One of the hardest and most frustrating things about finding new comics to read and enjoy is finding a good jumping on point. It can be confusing and disheartening to pick up a single issue from the middle of an arc without having the context of the previous chapters.
With that in mind, here are some New Story Arcs, Notable #1s, and One-Shots premiering this upcoming New Comic Book Day, Wednesday, May 10, 2023.
New Story Arcs:
A Legacy of Violence #5, Mad Cave Studios
(NEW ARC) As the situation in the small village of Disante begins to calm down, everything for the doctors at Hospital Roatan are about to witness true terror. Meanwhile, Nick makes contact with an old mysterious man that brings even more confusion to Nick’s already muddled past.
A Legacy of Violence is 12 issue maxi-series by masters of horror Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti, with letters by Rus Wooton.
Notable #1s and One-Shots:
Green Lantern #1, DC
BACK ON EARTH
Spinning out of the events of Dark Crisis, the Guardians of Oa at the heart of the Green Lantern Corps have quarantined Sector 2814, home of the planet Earth—and its champion along with it! A heartbreaking defeat has sent Hal reeling, returning home to rediscover his roots…and find the man responsible for ruining his life: Sinestro. From the visionary team of Jeremy Adams and Xermánico (who brought you the epic Flashpoint Beyond) comes a tale of redemption, loss, and finding out that maybe…just maybe…you can go home again. At least if you’re willing to hot-wire a power ring to do it. Also featuring part one of John Stewart: War Journal from writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Montos!
Something Epic #1, Image
SERIES PREMIERE
IMAGINATION IS REAL.
Outside our perception, creative thought takes physical form, with only a handful of individuals known as Epics able to interact with this wondrous hidden world. But for fourteen-year-old Danny Dillon, accepting these responsibilities himself won’t be easy-or safe. Lose yourself in a world of endless fantasy and creativity, where superheroes, monsters, magical creatures, and cartoon characters live and breathe alongside us.
Silk #1, Marvel
SILK SWINGS BACK INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE! There’s something rotten in Los Angeles, and ace detective Cindy Moon is on the case! Wait…that can’t be right. In this mind-bending new series, Cindy will face old foes and never-before-seen dangers that will take her to the breaking point!
LEGACY #37
Extreme Venomverse #1, Marvel
RETURN TO THE VENOMVERSE! Face front, Venomaniacs—to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the creation of VENOM, the SUMMER OF SYMBIOTES IS UNDERWAY! And it all starts with EXTREME VENOMVERSE, a landmark series that’s going to take Mighty Marveldom to corners of the hive never seen before in three titanic tales! FIRST! Comics superstars Ryan North and Paulo Siqueira put a fresh and exciting spin on a story you may be familiar with…starring Eddie Brock as…SPIDER-MAN?! THEN! Your new favorite comics writer, Mirka Andolfo, shows you a side of the whole Brock family you NEVER thought you’d see! AND FINALLY! One of the best writer/artists in comics today, Leonardo Romero, reimagines Venom as a SAMURAI! But whether all of your new favorite symbiotes will survive this summertime saga remains to be seen…
Batman: White Knight Presents – Generation Joker #1, DC
Youth in revolt!
Spinning out of the runaway hit Batman: Beyond the White Knight comes an unforgettable coming-of-age super villain tale starring the children of Harley Quinn and The Joker!
When the rebellious twins run away in a stolen Batmobile, only Joker Jack Napier’s quickly fading hologram has any hope of getting them home safely and keeping them out of the family business. But a life of crime isn’t the only temptation young Bryce and Jackie are facing: the kids uncover a dark secret that could bring their dad back to life for good! With a wild array of Batman’s former enemies and allies on their tails, will the kids succeed in reviving the Dark Knight’s greatest foe? Find out as Jackie and Bryce take center stage in the White Knight Universe!
Sean Murphy reunites with co-writers Katana Collins (Batman: White Knight Presents: Harley Quinn) and Clay McCormack (Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood) to bring fans the latest chapter of the White Knight story with the help of rising-star artist Mirka Andolfo (Sweet Paprika, Superman vs. Lobo).
