Welcome to The Beat’s Wednesday Pulse!

This series will check in with what’s coming out in comic stores each and every week, offering insight to some of the most anticipated releases on the stands. In the end, we’re hoping to shine a spotlight on things you might not know you’d enjoy… and hope to offer a space for you to share what you are excited for this week.

Please note: our opinions are ours, and yours are yours – and while we encourage you to share your likes, this is not a forum to discourage others for enjoying what they enjoy. Comics are for everyone.

PREMIERE PUBLISHERS

SMOOTH CRIMINALS #1
(BOOM! STUDIOS)

(Cover by Audrey Mok)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // There are certain things Brenda expects to find while hacking: money, secrets, occasional pictures of cats. She is NOT expecting to find a cryogenically frozen master thief from the 60s. Mia is everything Brenda is not-cool, confident, beautiful. And utterly unprepared for the digital age. Despite their differences, the two will need to team up to find out what happened to Mia-and how to pull off the heist of the century. Kiwi Smith and Kurt Lustgarten (Misfit City) team with breakout artist Leisha-Marie Riddel (Goldie Vance) in a story about felonies and friendship.

THE BEAT SAYS // We’re suckers for a good heist story, and this one has a great twist. A buddy comedy in the style of Boom!’s brilliant line of young adult comics, with a decidedly Ocean’s 8 twist. Brilliant.

AMERICAN CARNAGE #1 (MR)
(VERTIGO/DC COMICS)

(Cover by Ben Oliver)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // A new, thrilling crime saga from the writer of WILDSTORM: MICHAEL CRAY and the artist of The Old Guard! Disgraced FBI agent Richard Wright is offered a chance for redemption when his old mentor sends him undercover to infiltrate a white supremacist group believed to be responsible for the death of a fellow agent.

THE BEAT SAYS // We’ve had a chance to read the first three issues of this series, and it is going to be a harrowing one. Hard boiled crime meets the low fearful buzz that minorities deal with in their lives every day. With their opening releases, Vertigo has proven they have their finger on the pulse of modern storytelling, ones that dig deep into stories yearning to be heard.

GO-BOTS #1
(IDW PUBLISHING)

(Cover by Tom Scioli)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Go-Bots have changed our way of life. Leader-1 is a self-aware fighter jet on a hostage rescue mission with his partner, Commander Nick Burns. Scooter is the personal transport and best friend to undergrad A.J. Foster. Turbo is Matt Hunter’s transforming race car in the hottest sport in America, Go-Bot Racing. Cy-Kill is the champion of the illegal, underground Go-Bot Fighting League. They say they’re here to help us, but are they here to replace us? Visionary creator Tom Scioli unleashes his imagination on the bizarre, absurd, and wonderful world of Go-Bots!

THE BEAT SAYS // These anti-house-style stories of 80s and 90s properties have been very, very fun, and there seems to be a lot more wiggle room with storytelling with a property like Go-Bots than, say, Transformers. That said, the Transformers vs. G.I. Joe series that Scioli was a driving force of went into a lot of interesting places – so this will probably be even more of that… with less oversight.

FLAVOR TP
(IMAGE COMICS)

(Cover by Wook Jin Clark)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Within a strange walled city, an unlicensed chef discovers a mystery that threatens to end it all. Join JOSEPH KEATINGE (GLORY, SHUTTER) and WOOK JIN CLARK (Adventure Time: The Flip Side) on this culinary epic adventure – FLAVOR – where chefs are the ultimate celebrity and food is the most valued commodity. Featuring culinary consulting and an introduction by ALI BOUZARI, renowned food scientist and author of the IACP Award-winning cookbook Ingredient: Unveiling the Essential Elements of Food. Perfect for readers of Bone and Lumberjanes, but with way more crepes-and the world’s cutest dog!

THE BEAT SAYS // This could be a sleeping monster. Flavor was one of our favourite series of the year – marrying a decidedly Studio Ghibli style with cooking to create a stunning and vibrant world. There’s so much beauty and heart in this story, and we’re hoping the world discovers it with the collection, and that there will be some more stories in this world to come.

UNNATURAL TP VOL 01 AWAKENING (MR)
(IMAGE COMICS)

(Cover by Mirka Andolfo)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Leslie J. Blair is a simple pig girl. She loves sushi, and she hates her job. Her world is dominated by a totalitarian government that interferes in the personal lives of its citizens, punishing transgressors for so-called “unnatural” relationships. Leslie dreams of something different for herself, but these dreams are becoming dangerous. And, when she wakes up, she thinks she’s being watched… The hit Italian comic, an erotic fantasy/romantic suspense series by MIRKA ANDOLFO (Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, DC Comics Bombshells), will take you to a colourful but terrible world full of anthropomorphic creatures-but light on personal freedoms.

