Bloodhunting 4 | And in the end, we are all Doomed

We chat about the final issue of ‘Blood Hunt’ — and what’s to come.

Marvel’s Blood Hunt crossover has met its end, and the Smash Pages Kill Krew — myself, Shane Bailey and Tom Bondurant — are here to put the nail in its coffin with our final “Bloodhunting” roundtable. You can read our thoughts on the first issue here, the second one here and issues three and four here.

Please note there are SPOILERS in this discussion related to the story and its repercussions, so you may want to avert your eyes the same way the citizens of the 616 did when their beloved sun returned. OR DID IT? Find out below.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers face their ‘Darkest Hour’

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Melissa Flores, Simona Di Gianfelice, Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz, Guy Colwell, Kianna Shore, Mariano Taibo and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. It’s a quieter week this time, compared to the ones building toward Comic Con, as it’s the fifth week of the month.

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers face their ‘Darkest Hour’”

SDCC | Doom takes his rightful place at the top of the Marvel food chain

And that brings repercussions for Spider-Man and more.

Readers of Marvel’s Blood Hunt know that Doctor Doom is up to something, and in San Diego today Marvel gave us a glimpse of what’s to come for the Latverian monarch and his plans for the entire Marvel Universe.

One World Under Doom is described as a new “status quo” for the 616, and it’ll feature … well, something that’s a spoiler for the finale of Blood Hunt, but some of us have already seen it coming.

But hey, SPOILERS AHOY …

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Bloodhunting 3 | The quiet and then the storm

The Smash Pages crew plants a stake into the third and fourth issues of Marvel’s ‘Blood Hunt,’ as well as some of the crossover issues.

Marvel’s Blood Hunt crossover is more than halfway over now and heading toward its final issue. Once again, the Smash Pages team — myself, Shane Bailey and Tom Bondurant — has come together to talk about the event, with our third “Bloodhunting” roundtable. You can read our thoughts on the first issue here and the second one here.

In this edition, we talk about Blood Hunt #3 and #4, as well as crossover issues featuring Doctor Strange, Doctor Doom, Moon Knight and more. Please note there are un-polybagged SPOILERS in this discussion related to the story, so only enter if you dare — or if you’ve just been freed from an Asgardian prison, and need to catch up on things quickly.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC returns to Wednesdays with ‘Absolute Power’

Check out new comics arriving this week by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Kaare Andrews, Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Stephen Mooney, Soo Lee, Matt Wagner, Mara Llovet, Steve Foxe, Lynne Yoshii, Jeffrey Brown, 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.

The stars move back into alignment this week as DC returns to Wednesdays for single-issue new releases, after shifting to Tuesday releases at the beginning of the pandemic. This brings them back in sync with the rest of the industry, making things easier and less confusing for fans and retailers. Trades and graphic novels will continue to be released on Tuesdays, to keep them in line with bookstore schedules (and is fairly common practice for some other publishers as well). And the timing is perfect, since this week brings both the first issue of Absolute Power, their big summer crossover, and Batman #150.

(Update for Tuesday: if you buy your comics digitally, DC’s are available on Amazon today.)

This week also brings Moon Knight: Fist of Khonshu #0, which was only announced last week in a surprise that spun out of Blood Hunt #4. Hopefully your retailer had a chance to order it, so you might want to ask about it if you don’t see it on shelves.

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC returns to Wednesdays with ‘Absolute Power’”

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | ‘Gatchaman’ returns courtesy of Cullen Bunn + Chris Batista

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Mariko Tamaki, Javier Rodríguez, Ethan Aldridge, Derek Landy, Sara Pichelli 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 brings Mad Cave’s Gatchaman series to comic shops, as well as a prelude chapter for DC’s Absolute Power and the penultimate chapter of Marvel’s Blood Hunt. You’ve also got the return of Thanos, more Resident Alien, a new Zatanna comic and Ethan Aldridge’s latest graphic novel, among others.

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 Wednesday | ‘Gatchaman’ returns courtesy of Cullen Bunn + Chris Batista”

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Breaking the law comes with an interesting price in Greg Pak + Diego Galindo’s ‘Lawful’

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Molly Knox Ostertag, Sara Varon, Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Peter Bagge, Jed Mackay, Pepe Larraz, Andy Diggle, Leandro Fernandez, Louie Joyce and more.

