Raf’s Bat-tacular Week of New Releases 3.2.2022

Greetings Carol and John’s Comic Shoppers! It’s a new month which means the monthly cycle of comics resets. All is right in the world… the world of comics that is at least. This weekend is our big Winston World sale (more on that later) and we’ve got a GREAT week of new comics to celebrate the occasion. DC especially has a big week this week as they prepare for the new Batman movie’s premiere in just a few short days. I’ll be out of town this weekend going to Niagara Falls, but I made sure my girlfriend knew that that didn’t mean she’d get to miss out on her boy Robert Pattinson on the big screen. I already bought our IMAX tickets. But before all that, we’ve got to see what’s new. Let’s go!

DC Comics

Perfectly timed for the movie this weekend, Tom King has a brand-new, action-packed Batman miniseries starting this week with the 6-issue Batman: Killing Time. Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin, and Killer Croc have teamed up to pull the heist of a lifetime on one of Gotham’s richest citizens; Bruce Wayne! This story is set in the earlier days of Batman’s career, where he’s not yet the master battle technician we know he’ll become, and the rest of Gotham City is still new to costumed vigilantes and characters running amok. Also, Catwoman is very much a villain in this story, just like the good ol’ days. Tom King’s a writer that always grabs our attention with anything new he puts out, but it’s nice to see him do something that isn’t a long commitment like a 12-issue maxiseries. The perfect Bat treat for a Bat week.

Have you guys figured out that we really like this series yet? Dark Knights of Steel is one of the best books DC is putting out right now and is criminally underappreciated at the moment too. This week sees the release of issue #5, but more importantly, DC is reprinting issues #1-3 in one book Dark Knights of Steel: The Gathering Storm for only $6.99. That’s 80 pages of medieval DC Elseworld fantasy action for a great price! Now’s the perfect time to jump on board this great series. Don’t just take our word for it, buy it and see for yourself what’s got all of us at the shop so excited about this awesome Tom Taylor (DCeased, Nightwing) series.

Spinning out of the pages of the main Suicide Squad title (a favorite of Ben’s), War for Earth-3 is a new miniseries event for the month of March. Earth-3 is the home of the Crime Syndicate, a bunch of evil nasty doppelgangers of the Justice League including Ultraman, Owlman, and Superwoman, and Task Force X mastermind Amanda Waller has traveled across the multiverse to Earth-3 to take control of these “heroes” and this world. Hot on her heels are the Teen Titans, Flash, and Suicide Squad to bring Waller back before it’s too late. There will be a new issue in the story each week this month, with titles Teen Titans Academy, Flash, and Suicide Squad all tying in before the bookend issue #2 of War for Earth-3 closes things out at the end of the month. 

We all groaned when we first heard that James Tynion IV’s stellar horror series Nice House on the Lake would be taking a five-month break after issue #6. But those five months flew by, and now we have the next installment and the second half of the series starting this week with issue #7 in stores. This has been a really great horror series, that truly does feel like a nightmare scenario. There are a lot of characters involved and we’re all slowly piecing together the mysteries of each person and why they’re at this lake house and just what the hell is going on. For those who’ve been waiting to catch up, this week also sees the first half collected in Nice House on the Lake Vol.1 which has the first six issues of the series. It’s really wicked stuff, check it out.

Marvel Comics

Jason Aaron has been killing it recently, with Avengers, King Conan, and the new Punisher series set to come out soon too. His other series, Avengers Forever, might just be his best out of the bunch. “WAR FOR THE WASTELANDS! Tony Stark, the Invincible Ant-Man. Robbie Reyes, a Ghost Rider unlike any other from across the multiverse, still changing, still becoming what he was always meant to be. A Deathlok who refuses to die. A brutally two-fisted Wonder Man. A half-built Vision. The Infinity Thing. Together, they’re all that passes for Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on a world overrun by the Black Skull. But on this day, a day unlike any other, they’ll have to be enough.” In the wise words of Ben, “it’s metal!”

Doctor Stephen Strange is dead. Now a new Sorcerer Supreme rises. Death of Doctor Strange writer Jed MacKay continues his story in Strange #1 new this week. Clea has assumed the mantle and is the new Sorceress Supreme and she’s on a mission to bring Stephen back to life. But while she has her own mission, evil forces see the magical realm’s defenses at their weakest moment, and now is their time to strike. If you were already getting Death of Doctor Strange, we’ve got you covered on this series, but for everyone else, witness the beginning of a new Sorcerer Supreme. 

Marvel’s What If… line has seen a resurgence after the Disney+ series (and of course our Holiday Art Show 😊 too), and now Marvel’s releasing a new What If series that stars Mile Morales! What If Mile Morales ponders what if Miles became other heroes of the Marvel Universe, including Hulk, Wolverine, and in issue #1, Captain America. This five-issue miniseries looks like it’ll be a lot of fun, and there are some great Miles redesigns of classic heroes too. It all starts this week with #1.

Small Press

Patrick Kindlon and Marco Ferrari’s Image series Frontiersman was one of my favorites of the past year. A great superhero story that isn’t quite like all the rest, it stars an older retired hero who’s decided to make a peaceful stand for something he believes in, but attracts old flames, old enemies, and new ones too. I really loved this series, and the artwork is phenomenal. I’m glad to hear that we’ll be getting more Frontiersman also, with a new one-shot coming in May before the second full arc starts. Give this one a try if you love superhero stories that have a human heart to them.

“One day, you will receive a message from an unknown sender. The message will only include your name, the fact that you are going to hell, and the time you have left to live. When the timer counts down to zero, supernatural beings manifest to condemn you to hell. Amid social chaos and increasing hysteria, the people must find a way to survive this inexplicable terror.” This manga is finally available in English and is written by the director of the international horror hit Train To Busan. I’m excited to check it out.

That’s it for some of the big new releases this week, but the real fun begins this weekend. Our Winston World sale will run from this Friday, March 4th until the 6th. And since I’ll be out of town this weekend, John Dudas will be stepping in for a celeb shot and will be working behind the counter this Sunday! We’ll be having 50% off all of our back issues (including those great new books from the now-famous Ambience Collection) and 10% off everything else in the store including new issues, figures, trade paperbacks, and hardcovers. A nice way to celebrate winter finally winding down. And don’t forget to see John’s previous newsletter about all the fun things we have planned coming up including the George Perez JLA/Avengers raffle and Jim Shooter coming to town for FCBD. One of my buddies already reached out to me about getting a Legion book signed when he comes in. Lots of fun things to be excited about this Spring. Take care everyone, and we’ll see you all in the shop for Winston World.