Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On March 29, 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, March 29, 2023.

New Story Arcs:

Detective Comics #1070, DC

GOTHAM NOCTURNE, ACT I – PART V / ABSOLUTE, PART  OF 3

The gothic opera crashes into a crescendo as Batman goes head-to-head with an Azmer demon…unaware that it is is someone in Bruce Wayne’s life. Meanwhile, a mysterious team called the Vigil arrives to investigate the Azmer sightings—but who are the Vigil, and are they on Batman’s side? Then, in the backup: With Mrs. Freeze only a pale image of the woman Victor Fries fell in love with—what is he to do now to save her?

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1, DC

THE WORLD’S STRANGEST HEROES ARE BACK IN THE DC UNIVERSE!

After the events of Lazarus Planet, more people than ever have active metagenes! Most of these new metahumans have become misfits, shunned and imprisoned by a fearful society. They are hidden away in the dark, lost to a system that only sees them as weapons or guinea pigs-ticking time bombs that can only be defused by the Unstoppable Doom Patrol!

Robotman, Elasti-Woman, and Negative Man are joined by their brand-new teammates Beast Girl and Degenerate and led by Crazy Jane’s mysterious new alter, the Chief, on a mission of saving the world by saving the monsters!

Avengers Beyond #1, Marvel

Someone has been manipulating the Avengers for the past several months, altering the very fabric of reality in an attempt to prepare the planet for a threat that could destroy everything. Here, now, this unseen individual is to be dragged, kicking and screaming, from the shadows and into the light—and is revealed as the Beyonder! Something big is coming to the Marvel Universe…

Venom: Lethal Protector ll #1, Marvel

BROCK VS. DOOM. ‘NUFF SAID! Venom co-creator David Michelinie returns with a brand-new story set in the sinister symbiote’s past when brains—and Spider-Man—were still on the menu! This time, he’s uniting with rising star Farid Karami to weave an epic, blockbuster story that will take Venom from the streets of NYC to the kingdom of Latveria as EDDIE BROCK is challenged like never before! What (or WHO) will Venom need to overcome the fiercest foe in the Marvel U? One thing’s for certain, this monster’s bringing the mayhem!

Clobberin’ Time #1, Marvel

It’s Clobberin’ Time all the time, as Ben Grimm teams up with heroes from across the Marvel Universe for BIG, FIST-POUNDING ACTION! But the stakes have never been higher! In this opening issue, Ben and the Incredible Hulk are stranded on a distant, ancient, alien world, where the duo must protect an ancient people against legions of Deviant hordes and ultimately face the wrath of a Celestial. Luckily, they have four fists between them!

X-Men: Unforgiven #1, Marvel

MUTANTS…OR MONSTERS? Beaten, broken and bruised after the destruction of SPIDER-MAN: UNFORGIVEN, the FORGIVEN desperately need a break…but, of course, there ain’t no rest for the wicked. Body parts have mysteriously started washing up on the coast of Maine…and these extraneous organs call for help from the extraordinary X-MEN! But with former bloodsucker JUBILEE in tow, the team is risking more than they know…

Waller vs. Wildstorm #1, DC

In the early 1980s, as the Cold War stubbornly refuses to thaw, a new battle heats up…for the soul of the intelligence agency Checkmate. As the agency’s super-heroic public face, Jackson King—a.k.a. the armored Battalion, former leader of Stormwatch and the symbol of American might—has long suspected that Adeline Kane is up to dirty tricks overseas, engineering horrors that betray everything he believes about service to one’s country. But King doesn’t know that Kane has a clever new ally—an ambitious young woman named Amanda Waller. She has her own ideas about how metahumans can serve their country. And honor, dignity, and long lives don’t factor into them… National-security reporter Spencer Ackerman (the Daily Beast, Reign of Terror), comics and video game writer Evan Narcisse (Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Gotham Knights), and veteran artist Eric Battle (Aquaman, Kobalt) celebrate WildStorm’s legacy of espionage-flavored superhero morality plays, pitting Stormwatch against the deadliest people in the DCU—including Deathstroke himself!

It’s Jeff! #1, Marvel

JEFF THE LANDSHARK STARS IN HIS OWN FIN-TASTIC COMIC! Since his very first appearance, Jeff the Land Shark has flooded our hearts like an adorable tidal wave! Now the ingenious, the extraordinary, the unbearably innocent Jeff embarks on his own adventures across the Marvel Universe! You thought it was safe doing laundry or going for a leisurely swim in the pool…but no activity can protect against Jeff’s cuteness! Collecting the hit Infinity Comics series from the Marvel Unlimited app, this one-shot features a brand-new cover and tail…we mean tale!

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Jabba’s Palace #1, Marvel

WHO IS PLOTTING TO OVERTHROW JABBA THE HUTT? Jabba’s palace is one of many places to find the vilest of scum and villainy relaxing, wet their whistles and indulge their vices…who would ever want that to end? Well, SOMEONE has Jabba in their sights! Beginning a series of One-Shots spotlighting the RETURN OF THE JEDI era, Marc Guggenheim (HAN SOLO & CHEWBACCA) and Alessandro Miracolo (OBI-WAN) bring you a tale of Jabba’s Palace you won’t soon forget!

The Ambassadors #1, Image

The most ambitious comic book of all time is finally here! Imagine you could gift superpowers to six people. In a world of eight billion, who do you choose? Join six of the greatest artists in the industry for an enormous story about ordinary people from around the world explaining why it should be them. This first story features artwork by superstar FRANK QUITELY.

Indigo Children #1, Image

SERIES PREMIERE

Acclaimed creator CURT PIRES returns to Image for a brand-new ongoing series with the creative team behind the smash-hit series Youth, soon to be a show on Amazon Prime!