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

If you’ve been following Marvel’s Blood Hunt, then this is the week for you, as it brings not only the third issue but also four crossover issues. DC meanwhile presents a new miniseries set in the world of the classic Gotham by Gaslight, while Peter Bagge returns to one of the most beloved alternative comix of all time in Hate Revisited. There’s also new graphic novels from Molly Knox Ostertag and Sara Varon, a creator-owned title by Zac Thompson and Hayden Sherman, and a skateboarding Godzilla comic. Or maybe I should say a “Godzilla-meets-skateboarding” comic, because I’m not sure if the king of all monsters actually shreds in it or not. But we’ll see.

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 Wednesday | Breaking the law comes with an interesting price in Greg Pak + Diego Galindo’s ‘Lawful’”

Bloodhunting 2 | Tie-ins, heel turns and plot complications

The Smash Pages crew sinks their fangs into the second issue of Marvel’s ‘Blood Hunt,’ as well as some of the crossover issues.

Marvel’s Blood Hunt crossover is in full swing, with a second issue, several crossover issues and a few tie-in miniseries hitting shelves over the last few weeks.

Once again, the Smash Pages team — myself, Shane Bailey and Tom Bondurant — has come together to talk about the event, with our second “Bloodhunting” roundtable. You can read our thoughts on the first issue here.

This time around we talk about Blood Hunt #2, as well as crossover issues featuring Spider-Man, the Avengers, Doctor Strange, the Blood Hunters and Dracula. Please note there are blood-soaked SPOILERS in this discussion related to the story, so only enter if you dare — or if you’re in your astral form, and are thus protected from all things spoiler-y. I’m pretty sure that’s how it works.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | ‘White Boat’ sets sail from Scott Snyder + Francesco Francavilla

Check out comics and graphic novels arriving in shops this week by Stephanie Phillips, Chris Campana, Joe Casey, Paul Fry, Tom Taylor, Bruce Redondo, Vera Brosgol, Kyle Starks, Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz and more.

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 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 Wednesday | ‘White Boat’ sets sail from Scott Snyder + Francesco Francavilla”

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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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Skottie Young + Jorge Corona take the battle to Death itself in ‘Ain’t No Grave’

Check out new comics and graphic novels coming this week by Juni Ba, Ann Nocenti, Lee Ferguson, Corrado Mastantuono, Claudio Sanchez, Patrick Horvath, Jay Stephens and more.

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 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 Wednesday | Skottie Young + Jorge Corona take the battle to Death itself in ‘Ain’t No Grave’”

Can’t Wait for Saturday | Free Comic Book Day brings Absolute Power, Jonny Quest + more

Check out a few of the cool + free comics you’ll find at your local retailer this Saturday.

The comic industry’s biggest holiday returns tomorrow as shops around the world bring you Free Comic Book Day, the annual event that yes, indeed, does offer you free comics.

The annual event started in 2002 based on an idea from retailer Joe Field, owner of Flying Colors Comics and Other Cool Stuff in Concord, California. Since then, it’s become a cultural phenomenon, typically coming on the first Saturday in May, though sometimes in the past that wavered based on a new comic book movie’s release date. You can find a participating shop on the FCBD website, and see if any of your local shops are holding special events, sales or creator signings in conjunction with the event.

But of course, the focus is on the free comics. Many publishers use it as an opportunity to reshare a recent favorite or offer a prelude to an upcoming storyline or crossover. Still other will produce something wholly original or introduce a brand new title.

I’ve pulled out a few that look interesting to me below, and you can find the complete list of what could be available at your local shop on the FCBD site. Some things to keep in mind:

  • Not every retailer may have every title. Depending on their shop, they may elect to only have titles they think will excite their clientele.
  • Some retailers may limit the number of free comics you can take, while others may require a purchase.
  • Speaking of which, while titles are free to consumers, they are not free to retailers. So you may want to think about buying some other comics while you’re there regardless.
  • Some of the titles will also be available digitally, in case you can’t make it out on Saturday. So be sure to check your favorite digital comics site on Saturday as well.
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