Happy Fourth of July — or Happy Monday, depending on where you are in the world — 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 sees Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez take over Batman, and Strange Academy and The Joker come to an end. And let’s not forget the white-hot Lore Olympus, as the popular Webtoon jumps to print for its second collection.
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.
Batman #125 (DC, $5.99): Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez catch the last train to Gotham as they take over DC’s flagship title. That of course means a new storyline is kicking off, called “Failsafe,” which involves Gotham City billionaires being gruesomely murdered and an old archenemy of Batman.
Starhenge #1 (Image, $3.99): Liam Sharp writes and draws this new six-issue, creator-owned miniseries. It features a Merlin from the future traveling back in time to save magic from time-traveling killer robots.
Mind MGMT: Bootleg #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): This new series by Matt Kindt and Farel Dalrymple marks the introduction of a new imprint, Flux House, that will become the exclusive home of Kindt’s creator-owned comics. It continues the story from previous volumes about a covert government agency of psychic super-spies who have to rebuild their organization while competing with a rival one.
Stranger Things Summer Special (Dark Horse, $3.99): This somehow timely one-shot by Keith Champagne and Caio Filipe actually ties into season 3 of Netflix’s popular horror series, as it shows what it’s like to be a police deputy in the cursed town of Hawkins.
Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 (Image, $3.99): Mark Millar is joined by artist Matteo Buffagni for the next chapter of Prodigy, aka genius Edison Crane, who take son a whole club of geniuses in this new series.
Dark Crisis #2 (DC, $4.99): DC’s big crossover series continues in its second issue, which features Deathstroke and his army of super villains laying siege to Titans Tower as Nightwing mounts a defense, and Cyborg Superman shows up. It’s by Joshua Williamson and Daniel Sampere.
Strange Academy #18 (Marvel, $3.99): After a slight delay, one of Marvel’s best ongoing titles comes to an end, at least for now. This issue by Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos promises “to destroy you emotionally and destroy the school beyond recognition.”
DC vs. Vampires #7 (DC, $3.99): After a couple of tie-in one-shots featuring Robin and Harley Quinn, DC vs. Vampires returns for its second half. Matthew Rosenberg, James Tynion IV and Otto Schmidt continue the story of a DC universe overrun with vampires, with Green Arrow, Batgirl and Supergirl left to defend humanity against Nightwing’s super-powered vampires.
Absolution #1 (AWA, $3.99): Peter Milligan and Mike Deodato team up for a new miniseries about a hired killer who has a month to redeem herself — or the bombs in her head will explode on live TV as part of a reality show.
Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #305 (Archie, $8.99): This digest filled with stories from Archie Comics’ past also has three brand new stories by Dan Parent, Ian Flynn, Jeff Shultz and more. One of those new stories features the comic book debut of Jake Chang, a brand new character who is already being developed for TV, in a story by David Gallaher and Bill Galvan. Check out a preview of it here.
The Tiger’s Tongue #1 (Mad Cave, $3.99): Olivia Stephens and Diansakhu Banton-Perry present the story of twin princesses, Kelindi and Aridani, as they try to keep peace between their people, The Tiger’s People, and The River’s People.
There’s Something Wrong with Patrick Todd (AfterShock, $4.99): This new series from Ed Brisson and Gavin Guidry is about a teenage kid who, in trying to pay for care for his sick mom, use shis telepathic abilities to commit crimes.
The Joker #15 (DC, $6.99): The Joker gets one last laugh in this final issue of his ongoing series, as writer James Tynion IV wraps up his run on the character to focus on his creator-owned projects. He’s joined by artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Cam Smith as they wrap up their take of The Joker, Jim Gordon, Bane and others.
Lore Olympus Vol. 2 (Del Rey, $21): Rachel Smythe’s mega-popular, Greek mythology-inspired Webtoon comic gets a second volume, which not only collects more of her strips but also features a brand-new, exclusive short story just for this collection.
Verse Book Two: The Second Gate (Vault, $12.99): The second chapter in Sam Beck’s fantasy epic arrives this week, continuing the story of Neitya, Fife and the return of magic to their world. No doubt this will be as compelling as the first wonderful volume; you can see more of Beck’s work on her website.
Paris (Image, $24.99): It’s been about 20 years since Andi Watson and Simon Gane’s Paris was originally published by SLG Publishing, but now it’s back in a new, expanded edition from Image Comics. It’s about an American art student who pays her way to Paris by painting wealthy debutantes — and then bonds with, and eventually falls for, one of her subjects.
Young Men in Love (A Wave Blue World, $19.99): This new anthology sports a cover by Kevin Wada and new stories featuring gay love stories in a variety of genres, including fantasy, horror and even giant monsters (is that a genre?). It features the talents of David M. Booher, Anthony Oliveira, Charles Pulliam-Moore, Terry Blas, Sina Grace, Chris Shehan, Nick Robles, Ian McGinty and more.