Hey everyone! This week is our big summer sale at the shop, but more on that in just a bit. We’ve got new exciting issues this week too! Let’s get into it.

Marvel Comics

“In the land of the righteous… The X-Men claim they’re the planet’s new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? Judgment Day from Kieron Gillen and Valerio Schiti is the apocalyptic emotional event to define the summer.” After last week’s Eve of Judgement, the AXE: Judgement Day event officially kicks off now with issue #1.  

One of the most underrated Marvel series of the past year or so, Defenders: There Are No Rules by Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez, was a cosmic trip. Doctor Strange, the Masker Raider, and the team ventured across time and space to the birthplace of Galactus and even met Taaia, Galactus’ mother. The team of Ewing and Rodriguez now returns for Defenders Beyond! “When Doctor Strange sends a dire warning from beyond the grave, Blue Marvel, America Chavez, Taaia, Tigra, and Loki assemble to defend reality itself! Plus, you won’t believe who shows up on the final page!” If you haven’t checked out the previous series, we have the trade, but you can also jump right in with this new series.

DC Comics

I finally got caught up on DC Vs. Vampires! Thanks to the reprints that came out last week (we sold out fast!) I was able to read the series so far. It’s super dark! Very much a spiritual successor to the hit DCeased series, it’s the DC universe getting taken over by vampires, and there’s a lot of bloodshed. And now new, this week is a brand-new mini-series that takes place within this dark new universe in DC Vs. Vampires: All Out War #1. John Constantine teams up with Booster Gold, Deathstroke, and Mary Marvel to assassinate a key lieutenant of the vampire army. Shearer called this the Black, White, and Blood series of the DCVV series, and he isn’t wrong. The series is monochromatic but with plenty of blood red. A cool companion piece to the main series.

Small Press

Rogues’ Gallery from Image this week is The Purge meets Scream. In this new series, superfans of the Red Rogue comic are displeased with the Red Rogue TV show and especially with the titular star of the show, actress Maisie Wade. These twisted kids hatch a plan to steal something valuable from the actress’ home, but they’ve got a surprise once they get there. Written and drawn by relative newcomers in Hannah Rose May and Justin Mason, respectively, this new Image #1 is the story of unhealthy fandom gone too far.

Do A Powerbomb is back! Daniel Warren Johnson’s latest series was a smash, both with the staff and customers, and issue #2 this week was the first thing we read. It continues the fun from the last issue while also delivering a great hook for the start of this otherworldly tournament. The best part of this issue, in my opinion, though, was the gag that the necromancer running this deadly show believes that pro wrestling is real… that’s a secret that we all learn in time, like Santa Claus not being real (sorry kids, you didn’t hear that from me!).

From the creative team behind the Source Point cult hit Good Boy, comes Little Red Ronin. “A terrible beast has haunted the citizens of Poletown for decades. Although the monster hasn’t been seen in years, disappearances and gruesome killings still plague the townsfolk. Determined to clear her family name, Red hunts The Great Wolf in hopes of exonerating her grandmother, who lives in exile for spreading terrifying propaganda.” A sick and twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood that could only come from the likes of Garrett Gunn and Kit Wallis, Little Red Ronin #1 is a great start to this new miniseries.

And that’s just some of the goods this week. We’ve also got our HUGE Not-At-Comic-Con sale too starting this Thursday!

Running from this Thursday until Sunday, we’ll have 50% off all back issues, 10% off everything else, including trades and action figures, and the biggie; we’ll have the foyer open with a smorgasbord of dollar boxes. Plus, a first for the shop, this Thursday evening, we’ll have our first Late Night Comics event!

We’re going to keep the lights on, and the store is open after-hours from 8 pm until midnight, and we’re going to wipe the new comic table clean! In its place, we’re going to put out 40 more long boxes that we couldn’t fit in the foyer for one night only. On top of the regular weekend sale, this is a dollar bin shopper’s dream, and it’s this Thursday night, July 21st. Don’t forget too, that once you crack 100-dollar books, they become 50 cents each! John Dudas’s plan is to make this a recurring event each month, so come out this week for the inaugural launch of a future CNJ’s staple. Keep it cool this week, and we’ll see you around