When Stubbornness Overrides Good Sense
Comic Reviews for the week ending 2/15/2026
Good morning, my friend,
IDW just can’t seem to catch a break.
Instead of making pivots that align with good business practices, the current CEO decided that the best strategy is to go all-in on 100% IP ownership and hope for a good helping of, in his words, “luck.”
What a world.
You can read about the finer details in the video below, so I recommend you give it a watch for the straight scoop.
Now, I often harp on what Publishers should do. How they should change their practices, or change their storytelling approach, or change how they treat their characters.
But, I don’t spend much time talking about what they SHOULDN’T do.
Well, IDW shouldn’t take the approach they’re taking.
Why?
Making a delicious omelet by breaking several eggs still requires cooks in the kitchen who know how to follow a recipe. IDW has shown recently that their team is not up to the task of shepherding IPs, whether they own them or not, to a state of success.
They lost the Hasbro license for G.I. Joe and Transformers. In the hands of better creators at Skybound (published through Image), those titles are now top sellers.
IDW tried and failed to turn kid-friendly versions of Marvel and DC Comics into an on-ramp for the next generation of readers, and that experiment ended with a resounding thud.
Does IDW still have the rights to Sonic the Hedgehog, a globally popular character?
What you see, over and over, is that the team caretaking already popular IPs don’t know what they’re doing, so how can they be expected to generate fresh IPs from scratch?
In short, they can’t. IDW’s CEO, Davidi Jonas, doesn’t have a content problem. He has a people problem. Until he’s willing to use some common sense and deal with the people problem FIRST, his pivot into 100%-owned IP will surely rely on “luck, and all of it will be bad.
These are my opinions, but what do you think? Is IDW steering the ship in the right direction, or are they pointing squarely at an iceberg?
Leave me your opinions in the comments.
-Gabe
Next, our Pick of the Week for the most entertaining comic is…
If you’re a subscriber to our podcast, the audio version of this review is already live. If you’re not a subscriber, we host our feed on multiple podcast platforms for your convenience.
Also, if you’d rather listen right here on Substack, make sure to subscribe to this newsletter to get the notification for the next episode.
Now, let’s get on to this week’s reviews (and a little catch-up)
[Pick of the Week] SPACE GHOST (VOL. 2) #8 – New Comic Review
TRANSFORMERS #29 – New Comic Review
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #325 – New Comic Review
DIE!NAMITE: BLOOD RED #5 – New Comic Review
THE PHANTOM #5 – New Comic Review
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #13 - Review
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1 - Review
WADE WILSON: DEADPOOL #1 – Review
MARC SPECTOR: MOON KNIGHT #1 – Review
Did you see a comic review for a title you didn’t know existed?
Did you see a comic review for a title a friend should hear about?
Tell your friends by clicking on the ‘Share’ button below!
G.I. Joe #19 (Image Comics)
ThunderCats #24 (Dynamite Comics)
The Darkness #3 (Image Comics)
Valiant Beyond: The X-O Manowar #6 (Alien Books/Valiant Comics)
Robyn Hood: Shadow Target (Zenescope Entertainment)
White Sky #1 (Image Comics)
Universal Monsters: The Phantom of the Opera #1 (Image Comics)
Vampirella: Armageddon #8 (Dynamite Comics)
Marvel Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
DC Viewers’ Choice (Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to vote)
Thanks for your support. Please share the handy dandy ‘Share’ button above with everyone you can. Your support ensures we can keep bringing you great content for a very long time.
Also, follow us on all the socials (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) via @ComicalOpinions
Have a great day!