This month we give our readers a list of the exciting new comic book series debuting in May. We have compiled an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from the publishers. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you about the new comics in question.
There are a bunch of great new and interesting series starting this month from AfterShock Comics, Boom! Studios, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Vault Comics, Image Comics, Marvel Comics, Fantagraphics Books, and Dynamite Entertainment.
There are a few one-shot comics on this list. We usually stay away from those and stick to ongoing or mini-series, but these are too good to ignore.
We will bring you reviews of most of these debut issues as they come out, and don’t forget to use the comments section to let us know what you think of this list.
You will find the books listed below in the order of when they are released.
Week of 5/5/21
Week of 5/12/21
Week of 5/19/21
Week of 5/26/21
Week of May 5th
Becstar #1
Mad Cave Studios
Written by Joe Corallo
Art by Lorenzo Colangeli
Cover Art by Sweeney Boo
Becstar is a star hopping mercenary-gone-full time-gambler light years away from Earth. Leaving her old life behind with the help of her magical luck dagger and her fan-turned-regret filled-friend Sally Soolin, Becstar ekes out a living under the nefarious Shadow Syndicate’s radar. But when a mysterious girl appears with grim news and an urgent quest where the fate of the universe hangs in the balance, Becstar has no choice but to join… and regret it immediately.
Release Date: May 5, 2021
Eden #1
AfterShock Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Dalibor Talajic
Cover Art by Talajic
Tattoo artist Niles lives his life in a kind of daze. Minute after minute, he muddles through the repetitive moments of his job, his life and his guilt. All that changes when Eden walks through the doors of the tattoo shop. She’s looking for something…different…and she finds it with Niles. But Eden is a woman surrounded by deep mysteries…not the least of which is how and why her new tattoos vanish after only a few days. As Niles learns more about Eden, he is driven to fathomless depths of both love and horror.
A prestige format “One-Shock” featuring top creative talent, EDEN is a harrowing horror/romance conceived and written by Cullen Bunn, drawn by Dalibor Talajic and colored by Valentina Briki. Be prepared to accompany the notions of love, creation and heartbreak to terrifying places.
Release Date: May 5, 2021
PCS NOTES: We are lucky that the fountain of ideas in Cullen Bunn’s brain is everflowing. This is a one-shot, but damn do we want to check it out.
Eve #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Victor LaValle
Art by Jo Mi-Gyeon
Cover Art by Ario Anindito
For fans of Undiscovered Country and Little Bird comes a new adventure series from award-winning author Victor LaValle and rising-star artist Jo Mi-Gyeong about a dangerous journey across a future dystopian America to save the world.
When the ice caps melted, most of humanity was lost to the hidden disease that was released.
Now, a mysterious girl named Eve has awoken in secret and must deal with a world that’s nothing like the virtual reality she was raised in.
In order to save her real father, Eve must embark on a deadly quest across the country, but she has no idea of the threats that await her – or the price she will pay to restore life to a dying planet…
Release Date: May 5, 2021
The Good Asian #1
Image Comics
Written by Pornsak Pichetshote
Art by Alexandre Tefenkgi
Cover Art by Dave Johnson
Writer PORNSAK PICHETSHOTE’s long-awaited follow-up to the critically acclaimed INFIDEL with stunning art by ALEXANDRE TEFENKGI! Following Edison Hark-a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective-on the trail of a killer in 1936 Chinatown, THE GOOD ASIAN is Chinatown noir starring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban, the Chinese, as they’re besieged by rampant murders, abusive police, and a world that seemingly never changes.
Release Date: May 5, 2021
PCS NOTES: This is a heavily anticipated and already critically acclaimed book. You will want to see what the buzz is about.
Heroes Reborn #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Ed McGuinness
Cover Art by Leinil Francis Yu
A WORLD WITHOUT AVENGERS! Welcome to a world where Tony Stark never built an Iron Man armor. Where Thor is a hard-drinking atheist who despises hammers. Where Wakanda is dismissed as a myth. And where Captain America was never found in the ice because there were no Avengers to find him. Instead this world has always been protected by Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Squadron Supreme of America. And now the Squadron faces an attack from some of their fiercest enemies, like Dr. Juggernaut, the Black Skull, the Silver Witch and Thanos with his Infinity Rings. But why is the Daywalker Blade the one man alive who seems to remember that the entire world has somehow been…reborn?
Release Date: May 5, 2021
PCS NOTES: I am all for event mini-series at the Big 2. I am hopeful that it is accessible, but I felt that Aaron’s last foray (War of Realms) into that arena worked well. Here to enjoying this book.
