Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On March 9, 2022

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 titles kicking off New Story Arcs, notable #1s, and One-Shots premiering this upcoming New Comic Book Day, Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

New Arcs:

Venom #6, Marvel

TOO LATE FOR HEROES, PART 1

“DESTRUCTION” BEGINS HERE! Dylan Brock is in the fight of his life—and he may be in it alone! As he and the VENOM symbiote continue to learn to live together without Eddie Brock, the LIFE FOUNDATION has activated a deadly new operative named the SPEARHEAD! Dylan and Venom aren’t the only ones dead in his sights—every single symbiote they (and YOU!) have ever known and cared about is as well! 

LEGACY #206

X-Men: Legends #12, Marvel

START AGAIN

PRELUDE TO EXCALIBUR! The X-Men are dead. Or so the world believes. And MYSTIQUE wants FORGE dead for his role in the loss of ROGUE! Enter NIGHTCRAWLER and SHADOWCAT who, injured as they are, must dig deep to find new strength and do what is right as the last X-Men standing! Artist Scot Eaton joins as writer Chris Claremont enters X-MEN LEGENDS with a brand-new tale, set in the aftermath of FALL OF THE MUTANTS and before the events of his legendary EXCALIBUR!

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Little Monsters #1, Image

They are the last children on Earth…who also happen to be vampires. For longer than they can remember, these child vampires have lived a life of eternal wonder amongst the ruins of humanity. But shocking events fracture the group and set them on a path of discovery that will shatter their innocence forever.

Spider-Gwen: Gwenverse #1, Marvel

NOT ENOUGH GWENS! When Gwen Stacy was bitten by a radioactive spider, she gained arachnid-like super-powers and started a crimefighting career as Spider-Woman (or as she’s affectionately known to her peers, Ghost-Spider)! But what would have happened if instead she had picked up the enchanted hammer, Mjolnir? Or if she received the Super-Soldier Serum? Or built a high-tech suit of armor? Or…you get the idea! Find out in this new five-issue miniseries by Tim Seeley (HEROES REBORN: MARVEL DOUBLE ACTION) and Jodi Nishijima (UNITED STATES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA) as Ghost-Spider tumbles through time and comes face-to-face with herselves!

Bettie Page: The Alien Agenda #1, Dynamite

Poor Bettie Page has barely finished up her latest adventure and gotten back to modeling when duty calls once more!  Seems there’s something funny going on in a place called Roswell, and it’s up to Bettie to investigate!  There’s a catch this time, though-the United States military might be putting Bettie on the case, but they can’t avow the existence of said case-or Bettie!  Instead, our marvelous model is given a crack team of assistants to help her go where no woman has gone before! Fresh off scribing Bettie Page and the Bigfoot Bandits, this spaceship is steered with a purpose by fan-favorite Ani-Mia and illustrated with only the finest stardust by Celor (Hack/Slash vs. Chaos!, Kiss: The Phantom Obsession)!

We Live: Age of Palladions #1, AfterShock

We are back into the hopeful, apocalyptic world of Tala and Hototo. Year 2090. Six years have passed since Salvation Day, when Palladions, with their majestic powers, emerged as the protectors of humanity, saving the five remaining Megalopolis and securing the future of the human species. But nothing stays and the horizon always brings a new storm. These are dark times. Death, famine and desperation lurk around the streets of Megalopolis 9. The shield has lost thirty percent of its reach. The New Nature has learnt to create cuts in the energy channels that power the Beacon and the Palladions. A neverending horde of beasts siege the remains of the city, increasing the desperation among the population. The responsibility of keeping the city afloat lies on the shoulders of Generals Nesbo and Terrassa, who have to resort to risky survival measures. Journeying outside of the city in search of food is the only thing that is keeping the population alive, but nothing seems enough. Fear opens its way through Megalopolis 9 like a great crack of faith that separate more and more the population from the Palladions. Snow covers the city with a heavy white mantle, invoking oblivion and nothingness.

Black Hops: U.S.A. G.I.: Hopocalypse Now #1, Antarctic Press

The irradiated rabbit commando U.S.A.-*-G.I. is back for more high-stakes military action! Tasked with infiltrating a castle crawling with enemy soldiers, the Black Hops special mission force of U.S.A.-*-G.I., Patriot-R, Rigor-Tortoise, and their human handler, Penelope Freling, will have to fight their way to a rematch with the mercenary Hare Trigger. But the insidious mastermind Apex Moth may be working more angles than the heroes suspect!

