Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This is an extra-large week, with several compelling graphic novels and collections arriving just in time for your holiday shopping needs.
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 + Image + more)
- Diamond’s PreviewsWorld (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.
Spider-Boy #1 (Marvel, $5.99): The longtime sidekick of Spider-Man — who made his debut only a few months back — swings into his own solo series this week, courtesy of Dan Slott and Paco Medina. It promises to reveal some of the mystery behind the character as he once again works with Spider-Man, as they encounter “all-new villains and fan-favorite Spidey bad guys.”
Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War Scorched Earth #1 (DC, $5.99): The Gotham War comes to a close as Batman, Catwoman and the whole Bat-family have to find a way to work together to overcome Vandal Savage and his daughter, Scandal. The big conclusion is courtesy of Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard, Mike Hawthorne and Adriano Di Benedetto.
Ultimate Universe #1 (Marvel, $6.99): The new Ultimate Universe kicks off here as Jonathan Hickman and friends present a completely different take on “a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in.” This foundational issue, which paves the way for at least three new titles next year, features artwork by Stefano Caselli.
Blood Commandment #1 (Image, $3.99): Something Epic creator Szymon Kudrański takes a brief break from that series to focus on this miniseries about a father and son living in isolation, where their only worries are survival and vampires.
Stranger Things: The Voyage #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Crawling out of the Upside-Down is this new miniseries by writer Michael Moreci, illustrator Todor Hristov, colorist Francesco Segala and letterer Nate Piekos. The story’s about a boat captain returning a group of Russians back to their homeland from Alaska; the trip, as you might expect, doesn’t go according to plan.
Supergirl Special #1 (DC, $5.99): Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patridge help Supergirl find her place in the world — or maybe out of this world — as she feels redundant now that Power Girl has taken up residence in Metropolis.
The Space Between #1 (BOOM!, $4.99): The Expanse writer Corinna Bechko teams with Ghostlore artist Danny Luckert for this new miniseries about a spaceship called the Dodona and the cross-generational class warfare that occurs during its long voyage.
Red Light #1 (AWA, $3.99): Sarah Cho and Priscilla Petraites head into a futuristic red light district where an AI designed to serve her clients befriends an orphaned child and decides to escape her shackles.
Unnatural Order #1 (Vault Comics): How much this first issue will actually cost you depends on your retailer, as Vault is giving it to them for free. This supernatural fantasy/science fiction mash-up is by Chris Yost and Val Rodrigues, and involves a druid who has started an age of horrors across the world and whose only fear is a solider from a different time.
White Widow #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Sarah Gailey and Alessandro Miracolo put the spotlight on the Black Widow’s younger “sister,” Yelena Belova, who has been making waves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Detective Comics #1076 (DC, $5.99): Ram V and Jason Shawn Alexander kick off a new five-issue, bi-weekly storyline, “Outlaw,” that finds Batman possessed by a demon and set to hang for his crimes.
Faceless and the Family #1 (Oni Press, $7.99): The always interesting Matt Lesniewski writes and draws this new miniseries about an exiled wanderer on an alien planet seeking redemption.
Canary #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian’s 1890s supernatural western, which debuted as part of Snyder’s larger Comixology deal, comes to print, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics.
The Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special (DC, $9.99): It was 30 years ago that Superman died at the hands of Doomsday, and four mysterious replacements showed up in Metropolis. DC has brought back the original creative teams behind those four new Supermen for new stories about their creations, including Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Jerry Ordway, Karl Kesel, Brett Breeding, Jon Bogdanove, Butch Guice, Tom Grummett, Doug Hazlewood and more.
The Lumberjack Bride #1 (Bad Kids Press, $4.99): Stephen Coughlin writes and draws this story of a lumberjack bride left at the altar who now haunts the local woods with axe-wielding vengeance on her mind.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Special (DC, $6.99): Tim Seeley, Joey Esposito, Ethan Sacks, Miguel Mendonca, Ray-Anthony Height, Scot Eaton and more contribute stories to this anthology that ties into the upcoming film of the same name.
Fielder #2 (Drawn + Quarterly, $12): One of comics’ greatest treasures, Kevin Huizenga, is back with another short story collection featuring a new Glenn Ganges story, a sequel to The River at Night and more.
Unended (Uncivilized Books, $24.95): Josh Bayer’s latest work was prompted by a manuscript of an unfinished play he found inside his deceased father’s desk about the creator’s mother’s early death at age 37 and his father’s struggle with single parenthood.
