Jumping On: New Comic Book Story Arcs Kicking Off On August 17, 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, August 17, 2022.

New Story Arcs:

Nita Hawes’ Nightmare Blog #7, Image

MURDER BY ANOTHER NAME, PART ONE

Now that Nita Hawes has bested the demon Corson, she strengthens her resolve to root out the supernatural evils plaguing Baltimore. A murder in Annapolis in the 1700s brings consequences to today’s world, and the only thing standing between mayhem and revenge is Nita Hawes! But without the ghost of her dead brother Jason to guide her and the Spider-God Anansi to rely on for backup, will she be able to succeed…or will she become another victim of the night? 

From the universe of Eisner-nominated series KILLADELPHIA comes a terrifying tie-in horror series by acclaimed Marvel writer RODNEY BARNES and fan-favorite SPAWN artist SZYMON KUDRANSKI.

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Crossover #1 3D Special, Image

Imagine everything you thought was fantasy…was real. Now, join us in a world where reality is dead-and anything is possible…

The powerhouse creative team of DONNY CATES (Venom, Thor), GEOFF SHAW (GOD COUNTRY, Thanos Wins), DEE CUNNIFFE (REDNECK), and JOHN J. HILL (NAILBITER) is proud to present the bestselling first issue of CROSSOVER in THREE GLORIOUS DIMENSIONS! This special edition uses a magical KLC Press 3D process and includes custom glasses for your viewing pleasure.

Plus, an ALL-NEW story (also in 3D) with new revelations about the Dome, written by DONNY CATES and illustrated by MEGAN HUTCHISON-CATES.

A.X.E.: Death to the Mutants #1, Marvel

The mutants are Deviants. Eternals are coded to correct excess deviation. The mutants are eternal, Mars colonizers, ever-spreading. Eternals know what they should do. Our heroes don’t want to, but can they resist the murderous designs coded into their body as surely as any Sentinel? And if they can’t, can anyone survive the coming judgment?

A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY TIE-IN

Batman: One Bad Day – The Riddler #1, DC

Tom King and Mitch Gerads, the Eisner Award–winning duo behind Mister Miracle, The Sheriff of Babylon, and Strange Adventures, reunite to dive deep into the mind of Batman’s most intellectual foe…the Riddler. The Riddler has killed a man in broad daylight for seemingly no reason, but…there’s always a reason. The Riddler is always playing a game, there are always rules. Batman will reach his wits’ end trying to figure out the Riddler’s true motivation in this epic psychological thriller; this is not to be missed!

The Avengers: 1,000,000 B.C. #1, Marvel

THE SECRET ORIGIN OF THOR—REVEALED! They are the defenders of the dawn of time. Marvel’s first and mightiest legacy heroes. But their greatest secrets have never been revealed. Until now. Witness the dark events that shatter their ranks. See how their lives come to shape the entire future of the Marvel Universe. And be there for the monumental event that reunites them one last time: the true story of Thor’s birth.

X-Men Unlimited: X-Men Green #1, Marvel 

AN “X” CROSSING DANGEROUS LINES! When a young X-Man breaks the laws of Krakoa and takes a life, it’s up to Wolverine to track down his former student and take her down… But Nature Girl is tired of standing by while humanity destroys her home. Can even Logan quell her fury? Find out as a good girl breaks bad to save the planet! The hit story from Marvel Unlimited comes to print for the first time with exclusive bonus content!

Spider-Man 2099: Exodus – Omega #1, Marvel

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF 2099 REACHES ITS EXPLOSIVE CONCLUSION! The final battle for the Celestial Garden begins! Spider-Man vs. Norman Osborn! The X-Men vs. the Cabal! Two armies, two deadly enemies…and the keys to 2099’s future up for grabs! It’s a brawl for all: A brave new tomorrow for 2099 starts here!

Ms. Marvel & Moon Knight #1, Marvel

THE FIST OF KHONSHU MEETS THE EMBIGGENED FIST OF MS. MARVEL! MARC SPECTOR, A.K.A. MOON KNIGHT, protects the travelers of night…but what about those traveling to bring him death? A mechanical (and maniacal!) threat brings MS. MARVEL into Moon Knight’s orbit, and the gravity of what they uncover will require them to plumb the depths of life and death! The mystery teased in last month’s team-up with WOLVERINE continues to unfurl as the super hero spectacle of the summer sizzles on stands!

