Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. It feels like a lighter week than usual, unless you’re a Tom King fan — then DC has you covered.
I’ve pulled out some of the highlights 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:
- Penguin Random House (Marvel + graphic novels + manga)
- Lunar Distribution (DC + Scout + more)
- Diamond’s PreviewsWorld (IDW + Image + Dark Horse + many more)
- ComicList (Pretty much all of the above)
- comiXology new releases (digital comics)
Also, 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 always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.
Batgirls #1 (DC, $3.99): Batman’s other sidekicks get a team book, as Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad and Jorge Corona bring together Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown under the watchful eye of Barbara Gordon.
‘Tis the Season to be Freezin’ #1 (DC, $9.99): DC’s latest anthology has a frozen winter theme, as it features characters like Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold, Polar Boy and more by creators like Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, Rich Bernatovech, Tee Franklin, Tara Roberts, Amedeo Turturro, Bobby Moynihan, Jeff Trammell, Andrew Wheeler, Jordan Gibson, Travis Mercer, Yancy Labat, Eric Battle, Jason Howard, Pop Mhan, Justin Mason, Meghan Hetrick and more. It also features the debut of JLQ, the LGBTQ+ themed superhero team that proved quite popular in DC’s Round Robin contest earlier this year.
Wastelanders: Wolverine #1 (Marvel, $3.99): Marvel returns to the “Old Man Logan” timeline for a series of one-shots, starting with this one featuring Wolverine. It features not only Wolverine playing daddy to a baby Hulk, but also a battle with the new villain Downfall. It’s by Steven DeKnight and Ibrahim Moustafa.
Demon Days: Rising Storm (Marvel, $4.99): The second-to-last one-shot set in the same world as the previous Demon Days comics by Peach Momoko arrives this week, introducing both Thor and Storm into the mythos Momoko created.
Strange Academy #14 (Marvel, $3.99): This is one of those can’t miss issues for fans of Strange Academy, as Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos jump into the future to show us not only the future of the students at Strange Academy, but also the Marvel Universe itself.
Cloaked #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Mike Richardson makes a rare appearance as writer of this new superhero vigilante comic with artist Jordi Armengol. It’s about a detective hired to track down a missing superhero after he goes missing.
Leone: Notes on Life (Image Comics, $12.99): Francesco Colafella and Carmine Di Giandomenico team up for a new graphic novel about “an Italian man who immigrated to the U.S. to find fortune, freedom, and jazz — and left it again to save lives.”
Firefly Holiday Special #1 (BOOM! Studios, $7.99): Jeff Jensen, Vincenzo Federici, Jordi Perez and Fabiana Mascolo put Firefly crew member Jayne through the paces of A Christmas Carol, as he’s visited by “ghosts” of Firefly’s past, present and future.
Rorschach (DC, $34.99): This hardcover collects all 12 issues of the recently completed miniseries starring the Watchmen character by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. It wasn’t anything I was initially interested in due to the history associated with the characters, Alan Moore and DC, but I have to admit my curiosity was piqued when I saw it pop up on various “Best of …” lists for 2021.
Strange Adventures (DC, $29.99): So look, if you trade-wait for Tom King comics, I’m sorry; this week is going to get really expensive for you. But boy are you going to have a LOT to read. In addition to Rorschach, DC is also releasing a collection of Strange Adventures by Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Evan “Doc” Shaner, the miniseries that featured not only Adam Strange, but also Mr. Terrific.
Just Roll With It (Random House Graphic, $12.99): Lee Durfey-Lavoie and Veronica Agarwal tell the story of Maggie, a girl starting middle school confronted with anxiety and OCD.
Saga Boxed Set (Image Comics, $125): Why this isn’t called the “Saga Saga” is beyond me; someone in marketing missed an opportunity. This boxed set includes all of the Saga content by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples in nine trade paperbacks, with the addition of both a box to put them in and a set of cover prints.