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 + Dark Horse + more)
- Lunar Distribution (DC + more)
- Diamond’s PreviewsWorld (Image + BOOM! + 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.
Hawkgirl #1 (DC, $3.99): This new ongoing series by writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Amancay Nahuelpan has Kendra Saunders flying solo. This first issue features Hawkgirl looking for a fresh start in Metropolis, only to be confronted by a new villain with ties to the Nth metal used in her wings and weapons.
Blade #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Bryan Hill and Elena Casagrande bring Blade back into his own ongoing title, as the former Avenger faces off with an ancient evil called the Adana. More than likely, he’ll be killing some vampires, too.
Big Game #1 (Image, $4.99): It was inevitable that, at some point, Mark Millar’s creations would all appear together in a crossover. Heck, I’m surprised it took this long. Big Game is by Millar and artist Pepe Larraz, and from what the solicits say this isn’t even the real main cover, because the real one has some huge spoiler on it. Expect appearances by Kick-Ass, Nemesis, the Magic Order and all the other Millarworld creations.
Star Trek: Day of Blood #1 (IDW, $5.99): IDW’s big Star Trek crossover that was previewed on Free Comic Book Day is in full swing this week, as Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Christopher Cantwell and Ramon Rosanas bring together various characters from the franchise’s many shows in one big storyline, from the original series to Lower Decks.
Harley Quinn: Black, White and Redder #1 (DC, $4.99): The Joker’s favorite former sidekick gets a second three-color anthology miniseries, with this first issue featuring the work of Chip Zdarsky, Leah Williams, Paul Scheer, Nick Giovannetti, Kevin Maguire, Natacha Bustos, Tom Reilly and more.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Last Ronin: Lost Day Special (IDW, $7.99): This new one-shot straddles “both the past and the future of the Last Ronin universe,” the popular miniseries that is apparently spawning a franchise. It features the work of Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop and more.
Moon Knight: City of the Dead #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Layla El-Faouly, the character played by May Calamawy in the Disney+ show Moon Knight, made her comic book debut in Moon Knight #25 last week, and now her costumed identity, the Scarlet Scarab, follows in this new miniseries by David Pepose and Marcelo Ferreira.
Scrapper #1 (Image, $3.99): Video game designer Cliff Bleszinski, who helped bring games like Gears of War and Fortnite to life, teams up with Alex De Campi and Sandy Jarrell on this new comic series about a stray dog living in a post-apocalyptic domed city.
Power Rangers Unlimited: Hyperforce #1 (BOOM!, $7.99): This one-shot is set in the same universe as the HyperForce Rangers tabletop RPG web series. The story is co-written by Melissa Flores and the voice of the HyperForce Pink Ranger in the HyperForce RPG, Meghan Camarena, with art by Federico Sabbatini and colorist Bryan Valenza.
Nocterra: Nemesis Special #1 (Image, $3.99): Scott Snyder welcomes artist Liam Sharp to the Nocterra universe in this one-shot that will lead directly into the conclusion of the “No Brakes” storyline running in the main Nocterra title.
Tales of the Titans: Starfire #1 (DC, $4.99): Each issue of this four-issue miniseries will feature a solo story starring one of the Titans who isn’t currently featured in their own title, starting with Starfire. Shannon Hale and Dean Hale write this first one, with Javier Rodríguez on art. “When a spaceship bearing Tamaranean markings crash-lands on Earth, Starfire goes on a solo mission to uncover its origins.”
Star Wars: The Rebellion #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Alex Segura and Matt Horak tell the unrevealed story of how Admiral Ackbar and Poe Dameron’s parents helped save Mon Mothma from an assassination attempt by the Empire, in this special tied to the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. Whatever happens, know this: It’s a trap!
Various Knight Terror tie-ins (DC, $4.99 or $3.99 each): This week is a skip week for the regular Knight Terrors storyline, DC’s big summer crossover event, but don’t fret — there are still five tie-in miniseries to choose from. This week brings the first issues of Knight Terrors: Wonder Woman, Knight Terrors: Nightwing, Night Terrors: Superman, Knight Terrors: Punchline and Knight Terrors: Catwoman.
Locke & Key 15th Anniversary “…Only Bad” Edition (IDW, $7.99): It’s been — egad! — 15 years since Locke & Key first debuted? Is that even possible? (Checks Wikipedia) Yep, I guess that is the case. Anyway, this commemorative reprint of the first issue actually has a new — and bad — ending, along with concept art and other bonus material.
Homicide: The Graphic Novel (First Second, $29.99): This is a graphic novel adaptation of David Simon’s Homicide, the true-crime book written after Simon spent a year shadowing Baltimore police. It inspired both Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Wire TV shows, and now Philippe Squarzoni has adapted it into a graphic novel.
The Buildings Are Barking: Diane Noomin in Memoriam (Fantagraphics, $7): Diane Noomin passed away almost a year ago, and in this memoir her husband Bill Griffith (Zippy the Pinhead) pays tribute to their life together.
Offshore Lightning (Drawn + Quarterly, $29.95): In this volume, D+Q collects several early works of manga creator Saito Nazuna, as well as two recent graphic novellas “In Captivity” and “Solitary Death Building.”
Doom Breaker (Webtoon Unscrolled, $19.99): Although we’ve seen Webtoon’s strips collected in print before by various publishers, this volume is one of the first comics to be collected as part of their new graphic novel imprint, Webtoon Unscrolled. Written and drawn by Blue-Deep, the story revolves around the last human fighting the forces of evil in a world abandoned by the gods.
Danny Phantom: A Glitch in Time (Amulet Books, $15.99): This new graphic novel by Gabriela Epstein follows immediately after the series finale of Nickelodeon’s animated series Danny Phantom, as Danny and his friends learn that Dark Danny has escaped his prison, which leads them on a time-travel adventure.