Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics and graphic novels are arriving this week. With July having five weeks, this Wednesday will be packed with one-shots and specials from the big two.
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 + Mad Cave + 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.
Speed Racer #1 (Mad Cave Studios, $4.99): Writer David Pepose and artist Davide Tinto will chart a new path for the Demon on Wheels in this new ongoing series featuring the popular characters from Tatsunoko Production’s classic anime Mach GoGoGo.
“Buckle your seatbelts, comic fans… we’re putting the pedal to the metal with the return of Speed Racer,” Pepose said. “I couldn’t be more excited to launch this brand-new series based on the classic cartoon — think of Rocky in a race car, as we push Speed to his absolute limits and beyond in the high-octane Formula X Championship League. As he drives the legendary Mach 5, can even Speed move fast enough to save his family and bring justice back to the tracks? Starting this Free Comic Book Day, get ready for more action, heart and car chases than you can imagine in the pages of Speed Racer!”
Justice League Dark Tomorrow Special (DC, $5.99): In the wake of the “We Are Yesterday” crossover that ran through Justice League Unlimited and World’s Finest comes this one-shot by Mark Waid, Marc Guggenheim and Cian Tormey.
If you read the crossover, you know that it involved time travel, and a ragtag team of time-displaced heroes ended up in the Justice League Watchtower. If you’re wondering how that might involve Guggenheim, who worked on The CW’s DC shows, DC is already using the name “Legends of Tomorrow” “to describe this new group, which will include Batman Beyond, Helena Wayne, Gold Beetle and more.
Savage Wolverine #1 (Marvel, $4.99): The creator of the acclaimed webcomic Kill Six Billion Demons, Tom Bloom, teams with artist Devmalya Pramanik to send Logan on a bloody ride through the American West. Described as “action-packed horror,” this series finds Krakoa’s past sins catching up with all mutantkind. Originally an Infinity Comic, this marks its first time in print.
Godzilla vs. America: Boston (IDW, $4.99): After stomping through previous cities on his great American road trip, the King of the Monsters sets his sights on Beantown. This third installment features a lineup of Boston-based creators including Hayden Sherman, Jessie Lonergan, Steve Orlando and Matt Emmons.
Spider-Man vs. the Sinister Sixteen (Marvel, $4.99): J. Michael Straczynski’s final entry in his eclectic series of team-up one-shots comes to a finish, as he and artist Phil Noto put a character JMS is very familiar with, Spider-Man, up against an expanded roster of foes.
DC’s Kal-El-Fornia Love (DC, $9.99): This seems appropriate the week after the San Diego Comic-Con. DC’s seasonal anthology line continues with this almost-too-cleverly titled special. Featuring a cover by Bernard Chang, the special has stories by Bryan Q. Miller, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Juni Ba, Travis Mercer and more, starring members of the Superman Family as they visit the West Coast.
Far Cry: Cull The Herd #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Based on the video game franchise, this new series serves as a prologue exploring the backstories of key characters, including a young Pagan Min’s clash with his Triad drug lord father and the mysterious priestess Batari. If you’re familiar with the games’ blend of violence and mysticism, this looks to capture that same volatile energy. It’s written by Ryan Nichols with art by Caterina Bacchelli.
Nightwing Annual #1 (DC, $5.99): Dan Watters and Francesco Francavilla, who both have a solid background in horror comics, bring those skills into play in this year’s Nightwing Annual:
Commissioner Maggie Sawyer digs into the past crimes of the mysterious Olivia Pearce—and discovers far more than she bargained for when she uncovers the existence of a strange and terrible entity. What is the Zanni, where does it come from…and what are its true plans for Nightwing?
What If … Goofy Became Spider-Man? (Marvel, $4.99): Marvel’s mash-ups with Disney must be doing well, because they keep cranking them out faster than you can say “corporate synergy.” Steve Behling, Riccardo Secchi and Francesco D’ippolito show us what happens when you give Goofy the powers of Spider-Man.
