Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.
I was hoping to have this out earlier, but, you know, it’s one of those days. Sometimes you get work done, sometimes you spend your time stress-eating leftover Halloween candy while you read election news. In any event, this next part of the U.S. election cycle could be another marathon, not a sprint, but at least tomorrow you should have plenty of comics to distract you.
There’s lots of great stuff, too; I’m happy to report that the Captain Marvel team — the ones who redesigned and rebooted Carol Danvers — are in full force this week, as Kelly Sue DeConnick and David López re-team for a creator-owned title at Dark Horse, while Captain Marvel designer Jamie McKelvie has his own new series debuting from DSTLRY. There’s also the third Absolute title landing, the comic book debut of a Marvel Cinematic Universe character and … DuckTales! (I assume you know what to do when someone yells “DuckTales,” right?)
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 Superman #1 (DC, $4.99): We’ve seen the new iterations of Wonder Woman and Batman coming out of DC’ Absolute Universe — and they were great! — so now the third member of the trinity joins them. Jason Aaron and Rafa Sandoval present a new Man of Steel with no family, no Fortress of Solitude and no home. “Will he still stand for truth, justice, and a better tomorrow in this new universe?” I’m guessing yes, but I’m looking forward to seeing what that looks like.
Kahhori, Reshaper of Worlds #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Following in the footsteps of Harley Quinn, Firestar, Morph and many other characters who first debuted on TV, Marvel brings Kahhori from the second season of the Disney+ animated series What If …? to comics this week. This anthology — billed as a Marvel’s Voices special, for Native American Heritage Month — features stories by Kahhori’s co-creator Ryan Little, along with Indigenous writers Arihhonni “Honni” David and Kelly Lynne D’Angelo, and artists David Cutler, Jim Terry and more.
FML #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Kelly Sue DeConnick and David López, the creators behind Marvel’s well-regarded reboot of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel some years ago, reunite for this new creator-owned series. FML, which stands for — well, search it up — is about a teenager and his mom navigating a world of modern terrors, punk rock music and magical realism.
JSA #1 (DC, $3.99): Jeff Lemire and Diego Olortegui bring us a new take on the Justice Society, with team line-up that seems to favor the old Infinity Inc. series I loved in my youth. Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Jade, Obsidian, Jesse Quick, Hourman and more face off with a new Injustice Society of America.
Something is Killing the Children #0 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera celebrate five years of Something Is Killing the Children with this zero issue set before the series that will feature Erica Slaughter and detail “the brutal hunt preceding her arrival in Archer’s Peak.”
Negasonic Teenage Warhead #1 (Marvel, $6.99): Andrew Wheeler and Eleonora Carlini’s Infinity Comic about Deadpool’s mutant sidekick comes to print, as Negasonic faces the Time Variance Authority over a crime she has not yet committed.
Rome Eternal #1 (Magma Comix, $3.99): Magma Comix continues its team-up with Ruptura Estudios with another title from their joint imprint, this one by Mexican writer Homero Rios and Argentine artist Diego Yapur. It’s about a world where the Roman Empire never fell, although it may be coming close, as a group of called the “Mithra Mysteries” plans to assassinate the emperor.
One for Sorrow #1 (DSTLRY, $8.99): So I’ve already read the first issue of this new series written and drawn by Jamie McKelvie, and I kind of love it. It’s a “gothic suspense thriller” about a turn-of-the-century serial killer called the Magpie, and McKelvie does an excellent job with world-building, character development and just providing a lot of fun twists and turns along the way. Plus, he drew it, so you know it looks great.
Batgirl #1 (DC, $3.99): The always-popular Cassandra Cain, who has played the role of supporting character in countless books over the last two decades, returns to her own solo title courtesy of Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa. “When a deadly group of assassins shows up to kill Cassandra, Lady Shiva comes to the rescue, and they must put their complicated past aside and work together as mother and daughter to ensure they make it out alive.”
Sweet Paprika: Open for Business #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): Mirka Andolfo’s award-winning Sweet Paprika series gets another spinoff miniseries by Steve Orlando and Italian artist Emilio Pilliu.
Living Hell #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Artist Caitlin Yarsky serves as writer for this one as well, as she presents a story about a demon named Jerome Jameel, who escapes from Hell to become a bartender on Earth. But this transgression leads to him becoming a bailiff for the underworld, hunting down deities, monsters, ghosts and more.
DuckTales #1 (Dynamite, $4.99): I think if you’re of a certain age, then anytime you see or read the word “DuckTales” you should automatically have the “Woo-oo!” go through your head, amiright? If not come out of your mouth … anyway, Uncle Scrooge and the boys return to comics in this new series by Brandon Montclare and Tommaso Ronda, which should provide plenty of reasons to “Woo-oo!” your heart out.
The Fade #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Professional TTRPG gamemaster and podcaster Aabria Iyengar teams with artist Mari Costa for this new miniseries about a college freshman in a world where people can pass over into a fantasy realm called The Fade while they sleep.
Hour of the Wolf #1 and Exit City #1 (Mad Cave Studios, $4.99 each): Mad Cave Studios CEO Mark London has teamed up with several different artists to launch a new shared universe called “Underworld,” which started in September with Revolution 9 and continues this week with two more series. Exit City, featuring art by Danilo Beyrouth, is a supernatural story about a man trying to save a family from a haunted painting, while Exit City, with art by Karl Mostert, is about to two detectives whose call to the scene of a brutal accident leads them into “a web of seedy criminals, genetic experiments and a crooked government.”
The Carlyle School for Kings #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Screenwriter Nelson Greaves teams with artist Davide Castelluccio for this new miniseries about school that trains kids to be kings — with all the “revenge, friendship, romance and betrayal” that comes with it.
Green Arrow Annual #1 (DC, $5.99): Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse wrap up their work on Green Arrow and his fam with this epilogue to their run, where Oliver Queen “goes on an epic journey as he is forced to find the last lost piece of his life.”
Little Batman: Month One #1 (DC, $4.99): If you enjoyed Merry Little Batman, the animated feature on Amazon that saw Damian Wayne taking up the Batman mantle to save Christmas from the Joker, then you might want to check out this new title. It’s by screenwriter Morgan Evans, who worked on the film, and artist Jon Mikel. It’s set a few days after that fateful night, as Damian must help save his dad’s New Year’s Eve party from a suspicious party crasher.