Hey Kids! Comics!: Prophets & Loss #1
Image Comics
Written by Howard Chaykin
Art by Chaykin
Cover Art by Chaykin
NEW STORY ARC!
They’ve known for years it’s the beginning of the end… so why won’t the damn business just die already?
Hopes and dreams are floated and crushed, and crushed again… but new blood, with new eyes, can see a new path emerging from the mist, a fog that veterans thought just hid one more cliff.
Release Date: May 5, 2021
PCS NOTES: Anyone with an opinion on the comic book industry should consider this required reading.
The Invincible Red Sonja #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti
Art by Moritat
Cover Art by Conner & Paul Mounts
Written by the award-winning fan favorites AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI, Red Sonja finds herself on a spectacular journey filled with pirates, mermaids, princesses, and political intrigue as the threat of two kingdoms hangs in the balance. All this, plus the spectacular art of MORITAT and a cover by AMANDA CONNER and PAUL MOUNTS makes THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA a series not to be missed! With so many challenges, Sonja will need to be INVINCIBLE to overcome these odds!
Release Date: May 5, 2021
Week of May 12th
DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1
DC Comics
Written by Various
Art by Various
Cover Art by Jim Lee
Grab your favorite boba and pull a chair up to the dim sum table as we celebrate Asian Heritage Month with all your favorite Asian DC characters, old and new! Join Cassandra Cain, Katana, Green Lantern Tai Pham, the Atom, Dana Tan (a.k.a. Batman Beyond), Red Arrow, Lady Shiva, Damian Wayne and the al Ghul clan, New Super-Man, and more as we present new tales of these characters from their thrilling history! Plus, Cheshire Cat’s relationship to Cheshire is revealed as Shoes asks Selina Kyle to take her under her wing as Cat Girl. And that’s just the start!
Release Date: May 11, 2021
PCS NOTES: This is a one-shot anthology filled with a Who’s Who of top notch creators with interesting stories celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. We are excited.
Future State: Gotham #1
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson & Dennis Culver
Art by Giannis Milonogiannis
Cover Art by Yasmin Putri
HUNT THE NEXT BATMAN, PART ONE
The event that was DC Future State continues in its own ongoing title starring the Bat-Family, beginning with the epic story “Hunt the Batman.” Disaster strikes Gotham City, and all evidence points to the Next Batman! Red Hood must choose justice over his family and allies when the corrupt Magistrate enlists him to bring in the new Batman dead or alive! Featuring the entire cast from the popular Future State Batman titles, this new series kicks off the next chapter in this forbidding world of tomorrow, and does so in brilliant, monochromatic storytelling! This black-and-white series will showcase the brutal world that’s around the corner in Future State Gotham!
Release Date: May 11, 2021
PCS NOTES: New month. New Batman book. The thing is that they keep getting great creators with excellent ideas and execution. If you liked Future State, you should probably look into this book.
The House of Lost Horizons #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson
Art by Leila Del Duca & Michelle Madsen
Cover Art by Christopher Mitten
A locked-room murder mystery puzzles paranormal detective Sarah Jewell and her associate Marie Therése when a weekend trip on a private island off the coast of Washington goes astray. Trapped by a storm and surrounded by myriad suspects who have gathered for an auction of occult items, the intrepid duo must unravel the supernatural mysteries surrounding the guests in hopes of uncovering the murderer! But all the while, bodies keep piling up, and at any moment Sarah or Marie Therése could be next!
Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson return to the world of Hellboy, accompanied by artist Leila del Duca and colorist Michelle Madsen.
Investigator Sarah Jewell (Rise of the Black Flame, Witchfinder: The Reign of Darkness) gets her own series in this murder mystery with an occult twist.
Release Date: May 12, 2021
PCS NOTES: This book has a fantastic creative team that alone makes it a required read.
Justice League: Last Ride #1
DC Comics
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Miguel Mendonca
Cover Art by Darick Robertson
Once the most powerful group in the world, the Justice League was destroyed by tragedy and time, disbanding under a veil of mistrust and anger. Now, on the eve of the universe’s greatest murder trial, the League must come together one last time…but can Superman and Batman bury the past before the cosmos’s greatest villains bury them?
Learn the shocking truth in this new digital-first adventure by writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Miguel Mendonça!