Titans Annual #1 (DC, $5.99): Recent Eisner winner Phil Jimenez writes and draws this year’s Titans Annual, which is focused on Donna Troy:
Donna Troy reflects on the many loves and lives that shaped her as she cuts a trail through New York City to meet her estranged father for the very first time. But what awaits her at the end of her journey will shock Donna and readers alike!
G.O.D.S.: One World Under Doom (Marvel, $4.99): Doctor Doom’s dominance over the Earth following his ascension to Sorcerer Supreme has not gone unnoticed by the Marvel Universe’s cosmic players, and in this one-shot Ryan North and Francesco Mortarino show us how the characters from Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S. react to Doom’s new job.
Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories—Tides of Terror #1 (Dark Horse, $3.99): Jedi Master Kit Fisto gets the spotlight in this four-issue deep-sea adventure by George Mann and Luis Morocho. What starts as a diplomatic mission to investigate an underwater research facility on the ocean planet Torbus quickly becomes a rescue mission when disaster strikes and hungry leviathans start circling.
Bring On The Bad Guys: Loki #1 (Marvel, $4.99): The God of Mischief faces off against Mephisto, the Lord of Lies, in what’s described as a centuries-old battle of wits. When Mephisto demands Loki retrieve the soul of one of Khonshu’s agents, you can bet the trickster god has his own agenda. This is the fourth entry in Marvel’s seven-part villainous one-shot series, and it’s by Marc Guggenheim, Anthony Oliveira, Jethro Morales, Michael Sta. Maria and more.
Monster High: World’s Scare #1 (IDW, $5.99): Jacque Aye and Caroline Shuda bring us a double-sized first issue for the latest Monster High series, as Frankie Stein, Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, and the gang start a new scaremester. The World’s Scare exhibition is coming to New Salem, and Frankie’s dreaming up something monstrous to honor her late father, Headmaster Frankenstein.
Fence Breakthrough: Game Changer #1 (BOOM!, $3.99): The popular fencing series by C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad continues in this one-shot, as Kings Row advances to the final sixteen in the championships. It’s sports drama with personal stakes, as the road to Exton, and those final scores to settle, gets closer.
Werewolf by Night: Blood Moon Rise #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Michael Giacchino, director of the excellent Disney+ Werewolf by Night special from a couple years ago, returns to the character in this one-shot. Together he and artist David Messina send Jack Russell head-to-head with Dracula. Current Werewolf by Night: Red Band writer Jason Loo contributes a back-up story.
The 4th Rope #1 (Tokyopop, #4.99): This new title about an intergalactic wrestling federation is from Johnny O’Bryant III’s Noir Caesar, an anime and manga company he formed to amplify “diverse voices and stories” from around the globe. He’s teamed up with writer Marcus Kwabena- Johnson and artist John Concepcion for the story of Mazi Bullox, an up-and-coming challenger to the reigning champion LaFlare.
Star Wars: The High Republic—The Finale #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): As the title suggests, this is it—the end of the beginning for the multimedia High Republic initiative. With guest appearances from characters across the entire High Republic saga, this promises to be the definitive capstone to one of Star Wars’ recent ambitious publishing project.
The War #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): After a three-part run in BOOM! Studios’ horror anthology Hello Darkness, Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan’s story of post-apocalyptic societal collapse jumps into its own three-issue series.
In the Land of Simplicity (Pantheon, $29): Mattie Lubchansky, who we just heard from earlier this week, is back with her latest graphic novel. Set about 50 years in the future after the dissolution of the United States, it’s about a timid academic sent out from the walled dystopian security territory of New York City to investigate a cult in the wilds of the Catskill Mountains.
Masks (Andrews McMeel, $14.99): This graphic novel by Margaret Rae, Brian Nathanson, Beck Kubrick and Thomas Philipson is about three monster children — Poe, Rice and Shelley — who hide from the outside world every night except one, Halloween.