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.
Hairball #1 (Dark Horse, $5.99): Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins are back together for this new horror series about a family, their ongoing problems and the cat that might be behind them all. I’ve read the first issue, and it’s pretty awesome but also somewhat disturbing. Even Kindt told me: “I disgusted myself when I was writing the opening and closing scenes. It really grossed me out, unlike anything I’d ever written. I don’t really do that kind of story. So I was horrified at what I came up with.” I do recommend it, but just be warned that even the writer was grossed out by parts of it.
Junk Rabbit #1 (Image, $3.99): Bomb Queen creator Jimmie Robinson is back with a new hero who “rises from mountains of consumer waste, mass homelessness and devastating climate change.” I love the way the character looks, and I’ll check this out based on Robinson’s previous work alone.
Planet of the Apes #1 (Marvel, $4.99): For the first time since the 1970s, Planet of the Apes is back at Marvel, kicking off the new 20th Century Studios imprint. David F. Walker and Dave Wachter tell a story set in the early days of the ALZ-113 virus, as humans target apes and the apes take a stand.
Archie & Friends: All Action #1 (Archie Comics, $2.99): Daniel Kibblesmith and Ryan Jampole helm this one-shot that features the Archie characters and their giant robots finally adrressing the kaiju threat in Riverdale. Because you know they have a kaiju threat, right, in addition to witches and vampires and super villains and everything else we’ve seen over the last few years. It only makes sense.
Sweet Paprika: Black, White & Pink #1 (Image, $5.99): Mirka Andolfo welcomes several guest creators to the Sweet Paprika universe with this clever rift on Marvel’s “Black, White and Red” series. It includes stories by Stjepan Sejic, Katana Collins, Retsu Tateo and more.
Spider-Man #7 (Marvel, $3.99): This issue not only continues the “End of Spider-Verse” storyline by Dan Slott and Mark Bagley, but also introduces a new character to the 616 — Spider-Boy.
Second Coming: Trinity #1 (Ahoy, $4.99): Sunstar, Cranius, Jesus and the rest of the crew is back in a new story from Mark Russell, Leonard Kirk and Richard Pace. In this miniseries, see Jesus babysit a superhuman baby while Sunstar gets taken to court.
Star Trek Deep Space Nine: The Dog of War #1 (IDW, $4.99): This five-issue miniseries celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Deep Space Nine TV show. Novelist Mike Chen teams with Star Trek artist Angel Hernandez on the story, which will be set in the original DS9 timeline and, yes, the plotline does indeed center on a purebred corgi that Quark procures for someone on the station.
Unicorn Vampire Hunter #1 (Scout, $5.99): I kind of love the idea of unicorn horns being the perfect weapon to take out vampires, one of the central ideas anchoring this series by Caleb Palmquist and Daryl Toh.
The Nasty #1 (Vault, $4.99): This new series by John Lees, George Kambadais and Adam Cahoon stars a horror fan who still sees his imaginary friend, a slasher from a movie he watched as a kid.
Codename: Ric Flair #1 (Scout, $4.99): Set in the late 1980s, during 16-time world champion Ric Flair’s notorious career, this new comic imagines Flair was not just a wrestler, but also a secret agent who traveled the world at the bequest of the U.S. government. Wooooo!
American Dreams #1 (Band of Bards, $4.99): Set in the early 1900s, this series imagines a world where Thomas Edison accidentally gives a Jewish immigrant super powers, and he then uses them to protect Americans from the likes of JP Morgan and the occultist leader Aleister Crowley. It’s by Dan Kalban and Dody Eka.
Danger and Other Unknown Risks (Penguin Workshop, $16.99): Ryan North and Erica Henderson, who cracked people up with their work on Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, reunite for a new graphic novel about “a girl and her dog who want to save the world.”
Codex Black (Top Shelf, $16.99): Camilo Moncada L. tells the story of two young adventurers in 15th-century Mesoamerica as they search for their missing father.
The 39 Clues (Scholastic, $12.99): Ethan Young (NANJING: The Burning City) adapts the novel The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan into a graphic novel that chronicles the story of two twins who attempt to gather 39 clues, which are ingredients to a serum that can create the most powerful person on Earth.
The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: Grass Roots and Other Follies (Fantagraphics, $22.99): This third release in Fantagraphics’ collections of material by Gilbert Shelton, Dave Sheridan and Paul Mavrides traces the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers back to their hippy origins.
Another Band’s Treasure (Graphic Universe, $14.99): This graphic novel by Hua Lin Xie is inspired by the true story of La Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura, an effort in Paraguay to recycle trash found in landfills into musical instruments for local kids.