Hi Comic Shop Friends! Just a couple of events happening this month to mention, and then it’s on to a bunch of great books! There are a lot of new Small Press titles you should check out, so many that I had to cut half of them for the newsletter! Make sure to watch our Tuesday night Facebook live/YouTube videos to keep up on everything new every week!

This Wednesday the 5th is the monthly Midnight Rental Secret Screening at the Grog Shop! Come out and watch a crappy movie co-hosted by Ben! Doors at 7pm, and the show starts at 8pm! Only $10!

Late Nite Comics is happening on Thursday the 20th from 8pm to midnight! A table full of long boxes of dollar books! What else? Stop out and see!

MARVEL COMICS

The big news is: Spider-Man Reign is finally back in print! We have a whole case, and this is the one book you should pick up this week!

Ben loves it so much, he personally hugged each copy, and then reread it Friday night. Grab one so you’re prepared for Spider-Man: Reign 2 #1 on July 3rd!

It’s time to assemble an all-new team of Ultimates! Continuing on from Hickman and Caselli’s Ultimate Universe #1, writer Deniz Camp and artist Juan Frigeri’s series kicks off the next chapter in the new Ultimate Universe! Six months ago, Tony Stark sent Peter Parker a radioactive spider to set him on the course to become Spider-Man. Now, Iron Lad and Doom have begun to do the same for other lost heroes, but they find it harder than planned to recreate Earth-616 in their own world. Along with Thor, Sif, and a newly thawed Captain America, they learn that the Maker had changed too much and “bent the moral arc of this universe in the wrong direction.” It won’t be enough to be as good as the heroes of 616, they’ll have to become better. They’ll have to start a revolution to destroy the Maker’s Council and restore freedom and free will to their world. Now that Avengers: Twilight has finished, this is the book to take its place.

Blood Hunt’s next mini-series is Wolverine from writer Thomas Waltz and artist Juan Jose Ryp! Logan better hope that fighting vampires is included in being the best there is at what he does! Wolverine finds himself the target of multiple militias of vampires, first in Vegas, then in an abandoned bar in California. A secret vampire sect may be behind the attacks, but what do they want with him? Can Wolverine and his vampire friend Nightguard take them down, or will they end up part of the bloodsucking plot?

The formation of Marvel’s wildest new team, the Blood Hunters, continues! First Kaare Andrews and Alex Lins ask, what happens when a group of bloodsuckers get a taste of Hulk’s gamma-irradiated blood? Then, Kate Bishop and Lucky get some help from a mysterious new vampire hunter, Dante Malik, in Ann Nocenti and David Baldeon’s short. Lastly, Elsa Bloodstone shows up to lend Dagger a hand. Or stake. And will White Widow prove to be friend or foe? Find out in the second part of Erica Schultz and Bernard Chang’s story.

DC COMICS

DC has another Pride book this week, to celebrate the life of writer Rachel Pollack! This one-shot reprints the debut of DC’s first transgender superhero, Coagula, from Doom Patrol #70, along with Vertigo Visions: The Geek #1, with art by Michael Allred. The third story is an all-new tale of triumph over death with her most beloved character, Kate Godwin, returning to the spotlight. Written by Pollack’s longtime collaborator, Joe Coarallo, with art by Rye Hickman.

Tales calculated to drive you MAD! It’s a facsimile of the first issue of MAD magazine, lampooning the leading comic book genres of 1952! Horror! Sci-Fi! Crime! Western! From the original Usual Gang of Idiots over at EC Comics: Harvey Kurtzman, Will Elder, Jack Davis, and Wally Wood!

I guess I need to watch the show now, because this new series written by Josie Campbell, head writer for My Adventures with Superman, with art by Pablo M. Collar, picks up at the explosive end of season one! Clark Kent is about to spend his first Christmas alone and away from Smallville, but before he can feel too down about it, a literal tip at the Daily Planet sends Superman, Lois, and Jimmy into the sewers. And into the path of something that can absorb Superman’s powers. Why is it in Metropolis? Why is the government getting involved? Will it disrupt Lois and Jimmy’s secret plans for Clark’s Christmas?

SMALL PRESS COMICS

This one-shot is the prelude to the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 from Jason Aaron! What’s the world like without the TMNT? Find out how the void left after they’ve pursued other interests has affected humans and mutants alike, from the five boroughs to Mutant Island. Old Hob deals with some troubles on “Monster Island”, written by Tom Waltz who scripted the first 100 issues of the ongoing series, with art by Gavin Smith. And Donatello finds himself “A Long Way From Home” and missing memories in Jason Aaron’s lead-in to the new series, with art by Chris Burnham.

We got to read a pdf of the first issue early, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. Gerry Duggan and Garry Brown have a double-length first issue of their new gunslinger and samurai series, Falling in Love on the Path to Hell. In Japan, after the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, samurai Ogata Asami would rather die than surrender her weapons to the Imperials. She fought for honor, and she would not be denied. In Los Angeles in 1877, gunslinger MacRaith follows a gang of five hard men to the bitter end. He fought for revenge, and he would not be denied. “The path of every warrior ends in the same place…death.” Mortally wounded, both warriors make their way to the water, a world apart, and awake on the same strange shore. Now their paths converge into a single one. A path to Hell.

The Energon Universe continues to expand with the next G.I. Joe mini-series, Scarlett, from Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari! Shana O’Hara is about to take on the most dangerous black ops mission of her career. After coming across her former partner, Jinx, on an intel mission, Scarlett’s questions and unauthorized engagement lead her to be recruited to infiltrate the mysterious rising power known as Clan Arashikage. The same Clan that Jinx is an enforcer for. Can Scarlett’s skills help her survive undercover? And what is the weapon the Clan possesses that could change the balance of power on Earth? A solid spy story, and another great start to introduce more G.I. Joe characters into the Energon Universe!

This one is a John Dudas pick of the week! He was so stoked when Oni announced this at ComicsPro in February!

Based on the video game, writer Alex Paknadel and artist Troy Little take us on a deviously delightful excursion into the adorable world of Cult of the Lamb. Innocent Lamb was chosen to become the final dark sacrifice to usher in a new age ruled by the Bishops of the Old Faith. After death, Lamb is offered a deal by the One Who Waits, an imprisoned Old God. They take the deal and return to the living with all the unholy powers needed to take vengeance on those who killed them, and to deliver a new cult unto the earth. If you like your cuddly animals full of evil, and your cults cute, this is the book for you!