Welcome to the New Number Ones!
Each week we bring you the list of new series and special editions coming this week. We are highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace.
August is upon us, and as the dog days of summer creep in, there are a bunch of great new comics hitting the stands. Gee, there seems to be an inordinate amount of series starting with G this week. Also, in the Special Edition sections we highlight two collected trade paperbacks that we loved over the last year.
We have 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 week. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you about the new comics in question.
We have books on this week’s list from: Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Ablaze Comics, IDW Publishing, Oni Press, Fantagraphics Books, Boom! Studios, Oni Press, and Image Comics.
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
Arkham House: The Terror at the End of Time #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Andrea Mutti & Valerio Alloro
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Raphael Albuquerque
Life was all just one big game to adventuring socialite Jenny Barnes. That was, until her sister was abducted by a dangerous cult. Although Jenny thwarted the cultists sacrificial endeavors, and battled the eldritch monsters at their command, the high priestess Abigail Olmstead fled—and took Izzie with her. Private investigator Joe Diamond may not understand Jenny’s story but he understands loss. Joe and Jenny must work together and follow the clues to find Izzie, but more horrors await them in Arkham, Massachusetts, and time appears to be running out…
Written by Eisner-nominated master of horror Cullen Bunn.
The first comic-based addition to the Arkham Horror universe — a Lovecraft Horror from entertainment leader Asmodee, featuring a cooperative adventure board game, cooperative living card game, and several tie-in novellas.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: This is the perfect choice for a creative team to expand this property to comics.
Blood Hunters #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Erica Schultz
Art by Robert Gill & Rain Beredo
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Emanuela Lubacchino & Guru-eFX
DAGGER! ELSA BLOODSTONE! WHITE WIDOW! HALLOWS’ EVE! Marvel’s newest team takes to the streets to clean up the aftermath of BLOOD HUNT — namely, hunting down the remaining vampires who threaten to spill innocent blood! Including the deadly super-vamps of the BLOODCOVEN! But when MILES MORALES, A.K.A. SPIDER-MAN, gets caught in the crosshairs… need we say it?! THERE WILL BE BLOOD! Don’t miss the beginning of an epic new adventure!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: What a great cast of characters for this creative team to sink their teeth into!
C.O.W.L. 1964 #1
Image Comics
Written by Kyle Higgins & Alec Siegel
Art by Rod Reis
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Reis
MINISERIES PREMIERE
It’s 1964, and C.O.W.L.—the Chicago Organized Workers League, the world’s first superhero labor union—is going national! But with the old team scattered and powerful forces moving in the shadows, will this union be busted before it gets off the ground?
Join the original C.O.W.L. creative team of KYLE HIGGINS (RADIANT BLACK), ALEC SIEGEL (HADRIAN’S WALL), and ROD REIS (New Mutants) for a new miniseries celebrating C.O.W.L.’s 10-year anniversary!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Seeing this creative team return after nearly ten years and buckets of individual success is pretty interesting.
Cruel Universe #1
Oni Press / EC Comics
Written by Matt Kindt, Corinna Bechko, Chris Condon, & Ben H. Winters
Art by Kano, Caitlin Yarksy, Jonathan Case, & Artyom Topilin
Cover Art by Greg Smallwood
Compelled to OBLIVION, driven to ENTROPY, all life in our cosmos can only end in one place: COMPLETE ANNIHILATION! For the first time in 70 years, the limitless fury of EC Comics rages back to life to shred the very fabric of the universe itself—and wrench bizarre tales of time and space into our dimensional plane! Our guides across this double-sized, 40-page introduction to a cosmic maelstrom of strange extraterrestrial entities, malevolent scientists, and terrifying technological catastrophes? Learn to fear the void with the irradiated imaginations of Hugo Award nominee Corinna Bechko (Invisible Republic, The Space Between), rising star Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), Eisner Award nominee Matt Kindt (BRZRKR, Mind MGMT), and Edgar Award winner Ben H. Winters (The Last Policeman) as they collide with the wondrously destructive visions of artists Jonathan Case (Green River Killer), Kano (Immortal Iron Fist), Artyom Topilin (I Hate This Place), and Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer: Reborn)! The unpredictable return of EC Comics continues here with the quantum comics event of the millennium! Galaxies will collapse. Space-time will be distorted. And your very will to exist, too, shall be broken . . . Just remember: it’s all in the name of SCIENCE!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: EC Comics imprint is back in full force as this anthology furthers the legacy of science fiction comics.
