Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On February 1, 2023

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 New Story Arcs, Notable #1s, and One-Shots premiering this upcoming New Comic Book Day, Wednesday, February 1, 2023.

New Story Arcs:

King Spawn #19, Image

NEW STORY ARC

Spawn starts to realize that he has been but a pawn in this whole game. Now, his vengeance will not be stopped!

 

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Dark Web: Finale #1, Marvel

The dawn rises after the demonic invasion of New York City, but what will that light reveal? It will reveal Chasm’s final gambit and the new denizens of Hell he helped create and unleash on Spider-Man and the X-Men! See how Dark Web changed this city’s landscape forever! 

Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1, DC

Ancient and dangerous power has been awakened following the eruption of the Lazarus Volcano, and this surge of fantastical power will affect the DC Universe forevermore! In Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn, we’ll explore corners of the planet newly awakened and primed to restore some heroes and villains long forgotten! With the help of Nightwing, can new hero City Boy hope to commune with Gotham in time to save it? Who are the mysterious trio claiming to be resurrected siblings of Raven? How far would the Question go to chase a lead across a transformed Gotham City? And will the flame of Firestorm burn out yet another horrific host? Not if Harley Quinn has anything to say about it!

The Flash: One-Minute War Special #1, DC

A lot can happen in 60 seconds…as the Flash event “One-Minute War” rages on, writer Jeremy Adams gives you further insights into the alien speedster race that has invaded Central City, and how the Flash Family fights back!

Batman: Legends of Gotham #1, DC

With Batman preoccupied, his deepest, darkest, most dangerous secrets are about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The guest list is strictly villains only, and the outlaw Red Hood fits the bill–putting him on a collision course with Batman’s deniable black-ops team, the Outsiders! With Lazarus Island spawning wild-card superpowers across the globe, the stakes could not be higher. Jason Todd, Black Lightning, and Katana will have to put aside their differences to save Batman’s legacy–and with it, the world. That’s assuming they don’t kill each other first!

Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #1, Marvel

Toni Brooks and her family have moved into the quiet town of Sweetwater. But nothing is quite what it seems with their new home. What mystery did Toni and her family unravel that would call upon the Sentinel of the Spaceways—the Silver Surfer?! And just who or what is GHOST LIGHT? Eisner award winner John Jennings and artist, Valentine De Landro (Bitch Planet) introduce a new Marvel superhero 54 years in the making!

Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1, Marvel

IT’S IN HER BLOOD… Brielle Brooks is a good kid, no matter what her teachers say—it’s not her fault she’s developing vampiric super powers and the undead want to brawl! And as if problems at school aren’t enough, Bri’s got a wild ride ahead of her…she’s about to discover she’s the daughter of the infamous vampire hunter and Daywalker known as BLADE!

Demon Wars: Down in Flames #1, Marvel

PHOENIX vs MAGIK! Things are heating up in Momoko’s Marvel Universe! The spirit world is divided. Its inhabitants, strange creatures called yokai, have chosen sides, and the two factions are on the brink of all-out war. A bird-like yokai who wields some serious firepower faces off against a club-wielding demon. Mariko Yashida finds herself right in the middle of it.No matter which side she chooses, there will be consequences not only for the spirit world, but for the human world too. Don’t miss the next installment of Peach Momoko’s epic DEMON WARS saga!

DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1, DC

STRANGER THAN FAN FICTION / HERE’S TO JACK, HERE’S TO MOLLY / POWER GIRL AND ALL-AMERICAN BOY / GRACE / DATING APP DISASTER / ACROSS THE MULTIVERSE / ONCE UPON A ROMANCE NOVEL / SPLENDOR IN THE FOAM

DC is proud to present a selection of eight stories of rapscallion romance, prodigious passion, and undulating, unbridled affection. Tension builds as Apollo and Midnighter are captured by an unknown alien species who are determined to learn the secrets of their supersoldier success. Harley Quinn gets caught in a scintillating fantasy.

Star Wars: Sana Starros #1, Marvel

STARRING IN HER FIRST EVER SOLO SERIES! Fresh off of a string of disappointments, Sana Starros returns to her family’s ancestral home for some downtime. But family time is far from relaxing for a scoundrel and her family of ne’er do wells, especially when Stormtroopers crash dinner… Watch as Justina Ireland and Pere Pérez bring Sana Starros to new heights!

DC Power: A Celebration #1, DC

First there was DC Pride and DC Festival of Heroes; now it’s time to celebrate Black History Month! Cyborg, John Stewart, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Batwing, Vixen, Amazing-Man, and more take center stage to highlight the power of Black excellence across the DC Universe, in stories from a variety of comics’ finest Black artists and writers!

Black Tape #1, Artists Writers & Artisans Inc

Jack King was a rock’n’roll god who projected a stage persona on par with the devil. After Jack dies on stage, his widow, Cindy, grapples with grief and struggles to protect his legacy, unaware that she is being surrounded by dark forces that covet the master tapes to Jack’s final, unreleased album – a heavy metal masterpiece that just might open a doorway to hell.

