Jumping On– New Story Arcs Kicking Off On July 20, 2022

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, Notable #1s, and One-Shots premiering this upcoming New Comic Book Day, Wednesday, July 20, 2022.

New Arcs:

Usagi Yojimbo #29, IDW

The Secret of the Green Dragon, Part 1 (of 3). Usagi and Yukichi are obligated to deliver a priceless jade dragon to Merchant Awase. They witness a runner delivering a parcel of jewels to the same merchant killed on the road ahead. However, the killers left the jewels and escaped with the container. They come to the realization that the box they carry may be even more valuable than the jade within.

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

A.X.E.: Judgment Day #1, Marvel

IN THE LAND OF THE RIGHTEOUS… The X-Men claim they’re the planets’ new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? Judgment Day from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti is the apocalyptic emotional event to define the summer.

DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War #1, DC

One of the last secret, underground human cities is facing total annihilation and its leader—John Constantine—must plan a suicide mission to assassinate a key lieutenant in the vampire empire! Against unreal odds and with an unlikely team including Booster Gold, Deathstroke, and Mary Marvel, does the Hellblazer have one more trick up his sleeve? A gritty, violent, monochromatic companion series to DC vs. Vampires, this series will feature a brutal story with a cadre of talented creators delivering 32 pages of original content!

Alien Annual #1, Marvel

Years before Bloodlines, Weyland-Yutani security chief, Gabriel Cruz, was a company man. His devotion to WY came first, no matter what the cost. But when the company decides to conduct a trial run experiment with a Xenomorph, will Cruz stand by and let innocent soldiers die?

Artemis: Wanted #1, DC

After the events of Trial of the Amazons, Artemis is on the run from her sisters for her sins. She may say it was all in the name of peace, but not even Wonder Woman believes a word she says. Now the former member of the Bana-Mighdall is wanted by not only her people, but all Amazon tribes! Is there a future for a warrior who has destroyed her past? Find out as Artemis travels the world searching for answers and a new path forward. She’ll need all the help she can get, and it may come from the unlikeliest of sources…the Gods!

Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #1, Marvel

ABSOLUTE POWER

A BOLD NEW ERA STARTS HERE! Shang-Chi has gained possession of the powerful Ten Rings. But so much concentrated energy has not gone unnoticed. Now, every bounty hunter, assassin and evil syndicate in the Marvel Universe is coming to take the Rings from him! But will the responsibility and the truth of the Rings be too much to bear for the Master of Kung Fu? Find out as the true origin of the Ten Rings starts here from Gene Luen Yang (SHANG-CHI) and Marcus To (EXCALIBUR)!

LEGACY #139

Rogues’ Gallery #1, Image

The Purge meets Scream in a home invasion thriller that follows disenfranchised TV superhero actress Maisie Wade as she is terrorized by an unhinged group of intruders cosplaying her day job’s archvillains. If Maisie is going to survive the night, she’ll need to be the hero she has come to despise. 

Writer HANNAH ROSE MAY makes her comic debut with rising-star artist JUSTIN MASON for an all-new series with DECLAN SHALVEY.

Defenders: Beyond #1, Marvel

Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez follow up their acclaimed DEFENDERS: THERE ARE NO RULES series with a new volume and an all-new lineup, including none other than Loki, God of Stories! When Doctor Strange sends a dire warning from beyond the grave, Blue Marvel, America Chavez, Taaia (Galactus’ mom!), Tigra and Loki assemble to defend reality itself! Plus, you won’t believe who shows up on the final page!

Barnstormers #1, Comixology

A high-flying adventure romance set just after the First World War. This Bonnie and Clyde romp brings together writer Scott Snyder and the breath-taking illustrations of Tula Lotay — her longest sequential work to date.