Gilt Frame #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Matt Kindt & Margie Kindt
Art by Matt Kindt
Cover Art by Matt Kindt
A classic whodunit murder mystery that spans the globe from Paris to Hawaii to Montenegro as we hustle to keep up with the most unlikely murder-solving duo in the history of murder-solvers.
Sam, who is in his early twenties, is an orphan, taken in when he was younger by his well-off Aunt Merry who has an eccentric taste for antiques and travel.
Together, Sam and Merry have solved some of the most notorious murders in the world. And true to form, their Parisian vacation is cut short when they stumble upon a murder scene so bizarre that only a raging psychopath could have produced it.
But to solve the crime, they have to wrestle with jewel thieves, art forgers, gun-runners, a lost puppy, and a master French detective who may just solve the crime before they do.
A brand new series by New York Times bestselling creator Matt Kindt!
A 64 page giant-sized special launch issue!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Matt Kindt is back at it and we are thankful for it.
Gotham City Sirens #1
DC Comics
Written by Leah Williams
Art by Matteo Lolli & Triona Farrell
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Art by Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson
YOU CAN’T KEEP A BAD GIRL DOWN! CATWOMAN, POISON IVY, AND HARLEY QUINN REUNITE FOR A WEEKLY ADVENTURE! When a violent and highly illegal energy drink-sponsored hunting operation threatens the lives of wildlife and the residents of Gotham City alike, the only ones fit to save the day are the criminal trio of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and Harley Quinn. Back together again for the first time in years. Sometimes the only way to fight bad is with even worse! With special appearances by White Rabbit, Punchline, and introducing the himbo cowboy henchmen sensation soon to be sweeping the nation known as “The Nasty Boys!” Get your chaps, spurs, and hats out cause it’s hunting season! By the end of story you’ll be covered in guts, goo, and grit! Featuring the talents of Leah Williams, Matteo Lolli, Daniel Hillyard, and more! If you’re not chanting “Hot tubs and headshots and hotties, oh my!” by the end of this four-week-long series, you’re doing it wrong!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: This is a must pull for us!
Monster High: New Scaremester #1
IDW Publishing
Written by Jacque Aye
Art by Caroline Shuda
Cover Art by Arielle Jovellanos
Spotted: IDW’s most spooktacular series ever. From the spine-chilling minds of Monster High superfans Jacque Aye and Caroline Shuda comes Monster High: New Scaremester. Ghouls and boos are heading back to Monster High for a new scaremester. And while they’ll certainly be serving lurks in the hallway and haunting study howl, rumor has it that trouble is brewing. Draculaura, Clawdeen Wolf, Cleo de Nile, and Frankie Stein have never met a bad scare day or monstrous problem they couldn’t fix together, but…Drac’s in over her fangs with her new responsibilities, Clawdeen and Cleo aren’t speaking, and Frankie’s life may be in danger. The beasties need a fresh start, and what better time than the new scaremester? Surely a reconciliation is lurking just around the dark and foreboding coroner.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
The Pedestrian #1
Magma Comix
Written by Joey Esposito
Art by Sean Von Gorman & Josh Jensen
Letters by Shawn Lee
Cover Art by Von Gorman
Behold, The Pedestrian! A strange visitor speedwalks into Summer City and silently changes the lives of its residents. But not all is quiet in this sleepy, small town—an ancient conflict linked to the secret history of street signs is brewing! DON’T WALK… RUN! In The Pedestrian, justice always has the right of way! Writer Joey Esposito (Batman: Urban Legends) reunites with Pawn Shop collaborator, artist Sean Von Gorman (Batman Beyond), for an offbeat tale that will stick with you!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: We are so excited that everyone will get the opportunity to read this book this week.
The Power Fantasy #1
Image Comics
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Caspar Wijngaard
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Wijngaard
“Superpowered.” You have certain preconceptions. They’re incorrect. Here, that word has a specific technical definition. Namely, “any individual with the destructive capacity of the nuclear arsenal of the USA.” There are six such people on Earth. The planet’s survival relies on them never coming into conflict. Come dance to the ticking of the doomsday clock with KIERON GILLEN (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, DIE) and CASPAR WIJNGAARD (HOME SICK PILOTS, ALL AGAINST ALL). The eternal fight against fighting starts now.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: We have read this book and highly recommend it.
