These 10 new comic book series will delight a wide swath of readers. They include stories about new romance, high school rivalries, creepy times in New England and an examination of truth. Others chronicle vampires on the lam, a private eye with a vendetta and a vision of Earth’s final days. There are also tales about superheroes in which they meet family, explore new worlds and reflect on history.
Genius Animals?
Chapter 1 of this free web comic reads like a romantic comedy: Alexandra and Todd exchange witty banter at a bar in Brooklyn and soon embark on a relationship. Then Todd disappears. By Chapter 2, Alexandra and her pal Finnegan are playing detectives after the police close Todd’s missing person case with no explanation. Later, Alexandra meets a “genius animal” before reaching an unexpected but satisfying conclusion.
Written by Vali Chandrasekaran and drawn by Jun-Pierre Shiozawa. Available now.
An Unkindness of Ravens
High school can be tough enough but life has made it even more difficult for Wilma Farrington. She is caught between rival factions at a school in New England: the students who consider themselves the social elite and the Ravens, outcasts who are described as “Hell’s Angels with straight A’s.” Complicating things is the fact that Wilma resembles a student who recently went missing, and that all of the Ravens are descendants of survivors of the Salem Witch trials.
Written by Dan Panosian and drawn by Marianna Ignazzi. Arrives Sept. 23.
The Autumnal
Horror stories have made clowns creepy and this one might do the same for fall foliage. Kat Somerville and her daughter, Sybil, return to a small town in New Hampshire for the funeral of Kat’s estranged mother. The locals seem spooked by the falling leaves and the children sing about an elemental spirit that bears a resemblance to Kat’s mother. Kat’s new beginning, which is also an escape from domestic violence at home, is unlikely to go as planned.
Written by Daniel Kraus and drawn by Chris Shehan. Arrives Sept. 23.
The Department of Truth
Are facts the final arbiter of the truth or can the truth be altered by popular belief? This is something that Cole Turner, a government agent who studies conspiracy theories, must contend with when he is recruited into a secret Department of Truth. The story opens in the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and jumps forward to the present where Cole has witnessed an event that makes him doubt reality, an ideal entry point to his new job.
Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Martin Simmonds. Arrives Sept. 30.
Shang-Chi
The world of Shang-Chi, Marvel’s martial arts hero, expands in this story when he learns of the other children of his evil father, Zheng Zhu. But do not expect a tranquil reunion: His half siblings are representatives of the Five Weapons Society, each devoted to a deadly implement for combat. Readers will hope that Shang-Chi survives the experience when he is drawn out of his quiet life working at his grandmother’s bakery.
Written by Gene Luen Yang and drawn by Dike Ruan and Philip Tan. Arrives Sept. 30.
The Vain
A seemingly random series of robberies gets the attention of Felix Franklin, an F.B.I. agent, when he wonders why the thieves are after blood, not cash. And so begins a cat-and-mouse game that starts in 1941 as Felix tries to capture the Vain, a group of immortal vampires. Will a detour to the front lines of World War II make the F.B.I. and the vampires temporary allies?
Written by Eliot Rahal and Emily Pearson. Arrives Oct. 14.
We Live
This comic could be depressing yet manages to be hopeful. First, some bad news: Decades from now, the world’s population has been decimated by strife and climate change. Extinction is near. But 5,000 children will be saved if they find “rescue bracelets” to transport them off the planet. The good news: One child, Hotoro, is given a device by his sister, who sacrifices herself as it works for only one person. But the journey to the extraction point will not be easy.
Written by the brothers Roy Miranda and Inaki Miranda, who also draws. Arrives Oct 14.
Crossover
“Marvel and DC died when Colorado died.” That line refers to a bloody episode in Colorado upon the arrival of superbeings, previously believed to be fictional. Comic books that featured them are now seen by some as the Devil’s scripture, though Ellipses Howell, the story’s central character, remains a fan and defiantly wears a mask. Her belief in the power of stories leads her to help a refugee from the world of fiction that she meets.
Written by Donny Cates and drawn by Geoff Shaw. Arrives Nov. 4.
Lonesome Days, Savage Nights
In this supernatural crime story, Stu Manning’s dream of being a police officer ends after less than two weeks on the job when he is attacked by a horrific creature, loses his gun and cannot explain how he survived. He becomes a private detective — a task made easier by his now being able to transform into a werewolf. But he ultimately ends up on a mission of revenge when gang warfare results in the death of someone dear to him.
Written by Steven Niles and Salvatore Simeone and drawn by Szymon Kudranski. Arrives Nov. 16.
The Other History of the DC Universe
This story will look at real world history and fictional DC Comics events and tell them from the perspective of Black heroes, as well as heroines who are Hispanic and Japanese. “We see life differently, we experience things differently,” the writer, John Ridley, recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “What was it like for these characters being part of it and during it?” Ridley, who is the screenwriter of “12 Years a Slave,” also has a Batman comic arriving in January that he has strongly suggested will feature a nonwhite Caped Crusader.
Written by John Ridley and drawn by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Andrea Cucchi. Arrives Nov. 24.