Release Date: May 12, 2021
Silver City #1
AfterShock Comics
Written by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs
Art by Luca Merli
Cover Art by Roberta Ianranata
When a young roughneck lands in Silver City, the gritty, purgatorial metropolis of the afterlife, she must adapt to her new existence, while attempting to uncover how and why she died. Her mission is derailed, however, when she rescues a newly dead girl from a mysterious kidnapping attempt, and discovers powerful, kinetic abilities.
Welcome to Silver City, where the sun never rises and nothing ever changes…until now.
Release Date: May 12, 2021
PCS NOTES: This looks like a fun one from AfterShock. Probably want to read it with all the lights on though.
Time Before Time #1
Image Comics
Written by Rory McConville & Declan Shalvey
Art by Joe Palmer
Cover Art by Shalvey
The year is 2140, and to escape a world with no future, many turn to the Syndicate, a criminal organization who, for the right price, will smuggle you back in time to a better life. After working for the Syndicate for years, Tatsuo and Oscar decide to steal one of their boss’s time machines-but soon find that the one thing you can’t run from is your past.
TIME BEFORE TIME is a brand-new ongoing series where writer/artist DECLAN SHALVEY joins forces with the WRITE IT IN BLOOD team of RORY McCONVILLE and JOE PALMER. Looper meets SAGA in this extra-sized debut issue
Release Date: May 12, 2021
PCS NOTES: We are definitely interested in this based on the solicitation alone.
X-Corp #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Tini Howard
Art by Alberto Foche & Sunny Gho
Cover Art by David Aja
KRAKOA IS FOR CLOSERS! The deals have been made. Mutantkind is safe on Krakoa. As the Reign of X continues, what are the wants of the mutants who have everything? Leading the charge is X-CORPORATION, headed by CXOs Monet St. Croix and Warren Worthington, a duo as cutthroat and ruthless in the boardroom as they are on a battlefield. But X-Corp needs more than just its figureheads. As Monet sets out to staff their team with some of the brightest and most deviant minds in mutantkind, Warren finds himself in a tense confrontation with one of Krakoa’s first allies who wants to know the truth: on Angel’s wings, will X-Corp crash or soar?
Release Date: May 12, 2021
PCS NOTES: To be honest, I am interested to see this take on Warren.
Week of May 19th
Fantastic Four: Life Story #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Sean Izaakse
Cover Art by Daniel Acuna
In the tradition of SPIDER-MAN: LIFE STORY, and in celebration of the FF’s 60th Anniversary, comes this series setting the lives of the fabulous foursome in real time across the years! Amid the backdrop of the Cold War and the Space Race, a terrible accident gives the Fantastic Four great powers, a terrible secret, and entangles them in the history of their planet.
Release Date: May 19, 2021
PCS NOTES: We have been waiting for this one for a while, and are excited to see it finally here.
Legends of the Dark Knight #1
DC Comics
Written by Darick Robertson
Art by Robertson
Cover Art by Robertson
The iconic series Legends of the Dark Knight is back! Comics icons and rising stars alike will tell digital-first stories across the Batman mythos, beginning with comics legend and co-creator of The Boys Darick Robertson writing and drawing an epic three-issue super-villain crime drama!
A new player has arrived on the scene in Gotham City and is selling deadly chemicals to the worst villains in town: Mr. Freeze, the Penguin, and even the Joker! It’s up to Batman to stop the villains, track down the supplier, and save Gotham City once more!
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Red Room #1
Fantagraphics Books
Written by Ed Piskor
Art by Piskor
Cover Art by Piskor
From the creator of Hip Hop Family Tree and X-Men: Grand Design comes this ALL-NEW monthly comic book series, with a specially priced, self-contained, double-sized debut issue! Red Room is a cyberpunk, outlaw, splatterpunk masterpiece. Aided by the anonymous dark web and nearly untraceable crypto-currency, there has emerged a subculture of criminals who live-stream and patronize webcam murders for entertainment. Who are the murderers? Who are the victims? How do we stop it? As seen on Piskor’s YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe!
Release Date: May 19, 2021
PCS NOTES: This is the new book I am most looking forward to this month. It is not often that you will find a Fantagraphics Book on this list. Take advantage of it.
Shang Chi #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Gene Luen Yang
Art by Dike Ruan
Cover Art by Leinil Francis Yu
SHANG-CHI VS. THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! Shang-Chi and his family are back! And this time, they’re colliding head-to-head with the Marvel Universe’s biggest heroes! Shang-Chi has finally taken his place as the leader of the Five Weapons Society. But using an evil secret organization as a force for good won’t be easy. And it’s about to get a lot harder when Shang-Chi’s fellow super heroes, like the Amazing Spider-Man, start to see him as the bad guy! Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan return to bring you the next chapter of this Marvel legend!