Captain Carter #1, Marvel

WOMAN OUT OF TIME? A reality where Agent Peggy Carter took the Super-Soldier Serum is turned upside down when the World War II hero is pulled from the ice where she was lost in action decades before. Peggy struggles to find her footing in a modern world that’s gotten a lot more complicated—cities are louder, technology is smarter and enemies wear friendly faces. Everyone with an agenda wants Captain Carter on their side, but what does Peggy want? And will she have time to figure it out when mysterious forces are already gunning for her? Prolific comics creator and designer Jamie McKelvie teams with rising star Marika Cresta to tell an unforgettable Captain Carter story for a modern age.

Punisher #1, Marvel

WILL THE PUNISHER’S WAR END? Born of tragedy. Devoted to war. Unstoppable in his rage. As the Punisher, Frank Castle has become the most accomplished killer the world has ever seen. Now it’s time for him to face his true destiny. What shocking secret from Frank’s past will convince him to take the reins of the Marvel Universe’s most notorious clan of assassins? And once Frank becomes the warlord of the deadly ninjas of the Hand, will it also mean an end for the Punisher? Or a whole new bloody beginning? Join the superstar team of writer Jason Aaron and artists Jesús Saiz and Paul Azaceta for an epic exploration of the dark and violent past and inevitable future of one of Marvel’s most iconic characters.

Trial of the Amazons #1, DC

After the events of Nubia & the Amazons, the dangers of Doom’s Doorway have found their way to Man’s World and garnered the attention of not one, but all three Amazonian tribes. The Bana-Mighdall consider it to be a weakness in the current regime and have decided to return to the shores of Themyscira to stake their claim over the island. Little do they know, the Esquecida are not far behind, but instead looking for help to combat the evil unleashed. Tempers rise and swords are brandished as the women argue about the best course of action. Now Queen Nubia must show them all the way to peace by calling for one of the most famous Amazon traditions…the Contest. Who among them is worthy of leading them into the future? Find out as the bravest, wisest, and fiercest warriors compete to be champion of all the Amazons!

Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca #1, Marvel

NEW ONGOING SERIES—HAN SOLO IS BACK! But wait! Isn’t HAN still frozen in Carbonite? Yes. But you can’t keep a good smuggler down.  Set a few years before Episode IV: A New Hope, Han, his partner, CHEWBACCA and GREEDO, embark on a heist for JABBA THE HUTT. It’s supposed to be an easy job. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, how about a reunion with the very last person Han expected to see? The last page is a jaw-dropper…

Van Helsing: Hour of the Witch #1, Zenescope

64-Pages of Blood, Monsters & Magic!  

Liesel Van Helsing has gone against almost every type of monster and creature that the universe can throw at her, and she’s out-smarted, out-scienced, or overpowered just about each one of them. But what’s coming for her next goes beyond anything she could prepare for, with a power beyond anything she could fathom.

Featuring Gretel and Calabar in this explosive, oversized story. Don’t cast your gaze anywhere but here, when Van Helsing takes on one of the most powerful beings she has ever faced!

Women of Marvel #1, Marvel

FOUR JOBS FELICIA HATED AND ONE SHE DIDN’T / SHOWING UP / COMB FOOT 

CELEBRATE THE PHENOMENAL WOMEN OF MARVEL WITH TALES SPUN FROM THE GREATEST MINDS IN COMICS! The talented women creators who have made Marvel the powerhouse that it is take on fan-favorite female characters within the Marvel Universe. From seasoned veterans to up-and-coming talent, this cast of writers and artists gives their own spin on beloved heroines, showing the fire, mystery, grace and joy that makes them phenomenal women. With superstar creators Charlie Jane Anders, Mirka Andolfo, Jordie Bellaire and many more, this issue is another must-have from the Voices pull list!

