Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week is pretty packed, bringinga new Daredevil title, the kickoffs of two big crossover events, the second annual Hellfire Gala and a new Jordan Crane graphic novel, among many other selections.
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.
Daredevil #1 (Marvel, $4.99): In the wake of Devil’s Reign comes a rebooted Daredevil by creators Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto. This new series kicks off a new direction for Matt Murdock and Elektra, as they tackle a bigger, world-saving mission — to destroy The Hand once and for all.
A.X.E.: Eve of Judgment #1 (Marvel, $3.99): No Marvel event is complete without pre-event and post-event comics, and this one serves as prelude to the big crossover featuring the X-Men, Eternals and Avengers, setting up the conflict between those first two groups. It’s by Kieron Gillen, architect of Judgment Day, and artist Pasqual Ferry.
X-Men: Hellfire Gala (Marvel, $7.99): Gerry Duggan, Matteo Lolli, C.F. Villa and more present the second annual Hellfire Gala, where Marvel’s mutants invite celebrities, influencers and other heroes to Krakoa for a big party. This issue will also introduce a new line-up for the X-Men.
The Mandalorian #1 (Marvel, $4.99): The popular Star Wars bounty hunter arrives in comics for the first time, in, from what the preview pages and solicitation text seem to indicate, an adaptation of the first season of the Disney+ show. It’s by Rodney Barnes and Georges Jeanty.
Batman: Urban Legends #17 (DC, $7.99): This is a special issue of the ongoing anthology featuring team-ups between Batman and other DC characters who have (or will) appeared in their own films, namely Aquaman, The Flash and Black Adam. There’s also a story featuring the villains from The Batman, including Catwoman, Penguin and Riddler. Creative teams include Ryan Cady, Joey Esposito, Alex Paknadel, Dan Watters, Gleb Melnikov, Serg Acuna, Amancay Nahuelpan, Riley Rossmo and more.
Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League – Superman (DC, $4.99): The title is a bit of a mouthful, but this is the first of several specials that tie into the recent “Death of the Justice League” and Dark Crisis events. This issue not only features an alternate take on Superman (and Superboy) by Tom King and Chris Burnham, but also an Aquaman backup by Brandon Thomas and Fico Ossio.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Armageddon Game – Opening Moves #1 (IDW, $5.99): It’s the week for long titles, isn’t it? Tom Waltz, who is writing the big The Armageddon Game event series, teams with artist Fero Peniche for this prequel issue. It features the Turtles teaming up with Shredder to battle The Rat King and his trio of terror: Madame Null, Baxter Stockman and LeatherKrang.
Superman: Son of Kal-El #13 (DC, $3.99): Nicole Maines, who played the character on the CW’s Supergirl, teams with Tom Taylor and Clayton Henry for the DCU debut of Dreamer, as she helps Superman in his ongoing battle with Henry Bendix.
Fantastic Four #45 (Marvel, $3.99): This issue not only serves as the epilogue to the Reckoning War event, but also as the penultimate issue of Dan Slott’s run on the title.
Barbaric: Harvest Blades (Vault, $5.99): Michael Morici, Robert Wilson IV and Nathan Gooden return to Barbaric for the first in a series of one-shots that will help flesh out the world.
Above Snakes (Image Comics, $3.99): Sean Lewis and Hayden Sherman are back together for this new miniseries, a Western about a man seeking vengeance for his murdered wife and the talking vulture urging him on.
Keeping Two (Fantagraphics, $29.99): Jordan Crane, creator of NON and the award-winning Uptight, returns with a new graphic novel about a young couple “forced to confront loss, grief, fear, and insecurities in unexpected and shocking ways.”
One Eight Hundred Ghosts (Fantagraphics, $14.99): G. Davis Cathcart writes and draws this graphic novel about time-traveling art thieves who go back in time to the 1980s to steal the artistic work of an artist who would later use his fame and fortune to abuse kids — yes, they plan to steal Michael Jackson’s Thriller before it becomes a cultural milestone.
Gone (Blue Fox, $17.99): Simon Birks and Juan Fleites tell the story of a robot who wakes up from hibernation on a spaceship to find that the entire human crew has disappeared.
Voices That Count (IDW, $16.99): This anthology of stories was originally published in Spanish, but IDW is bringing it to English-speaking audiences thanks to translator Diego Jourdan Pereira.
Stories in it include:
● “Julio” by Julia Otero and Ada Diez
● “24 Hours” by Lola Garcia and Agustina Guerrero
● “The Bug” by Diana López Varela and Akira Pantsu
● “Empowered” by Estefanía Molina and Ana Oncina
● “Loneliness” by Eva Amaral and María Hesse
● “Sexier” by Leticia Dolera and Raquel Riba Rossy
● “Turtle Steps” by Sandra Sabatés and Sandra Cardona
● “Over a Banana Skirt” by Almudena Grandes and Sara Herranz
● “Mzungu” by Patricia Campos and Sara Soler
Talk to My Back (Drawn and Quarterly, $29.95): Yamada Murasaki’s 1980s manga comes to North America in a new volume from Drawn and Quarterly. It tells the story of a Japanese housewife and her relationships with her two daughters and her husband.
Twin Cities (Random House Graphic, $12.99): Jose Pimienta (Suncatcher) tells the story of two twins — one who lives Mexicali, Mexico and one who moves to Calexico, California to attend a private school, and the challenges they both face in their respective worlds.