Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘In Hell We Fight,’ ‘Loki’ ‘The Flash’ #800 and more

Check out comics and graphic novels this week by John Layman, Jok, G. Willow Wilson, Jim Benton, Dan Watters, Germán Peralta, Michael Dorn, Sami Basri, Rob Liefeld, Mattie Lubchansky and more.

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:

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.

In Hell We Fight #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): John Layman and Jok team up for this new series about three teens in Hell and their “annoying tagalong demon frenemy,” as they embark on a daring scheme to hijack a demon lord’s delivery truck, which, as these things do, leads to an epic adventure for the quartet.

Loki #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Dan Watters and Germán Peralta send the God of Mischief on a cosmic road trip of sorts, as he attempts to track down a cache of mystical weapons he created that have been scattered across the cosmos.

The Flash #800 (DC, $4.99): The Flash gets the extra-sized milestone issue treatment in this anthology of stories by The Flash creators past, present and future, including Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Mark Waid, Geoff Johns, Joshua Williamson, Scott Kolins, Todd Nauck, Carmine Di Giandomenico and Mike Deodato Jr.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Street Fighter #1 (IDW, $3.99): The pizza-eating mutants and the bare-knuckle video game battlers meet up in this new miniseries by Paul Allor, Ariel Medel and Sarah Myer. Expect some punching, some kicking, some trash-talking and more. Hadouken!

Steelworks #1 (DC, $3.99): Actor Michael Dorn, who voiced Steel on Superman: The Animated Series, teams with artist Sami Basri for this six-issue miniseries that finds John Henry Irons facing key decisions about his company, his love life and his future as a superhero.

Deadpool: Badder Blood #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Rob Liefeld and Chad Bowers return with a sequel to the Deadpool: Bad Blood graphic novel, which finds Deadpool, Cable and Wolverine fighting Deadpool’s nemesis Thumper and several new villains.

You’ve Been Cancelled #1 (Mad Cave, $4.99): This dystopian action/satire miniseries by Curt Pires and Kevin Castaniero combines cancel culture with a The Running Man-style show called Cancelled, where bounty hunters attempt to hunt and kill people who have been cancelled by society.

Fence: Redemption #1 (BOOM!, $4.99): The award-winning team of C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad are back with another volume of Fence, their comic series about an aspiring fencing champion. Return to Halverton Training Camp for more high-stakes drama and competition as Nicholas and his teammates have to step up to a new challenge.

New Talent Showcase: The Milestone Initiative #1 (DC, $3.99): You might remember the Milestone Initiative, which DC kicked off in 2021 “to identify, support and elevate emerging diverse writers and artists within the comic book industry.” The program brought in 12 writers and 12 artists to hone their skills with some of DC’s best, and this anthology features their work.

Sins of the Salton Sea #1 (AWA, $3.99): Ed Brisson and C. P. Smith present the story of a thief going after “one last job” who ends up caught between a doomsday cult and the young boy the plan to sacrifice to save the world.

The Sickness #1 (Uncivilized Press, $6): This bi-monthly horror series by Jenna Cha and Lonnie Nadler is about two men, separated by time, who end up connected to a horrifying illness and a “haunting figure who follows wherever they go.”

X-Men Before the Fall: Mutant First Strike #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Steve Orlando and Valentina Pinti are the team behind this one-shot that sets up the upcoming Fall of X crossover. It features Jean Grey, Cyclops and Bishop leading a rescue effort after a New England town is attacked by a mutant.

Poison Ivy #13 (DC, $3.99): The Poison Ivy miniseries by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara has blossomed into a full-fledged series, as it continues on past its planned ending. This issue features not only Ivy’s return to Harley and Gotham City, but also guest artists Guillem March, Kelley Jones and A.L. Kaplan.

Money Shot Comes Again #2 (Vault, $4.99): The XXX-plorer welcome a special guest in this issue — underground comics legend Cherry. Actually, make that special guests, as the crew encounters some other familiar characters as well, and, spoiler alert! They have sex with them. Which probably isn’t a spoiler if you’re reading this excellent title by Tim Seeley and Gisele Lagace.

Fann Club: Batman Squad (DC, $12.99): This graphic novel by Jim Benton, creator Catwad and many other all-ages books, is about Ernest Fann, the biggest Batman fan in the world. “With no particular training or superpowers, Ernest decides to set up a crimefighting unit consisting of his immediate friends and his dog. Ernest takes on the name of Gerbilwing, his best friend Jack becomes Nightstand, his sitter Harriet is dubbed Nightshadow, and his dog Westy takes on the crime-fighting alias of Night Terrier.”

Suee and the Strange White Light (Amulet Books, $22.99): Ginger Ly and Molly Park present the sequel to Suee and the Shadow, as Suee reunites the Zero Detective Club to find out why her kid-nemesis, Smartie, has disappeared.

Boys Weekend (Pantheon Books, $28): The Nib‘s Mattie Lubchansky wrote and drew this “trans final girl story about a bachelor party gone very, very wrong,” as a transfemme must not only deal with being asked to be the “best man” at a friend’s wedding, but also a bloodthirsy cult that’s staying in the same hotel as the groom’s party.

Wonder Woman: Historia (DC, $29.99): Writer Kelly Sue DeConnick teamed with artists Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha and Nicola Scott on this Black Label miniseries, which set out to tell the definitive story of the Amazons and their relationship with the gods. The art is beautiful, which you’d expect given the creators involved, but each of them went above and beyond to bring DeConnick’s vision to life. And it’s a vision that’s worthy of an Eisner.

History of the DC Universe (DC, $24.99): DC collects Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s account of the history of the DC universe following their work in the 1980s on Crisis on Infinite Earths. I have no idea how accurate it is anymore, given everything that’s happened since, but it’s interesting and beautiful enough in its own right to be enjoyed. Plus the hardcover comes with a new cover by Alex Ross.

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