Ho ho ho and welcome to another Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.
This week brings a few more holiday anthologies, as well as a new Batman miniseries, another Minor Threats spinoff and an Alien series that sounds pretty fun. Marvel’s Ultimate line also marks its first year of publishing with a one-shot that brings in at least two new-but-familiar characters.
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.
Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1 (Marvel, $5.99): Nick Fury was a major player in the original Ultimate Universe, where he looked a lot like Samuel L. Jackson, but leave it to the new Ultimate Universe to throw us for a loop and present a Nick Fury that looks just like he stepped out of a Jim Steranko drawing. This one-shot marks one year of Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Universe, and it is by writers Deniz Camp and Chris Condon, with art by Jonas Scharf and Alessandro Cappuccio. The story promises to catch you up on what the Maker’s Council has been up to as they prepare for the return of the Maker to their world and introduce not only this world’s Fury, but also Ultimate Wolverine.
Batman: Dark Patterns #1 (DC, $4.99): Home Sick Pilots writer Dan Watters and Absolute Wonder Woman artist Hayden Sherman revisit the early days of Batman’s career in this 12-issue series that will delve into “four mysterious cases as he attempts to cement his place as Gotham City’s protector while the city itself fights back against him.”
From the World of Minor Threats: The Brood #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Heath Corson, I.N.J Culbard and Nate Piekos introduce the dysfunctional family of the world’s greatest villain in a spinoff of Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Scott Hepburn’s ever-growing Minor Threats line of titles.
Creepshow Holiday Special 2024 (Image/Skybound, $3.99): Tini Howard, Blake Howard, Stevan Subic, Rob Williams, Pye Parr and more contribute tales of mirth and terror to the latest holiday-themed collection of Skybound’s Creepshow title.
Shiver SuspenStories #1 (Oni Press/EC Comics, $7.99): The EC Comics revival presents 56 pages of horror, science fiction and war comics with a holiday theme, by creators like Jason Aaron, Ben H. Winters, David Lapham, Kano and more.
Laura Kinney: Wolverine #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Erica Schultz and Giada Belviso present a new solo series starring the NYX cast member, as the former X-23 takes on the enemies of mutantkind.
Superwoman Special #1 (DC, $5.99): How did Lois Lane once again gain super powers and become Superwoman? Joshua Williamson and Edwin Galmon are here to explain it all in this special that also features Silver Banshee, Atom, Mister Terrific and Supergirl.
Through the Boughs: A Winter Offering #1 (DSTLRY, $8.99): Following the release of Come Find Me: An Autumnal Offering in October, DSTLRY continues the seasonal anthology theme with this one centered on the winter holidays. It will include stories by James Tynion IV, Patrick McHale, Jim Campbell, Jensine Eckwall, Ryan Andrews, Sweeney Boo, K. Wroten, Grim Wilkins and Molly Mendoza.
In Bloom #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Michael W. Conrad and John J. Pearson um, cultivate this new series about the symbiotic fungal megasystems we all have living in our bodies and what happens when they bloom.
Alien: Paradiso #1 (Marvel, $4.99): A group of hyper-wealthy criminals living it up on a luxury planet get some uninvited guests in the latest Alien miniseries by Steve Foxe, Edgar Salazar and Peter Nguyen.
The City Beneath Her Feet #1 (DSTLRY, $8.99): James Tynion IV and Elsa Charretier team up on this new miniseries about a woman who discovers her mysterious ex was an assassin, and now that assassin’s colleagues are coming after her.
Gotham City Sirens Uncovered (DC, $5.99): DC’s latest “Uncovered” collection includes recent variant cover artwork from issues of Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy — a.k.a. the Gotham City Sirens.
The Infinity Watch #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Following the Infinity Watch crossover that ran through Marvel’s annuals earlier this year, Marvel launches a new series featuring the new characters spotlighted during the event who each have one of the Infinity Stones embedded inside them — along with Colleen Wing and Phil Coulson. It’s by Derek Landy and Rauiri Coleman.
Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): This new miniseries by Luana Vecchio presents the origin of Domino, the dark web dominatrix who appeared in her Lovesick series. According to the creator, “there won’t be any latex-clad dominatrixes or elegant cannibals here; the horror unfolds within the walls of home, in the online world, and through the journey of adolescence.”
Petpool Pool Party #1 (Marvel, $6.99): Get your paws on this one-shot by MacKenzie Cadenhead and Enid Balam that cikkects this summer’s Infinity Comic featuring Dogpool, Catpool and Mousepool — along with a new holiday story.
Parliment of Rooks (Ablaze, $4.99): Abigail Jill Harding and Richard Starkings’ gothic tale was originally published digitally as a Comixology Original, and now Ablaze is bringing it to print for the first time.
Midnight Radio (Oni Press, $17.99): Originally published in 2019 by Lion Forge before they merged with Oni, this graphic novel by Iolanda Zanfardino is about four different people in San Francisco who listen to a late night radio show that gets hijacked by “someone with a message for the world” — sending each of them on a new path.
Surfside Girls: The Clue in the Reef (Top Shelf, $19.99): Kim Dwinell is back with another chapter of her graphic novel series-turned-Apple TV show, as surfer girls Sam and Jade once again have to open their Journal of Weird and solve a mystery that involves “their most dangerous foe yet.”
Life Sucks (Fantagraphics, $19.99): Fantagraphics resurrects Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece’s gothic love story about a vegetarian vampire who is in a love triangle with a goth human and a psychotic surfer-vamp.
Space Circus (Dark Horse, $29.99): Mark Evanier, Sergio Aragones, Tom Luth and Stan Sakai — the team behind Groo the Wanderer — created this science fiction miniseries about a space circus back in 2000, and Dark Horse finally releases a collection this week.