Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide each week to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week sees the wrap-up of DC’s Future State event and the latest Ms. Marvel series, as well as debuts from AfterShock, Scout, Image and more.
Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.
DC Future State
DC Comics wraps up their two-month long event, Future State, this week, releasing six final issues and one one-shot, Superman: House of El. In the latter, Phillip K. Johnson and Scott Godlewski tell the story of an ancient Superman and his descendants, which include a Blue Lantern and a Tamaranean, among others. [DC, $3.99-5.99]
The Next Batman
With Future State ending, we also get our first comics featuring some of the characters post-event, as John Ridley continues to tell the story of The Next Batman. First, in Batman: Black & White #3, Ridley teams up with artist Olivier Coipel for a story featuring The Next Batman and his potential new sidekick. And in DC Digital First title The Next Batman: Second Son, with artist Tony Akins, we get the story from Tim “Jace” Fox’s missing years, before he put on the cowl. [DC, $5.99 and $.99]
King in Black
Marvel, meanwhile, has three King in Black titles this week, as they present the penultimate issue of the excellent Namor comic by Kurt Busiek and Ben Dewey, and continue on with their Return of the Valkyries and Black Cat tie-ins. [Marvel, $3.99 each]
Marvel’s Voices: Legacy #1
With February being Black History Month, Marvel this week will release Marvel Voices: Legacy #1, an anthology of stories by Ho Che Anderson, Danny Lore, Chris Cross, Olivier Coipel, Sean Hill and more. It’ll feature characters like Blade, Domino, Spectrum and more. [Marvel, $4.99]
Marvels Snapshots: Captain Marvel
Marvels Snapshots, the line of one-shots curated by Marvels writer Kurt Busiek, returns this week with a new Captain Marvel story by Mark Waid and Colleen Doran. These have almost all been excellent, and who can argue with such a stellar creative team? [Marvel, $4.99]
Crossover #4
If you’re a fan of independent comics, especially independent superhero comics, then you owe it to yourself to read Crossover. Issue #3 had an unexpected surprise appearance, and this issue promises one of its own. Even beyond the “OMG” moment, though, the creative team has done a great job in terms of tone and setting for this comic-book crossover that breaks out into the “real world;” the scenario is bizarre, for sure, but they do a good job of grounding it in the real world and in showing us how our world would react to such a thing. [Image Comics, $3.99]
Two Moons #1
In this new horror/action series set during the U.S. Civil War, John Arcudi and Valerio Giangiordano tell the story of Virgil Morris, a young Pawnee soldier fighting for the Union who is suddenly confronted with his shamanic roots. [Image Comics, $3.99]
Stray Dogs #1
This new title by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner featuring almost Disney-esque dogs looks very cute, but don’t let that fool you — it’s actually a horror story told through the eyes of one of the dogs. Very cute dogs, sure, but it’s described as “Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs.” [Image Comics, $3.99]
Magnificent Ms. Marvel #18
Saladin Ahmed and Minkyu Jung wrap up their run on Ms. Marvel this week, with issue #18 — or issue #75 with “legacy numbering.” This issue sees all of Kamala Khan’s family drama come to head just as Stormranger (kind of her version of Venom — it’s a suit she used to wear that now wants to kill her) shows up to ruin the homecoming dance. This is the final issue of this run, but I’m sure Ms. Marvel will be back. [Marvel, $4.99]
Nuclear Family #1
This new title by Stephanie Phillips and Tony Shasteen is based on a Phillip K. Dick short story, “Breakfast at Twilight.” It’s set in the late 1950s as nuclear war breaks out between the United States and Russia. [AfterShock Comics, $4.99]
By the Horns #1
Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr, the team behind the fun dinosaur-foodie series Voracious, return with a new comic about a woman who hunts unicorns (they trampled her husband). If this is as good as Voracious, then I’m all in. [Scout Comics, $3.99]
Girl Haven
Girl Haven, a new graphic novel by Lilah Sturges and Meaghan Carter, stars Ash, who, through magic, ends up in the imaginary world created by his mother. It’s a world where boys aren’t allowed, so how did Ash get there? [Oni Press, $14.99]
November Book 4
Matt Fraction and Elsa Charretier wrap up their four-volume graphic novel series, November, this week, as three strangers whose lives came together during one insane night finally reach morning. [Image Comics, $16.99]
Nubia: Real One
L.L. McKinney and Robyn Smith team up for another entry in DC’s young readers graphic novel line, this time focusing in on one of Wonder Woman’s Amazon sisters (who also just made an appearance in Future State). Nubia: Real One features her as a teenager with Amazon strength becoming “the hero society tells her she isn’t.” [DC, $12.99]