Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Kieron Gillen + Caspar Wijngaard unleash ‘The Power Fantasy’

Check out what comics and graphic novels will arrive in stores this week by Gail Simone, David Marquez, Leah Williams, Matteo Lolli, Daniel Hillyard, Al Ewing, Iban Coello, Stephanie Phillips, Goran Sudzuka, Valerio Schiti, Jed MacKay, Liam Sharp and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. There’s a LOT coming out this week, so let’s get to it.

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:

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.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Samuel Sattin on ‘Unico: Awakening’

The writer of the new manga based on the work of Osamu Tezuka talks about the project, what Tezuka means to him and more.

Osamu Tezuka, who is sometimes referred to as the “God of Manga” or the “Father of Manga,” left a legacy that endures well beyond his death in 1989. The prolific creator gave us such beloved manga as Astro Boy, Princess Knight, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack, Phoenix and Unico, among many others.

Two years ago Samuel Sattin, writer of recent Eisner nominee Buzzing, and the artist team known as Gurihiru had the opportunity to reimagine one of Tezuka’s creations for modern audiences — Unico, the story of a tiny unicorn who enraged the jealous goddess Venus, so the gods erase his memory and banish him across space and time. Unico is constantly jumping from era to era, where he must escape the gods and have his memory erased over and over again. His only ally is the West Wind, who feels sorry for him and tries to help him along his journey.

Sattin and Gurihiru teamed up for Unico: Awakening, which reintroduces the magical unicorn and draws from the original manga, while creating something new and inviting. After a successful Kickstarter, the first volume is getting a wide release courtesy of Scholastic this week.

I spoke with Sattin about the manga, the legacy of Tezuka and more. My thanks for his time.

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Saddle up for the origin of Venom Horse

The list of participants in the upcoming ‘Venom War’ crossover continues to grow, with Venom Horse, the Fantastic Four, Kang and Doctor Doom getting involved.

The first salvo in the Venom War will hit next week, and with it comes word that Al Ewing and Carlos Nieto will do a one-page comic in each issue to introduce you to the character find of 2024 — Venom Horse.

If you missed his appearance in the trailer for the third Venom film, Venom Horse is, well, a horse with a Venom symbiote. In the trailer it looks like he’s literally taken over by Eddie Brock’s Venom symbiote, but in the comic, who knows — but we’ll find out during Venom War with “this special bonus saga” that will “introduce Venom Horse and share his wild origins as he busts free of captivity.”

Clayton Crain is doing variant covers featuring Venom Horse for each issue of the miniseries:

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