Young Hellboy: Assault on Castle Death #1, Dark Horse

Returned from their adventures on a secret island, Hellboy and the Professor move with the B.P.R.D. from New Mexico to Connecticut. The relocation is tough on Hellboy: is he just homesick, or have scrambled memories from the island gripped the supernatural whippersnapper? Meanwhile, word of Hellboy’s survival has also reached an unknown enemy, who failed to kill him once before but is determined not be foiled again . . .

Dark Spaces: Wildfire #1, IDW

Six weeks into the slow burn of the historic Arroyo Fire, a crew of women from an inmate firefighting program are risking everything on the frontlines when their newest recruit – a white-collar convict with a deep network of shady dealers – discovers they’re mere miles from her crooked former associate’s mansion. When she proposes a plan to abandon their duties and hunt for riches under cover of smoke and ash, the team must decide if they’re ready to jeopardize their one sure path back to normalcy for a shot at a score that would change their lives… But is this a flicker of fortune or a deadly trap? Scott Snyder and breakout artist Hayden Sherman craft an unforgettable heist for a new age in Dark Spaces: Wildfire.

Dudley Datson and the Forever Machine #1, Comixology

A rollicking adventure story about a boy, his dog and a machine that controls time and space! What could go wrong?

DC Comics mainstays SCOTT SNYDER and JAMAL IGLE team up to launch this new creator-owned saga!

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Time is a River #1, Dark Horse

When Hellboy accidentally left eclectic academic Lajos in a ghostly version of Budapest in “The Miser’s Gift,” he didn’t realize how far-reaching the consequences would be! As timelines get crossed, reality starts to crumble and Hellboy must return to the ghostly city to recover Lajos before it’s too late.

She Bites #1, Scout

Elsie Baker is a 134-year-old vampire in the body of a 9-year-old girl. Sick and tired of stupid adults treating her like a lost little girl and not letting her buy cigarettes, Elsie decides to hire a babysitter to be her chaperone. Enter Brenda Zielinski, a suicidal teenager in search of some quick cash so she can buy a one-way ticket to Scotland to jump off a cliff. Despite the generous payday, it turns out that babysitting a vampire might be more trouble than it’s worth.

Blink #1, Oni Press

Wren Booker was three when she was found catatonic and covered in blood on the streets of New York. Since that day, she’s been haunted by a childhood she can’t remember. After decades of searching, Wren stumbles upon a cryptic website streaming multiple CCT feeds from strange rooms in a ruined building and something clicks, setting off hidden memories that lead her back to a place she’s seen in lifelong nightmares. Hunting for answers, Wren breaks into the building, but instead finds herself entangled in the camera-filled dark mazes of a decayed social experiment known only as BLINK.

Madballs vs Garbage Pail Kids #1, Dynamite

For the first time ever, the “heavyweights of gross” have combined forces in a massive merchandising blitz that pits the Madballs against the Garbage Pail Kids-winner take all! As part of this blitz, Dynamite presents the comic book crossover of these iconic 1980s brands!

For over three decades, Madballs and GPK have both been known as the “grossest of the gross,” co-ruling counterculture with their pun-heavy names and subversive humor. This all-new limited series event presents the first time these two delightfully crude forces have ever crossed paths!

Written by Sholly Fisch, each issue features three incredible covers by legendary Garbage Pail Kids artist Joe Simko, series artist Jason Crosby, and a special trading card team-up cover created specially for this momentous meeting of the (depraved) minds!

As the original “gross out” brand of the 1980s, Topps released its Garbage Pail Kids series of trading cards in 1985, featuring hilariously revolting characters with appropriately irreverent names. Fifteen different card series were produced over the next three years, in addition to a Garbage Pail Kids animated series and a full slate of globally-licensed consumer products, with ongoing product lines that continues to the present day. For its part, Madballs launched its irregularly shaped toy foam balls in 1986, featuring its own proprietary and often-socially inappropriate characters with ghastly faces, grotesque names, and disruptively funny attitudes to match. Madballs went on to sell tens of millions of toys, inspire a series of animated specials, and launch an extensive consumer products program that included comic books, softlines, video games, collectibles, seasonal items, and back-to-school products.