THE BEAT SAYS // A brilliant discretion of the weird distinctions we make as a society in terms of sexuality between consensual beings, with a heap of “why aren’t you having babies” pressure to boot. This is a beautiful book, with a lot to say about our society today. And yesterday. And sadly, probably the future.

MORE FROM PREMIERE PUBLISHERS

BOOM! STUDIOS

BLACK BADGE #4
LOW ROAD WEST #3 (OF 5)
LUMBERJANES #56
STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #22

FRAGGLE ROCK MOKEY LOSES HER MUSE HC
GRASS KINGS HC VOL 03
OVER GARDEN WALL ORIGINAL GN VOL 01 DISTILLATORIA

DARK HORSE COMICS

BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #7
CRIMSON LOTUS #1 (OF 5) // The Mignola universe expands once more. From the publisher: “Before she became Lobster Johnson’s greatest adversary, the Crimson Lotus was a young girl whose family was caught up in the Russo-Japanese war. Thirty years later, the Lotus exacts her revenge with terrifying international effects, and two spies must try to chase her through China before they become flies in her web.”
LIGHTSTEP #1 (OF 5) // From the publisher: “January Lee is of royal descent, part of the ruling class that lives out their lives on accelerated, “Lightstepped” worlds where a single day is a lifetime on a normal planet. But her “holy ailment,” which allows her to see the truth behind the Primogenitor’s lies, marks her for banishment to the outer worlds. This is the beginning of a fantastic tale of alien worlds, a star-spanning empire, and rogues and rebels seeking a weapon hidden in the transmission of a radio drama from Earth thousands of years ago.”
OLIVIA TWIST #3 (MR)
WHISPERING DARK #2

BTVS SEASON 10 LIBRARY EDITION HC VOL 03
DRAGON AGE LIBRARY EDITION HC VOL 2
LEGEND OF ZELDA BREATH WILD CREATING A CHAMPION HC
RESIDENT ALIEN TP VOL 05 AN ALIEN IN NEW YORK

DC COMICS

AQUAMAN #42 (DROWNED EARTH)
BATMAN #59
COVER #3 (OF 6) (MR)
DAMAGE #11
HARLEY QUINN #54
INJUSTICE 2 ANNUAL #2
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 (DROWNED EARTH)
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #5
LUCIFER #2 (MR)
NIGHTWING #53
PEARL #4 (OF 6) (MR)
SIDEWAYS #10
TEEN TITANS #24
TEEN TITANS GO #31

AQUAMAN WAR FOR THE THRONE TP NEW ED
BATMAN BY MANAPUL AND BUCCELLATO DLX ED HC
BATMAN KNIGHTQUEST THE SEARCH TP
BRAVE AND THE BOLD BATMAN AND WONDER WOMAN HC
HARLEY QUINN BY KESEL & DODSON DLX ED HC VOL 02
HARLEYS LITTLE BLACK BOOK TP
JUSTICE LEAGUE POWER RANGERS TP
JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 01 THE TOTALITY TP
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT NORM BREYFOGLE HC VOL 02
MOTHERLANDS TP (MR)
POWERS TP BOOK 01 NEW ED (MR)
SUICIDE SQUAD REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 03

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

BETTIE PAGE #1 (MR)
DEJAH THORIS #10
GAME OF THRONES CLASH OF KINGS #14 (MR)
MARS ATTACKS #2
PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #4
XENA #10

IDW PUBLISHING

ATOMIC ROBO GREATEST HITS
BUBBA HO-TEP & COSMIC BLOOD-SUCKERS #4
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO SILENT OPTION #2 (OF 4)
JUDGE DREDD TOXIC #2
MY LITTLE PONY NIGHTMARE KNIGHTS #2
NIGHT MOVES #1 (OF 5) // From the publisher: Noir meets horror as small-time Vegas hustler Chris Dundee finds himself tangled in a web of danger and the occult. He’s been on the wrong end of a pair of brass knuckles plenty of times, but this time he might be dealing with the devil himself. Special extra-long first issue at regular price. From the mind of VJ Boyd, co-executive producer of S.W.A.T. and producer of Justified, comes a fantastic new noir-ish tale!
OPTIMUS PRIME #25
SUKEBAN TURBO #1 (OF 4) // From the publisher: “Shelby and her three best friends rule the streets of Brooklyn-and everyone in the neighborhood knows not to mess with the Sukeban Tribe. Inspired by the Japanese girl gangs of the 1970s, the teenagers ride scooters, armed with golf clubs and cash from selling drugs, and terrorize their classmates, parents, and anyone who dares defy them. But when they attack a classmate who hasn’t paid what she owes, things start to get messy-and not in the fun way. Written by Sylvain Runberg (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and featuring art by Victor Santos (Violent Love)!
TANGLED HAIR RAISING ADVENTURES #3 (OF 3)
TMNT URBAN LEGENDS #7