Barbaric: Axe To Grind #1, Vault

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the start of an all-new arc of BARBARIC!

Follow Owen and his magical companion, the tender, talking Axe as they spread kindness and hope in a world gone bad…just kidding! Owen, Axe, and Soren are back, and so is all the mayhem and bloodshed that follows them wherever they go! This time, they’re out to settle an old score against Gladius, a wicked a$$hole who did Owen wrong way back in his barbarian days. As always…it’s just f***ing barbaric.

Grimm Fairy Tales 2022 Annual, Zenescope

This is it, what everything has been building toward. The Dark Princess’ plans to rule the universe are coming to fruition. The worlds are falling before her feet. Only Skye and a handful of desperate heroes stand between hope and utter annihilation in this massive, climactic, over-sized conclusion to the Fractured Universe Saga!

20th Century Men #1, Image

At the end of the 20th century, superheroes, geniuses, madmen, and activists rush towards WWIII! A Soviet “iron” hero, a superpowered American president, an insane cyborg soldier, an Afghan woman hellbent on building a better life for her people-these strange yet familiar beings collide in a story that mixes history, politics, and comic book mythology into something totally new. Welcome to 20TH CENTURY MEN, where the edges of our reality and fiction touch, overlap…and then explode.

Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven #1, Marvel

Giant kaiju roam. A sinister conspiracy consolidates power. And there’s nobody left to stop it—because Ultraman is GONE! How did the situation go so wrong…? And how can the United Science Patrol claw their way back from the brink? The answers lie in the appearance of an enigmatic new Ultra, and a secret that has remained hidden for decades. From distant stars to lost dimensions, untangling this twisted web will require Shin Hayata to go farther and fight harder than ever before! So strap in—THE MYSTERY OF ULTRASEVEN unfolds now! PLUS: ANOTHER STORY FROM THE HISTORY OF ULTRA Q AND TWO MORE INSTRUCTIONAL KAIJU STEPS!

Heart Eyes #1, Vault

Sanity-eating monsters ended humanity. The unlucky few who survived now hide in the cracks of a broken world. And yet somehow, beneath the graveyard that used to be San Antonio, Rico met Lupe, the girl of his dreams. But how did she get here? And why is she smiling? No one survives out in the street. No one smiles where the monsters lurk.

Lady Hel #1, Dynamite

She is the very personification of death – or at least she WAS. When we last saw Lady Hel, she was paying the price for messing with the half-demon, Purgatori. Now deposed, Lady Hel must find a way to seize back her throne. There’s just one problem: she no longer has the power to do much more than exist. Meanwhile, what happens to the world when death is no longer a fact of life? It ain’t pretty! Plus: where Lady Hel goes, can Lady Demon be far to follow?

Unprepped #1, Antarctic Press

You may THINK you’re ready for the apocalypse, but even after lockdown plagues, town-razing natural disasters, and an ever-present threat of rogue nations going nuclear, the average Joe just isn’t prepared for a total global disaster. Witness mankind’s transition from the Digital Age to the Stone Age in the blink of an eye, and the only light comes from an angry sun setting on two families struggling to survive. 

Parasomnia: The Dreaming God #1, Dark Horse

Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and Andrea Mutti (Bunny Mask) return with their hit adventure tale of two worlds split between dreams and reality.

As the hunt for his missing son continues, our hero shifts worlds from the nightmarish Lovecraftian dreamscape to a cyberpunk metropolis where a ruthless cult continues to plague him, and reality and fantasy continue to blur.

Shirtless Bear-Fighter! 2 #1, Image

FINALLY! The man, the myth, the legend—SHIRTLESS BEAR-FIGHTER RETURNS to the War on Bearror in a wild new action-comedy with higher stakes, new characters, and all the heart and hilarity you expect from series co-creators JODY LEHEUP & NIL VENDRELL!

This time, Shirtless’s search for his true origin sets him on a cosmic collision course with the bear god…URSA MAJOR! The battle begins this August with 32 ad-free pages of side-splitting, flapjacked fury! Don’t miss it!

Star Trek: The Trill #1, IDW

Someone is following Vanah, a research student and ex-applicant to the Trill Symbiont Initiate Program, after a life-changing event on a joint Trill-Federation science expedition.

Delve into the world of the Trill in this suspenseful tale of tradition, independence, and survival.

