Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.
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 + IDW + graphic novels + manga)
- Lunar Distribution (DC + Scout + more)
- Diamond’s PreviewsWorld (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.
Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Ryan North and Iban Coello will navigate Marvel’s first family’s adventures starting this week, with Alex Ross on board to provide covers. North promises to tell “smaller, self-contained stories in the vein of ’60s Star Trek,” with this first one featuring the Thing and Alicia traveling across America and getting stuck in a time loop in a small town. Beam me up for that.
WildC.A.T.S. #1 (DC, $3.99): Matthew Rosenberg and Stephen Segovia bring back the original Wildstorm team as an ongoing series, set in the DC Universe. The first story has the covert team hunting down scientists and facing off with the Court of Owls.
The New Golden Age #1 (DC, $4.99): Geoff Johns is back at DC, and this one-shot with art by Steve Lieber, Jerry Ordway and Diego Olortegui promises to “unlock DC’s epic and secret-ridden history of heroism, launching a new group of titles set firmly in the DC Universe.” It includes appearances by Justice Society of America, Legion of Super-Heroes, Mime and Marionette, Rip Hunter and more.
A.X.E.: Judgment Day Omega #1 (Marvel, $4.99): It wouldn’t a crossover without an Omega issue, which is how most big comic events seem to end these days. In San Diego this summer, Marvel announced this one for A.X.E. Judgment Day, their big X-Men/Avengers/Eternals event. Kieron Gillen teams with artist Guiu Vilanova to wrap up the big event in November.
Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special #1 (DC, 10.99): DC celebrates the anniversary of one of their biggest event comics of all time with new stories by the creators behind it, including Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Roger Stern, Butch Guice, Jon Bogdanove, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway and more. It also includes the introduction of a new villain, Doombreaker.
Sabretooth and The Exiles #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Victor Lavalle and Leonard Kirk return to tell more stories about Sabretooth and the “pit” dungeon that exists underneath Krakoa. This time around, Creed is free and being hunted down by a group of mutants known as the Exiles.
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6 (DC, $4.99): The penultimate issue of DC’s big crossover series for 2022 arrives this week, as the resurrected Justice League — wait, you mean they aren’t really dead? — join the younger heroes in their battle against Pariah and Deathstroke’s army. It’s by Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere and Alejandro Sanchez.
Skullkickers Super Special #1 (Image, $3.99): Jim Zub and Edwin Huang return to their signature creation for this anniversary special featuring the Skullkickers enrolling at the Academy of Serious Sorcery.
Black Panther Unconquered #1 (Marvel, $3.99): A new Black Panther film hits theaters later this week, which seems like a good time for Marvel to release a “new reader friendly” one-shot featuring T’Challa by Bryan Edward Hill and Alberto Foche.
The Knight and the Lady of Play (Image, $3.99): This dark fantasy one-shot by Jonathan Luna (The Sword) follows a knight returning home after fighting a war against demons — but his trip is cut short when he encounters a mysterious, “hypnotic” woman.
Spider-Man: The Lost Hunt #1 (Marvel, $4.99): J.M. DeMatteis returns to a character he knows very well, Kraven the Hunter, in this new miniseries with artist Eder Messias that promises to reveal Kraven’s untold origin. It’s set in the past when Peter Parker was powerless in Portland, as a mysterious man from Kraven’s past hunts the former Spider-Man.
Gospel #1 (Image, $3.99): Will Morris writes and draws this new fantasy adventure about restless hero Matilde, the storyteller Pitt and the devil himself.
Traveling to Mars #1 (Ablaze, $3.99): Superman: Space Age and Second Coming writer Mark Russell teams with Italian artist Roberto Meli for this science fiction satire about Roy, a former pet store manager who is terminally ill. He’s chosen to become the first man to visit Mars, with no expectation of ever returning to Earth.
Two Graves #1 (Image, $3.99): Genevieve Valentine and Ming Doyle kick off a new miniseries described as “Death and the Maiden go on a road trip,” as a women named Emilia and a mysterious man set out for the ocean in a stolen truck.
X-Men: Legends #4 (Marvel, $3.99): I meant to mention this last month when the first chapter came out, but let me say it here: Oh hey, it’s Longshot! And it’s not just Longshot, it’s Longshot as written by his co-creator, Ann Nocenti, writer of a lot of my favorite comics (including the original Longshot miniseries). This one is set shortly after that mini and features artwork by Javier Pina.
Batman: Urban Legends #21 (DC, $7.99): Michael Cho not only provides the stunning cover for this issue of DC’s regular Batman anthology, but also co-writes and draws a story featuring a high-speed chase through Gotham. Come for the spotlight on the Batmobile, but stay for additional stories from Joey Esposito, Dennis Culver, Julio Antle, Vasco Georgeiv, Hayden Sherman and others.
Billionaire Island: Cult of Dogs #1 (Ahoy Comics, $4.99): Mark Russell and Steve Pugh return to the world of Billionaire Island, or at least what’s left of it, in this new miniseries. Who can save the world after the 1% take down the economy? Hint: he’s on the cover, and he’s a really good boy.
Salamandre (Dark Horse, $24.99): I.N.J. Culbard writes and draws this new graphic novel from Dark Horse’s Berger Books imprint. It’s about a young artist sent to live with his grandfather in a land where music and art are illegal.
F.A.R.M. System (Top Shelf, $19.99): Rich Koslowski writes and draws this new graphic novel satire that mashes together the world of superheroes with baseball farm teams, as new heroes vie for spots in the Big Leagues. Check out my discussion with Koslowski for more information.
Area 510 (Oni, $19.99): Jay Faerber and Justin Greenwood tell the story of an Oakland police officer and the burglary suspect in his custody who find themselves smack dab in the middle of an alien invasion.
Issunboshi (Oni, $34.99): Ryan Lang writes and draws this graphic novel that re-imagines a Japanese fairy tale about an inch-high samurai who has to stop a demon from taking over the world.
Absolute Dark Nights Metal (DC, $125): Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s epic tale of the Dark Multiverse gets the Absolute treatment from DC. This collects Dark Nights: Metal #1-6, Batman: Lost #1, and Dark Knights Rising: The Wild Hunt #1, as well as more than 100 pages of extras and special features in an oversize slipcase.
The Ghost of Wreckers Cove (Comixology Originals, $6.99): This new digital graphic novel combines historical fiction and magical realism, as Liniers and Angelica del Campo tell a story about two sisters on the coast of Maine who go on an adventure involving ghosts, pirates, treasure and more. It can be downloaded starting Tuesday on Comixology.