Red Before Black #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Stephanie Phillips
Art by Goran Sudžuka & Ive Svorcina
Letters by Tom Napolitano
Cover Art by Sudžuka & Svorcina
Introducing the most unpredictable outlaw couple since Harley & Ivy!
Red Before Black is a violent, hyper kinetic, women-led crime thriller reminiscent of 2000s-era Vertigo from superstar writer Stephanie Phillips (Grim, Harley Quinn) and acclaimed artist Goran Sudžuka (Hellblazer, Y The Last Man), perfect for fans of Birds of Prey and Killing Eve.
On a special assignment from the FBI, disgraced army veteran Val is sent to Florida to hunt down an infamous drug runner named Leo. But she soon finds that they have an unexpected enemy in common, turning the game of cat and mouse into something else entirely!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: We are excited for this book. It is definitely full of mystery.
Spider-Man: Black Suit & Blood #1
Marvel Comics
Written by J.M. DeMatteis, J. Michael Straczynski, & Dustin Nguyen
Art by Elena Cassagrande, Sumit Kumar, & Nguyen
Cover Art by Leinil Francis Yu & Sunny Gho
“THE RUMORS ARE TRUE!” An all-star lineup of writers and artists assemble to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Spider-Man’s iconic black costume, “black, white & blood” style! J.M. DeMatteis returns to the pages of “Kraven’s Last Hunt” to tell a never-before-seen tale of Spidey’s past! J. Michael Straczynski rips Peter Parker’s (and the symbiote’s) heart out! And Dustin Nguyen’s stunning take on the wall-crawler will bring Spidey to uncharted heights against the backdrop of Dustin’s groundbreaking visual style!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Great creators returning to a wonderful time in Spider-Man’s history.
Uncanny X-Men #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Gail Simone
Art by David Marquez & Matt Wilson
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Marquez & Wilson
PROFESSOR X… IS GONE! A core group of essential X-Men rise FROM THE ASHES to face a world without a home — and without Professor X! All bonds among the mutant community seem to be slipping away, and ROGUE reluctantly finds herself as the hero designated to bring them back together… but a fearless, malignant power is out there hunting mutants, and it has a terrible secret that may destroy what remains of the X-Men!
LEGACY #701
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Gail Simone and David Marquez on Uncanny X-Men. ‘Nuff Said.
Venom War #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Iban Coello & Frank D’Aramata
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover Art by Coello & D’Armata
LAST VENOM STANDING! The Venom Symbiote has bonded with both Eddie Brock and his son Dylan at different points. Now both Brocks are going head-to-head, determined to be the one, true Venom! Father versus son in a showdown of showdowns that threatens to tear the world asunder! From heavyweight talent champions Al Ewing and Iban Coello comes a Battle for the ‘Biote like you’ve never seen!
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Venom fighting Venom for your reading pleasure.
New One-Shots and Specials
Cyber Force: Shootout #1
Image Comics
Written by Billy Muggelberg
Art by John Starr & Bruno Abdias
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover Art by Starr & Abdias
Top Cow Talent Hunt 2022 winners BILLY MUGGELBERG and rising-star artist BRUNO ABDIAS debut in the industry with an action-packed tale from the world of CYBER FORCE!
Set in the REBIRTH era, Cyber Data Industries tasks one of their operatives, Cyber Force’s Ballistic, with tracking down an Aphrodite IV android that has gone rogue. It’s up to Ballistic to hunt the walking weapon of mass destruction down, but if C.D.I. is willing to destroy anything or anyone that does not fit in neatly with their plans, what does that mean for her?
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: We are interested to check out this new talent.
Future TP
Fantagraphics Books
Written by Tommi Musturi
Art by Musturi
Cover Art by Musturi
A graphic, genre-mashing magnum opus from one of the most restlessly creative voices in comics.
Tommi Musturi’s Future traps the reader into a web of stories happening in different timespaces, providing perspectives on the possible futures of mankind through imaginary future worlds, current events, historical references, utopias, and ideals. Future is a mash-up of the familiar and the terribly alien: quotidian existence, sci-fi spectacle, utopian fantasy, AI dystopia, and other worst-case scenarios. Richly philosophical and allegorical, Musturi gives us alcoholic magicians, guerrilla art squads, mutant reality television hosts, and incel archaeologist-astronauts, among many others.
