Happy new year! Wait? We're not there yet? Wellll through the magic of previews, we know what's coming out next month, and we've already dug deep into the catalogues to bring you new series to subscribe to, fun one shots and collections to pick up, and crossovers or other noteworthy comic book events to be aware of. So join us, and let's see what January 2023 will look like!

New Series Reviews!

It's a new year and what better way to kick it off than with a few new additions to your subscriptions! This month features new series reviews by Nick, Selena, and Sloane.

Wasp 

Marvel Comics

by Al Ewing (writer) and Kasie Nie (artist)

If you've read these reviews before, you know I'm a sucker for anything Ewing writes. He's a clever, character driven writer and his work on Ant-Man this fall was both fun and delightful. So when I saw that he's writing a Wasp book, this felt like it was a predestined thing. Janet (the original wasp) and Nadia (her successor, stepdaughter, and protege) haven't gotten a lot of screen time as of late, so I'm looking forward to seeing what Al and Kasie get up to with both of them. 

- Nick

Black Cloak #1

Image Comics

By Kelly Thompson (writer) and Meredith McClaren (artist)

Kelly Thompson is a comics writer who needs no introduction, but I’mma give her one anyway. She won an Eisner award for her Black Widow run last year, and had been nominated twice before for her runs on Hawkeye and Dynamite’s Nancy Drew. She wrote a hugely acclaimed Jem and the Holograms book with Sophie Campbell, and, perhaps most importantly, created the character Jeff the Land Shark during her run on West Coast Avengers. In short, she’s a heavyweight when it comes to writing powerful arcs for established characters.

Most of my favorite comics recently have been when auteur writers who mostly end up writing superhero comics get to let loose and work on their own original ideas, so even if this genre-bending sci-fi/fantasy/neo-noir mashup wasn’t already giving me big Saga vibes, it would still be on my to-read list. A pair of detectives in the futuristic metropolis of Kiros, which is populated by fantastical creatures like merfolk and elves, must solve the murder of one of their exes – who also happens to be a member of the royal family. The first issue is going to be triple length, so I hope you're ready to take a deep dive into a world of fantastical intrigue where everyone has a motive.

– Sloane

Children of the Black Sun #1

Ablaze

By Dario Sicchio (Writer) Letizia Cadonici (artist)

From the get go, I was drawn into the story and art style of this comic. It ticks all the boxes for me, a glimpse into a sci fi/fantasy horror alternate reality that confronts those who read it with their own moral and philosophical ideals. The story happens in a world which has suffered a world wide unexplainable phenomena; the rising of a black sun, twice. This sun did terrible things to the psyches of those alive, not only causing mass suicides and unspeakable violent acts, but also irrevocably altering those that were conceived within it’s black light. These children were born with white hair, ashy skin, strange proportions and red eyes.

Now as we approach the anniversary of the rise of the black sun, tensions between the children of the black sun and the scared citizenry of a small town called Brightvale are reaching a boiling point. Artist Letizia Cadonici (one of the artists for The House of Slaughter) brings an incredible textural and graphic style to Children of the Black Sun which is so stark and yet also rich with detail. This series was originally published in French in 2022 under the name Soliel Noir and I am so excited for the opportunity to enjoy it in English. 

– Selena 

Scarlet Witch 

Marvel Comics 

by Steve Orlando (writer) and Sara Pichelli (artist)

Over the last year’s worth of crossovers and events, Wanda Maximoff has been undergoing some major character growth. In X-Men: Trial of Magneto, she found redemption for her past crimes. In Darkhold (also written by Steve Orlando!) she embraced the magical powers that she had for so long struggled to accept and control. It’s all been leading up to this: a new solo series!

In this new book, Wanda opens a magic shop that appears only to those in need. Having recovered from her own rock-bottom, her new goal is to aid those who find themselves languishing in similar lifetime lows. Of course, being a superhero, sometimes she finds herself having to roll up her sleeves and use a little chaos magic to get things done. Her first issue finds someone stumbling into her shop with a story of a town gone mad...

– Sloane

Fun One-Shots and Collections

Our catalogue hunt continues! Here's a few one-shots, trades, and collections that we found while hurtling through the depths of our January order. 