Spirit World #1, DC
From the pages of Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate, a new Chinese hero emerges who’s able to travel to and from the Spirit World, the realm of the dead, and that of the living. Their name is Xanthe, and their superpower is being able to burn items folded from joss paper and immediately turn them into real objects, based on the East Asian practice of burning joss paper at graveyards in order to send resources to ancestors in the Spirit World…except Xanthe can retrieve those items in the world of the living! Their weapon of choice is a large broadsword (because who doesn’t love a big sword when you can choose to use a big sword?!). Xanthe is a master of the dark arts who’s here to give Constantine a run for his money…literally. When Constantine shows up saying Xanthe scammed him into buying something, he finds them and Batgirl Cass Cain fighting an abnormal influx of jiangshi (Chinese hopping vampires) and joins in to help. But when a portal opens up that drags Batgirl into the Spirit World, it’s up to Xanthe and Constantine to travel to the land of the spirits to rescue her! Who knows what other spirits we’ll find in the Spirit World—like that skateboarding boy wearing hanfu with some headphones and a gaping hole in his chest?!
Street Fighter 6 #1, UDON
American martial arts champion Ken Masters travels to the city-state of Naishal for a new fighting tournament, but he finds much more danger than he bargained for!
Ghostlore #1, BOOM! Studios
We’ve all heard of ghost stories… but what stories do the ghosts themselves tell us?
An estranged daughter and her pastor father wander a haunted land; they only have the restless spirits, each with its own story to tell, as company along the way.
After a deadly accident of which they were the only survivors, Lucas and Harmony Agate can see the dead-an overwhelming amount of the deceased, all with their own warnings, cries for help, and malevolence alike.
But Lucas and Harmony aren’t the only ones with this ability; there are other nearly-deads, some of which have malicious motivations…
Cullen Bunn of Basilisk and The Empty Man acclaim is joined by superstar artist Leomacs (Basketful of Heads) and guest artist Brian Hurtt (The Sixth Gun)-the first in a haunting lineup of artists featured in each issue-to bring readers the most eye-opening spectral story since The Sixth Sense!
Kong: The Great War #1, Dynamite
The World at War! While men of all nations fight on foreign shores, an Imperial German U-Boat is lost at sea! The crew now faces terror beyond imagination! Monsters from creation’s dawn! Gruesome, blood-stained death from above and below! Impossible beasts, reigning by fear and violence in the South Pacific! And looming over all, the gargantuan ape-god that knows no master! These brave men have faced death before, but now they must contend with…Kong!
Monomyth #1
Magic is all but extinct. When the last ailing wizard casts a final desperate spell to summon the descendants of ancient bloodlines to a school for magic now in disrepair…those chosen ones find a horror of the likes they’ve never experienced. They will have to confront the deepest parts of themselves, their tragic pasts and defeat each other in order to survive the ordeal.
Grit N Gears #1, Blood Moon Comics
The wonders of steampunk technology have reached the old west! It is 1879 and the world is about to meet Ranger ONE, the first self-aware automaton programmed to eradicate crime in the town of Steam’s Eddy. But what happened in the next few years that made the federal government ban the existence of self-aware automatons? And whatever happened to the hero Ranger ONE? There are whispers of a grifter automaton named Screw Driver who’s saving humans and automatons ali-ke. He’s a machine wanted by the law… functional or dismantled.
Gotham Academy: Maps of Mystery #1, DC
Return the beloved world of Gotham Academy with this one-shot, collecting acclaimed Gotham Academy back-up stories from Batman #119-#121, as breakout character Mia “Maps” Mizoguchi teaming teams Batman to search for a missing classmate! Plus, Gotham Academy: Maps of Mystery includes the Gotham Academy story from 2022 anthology DC’s Saved by the Belle Reve, by the original Gotham Academy series creative team, along with Karl Kerschl’s story from Batman Black and White #4! It’s all things Gotham Academy from the past two years in one issue, and exactly what fans of the series have been hoping for.
Murder Inc.: Jagger Rose #1, Dark Horse
From the creators of the Eisner Award-winning, bestselling POWERS comes this brand-new world of historical crime fiction like you’ve never seen before.
Discover a world in which the five families of organized crime never lost their stranglehold on the United States. Now, half the country is a smorgasbord of sex and sin ruled by loyalty and “family values” and the rest of the world looks on in awe, rage, or jealousy. Join us as newly “made” Valentine Gallo and Jagger Rose rise through the ranks of the notorious Bonavese family. No spoilers, but Jagger has already proven herself one of the greatest assassins of all time. And, uh, the Pope would like a word. Yeah, that Pope. Huh.
