Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On December 15, 2021

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 titles kicking off new story arcs and a few interesting #1’s premiering this upcoming New Comic Book Day, Wednesday, December 15, 2021. 

New Arcs:

The Amazing Spider-Man #81, Marvel

‘It’s new Spider-Man vs. newest Spider-Man!!! The Beyond Corporation paid a lot of money for the Spider-Man trademark and does not take kindly to an unlicensed Spider-Man running around Brooklyn. So it’s up to Ben Reilly to take Miles Morales down.

LEGACY #882’

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #33, Marvel

‘The events of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #81 open up a can of worms and send Miles and Shift on a quest that will have dire effects on both of them. What does this mean for Ben Reilly? Keep reading, True Believers!

LEGACY #273 | BEYOND TIE-IN’

Notable #1s:

Batgirls #1, DC

‘Um, hello—you didn’t actually think we’d keep you waiting this entire year without giving you the Batgirls series we’ve all been wanting for forever, right? No way, we love you too much—just like Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown, who are only able to navigate the dark, gritty, and oftentimes scary city of Gotham by leaning on the bright light that is their best-friendship. Mentored by Oracle, the Batgirls move to the other side of town where Barbara Gordon can keep a better eye on them while the hacker Seer is still invading their lives. Steph may be too rash sometimes, and Cass doesn’t speak much—but what they lack in similarities they make up for with their mutual respect and love for each other…and what makes them stronger together as Batgirls! And they may be good at kicking ass, but they are just trying their best to be normal teenagers—who’ll borrow the keys to a muscle car that belonged to a bad guy and perhaps give it a joyride around town without a driver’s license, then race to get back home to Oracle by curfew…! Splashing the pages with bright colors against a dark backdrop of Gotham, Batgirls is the pizza slumber party of the year you don’t want to miss!’

Demon Days: Rising Storm #1, Marvel

‘Mariko Yashida’s journey through the mysterious forest of Kirisaki Mountain has brought her face-to-face with strange and terrible creatures. But she’s about to be tested like never before when she crosses paths with literal gods! You won’t want to miss this electrifying showdown in part FOUR of FIVE of the DEMON DAYS SAGA by Peach Momoko.’

Red Room: Trigger Warnings #1, Fantagraphics Books

‘The best selling, most talked about series of 2020 kicks off its second four-issue “season” with another self-contained mini-masterpiece of monthly comics storytelling. In this issue, the Decimator presents… The Rat Queens! And unfortunately for them, they are front and center in his most horrific red room broadcast yet! As seen on the YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe, from the creator of X-Men: Grand Design and Hip Hop Family Tree!’

Cloaked #1, Dark Horse

‘Twenty-five years ago, a genuine masked hero came out of nowhere to declare war on crime. All of America celebrated the exploits of the black-clad vigilante as he took down one lawbreaker after another . . . and then he disappeared. But when down-on-his-luck investigator Jake Stevens is hired to find the long-missing dark avenger, his inquiries threaten to expose the myth behind the mask.’

Wastelanders: Wolverine #1, Marvel

‘STEVEN S. DEKNIGHT LEADS THE RETURN TO THE WASTELANDS OF OLD MAN LOGAN! The super villains united and took out most of the world’s super heroes decades ago, and while the man known as LOGAN attempted to live a life of peace, he had to pop the claws once again to do what he does best! But saving the day looks different with the Baby Hulk under his care. Is Logan doing the right thing by protecting the progeny of the HULK or dooming what’s left of the war-torn world? Logan may not have long to ponder if he is crushed by the ADAMANTIUM ARMOR of his newfound enemy DOWNFALL! Steven S. DeKnight (WOLVERINE: BLACK, WHITE & BLOOD) teams with fan-favorite artist Ibrahim Moustafa to tell an all-new story of WOLVERINE in the days after the conclusion of the original OLD MAN LOGAN, as he fights once again to save the people of the Wastelands who have been crushed under the heel of the RED SKULL and BRUCE BANNER!’

Vampirella / Dracula: Unholy #1, Dynamite

‘The honeymoon begins!  The adventure of several lifetimes begins as Vampirella and new husband Matt journey to Castle Dracula in Transylvania in an attempt to cheat fate by preventing both a high-tech virus and an ancient curse from using Matt’s body to resurrect the deadliest threat the world has ever known. Meanwhile secrets and mystery grow around Vampi’s spouse, who may not be nearly as innocent as he appears to be. Join us for this new series debut by twice-bitten writer Christopher Priest and bloodthirsty artist Donny Hadiwidjaja!’

No Holds Bard #1, Behemoth

‘When Queen Elizabeth I is kidnapped, only the dramatic duo of William Shakespeare and William Page in their superhero alter-egos, THE BARD and PAGE can save her! Written in iambic pentameter, No Holds Bard is a throwback comedy adventure 400 years in the making.

Gail Simone says, “…brilliantly written, gorgeously illustrated. This is why I am in love with comics.”’

We Ride Titans #1, Vault

‘Kaiju hit hard. Family hits harder. Trying to keep your family from imploding is a tall order. Kit Hobbs is about to find out it’s an even taller order when that family has been piloting the Titan that protects New Hyperion from kaiju for generations. Between a spiraling brother, a powder keg of a father, and a whole bunch of twenty-story monsters, she’s got her work cut out for her.’

Mega #1, Red 5

‘A gigantic creature has been awaken from its eternal sleep in Antarctica. The destructive monster, only known as The Salamander, has started a journey of chaos and destruction. The only thing that could stop this menace is another sleeping giant; a creature from under the ocean known as Mega.’

Knight Janek #1, Behemoth

‘What if Zelda and Conan had a child? The answer is Knight Janek. Things are not going well in the realm of Fancylake. The royal couple falls a victim of a fatal accident, and the fresh new Duke shows a disturbing passion for the occult. As if that were not enough, a strange wanderer arrives in the capital…’

Rockabilly Monsters #1, Second Sight Publishing

‘Candy, a girl who seeks to solve the mysterious disappearance of her family, by chance of fate is involved with a group of monsters of different races: a wolf, a vampire, Frankenstein’s monster and a sea creature. Together, they will form a unique alliance and put aside their rivalry of hundreds of years, which will take them to the very ends of reality when they try to stop the arrival of an ancestral evil force to our earthly plane.’

Super Sleepy #1, Binge Books

‘Nagged by nightmares? Bothered by blanket hogs? Troubled by telemarketers? Have no fear – Super Sleepy is here! Super Sleepy is the pint-sized protector of sleepyheads everywhere! With her wisecracking sidekick Schleepy, Super Sleepy won’t rest until you sleep which means every giggle-filled story is a bedtime story! Created by TV’s Ursula Burton (The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm) with classic cartooning by Jeff Shultz (Peanuts), Super Sleepy also introduces Gargirl, Adventure Russ, Cosmic Ray, Lynn Ventor, Senor Uva’s Frutopia and Jillian Heir the Bajillionare!’