Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week brings a new Jessica Jones series written by Gail Simone, a deluxe edition of the excellent yet controversial Gender Queer and more.
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/Kindle new releases (digital comics)
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.
The Variants #1 (Marvel, $3.99): Marvel’s favorite super-powered P.I. stars in a new miniseries this summer where she’ll team up with different versions of herself from across the multiverse. It’s by the powerhouse team of Gail Simone and Phil Noto.
Iron Man/Hellcat Annual #1 (Marvel, $4.99): I’m not sure where this new annual fits, continuity-wise, but Christopher Cantwell teams with artist Ruairi Coleman for a new story about Patsy Walker inheriting a house with supernatural secrets.
Buffy ’97 #1 (BOOM! Studios, $7.99): This extra-sized issue by Jeremy Lambert and Marianna Ignazzi features Buffy and Willow getting trapped in a ’90s teen magazine by a demon as Spike helps Giles get ready for a date.
Batman/Catwoman #12 (DC, $4.99): I don’t know how many years it has been now, but remember when Batman and Catwoman were supposed to get married and we all got scammed into believing it would actually happen? Yeah, so this final issue of the Black Label miniseries by Tom King and Clay Mann supposedly, finally, presents the wedding. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Public Domain #1 (Image, $3.99): Chip Zdarsky writes and draws the story of Syd Dallas, creator of the world’s greatest hero, The Domain, which comes to print after debuting on Zdarsky’s Substack newsletter.
Mindset #1 (Vault Comics, $4.99): This new psychedelic sci-fi thriller is written by Zack Kaplan (Eclipse, Port of Earth), and drawn and colored by Eisner-winning Blue In Green artist John J. Pearson. It’s about an introverted tech geek who accidentally discovers mind control and puts it into his app.
DC vs. Vampires: Killers #1 (DC, $3.99): Matthew Rosenberg and Mike Bowden continue the DC vs. Vampires story in this one-shot featuring Harley Quinn. In a world ruled by vampire Nightwing and his hordes, Harley rules the human underworld — but may have found their salvation.
Canto: Tales of the Unnamed World #1 (IDW, $3.99): As David M. Booher and Drew Zucker prepare for the next chapter in the story if Canto, they present this collection of stories by Booher and a variety of artists featuring the characters from their epic tale.
Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft #1 (IDW, $3.99): D&D fans will likely recognize Ravenloft as the mystical dimension filled with gothic vampires and other D&D-ized versions of classic monsters. This new miniseries focuses on Dr. Viktra Mordenheim of Lamordia, the realms’ version of Frankenstein, and the woman he just brought back to life.
Deathstroke Inc. #10 (DC, $3.99): Ed Brisson and Dexter Soy take over as the new creative team for Deathstroke Inc., as they begin a “year one” story featuring the one-eyed mercenary.
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Old Man Whittier (Dark Horse, $3.99): Mike Mignola and Gabriel Hernandez Walta return to the story of the Whittier family in this new one-shot that focuses on Catherine Whittier calling in Hellboy to deal with restless spirits.
Honcho #1 (CEX, $7.99): This is the first of two giant-sized issues by Jeff McComsey and Jeff McClelland about a post-World War III America that’s been fractured — and the hero who seeks to reunite through baseball.
Iron Cat #1 (Marvel, $4.99): I’m not sure I realized there was ever an Iron Cat, but the armor built by Tony Stark and worn by Felicia Hardy has a new owner — and neither are happy about it. This five-issue miniseries is by Jed MacKay and Pere Perez.
Mech Strike: Monster Hunters #1 (Marvel, $3.99): The giant robots from Avengers: Mech Strike return for a new adventure by Christos Gage and Paco Diaz, as Dr. Doom and other villains turn themselves into giant monsters that require a mech-powered beatdown.
Sins of the Black Flamingo #1 (Image, $3.99): Andrew Wheeler and Travis Moore present a story of “occult noir” and “Miami sleeze” featuring Black Flamingo, a flamboyant and narcissistic thief who steals mystical artifacts.
Thor: Lightning and Lament (Marvel, $3.99): The old school team of Ralph Macchio and Todd Nauck (and cover artist Ron Lim!) present a new Thor story with impeccable timing as the fourth Thor movie prepares to make its way into theaters.
Agent of Worlde #1 (Scout Comics, $4.99): Deniz Camp and Filya Bratukin introduce Philip Blank, agent of W.O.R.L.D.E., an organization that handles everything from super-evolved orangutan bosses to joyriders from the 26th century. But Philip has a secret …
Crystal Planet #1 (Opus, $4.99): Old-school comic — and rock guitar — fans will remember Joe Satriani as the guitarist who played songs about the Silver Surfer. Now he’s teaming up with co-writer Tony Lee and artist Richard Friend for this “space odyssey” about a man out of time named Satchel Walker who “finds himself caught between desperate factions as they battle for resources in the perilous orbit of a dying star.”
Gender Queer (Oni Press, $24.99): Maia Kobabe’s award-winning, controversial graphic novel about what it means to be asexual and nonbinary returns as a deluxe hardcover, with a new cover, exclusive art and sketches, a foreword from ND Stevenson and an afterword from Kobabe.
Torso (Dark Horse, $19.99): Brian Michael Bendis and Marc Andreyko’s Eisner-winning story about Elliot Ness tracking a killer in Cleveland returns in a new edition from Dark Horse.
The Dark Room (Image, $19.99): Gerry Duggan, Scott Buoncristiano and Tamra Bonvillain tell the story of a woman who curates a collection of cursed items and her hunt for “a camera containing an undeveloped photo of the face of true evil.”
Dog Biscuits (Fantagraphics, $34.99): Cartoonist Alex Graham’s Instagram comic comes to print, as the story of a dog biscuit boutique owner in Seattle circa 2020 sees the convergence of the pandemic, social justice, social media, gender dynamics, “woke” culture and more.
Ghosts of Science Past (Humanoids, $14.99): This is an interesting take on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol by Joseph Sieracki and Jesse Lonergan, as a high school student is visited by the spirits of scientists who try to prepare him for a science quiz he’s destined to fail.
Teen Titans Go! Undead (DC, $9.99): If you have younger fans in your house whose pop culture diet consists of a heavy dose of Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go!, you may want to check out this graphic novel by Michael Northrop, Erich Owen and others, as the Titans head to the mall to shop — and fight zombies.
M is for Monster (Abrams ComicArts, $17.99): Talia Dutton weaves a Frankenstein-like tale about a scientist whose sister dies, and she vows to bring her back to life — but the creature that rises in her place isn’t her sister and just wants to live a life of its own.