Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Superman’s best friend gets an origin story in ‘Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton’

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

I’ve pulled out some of the 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 (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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton #1 (DC, $3.99): DC’s “Summer of Superman” initiative goes to the dogs this week, as the team of writer Ryan North and artists Mike Norton and Ian Herring return to Krypton to tell the story of Superman’s bestest pal Krypto. The five-issue miniseries will serve as an sort of origin story, taking the heroic canine from Krypton to Earth.

Godzilla vs. Avengers (Marvel, $4.99): David F. Walker and Georges Jeanty present the latest Godzilla vs. Marvel one-shot, as Godzilla continues his trip through time and comes into conflict with the Avengers team circa Brian Michael Bendis’ run in 2004 and beyond.

Star Trek Omega #1 (IDW, $5.99): Christopher Cantwell, Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and more wrap up the storyline that’s been brewing in the Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant comics over the last few years, and set the stage for what’s to come (hint: I think it’s the return of Captain Kirk!)

Star Wars Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Writer Cherish Chen and artist Gabriel Guzman bring Doctor Aphra into the New Republic era in an ongoing series set after the Battle of Jakku and the pardoning of Aphra by her friend Luke Skywalker.

The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos: Children of the Night #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Christopher Chaos and his friends in the Monster Club return in this miniseries by James Tynion Iv, Tate Brombal and Isaac Goodhart. This new adventure brings the Chaosverse’s version of Dr. Henry Jekyll, in addition to a scary new monster and an even scarier new school year.

Benjamin #1 (Oni Press, $5.99): Ben H. Winters and Leomacs’ new three-issue, prestige format series is about “the hallucinatory second life of a brilliant author who imagined our desperate future but never imagined he’d become part of it.”

Emma Frost: The White Queen #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Before Exceptional X-Men, the Quiet Council or Tony Stark, Emma Frost was one of the X-Men’s greatest villains. Amy Chu and Andrea Di Vito will return to those days in this five-issue miniseries that will “expose the inner workings of the Hellfire Club in a way you’ve never seen before and introducing some new baddies.”

Bytchcraft #1 (Mad Cave Studios, $4.99): Aaron Reese and Lema Carril present the story of a queer coven of witches “bound by magic and blood” who have not only a permanent magical eclipse to deal with, but also find themselves at the center of an ancient prophecy.

Jeff the Land Shark #1 (Marvel, $4.99): The little shark that could continues his quest for world domination as he leaps into his own solo ongoing series, courteys of courtesy of his co-creator, writer Kelly Thompson, and artist Tokitokoro.

Copra #50 (Image Comics, $3.99): And just like that, one of the best independent superhero-themed comics of all time comes to a close. Michel Fiffe’s homage to the Suicide Squad wraps up its epic run with an epilogue issue that brings everything to a close.

Bloodletter #1 (Image Comics, $3.99): Todd McFarlane’s quest to give every character who ever appeared in the pages of Spawn their own title continues, as this week brings Bloodletter, the story of Tasha Thornwall, who once was outed as a CIA operative by Al Simmons. Now the merc turns her guns on Spawn in a quest for revenge, by the impressive creative team of Joseph Illidge, Tim Seeley and Christian Rosado.

Kickturn (Knopf Books for Younger Readers, $17.99): Brie Spangler writes and draws this graphic novel about the daughter of a pair of influencers who travel the country in their RV shooting yoga videos for their subscribers — but all Lindy wants is a permanent home, some friends and a place to skateboard.

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen (Dynamite, $15.99): The only listing for Dynamite this week — and with all their woes following the bankruptcy of Diamond, it honestly makes me a little worried for them — is a graphic novel adaptation of Shea Ernshaw’s novel Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Long Live the Pumpkin Queen. It’s about Sally, the Frankenstein’ed heroine of the movie of the same name, and the trials and tribulations she goes through as the new queen of Halloween Town after marrying Jack Skellington. It’s adapted from prose into comics by Liz Marsham, Alessio Petillo and Ismeal Canale.