Welcome to the New Number Ones!
We are trying something new this month. Each Wednesday we will give you the list of new series and special editions in a post highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace.
If you are new here, in this column, we have compiled an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from the publishers of some of the cool new comics that are coming out this month. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you about the new comics in question.
This month we have noticed a couple of trends. First, the fallout of last week’s Hellfire Gala will have effects on the rest of the Marvel universe; so keep an eye out for those new books. Secondly, DC Comics is not heavy in the debut release category this month, but we expect that to change in September. Lastly, there are a bunch of really excellent new series coming your way from new and established creators.
This week, we have books on the list from: Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Fantagraphic Books, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Boom! Studios, Dynamite Entertainment, Mad Cave Studios, and Titan Comics.
One thing to remember, we continue to measure the “comic week” as Wednesday. #NCBD is Wednesday.
We will bring you reviews 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.
New Series
New One-Shots and Special Editions
New Series This Week
Astonishing Iceman #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Vincenzo Carratu & Javier Tartaglia
Cover Art by Jesus Saiz
THE OMEGA-LEVEL MUTANT AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE!
After the events of this year’s can’t-miss HELLFIRE GALA, BOBBY DRAKE, A.K.A. ICEMAN, sets his sights on heroic deeds like never before. But as a new situation develops that links Iceman to his Antarctic ice palace, he’ll have to be slicker than ever to accomplish his mission before ORCHIS knows what hit them! An all-new adventure that’ll push Iceman to the limits of his powers…and beyond!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: We are super excited to see this amazing character in the hands of Steve Orlando and team. I promises to be a fantastic ride.
Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Casey Gilly
Art by Oriol Roig & Gloria Martinelli
Cover Art by Ario Anindito
Thess is all grown up, having taken up the mantle as the new Slayer!
But with new responsibilities comes new enemies, and a mysterious clan will do anything to get to her, even if it means using her friends as bait.
Fans won’t want to miss this brand new mini series from veteran Buffy scribe Casey Gilly, set after the events of Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer Special #1!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: This is a fun direction for this fan favorite franchise.
Conan: The Barbarian #1
Titan Books
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Roberto De La Torre & Jose Villarrubia
Cover Art by Dan Panosian
Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan is back in a new tale of bravery and heroism! Conan the Barbarian FCBD Edition leads into the debut issue! Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude. However, a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness. Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders?
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: Early reviews have this being a great success for Titan Books in the first publication for this character.
Death of the Venomverse #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Gerardo Sandoval & Jim Campbell
Cover Art by Björn Barends
THE END OF THE VENOMVERSE IS HERE!
CULLEN BUNN and GERARDO SANDOVAL reunite to bring the symbiotic ax down on the VENOMVERSE! CARNAGE has been building his powers up, extracting unique abilities from many villains throughout the MARVEL UNIVERSE to the point of traversing the Multiverse with ONE GOAL: KILL ANY AND ALL VENOMS!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: I am totally on board with the goal of this story, and it is in good hands.
Fire and Ice #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Leonardo Marco
Cover Art by Bill Sienkiewicz
A FANTASY CLASSIC RETURNS TO LIFE WITH AN ALL-NEW PREQUEL SERIES!
More than four decades ago, two iconic creators came together to bring to the silver screen an amazing new world of magic and adventure. In their classic animated film Fire and Ice, legendary artist FRANK FRAZETTA and famed director RALPH BAKSHI crafted a unique vision of beauty and danger, of good versus evil, all cast against a hypnotic backdrop of savage prehistoric splendor. Now, at long last, this timeless vision is expanding into comics with the first new story to revisit Frazetta and Bakshi’s remarkable realm since 1982!
Before the fire waned and the ice spread across the world…before Teegra met Larn…before everything you know about the unforgettable animated movie came to be, there were the before times – times when evil might still be blunted, times when innocence was not yet lost. In Fire and Ice #1, acclaimed comics writer BILL WILLINGHAM (Fables, Legenderry) joins forces with artist LEONARDO MANCO (Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, Blaze of Glory) – making his triumphant return to comics – and a new legend is about to be born!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: I am very intrigued to see what Willingham has in store for this cult favorite property.
Magneto #1
Marvel Comics
Written by J.M. Dematteis
Art by Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg
Cover Art by Nauck & Rosenberg
MAGNETO WAS RIGHT!
MAGNETO burst onto the scene as the most diabolical of “Evil Mutants”! But when PROFESSOR XAVIER must leave the planet for life-saving treatment, Magneto inherits a new title: TEACHER! With the NEW MUTANTS under his tutelage, how will these young and powerful mutants learn to take orders from…a super villain?! And one who tried to KILL them and their predecessors?! There are two sides to every story, and J.M. DeMatteis and Todd Nauck weave a tale that will show how Magneto Was Right…from a certain point of view. In fact, one mutant, known as IRAE, in her FIRST EVER APPEARANCE, has taken Magneto’s lessons to heart in a way that will upend even the Master of Magnetism’s best strategies! Get ready for an all-new saga set during Magneto’s tenure as Headmaster of the NEW MUTANTS, and learn how the once die-hard villain emerged as a conflicted figure in the saga of the X-MEN!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: What a great team to reach back into this time in Marvel and Magneto’s history.
