Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On July 12, 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, July 12, 2023.

 

New Story Arcs:

Savage Dragon #266, Image

“THE NEXT CHAPTER”

Malcolm Dragon joins Special Operations Strikeforce and makes the move to San Francisco. A new adventure begins here: A new town, new friends, and new foes! Get in on the ground level of a whole new chapter in the life of the Savage Dragon and family. Another outstanding achievement from award-winning writer/artist ERIK LARSEN.

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2023 #1, IDW

The Ninja Turtles take to the streets for a simple patrol, but what they find will rock their shells! Realities collide in this oversized special issue where the Turtles come face to face with a threatening force from the future! Can the brothers band together to take down this mysterious foe?

Knight Terrors #1, DC

WHY IS INSOMNIA? Hello, ghouls and ghosts! This is Boston Brand, a.k.a. Deadman, and I’ll be your supernatural tour guide across the Knight Terrors stories! After that fancy special oversize issue you have to read first, the whole world is trapped inside their nightmares, and Batman and I are trying to figure out who Insomnia really is…and why he wants revenge on the heroes of the DC Universe!

Fallen Friend: The Death of Ms. Marvel #1, Marvel

THE HEART OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE HAS STOPPED BEATING. Kamala Khan died a hero’s death in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #26, saving our entire universe. Come join the other heroes of the Marvel Universe, the creators of Ms. Marvel, and comic fans everywhere in honoring and remembering one of Marvel’s brightest stars!

World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1, DC

Spinning out of the pages of the runaway hit Batman/Superman: World’s Finest comes a modern retelling of the early adventures of the original Teen Titans! Led by Robin, the Boy Wonder, a new super-team has burst onto the scene—meet the Teen Titans, DC’s grooviest group filled with super-teens with super-problems. When they’re not fighting alongside their Justice League mentors, they’re managing their image and cultivating the rabid fan base that helps them save the world…as, all the while, a danger from the shadows intends to tear these friends apart before they ever reach the big time. Before they were the Titans of the DCU, they were the Teen Titans, and you won’t want to miss this fresh take on their origins from the legendary talents of Mark Waid and Emanuela Lupacchino!

Knight Terrors: Green Lantern #1, DC

Back in space to face his greatest fear! Something is wrong in Sector 2814, and Hal Jordan, Kilowog, and a few other Lanterns must find the mysterious disturbance, despite a ban on any of Earth’s Green Lanterns leaving their world. What they discover is a planet controlled by a familiar face—the face of Hal’s greatest fear! And in a backup story, Sinestro finds himself thrust into a new reality that drags him into the darkest corners of his past…and perhaps his future.

Knight Terrors: Robin #1, DC

It’s Robin versus Robin versus nightmare Robins? When the two Bat-brothers get taken into the Nightmare Realm, Jason Todd and Tim Drake must fight against their worst fears and each other as they’re forced to relive the darkest moments of their lives.

Web of Carnage #1, Marvel

CARNAGE SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH! As Cletus Kasady exacts his vengeance on an unsuspecting city and CARNAGE REIGNS across the Marvel Universe, THE CARNAGE SYMBIOTE remains left to its own devices, adrift among the stars. With its purpose renewed after the DEATH OF THE VENOMVERSE, Carnage has scant few hurdles between it and a glorious ascension to the throne of the King in Black…and the first is named MORLUN.

Knight Terrors: Shazam! #1, DC

ENTER: TETH-SHAZAM?! Of all Earth’s heroes, Billy Batson is the only one in double danger—because he and the Captain are each haunted by their own set of nightmares! And if the World’s Mightiest Mortal can’t survive his own fears, what chance does the rest of the Shazamily have?

Knight Terrors: The Flash #1, DC

After the Flash Family freed Barry Allen from the dimension Pariah locked him in, the Scarlet Speedster was able to return home for some quality time with Iris and his other loved ones. But after the world is plunged into the Nightmare Realm, Barry’s trapped in a different cage, and he’ll have to find a way out on his own!

Knight Terrors: Zatanna #1, DC

Annataz si kcab!

Zatanna, one of the last people awake on Earth, must defend her unconscious allies Wonder Woman and Detective Chimp from Insomnia’s Sleepless Knights—led by their horrifying Sleepless Queen!

But the outnumbered Zatanna can’t do it alone. She uses her magic to summon any champion that is still awake, which puts her in an unlikely team-up with one of the world’s strangest superheroes: the Unstoppable Doom Patrol’s Robotman!

