Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC’s Absolute Universe arrives

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Mark Waid, Clayton Henry, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Javier Fernandez, Matt Bors, Fred Harper, AJ Mendez, Aimee Garcia, Belén Culebras, Eric Drooker, Roman Dirge, Steve Orlando and more.

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

This week DC goes “all in” not just with the launch of the Absolute Universe, but also with the release of several titles featuring new creative teams and stories. Returning to comics this week are Blade (fresh off his heel turn in Blood Hunt), the Toxic Avenger and the Terminator. Also, in case you forgot this was October, there’s plenty of new horror titles kicking off this week.

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:

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.

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‘Blade: Red Band’ by Bryan Edward Hill + C.F. Villa will launch in October

The new title will spin out of ‘Blood Hunt’ and come polybagged to protect the squeamish.

While Blood Hunt has raised a lot of questions about what’s going on with Blade, we know that the crossover event won’t be the end of the Daywalker’s story. Marvel has announced a “Red Band” title featuring the vampire hunter will launch in October.

Writer Bryan Edward Hill, who wrote the Blade comic that preceded Blood Hunt and the Midnight Sons: Blood Hunt miniseries that’s picked up on some of those threads, will write the title, with C.F. Villa (Avengers) on art. This is the second Red Band title coming out of Blood Hunt; Marvel had previously announced a Werewolf By Night title that is also labeled as Red Band. The “Red Band” label means it’ll come polybagged and have a “Parental Advisory” label on it, “to keep those weak of heart from experiencing its intensity.”

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Bloodhunting 1 | A roundtable on Marvel’s vampire-infested summer event

The Smash Pages crew digs into the first issue of Marvel’s ‘Blood Hunt.’

Marvel’s next big event is here — Blood Hunt, a crossover series they’ve spent months building toward with announcements about tie-ins, miniseries and even a Red Band edition that features more blood.

The first issue came out last Wednesday, and just like Captain America is assembling a new team of Avengers to fight off the vampire hordes, we’ve assembled the Smash Pages team — myself, Shane Bailey and Tom Bondurant — to talk about the event. So here’s our first “Bloodhunting” roundtable, with more to come in the weeks ahead.

This time around we talk about Blood Hunt #1, as well as the Free Comic Book Day issue and another recent series that might have served as a prelude. Please note there are heavy duty SPOILERS in this discussion related to the story, so only enter if you dare.

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Slugfest | ‘Antarctica’ will continue as an ongoing

Plus: a new ‘Alien’ series, Marv Wolfman returns to ‘Tomb of Dracula,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ tribute covers and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Antarctica by Simon Birks and Willi Roberts, the Top Cow miniseries that debuted in July, will continue as an ongoing series after issue #5.

“If readers already love the first two issues of volume one, they’re going to love this new arc as we get the chance to delve deep into the previous events surrounding the Fracture and explore the Hannahs’ stories,” Birks said. “We’re thrilled to once again be working with the team at Top Cow. Not only have they been professional, but they’ve really taken the time to get to know us, and I’m delighted they love the book as much as we do. Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I’m excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end. As if one married The Fugitive with The Cabin in the Woods.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Hawkgirl,’ ‘Blade,’ ‘Big Game’ and more debut

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Jadzia Axelrod, Amancay Nahuelpan, Bryan Hill, Elena Casagrande, David Pepose, Marcelo Ferreira, Scott Snyder, Liam Sharpe, Philippe Squarzoni and more.

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

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights 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:

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Hawkgirl,’ ‘Blade,’ ‘Big Game’ and more debut”

Slugfest | Mary Jane officially becomes a superhero in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #31

Plus: News on the Witcher’s next comic series, White Widow, ‘Coda’ returns, Ram V and Filipe Andrade reunite, ‘Killer Queens’ is back, and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel has been teasing Mary Jane Watson’s new power set, most notably in the recent Mary Jane & Black Cat miniseries, but the longtime supporting character will put on a costume and go full superhero in Amazing Spider-Man #31.

The oversized issue will not only feature a story by the regular creative team of Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr., but also will include a story by Celeste Bronfman and Alba Glez that features Mary Jane suiting up to become Jackpot.

