Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On January 25, 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, January 25, 2023.

New Story Arcs:

Action Comics #1051, DC

ACTION COMICS REBORN! Action Comics #1051 begins a new format for DC’s most action-packed title, offering not one, not two, but three epic adventures of Superman and the entire Super-Family! Following the bombshell events of Action Comics #1050, the world’s relationship with Superman is forever changed, the upper limits of his supercharged powers have yet to be reached, and the House of El’s transformation of Metropolis, led by Steel, has begun. But Lex Luthor has found the perfect instrument with which to undo everything Superman is working to achieve: Metallo, whose hatred of Superman is matched only by his hatred for Luthor himself. Then, in Lois and Clark 2: Doom Rising, Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks return to tell the tale of young Jon Kent on the farm with his parents, learning about his abilities, coming of age…and battling the Doombreaker?! And finally, Power Girl returns in part one of a three-part story spinning out of Lazarus Planet! This issue marks the first appearance of new characters, new costumes, and a new era of Action Comics! It all starts here!

Saga #61, Image

SAGA is back, and it’s time for another epic season of emotional adventures and shocking surprises for Hazel and her star-crossed family!

About the SAGA series:

SAGA has sold seven million copies to date across single issue, trade paperback, compendium, hardcover, and digital editions and has been translated into 20 languages. The series also boasts multiple Eisner Awards, Harvey Awards, a Hugo Award, British Fantasy Award, Goodreads Choice Award, Shuster Award, Inkwell Award, Ringo Award, and more. It has been featured in such mainstream media outlets as TIME, Entertainment Weekly, The Atlantic, NPR, and more. The series has become a pop culture phenomenon and has been immortalized with references and easter eggs appearing in such popular TV shows as Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, and even a recent Taco Bell commercial featuring the characters dressed in cosplay.

Monstress #42, Image

NEW STORY ARC

The only way forward is a return to the past, as Maika and her friends find themselves in an unsettling yet familiar world…

Notable #1s and One-Shots:

Batman: One Bad Day – Catwoman #1, DC

Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman, is the greatest thief that Gotham City has ever seen. She’s effortlessly stolen countless items of immense value over the years and successfully evaded the GCPD and Batman. But when Catwoman finds out an item from her past is being sold for way more than it used to be worth, it sends Catwoman into a spiral, and she’ll do everything in her power to steal it back. Batman tries to stop her before she goes too far, and a mysterious figure known as the Forger will change Catwoman’s life forever. The all-star creative team of G. WILLOW WILSON (Poison Ivy, Ms. Marvel) and JAMIE McKELVIE (The Wicked & The Divine, Young Avengers) unite for this epic story!

Sins of Sinister #1, Marvel

POWERS OF ESSEX! It’s the end of the world as we know it, and at least Sinister feels fine. For now. Can that last? Especially when we discover that he really is his own worst enemy… The universe-melting X-event begins here, in a horror timeline that makes Age of Apocalypse look like the X-Men Swimsuit Special. Join Kieron Gillen (IMMORTAL X-MEN, A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY) as he kicks off the X-Men crossover Sinister has been planning since the beginning…and is going to have to see through to the bitter end.

Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods #1, DC

As the Lazarus rain beats down upon planet Earth, human beings are only a fraction of those affected by this transformative upheaval–enter: We Once Were Gods. This series of vignettes explores Lazarus Planet’s effects across the many extraordinary locations and creatures in the DC Universe, and like their human counterparts, these beings are in for some big changes. Can Themyscira survive the resurrection of every invading army that ever graced its shores? Will Martian Manhunter survive a psychic link to a Doomsday nest? What happens when the monsters from the Trench gain the ability to breathe air? And look out, Shazam Family…the Rock of Eternity is about to get rocked.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin–The Lost Years #1, IDW

In the smash-hit miniseries TMNT: The Last Ronin, readers witnessed the final gut-wrenching days of the Heroes in a Half Shell. For Michelangelo in particular, the march to his heartbreaking last battle was long and dangerous, taking him from New York City, to Japan, across Asia and Europe, and then back home again to administer final justice against those guilty of killing his family. But what happened during those fateful years when he had only the need for vengeance and Master Splinter’s journal to guide him? What battles did he fight? What hard lessons did he learn? The time has come to find out as original miniseries writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz join artist Ben Bishop to reveal what adventures the Last Ronin experienced during his vengeful journey. While in the present, a new master, Casey Marie Jones, prepares her young terrapin students to be the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Murderworld: Wolverine #1, Marvel

Wolverine is “the best he is at what he does,” and what he does is hunt victims in Murderworld! Our contestants are about to feel the SNIKT! Will anyone survive Arcade’s deadliest game? Arcade and his schemes have been a punchline in the past, but this game is no joke. Each issue ups the ante and will keep readers guessing right up until the end. Don’t miss it!

