‘Fantastic Four’ #11 will feature the Future Foundation, Stan Sakai and Crimeasaurus Rex

Ryan North and Patrick Boutin will bring back concepts introduced by Jonathan Hickman and Evan Dorkin this May.

The group of young geniuses known as the Future Foundation will make their return in Fantastic Four #11 this May, along with an obscure villain who hasn’t appeared in decades.

Writer Ryan North will be joined by Ultimate Universe: Two Years In artist Patrick Boutin for a story that sounds like it could be crazy, in a really fun “Ryan North” kind of way. Not only will it feature the group of young scientists anchored by Franklin and Valeria Richards, but it also features the return of a villain from the 1990s — Crimeasaurus Rex, who was created by Evan Dorkin and appeared in the Fight Man #1 one-shot. He would go on to appear in a random issue of Agent X and … well, not really anywhere else. But he does seem poised for a comeback, because who doesn’t like dinosaurs? We know North is a fan.

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Oni Press moves to Penguin Random House for comics, book distribution

The new deal will kick off in August.

Oni Press and Penguin Random House have announced that Oni will move all of their comics and book distribution to Penguin Random House beginning in August.

This includes Oni’s frontlist and backlist trade books, as well as single issue comics “across all sales channels worldwide,’ including the direct market. Oni Press is currently using Lunar Distribution for comics distribution, who they began working with back in 2021.

“There is simply no better partner than Penguin Random House in maintaining and growing Oni’s longstanding relationship with retailers and readers,” said David Steward II, Chairman of the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. “As the gold standard for both book market and direct market distribution, we’re proud to partner with PRHPS to increase the reach for Oni’s distinguished, award-winning library and hit the ground running in support of what is sure to be the company’s most formidable line-up of new releases across our long history.”

The deal also includes their sister publisher, Magnetic Press, whose graphic novels they began distributing last year and is now an imprint of Oni Press.

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC K.O. enters a ‘Boss Battle’

Check out comics and graphic novels coming this week by Jeremy Adams, Brett Bean, Greg Weisman, Tad Stones, Matt Kindt, David Lapham, Jaosn Aaron, Kewber Baal, Cullen Bunn, Christopher Mitten, Ashley Allen, German Peralta, Leah Williams, Judd Winnick and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week. The card this week is packed, so let’s get to it.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

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10 Count | 10 creations of the late, great Sal Buscema

From Cypher to the Grandmaster, here are 10 characters that stand as a lasting reminder of what Sal Buscema gave to comics.

Sal Buscema’s impact on Marvel Comics can’t be measured by a single run or a single title — although given the depth of his work on Incredible Hulk and Spectacular Spider-Man, I can see why someone might. Passing away Jan. 23 at the age of 89, Buscema left behind decades of work that shaped how Marvel stories looked and felt. He was a master storyteller whose art anchored everything from cosmic epics to street-level brawls.

Just as enduring are the characters and concepts he co-created druing his long career, like the Grandmaster, Hyperion, Firebird and Constrictor, all of whom continue to appear and evolve long after their debut. Here’s 10 of my favorites.

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Slugfest | Discover the secret history of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in a new comic miniseries this April

Plus: Marvel’s April solicitations bring a Jubilee one-shot, a new Alien miniseries, more Doom 2099 and … April Pool’s Day!

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on Marvel’s April 2026 titles. Hit the links for more info.

Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge, or as we call it at my house, “Star Wars Land,” will get an update at Disneyland this spring, as they add Darth Vader, Han Solo and other characters from the original trilogy to the area. Until now, Galaxy’s Edge’s story has revolved around the most recent trilogy, with Kylo Ren, Rey and the First Order making appearances, but that’ll change in April. And the new “story” that connects the first Star Wars films to the area will come in the form of a comic this April.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire #1 kicks off a new five-issue miniseries set on Batuu, expanding the story of the Black Spire Outpost during the era of the original trilogy. Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Chewbacca arrive on the remote world searching for critical intelligence, only to uncover a relic that draws the attention of the Empire. Their mission quickly escalates, placing Batuu at the center of a conflict that has been unfolding just out of sight of the films.

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Chris Condon + Stefano Caselli carry on the Ultimate Universe’s legacy in ‘Reborn: Ultimate Impact’

The story of the Ultimate Universe’s Origin Boxes continues in the 616 this May.

The end of the Ultimate Universe is just the beginning for a new set of heroes that’ll appear in the regular Marvel Universe.

Today Marvel announced Reborn: Ultimate Impact, a five-issue miniseries by Ultimate Wolverine writer Chris Condon and Ultimate Black Panther artist Stefano Caselli.

The miniseries spins out of Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, which saw Miles Morales and his baby sister arrive in the Ultimate Universe for a madcap game of “get the baby before the Maker’s cronies do.” Their adventure ended with them back in the regular Marvel Universe, a.k.a. the 616, but they brought home some souvenirs — several of the “Origin Boxes” the Maker used to collect the powers of various heroes before they could experience their secret origins. (You might remember seeing them distributed by Tony Stark and company to many of the heroes in the Ultimate titles).

Miles ended up with a whole bunch of unused ones, and someone’s after them, of course. The series will show the boxes “giving birth to new heroes and villains with familiar powers, but very different journeys.”

“I am so excited to be a part of this book and to be working with this fantastic team,” Condon said. “To be able to play with the idea of these universes colliding in a truly unique and interesting way like this, and to have the opportunity to create new and lasting creations within them – both characters and settings – is a dream for any creator in this industry. I’m having so much fun working on this book with artist Stefano Caselli and Editor Tom Groneman. I hope that shines through when readers pick up their copies of what I think will be an exciting new piece of the Marvel Universe.”