Here’s a look at her costume, designed by Humberto Ramos:

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NYCC: Marvel announces new projects featuring Bloodline, Bishop and more

The Marvel’s Voices panel at the New York Comic Con brought news from Wakanda, Krakoa and the far reaches of space.

During their Marvel’s Voices panel at the New York Comic Con today, Marvel announced several upcoming projects for February that tie into Black History Month, including a new Marvel’s Voices anthology, a Bloodline miniseries and more.

Let’s start with the new Marvel’s Voices anthology, which this time around will focus on a specific set of characters: Marvel’s Voices: Wakanda Forever. The stories will feature Black Panther, Shuri, Okoye and more by as-yet-unrevealed creative teams.

Ken Lashley provides the cover:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Devil’s Reign,’ Batman’s new creative team, Old Ma’am Buffy and more

Check out what’s arriving in stores this week from Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Joshua Williamson, Jorge Molina, Mark Russell, Steve Lieber, Ana Galvan and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. This week sees the kickoff of Marvel’s next big event, a new creative team for Batman, Buffy’s last stand and a whole lot more.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights 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:

Also, 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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Devil’s Reign,’ Batman’s new creative team, Old Ma’am Buffy and more”

Can’t Wait for Comics | Prepare for Halloween with a look at this week’s spooky comics

Check out new comics and graphic novels coming out this week by James Tynion IV, Matthew Rosenberg, Eddy Barrows, Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, Mike Mignola and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. And this week things get spookier than normal — so spooky, in fact, with so many horror-themed comics, that I’m doing two editions of Can’t Wait for Wednesday — this super scary one and a regular, not-so-scary one coming tomorrow.

Check out the spin-tingling highlights below, or visit Diamond’s website for this week’s almost complete list of new comics arriving in stores. You can visit Lunar Distribution’s home page to see DC’s releases and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

I should also add that the list of what is actually arriving at your local shop can vary from what’s on anyone’s official website for a myriad of reasons — so always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Mail Call | Tynion offers first ‘Blue Book’ for free

Check out news and updates from Marvel, Dark Horse, Top Shelf, Image Comics and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes recently from comics publishers, creators and more. Hit the links for more information.

James Tynion IV was one of the first creators out of the gate with his plans for his premium Substack newsletter subscription, announcing a new comic called Blue Book with artist Michael Avon Oeming that he planned to share with paid subscribers.

But even if you aren’t a paid subscriber, you can still check out the first one, which he posted for free a couple days ago.

Blue Book is a passion project for myself and Michael Avon Oeming,” Tynion wrote. “We share a lifelong fascination with UFOs and a lifelong frustration with how those stories have been adapted into other media. There is a strangeness in the original accounts of UFO sightings that usually gets swept aside, but Michael and I want to lean into the strangeness. These are human stories of ordinary people who brush against the unknown and must grapple with what they see there. There is a deeper truth, whether you believe in the accounts or not, that lies in the many ways people tell these stories.”

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Mail Call | ‘X-Men: Inferno’ teasers say ‘Trust No One’

Check out news, announcements and previews from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel has released three teasers for X-Men: Inferno, the upcoming X-Men crossover event that shares a name with a 1989 X-Men crossover event (not to be confused with The Trial of Magneto, another X-Men event that kicks off in August and also shares a name with a 1980s X-Men storyline.)

The teasers all build on the concept of trust, suggesting that you pretty much can’t trust anyone on Krakoa these days:

“An homage to the original house ads for 1989’s milestone X-Men crossover Inferno, Silva’s artwork presents all the major players of the upcoming saga and teases the day of reckoning that will soon be upon them,” Marvel.com says about the teasers. Inferno is written by Jonathan Hickman with artwork by Valerio Schiti, R.B. Silva and Stefano Caselli.

“I’m very excited that we’re finally getting to share with everyone the follow-up to House of X/Powers of X,” Hickman said. “The story is 160 pages over four issues drawn exquisitely by Valerio Schiti, R.B. Silva and Stefano Caselli. I cannot wait for people to read it.” 

Inferno #1 arrives Sept. 29.

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