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 a big one for DC, as Absolute Power signals the end of one era and the All In special begins a new one. But that’s not all — there’s also a new Storm series, the debut of Hyde Street from Geoff Johns’ Ghost Machine, the return of Shadowman 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.
Absolute Power #4 (DC, $4.99): DC’s big crossover event — which has been excellent — wraps up this week, as Mark Waid and Dan Mora bring the conflict between Earth’s non-powered superheroes and Amanda Waller to a close. Just in time for …
DC All In Special (DC, $4.99): A brand new era kicks off for DC, as Scott Snyder returns to co-write this one-shot with Joshua Williamson. It’ll set up new stories both in the current DC universe and the new Absolute universe, and it all starts with a big battle between Earth’s heroes and Darkseid. It’s a flip book, featuring artwork on one side by Daniel Sampere and Wes Craig on the other, and if you’re wondering what’s up next for DC’s heroes, this is your starting point. Speaking of DC’s heroes …
Batman #153 (DC, $4.99): All In isn’t just a special that’s arriving this week, it’s also the name of the next DC era. And it continues this week in all of DC’s ongoing titles, as each of them kicks off new storylines, adds new creators, or both. This issue of Batman kicks off the “Dying City” storyline, as Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez introduce a new character, Commander Star, and murder one of Gotham’s greatest citizens.
DC Horror Presents Creature Commandos #1 (DC, $4.99): The Creature Commandos have gotten a lot of attention since James Gunn announced they’d get their own animated series as a part of his plans for DC’s properties on the big and small screen. They also return to comics this week in a new series by David Dastmalchian and Jesus Hervas that sports the new “DC Horror Presents” banner.
Storm #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Ororo Munroe flies solo in this new series by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck. In it, the former X-Men leader and current Avengers member takes on the role of prime protector of the planet, as she contends with a major meltdown at a nuclear facility in Oklahoma City.
Hyde Street #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, Danny Miki and Brad Anderson present a new family of horror titles as part of their Ghost Machine imprint. They kick it off with Hyde Street, which introduces characters like Mr. X-Ray; Pranky, the World’s Most Dangerous Scout; and Miss Goodbody.
Star Wars The Battle of Jakku: Insurgency Rising #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk, Stefano Raffaele and Jethro Morales kick off a new era of Star Wars comics set after the events of Return of the Jedi. It starts with the infamous Battle of Jakku, the final confrontation between an Empire struggling on without Vader or the Emperor, and the New Republic, a.k.a. the evolved Rebel Alliance. It’s also the battle that left the planet covered in dead starships, as seen in The Force Awakens.
Skin Police #1 (Oni Press, $4.99): Jordan Thomas and Daniel Gete team up for a series Oni Press calls “one of the most ecstatically over-the-top series” they’ve ever published. It’s a fast-paced, science fiction action thriller set in a future where black market clone babies are the norm, but one out of every four turns into a psychopathic killing machine. That’s where The Skin Police come in.
Shadowman: Soul Eaters #1 (Valiant, $4.99): This Resurgence tie-in by AJ Ampadu and Sergio Monjes brings not only the return of the horror hero Shadowman, but also one of the Valiant universe’s biggest villains, Master Darque.
DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis (DC, $9.99): This horror-themed anthology contains stories “set during the events of crises past,” from Flashpoint to Infinite Crisis to Zero Hour, and, of course, Crisis on Infinite Earths. Creators involved include Dan Didio, Rex Ogle, Sid Kotian, Adam Graphite and more.
Creeping Below #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Brian Azzarello returns to BOOM! for this series with artist Vanesa Del Rey. It’s about a woman killed at a black metal festival in Norway who gets a second chance at life — and revenge.
Robbie Reyes: Ghost Rider #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Jason Aaron left Robbie Reyes trapped inside the God Quarry at the end of his run on the title, but if you’ve been wondering what the former Avenger has been up to, you can find out here. This anthology includes a new story by Carlos Hernandez and Moises Hidalgo that not only shows what Robbie has been up to since getting stuck, but also how his family and friends have reacted to the loss. In addition, you’ll find stories by Felipe Smith, Daniel Bayliss, Melissa Flores, Jan Bazaldua and more.
Johnny Gatlin #1 (Zombie Love Studios, $4.99): Rodney Barnes and Szymon Kudranski expand the Killadelphia universe with this new series about Johnny Gatlin, an Old West gunfighter who is appointed the new sheriff of Hell.
I Hate Fairyland #16 (Image Comics, $3.99): Skottie Young and Brett Bean kick off a new storyline ominously called “Happy End Game.” It features Gert going up against an old foe who rises from the depths of hell with an undead army, and they want revenge.
Deadpool #7 (Marvel, $3.99): Spoiler alert: Deadpool is dead, so his daughter, Ellie Camacho, steps into his bright red shoes and takes up the mantle. Writer Cody Ziglar is joined by guest artist Andrea Di Vito and co-writer Alexis Quasarano for this new arc featuring an all-new Deadpool.
Big Guns, Stupid Rednecks #1 (Band of Bards, $4.99): Austin Allen Hamblin and Mariana Meira present the story of a retire detective searching for his missing brother, only to get abducted by aliens who throw him onto an intergalactic TV show called “Big Guns, Stupid Rednecks” where, as the title suggests, rednecks battle each other with big guns. And his brother is the reigning champion.
The Crumrin Chronicles Volume Three: The Wild & the Innocent (Oni Press, $14.99): Courtney Crumrin’s little brother, Will, has headlined two spin-off graphic novels of his own under the title The Crumrin Chronicles, and he returns this week for the third and final volume by series creator Ted Naifeh. Will was hoping for a low-key summer with his friends Tucker and Cinnamon at a summer camp, but things go from low-key to high stakes when their fellow campers start disappearing.
Lore Olympus V7 (Inklore, $21): Rachel Smythe’s award-winning modern take on the Greek gods gets its seventh collection. This volume collects episodes 153-179 of the Webtoon series, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Godzilla: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus (Marvel, $100): The 24-issue series by Doug Moench, Herb Trimpe and Tom Sutton that Marvel published back in the 1970s about Godzilla taking on the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, the Champions, Nick Fury and SHIELD, Devil Dinosaur and Red Ronin, among others, gets collected into one giant omnibus worthy of the king of monsters.