DELTA 13 TP
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS EVIL AT BALDURS GATE TP
RICK VEITCH BRATPACK HC
X-FILES CASE FILES TP VOL 01

IMAGE COMICS

BURNOUTS #3 (MR)
COLD SPOTS #4 (OF 5) (MR)
DAYS OF HATE #10 (OF 12) (MR)
EAST OF WEST #40
EVOLUTION #12 (MR)
EXORSISTERS #2
MIDDLEWEST #1 (MR) // From the publisher: “The lands between the coasts are vast, slow to change, and full of hidden magics. Mistakes have been made, and in this NEW ONGOING SERIES, an unwitting adventurer searches for answers to quell a coming storm that knows his name. From author SKOTTIE YOUNG (I HATE FAIRYLAND, Deadpool) and artist JORGE CORONA (NO. 1 WITH A BULLET, Feathers, Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack) comes the tale of Abel, a young boy who must navigate an old land in order to reconcile his family’s history.”
NEW WORLD #5 (OF 5) (MR)
RUMBLE #9 (MR)
SAVAGE DRAGON #240 (MR)
STELLAR #6

24 PANELS TP // Kieron Gillen has put together a really great anthology, for a really great cause. From the publisher: “In June 2017, the Grenfell fire killed 72 people in a 24-story tower block in West London. 24 PANELS is an anthology comic to support the PTSD needs of the survivors. Curated by KIERON GILLEN (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), it features 24 stories, each no longer than 24 panels. Half drawn from professional creators who volunteered their time and half drawn from open submissions, 24 PANELS is about community, hope, and (most of all) raising as much money as possible.”
CRUDE TP VOL 01 (MR) // A brilliant revenge story set in Russia, exploring themes of masculinity, toxicity, family, and the intersections of all three.
DEADLY CLASS TP VOL 01 MEDIA TIE-IN ED (MR)
INJECTION DLX ED HC VOL 01 (MR)
MEN OF WRATH HC (MR) // A somewhat forgotten tale by Jason Aaron and Tom Raney about a family’s hard history of cruelty. 
STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES TP VOL 03 (MR)
UNDERWINTER QUEEN OF SPIRITS TP (MR)

MARVEL COMICS

ASTONISHING X-MEN #17
COSMIC GHOST RIDER #4 (OF 5) 2ND PTG BURNETT VAR
DOCTOR STRANGE #8
IMMORTAL HULK #9
INFINITY WARS GHOST PANTHER #1 (OF 2)
INFINITY WARS SLEEPWALKER #3 (OF 4)
MARVEL KNIGHTS 20TH #2 (OF 6)
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #37
MR AND MRS X #5
PUNISHER #4
SHURI #1 2ND PTG ROMERO VAR
SHURI #2
SPIDER-FORCE #2 (OF 3) SG
SPIDER-GEDDON #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG MOLINA VAR
SPIDER-GEDDON #4 (OF 5)
SPIDER-MAN ENTER THE SPIDER-VERSE #1
STAR WARS #57
STAR WARS SOLO ADAPTATION #2 (OF 7)
TONY STARK IRON MAN #6
UNCANNY X-MEN #2
WEAPON H #10
WEB OF VENOM CARNAGE BORN #1
WEST COAST AVENGERS #4
X-MEN BLACK JUGGERNAUT #1 2ND PTG CRYSTAL VAR
X-MEN BLACK MYSTIQUE #1 2ND PTG FAILLA VAR

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS TP VOL 04 ARE YOU OKAY ANNIE
IMMORTAL HULK TP VOL 01 OR IS HE BOTH
PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 04 COMING HOME
SILVER SURFER BY SLOTT AND ALLRED OMNIBUS HC
SPIDEY SCHOOLS OUT MPGN TP
VENOM BY DONNY CATES TP VOL 01 REX

FEATURED TITLES FROM OTHER PUBLISHERS

ARCHIE #700
(ARCHIE COMICS)

(Cover by Marguerite Sauvage)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // A brand new era of ARCHIE begins in this landmark 700th issue of our flagship series! Join the new creative team of writer Nick Spencer (The Amazing Spider-Man) and artist Marguerite Sauvage (DC’s Bombshells) as they take a trip to Riverdale and bring Archie, Betty & Veronica, Jughead, and the rest of the town along for a wild ride complete with new mysteries, new relationships, and much more!

