Hi Comic Shop Friends! We’re starting out the new year with a pretty quiet week. We do have free Marvel 2023 calendars to give out while supplies last, and Marvel previews should be here next week.

Thanks to everyone who came in (or called) to pick up your files!

John’s working through a large new collection and did a wall rerack on Monday with lots of Star Wars, Venom, and Spider-Man, and we’re starting to work through more back issues from our backlog, so stop in and check out what’s new.

In other news, Late Nite Comics will return on January 19th! No word on what sales will happen that night, but it’s always a good time to hang out and dig through long boxes to find weird cool stuff.

And the holidays aren’t over yet! Because the Ho-Ho-Ho-liday episode of Lenora’s Midnight Rental went up on YouTube last night with a cameo from our very own John Dudas! Check it out here:

MARVEL COMICS

Wanda Maximoff has pledged to use her power to help those at their lowest. There is a door that appears to those who need it most and who have no one else to turn to. The door opens into a witchcraft shop. Scarlet Witch’s shop. From saving a cruise ship full of “bored and very rich” men to helping an Italian village under the control of The Corruptor, Wanda’s magic doesn’t fail, but a strange stone seems to be immune to her spells, and she needs to find out where it came from. Written by Steve Orlando with art by Sara Pichelli.

DC COMICS

A new story arc starts with Batman #131 from Chip Zdarsky and artist Mike Hawthorne. After the events of Failsafe, Gotham City is darker and deadlier than before, and there is no Batman to protect it. Bruce Wayne wakes in a Gotham that’s not his, unsure of where and when he is. Featuring my new favorite version of Jim Gordon (not a spoiler because it’s on the cover): skeleton with a mustache! Also, a backup story with Robin and Nightwing also written by Zdarsky with art by Miguel Mendonca.

SMALL PRESS COMICS

After a couple of weeks without small press books in the email, we’ve got two cool ones this week. We only have one copy of Children of the Black Sun #1 on the table, but we will gladly order you a copy if you’re interested.

From writer Rob Guillory and artist Sam Lotfi, Mosely is a five-issue mini-series about grizzled old janitor Marvin Mosely who is tasked with “smashing the bejeezus outta our Tech Overlords” to free humankind while also trying to reconnect with his daughter, and come to terms with his small part in the rise of AI in the late 21st century.

One part Village of the Damned, one part Black Hole Sun, Dario Sicchio, and Letizia Cadonici’s new series Children of the Black Sun is an evil kid story where maybe the kids aren’t the worst people in town. Twice a black sun has risen, driving people to murder and madness, and the fear still remains that a black sun will rise again. And the fear of the children conceived during the black suns is rampant as the world prepares for the anniversary of the last incident. Will a black sun rise again? What will the children discover about their true nature?