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ALA announces first-ever Outstanding Comics for Young Adults Awards

‘The Boy Wonder,’ ‘Raised by Ghosts’ and more were recognized by the ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table.

Adult comics aren’t the only ones getting a new awards program from the American Library Association. The ALA also announced this week the first winners of the Outstanding Comics for Young Adults Awards.

Like the adult awards, the YA-centered awards have three categories — fiction, non-fiction and series — with a winner and one or two honor books, or runners up.

“In this inaugural year for the award, the selection process was extremely competitive. The committee felt it was essential to choose titles that were truly outstanding to set a high precedent for the future. The entire Young Adult selection committee is honored to be a part of this milestone year. As comics librarians, our primary goal is to connect deserving creators and their amazing stories with readers from any age or background,” said committee chair Micki Waldrop.

Check out the inaugural winners below.

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ALA’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table announces the first Outstanding Comics for Adults Awards

‘The Night Eaters,’ ‘Insectopolis,’ ‘Tongues’ and more were recognized by the ALA.

The American Library Association’s Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table announced plans to launch an awards program in 2026, and this week they revealed the winners of the first-ever Outstanding Comics for Adults Awards.

“In libraries, we see how comics bring people together, new readers, lifelong fans, and everyone in between,” said the round table’s president, Shauntee Burns-Simpson. “The Outstanding Comics Award honors works that expand our understanding of what stories can look like and ensure that there is something on the shelf for everyone.”

The awards launch with three categories — fiction, non-fiction and series, and for each category they chose one winner and one or two “honor books,” or runners up. Check out the winners below.

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Picture + Panel | Robert Mgrdich Apelian + Shaina Lu talk about the intersection of food, family and comics

Check out our interview in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

Today we continue our interview series with creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic. Robert Mgrdich Apelian and Shaina Lu, whose graphic novels explore “the intersections of culture, community and comestibles,” talk to us about food and comics. You can find more details on the Feb. 2 event here.

Picture + Panel is a monthly conversation series produced in partnership by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center, Picture + Panel provides thought-provoking discussions for the unique form of expression that is the comics medium.

Robert Mgrdich Apelian (he/him) is an Armenian American author-illustrator based in Everett, Massachusetts. He’s an avid reader of seinen manga and is especially passionate about making the most of comics as a storytelling medium. A primary goal of his work is to celebrate the diversity and cultural excellence of the Middle East and to portray it as something other than tragic and war-torn.​

Shaina Lu (she/her) is a queer Taiwanese American community artist exploring the intersection of art, education, and activism. She graduated from Wellesley College and Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she studied arts in education. When she’s not creating community art, she works with young artists and makers in Boston’s Chinatown. Most important, she drinks juice every day, and she is full of sugar.

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Hourly Comic Day gets a new organizer, moves to Feb. 8

The annual event that encourages artists to draw a comic every hour celebrates its 20th anniversary.

Hourly Comics Day, the annual challenge where creators commit to making and posting a comic every hour for an entire day, has a new organizer and a new date, beginning this year.

The Cartoonist Cooperative has taken over the event and its website, following its lapse by the event’s founder, Simone Veil. Veil founded the event in 2006, making this year the event’s 20th anniversary.

Traditionally the day has been held on Feb. 1, but the Coop has decided to move it to Feb. 8 to avoid conflicts with the start of the U.S.’s Black History Month, which marks its 100th anniversary in the United States this year.

“In prior years, Black cartoonists have noted that when social media and blogs are saturated with posts from non-Black cartoonists focusing on their daily lives, it can make the first day of this important month feel like an afterthought,” the announcement on the site read. “As Feb 1st was an arbitrarily chosen date, there is no reason it cannot be changed, particularly given the anniversary.”

It’s a fun day to follow on social media, so be sure to check your favorite platform on Feb. 8 using the hashtag #HourlyComicsDay. You can see some of my favorites from 2025 here. For more information, visit the event’s website.

Rest in peace, Sal Buscema

The Marvel legend passed away this month at the age of 89.

Sal Buscema, a classic Marvel artist whose work spanned decades for the publisher, passed away Jan. 23 at the age of 89, just a few days shy of his 90th birthday.

Buscema pencilled and inked a number of comics for Marvel throughout the years, including Avengers, Fantastic Four, Thor, Marvel Team-Up, Sub-Mariner, Daredevil, Nova, Eternals, Marvel Two-In-One, New Mutants, Iron Man, Ghost Rider, Ms. Marvel, Howard The Duck, Master Of Kung Fu, and three major Spider-Man series — Amazing, Web of and Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man. He pencilled key runs on Captain America, ROM: Spaceknight and The Defenders, and a 10-year run on Incredible Hulk.

His death was reported by artist Sterling Clark on Facebook, who worked with Buscema on a project. “When I think back on my childhood and all of the comic books that I read, Sal’s name seems to have appeared in just about all of them,” Clark said. “I didn’t just read the books that he illustrated, I studied them. Every nuance in his pencils and his inks I saw and tried to mimic. He was definitely one of the greats during those years at Marvel, when handling more than three titles a month was not just a requirement but a necessity.”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Joshua Williamson + Carmen Carnero’s ‘Iron Man’ takes flight

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Joshua Williamson, Mari Costa, Carmen Carnero, Jason Aaron, Mahmud Asrar, Justin Jordan, John Bivens, Felipe Sobreiro, Nick Cagnetti and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week. It’s a really, really cold week for man in the United States, and a winter storm has wrecked havoc on a good portion of us. I would not be surprised if that has an impact on comic deliveries this week, so be sure to check with your retailer to see if they experience any delays.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. Always check with your individual retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Joshua Williamson + Carmen Carnero’s ‘Iron Man’ takes flight”