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 a new one-shot setting up the return of DC’s regular titles, more King in Black tie-ins, new comics by Scott Snyder and Keanu Reeves, and much more.
Also this week I’m happy to welcome aboard Brigid Alverson, who will be helping to cover manga and other things she finds interesting each week.
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.
Infinite Frontier #0 (DC, $5.99): With Future State now in the past, DC moves forward into the Infinite Frontier era — and what better way to kick everything off than with a zero issue to set up all the new, upcoming storylines? This extra-sized issue will set the stage for DC’s upcoming publishing plans, with stories by Joshua Williamson, Brian Michael Bendis, Becky Cloonan, Scott Snyder, Geoffrey Thorne, Jamal Igle, Joelle Jones, Jorge Jimenez and many more. [JK Parkin]
Batman #106 (DC, $4.99): This week DC also brings back its regular monthly titles, which took a hiatus during Future State. Right out of the gate comes Batman #106, as James Tynion IV and Jorge Jimenez team Batman up with Ghost-Maker to battle a new Gotham gang that might be connected to Scarecrow. This issue also sees the debut of the Robin back-up feature by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov, which will set up the launch of Damian Wayne’s own title in April. [JK Parkin]
Suicide Squad #1 (DC, $3.99): Robbie Thompson and Eduardo Pansica take over the Suicide Squad, bringing back Amanda Waller as the boss and naming Peacemaker as field leader. This is a completely different team from the one we saw in the Tom Taylor written Suicide Squad, which wrapped up late last year, and will likely have more in common tonally with Thompson’s work on the Future State Suicide Squad. [JK Parkin]
Swamp Thing #1 (DC, $3.99): Ram V and Mike Perkins, who worked on the Future State Swamp Thing title, kick off a 10-issue miniseries this week featuring a new Swamp Thing, Levi Kamei. “Levi must revisit past events in his homeland of India and face the deadly reality of a ravenous new villain in order to comprehend what he is truly, and horrifyingly, becoming.” [JK Parkin]
Crime Syndicate #1 (DC, $3.99): Andy Schmidt and Kieran McKeown bring back DC’s Justice League of Earth-3, a.k.a. the Crime Syndicate, for a six-issue miniseries. They plan to rebuild Earth-3 from the ground up, showcasing new versions of Ultraman, Super Woman, Owlman, Power Ring/Emerald Knight, Johnny Quick and Atomica. This issue will also include a back-up story by Bryan Hitch, featuring the origin of Ultraman. [JK Parkin]
Nocterra #1 (Image, $3.99): Last year Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel crowdfunded this new creator-owned title, bringing in more than $200,000. Their intent was always to publish it through Image Comics, and this week it arrives in stores. It’s the story of a world trapped by perpetual darkness — a darkness that turns people into monsters. The story focuses on Val Riggs, who drives an illuminated 18-wheeler to transport goods and people through the darkness. [JK Parkin]
BRZRKR #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Speaking of crowdfunding, BOOM! Studios also used Kickstarter to raise money for upcoming collections of this series — bringing in a whopping $1.4 million. The 12-issue miniseries features the comic-writing debut of actor/singer Keanu Reeves, as he works with Matt Kindt, Ron Garney, Bill Crabtree and Clem Robins on the story of a demigod who does violent things for the U.S. government. [JK Parkin]
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters #1 (Oni Press, $3.99): Chris Samnee, artist of some pretty epic runs of Daredevil, Black Widow and Captain America, as well as the more recent Firepower, launches a new series with his wife, Laura Samnee. It’s about a pair of sisters, one of whom is missing on a planet filled with giant monsters, and the other who is looking for her. “Samnee has a way of drawing a complicated scene and making it look simple, and that’s on full display here,” Brigid said in her advance review of the first issue. “Pick it up for the art and enjoy the story as well.” [JK Parkin]
America Chavez: Made in the USA #1 (Marvel, $3.99): Kalinda Vazquez and Carlos Gómez kick off a new miniseries starring the former Young Avenger America Chavez that will explore her past. [JK Parkin]
Demon Days: X-Men #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Artist Peach Momoko shows off her writing chops as well in the first of five new quarterly comics set in an alternate yōkai version of the Marvel Universe plagued by demons. This issue spotlights Momoko’s version of Psylocke, while future issues will feature Wolverine and Venom, among others. [JK Parkin]
Various King in Black tie-ins ($4.99, Marvel): Marvel’s King in Black event continues on this week, as Marvel debuts three first issues that tie into the big Venom-related event. Danny Lore and Mirko Colak show us what Captain America, Falcon and Winter Soldier are up to as the fight Knull’s forces in New York, while Tini Howard and Luciano Vecchio focus in on Hulkling and Wiccan’s honeymoon, which gets hijacked by Knull’s forces. Finally, if you’re having trouble keeping up with all things King in Black, Marvel also releases a handbook that will tell you more about Venom, Knull, Carnage and more. [JK Parkin]
Dead Dog’s Bite (Dark Horse, $4.99): Tyler Boss, one-half of the 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank creative team, returns with a four-issue miniseries he’s writing and drawing. Dead Dog’s Bite is about a missing girl whose only hope of being found rests “on the slouching shoulders of her best friend Joe.” [JK Parkin]
What Unites Us (World Citizen Comics, $28.99): The latest graphic novel from First Second’s nonfiction line, World Citizen Comics, is an adaptation of journalist Dan Rather’s What Unites Us book. Elliot Kirschner and Tim Foley team up to bring Rather’s voice of reason to the comics page, as they explore what it means to be a “true patriot.” [JK Parkin]
Dr. Stone Reboot: Byakuya (Viz, $9.99): This is a one-volume side story to the main Dr. Stone manga that focuses on the main character’s father and takes place at the fateful time when the entire world turned to stone. The main series takes place 3,000 years later, with science-genius Senku trying to re-create centuries’ worth of technology to get the world moving again. Senku’s father, Byakuya, was on the International Space Station at the time, and he and his crew were the only humans who survived. The manga is written by the series artist, Boichi, who consulted with a real astronaut on Soyuz to make the manga. It’s complete in one volume. [Brigid Alverson]
I Will Not Reach You, Vol. 1 (Yen Press, $13): Here’s a boys-love manga with a relatable plot: Yamato and Kakeru are best friends, but now they are in high school, Yamato is way out of Kakeru’s league. Yamato is stunningly good looking and gets good grades, while Kakeru ranks average or below on both metrics. Kakeru’s dilemma is that he’s in love with Yamato anyway, and we can expect to see plenty of blushing and awkwardness on the way to true love. [Brigid Alverson]