Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week. Fall is here, it’s time to wake up the singer from Green Day and both DC and Marvel have big events kicking off this week.
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.
Absolute Evil (DC, $5.99): Al Ewing teams with artists Giuseppe Camuncoli and Stefano Nesi for a one-shot that brings the Absolute Universe’s villains together in a united front. Ra’s al Ghul, Veronica Cale, Hector Hammond, Elenore Thawne and the mysterious Joker are no longer working at cross-purposes—they’re aligned, united and dangerous. But an insidious betrayal from within threatens to unravel everything they’ve built. DC promises this special will introduce two Absolute characters who will shape the universe’s second year, making it essential reading for fans following this alternate timeline that’s been putting heroes at a disadvantage since its launch a year ago.
Justice League: The Omega Act (DC, $5.99): DC’s other big release this week, setting the stage for what’s happening in the regular DC universe. Joshua Williamson and Yasmine Putri set up the next DC crossover in this prelude one-shot that features the Time Trapper and Darkseid’s Legion. Having witnessed a future that’s already lost, the Time Trapper offers the Justice League a final chance to rewrite fate—but it means making an impossible offer. DC promises this is the culmination of everything since the DC All In Special #1, introducing the tournament concept that will play out in DC K.O.
X-Men: Age of Revelation Overture #1 (Marvel, $5.99): Speaking of events … Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman launch a new era set 10 years in the future, where the Revelation Territories stretch from the Atlantic to the Mississippi—a mutant utopia ruled by Doug Ramsey, the Heir of Apocalypse. But rebellion brews beneath the surface as a ragtag X-Men team strikes from the shadows while Revelation faces threats from within. This special sets up the Age of Revelation, giving readers a glimpse at a dystopian future where Apocalypse’s legacy has reshaped the landscape.
G.I. Joe: Cold Slither (Image Comics, $3.99): Tim Seeley and Juann Cabal deliver what might be the most unexpected comic of the year—the “true” (well, kinda) story of what happened to Cold Slither, told through the eyes of the band themselves (who were definitely not the Dreadnoks on an undercover mission). As Cobra tops the charts and dominates the world, can G.I. Joe find a way to change the tune? For those who remember the gloriously absurd Cold Slither from the ’80s G.I. Joe cartoon, this looks like a gleeful deep cut that leans into the franchise’s campier moments
Minor Threats: The Last Devil Left Alive #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum continue their superhero saga with artist Scott Hepburn, picking up three years after Frankie Follis hit rock bottom. The former crime boss known as Playtime saw her empire crumble after her ex-lover Scalpel’s betrayal and her secret deal with The Continuum was exposed, forcing her underground. Now she’s resurfaced, recruiting allies from both sides of the law to uncover a secret threatening Twilight City.
Venom #250 (Marvel, $7.99): Al Ewing and Charles Soule team with artists Terry Dodson and Carlos Gomez for this legacy 250th issue that brings back one of the symbiote’s greatest threats. Venom and Mary Jane Watson are stuck together as life keeps hitting them hard, but things are about to get worse. While they struggle on Earth, the Cult of the Void gathers in deep space, and only one Skrull soldier knows their terrible secret: Knull has returned. Cover artist Ryan Stegman, who co-created Knull alongside writer Donny Cates in 2018, illustrates this milestone issue’s cover.
Gotham Academy: First Year #1 (DC, $3.99): Original creators Brenden Fletcher, Karl Kerschl and Becky Cloonan reunite with new interior artist Marco Ferrari for a six-issue miniseries that takes us back to Olive Silverlock’s first year at Gotham Academy. Set before the events of the well-regarded previous series, this prequel promises to explore the early days at the Academy with Ferrari bringing fresh energy to the halls and characters that fans fell in love with.
Author Immortal #1 (Image Comics, $4.99): Frank J. Barbiere and Morgan Beem launch a literary fantasy about failed writer Hector Ramirez, who gets the opportunity of a lifetime: helping reboot the fantasy series that defined his childhood. But when he discovers the original author has mysteriously vanished into his fictional world, Hector is pulled into a realm where stories are alive and some are willing to kill to stay in control.
The Last Day of HP Lovecraft #1 (BOOM! Studios, $4.99): Romuald Giulivo and Jakub Rebelka adapt the hit French graphic novel for this dreamlike exploration of the horror master’s final moments. Designed as a strange Gothic cathedral, the story follows a complex and tortured man facing his choices, his writings and his mistakes at the very end of his life.
White Tiger: Reborn #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Daniel José Older, Cynthia Pelayo, Moises Hidalgo and more celebrate Hispanic and Latin America Heritage Month with a special honoring the Latin hero White Tiger. Ava Ayala returns to her old stomping grounds to protect the innocent, but gets pulled into a mystery that forces her to confront her family’s murder and the convoluted history of the White Tiger mantle. Things get even stranger when she comes face-to-face with her dead brother Hector Ayala, the original White Tiger.