Release Date: May 19 2021
PCS NOTES: This book is in good hands.
Wonder Girl #1
DC Comics
Written by Joëlle Jones
Art by Jones & Jordie Bellaire
Cover Art by Jones
The story of Yara Flor starts here! Raised in the faroff land of Boise, Idaho, Yara Flor has always felt something was missing from her life — and now she is headed to Brazil to find it. Little does she know her arrival will set off a series of events that will change the world of Wonder Woman forever. Her return has been prophesied, and with that prophecy comes the undivided attention of benevolent gods from pantheons beyond. Danger lurks around every corner — but is this young hero ready for her journey? Find out in a debut issue you absolutely cannot miss!
Spinning out of the bestselling Future State: Wonder Woman, acclaimed writer/artist Joëlle Jones makes a triumphant return to the character to officially introduce her into the DC Universe. You think you know Wonder Girl, but you have never seen her like this!
Release Date: May 18, 2021
PCS NOTES: We loved what Joëlle Jones has done with this character and we are looking forward to more in her own series.
Week of May 26th
The Blue Flame #1
Vault Comics
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Art by Adam Gorham & K. Michael Russell
Cover Art by Gorham
THE BLUE FLAME is a cosmic hero. The Blue Flame is a DIY vigilante that fights crime on the streets of Milwaukee. The Blue Flame is a blue collar HVAC repairman named SAM BRAUSAM. In the wake of a horrific tragedy, the boundaries of the Blue Flame’s identity blur even further. Now, before a universal trial, the Blue Flame must prove that humanity is worth saving. But in order to do that, Sam Brausam has to save himself. Can he?
Release Date: May 26, 2021
PCS NOTES: Yeah! Get this book!
Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition #0
DC Comics
Written by Reginald Hudlin and others
Art by Denis Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz, and others
Cover Art by Cowan, Sienkiewicz, & Chris Sotomayor
At last, it’s the return of the legendary Milestone Comics! This one shot features twenty-four all-new pages chronicling the events of the Big Bang: the police-brutality protest gone wrong that changed the face of the city of Dakota forever by unleashing a wave of superpowers across its population! As the world watches, a bullied teenager will become the hero known as Static… a framed scientist will go on the run as the superweapon Hardware… and a stranded alien will meet an ambitious young woman who will transform his life, and remake the pair as the all-powerful Icon and Rocket!
Also included is the 17-page primer story originally released online during the world-famous DC Fandome event, further expanding on our heroes’ origins and where they’re going next… and setting up an entire world of allies, enemies, and surprises!
The original Milestone changed the face of superhero comics forever, introducing the industry to a wave of Black talent who still shape the conversation… and the new Milestone intends to raise the bar! This is the perfect jumping-on point — don’t miss out!
Release Date: May 25, 2021
PCS NOTES: The last one shot on the list may be the most important. Milestone is back, Baby!!!
Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #1
DC Comics
Written by Brandon Easton
Art by Fico Ossio
Cover Art by Yanick Paquette
Spinning out of DC Future State, the story of how Shilo Norman became the Mister Miracle of tomorrow starts here. The Mister Miracle show used to be the hottest ticket in town, whether you caught him onstage escaping from perilous traps or spotted him on the streets of Metropolis taking out bad guys. What Shilo Norman forgot is the first rule of both showbiz and super-heroing: always leave them wanting more. Now it’s time to start showing the world what a miracle man can do. Showbiz/superhero rule #2: timing is everything. There’s a new performer in town who wants to knock Mister Miracle off his pedestal and stake a claim to his famous moniker! Can Shilo break free of this trap? (Why yes, that is a clue.)
Release Date: May 25, 2021
Reptil #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Terry Blas
Art by Enid Balam, Victor Olazaba, & Carlos Lopez
Cover Art by Paco Medina
REPTIL ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION! In the wake of Kamala’s Law and his Grandfather’s worsening health, Humberto Lopez, A.K.A. Reptil, has taken a step back from crime-fighting to refocus on his family. Perhaps its a sign that he should give up on becoming a hero and finally come to terms with his parents’ mysterious disappearance…or perhaps not! When a mysterious figure ambushes Humberto, what unravels will shake the core of everything Humberto thought he knew about his past and will either change the course of his future—or end it forever! Don’t miss out on this breakout series from rising stars Terry Blas and Enid Balám.
Release Date: May 26, 2021
