Jumping On: New Story Arcs Kicking Off On August 2, 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, August 2, 2023.

New Story Arcs:

X-Men #25, Marvel

THE FALL. She’s been known as Kitty, Sprite, Ariel, Red Queen and Captain Kate. Now, as a new X-Men team finds their way through their darkest hour…SHADOWKAT emerges!

 

Series Premieres and One-Shots:

The Sacrificers #1, Image

SERIES PREMIERE

Tomorrow is a harmonious paradise thanks to five families who make everything perfect…for the price of one child per household. Now, as that bill comes due, a son expected to give everything for a family that never loved him and an affluent daughter determined to destroy utopia must unite to end one generation’s unnaturally protracted reign.

New York Times-bestselling writer RICK REMENDER (LOW, DEADLY CLASS, Uncanny X-Force) joins forces with superstar MAX FIUMARA (Amazing Spider-Man, FOUR EYES, Lucifer) to take you through the dark science fiction world of THE SACRIFICERS!

The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1, Marvel

Hallows’ Eve will attempt her biggest scheme yet: breaking Chasm out of jail! Currently imprisoned in Madelyne Pryor’s new demonic Limbo Embassy, Spider-Man’s misguided clone is more vengeful than ever, and Hallows’ Eve is the only one who dares to let him loose! Does she have the skills and nerve to go head-to-head against the Goblin Queen? And how will the dark tidings from this year’s Hellfire Gala impact her bold rescue attempt? 

Death of the Venomverse #1, Marvel

THE END OF THE VENOMVERSE IS HERE! CULLEN BUNN and GERARDO SANDOVAL reunite to bring the symbiotic ax down on the VENOMVERSE! CARNAGE has been building his powers up, extracting unique abilities from many villains throughout the MARVEL UNIVERSE to the point of traversing the Multiverse with ONE GOAL: KILL ANY AND ALL VENOMS!

Astonishing Iceman #1, Marvel

THE OMEGA-LEVEL MUTANT AS YOU’VE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE! After the events of this year’s can’t-miss HELLFIRE GALA, BOBBY DRAKE, A.K.A. ICEMAN, sets his sights on heroic deeds like never before. But as a new situation develops that links Iceman to his Antarctic ice palace, he’ll have to be slicker than ever to accomplish his mission before ORCHIS knows what hit them! An all-new adventure that’ll push Iceman to the limits of his powers…and beyond!

Magneto #1, Marvel

MAGNETO WAS RIGHT! MAGNETO burst onto the scene as the most diabolical of “Evil Mutants”! But when PROFESSOR XAVIER must leave the planet for life-saving treatment, Magneto inherits a new title: TEACHER! With the NEW MUTANTS under his tutelage, how will these young and powerful mutants learn to take orders from…a super villain?! And one who tried to KILL them and their predecessors?! There are two sides to every story, and J.M. DeMatteis and Todd Nauck weave a tale that will show how Magneto Was Right…from a certain point of view. In fact, one mutant, known as IRAE, in her FIRST EVER APPEARANCE, has taken Magneto’s lessons to heart in a way that will upend even the Master of Magnetism’s best strategies! Get ready for an all-new saga set during Magneto’s tenure as Headmaster of the NEW MUTANTS, and learn how the once die-hard villain emerged as a conflicted figure in the saga of the X-MEN!

What If…? Dark: Venom #1, Marvel

WHAT IF…BEN GRIMM BECAME VENOM? When BEN GRIMM returns to Earth after his exploration of space post-SECRET WARS, he finds that the FANTASTIC FOUR has trapped a helpless Klyntar symbiote in Reed’s lab! But is that symbiote really helpless? Or is it truly one of the most dangerous symbiotes in the galaxy? Witness the birth of a brand-new VENOM!

Star Wars: Dark Droids #1, Marvel

“SCOURGE OF THE DROIDS!“ A STAR WARS EPIC LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE! Who or what is THE SCOURGE, and why is no droid safe? As a corruption spreads from one droid to the next THE REBELLION and THE EMPIRE face chaos! What role does AJAX SIGMA play in all of this? And whose side is he on? Find out when horror comes to a galaxy far, far away! Charles Soule continues his legendary run on STAR WARS with the most ambitious event in STAR WARS comics history! Joined by his WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS collaborator Luke Ross, the superstar team carves a new path for the future!

Strange Academy: Miles Morales #1, Marvel

School is back in session, and Strange Academy is kicking the school year off with a field trip to New York City to throw down against Brooklyn Visions Academy in the MULTIVERSAL MATH BOWL! When a mysterious new villain crashes the mathletics, the students of Strange Academy must team up with Miles Morales to put a stop to his plots. ONE CHAPTER OF A THRILLIING THREE-PART SAGA!

Conan the Barbarian #1, Titan

Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan is back in a new tale of bravery and heroism! Conan the Barbarian FCBD Edition leads into the debut issue! Years after the battle of Venarium, a weary Conan returns to his homeland to seek rest and solitude. However, a mysterious scout rides in to warn the Cimmerians of an imminent threat on the march from the Pictish wilderness. Will Conan and his new ally be able to hold off this new horde of invaders?

