The best new comics set for release in 2022: DC, Marvel, and indie picks

Comics have had a phenomenal year in 2022. Beautiful graphic novels such as Wash Day Diaries Clementine We were captivated by their clever storytelling. San Diego Comic-Con was back with a subdued but well-run celebration. This summer we’re getting multiple massive comics events including Marvel characters teaming up to fight gods and DC’s universe going to the dark side (or should that be “seid”?). It’s also arguably the long overdue season of the Sandman as Netflix’s smash-hit show introduces the world of Dream to millions. Dragon Ball Super Hero She-Hulk’s box-office smash was huge and she has entered the MCU now with a fourth-wall-breaking win.

However, the year is not yet over. In fact, there’s still a ton of amazing, exciting, and delightful comic books to enjoy and explore as the year comes to a close. Let’s take a look at a few major themes and specific dates to put on your calendar.

Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths (ongoing).

Image: Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere/DC Comics

Joshua Williamson is on fire after he killed the Justice League in a metatextual attack to DC Universe. He’s currently reshaping the multiverse to his own vision with Dark Crisis on Infinite EarthsThe evolution of Dark Crisis. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes and whether it’ll have the massive impact of the original event from which it takes its name. But with the series running until the end of the year, there’s plenty of time to wait to see how Pariah’s plan to end all Crisis events forever could change the DC Universe.

Batman: One Bad Day (ongoing).

Image by G. Willow Wilson/DC Comics

Another big DC event this fall throws a roster of top-tier creators into Batman’s worst night ever. Batman: One Bad Day is made up of a series of prestige one-shots each featuring Batman facing down against one of his most famous rogues over the course of 24 hours — and brand new explorations of their origin stories. It began with One bad day: RiddlerThe issue will include articles on Two-Face and the Penguin. Freeze, Bane, Clayface, Ra’s al Ghul, and Catwoman. With creative teams as impressive as their villainous casts — including a superhero superstar Selina Kyle team-up from Jamie McKelvie and G. Willow Wilson — Bad Day This is one series you should watch. Plus, fall is villain season, so it’s perfect.

The Bat Family steps in the spotlight (ongoing).

Image: Jorge Jiménez/DC Comics

There’s never been a better time to be a Bat-Family fan. Not only are the kids and their “world’s OK-est dad” all over TV, cartoons, and webcomics, but the mainline DC books are serving up your favorites too. The In Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City, dueling timelines interweave to reveal Batman’s final case before the highly anticipated game. Tim Drake is the Bat-Kid most beloved and often forgotten. Tim Drake: Robin!

Gordita: Built Like This Fall

Image: Daisy Ruiz/Black Josei Press

Black Josei Press is putting out hits year after year. The fall issue of its magazine, Black Josei Press, has already been released. Gordita: Built like This. Cartoonist Daisy “Draizys” Ruiz expands on her six page minicomic Constructed Like SpongeBob, which was displayed as part of NYU’s ¡Oye! Cuéntame un Cuento. Follow a Mexican American teenager living in New York City. This colorful comic is full of humor and drama.

Image: Kate Beaton/Drawn & Quarterly

Kate Beaton is most well-known for her hilarious humor books and charming children’s books. But her newest release published by Drawn & Quarterly is something entirely different. Beaton’s first full-length graphic narrative is an autobiographical tale of her time working in the oil sands. Katie Beaton was 21 when she left Nova Scotia in search of a job. After leaving Nova Scotia at 21 years old, Katie Beaton decided to go in search of work. She soon found work at oil camps. This moving and in-depth story shares her experience there. It is both shockingly real and essential, an intimate and universal tale about work, exploitation, nature and their intersections.

Image: Melanie Gillman/Random House Graphic

You’ve probably already read some of Mel Gillman’s stunning fairy tales, as these began life as 24-Hour Comics Day projects. Every story is a tale about queer community and romance, with bright happy-ever-afters. After HSTHETE (a classic yarn of girl-meets-goat-goddess) went viral, Gillman was approached to create a collection of their tales. Another Ever AftersThis book includes new and never-before-seen fairy stories, expanding upon their wonderful storytelling tradition. If you’re looking for a fairy-tale collection that can be passed down for generations, Another Ever Afters is that book, and it’s nothing short of a joy to read.

Take a look back (Sept. 20).

Image: Tatsuki Fujimoto/Viz Media

Chainsaw ManTatsuki Yamamoto was the creator of this touching webcomic. It is about two best friends, and their long-lasting relationship. Viz has now released a print version of the comic. Take a look backFujimoto will make you cry again. As with so many manga tales, the story revolves around creating the art form. Ayumu Fujino’s dream since childhood was to create manga. She does this as part of the elementary school magazine.