Weaving between a variety of styles in illustration and narration that transform and reflect our constantly changing reality, Future is an impassioned graphic novel for our times that renews the medium of comics – a vital and multifaceted work of art. Known as a stylistic chameleon who often deals with existential themes that twirl around the ideal of “freedom,” Musturi has crafted his masterpiece, an attention-grabbing, bravura showcase of a rich visual imagination with a deeply moral center.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: This graphic novel looks like a trip in multiple ways.
G.O.D.S. TP
Marvel Comics
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Valerio Schiti & Marte Gracia
Letters by Travis Lanham
Cover Art by Schiti & Gracia
Legendary writer Jonathan Hickman and superstar artist Valerio Schiti dramatically tear down the established celestial hierarchy of the Marvel Universe, and build it back up with fantastic new purpose!
At the core of the Marvel Universe there exists a pantheon of omnipotent forces that shape the very building blocks of reality! Many of these strange beings have been around since the earliest days of Marvel Comics, but befitting their roles in the cosmos, their motives and natures have been beyond reach and comprehension… until now!
These cosmic entities have faithful servants that walk among us as members of two opposing factions: the powerful mystics of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE and the brilliant scientific minds of THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS. For eons, they’ve clashed and schemed with all of reality hanging in the balance until they formed a fragile pact – all part of a complex system that keeps the universe in balance.
But that system is more fragile than anyone would care to admit, and there’s some among them who desire nothing more but to see it shatter! Now, a mysterious rogue agent by the name of Cubisk Core has shattered that uneasy peace, and this secret war will come out of the shadows for the first time!
COLLECTING: G.O.D.S. (2023) #1-8; G.O.D.S. variants, bonus pages.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: We were big fans of this series and are sad to see it go. If you missed it, here is your chance to binge the whole thing.
Loving, Ohio TP
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Matthew Erman
Art by Sam Beck
Cover Art by Beck
“We all lived here. In some way. And wherever you live, it leaves imprints on you”
After the mysterious suicide of their friend, Sloane, Elliott, Cameron, and Ana are just trying to get through the rest of high school. They live in Loving, Ohio — a town built around The Chorus, a new age cult with members firmly planted in positions of power and influence throughout the community.
Through their grief a series of murders throw these friends into a mystery connected to everything around them. Sloane and her friends have to escape a roaming murderer, figure out their place in the world, and deal with loss all in the looming shadow of The Chorus. But through it they will find the true cost of friendship and the adulthood they seek. Gut punching emotion drives the mystery of Loving, Ohio. This beautifully drawn coming of age story will stay on the mind for days after reading. An expertly crafted tale about what, happens when something infects every institution and structure within a community.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Man, This book looks like a must read.
Ore: A Starhenge Graphic Novella TP
Image Comics
Written by Liam Sharp
Art by Sharp
Cover Art by Sharp
Following LIAM SHARP’s epic STARHENGE, ORE charts the battle between the resurrected Ur-Queen and the horrifying AI of the CAST, in a galaxy-spanning conflict where ALL sentient life is threatened…
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: Liam Sharp doing excellent Liam Sharp things.
Travelling to Mars TP
Ablaze Comics
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Roberto Meli & Chiara Di Francia
Letters by Mattia Gentili
Cover Art by Meli
From Eisner Award winning writer Mark Russell and artist Roberto Meli comes a compelling new sci-fi series…
Traveling to Mars tells the story of former pet store manager Roy Livingston, the first human to ever set foot on Mars. Roy was chosen for this unlikely mission for one simple reason: he is terminally ill and therefore has no expectation of returning. Roy is joined on his mission to Mars by Leopold and Albert, two Mars rovers equipped with artificial intelligence, who look upon the dying pet store manager as a sort of god. Against the backdrop of not only his waning days but those of human civilization as well, Roy has ample time to think about where things went wrong for both of them and what it means to be a dying god. A riveting story of planetary exploration and of finding meaning in your final days.
Collects the critically acclaimed 11-issue series plus cover gallery and bonus material.
Release Date: August 7, 2024
PCS NOTES: If you missed this series, or if you didn’t, the whole thin is collected here!!!!