Gunpowder Prophets: Death in Texas #1 (Mad Cave, $4.99): Justin Jordan and Patrick Piazzalunga deliver gonzo, over-the-top action horror with Huck and Marley, a pair who help people for money—though their “help” always involves massive property damage, guaranteed supernatural collisions and, if Marley has his way, a huge body count. A simple job rescuing a girl from a backwoods cult turns weird when the groovy leader’s supernatural powers turn out to be very real. Jordan promises ’70s-style horror mixed with grindhouse action in this five-issue series.
Starship Godzilla #1 (IDW, $4.99): Chris Gooch and Oliver Ono take the Kai-Sei era of Godzilla comics to space with a brand-new Mechagodzilla for what might be the wildest pitch in the franchise. This ragtag crew flies through the galaxy inside Mechagodzilla, taking high-risk missions to capture and transport titanic monsters–all while staying out of local politics. But when a galactic conspiracy pulls them into a conflict, staying neutral might not be an option. This looks like pure kaiju space opera fun.
Spirits of Violence #1 (Marvel, $4.99): Sabir Pirzada and Paul Davidson bring together Ghost Riders past, present and future for what promises to be the most climactic ride in the franchise’s history. Johnny Blaze, Danny Ketch, Robbie Reyes, Kushala, Fantasma, Hellverine and more must unite when a strange group of villains sets a sinister plan in motion. At the center of it all is the mysterious Spirit of Violence, bringing horrors from Johnny Blaze’s and Danny Ketch’s pasts.
Roots of Madness #1 (Ignition Press, $3.99): Stephanie Williams and Letizia Cadonici deliver a haunting alternate history inspired by Madame CJ Walker that blends tradition with cosmic horror. At the turn of the 20th century, Etta inherits her late mother’s ability to create special medicines—along with a book full of recipes, strange symbols and dark musings she doesn’t quite understand. When the Meridian Fellowship offers her a spot at their Savannah institute to research safer hair-straightening solutions for Black women, Etta jumps at the chance. But the sprawling establishment is surrounded by natural wonders that may unlock the mysteries of her mother’s work—if dark forces don’t claim her first.
DC’s Zatannic Panic (DC, $9.99): DC’s annual Halloween special arrives with stories featuring Batman, Ambush Bug, Raven, The Demon, Plastic Man, Swamp Thing and Zatanna from creators like Daniel Warren Johnson, Andrew MacLean, Cavan Scott, John McCrea, Riley Rossmo and Don Aguillo.
Adventure Time: The Bubbline College Special #1 (Oni Press, $7.99): Ignatz and Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Caroline Cash takes Princess Bubblegum and Marceline to an alternate universe for a giant-sized college adventure. Bubblegum’s just started at Ooo University (double majoring in chemistry and princess, natch), but between difficult roommates, overreaching bodyguards, assassination attempts and a full class schedule, surviving freshman year won’t be easy. Luckily, a super-cool, super-mysterious flying vampire she’s maybe falling in love with might help.
Masters of the Universe: Andra #1 (Dark Horse, $6.99): Tiffany Smith, the actor who voices Andra in Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Revolution, teams with artist Adriana Melo for a one-shot that puts the new Man-at-Arms front and center. Andra’s struggling to train new cadets while dealing with her own self-doubt, but when a call for help on Orkas Island reveals a magical threat from the evil Count Marzo, she’ll need to dig into her past and find her own power to save Eternia.
X-Men: The Undertow #1 (Marvel, $5.99): Alex Paknadel and Tim Seeley team with artists Diogenes Neves and Eric Koda to explore what’s happening with several X-Men in a post-Krakoa world, including Lifeguard and Beak. This collection brings together the fan-favorite X-Men: From the Ashes #19-25 for the first time in print, capturing the uncertainty facing mutants in a new era.
Kill All Immortals II #1 (Dark Horse, $4.99): Zack Kaplan and Fico Ossio return with part two of their series about the Asvalds, a powerful billionaire Viking family whose secret immortality came to an end when daughter Frey led her brothers in rebellion against their barbaric father. Now mortal and vulnerable, the family faces an ancient supernatural adversary threatening to destroy their empire and kill them one by one. This five-issue series picks up where the first volume left off.
Over Easy (Drawn + Quarterly, $24.95): Mimi Pond delivers a semi-memoir about diners, drugs and California in the 1970s. When Margaret gets denied financial aid for her last year of art school, she finds salvation at the Imperial Café, transforming into “Madge” among a crew of wisecracking, fast-talking, drug-taking adults who seem exotic and grown-up—until she realizes they’re a mess of contradictions, misplaced artistic ambitions and dependencies. Pond’s chatty, slyly observant storytelling captures a specific moment in late ’70s California—deadheads, punks, disco rollers, casual sex—while charting one young woman’s journey from naïve art-school dropout to self-aware artist.