RADIANT BLACK meets THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH in this action-packed sci-fi/mystery epic as journalist Donovan Price hunts down the extraordinarily gifted INDIGO CHILDREN after their mysterious disappearance fifteen years prior.

Dungeons & Dragons: Saturday Morning Adventures #1, IDW

Long before the world turned upside down and new generations discovered D&D, six kids boarded a magical roller coaster and were transported to the Forgotten Realms! Noble ranger Hank, intrepid acrobat Diana, quiet thief Sheila, impulsive barbarian Bobby, fearful cavalier Eric, and uncertain magician Presto only want to get back to their own world. But escaping the Realms has turned out to be much harder than getting there! Danger lurks at every turn, the enigmatic Dungeon Master is less than helpful, and Venger, the force of evil, will stop at nothing to get his hands on the magical weapons the kids have come to rely on. To top it off, Hank has made a startling discovery: Despite the dangers, Sheila, Bobby, Diana, and the others aren’t so sure they want to go home after all!

X-O Manowar Unconquered #1, Valiant

Warrior. Slave. Liberator. King. Aric of Dacia has lived many lives. Now his past, present, and future collide as Valiant’s X-O MANOWAR returns in an unforgettable new series.

• Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and Liam Sharp bring X-O Manowar to new planets, old villains, and brutal destinies.
• X-O Manowar is alone in space and stranded on a distant world, battered and defi ant, but never defeated.
• Put the king back on his throne as X-O Manowar charts an epic return on its 30th anniversary.

Seven Years in Darkness #1, Comics Experience Publishing

The Academy of Black Magic has reopened its doors for the first time in 200 years! Seventy-two children will walk through the Academy doors for freshmen year. But only seven will graduate and walk out alive! Their seven-year journey starts here, in this dark and sweeping fantasy epic from acclaimed comics creator Joe Schmalke!

Don’t Spit in the Wind #1, Mad Cave Studios

In the distant future, humanity has escaped the shell of what was once a lush, beautiful Earth, that has instead been left a dumping ground full of trash, smog, and pollution.

One man’s trash is another man’s living. Since earth became inhospitable, humanity escaped ages ago to live in a space station floating above the atmosphere. Now Travis and his crew of garbage men are tasked with cleaning up mountains of toxic waste, working for a company called Atomic Bros INC., to create a ‘Clear World’. But when one of Travis’ crew members goes missing near an old nuclear facility Travis’ job becomes a bit more complicated.

Rocketman & Rocketgirl #1, Dynamite

ROCKETMAN AND ROCKETGIRL FACE NAZI AGENTS OUT TO STEAL ROCKET TECHNOLOGY!

New York City, 1940! Masked bank robbers are making a helicopter getaway, and Rocketman and Rocketgirl are on the case! But after failing to apprehend the thieves, the team uncovers a more complex conspiracy… Nazis hell-bent on stealing rocket technology for themselves! It’s super-charged thrills from Jacob Edgar (The Ones) and Jordi Perez (Firefly).

Lady Baltimore: The Dream of Ikelos #1, Dark Horse

Lady Sofia Baltimore, accompanied by an array of formidable companions, continues her war against the Nazis in an occult alternate Outerverse. High in the frozen Italian alps, a mercenary sorcerer has revealed a dangerous magical artifact. German forces will use it to obliterate Allied forces who stand against them . . . unless Sofia and Imogen can take possession of it first.

Horror genius writing team Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden reunite, with stellar art by Bridgit Connell and colors by Michelle Madsen in a brand-new one-shot story!

Monster Tag Team #1, American Mythology

It’s a brand-new series in the vein of classic team-ups and two-in-one comics – this is MONSTER TAG TEAM! Two monsters – one rampaging story – all horror! In this debut issue called “Wolfe And Bat” – mortal enemies and clashing world powers collide in an over-the-top monster battle royale! In a Cold War that’s gone occult, the international terror organization WARLOCK schemes to destroy human civilization. Faced with this new breed of unstoppable sorcerous criminal, West and Soviet agencies put their two best creatures on the case: Jesse Walker, a CIA-trained werewolf and Vlad Dracul, KGB’s top vampire, team up to destroy WARLOCK’s chief Magister before he can unleash Fimbulwinter on humanity. This issue comes with four covers – Main by Copper Age legend Neil Vokes, Corpse Crew homage cover by Buz Hasson & Ken Haeser, Painted cover by Mark Sparacio, and a special 100 copy Century limited edition!

Neverender: The Final Duel #1, Sumerian

The year is 2X19 and due to breakthroughs in artificial accelerants, mankind has taken to the stars. At the edge of civilization, the dominant sport is a civilized sword duel to the death. The top five fighters are protected by Saguaro, a talented and tenacious duelist. Team Egalite is forced to choose which direction to fight after Merrick openly criticizes the Colonial Republic after his previous duel. Dice and Kino equip Neverender for the endgame.

Songs for the Dead: Afterlife #1, Vault

Bethany is a necromancer and a hero. Along with her companions, Elissar and Jonas, she has finally found the rumored Covenant. Her perilous journey has brought her to the last bastion of the necromancers, but resurging prejudices have them in shambles. Can Bethany unite them in the face of escalating tensions? Or will the coming war shatter all of her dreams for a peaceful future?

Mechaton #1, Scout

Scoot Imprint! Derek and Leah don’t really have a plan. All they know is that video games are awesome and that you should always look out for your neighbor. But when giant mutant insects start terrorizing the neighborhood, they’ll have to get off the couch and do something about it. Luckily, everything they need just fell out of the sky: The MechaTon Glove, a machine that converts anything it punches into a battle mech, whether it’s a hotdog stand or a house. Here’s hoping they don’t lose their heads trying to do the right thing!