Jimmy’s Little Bastards #1, AfterShock

After the shattering events of his last adventure, Jimmy is on extended leave from British Intelligence—sliding slowly into middle age, with carpet slippers, tragic sweater and cup of cocoa to match. The formerly sexist superspy is even reevaluating his attitude to women! His daughter (Don’t say it! Don’t you dare say it!) Nancy is taking up the slack in fine style, cutting a bloody swathe through the Regent rogues’ gallery. But a mysterious message starts Jimmy looking into his family’s murky past…where he finds a clue to a strange and deadly new danger.

Brigade: Remastered Edition #1, Image

The issue that started it all, BRIGADE #1, remastered by today’s top comic book talents!

BRIGADE exploded onto the scene as one of Image Comics’ launch titles, making its first appearance in August 1992 and electrifying fandom! We celebrate and commemorate the impact and anniversary of this historic occasion with a star-studded roster of illustrators creating all-new magic with fresh new pages for this commemorative 30th-anniversary issue!

Chilling Adventures Presents… Jinx’s Grim Fairy Tales #1, Archie Comics

Teen Jinx Holliday is Riverdale’s go-to babysitter. The (often unruly) kids that she watches over always change, seemingly for the better. The key to her success? Her book of unique fairy tales, all of which tell a moralistic story-usually grim, gruesome ones that frighten the children with Jinx as the star of each and every one. What sinister, I mean, serious lessons will she teach her wards?

Samurai 2.0 #1, Antarctic Press

The year is 21XX. World War III has devastated the planet. A foreigner arrives in the city of Neo-Tokyo. His name is Ketsuo, and he is the last remaining graffiti samurai, intent on clashing with the Emperor, who has prohibited any artform and persecutes anyone who dares to create.

Crash & Troy #1, A Wave Blue World

Intergalactic mercenaries Rex “Crash” Ballard and Troy 3.0 find themselves in hot water after a prison break on Wexia-1 sets free the dictator of Wexia-2. Now they must clean up their mess or find themselves locked up. This means working with Chief Fiona Alvarez of the Earth Defense Forces to recapture Supreme Leader Jongil and stop interplanetary war. No sweat for two pros like Crash & Troy!

Meta: Metalinguistic Crimes Division #1, Scout

Star comic writer Agatha finds her artist boyfriend murdered and believes that the comic book characters they created together are to blame! Her brother Alan, a wannabe novelist, arrives to offer Agatha support in her grief and accidentally finds himself drawn into an unfinished comic book page! Adding to the confusion, a police unit that specializes in “meta-crimes” arrives and starts investigating the case. Without doubt, things are about to get much worse for Alan and Agatha. Enjoy the first issue of this NON-STOP! title followed by the entire story collected soon after in one volume.

Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Part Two #1, Titan Books

THE BEST-SELLING MANGA ADAPTATION OF SHERLOCK RETURNS!

Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and John Watson (Martin Freeman) are called to save the royal family from blackmail at the hands of Irene Adler! Adler pulls Sherlock into a complex web of mysteries involving the CIA and the MoD, with secrets that could threaten to threaten international security and topple the monarchy.

The Life and Death of the Brave Captain Suave #1, Scout

In this action-packed, debut issue, we are introduced to the madness and heroism that is Captain Suave! A champion beyond measure, Captain Suave’s journey follows a modern-day retelling of Cervantes’s classic, Don Quixote, only this hero is convinced that he is a Golden Age superhero. Ready yourself for an adventure that must be seen to be believed, as Captain Suave and his trusty sidekick, Champ, battle the imaginary forces of evil in Cleveland, Ohio!

The Shepherd: The Pit #1, Scout

Lexi and Nico Miller, the surviving children of The Shepherd, are visited by a spectral dog whose face is horribly disfigured. The siblings are shocked to learn that this phantom is the victim of a local dog-fighting ring. Yet, despite his own brutal death, the mournful dog’s spirit is determined that his fellow animals be freed from the violence and brutality of The Pit that claimed his life. What follows is a desperate rescue attempt that pierces the very heart of darkness.

Vox #1, Comics Experience Publishing

Can knowledge lead to salvation? Vox explores a colorful society teetering on the brink of annihilation and asks: can anyone resist succumbing to the voice of truth? Creators Jai and Alexandria Huntington delve into extremism and fanaticism through the lens of philosophical satire in this 32-page one-shot.