Happy New Year and 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’s 2022, and there’s plenty of comics out this week to help you start the new year right.
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.
Apache Delivery Service #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins and Hilary Jenkins, who created Dark Horse’s history-spanning Fear Case, venture into the jungles of Vietnam for this new miniseries. The horror story involves the search for Nazi gold during the Vietnam War — which, rumor has it, is guarded by witches. Kindt said the story is “easily the most unsettling story I’ve written and for-sure the creepiest art I’ve seen Tyler and Hilary come up with.”
Bylines in Blood #1 (AfterShock Comics, $4.99): This new miniseries by Van Jensen, Erica Schultz and Aneke presents a world where corporations and politicians have killed off independent journalism, and a former journalist-turned-gumshoe detective must investigate the murder of her old editor.
Darkhold Omega (Marvel, $4.99): Steve Orlando and Cian Tormey wrap up the series-of-one-shots series Darkhold this week with an Omega issue that not only features Black Bolt, Iron Man, Wasp, Blade, Spider-Man and Scarlet Witch facing off with the elder god Chthon, but also features the debut of a new hero.
Detective Comics #1047 (DC, $4.99): A new storyline that follows the events of “Fear State” kicks off this week, as Mariko Tamaki and Ivan Reis introduce Arkham Tower to the Gotham skyline while Matthew Rosenberg and Fernando Blanco explore Arkham’s history in the back-up.
Elektra: Black, White and Blood #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Following Wolverine, Deadpool and Carnage, Elektra is the next Marvel character to get the “Black, White & Blood” treatment in this new anthology miniseries featuring short stories told in three colors. Charles Soule, Declan Shalvey, Leonardo Romero and more contribute to this issue.
Inferno #4 (Marvel, $5.99): The end of the most recent X-Men miniseries also marks the end of Jonathan Hickman’s run on this era of titles, as he teams with Valerio Schiti to “bring down one of the foundations of the era.”
Monkey Meat #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): Juni Ba, creator of the wonderful Djeliya from TKO Studios, return to shelves in January with this five-issue-miniseries of “connected one-shot stories” set in a new fantasy setting — an island run by the Monkey Meat Company.
Nocterra: Blacktop Bill Special (Image Comics, $3.99): The breakout villain of Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel’s Nocterra series stars in this one-shot, which will reveal his “terrifying” origin. It also features artwork by Milestone legend Denys Cowan and colorist Chris Sotomayor.
Wastelanders: Doom (Marvel, $3.99): The series of one-shots set in the “Old Man Logan” timeline continue this week with a focus on Doctor Doom, who helped wipe out the heroes and now rules a kingdom within the Wastelands.
Blubber (Fantagraphics, $19.99): Fantagraphics collects the first five issues of Gilbert Hernandez’s surreal and X-rated comics series into a hardcover. “Weirdos (Blubberoo, Mr. Elvis, John Dick, the Mentor), creatures (the Mau Guag, Doogs, and Orlats…), and anthropomorphs (the Cloarks, the Kekeppy) visit places where most comics fear to go. Blubber veers between an absurdist satire of porn (and occasionally nature documentaries) as well as a defiant provocation to those unable to appreciate the difference between cartooning and obscenity.”