Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Jeff Lemire’s ‘Minor Arcana’ materializes in comic shops this week

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Cullen Bunn, Christopher Mitten, Scott Snyder, Rafael Albuquerque, Jim Zub, Jonas Scharf, Eve L. Ewing, Carmen Carnero, Mark Waid, Dan Mora and more.

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

Labor Day has always marked the end of summer for me, as we shift from August to September and from hot sun to cooler weather (well, in theory, anyway). This week the harvest is bountiful, as it includes Minor Arcana, Jeff Lemire’s new title about the daughter of a fake psychic who may be a real psychic; the appropriately titled The Autumn Kingdom by Cullen Bunn and Christopher Mitten; a milestone Poison Ivy issue; and a new series spotlighting Groot.

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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DC will bring Superman, Batman and Joker manga to English audiences

‘Superman vs. Meshi,’ ‘Batman: Justice Buster,’ and ‘Joker: One Operation Joker’ will arrive on DC Universe Infinite before coming to print in the U.S.

Another announcement from DC coming out of the ComicsPro meeting currently happening in Pittsburgh: they plan to translate and publish three manga published in Japan by Kodansha for English-speaking audiences.

The three manga — Superman vs. Meshi, Batman: Justice Buster, and Joker: One Operation Joker — will be released as digital comics for DC Universe Infinite subscribers before being collected in print later this year.

Here’s a look at the covers and descriptions for each of them:

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Rosenberg + a host of artists piece together ‘The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox’

The Clown Prince of Crime has a story to tell and a puzzle to solve, starting in August.

How would you like to attend a murder mystery party — hosted by the Joker?

DC Comics has announced The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox, a new seven-issue series written by Matthew Rosenberg (Hawkeye, 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank) with art by Jesús Merino, Joshua Hixon and Ulises Arreola. They’ll be joined by Keron Grant, Dani, Domo Stanton, Juni Ba, Vanesa Del Rey, Ricardo Ortiz, Christopher Mooneyham and others, as The Joker lays down his clues in the Gotham Central interrogation room.

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Azzarello + Maleev send the Suicide Squad after the Joker in a new Black Label title

‘Suicide Squad: Get Joker!’ will run for three issues, starting in July.

Brian Azzarello and Alex Maleev are sending the Suicide Squad on a somewhat personal mission for at least two of its member — to stop the Joker.

The DC Black Label title Suicide Squad: Get Joker! will run for three prestige format issues, starting in July.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Non-Stop Spider-Man,’ ‘The Joker’ and more

See what comics and graphic novels arrive this week in a comic shop near you.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide each week to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week DC continues the rollout of their Infinite Frontier publishing initiative, while two Marvel books delayed by the pandemic finally arrive in comic shops.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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The Joker break out into his own monthly series in March

Jim Gordon, Punchline and Harper Row will feature heavily in the new series.

Batman’s worst enemy and best ally will get the spotlight in a new monthly series starting in March. While the Joker gets his name on the marquee, the new comic by James Tynion IV and Guillem March will also prominently feature Jim Gordon.

But wait, there’s more: Each issue will also feature a back-up story by Tynion IV, co-writer Sam Johns and artist Mirka Andolfo, starring the Joker’s latest sidekick, Punchline, and Harper Row, a.k.a. Bluebird.

“When I was approached by DC about the concept of an ongoing series spotlighting The Joker, I thought, ‘What would that book even look like?,’” said Tynion. “I’m excited to share this story in a way that honors everything that a series about The Joker can be, while coming at it from an exciting, unexpected angle. I’m also thrilled to continue working with Sam and Mirka to expand the Punchline story we began in November as a back-up feature in this new ongoing Joker series. The Joker War was only the beginning of the terror and mayhem we’re creating!”

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What Are You Reading? | Two perspectives on ‘Three Jokers’

See what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately — including comics from the past, present and future.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments or on social media.

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DC announces ‘Punchline’ one-shot for November

James Tynion IV, Sam Johns and Mirka Andolfo will team up for the 48-page issue.

Joker’s latest sidekick, Punchline, has been tearing through Gotham as part of the Joker Wars storyline. Come November, she’ll get her own one-shot, thanks to James Tynion IV, Sam Johns and Mirka Andolfo.

“Back when I first introduced Punchline, I said many times that this wasn’t going to be a flash-in-the-pan character. That I had big plans for her moving forward, that would drive big story next year and beyond,” said Tynion IV. “Joker War is over, but Punchline’s plans have only just begun. I’m thrilled to be telling this frightening story that expands her past, and sets up her future, with the amazing Sam Johns, and the incredible Mirka Andolfo. This is only the beginning!”

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Johns + Fabok’s ‘Three Jokers’ arrives in June

Jokers take the spotlight in this homage to ‘The Killing Joke.’

Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok’s long-awaited Three Jokers miniseries now has a release date — DC Comics will target the first issue for June 17.

Johns said the story would focus not only on the Joker and Batman, but also Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd, both whom have been victims of the Joker in the past.

“It goes back to the beginning when Batman first encountered the Joker, but it’s also The Killing Joke and A Death in the Family that speak to the book and that we’re building off emotionally,” Johns told Entertainment Weekly. “Barbara and Jason have gone through so much, as has Bruce, and it’s really focused on healing, on scars and wounds and what that does to somebody. If you suffer some trauma, you don’t just get over with it and move on with your life, it changes who you are. Sometimes it changes you for the better, sometimes it changes you for the worse. You can heal right, and you can heal wrong. That’s really what the book’s about: Healing right, healing wrong, and surviving.”

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John Carpenter + Anthony Burch re-team for a Joker one-shot

“Year of the Villain” tie-in will feature art by Philip Tan and Marc Deering.

If you need a scary Joker, go to the master. DC has announced that John Carpenter, the writer/director/producer behind Halloween, Escape from New York and Vampires, among many others, will co-write a Joker one-shot this October.

The Joker is the greatest villain in comics,” Carpenter said in a press release.  “I’m proud to be reunited with Anthony on this project.”

Joining Carpenter is Anthony Burch, writer of the video games Borderlands 2 and League of Legends, and who worked with Carpenter on BOOM! Studios’ Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack series. They’ll be joined by artists Philip Tan and Marc Deering.

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Jeff Lemire is working on The Question + The Joker for DC’s Black Label

Both projects are due out this fall.

Jeff Lemire is always busy making comics, and this fall he’ll tackle two different projects for DC Black Label featuring the Joker and the Question.

First, he’ll team with his Gideon Falls collaborator Andrea Sorrentino on The Joker: Killer Smile. Lemire told io9 the series will feature “a more grounded, real-world Joker.” He’ll also team with Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz and Chris Sotomayor on The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage.

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Stjepan Šejić explores Harley Quinn’s origin

‘Harleen’ is about good people ‘falling in love, falling from grace and falling apart.

DC Comics’ Black Label line continues to grow this September with the addition of Harleen, a new miniseries by Stjepan Šejić (Sunstone).

The miniseries will offer a different take on the origin of Harley Quinn, exploring her past as a psychologist and her first meeting with The Joker.

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