THE BEAT SAYS // A new era of Archie begins here, and things are decidedly more Riverdale than classic Archie. We’ve been lucky enough to read this issue already, and not only is there incredible art from Marguerite Sauvage, there’s quite the twist to the dynamic of the Riverdale teens that will send this series in a very interesting direction.

MCCAY HC
(TITAN COMICS)

(Cover by Jean-Philippe Bramanto)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Get ready for a dizzying dive into the “McCay Dimension” with this equally true and false tribute to the undisputed master of the imagination! McCay is an “invented biography”, chronicling authentic – though only partially true – stories of the life of the future creator of Little Nemo, Winsor McCay – In which McCay’s life is enriched by an imaginary encounter with British mathematician and science fiction writer Charles Hinton… And glimpses of the fourth dimension!

THE BEAT SAYS // A strange and wonderful offering that breaks open the imagination – while offering bits of real history.

RAN & GRAY WORLD GN VOL 01
(VIZ MEDIA)

(Cover by Aki Irie)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Little Ran Uruma can’t wait to grow up and become a sorceress like her mother, so with the help of a magical pair of sneakers, she transforms into an adult and sets off! Her father and older brother Jin try to keep her safe at home, but Ran is determined to advance her powers and have adventures of her own! Ran and the Gray World is a beautiful and imaginative work that has the feel of classic works such as Little Nemo in Slumberland with a mix of sexiness and magic realism that will appeal to today’s comic and art fans.

THE BEAT SAYS // Another unique experience coming through. Seems like a bit of Big meets with culture and manga sensibilities.

ZENOBIA GN
(TRIANGLE SQUARE)

(Cover by Lars Horneman)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Winner of the 2017 Danish National Illustration Award. Zenobia was once a great warrior queen of Syria whose reign reached from Egypt to Turkey. She was courageous. No one gave her orders. Once she even went to war against the emperor of Rome. When things feel overwhelming for Amina, her mother reminds her to think of Zenobia and be strong. Amina is a Syrian girl caught up in a war that reaches her village. To escape the war she boards a small boat crammed with other refugees. The boat is rickety and the turbulent seas send Amina overboard. In the dark water Amina remembers playing hide and seek with her mother and making dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and the journey she had to undertake with her uncle to escape. And she thinks of the brave warrior Zenobia. Zenobia is a heartbreaking and all-too-real story of one child’s experience of war. Told with great sensitivity in few words and almost exclusively with pictures, Zenobia is a story for children and adults.

THE BEAT SAYS // Always looking for the opportunity to come across the experiences of others, helping to build a well rounded look at the world.

LIP HOOK TALE OF RUARAL UNEASE GN
(SELFMADEHERO)

(Cover by Mark Stafford)

THE PUBLISHER SAYS // Somewhere in the British Isles, at the end of a neglected road, there is a village called Lip Hook. For its inhabitants, the village is more than the end of the road; it’s the end of the world. Beyond it, there is nothing but mist-shrouded marshland. Few travelers take the road to Lip Hook, but one foggy night, a car speeds perilously toward the village. The driver is a dangerously beautiful woman, the passenger a man with a gunshot wound and a suitcase containing a treasure he has risked his life for. The two fugitives seek shelter at the Hanged Man Inn, where the woman persuades the innkeeper to accept payment in kind. As days pass and the woman extends her services to more of Lip Hook’s men, among them the village priest, a false faith grips the community, and soon and reason, logic, and humanity begin to disappear.

THE BEAT SAYS // Always happy to have David Hine telling creepy stories, in any format.

