip Zdarky's deep dive here for a look at what makes this story so special.

Of course, you'll want to grab a copy first so you can follow along.

Now (as you may have gathered by now), I'd strongly encourage folks to pick up the oversized gallery edition. Why? Because this is the book that catapulted Mazzucchelli into comic-book superstardom. And that's the sort of thing you want to see up close.

If you've read Miller and Mazzucchelli's even more famous Batman: Year One (more on that in a future entry), then you already know how magical their work together can be. But without Born Again, that story (and its countless adaptations) would almost certainly not exist- at least not in the way we know it. Pick up this gallery edition to see Mazzucchelli and Miller find their footing together, panel by panel. You'll see both writer and artist play with bold new narrative styles, using a seemingly low-stakes story about a B-list Marvel hero to push the boundaries of the medium. It's an almost alchemical collaboration on par with the best of Claremont & Byrne or even Lee & Kirby.

The gallery edition carries a $50 price tag, but you can snag it at OPB for $25- and that's before the additional discount when you use code FRIENDSFROMWORK. It's a ludicrously good deal, which is why you shouldn't wait too long to pull the trigger. Last week's pick has already sold out, and I have a feeling this one won't be far behind.

That said, if it does sell out or if you're looking for a copy with a smaller footprint. I'd recommend you pick up this brand-new digest-sized paperback- one of the first entries in the new Marvel Premier Collection. These are high-quality printings on non-glossy paper. So while the pages are smaller than your standard comic (and obviously much smaller than the gallery edition), the upside is that you're likely to get a slightly more accurate reproduction of the colors as they appeared on the original newsprint-style pages. The small size and even smaller price tag make it a great travel companion. With our promo code (FRIENDSFROMWORK), you'll get it for less than $10. Hard to say no to a brand new edition of a classic Marvel comic for the price of a Chick-fil-A combo.

Of course, if you subscribe to Marvel Unlimited, you can find the story there. But this is one that really merits a physical copy. Whether you pick up the gallery edition, the premier edition, or both (one to rock and one to stock), I guarantee you won't regret it.

And hey, knowing you've got more Born Again on its way might make those Finale credits sting a little less.

RE

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• According to Hollywood insider Jeff Sneider, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is set to take place concurrently with the events of Avengers: Doomsday. Previously, this happened with Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp, though in that example, the crossover was essentially contained to just the post-credits scene. Does this mean that Tom Holland will not appear in Avengers: Doomsday? Will the events of these two movies be more intertwined? Come join our Discord server and let me know what you think.

Phew! That was a lot. To recap, check out our new apparel partnership with Homage, join Kyle and Robby about half an hour after Daredevil: Born Again ends Tuesday night for a LIVE reaction podcast on YouTube, and get your tickets for Thunderbolts* now. The fun is just beginning. Have a great week.

-Greg