Quest #1
Image Comics
Written by Crystal Wood
Art by Jonathan Luna
Cover Art by Jonathan Luna
SERIES PREMIERE
Writer/artist JONATHAN LUNA (THE SWORD, ALEX + ADA) returns for an ONGOING FANTASY SERIES with writer CRYSTAL WOOD (The Black Ballad)!
In a land inspired by Southeast Asia, Princess Anya’s new husband Prince Devyan is violently abducted by three giant demons at their wedding. Anya sets out on an epic journey with a growing band of loyal warriors, crossing deadly landscapes and battling horrifying demons. What will she sacrifice to save the man she loves?
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: We are definitely interested in what this series will be exploring.
Project Riese #1
Mad Cave Studios
Written by Zac Thompson
Art by Jeff McComsey & Paul Little
Cover Art by McComsey
It’s 1952. The wound WWII inflicted on the world is still fresh. Sam Safdie and his ragtag group of treasure hunters have been searching for the fabled map of the Owl Mountains for years… and they finally found it. Their journey leads them to a massive war complex that hides both unknown horrors and a fortune in gold. However, the deeper they travel, the more they realize the complex has developed a life of its own and that some secrets are better left buried in the past.
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: Zac Thompson is an excellent comic writer and this premise seems pretty cool.
The Sacrificers #1
Image Comics
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Max Fiumara & Dave McCaig
Cover Art by Fiumara
SERIES PREMIERE
Tomorrow is a harmonious paradise thanks to five families who make everything perfect…for the price of one child per household. Now, as that bill comes due, a son expected to give everything for a family that never loved him and an affluent daughter determined to destroy utopia must unite to end one generation’s unnaturally protracted reign.
New York Times-bestselling writer RICK REMENDER (LOW, DEADLY CLASS, Uncanny X-Force) joins forces with superstar MAX FIUMARA (Amazing Spider-Man, FOUR EYES, Lucifer) to take you through the dark science fiction world of THE SACRIFICERS!
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: Yeah. I’m in.
New One-Shots and Specials
Trve Kvlt TP
IDW Publishing
Written by Scott Bryan Wilson
Art by Liana Kangas & Gab Contreras
Cover Art by Kangas
Original Graphic Novel
A strip mall heist, a satanic cult, and another lousy shift at a minimum wage job—grab a #2 with fries and settle in for a hilarious thrill ride!
Marty Tarantella has been flipping burgers for 15 years. He has no kids, no hobbies, no love interests, and, essentially, no life. But what he does have is a plan to change everything. Years of watching the daily rhythms of the neighboring stores has given Marty the idea for a perfect heist, but when he accidentally steals a supernatural weapon from a cult full of violent lunatics, the resulting Satanic panic will be way above his minimum-wage pay grade.
Nothing can prepare you for the coming of TRVE KVLT, a deliciously horrifying and hilarious new series from SCOTT BRYAN WILSON (Batman: Gotham Nights, Pennyworth) and LIANA KANGAS (Star Wars Adventures, She Said Destroy, Razorblades).
Release Date: August 2, 2023
PCS NOTES: This amazing story was first available for Kickstarter backers and then as a single #1 issue. Do not miss the chance to get this whole story in the newly printed trade paperback. You won’t regret it.
Werewolf Jones & Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual HC
Fantagraphic Books
Written by Simon Hanselmann & Josh Pettinger
Art by Hanselmann & Nate Garcia
Cover Art by Hanselmann
Original Graphic Novel
Werewolf Jones, drugged up to his eyeballs, believes he is the world’s greatest father, which is the most far-from-the-truth, deluded thought ever thought by any thinker. Parents can learn a lot about what NOT to do as a guardian by observing as Werewolf Jones deals with bullying, his own inebriation and sex addiction, his children’s blossoming sexuality, running out of alcohol in a recession, and coping with the kids when he “wasn’t meant to be responsible for the little fuckers tonight.”
Featuring fun appearances by beloved friends of the family such as Megg, Mogg, and Owl, not to mention Dracula Jr. and Tim the drug dealing spider. The “WWJ&Sons DSFA” will surely leave you confused, angry, upset, heavily triggered and wishing you could call Child Protective Services on a fictional werewolf!
Put together with lots of love by Simon Hanselmann and rising underground star and franchise newcomer, Josh Pettinger (Goiter, Power Wash). Pettinger has been diligently screened with a full state police check and is a staunch British monarchist, fully qualified for such a throwback, Britannia-flavored project. Get ready for one of the hottest summers on record (not merely due to rising climate-based anomalies)!
Release Date: August 1, 2023
PCS NOTES: This book looks like a lot of fun.
Young Alfred: Pain in the Butler GN TP
DC Comics
Written by Michael Northrop
Art by Sam Lofti & Wes Abbott
Cover Art by Lofti
When Alfred attends Gotham Servants School, he is a clumsy and nervous boy going to fulfill his father’s last wish—he will become…a butler. But when he suspects that his new school may be involved in a criminal plot, Alfred must look within himself to see if he has what it takes to be not only a butler, but a hero.
From New York Times bestselling writer Michael Northrop (TombQuest, Dear Justice League), with striking visuals from artist Sam Lotfi (Mosely), comes the story of a scrappy kid who becomes a legend.
Release Date: August 1, 2023
PCS NOTES: The concept of Alfred Pennyworth being young is difficult to grasp, but I think Michael Northrop with handle it masterfully.