They become closer when another talented artist challenges them. The story is a lovely one that follows their journey together through the highs and lows of friendship. Anyone who’s read it knows that the ending is bittersweet. Chainsaw Man will guess, this isn’t a simple yarn. There’s genre-bending tragedy afoot, and Fujino will have to face it to move on with her life and art.

Image by Alex Ross/Abrams ComicArts

One of the most anticipated comics of the year, Alex Ross takes inspiration from a couple of classic ’60s Fantastic Four Stan Lee and Jack Kirby wrote stories that Ross reimagines in his own unique way. This is Ross’ first solo graphic novel, and he’s clearly had a blast bringing his famed painting style to Marvel’s first family.

Ross returns to Ross in this 64-page volume. Fantastic Four#51Fantastic Four Annual #6 and #6 both heavily concern the Negative Zone. This is the original location. The second features the Fantastic Four exploring the surreal world. Franklin Richards is also featured in the second issue. Ross’s collection of toys and gadgets is quite varied. His technicolor palette adds a new dimension to the issue. The project, which blurs the line between art and comic books, is the product of an exciting partnership between Abrams ComicsArt & Marvel Comics.

So Spoke Rohan, Vol. 1 (Sep. 28)

Image: Hirohiko Araki/Viz Media

Start spinning from JoJo’s Bizarre AdventureThe funny horror comedy series. So Spoke Rohan Kirshibe began life as a collection of one-shots following the eccentric mangaka from Hirohiko Araki’s smash-hit series. While viewers might have already become acquainted with these stories thanks to the very good — but far too short — Netflix adaptation, this is the first time that the comics have been officially translated into English. Between the JoJo’sEntry Diamond is Unbreakable Golden Wind, Rohan’s supernatural shenanigans often center around his powerful Stand abilities and his career as an artist. Hilarious, silly, and often really scary, this’ll be a great addition to your manga shelf.

Marvel Comics’ Miracleman Returns to Comics (October).

Image: Peach Mumoko/Marvel Comics

The story of Marvel’s Miracleman is one of comics’ most dramatic publishing sagas. The hero, who was created by Mick Anglo of Britain in 1954, has not been seen in comics for decades due to decades-long rights disputes. After a popular transgressive early-’80s reboot by Alan Moore and Alan Davis in Dez Skinn’s Warrior magazine, Marvelman became Miracleman at indie publisher Eclipse. Later, Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham’s run on the hero was cut short by financial issues at Eclipse. Great success was had by the team.Spawn in the early ’90s, creator Todd McFarlane bought the rights to Eclipse’s catalog, assuming it came with the Miracleman. Instead, McFarlane bought himself a huge headache and an extensive lawsuit against Neil Gaiman.

Marvel in 2013 announced that they had bought the rights for Miracleman. It was too good to believe. Marvel has tried several times to bring Miracleman back over the years. However, more secretive legal problems have thwarted that effort until now. Gaiman & Buckingham will now continue their Silver Age journey, beginning in October. Marvel plans to publish a variety of Miracleman books in order to capitalize on one of the most recognizable (and oldest) of Marvel’s heroes.

AXE tie-ins galore (October)

Image: Alyssa Wong, Michael Yg/Marvel Comics

Kieron Gillen returned to the X-Office with the charming Immortal-X-Men. That much-lauded Quiet Council series led directly into Marvel’s epic AXE: Judgment Date event. This acronym is for Avengers, X-Men, & Eternals. The crossover will feature all three Marvel heroes in cosmic combat for the destiny and control over the Marvel Universe. If you’ve been enjoying the god-fighting action then you’ll be very happy this October, as when the final issue drops, Marvel is releasing a trio of AXE one-shots to go along with it. The first is AXE: Eternals#1: This is a story-related must read. Then you’ve got AXE: Iron Fist Then comes #1. Starfox: AXE#1 features the already popular Kevin Wada cover. Plus there’s a couple of tie-in issues, too, with Captain Marvel #42 Fantastic Four #48. #48.

Earthdivers #1 (Oct.

Image: Rafael Albuquerque/IDW Comics

Stephen Graham Jones, a best-selling Indigenous author, teams up with Joana Lafuente and artist Davide Gianfelice to send Tad, a Lakota explorer back in time to stop Christopher Columbus’s death and to establish America. IDW Originals is the publisher of this time-travel story. It has been already taken up for adaptation. Transgressive, ambitious sci-fi like this is exactly what we need, and with Jones at the helm it’s sure to be a brilliant read.

Image: Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda/Abrams ComicArts

Marjorie Liu, Sana Takeda and Sana Liu are the brains behind multiple Eisner-winning fantasy books Monstress. They are now turning their hand to horror for a graphic novel. The Abrams ComicsArts publication is the first of a trio by the creators. It looks absolutely terrifying. Milly, a Chinese American twin, and Billy, a American Indian brother. They struggle to run their family restaurant. When their parents come home to visit, their mother, Ipo, begins to worry that she’s pampered her children, so she enlists them to help clean an empty house next door. What seems like a routine chore becomes a night of gory, hellish, supernatural family bonding, and the children will quickly come to realize there’s a lot about their mother they don’t know.