Writer Sholly Fisch’s credits run the gamut from Superman to Star Wars to Scooby-Doo, and from Clive Barker’s Hellraiser to Looney Tunes. His comics for kids have won a Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Award, and been nominated for an Eisner Award and two Diamond Gem Awards, while several of his stories for older readers were included in the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel collections of Action Comics.

The Brother of All Men #1, AfterShock

It is 1928. Veteran of the Great War and part-time private eye Guy Horn travels to a remote community in Western Canada to retrieve his estranged brother from the clutches of a dangerous cult. As Guy struggles to gain control of his own personal demons, he’s tantalized by the cause and its charismatic leader, Brother XII.

A tightly plotted horror-mystery based on a true story wherein writer Zac Thompson (I BREATHED A BODY, UNDONE BY BLOOD, Ka-Zar) joins forces with artist Eoin Marron (KILLER GROOVE) for a new miniseries that blends the unexpected twists of hard-boiled detective noir with the uncanny traditions of folk-horror.

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Best of Snake Eyes #1, IDW

He’s the best of the best: ninja, soldier, and arguably the most recognizable member of G.I. Joe-and the most mysterious. He is Snake Eyes, and here’s your chance to delve into the mystery that surrounds this enigmatic (and silent) warrior, told by some of the greatest writers and artists in G.I. Joe publishing history. Yeah, Snake Eyes might not have a lot to say, but at nearly one hundred pages of ninja-warrior action, this special reprint comic is going to get plenty loud!

Little Red Ronin #1, Source Point Press

A terrible beast has haunted the citizens of Poletown for decades. Although the monster hasn’t been seen in years, disappearances and gruesome killings still plague the townsfolk. Determined to clear her family name, Red hunts The Great Wolf in hopes of exonerating her grandmother, who lives in exile for spreading terrifying propaganda.

Robyn Hood: Children of Dr. Moreau #1, Zenescope

Unexplained disappearances lead Robyn deep beneath the New York City streets where something evil lurks. Robyn has faced these reptilian monsters before, but their mysterious new leader has made them deadlier than ever. Guest starring Britney Waters aka Red Agent.

Deathrage #1, Merc Publishing

Discover the secret origins of the Spartan World Order’s resident bad boy in his own series! The black sheep of the Mercs, Deathrage, has set social media buzzing with his antics at the Merc Gala (Miss Meow #1!) Now witness his heroic beginnings, his tragic betrayal, and his rise to superhero celebrity fame and fortune… and learn why the other Spartans hate him so much! The roller coaster begins here!

Prophet: Remastered Edition #1, Image

The issue that started it all, PROPHET #1 remastered by some of today’s top comic book talents!

Prophet made his first appearance in 1992, electrifying fandom, and we are celebrating and commemorating his impact with a star-studded roster of illustrators creating all-new magic with fresh new pages for this commemorative 30th anniversary issue!

Canary #1, Comixology

It’s 1891 and a mine collapses into itself. Find out what the dark substance found 666 feet underground is in this horror Western!

SCOTT SNYDER pens this Lovecraftian take on the Wild West with stunning scenery captured by veteran illustrator DAN PANOSIAN!

Belle: Return of Scylla #1, Zenescope

Now with the key to the gates of Tartarus in her hands, Belle searches for the entrance to the Underworld prison that holds her mother. But, she has gotten the attention of a very powerful enemy from her past who wants nothing more than to stop her!

Locust: The Ballad of Men #1, Scout

Are you ready to return to the world of locusts? Max’s journey, revealed in a series of flashes between past and present, brings us closer and closer to Ford’s lair. However, proximity to Ford is the very antithesis of safety as the fanatical cult leader now seems increasingly ready to devastate everything in the name of his insane religious vision.