Divining ComicsMarvelous Market: Best New Comics May 27
A time of transition
As Semisonic once sang, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. Several popular series, even some of my favorites, are ending (or just have arcs ending). Potential new series are out or available for preorder. Time marches ever on.
Hello and welcome to the Marvelous Market, my weekly guide for anyone interested in going to a comic book store today. In addition to a full list of new # 1s and new volume 1s, I’ll be giving you my top 4 recommendations in 4 categories. Like Houston legend Mike Jones rapped, “We’re still tippin’ on four-fours.” I’m going to give you the top four new comics, top four ongoing comics, the top four graphic novels, and the top 4 preorders.
The work going into this curation is made possible by readers like you. For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a month, you can help make this work possible.
New Issue # 1s
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT MIMI GREEN # 1
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Tastemaker Mimi Green is a popular essayist with a perfectly curated social media presence—until a blog post she wrote a decade ago, cruelly mocking fat people, resurfaces and sparks a viral furor. Mimi checks into an isolated mental health facility in Topanga to ride out the scandal, but as sound baths and crystal healings by day give way to restless nights, she’s pulled into another version of the building. There the halls are old and gluttonous and gilded, and the vainglorious like Mimi and her fellow patients are punished again and again. Only local bartender Natalie, the lesbian lover Mimi hid from the public, stands a chance of tracking her down before it’s too late.
Connor Goldsmith, host of the critically-acclaimed podcast Cerebro, makes his comics writing debut in collaboration with GLAAD award-winning artist Josh Cornillon (Young Men in Love), crafting a surreal and grisly take on the wellness industry, so-called ‘cancel culture’, body dysmorphia, and the complex power dynamics of show business.
DOOMQUEST # 1
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Doctor Victor Von Doom is a great scientist, an unparalleled sorcerer, and the ruler of his own nation. He is, by any measure, a great man. And yet Doom wants more. And when Reed Richards — Mister Fantastic, his greatest enemy and eternal rival — is showcased at a prestigious international event to which Doom wasn’t even invited, Doom is outraged.
Reed shares his plan for his eventual retirement project: the total optimization of history. He intends to go back in time, to all the eras humanity wasted on war and conflict, and fix them, saving trillions of lives and ensuring humanity can achieve its greatest and final glory. The idea of Reed rewriting history in his own image is, of course, antithetical to Doom, and so he decides to do it before Reed does. But when the Fantastic Four intervene, Doom finds himself in a battle he never intended — across all of time and space!
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF LUCAS DREAMWALKER # 1
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Journey with the Dreamwalker through new realms of terror!
How many times can you be killed in a dream before you die?
Legendary horror author R.L. Stine and award-winning artist Francesco Francavilla explore that very question as the mystery of Lucas’s third death is foretold in this pulpy, noir, somnambulist adventure!
Originally published in the hit horror anthology series Hello Darkness, this dreamy oversized issue collects Parts 1–3 of the nightmarish saga into one thrilling read!
STAR TREK: CELEBRATIONS 2026 # 1
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You are cordially invited to the party that is this year’s Star Trek: Celebrations anthology! This one-shot features the universe’s queer characters in tales of love and triumph, exemplifying Gene Roddenberry’s mission for us all to one day celebrate infinite diversity in infinite combinations.
Our cast of all LGBTQIA+ creators — including Meghan Fitzmartin, Ben Kahn, Jamila Rowser, and more (!) — are serving up the fun with stories like a botanical adventure with Sulu and Ben, a bar brawl bash with Mariner and Jennifer, and a nostalgic holodeck date gone wrong with Seven and Raffi, so don’t miss out on this talent-packed extravaganza.
ONGOING SERIES
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN # 20
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SEASON OF THE WITCH REACHES ITS BLOODY FINALE! Against the wall, Diana and Zatanna must join forces or perish. When Diana makes the ultimate sacrifice to end the conflict and face her true foe head on, things become more complicated than she feared. Wonder Woman is not an island unto herself, and other forces have vested interests in her mission. Don’t miss the finale of the epic “Season of the Witch”!
BATMAN # 163
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The shocking conclusion to H2SH Part One with Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee! Will Batman survive Hush’s revenge when his only allies are his greatest enemies?
LEGACY #928
EXQUISITE CORPSES # 13
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Twelve killers were dropped into Oak Valley on Halloween night to determine the fate of the country. Now, dawn breaks and winner takes all as the final battle draws to a close. Who will survive…and what will be left of them? The first season of the breakout horror phenomenon concludes with blood and glory from multiple Eisner Award winner James Tynion IV (The Nice House by the Sea) and Eisner Award nominee Michael Walsh (Universal Monsters: Frankenstein)!
THE ULTIMATES # 24
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YEAR TWO OF THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE NEARS ITS END IN THE FINAL ISSUE OF ULTIMATES!
She-Hulk and her remaining teammates confront the villainous Hulk in a brutal, all-or-nothing battle on Gamma Island!
Trade Paperbacks, Hardcovers, and OGNs
THE ADVENTURE OF BLACK CAT NYANGO vol. 1 TP
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Having left his hometown of Atsuuka Village, Nyango embarks on a journey to Iburo, all to join the adventurer party called Chariot. But it turns out, Chariot is away on a quest! Just then, Nyango receives a personal request from a professor at the Academy who’s interested in Nyango’s wind magic. With new sigil magic to learn as a reward, he’s on his way to becoming the strongest adventurer!
DC FINEST: DEADMAN – HOW MANY TIMES CAN A GUY DIE? TP
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SOMETIMES YOU JUST CAN’T KEEP A GOOD GUY DEAD.
Boston Brand was the world’s greatest acrobat until an assassin’s bullet cut his act–and his life–short. However, instead of passing over to the afterlife, Boston was given the chance by the goddess Rama Kushna to remain on Earth and catch his killer. He now exists as a literal dead man, destined to roam the world until his killer is caught!