Darkwing Duck #1, Dynamite

F.O.W.L. PLAY

He is the terror that flaps in the night…He is the ferocious fowl who plucks the evil eye from the face of foul play…He is Darkwing Duck! Alongside his trusty sidekick Launchpad McQuack, Darkwing hyper-vigilantly defends St. Canard from the dastardly, devilish demons who would wage wanton war! By night, our caped defender lurks in the shadows, striking fear (and maybe confusion?) in the heart of the criminal underworld…but by day, no one suspects that Darkwing is also mild-mannered Drake Mallard, a well-meaning father to his adorable adopted daughter, Gosalyn! Can Darkwing successfully navigate his two separate lives, all while looking incredibly cool and impossibly handsome? (Hint: Probably not, but…) You’ll have to read to find out!

Inferno Girl Red #1, Image

A new school, new relationships, new possibilities-for any teenager, big moves are both challenging and exciting. But it’s a whole other thing for Cássia Costa…because an ancient cult and their army of demons has ripped her new home of Apex City out of our universe and cast it into darkness! To have any hope of saving it, Cássia must survive the worst night of her life, embrace a secret legacy, and find the courage to fight when all seems lost-as the blazing light of hope in the dark, Inferno Girl Red! From creators ERICA D’URSO (The Mighty Valkyries) and MAT GROOM (SELF / MADE, Ultraman), the saga of the newest Image Comics superhero begins here!

The Magic Order 4 #1, Image

MINISERIES PREMIERE

BRAND NEW ARC! The Magic Order is in turmoil after Cordelia is forced to expel her brother. Whispers of discontent persist among the other wizards. They’re tired of the rules they’ve all been living under-and now a coup is brewing.

Rick and Morty #1, Oni Press

BRAND-NEW #1! A supremely intelligent madman and his teen sidekick scour the multiverse for the elements of the perfect world–a world of pure mathematics. Also, a different supremely intelligent madman and his teen sidekick are on a quest for a space milkshake. Supposed to taste pretty good.

When Goldenfold, not Rick Sanchez, leads the pursuit of madcap adventure and groundbreaking knowledge, things are going to get… well, interesting in that weird, can’t-look-away sense.

Dragon Age: The Missing #1, Dark Horse

A new story leading directly into BioWare’s upcoming game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf!

Varric Tethras and Lace Harding descend into the abandoned Deep Roads beneath Marnas Pell in pursuit of a former friend. But the corruption of the blight has infected the walls, and the threat of darkspawn looms heavy in the air . . .

Dive deeper into BioWare’s award winning series!

Green Hornet: One Night in Bangkok #1, Dynamite

The Green Hornet returns in the all-new epic “One Night in Bangkok”! The son of a criminal the Green Hornet once sent to prison has grown up vowing vengeance on the costumed crime-fighter – and with the training of the world’s foremost assassin, the man now known only as Snake will at last have his revenge! Descending on Century City, Snake sets out on a bloody campaign to decimate the criminal population – all in the name of the Green Hornet. It’s up to the Green Hornet to leap into action, salvage his reputation, and confront Snake before more lives are lost. Television, comics, and videogame writer Shannon Denton teams up with artist Jethro Morales (Sheena, Queen of the Jungle) for this fast-paced epic that brings back one of the greatest action heroes of all time – the Green Hornet!

Bulls of Beacon Hill #1, AfterShock

The team behind Justice League of America reunites for some HARD-HITTING REVENGE!

Doctor Christopher Boldt has everything he ever wanted: A successful career as a surgeon, a supportive and loving boyfriend, and an overload of hype on his rumored run for Boston City Council. But there’s one problem – it’s all held up by a lie. For years, Chris has been hiding in plain sight, desperate not to be connected to his father, Orin Paige, one of Boston’s most notorious gangsters.

Until now, Chris has been able to live with the secret. And Chris’s father has been just as happy to deny any connection to his queer son, who he sees as a liability in the mob world. Now, Chris’s political aspirations have put father and son on a collision course. A collision course bathed in blood.

From Eisner and GLAAD Award-Nominated writer Steve Orlando (Extreme Carnage, Midnighter, Darkhold, KILL A MAN) and artist Andy MacDonald (Rogue Planet, Loki, MY DATE WITH MONSTERS, I BREATHED A BODY), comes BULLS OF BEACON HILL, a story of family secrets and violent retribution.