Ancient Enemies: The Wraith and Son #1, Frank Miller Presents
Following events from ANCIENT ENEMIES, in this special One Shot, Rosemary Reade, the original WRAITH, confronts her son, Tucker Reade as he takes on the hero’s identity and costume against his mother’s wishes. Together they must navigate through the tragedies of their past, with the hope of building a better future. That is, if they don’t beat each other senseless first. Written by ANCIENT ENEMIES series creator, Dan DiDio and art by Jose Luis (Superman/Batman & Suicide Squad), and Jonas Trindade
Count Dante #1, Scout
Sydney Brown relives his years fighting alongside Count Dante, an iconic and controversial karate master from the 1970s. But while the reporter interviewing him his excited to hear the salacious details of a crazy life, it is clear the time is bittersweet for Brown.
Impossible Jones / Holly Daze #1, Scout
Impossible Jones (a thief pretending to be a hero) and Holly Daze (a former hero, now a thief) join up for a Girls’ Night Out of drinking, dancing… and danger! With Holly’s ex, Krampus, lurking in the shadows, Imp learns that sometimes the only thing harder than being enemies-is being friends! Added bonus: first glimpse into the secret Dark Files being kept on Impossible Jones and other crime-fighters and criminals in New Hope City!
Robyn Hood: Spawn of Nyarlahotep #1, Zenescope
New Yorkers keep disappearing…and the pile of human bones in the sewers below the city keeps growing. Robyn means to put an end to the killings but to do that she’ll have to defeat an ancient evil who’s power she can barely comprehend. Guest starring Ghosthawk!
Rest In Peace #1, Scout
Have you ever been overwhelmed by houseguests who won’t let you rest in peace? Ghoul has! After a long Halloween night, his monster friends start knocking on his door. He reluctantly allows Dracula in. Then the Werewolf. Next the Mummy, followed by Frankenstein’s Monster. Finally when Blob tries to ooze his way through the door Ghoul loses his cool and kicks them all out into the darkness. But was his decision too hasty? Only when his conscience-in the form of the Invisible Man-makes him realize that his friends simply wanted to spend more time together does he see the error of his ways.
Destiny, NY: Mystic Mafia #1, Black Mask Studios
Lilith Aberdine is the last surviving daughter of a mystical crime family. She has spent her whole life running from her past, but now those old demons are finally catching up to her. She thought she was meant to be with former prophecy girl Logan McBride, but life has pulled them apart. Now, with Lilith in New York and Logan in California, will destiny reunite them or drive them further apart?
Quicksand #1, Scout
After a mysterious hole opens in the Egyptian desert, horrific creatures climb out and wreak havoc on a nearby city. They retreat as quickly as they arrived, leaving the planet in shock by this unfathomable event. A team of elite specialists from around the globe called “Canary One” are sent after the monsters to discover more about them. But when the crew never returns, the world must prepare for the possibility of another wave of attacks.
Franklin and Ghost #1, Source Point Press
In anticipation of the upcoming animated series, Franklin and Ghost are back, re-mastered in a brand new format! In a last-ditch effort to see more of the universe before accepting their inevitably boring lives as miners on their home planet Defilion, Franklin and Ghost steal a ship and head out for one last adventure. When they accidentally crash to Earth, they seek shelter in the bodies of a couple unsuspecting hosts. Hell bent on having a good time, they start a rage-filled quest putting them on the radar of galactic police forces.
Impossible Jones & Capt Lightning #1, Scout
Special crossover featuring Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett’s investigators of the unknown-Section Zero! Captain Lightning asks IMP to help guard a mysterious object that he’s certain is going to be stolen. So, what’s stopping IMP from stealing it herself? Zero-as in Section Zero! But as everyone knows: There is no Section Zero…! Added Bonus: A brand new Visitor’s Guide telling some of the history, mystery and secrets of IMP’s own New Hope City!
Keepers of the Cosmos #1, Scout
Lemondrop, a cuddly space teddy bear with the mouth of a sailor, left the Keepers of the Cosmos about this time last year. Now, he done went and got arrested by an alien dictator overseeing a fascist state in a galaxy far, far, far, far away. Nightbrand, Vafar’ra, and the rest of the Keepers are torn on whether or not to help their old friend out after he ended up swindling millions of credits out of the team’s joint bank account. Rick and Morty meets Invincible in this raucous road trip across the cosmos.
Nouns: Nountown #1, Titan
Nouns DAO presents a new sensational mini series by writer David Leach (Psycho Gran) and artist Danny Schlitz. A deeply moving coming-of-age drama about a small-town thimble salesman caught up in a politically-charged espionage caper involving a stolen atom bomb, a signed picture of the pope, and a man with a fox for a head.
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