Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. Things typically tend to slow down at this time of year, but this week brings several notable releases for your end-of-the-year reading pleasure.
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.
New Gods #1 (DC, $3.99): Ram V and Evan Cagle present a new take on a classic Jack Kirby creation. The death of Darkseid has thrown New Genesis and Apokolips into chaos and conflict, while on Earth Big Barda and Mister Miracle deal with parenthood.
Hellverine #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Spinning out of the Ghost Rider/Wolverine crossover series, Benjamin Percy and Raffaele Ienco resurrect Hellverine, who is now the demon-possessed Akihiro, Wolverine’s son. In thsi first issue, Doctor Strange shows up to help Akihiro learn to deal with his new demon friend.
Freddie the Fix #1 (Image Comics, $7.99): This one-shot by Garth Ennis and Mike Perkins is the first entry from Ninth Circle, a new imprint at Image Comics. It’s about a “fixer” in Hollywood who handles problems for the supernatural set, including werewolves, vampires, zombies, aliens, bogeymen and more.
Challengers of the Unknown #1 (DC, $3.99): The Challengers are back in action as an arm of Justice League Unlimited in this new series by Christopher Cantwell and Sean Izaakse. And they’ve got some new members — namely Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman.
Gargoyles Winter Special (Dynamite, $5.99): Greg Weisman, Nate Cosby and George Kambadais present a holiday tale featuring Bronx, who helps a family trapped in the snowfall that’s covered New York.
Green Lantern/Green Arrow World’s Finest Special (DC, $5.99): Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s recent run on World’s Finest showed that there are plenty of stories to tell from DC’s past. In that vein, this special reunites Oliver Queen and Hal Jordan for a story from the past featuring Deathstroke the Assassin. It’s by Jeremy Adams and Lucas Meyer, and also features a back-up story starring Barry Allen’s Flash by Adams and Travis Mercer.
TVA #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Writer Katharyn Blair, who worked on the Disney+ Loki series, joins artist Pere Perez on this new series featuring the Time Variance Authority. Look for appearances by Captain Carter, Spider-Gwen, Miss Minutes and more.
Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger #1 (Image Comics, $2.99): Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex) and Patric Reynolds team up to tell the origin story of the Gunslinger, the Spawn from the Old West.
Missing on the Moon #1 (Mad Cave Studios, $4.99): Cory Crater and Damian Couceiro present the story of a detective who operates out of the first human colony on the moon, as he navigates “a world of undead drug addicts, mechanized robocops, and blue-skinned Soviets” to find a billionaire’s missing daughter.
Motherfu*cin’ Monsters (Image Comics, $3.99): J. Holtham of TV’s The Handmaid’s Tale teams with artist Michael Lee Harris for this one-shot that’s a part of Pornsak Pichetshote’s The Horizon Experiment, a line of one-shots by various creative teams “featuring original protagonists from marginalized backgrounds set in a popular genre and inspired by pop culture icons.” This one is described as “Evil Dead for Black nerds.”
Alligator Loki Holiday Special (Marvel, $6.99): This one-shot collects issues of the Marvel Unlimited digital title by Alyssa Wong and Bob Quinn, along with a new holiday-themed tale.
Damned #1 (Fantagraphics, $6.99): Eric Haven is back with a new comic about modern boating, psychotherapy, ham sandwiches and unrequited love at a toy convention.
Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse (Oni Press, $19.99): Alex Paknadel and Troy Little’s popular comic series based on the popular cozy roguelike video game gets collected, as our hero Lamb battles the Four Bishops of the Old Faith.