Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.
This week is pretty stacked, with not only a new Witchblade comic debuting, but we also have another X-Men: From the Ashes release, a new Gerard Way comic, Jason Aaron’s return to Marvel, the final Joe Matt comic and much more.
I’ve pulled out some of the other highlights for this week 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.
Witchblade #1 (Image/Top Cow, $4.99): Witchblade is arguably the most well-known creation to come out of Top Cow’s early days, and it returns in this new series by writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Giuseppe Cafaro. Along with Witchblade co-creator Marc Silvestri, the duo will reimagine Sara Pezzini’s origin as the Witchblade, offering “contemporary takes on familiar characters.”
Phoenix #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Jean Grey once again wields the power of the Phoenix in this new X-Men: From the Ashes series by Stephanie Phillips and Alessandro Miracolo. She also returns to space, as she answers a distress signal from Nova that rbings her into contact with a black hole.
The Powerpuff Girls #1 (Dynamite, $4.99): The Powerpuff Girls return to comics courtesy of Kelly Thompson and Paulina Ganucheau, as the trio fights crime and looks cute while doing it.
Paranoid Gardens #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Gerard Way and Shaun Simon return to comics with this six-issue miniseries that “combines Kafkaesque nightmares with sweet Silver Age reveries.” It also features artwork by the wonderful Chris Weston with colors by Dave Stewart.
Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter #1 (DC, $4.99): DC has enlisted fantasy novelist Jay Kristoff and Spanish artist Tirso to continue the Elseworlds story started by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri. This new story focuses on Deathstroke, an assassin who stalks a frozen wasteland, killing for coin among a nation of ever-warring jarls, who finds himself taking on the role of reluctant guardian. Taylor also returns to write a back-up story for the miniseries, with art by Riccardo Federici.
Biker Mice from Mars #1 (Oni Press, $4.99): The second miniseries from Oni’s NacelleVerse line arrives, as the Biker Mice from Mars once again rev up their bikes and attempt to save Mars from an invasion force looking to strip the red planet of its natural resources. Melissa Flores and Francis Portela bring Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie back to comics.
Namor #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Jason Aaron’s tenure at Marvel is not over, even if his exclusive contract did after his run on Avengers came to an end. Working with Paul Davidson and Alex Lins, Aaron will add some depth to Atlantis and the undersea kingdoms that Namor frequents in this eight-issue miniseries about Marvel’s first mutant.
Truth or Dare #1 (Archie Comics, $3.99): Ron Robbins and Laura Braga introduce a more adult take — and definitely a more horror-themed take — on the classic Archie character Trula Twyst. Created by writer Craig Boldman and artist Rex Lindsey, Trula debuted in 1997 as a new student at Riverdale High who used her interest in behavioral science “to manipulate Jughead and shake the stoic slacker’s resolve,” making him give up junk food. I can only imagine how that would translate into a Archie Horror title …
Luchaverse: Catalyst #1 (Massive, $5.99): Massive Publishing and Masked Republic, a company that represents luchadores outside of Mexico, are teaming up to launch The Luchaverse, a new line of comics starring luchadores like Rey Mysterio and Tiniebelas Jr., who are featured in this first issue. By day they might be fighting in the ring, but at night “those with an ancient secret lineage serve humanity as monster hunters and world protectors.” This issue features the work of Ivan Plaza, Marco Lopez, Ben Harvey, Diego Simone and more.
Joe Matt’s Peep Show #15 (Fantagraphics, $6.99): The new issue of Joe Matt’s Peepshow arrives 17 years after the previous one and less than a year after he died from a heart attack. With four pages of art left to be inked in this issue when Matt died, Chester Brown finished the art for this final issue, which Fantagraphics describes as “Joe Matt at his Joe Mattiest.”
Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Elektra Natchios once again headlines her own miniseries, as Erica Schultz and Michael Dowling send the Woman Without Fear to Madripoor to face Crossbones, the new Punisher and more.
Star Trek Annual #1 (IDW, $5.99): Detective Data is on the case in this story by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Rachael Stott, as Star Trek’s resident Sherlock Holmes fan searches for his “brother,” Lore, and tries to figure out what scheme he’s up to now. He’s joined by his “Watson,” Miles O’Brien!
The Last Wardens #1 (Mad Cave, $4.99): Elliot Sperl, Amit Tishler and Rui Silveira head back to the 1970s for a grindhouse-inspired adventure about 1970s small-town girl Daneille and her long-lost brother, who returns from the Vietnam War with a mutation and a team of paranormal misfits on his trail.
X-Men Blood Hunt: Laura Kinney the Wolverine (Marvel, $3.99): Stephanie Phillips and Robert Gill send Laura Kinney on a blood hunt, as she attempts to rescue mutants from the clutches of vampires who are experimenting on them.
Silk Cotton (Rosarium, $23.95): Colleen Douglas and Jesus C. Gan tell the story of a boy who finds out his real mother is actually a supernatural entity known as the Churlie Queen. The story draws from Caribbean legend, specifically the myths around the silk cotton tree and the spirits that reside inside them.
Goblin: The Wolf and the Well (Dark Horse, $19.99): Rikt the goblin is back and facing his greatest challenge, school, in this sequel graphic novel by Eric Grissom and Will Perkins.
Spider-Man: Cosmic Chaos (Abrams, $12.99): Mike Maihack is back with another Marvel Team-Up adventure, as Spider-Man heads into space to return the Silver Surfer’s surfboard to him. While in space, he teams up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to solve the mystery surrounding some cosmic talismans they’ve found.
Boulet’s Notes: Back in Time (Oni Press, $39.99): This hardcover collects several of famed French cartoonist Boulet’s comics, pulling from Boulet’s blog where he has regularly posted comic strips and observational comics for the last two decades.
The God List (Storm King, $21.99): Scott Hampton and Steve Niles team for this graphic novel from the publishing company run by film producer Sandy King and her husband, horror director John Carpenter. It’s about a bookseller who gets pulled into the fight against “sinister forces seeking to destroy… The God List, an inventory of secret masterpieces created by geniuses the world over in celebration of the creative Spirit.”
Space Usagi: Death and Honor (Dark Horse, $19.99): Dark Horse collects the classic Space Usagi tale “Death and Honor,” which is now in color courtesy of Emi Fujii, along with the more recent Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter one-shot. It features Usagi serving as a general in Lord Shirohoshi’s space fleet, tasked with keeping his heir safe from a murder plot.
Deadpool Roleplays the Marvel Universe (Marvel, $9.99): Deadpool arrives in the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game in the form of a “one-shot adventure” that includes not only an adventure to play, but also a new comic by classic Deadpool scribe Cullen Bunn and artist Mike Shelfer.