Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.
This week the House of Brainiac kicks off in the Superman Family and related titles, while another comic emerges from the Spawn universe. Meanwhile, Winnie-the-Pooh entering the public domain nets us a beautiful new graphic novel, while a classic by Emily Carroll returns to print.
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! + Dynamite + more)
- ComicList (Pretty much all of the above)
- Amazon/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.
Action Comics #1064 (DC, $4.99): The crossover event House of Brainiac kicks off in this issue, courtesy of Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval. DC announced it back in November, as part of something they’re referring to as the Trinity of Evil that puts the spotlight on three villains who will be making life hell for the DC heroes this year. It’s a crossover that will feature the Superman family, Lobo, Green Lantern and more, as Brainiac puts together an army of Czarnians to invade Metropolis.
Uncanny Valley #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Tony Fleecs of Stray Dogs and Local Man fame teams with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artist Dave Wachter for this new series about 12-year-old named Oliver, whose powers connect him to a surreal, cartoon-ish world. “Baffled by the surreal cartoonish nature of his abilities and followed by a murder of peculiar crows, the mystery behind Oliver’s family history finally unfolds.”
Rat City #1 (Image, $3.99): Another comic in the Spawn universe debuts this week, this one by Erica Schultz and Ze Carlos. It’s set in the future and stars Peter Cairn, an ex-soldier, amputee and a Hellspawn who gets his powers from nanites in his prosthetic legs. This issue is an “extra length” kick off issue, making that $3.99 price even more impressive.
Monsters Are My Business #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Horror mastermind Cullen Bunn and Happy Horror Days artist Patrick Piazzalunga team up for a horror comedy series featuring a koala with a chainsaw. I mean, look at him, right there on the cover — who can resist such blood-hungry cuteness? And his name is Cuddles? Just take my money now.
Deadweights #1 (Ahoy, $3.99): What happens when super villains are fired for being bad at their jobs and try to integrate back into society? They become “deadweights,” and the subjects of this new miniseries by Tyrone Finch and Sebastián Píriz. The six-issue miniseries will follow Cannonbulk and Bounder, two evil mutants trying to go straight.
When the Blood Has Dried #1 (Mad Cave, $4.99): Gary Moloney and Daniel Romero Ulloa team up for this tale of an adventurer who settles down into a life of inkeeping and bartending. But their new life is threatened when the secret they carry, that they were actually a rogue masquerading as a noble hero, is in danger of coming to light.
Green Lantern #10 (DC, $4.99): This issue not only features a main story by Jeremy Adams and Xermanico, but also ties into the House of Brainiac crossover in its back-up story — which features artwork by legendary Justice League International artist Kevin Maguire. See what happens when Guy Gardner tracks down Lobo at an intergalactic wrestling event.
Hercules #1 (Dynamite, $4.99): Dynamite’s partnership with Disney continues as Elliott Kalan and George Kambadais tell new stories starring their “zero to hero” version of the Greek demigod. This issue has Aphrodite asking Hercules to help clean up her mess when she brings an artist’s statue to life, and it proves to be a bit rambunctious.
The Thief of Many Things #1 (IDW, $9.99): This extra-length tale by writers Jim Zub and Ellen Boener, and artist Eduardo Mello features two former lovers/rival thieves who team up to steal one of the most prized magic items in Baldur’s Gate — The infamous Deck of Many Things.
Silicon Bandits #1 (Magma Comix, $3.99): Writer/novelist Jason Starr reunites with artist Dalibor Talajić to tell a science fiction story about heists and robots. It’s about two programmers who lose their jobs to AI, so they program a bunch of robots to go on a crime spree.
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Archive Edition #1 (BOOM!, $4.99): It’s been around 35 years since the movie Labyrinth came out and Marvel published their comic book adaptation by Sid Jacobson, John Buscema and Romeo Tanghal. Now BOOM!, who has been publishing comics and graphic novels in partnership with The Jim Henson Company for years now, resurrects it with this “archive edition” of the first issue.
Adventures of the Gummi Bears (Fantagraphics, $34.99): Fantagraphics collects more stories from the old Disney Adventures and related magazines that featured their 1990s Disney Afternoon characters, In addition to the Gummi Bears, this hardcover also features Chip ‘n Dale and the Rescue Rangers, DuckTales and more.
Winnie-the-Pooh (Drawn and Quarterly, $29.95): Travis Dandro writes and draws this adaptation of A. A. Milne and E. H. Shepard’s original Pook stories, along with a brand new story.
Black Phoenix (Floating World, $100): Rich Tommaso’s comic magazine gets an omnibus-like collection after starting life on his Patreon and a successful Crowdfundr campaign. The magazine is “like a journey through comics history itself,” with each volume focusing on a creator or house style from the Golden Age of Comics. Tommaso has done a lot of really interesting things in comics, including Spy Seal and Clover Honey, just to name a couple, and this continues to show his creativity has no limits.
Blood City Rollers (Labyrinth Road, $13.99): This new graphic novel by V.P. Anderson and Tatiana Hill has a fun premise — an ice skater is kidnapped by vampires to round out their roller derby team. Mina is “sucked” (get it?) into the high-stakes world of Paranormal Roller Derby where she has to learn about both roller derby and the supernatural in order to impress her dreamy new team captain.
Botanica Drama (Pow Pow Comics, $23.95): This is the perfect day to talk about this graphic novel by Thomas Blais-Leblanc — it’s about the sun deciding, after billions of years, to sleep in instead of rising one day. Luckily the eclipse today was just an eclipse, or this one could have taken on a whole new meaning, you know? “With the Earth plunged into darkness, everyone from Philomène the flower to Death itself face dire consequences, trapped in an everlasting winter and surrounded by mysterious creatures that have emerged from the shadows. Can anything make the Sun shine again?”
When I Arrived at the Castle (Silver Sprocket, $16.99): Emily Carroll’s bloody, gothic horror graphic novel returns to print this week courtesy of a new publisher.
The Enfield Gang Massacre (Image, $16.99): Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips excellent spinoff miniseries from their excellent That Texas Blood series gets collected this week, so trade waiters take note. Enfield is about the early days of Ambrose County, where Texas Blood takes place, and details the battle between an aging Texas Ranger tasked with bringing order to the region and a gang of outlaws who like things the way they are.