Hello friends, and welcome back to The Sunday Post. The fourth teaser for Avengers: Doomsday is now playing in theaters worldwide and should be online Tuesday morning. (For more on the 3rd trailer and the possibility of even more trailers, make sure to read to the end of this newsletter.)

It is a big week here at Friends From Work. The Fifth Annual Friendlee Award nominations will be announced in a new main feed podcast this week. And that means that every FFW+ subscriber needs to be prepared to cast their ballots! Be on the lookout for more information as soon as the podcast drops.

Screeners for all eight episodes of Wonder Man are being distributed tomorrow as well. The social embargo for reactions ends on January 22nd, and the full review embargo ends at 12 pm ET on January 26th. Kyle, Robby, and I will have our reactions and reviews ready to share ahead of the show’s debut on January 27th.

Robby makes his return this week to TSP with some new comic recommendations, but first over to…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• The X-Men are back. Yes, they were announced as part of the cast last March, but it feels much more real now to see Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden in an Avengers movie trailer for the first time. This is my personal favorite of the teasers that have been released so far.

• Has Marvel ever promoted a show as heavily, or as creatively, as they have for Wonder Man? On an almost daily basis, the marketing team releases a new teaser, clip, or poster for the show. Or Trevor Slattery sends me a text message related to his services as an acting coach (if you know, you know). The Instagram post above is just the latest example. Creator and director Destin Daniel Cretton has also started highlighting members of the crew on his personal Instagram page. It is refreshing to see these lesser-known members of the production get a chance to share the spotlight.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• DC continues to pluck longtime MCU actors to fill out The Batman Part II, this time landing Sebastian Stan, according to an exclusive report by Deadline on Tuesday. On Friday, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Stan will, in fact, be playing the role of Harvey Dent.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• Are there only four Avengers: Doomsday trailers? Or could there be more? Variety and other outlets confirmed the existence of the four that are all playing now, but an international ratings board has apparently rated three additional trailers over the last few weeks. I think the most likely possibility is that those additional trailers are re-worked versions of those already released.

  But… there have been reports over the last few months that Marvel created dozens of variations of trailers for Doomsday. And there are three more weekends before the Super Bowl, when the first full teaser trailer is expected to debut. So, what do you think? How many teasers will there be?

PANEL BOUND COMICS PICK OF THE WEEK

As we gear up for our annual Friendlee Awards, it's a good time to reflect on the 2025 that was. It was certainly a banner year for the MCU, but it may have been an even better one for comics. So before we turn the page, here are just a few of the standouts.

Assorted Crisis Events

In the last two years, Deniz Camp has gone from promising newcomer to veritable rockstar. His books at Marvel and DC are easily among the best superhero comics of the last year, but Assorted Crisis Events feels like something special. Fair warning, this can get a bit bleak. But like much of Camp's work, ACE still feels rooted in a kind of hopeful empathy. Eric Zawadzki's art is a perfect fit from the start and only gets better as it goes -- which is impressive, considering every issue feels like its own genre. Sometimes a book comes along that changes what you think a comic can be. This is one of those books.

Ultimate Universe: Invasion Box Set

Okay, so this is kind of cheating since most of the issues here were released in 2024. But as we reach the end of Marvel's two-year Ultimate experiment, it's a good time to snag this box set (which just hit shelves in November). There are a few reasons why I love this. First, I've felt myself drawn more and more towards box sets in general lately. They're sort of the best parts of an omnibus and a trade -- all the shelf glam of the former with all the reading convenience of the latter. Second, this box contains the opening arc of all five Ultimate books (plus the Ultimate Invasion miniseries that kick-started the whole thing). Though some of these series have lost steam over the last two years (an issue compounded by an overreliance on fill-in artists), these opening arcs were strong across the board. They each worked well both as the beginning of a longer narrative and as a microcosm of what each character (or character set) could look like, reimagined. Even if you're not planning to read all the way to Ultimate Endgame, this box is a worthwhile addition to any Marvel fan's collection.

Absolute Wonder Woman

Speaking of heroes reimagined, let's talk about Absolute Wonder Woman -- the breathtaking series from longtime friend of the pod Kelly Thompson and all-star artist Hayden Sherman. As much as I've liked the Ultimate Marvel line, I have loved DC's Absolute books. Absolute Batman is the most fun I've had reading a comic in years, and Absolute Martian Manhunter is every bit as good as I expected a Camp/Rodriguez book to be. But Absolute Wonder Woman is a standout in a line of standouts. This was my introduction to Hayden Sherman (I was late to the Batman: Dark Patterns party), but what a talent. The character designs are gorgeous and iconic, and the page layouts are unlike anything I've ever seen. And Thompson's writing has never been better. Whether you're a lifelong fan of Wonder Woman or a total newbie, this is a book worth reading (and rereading).

Ok, that's it for now! But listen, we're cooking up all kinds of fun stuff in the comics department of FFW this year, and we want you to be a part of it. So be sure to check back here in the weeks ahead for some exciting announcements and, of course, more recommended reading.

RE

Thanks, Robby! What’s better than one recommendation? THREE recommendations, and remember to use code “FRIENDSFROMWORK” for an additional discount.

That is all I have for today. One last reminder for FFW+ listeners- remember to vote this week for The Friendlee Awards. Have a great week, everybody!

-Greg