The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly #1, DC

The immortal witch Thessaly is no stranger to dead ends. But she’s won the hearts of gods and beings more powerful than gods, and persistence has always been her strong suit. Following her scheming machinations in Nightmare Country and Dead Boy Detectives, Thessaly is more determined than ever to suss out the seemingly impenetrable mystery surrounding the death of Madison Flynn. To do that, she’s going to have to get close to the source material—close enough to magic herself into the job of screenwriter on Madison Flynn’s biopic. But she’s going to need a little help to keep the gig…perhaps from one of those Muses the King of Dreams told her about long ago…

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: 1957 – From Below #1, Dark Horse

Hellboy, Professor Bruttenholm, and B.P.R.D. agent Archie Muraro investigate an abandoned sawmill that is rumored to be haunted. But when they get there, an unexpected discovery reveals an even stranger source for the rumors! Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and longtime collaborator Chris Roberson team up with artist Mike Norton and colorist Dave Stewart for a new story of strange doings.

Fire and Ice #1, Dynamite

A FANTASY CLASSIC RETURNS TO LIFE WITH AN ALL-NEW PREQUEL SERIES!

More than four decades ago, two iconic creators came together to bring to the silver screen an amazing new world of magic and adventure. In their classic animated film Fire and Ice, legendary artist FRANK FRAZETTA and famed director RALPH BAKSHI crafted a unique vision of beauty and danger, of good versus evil, all cast against a hypnotic backdrop of savage prehistoric splendor. Now, at long last, this timeless vision is expanding into comics with the first new story to revisit Frazetta and Bakshi’s remarkable realm since 1982!

Before the fire waned and the ice spread across the world…before Teegra met Larn…before everything you know about the unforgettable animated movie came to be, there were the before times – times when evil might still be blunted, times when innocence was not yet lost. In Fire and Ice #1, acclaimed comics writer BILL WILLINGHAM (Fables, Legenderry) joins forces with artist LEONARDO MANCO (Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, Blaze of Glory) – making his triumphant return to comics – and a new legend is about to be born!

Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer #1, BOOM!

Thess is all grown up, having taken up the mantle as the new Slayer!

But with new responsibilities comes new enemies, and a mysterious clan will do anything to get to her, even if it means using her friends as bait.

Fans won’t want to miss this brand new mini series from veteran Buffy scribe Casey Gilly, set after the events of Buffy The Last Vampire Slayer Special #1!

Leaded Gasoline #1, Black Mask

In the 1980s a killer stalks the streets of South Central Los Angeles. Task forces are assembled, detectives work overtime, but the bodies keep coming. This is the story of a community college professor who believes there’s more to the story than a single madman. From writer Patrick Kindlon (Frontiersman, Nobody Is In Control, We Can Never Go Home) and your next favorite artist Lorenzo Re, Leaded Gasoline captures the mad energy of the most brash and risk-taking horror comics that are smart, dangerous, and intent on taking a sledgehammer to your mind.

Quest #1, Image

SERIES PREMIERE

Writer/artist JONATHAN LUNA (THE SWORD, ALEX + ADA) returns for an ONGOING FANTASY SERIES with writer CRYSTAL WOOD (The Black Ballad)!

In a land inspired by Southeast Asia, Princess Anya’s new husband Prince Devyan is violently abducted by three giant demons at their wedding. Anya sets out on an epic journey with a growing band of loyal warriors, crossing deadly landscapes and battling horrifying demons. What will she sacrifice to save the man she loves?

Robotech: Rick Hunter #1, Titan

THE WAIT IS OVER… ROBOTECH LAUNCHES INTO AN EPIC NEW SERIES FROM TRANSFORMERS WRITER, BRANDON EASTON AND POWER RANGERS ARTIST, SIMONE RAGAZZONI!

After the devastating events of the Macross saga, RICK HUNTER must face an all new threat, along with the ghosts of his past when a Zentraedi splinter group attacks Yokohama, Rick is called to investigate! Piloting the new prototype YF-4 Veritech, Rick encounters old friends and new enemies, all while recounting the moments of his life that shaped most epic moments in the ROBOTECH universe!

Hack/Slash Vs Seance Room #1, Source Point Press

Cassie Hack and Vlad guest star in this issue where Harry puts his true and tried style of mental torment up against Cassie’s good old fashioned cut-off-heads-first-and-ask-questions-later style. The world of horror will never be the same, perhaps even Cassie and Vlad will come out of the Séance Room changed?

Project Riese #1, Mad Cave

It’s 1952. The wound WWII inflicted on the world is still fresh. Sam Safdie and his ragtag group of treasure hunters have been searching for the fabled map of the Owl Mountains for years…and they finally found it. Their journey leads them to a massive war complex that hides both unknown horrors and a fortune in gold. However, the deeper they travel, the more they realize the complex has developed a life of its own and that some secrets are better left buried in the past.