Blood Tree #1, Image

SERIES PREMIERE

Two obsessed NYPD detectives hunt for a vicious butcher called the Angel Killer, a sociopath who preys on the innocent family members of known murderers in order to “purify” the rest of society.

From comics super team PETER J. TOMASI (Batman and Robin, Superman, Black Adam: The Dark Age, Super-Sons, Detective Comics) and MAXIM IMI? (Escape from New York, Conan) comes a story that confronts the battle of nature versus nurture, considers how present and future generations are tainted by past generations, and asks the age-old question: Who must pay for the sins of the fathers-and perhaps even the sins of the mothers?

Where Monsters Lie #1, Dark Horse

Haven’t you always wondered what slasher monsters-the masked home invasion family, the mindless unkillable monster, the serial killer trapped in a doll-what they do for those couple of years in-between their murder sprees? They’re at Wilmhurst-a gated community in the middle of nowhere where they relax-or try to-until they get the call to go out and kill again.

Connor Hayes survived his first slasher in summer camp. A handful of years later he barely escaped a psychopath who built torture puzzles for his victims. Since then he’s been training and planning for running into these creatures again. He’s a respected special agent, and now he knows where the monsters lie and he’s planning for war.

Almighty #1, Image

MINISERIES PREMIERE

THE WARNING writer/artist EDWARD LAROCHE returns to comics with a five-issue epic! Max Max: Fury Road-style action combines with the mutated horror of Annihilation in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers.

The year is 2098 in a Third World America ravaged by economic collapse, anarcho-warfare, and a mysterious environmental disaster contained behind a massive wall. A girl has been abducted, and a killer has been hired to find her and bring her home.

Gargoyles: Facsimile Edition #1, Dynamite

Originally published in 1995, this Gargoyles tale spun out of the smash hit animated TV series and featured early work by comics superstar Amanda Conner! In this story, workers at a construction site are being threatened by a fearsome creature who looks like a Gargoyle – but may be something much deadlier! It’s up to Goliath and his fellow Gargoyles, along with NYPD Detective Elisa Maza, to get to the bottom of this mystery and keep more people from getting hurt. This special reprint issue also will include a sneak peek at Dynamite’s two new comics starring Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck!

Tales from Nottingham #1, Mad Cave Studios

Tales from Nottingham explores untold stories from the twisted universe of Nottingham, including the secret origins of Robin Hood and the Merry Men, Marian’s violent past, Aya of the Hashashin’s first kill, and an ordeal that will shake Friar Tuck to his core. Never-before-seen mysteries confront Everard Blackthorne, the Sheriff of Nottingham, culminating in an investigation that will lead directly into the climactic events of Nottingham Volume 3. This anthology reunites Nottingham series creators David Hazan and Shane Connery Volk, while also bringing diverse new talent into the world of Nottingham, including Eisner and GLAAD nominated writer Magdalene Visaggio.

Breath of Shadows #1, IDW

It’s the mid-1960s, and Jimmy Meadows should be on top of the world. His band’s most recent album just went gold, and they’re riding a wave to international fame. But Jimmy is driven by only one thing: where to get his next fix. With his band at the end of their ropes and his life falling apart, Jimmy thinks he may be finished, until a friend tells him about a controversial method deep in the jungles of South America that can help him kick his addiction for good. But is clean living actually in Jimmy’s future, or will he instead unleash horrors beyond his wildest nightmares? A new expedition into the heart of horror from Rich Douek and Alex Cormack, the team behind Road of Bones and Sea of Sorrows!

Banshees #1, Scout

Emily is entering her first year of college and looking to reinvent herself after the loss of her best friend. But when she discovers the terrible history of her dormitory, she channels her guilt into a new obsession: discovering the truth about The Lion, a serial killer that stalked her college campus for nearly a decade. But old ghosts can lay dormant for only so long…

Bram Stoker Monster Hunter #1, AfterShock

The writing team behind MARY SHELLEY MONSTER HUNTER reunites!

Through memories spurred by Oscar Wilde’s 1895 gross indecency trial, a young and troubled Bram Stoker discovers there’s a secret hiding in his new workplace of Dublin Castle, one that will either end his life, or change it forever.

Written by Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (SILVER CITY, MARY SHELLEY, MONSTER HUNTER) and Adam Glass (Suicide Squad, Teen Titans, ROUGH RIDERS), and illustrated by Emilio Pilliu (Monkeys, Evil Hunt: Mammauth), comes a new take on the origins of the most monstrous legend of them all – one that we dare you to sink your teeth into.

Archie’s Valentine’s Spectacular (2023) #1, Archie Comics

Love is in the air with a BRAND-NEW story to kick off this collection of romance tales! In “More Than Meets the Eye,” a new student has arrived at Riverdale High! Cassie Cloud is tall, confident, funny, and catching all the guys’ attention-much to the chagrin of the girls. But she doesn’t seem interested in the most popular guys in school-instead she’s been hanging with the likes of Randolph, Dilton, Toño, Raj and even Prankenstein. What can Archie and Reggie do to get her attention, without catching the ire of Betty and Veronica? The short kings rise in this new Valentine’s tale! Plus, a collection of sweet stories perfect for that special someone!