Collects Strange Adventures #205-216; The Brave and the Bold #79, #86, #104, and #133; Challengers of the Unknown #74; Justice League of America #94; The Forever People #9-10; World’s Finest Comics #223 and #227; The Phantom Stranger #33 and #39-41; The Superman Family #183; and Aquaman #50-52.
ESCAPE vol. 1 TP
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SHOT DOWN. HUNTED. OUT OF TIME.
Set in a brutal, fully painted world of anthropomorphic animals — equal parts Inglourious Basterds and Watership Down — ESCAPE is a gritty, bullet-riddled journey through war’s scorched aftermath. It’s about the violence we inflict, the souls we try to save, and the courage it takes to crawl out of fire.
From the creative team of New York Times bestselling author RICK REMENDER (DEADLY CLASS, Uncanny X-Force) and powerhouse DANIEL ACUÑA (Captain America, Black Panther) — the duo behind Marvel’s Uncanny Avengers — comes a savage, full-throttle wartime thriller where survival isn’t given… it’s taken.
Milton Shaw is a battle-hardened bomber pilot, flying missions over a war-torn world ruled by a ruthless empire. But when his plane is shot out of the sky, Milton wakes up behind enemy lines — in the smoldering ruins of a city he helped burn. And in less than 24 hours, his own side is dropping the big one to finish the job.
Now, injured, unarmed, and being hunted through enemy streets, Milton’s only shot at escape comes from the unlikeliest place: a grieving father and his son — civilians shattered by the same fascist regime that rules this land with an iron claw. Enemies by blood. Allies by circumstance. Together, they’ll have to fight their way out before the bomb drops and erases everything… and everyone.
Collects ESCAPE #1-6.
FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE: A CRIMINAL BOOK HC
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A brand new CRIMINAL graphic novel featuring the legendary RICKY LAWLESS and the crazy tale of how he and MALLORY fell in love in the midst of a crime spree.
In one of the wildest, most action-packed books that Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, we delve deep into the life of one of CRIMINAL’s most complex and tragic characters, Ricky Lawless as he tries to pay off a deep debt to a mobster, while things just keep going from bad to worse.
FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE will have long-time CRIMINAL fans cheering the return of RICKY LAWLESS and new readers will find it a perfect jumping-on-point for the greatest crime comic series of the 21st century.
Preorders on Final Order Cutoff
THE EYE COLLECTOR # 1
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In The Eye Collector, an ancient being has its curiosity toward Earth reignited when the humans of the Apollo 10 mission make wishes over the Moon. But what is this spectral creature, and what does it want with our world? Seeing is believing…
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ADÈLE BLANC-SEC HC vol. 1
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This iconic adventure series from the ’70s stars the bold heroine Adéle, who must contend with supernatural monsters wreaking havoc in Belle Époque Paris.
Paris, 1911. One gloomy night at the Museum of Natural History, a pterodactyl escapes from its display and wreaks havoc upon the city. Enter journalist extraordinaire Adèle Blanc-Sec, who must use her wits and firepower to get to the bottom of this bizarre mystery. An enchanting antihero, Adèle is fearless, brash, and thoroughly ill-tempered, smoking and cursing her way through the case—always barely escaping peril to tell her tale.
Masterful French cartoonist Jacques Tardi created his iconic The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec series in the 1970s. Set in the atmospheric Belle Époque Paris, the series features supernatural monsters, mad science, steampunk aesthetic, murder, humor, and delightful derring-do. This new collection of classic Adèle stories includes four episodes (previously published in two earlier volumes): “Pterror Over Paris,” “The Demon of the Eiffel Tower,” “The Mad Scientist,” and “Mummies on Parade.”
In celebration of Adele’s 50th anniversary, Fantagrpahics is thrilled to re-issue these classic stories in luxuriously redesigned hardcover editions. While Fantagraphics published the first four Adele adventures 15 years ago, this new series will bring the complete 10 episode run of the series into English for the very first time. With an introduction by British journalist and comics historian Cynthia Rose.
THREE WORLDS / THREE MOONS: FOUNDATIONS # 1
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From the New York Times bestselling and multi-Eisner Award-nominated creator of East of West, The Manhattan Projects, Decorum, and more comes this ambitious, science fiction universe presented by comics titan Jonathan Hickman.
The next great comics universe starts here! From the extraordinary creative team of Jonathan Hickman, Mike del Mundo, Mike Huddleston, and Nick Spencer comes an epic sci-fi saga on an intergalactic scale.
Across a distant solar system and countless millennia-long cycles, a war has been fought between the forces of magic and science, and order and chaos. When astronaut and explorer Tajo Vallar undertakes a doomed expedition to a dormant moon full of mysteries, the conflict begins anew, and more dangerous than ever before!
Don’t miss this perfect starting point for everything to come, as a new universe is born.
WRESTLE HEIST TP
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A no-holds-barred heist caper packed with body slams and backstabs for fans of over-the-top action!
After being crippled by a shady wrestling promoter, a former pro wrestler gathers a team of others wronged in the ring to rob the promoter blind during the biggest wrestling event of the year! From the outrageous, action-packed mind of multi-time Eisner nominee KYLE STARKS (Peacemaker Tries Hard, Sexcastle, I Hate This Place), with eye-popping colors by VLADIMIR POPOV (Where Monsters Lie, Fearscape).
Collects issues #1-5.
What did I miss?
If there are some great comics, collected or in single issues, that you think I should be reading, tell me about them! And if you do try out any of these series, let me know how you liked them, or didn’t. This is a safe space for haters. If you enjoy this service, please share this article on social media or tell someone that you know reads comics about it.
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