Image: Nadia Shammas, Marie Enger/Tor Nightfire

Marie Enger, Nadia Shammass and Marie Enger take on eldritch nightmares in the new graphic novel Tor Nightfire. It’s the first graphic novel from the imprint, and it looks like a perfect fit. The story is set in Brooklyn and follows Dr. Amal Robardin (a newly licensed psychotherapist) as she treats Yasmin, a young girl suffering from night terrors. Her struggles seem beyond the grasp of Dr. Robardin, especially after Yasmin becomes obsessed with Robert Chambers’ Yellow KingShe disappears. Amal, desperate to save her patient, sets out to locate her. Soon, she finds herself in Carcosa’s nightmare world, where the King in Yellow lives.

Image: Junji Ito/Viz Media

It’s been a stellar few years for fans of horror maestro Junji Ito. Thanks to Viz’s expensive and beautiful reprints, readers have gotten to access a ton of previously unreleased or hard-to-find Ito stories. You can find collections such as Deserter LovesicknessOne-shot stories such as Remina SensorThe Ito-loving public has plenty to choose from. Viz has released an all-new collection of horror stories from the COVID-19 epidemic, called “Viz: The Anthology.” The Liminal Zone But his most highly anticipated release of 2022 doesn’t hit shelves until October: Black Paradox In this stunning hardcover edition, he shares his famous story of the suicide club with English readers. Brought together by a website for people with suicidal ideation, four strangers become obsessed with finding the “perfect” death, but fate has other plans.

November 8, I Thought That You Loved Me

MariNaomi

MariNaomi opens a window to her personal story through this autobiographical graphic book. The novel is told in prose, collage and of course comics. Mari is looking back at the close friendship she had in her teens and early twenties, and wants to make sense of what happened years later when Jodie suddenly ended their friendship. Though the reason behind the fallout shocked Mari, she’s ready to forgive, so she heads out to find her old friend and recover her lost memories of their life together on this intensely personal journey.

Two graves (Nov. 9)

Image: Genevieve Valentine, Annie Wu, Ming Doyle/Image Comics

Two GravesThis book is the result of a group of talented creative people: Genevieve Valentine, Annie Wu and Ming Doyle along with Lee Loughridge as colorist. These two artists play a key role in the story’s ability to be told from both sides. One is Emilia’s, and the other is Death’s. Unexpected events lead to Emilia and Death embarking on a road trip through the noir-drenched undead, but Emilia is not sure who her true companion is. This contemporary Persephone reimagining sounds near perfect, and it’ll be total dynamite to see how Wu and Doyle’s collaboration comes together in this ambitious and experimental creator-owned new release.

Cole Pauls/Conundrum Press

Cole Pauls’ comics Pizza PunksBroken Pencil Magazine Award-winning Dakwäkãda WarriorsAlready, the passionate readers of Tahltan’s comic artist, illustrator and printmaker have embraced them. Kwändǖr, This full-length collection will expand that audience. You will find comics about the language and culture of Southern Tutchone, Yukon history, racism and ways to respect and acknowledge your Indigenous homeland. It’ll all be tied together by Pauls’ wit, humor, and uniquely cool and accessible style. This book should be read every fall.

I Hate Fairyland is back (Nov. 16).

Image: Skottie Young/Image Comics

Skottie Young is back in his hit creator-owned comic Fairyland is my worst nightmareIn November. In case you’ve never checked out the extremely gory and fun fantasy comic, it follows a girl named Gertrude who, like the protagonists of many portal stories before her, is transported to the titular world. But this isn’t your daddy’s fairyland. The series launched in 2015 and became a huge success, but it’s been a few years since the last issue. That’s why fans were very excited to learn Fairyland is my worst nightmare It was announced that Young would be back, and it is now almost over. Young will write, while Brett Parson takes over the art. Relaunching at #1, you’ll be able to catch up with Gert and see what she’s been up to in the real world, and it looks like a violent riot.

Monica Rambeau: Photon #1 (December)

Monica Rambeau never wrote her own series, and that’s if you are able to believe. It’s the kind of travesty that still occurs in Big Two comics, but luckily the best Avenger — go read Roger Stern, John Buscema, and Tom Palmer’s ’80s run on the series if you haven’t yet — is finally getting her due, and she’s bringing one of comics’ brightest lights with her. Eve Ewing, Ironheart’s co-creator will write the series with Michael Sta. Maria. This wild adventure will reintroduce the hero known as Photon, and the solicit promises a journey that’ll push the boundaries of her powers and take readers through both time and space. The perfect timing to get Monica back in the spotlight. MarvelsIt’s sure to make a great addition to Marvel’s cosmic collection.