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.
A Guest in the House (First Second, $27.99): Emily Carroll’s latest graphic novel is about a woman who marries a widower and moves in with him and his daughter — only to become haunted by the memory of his dead wife and obsessed with finding out what really happened to her. Horror at its best, in comics form.
Batman: Wayne Family Adventures and Vixen: NYC (DC/Webtoon, $14.99 each): Two of the series DC and Webtoon partnered on come to print, courtesy of DC. Batman: Wayne Family Adventures is by CRC Payne, StarBite and Maria Li, while Vixen NYC is by Jasmine Walls and Maniu Azumi.
The Complete Persepolis: 20th Anniversary Edition (Pantheon, $35): Marjane Satrapi’s award-winning and critically acclaimed graphic novel about her coming-of-age during the Islamic Revolution in Iran returns in a 20th anniversary edition. This hardcover includes both volumes of her groundbreaking story.
Ghost Book (Henry Holt, $14.99): Remy Lai writes and draws this graphic novel that draws from Chinese mythology. It’s about a girl, July, who can see ghosts — and the spirit she befriends during Hungry Ghost month.
Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend (Toon Books, $11.99): Noah Van Sciver and Marlena Myles delve into the real-life history of Paul Bunyan, a supposed legendary character that was actually created as a product of corporate marketing.
Us (Dark Horse, $19.99): This Spanish language graphic novel by Sara Soler, which tells the story of Soler and her partner Diana’s relationship over time, as well as the story of Diana’s gender transition, comes to the U.S. courtesy of translator Silvia Perea Labayen and letterer Joamette Gil.
Thor: The Mighty Avenger (Marvel, $13.99): If you’re looking for a great Thor to share with someone or just read on your own, you can’t go wrong with this one by Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee. Langridge has also said he’s working on what would amount to a spiritual successor to this series, which is good news indeed.
Real Hero Shit (Iron Circus, $12): This graphic novel, which was originally crowdfunded by Iron Circus, serves as Kendra Wells’ debut as both writer and artist. It’s about a pampered bastard prince who decides to be a hero, and the group of adventurers who have to deal with him as they attempt to save a town.
Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Benjamin Percy and Geoff Shaw kick off an event within an event, as Wolverine, who should be focused on all the chaos going on with Fall of X, teams up with Ghost Rider for this crossover between their titles. But hey, we always knew Wolverine was a multitasker who could show up in several titles in a given month, right? It’s in the character’s DNA.
Children of the Vault #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Speaking of Fall of X, Deniz Camp and Luca Maresca team up to show us what’s going with the Children of the Vault, the mega-evolved beings the X-Men first encountered back in X-Men #188, as Krakoa crumbles and the Children decide it’s up to them to save humanity.
Knight Terrors #3 (DC, $3.99): Joshua Williamson, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stefano Nesi and Caspar Wijngaard continue their tale of Deadman and Batman’s big team-up, as the duo face off with the Sleepless Knights AND a Damian Wayne who wants his dad back.
Various Knight Terrors miniseries (DC, $3.99/4.99 each): This week five more Knight Terror miniseries wrap up, bringing the Flash, Green Lantern, Sinestro, Mary Marvel, and two Robins — Tim Drake and Jason Todd — face to face with their worst nightmares. Plus, an awake Zatanna must contend with a Robotman who has been drafted to the dark side and been transformed into one of the Sleepless Knights.
Mech Cadets #1 (BOOM!, $4.99): The story from Mech Cadet Yu continues just in time for the Netflix show, as Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, with colors by Ian Herring, return to the team that successfully fought off an alien invasion in the previous series.
The Enfield Gang Massacre #1 (Image, $3.99): Writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips explore the history of Ambrose County, Texas, the setting for their excellent series That Texas Blood. Condon describes it as “tabula rasa” for anyone who hasn’t read That Texas Blood, as its a separate story and setting, with new characters.
The Madness #1 (AWA, $3.99): J. Michael Straczynski, aka JMS, and ACO present “a tale of bloody vengeance” as a thief who stole from the wrong people becomes the target of an assassination attempt by government-controlled superheroes — but they kill her family instead.
Superman Annual (DC, $5.99): Regular Superman writer Joshua Williamson teams with artists Mahmud Asrar, Max Raynor, Jack Herbert and Caitlin Yarsky for a series of stories featuring Lois Lane, Livewire, Parasite and Mercy — and also sets up a big Superman crossover for next year.
Spider-Man Annual (Marvel, $4.99): Contest of Chaos, the big event running through Marvel’s annuals this summer, kicks off in earnest as the chaos tournament started by Agatha Harkness brings Spider-Man into a confrontation with Wolverine. See what I mean? It’s in his DNA!
Killer Queens 2 #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): The Eisner Award and GLAD-nominated series returns with a new miniseries by writer David M. Booher and artist Bradley Clayton, as two reformed assassins-for-hire, Max and Alex, use their slay-worthy skills for good.
Dwellings #1 (Oni Press, $9.99): Cartoonist/animator Jay Stephens previosuly crowdfunded this collection of stories that combine the sensibilities of the old Harvey Comics line with shocking horror. Each issue is oversized and contains two full stories of despair, torment, murder and more.