Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. We’re a little late this week due to some technical issues, but hey, if you’re heading to the comic shop after work today, we’ve got 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/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: One Bad Day – The Riddler (DC, $7.99): This one-shot by Tom King and Mitch Gerads kicks off a series of one-shots featuring Batman’s villains. While this one features the Riddler, subsequent volumes will feature Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Penguin and more, by a variety of different creative teams.
Avengers 1,000,000 B.C. (Marvel, $4.99): Jason Aaron and Kev Walker head back to the past for another adventure with the original original Avengers to reveal the secret origin of Thor, as well as to probably set up the big Avengers Assemble crossover coming this fall.
UltraMan: The Mystery of UltraSeven #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom and Davide Tinto are behind this third UltraMan miniseries from Marvel, which will include “an enigmatic new Ultra and a secret that has remained hidden for decades.”
20th Century Men #1 (Image, $3.99): Deniz Camp and S. Morian present an extra-sized debut issue of their new series that mixes alternative history with superheroes.
Barbaric: Axe to Grind #1 (Vault, $4.99): Owen and his talking Axe return for another round of medieval mayhem as Michael Moreci and Nathan Gooden pit them against Gladius, a man from Owen’s past.
Crash & Troy #1 (A Wave Blue World, $3.99): This new miniseries by Jarred Lujan and Kyler Clodfelter features two intergalactic mercenaries — Rex “Crash” Ballard and Troy 3.0 — who have to deal with the aftermath of a prison break.
Heart Eyes #1 (Vault, $4.99): Dennis Hopeless and Victor Ibanez present a love story set in the aftermath of a monster apocalypse.
Jimmy’s Little Bastards #1 (AfterShock, $7.99): Garth Ennis and Russ Braun team up once again for a sequel to Jimmy’s Bastards, as middle-aged Jimmy settles into a quieter life and his daughter jumps into the family business.
Parasomnia: The Dreaming God #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti return to the dreamworld they introduced in the first Parasomnia miniseries, as “our hero” continues to search for his son in the land of shifting dreams, traveling from a nightmarish Lovecraftian dreamscape to a cyberpunk metropolis.
Shirtless Bear Fighter 2 #1 (Image, $3.99): Jody LeHeup and Nil Vendrell bring back the shirtless wonder to battle the beargod, Ursa Major. The first miniseries was raucous fun, so I expect this one will be, too.
Trve Cvlt #1 (IDW, $3.99): This five-issue miniseries by Scott Bryan Wilson and Liana Kangas started life on Kickstarter before being picked up by IDW as part of their Originals line. It introduces Marty Tarantella, a down-on-his-luck loser whose last-ditch scheme to escape a lifetime of fast-food service sets him on a collision course with a cult of violent, Devil-worshiping lunatics.
Pulp: The Process Edition (Image, $39.99): This “process edition” breaks down the creation of one of the best graphic novels of the last several years, It includes Ed Brubaker’s original notes and script, as well as Sean Phillips’ art in various stages — plus the final, full-color story in an oversized edition.
Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus (Abrams, $39.99): Bongo Entertainment may no longer be producing new Simpsons comics, but at least the material they did produce isn’t languishing. This week Abrams ComicArts releases an “ominous omnibus” collecting the Halloween-themed “Treehouse of Horror” comics by Michael Allred, Sergio Aragonés, Kyle Baker, Jeffrey Brown, Jill Thompson and many more. Bongo released 23 issues of their Treehouse of Horror comics, which each contained multiple short stories, adding up to … a whole lot of comics. This volume also includes a glow-in-the-dark cover and an introduction by none other than Bart Simpson himself.