Red Room: Trigger Warnings #1, Fantagraphics Books

The best selling, most talked about series of 2020 kicks off its second four-issue “season” with another self-contained mini-masterpiece of monthly comics storytelling. In this issue, the Decimator presents… The Rat Queens! And unfortunately for them, they are front and center in his most horrific red room broadcast yet! As seen on the YouTube channel sensation, Cartoonist Kayfabe, from the creator of X-Men: Grand Design and Hip Hop Family Tree!

The Perhapanauts: Triangle #1, Scout

Black Caravan Imprint: So, let’s say you have a real thing about paranormal investigation. And let’s also say that you have a good friend who is the Mothman and he has a gps that works through time. What would you do? Well, if you’re The Perhapanauts, you’d round up the gang and head back to Van Meter, Iowa, 1903, to find out just who or what was the mysterious Van Meter Visitor – which they do in the all-new Perhapanauts Non-Stop number one!

Kill Lock: The Artisan Wraith #1, IDW

The Kill Lock unified four criminals in a quest to escape their seemingly inevitable, linked deaths. They managed to escape destruction by merging their consciousnesses, and now one of the smartest-and most malicious-bots in the universe has an unbreakable body and a planet at his command. Homeworld won’t allow it, and so two of the deadliest assassins in the universe are tasked to kill the Artisan Wraith.

Transformers artist Livio Ramondelli continues the cult hit, The Kill Lock (2020) in the next installment of this vicious and darkly funny sci-fi series.

Radiant Red #1, Image

To her students, Satomi Sone is a diligent middle school teacher. To her fiancé and parents, she’s the rock of their family. To the world, she’s Radiant Red, a criminal turned matter-absorbing superhero. But with a mysterious stranger in her classroom, a nosy reporter on her doorstep, and $2.5 million hidden in the air vents of her house, she’s going to have to decide who she is, and quickly—before the world chooses for her.

The Cimmerian: Hour of the Dragon #1, Ablaze

Robert E. Howard’s Conan is brought to life UNCENSORED! Discover the true Conan, unrestrained, violent, and sexual. Read the story as he intended!

A world to explore. A throne to be reconquered.

Under the funeral vaults of the mausoleum belonging to the ancient and cruel Emperor Xaltotun of Python, three men devoured by ambition come to offer to the inert body of the deceased sovereign the heart of Ahriman, a source of im-mortality which once belonged to him. Taken away at the cost of his life. In ex-change for this offering, the three men claim a single thing: the world. However, there is only one person able to stand in their way, a Cimmerian who seized the throne of Aquilonia: Conan!

Devil’s Reign: Moon Knight #1, Marvel

After being arrested by the Thunderbolts as part of WILSON FISK’S crackdown on costumed heroes, MOON KNIGHT is now a prisoner in the high-tech Myrmidon, surrounded by hostile guards and many of the very criminals he helped put away, Marc Spector must fight for his survival. But Moon Knight’s quest for justice doesn’t end just because of a little light incarceration…

DEVIL’S REIGN TIE-IN

Naomi: Season Two #1, DC

She’s back! Naomi returns to the pages of her own series to uncover the truth behind the new mysteries around herself and her powers. The entire creative team (Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, and Jamal Campbell) behind the critically acclaimed and Eisner Award-nominated debut series has returned to answer all the questions that surround Naomi, her legacy, and her place in the DC Universe pantheon. Guest-starring Black Adam, Superman, and the Justice League, plus the return of…Zumbado! Soon to be a CW television show from Ava DuVernay!

Rick and Morty Infinity Hour #1, Oni Press

Rick Sanchez has always known he was destined for greater things. When that greater thing calls, will he be ready to answer?

Rick is recruited to join a galactic rebellion, forming a bond with a ragtag group of freedom fighters, mystics, and mercenaries. Can this team of would-be heroes overthrow the Galactic Federation?

Hit Me #1, Artists Writers & Artisans Inc

A high-octane crime thriller from Christa Faust (Bad Mother, Redemption) and Priscilla Petraites (Chariot). Lulu has a very unique profession: She gets paid by the bruise. When she is witness to the execution of one of her regular clients, she escapes into the night with a briefcase filled with diamonds and a pack of killers on her trail. Navigating the dark underbelly of decaying, early-90’s Atlantic City, one step ahead of her pursuers, Lulu must call upon every one of her street-born instincts and underworld connections in what will be the longest – and possibly last – night of her life