X-Men: Days of Future Past – Doomsday #1, Marvel

THE CATACLYSM THAT LEADS TO THE X-MEN’S DYSTOPIC FUTURE! Return to the future in a tale that reveals the events leading up to the timeless original DAYS OF FUTURE PAST story that’s inspired spin-offs, films and more! In a world where mutants are more than simply hated and feared, but not yet SLAIN and APPREHENDED, the assassination of Senator Kelly comes to pass, bringing with it the Mutant Control Act and SENTINELS on every corner. But with mutantkind on the back foot, what lengths will KATE PRYDE, WOLVERINE, COLOSSUS, STORM, BANSHEE, ANGEL, CYCLOPS, PROFESSOR X and the rest of the X-MEN go to in order to find some way to survive? And what scheme of MAGNETO will bring about their ultimate DOOMSDAY? Witness the thirty-year descent into the dystopic future, replete with the previously untold deaths of key mutant characters, as we flesh out one of the most celebrated X-MEN timelines in its own series for the first time!

Fishflies #1, Image

MINISERIES PREMIERE

JEFF LEMIRE (GIDEON FALLS, Sweet Tooth) brings you a new tale of small-town surrealist horror in this special extra-length debut issue!

When a brutal and violent crime puts the life of an innocent teenage boy in the balance, it sets off a chain of events in bucolic Bell River, Ontario that will permanently change several residents’ lives. And as the manhunt heats up, a lonely girl named Franny Fox will form an unlikely friendship with a fugitive that leads them on an odyssey of discovery and redemption.

What If…? Dark: Loki #1, Marvel

Walter Simonson returns to his illustrious run on THOR…but this time, Loki’s in charge! A tale of one of Asgard’s worst days—and one of Loki’s best.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Stranger Things #1, IDW

Eleven, Max, Dustin, Mike, Will, and Lucas are looking forward to a nonthreatening, fun-filled trip to New York City. With the gang hundreds of miles from Hawkins, they’re sure to catch a break this time! That is, until they encounter a threat both bizarre and familiar… and some allies that are just bizarre! This summer, the kids from Hawkins meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

The Hunger and the Dusk #1, IDW

Hugo- and World Fantasy Award-winning writer G. Willow Wilson and all-star artist Chris Wildgoose invite readers to experience love on the brink of extinction in their new ongoing high fantasy tour de force! In a dying world, only humans and orcs remain-mortal enemies battling for territory and political advantage. But when a group of fearsome ancient humanoids known as the Vangol arrive from across the sea, the two struggling civilizations are forced into a fragile alliance to protect what they have built. As a gesture of his commitment to the cause-and to the relief of his bride-to-be, Faran Stoneback-the most powerful orc overlord, Troth Icemane, sends his beloved cousin Tara, a high-ranking young healer, to fight alongside brash human commander Callum Battlechild and his company of warriors. With a crisis looming, the success of this unlikely pair’s partnership and the survival of their peoples will depend on their ability to unlearn a lifetime of antagonistic instincts toward one another… and rise above the sting of heartbreak.

Gargoyles: Dark Ages #1, Dynamite

In this brand new miniseries, Gargoyles creator GREG WEISMAN and artist DREW MOSS return to the long-lost era when humans and Gargoyles lived in harmony. But in a world ruled by superstition and the sword, monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Forces of evil from both outside and within are threatening to destroy this precarious peace- with consequences that will reverberate down through the centuries and into the present day!

Antarctica #1, Top Cow

SERIES PREMIERE

Stargate meets His Dark Materials in a new non-stop sci-fi action blockbuster!

Hannah’s life imploded the day her father failed to return from the secretive Smith-Petersen Research Station in Antarctica. Alone and on the street, she’s at her lowest ebb when a friend offers help. Retrained as an engineer, Hannah secures a job at the same Antarctic station to search for her father and stumbles headfirst into a conspiracy that threatens everything she’s ever believed.

Sirens of the City #1, BOOM! Studios

New York City. 1980s. Runaway teen Layla struggles to survive on the mean streets, far from home.

But now every supernatural creature from the darkest corners of the urban grime is after Layla… and the child-to-be she never wanted growing inside her….

This gritty urban fantasy created by Joanne Starer (The Gimmick) and Excellence’s Khary Randolph shines a light on bodily autonomy in a patriarchal world.

The Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child #1, Dark Horse

Monster hunters Howard and Lupe are on their way to get rid of the powerful sword, but car trouble leaves them stranded in a small town that is being terrorized by a magical wolf and a mysterious child in a wolf mask. While waiting for car repairs, Lupe befriends the child and she and Howard are drawn into a war between the townspeople and the deadly beasts.

The Rocketeer: In the Den of Thieves #1, IDW

The Rocketeer is grounded! After Cliff and Betty’s adventures in Europe-with Cliff losing the Great Race but saving the day-he and Betty return home with a busted jet pack and a fully repaired relationship! They’re as happy as they’ve ever been…but paradise doesn’t last long! An elite band of Nazis, foiled in the past by their attempts to construct their own jet packs, decide on a new tactic: kidnapping the only person who can enable them to create their very own fleet of Rocketeers… Cliff’s beloved friend and mentor Peevy!

Duck and Cover #1, Comixology

A manga-influenced teen adventure set in the strange post-apocalyptic America… of 1955. From the team behind the seminal Vertigo series AMERICAN VAMPIRE!

Panya: The Mummy’s Curse #1, Dark Horse

Thousands of years before Hellboy, the B.P.R.D., and Ragna Rok, there was Panya. As a girl in ancient Egypt, she witnessed the fall of a dynasty and was gifted-or cursed-with visions of the beginning, the end, and the coming of the dragon…

Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson join creative forces with artist Christopher Mitten and colorist Michelle Madsen to bring Panya’s story to life.

Groo in the Wild #1, Dark Horse

Groo the Wanderer is back and stupider than ever… which is pretty stupid. In this, his latest mini-series, he tries to figure out the dumb way human beings attempt to co-exist with animals on this planet. And if we can’t figure out how to do that, what chance does the guy with cheese dip for brains have?

Savage Squad 6 #1, Dark Horse

The year is 2037. A brutal world war has left humanity in shambles. The remnants of civilization are tracked down and systematically eliminated by The Scourge. For the people of the central colonies, only one hope remains, an elite team deployed into the deadliest location on the planet: Savage Squad 6!

Destiny, NY: Mystic Mafia #1, Black Mask

Lilith Aberdine is the last surviving daughter of a mystical crime family. She has spent her whole life running from her past, but now those old demons are finally catching up to her. She thought she was meant to be with former prophecy girl Logan McBride, but life has pulled them apart. Now, with Lilith in New York and Logan in California, will destiny reunite them or drive them further apart?

Bad Girl Ashcan, Source Point Press

From the pages of Good Boy- Bad Girl follows an excommunicated mercenary who is pulled back into service for one reason: kill Flint Sparx.

Space Outlaw #1, Scout

The most dangerous criminal in the solar system-the F-24K prisoner-has escaped from the Maximum Security Prison on Mars. Upon fleeing the facility, he manages to reach planet Earth, where he is intent on resuming his criminal exploits. The prison’s wardens, however, send the deadliest of their robots to stop the dangerous villain.

Leaded Gasoline #1, Black Mask

In the 1980s a killer stalks the streets of South Central Los Angeles. Task forces are assembled, detectives work overtime, but the bodies keep coming. This is the story of a community college professor who believes there’s more to the story than a single madman. From writer Patrick Kindlon (Frontiersman, Nobody Is In Control, We Can Never Go Home) and your next favorite artist Lorenzo Re, Leaded Gasoline captures the mad energy of the most brash and risk-taking horror comics that are smart, dangerous, and intent on taking a sledgehammer to your mind.

Impossible Jones / Holly Daze #1, Scout

Impossible Jones (a thief pretending to be a hero) and Holly Daze (a former hero, now a thief) join up for a Girls’ Night Out of drinking, dancing… and danger! With Holly’s ex, Krampus, lurking in the shadows, Imp learns that sometimes the only thing harder than being enemies-is being friends! Added bonus: first glimpse into the secret Dark Files being kept on Impossible Jones and other crime-fighters and criminals in New Hope City!

Rick and Morty: Heart of Rickness #1, Oni

AN ALL-NEW LIMITED SERIES ADVENTURE INTO RICK’S OWN HEART OF DARKNESS FROM MICHAEL MORECI (BARBARIC) & PRISCILLA TRAMONTANO (TRANSFORMERS)!