Light Carries On

Dark Horse Publishing

by Ray Nadine (writer and artist)

We don't usually get a heckuva lot to go on when we're looking to order books, but this particular one caught my eye with its duotone color palette and subject matter. Ex-military-turned-photographer Leon meets queer-punk-rocker-turned-ghost Cody when Leon's camera unexpectedly breaks and he borrows one from his mother's antique shop. One accidental possessed-body-joyride later, and the pair of them are now stuck with each other. The only way to end the haunting? Investigate Cody's multiple decades old death. If you're curious about the style and want to see more, head over to Ray's website and have a look! 

- Nick

Everything SUCKS!: All Cats Go To Hell #1 and Everything Sucks #1 (second printing) 

Silver Sprocket 

by Michael Sweater

I slept on the first Everything Sucks book when it came out about a year ago, and I’ve been kicking myself for missing it ever since. It was the kind of light, fun slacker comedy that’s increasingly hard to find in comics, at least outside of webcomics, AND it came with a STICKER SHEET? I was so excited when it came into the store, but by the time I got around to getting a copy off the shelf, we’d sold out! Luckily for me, not only has the original been reprinted, but a second issue, All Cats Go to Hell is coming out in January (also with sticker sheet, for those of you who are as excited about those as I am.) It follows the two stoners from the original, Noah and Calla, as they slowly uncover a feline conspiracy and realize that cats are secretly much smarter – and more sinister – than anyone realized. It’s sure to be a fun diversion to take your mind off the dreary winter weather. 

– Sloane 

Teen Titans: Robin

DC Comics

by Kami Garcia (writer) and Gabriel Picolo (artist)

Old Robin and new Robin have to join forces in the continuation of Kami Garcia's Beast Boy / Raven / Teen Titans young readers series. If you haven't been following it, it's a very good, well loved series of several graphic novels targeted at the YA novel audience. Kami and Gabriel know their audience well, and this most recent addition to their franchise is adding a pair of Robins to the mix.

- Nick

Crossovers and Tie-Ins

There are two big crossovers to cover this month. One for Marvel and one for DC. Thankfully these aren't super huge, but they're important to be aware of if you're a  big consumer of the X-Line or a fan of the larger DC universe and want to be on top of some of the changes headed down the pipe there.

Sins of Sinister

Okay let's start with the simpler one (at least for this month). Sins of Sinister kicks off a line-wide story arc involving our favorite glam-AF drama queen with a playing card suite stamped on his forehead. Apparently it miiiight have been a mistake to entrust all of mutantkind's DNA to a guy who likes to genetically engineer tortoises with Cyclop's optic blasts and clone himself for funsies. This one-shot is the kickoff to a line-wide temporary reboot that will start-up in February. While not comprehensive, here's the list of series we know about thus far:

• Immoral X-Men (replacing Immortal X-Men)
• Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants (replacing X-Men Red)
• Nightcrawlers (Replacing Legion of X)

Each of these books is set up to be a 3-issue mini-series, all starting in February. 

Subscriber Note: There's no need to tell us to pull these for you if you're down for the series they're replacing! We'll pull these as though they were they were continuations of the original series. We do recommend you ask us for the Sins of Sinister one-shot though!

Lazarus Planet

Spinning out of the Batman vs Robin series is a universe-wide shakeup of the DCU. A giant lazarus-pit volcano has erupted, and the gasses and quasi-mystical lazarus mists are spreading across the globe shaking up the status quo. This isn't so much a series as much as a set of 4 one-shots that will come out across January. Here's the list and quick character associations:

• Lazarus Planet Alpha (set-up)
• Lazarus Planet: Assault on Planet Krypton (Superman & co)
• Lazarus Planet: Once We Were Gods (Wonder Woman, Shazam, Martian Manhunter)
• Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn (Nightwing / Titans, Firestorm, Question)

This does appear to be it (so far), but we'll update the list next month if more arises. My only suggestion beyond these four one-shots would be to check out Action Comics #1051 and behold the brand new Superman family (and the awesome looking costume redesigns). Beyond that, look for changes to your current books based on the events that unfold in these. 

And that's a wrap for January! We'll be back in a few weeks' time with a look at some more new series reviews and one-shots & trades. Saw something you liked? You can always check out our subscription page to add / remove titles or start a new subscription. It's as easy as filling out a google form!