Whisper of the Woods (Mad Cave, $19.99): Ennun Ana Iurov writes and draws this graphic novel about a man searching for a lost friend — and that search takes him right into the heart of a haunted forest in Romania.
The Witchfinder General Intern (1First Comics, $21.99): Chris “Doc” Wyatt and Chris Grine’s story of a Pentagon intern whose magical adventure starts when he’s assigned to the Department of Witchfinding is collected in one volume.
I Don’t Want to Be a Mom (Graphic Mundi, $19.95): Irene Olmo tells the autobiographical story of when she decided she didn’t want to have kids, and the ensuing reactions from family, friends and society.
I Must Be Dreaming (Bloomsbury, $27.99): Roz Chast is back with a new graphic novel that explores “Dream Theory Land,” a world in her mind guided by insights from poets, philosophers, and psychoanalysts alike.
Why is Everybody Yelling? (Square Fish, $17.95): Marisabina Russo’s debut graphic novel is about a Catholic girl in 1950s New York who discovers her family is actually Jewish and that her family members are Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
The Unlikely Story of Felix and MacAbber (Dark Horse, $24.99): Acclaimed letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou writes and letters this new graphic novel, with art by Juni Ba. It’s about “a brave young monster and their grouchy mentor on a heartfelt quest for redemption and growth in a world run by fear.”
The Hundredth Voice (Dark Horse, $19.99): The debut graphic novel by Maiden of the Machine creator Caitlin Like is about a family of singers who all have superb singing voices, but are cursed “to lose their gifts at the height of their success.”
Mariko Between Worlds (Mad Cave, $19.99): This new graphic novel by Matthew Erman and Liana Kangas is a rom-com set in 2099 that features out of this galaxy characters, magic portals and sexy aliens.
Middle Distance (SelfMadeHero, $19.99): In this new graphic novel, Mylo Choy tells a story about running, Buddhism and self-acceptance.
Pill Hill (Uncivilized Books, $34.95): Nicholas Breutzman explores themes of loss and fatherhood in this story of a divorced father trying to find the notorious “gum bandit,” who keeps leaving large amounts of chewed gum on the trees in a local park.
Bad Karma (Image, $29.99): The Panel Syndicate digital series by Alex de Campi, Ryan Howe and Dee Cunniffee arrives in a hardcover collection this week. It’s about two mercenaries who go on a Christmas road trip to free an old friend who is in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
Atlas Comics Library: Adventures into Terror (Fantagraphics, $34.99): This is the first of several hardcover volumes Fantagraphics will release collecting comics from Marvel’s 1950s Atlas Comics line. Fantagraphics plans to release collections of individual titles and compilations of a single artist, starting with this one featuring artist Joe Maneely.
Monster-Sized Hellboy (Dark Horse, $149.99): This 1500+ page tome collects “the main Hellboy story in the largest format ever,” including everything from Seed of Destruction through Hellboy in Hell and featuring the work of creator Mike Mignola, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Stewart, Clem Robins and more.
Jonna and the Unpossible Monsters Deluxe Edition (Oni Press, $44.99): Chris Samnee, artist of some pretty epic runs of Daredevil, Black Widow and Captain America, as well as the more recent Firepower, launched this creator-owned series in 2021 with his wife, Laura Samnee, about a pair of sisters — one of whom is missing on a planet filled with giant monsters, and the other who is looking for her. This week Oni collects all 12 issues into one volume, along with some “Making of” back matter.
Bodies (DC, $16.99): With a hot new Netflix series currently drawing people’s attention, DC collects the original Vertigo tale by Si Spencer and Dean Ormston about four detectives, four time periods and four dead bodies.
Marvel Comics Library: The Silver Surfer (Taschen America, $200): Marvel and Taschen’s partnership continues with this new volume of the 1968 Silver Surfer series by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and John Buscema. It collects the entire 18-issue run in a “cosmic-sized” XXL tome, every page shot with the highest production values from a pristine copy of the original comic book.
Super Sons Omnibus (DC, $125): The adventures of Batman and Superman’s sons prior to their more recent “aging up” get collected in this “Super Duper” volume that includes the work of Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and more.
Lore Olympus (Random House Worlds, $82.97): The first 75 episodes of the megapopular, award-winning Webtoon series by Rachel Smythe get collected in this boxed edition.
A Christmas Bestiary (Fantagraphics, $24.99): Finally, we’ll end with something that’s not a comic, but actually a collection of illustrations featuring “beasts to watch out for during a cozy Christmas.” It’s by John Kenn Mortensen and Benni Bodker, and seems like the perfect bridge between Halloween and Christmas.