After Summer blows his cover, Rick flees a shady deal with space mobsters and ends up stranded with the kids on a planet mysteriously devoid of any technology they could use to repair the ship. When they’re intercepted by savage, furry loincloth-wearing versions of themselves, they discover technology has been forcibly removed from this society, along with their hopes for an easy escape. Will it be enough for Rick to find a way off planet, or does he also have to prove who’s the Rickest Rick of them all?

Snow White Zombie Apocolypse: Legendary Edition #1, Scout

Snow White awakens to True Love’s kiss…28 days later. Shoulder-to-shoulder with his tough-as-nails paramour Rapunzel-the lovable-but-philandering Prince Charming braves the darkness of Snow White’s enchanted forest in a desperate bid for survival. But how long can the pair hold out as the denizens of Grimm’s Fairy Tales rise from their graves to devour the flesh of the living?

This new “Legendary Edition” format measures 11″ x 17″.

Shitkicker & Bullseye #1, Bliss on Tap

A legendary Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a time-traveling cowboy, is resurrected in 1899 through a wormhole in Death Valley where he will begin his epic journey to pull off the biggest heist of the millennium… robbing the treasure vault of the Devil’s Train. Hop aboard and hang on as we kickoff part one of the Hat-Trick Saga! Written by Matthew Dickens with art by Julius Abrera (Van Helsing).

My Little Pony 40th Anniversary Special #1, IDW

Forty years ago, Butterscotch, Blue Belle, Minty, Snuzzle, Cotton Candy, and Blossom cantered onto shelves and into the hearts of children everywhere. Now, join IDW as we celebrate decades of ponies, toys, and friendship! First, from Sam Maggs and Keisha Okafor, travel back to the ’80s in a story about four young girls, their My Little Pony toys, and the power of friendship and imagination as they try to save their horse barn from closing. Then, a story from Jeremy Whitley and Amy Mebberson, where Sunny Starscout and her pals learn more about Equestrian history and a place called Dream Valley. And finally, from Tony Fleecs and Andy Price, in 2023, an aunt and her My Little Pony-loving niece have to rely on some dusty G1 toys for entertainment when the power goes out.

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Swimsuit Edition 2023 #1, Zenescope

Just in time for summer, comes the Grimm Fairy Tales 2023 Swimsuit Special!

Get ready to check out all of your favorite Grimm Universe heroines and villainesses, soaking up the sun while wearing the season’s hottest swimsuit fashions! Many of the industry’s top artists contribute gorgeous pin-ups of the Grimm Universes’ most popular female characters in this stunning collection.

Also includes a never before published Grimm Fairy Tales short

Hope #1, Source Point Press

Julie Lavelle’s superhero identity has been revealed, her daughter has been taken from her, her home has been destroyed, and she finds herself the target of villains and the media alike. Now, her husband is awakening from a coma… but will it make things better or worse?

Midnight Western Theatre: Witch Trial #1, Scout

Midnight Western Theatre returns in this daring prequel to the original series! Before the Woman in Black, there was only Ortensia Thomas: a young girl in a wild west filled with threats both supernatural and all too human. With a new cast of characters and her blackclad destiny looming over her, witness Ortensia like you’ve never seen her before!

CON & ON #1, Ahoy

Writer Paul Cornell (Doctor Who) and artist Marika Cresta (Captain Carter) follow an ensemble cast of media pros and fans down through the decades of America’s most colossal comic book convention! Meet Eddie and Deja-aspiring comics talents whose ambitions threaten to tear their friendship apart; Anthony, Don & Finn-brilliant, boozy, bombastic British creators; and all of the crusty editors, forgotten TV stars, and enthusiastic fans who make the convention experience memorable, year after year. This book kicks off the fifth anniversary of AHOY Comics, featuring the company’s usual assortment of extra prose stories and illustrations!

Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons #1, Titan

CO-WRITTEN BY NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLING AUTHOR, JAMES SWALLOW!

A dangerous monster is at large above the streets of London. And its name… Wyvern!

After a Met Police helicopter on night patrol is attacked by an unidentified aerial phenomena, the Met’s only sanctioned wizard, Peter Grant, and his mentor, Thomas Nightingale, are called in to investigate.

Peter and Nightingale find themselves drawn into a battle between two groups of hunters – one human, and one fae- as they uncover a legacy of events that extend back to the 1960s. To save the skies of the city, Peter must face the enraged beast – but can he end things peacefully… or will he be forced to destroy the last wyvern?