MORE TITLES FROM OTHER PUBLISHERS

ANNE BONNIE #8
B & V FRIENDS JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #265
BELLADONNA FIRE FURY #10 (MR)
BLACK AF WIDOWS & ORPHANS #4 (MR)
BLOODBORNE #7 HEALING THIRST (MR)
CATALYST PRIME SUMMIT #10
CONSPIRACY THE ILLUMINATI #1 (OF 5)
DEVIL WITHIN #2 (OF 4) (MR)
ENCOUNTER #8
FATHOM VOL 7 #5
HELLICIOUS #4 (OF 6) (MR)
HIGH HEAVEN #3 (MR)
HOT LUNCH SPECIAL #4 (MR)
INFINITY 8 #7 (MR)
JOHN CARPENTER TALES OF SCI FI STANDOFF AR CVR #1 (OF 5) (MR)
JUGHEAD THE HUNGER #10 (MR)
JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS #1 2ND PRINTING HALLOWEEN PARODY CVR
KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #260
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN SUN #1
LA MUERTA RETRIBUTION #2 (OF 2) (MR)
LAST SPACE RACE #2
LOLLIPOP KIDS #2
LONG CON #5
LONG LOST PART TWO #4
LOVE & ROCKETS MAGAZINE #6
LOVE TOWN #0 // From the publisher: “Detective Allie Saxon is not only the first female on the Los Amores police force; she’s also the department’s only vampire. On her first case, Allie learns that on the mean streets of Love Town, magic, money, and power can make anything happen if you’re willing to pay the price.”
MAE VOL 2 #4
MORELLA PRESENTS VEROTIKA RETURNS SPECIAL #5 (MR)
NEWBURY & HOBBES #3 (OF 4) UNDYING
PESTILENCE STORY OF SATAN #5 (MR)
QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #12
RICK & MORTY PRESENTS PICKLE RICK #1
RIVERS OF LONDON #2 (OF 4) ACTION AT A DISTANCE (MR)
SHADOWMAN (2018) #9
SOULFIRE VOL 7 #5

AKASHIC RECORDS OF BASTARD MAGICAL INSTRUCTOR GN VOL 05
ALICE IN MURDERLAND HC VOL 09
BARBIE GN BOX SET
BATTLE ANGEL ALITA HOLY NIGHT & OTHER STORIES HC GN
BEARS TOOTH GN VOL 02 HANNA
BEASTS OF ABIGAILE GN VOL 04
BRIDES STORY HC VOL 10
CATALYST PRIME ACCELL TP VOL 03 TURF BATTLES
CHILDREN OF WHALES GN VOL 07
COMPLETE MATINEE JUNKIE FIVE YEARS AT THE MOVIES (MR)
DARK METRO MANGA TP ULTIMATE ED
DARK SOULS OMNIBUS TP (MR)
EVERYTHINGS ARCHIE TP VOL 01
EXTERMINATOR 17 HC
FAITH DLX ED HC VOL 01
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST FULLMETAL ED HC VOL 03
GILLBERT THE LITTLE MERMAN GN VOL 01
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THUNDERBOLT GN VOL 09
NICKELODEON BOX SET
NICKELODEON PANDEMONIUM BOX SET VOL 1-3
OF BITTER SOULS SC
OOKU INNER CHAMBERS GN VOL 14 (MR)
PACIFIC RIM AFTERMATH HC TP
Q & RAY CASE FOUL PLAY AT ELM TREE PARK
ROBYN HOOD THE CURSE
RWBY OFFICIAL MANGA ANTHOLOGY GN VOL 03 FROM SHADOWS
SHERLOCK SEASON ONE BOX SET
SPAIN GN VOL 02 WARRIOR WOMEN
STUPID LOVE COMEDY GN VOL 01

MAGAZINES

COMIC SHOP NEWS #1640
COMIC SHOP NEWS 2018 CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

BOOKS

ALITA BATTLE ANGEL IRON CITY HC NOVEL
DC COMICS NOVELS HARLEY QUINN MAD LOVE HC
DEFEATING DEMON LORDS CINCH IF GOT RINGER NOVEL SC VOL 02
DURARARA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 11
FIRE & BLOOD 300 YEARS BEFORE A GAME OF THRONES HC
FIREFLY BIG DAMN HERO HC NOVEL
GIGER HC
HERO & ELF BRIDE OPEN PIZZA PARLOR WORLD NOVEL SC VOL 01
I AM SONIA SOTOMAYOR YR HC
KINGDOM HEARTS 358 2 DAYS LIGHT NOVEL SC (RES)
MARVEL STUDIOS FIRST 10 YEARS HC
MARVEL THANOS TITAN CONSUMED YA HC NOVEL
MYTHOLOGY ART OF ALEX ROSS HC
NEW GAME GN VOL 04
NO GAME NO LIFE LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 07 (MR)
SAGA OF TANYA EVIL LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 04
SO IM SPIDER SO WHAT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 04
SPECTRUM ART BOOK HC VOL 25
SPECTRUM ART BOOK SC VOL 25
STRANGER THINGS FIELD GUIDE HC
STRANGER THINGS WORLDS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN OFF COMPANION
WILD ADV OF ERB HC UNTAMED PELLUCIDAR
WILD ADV OF ERB SC UNTAMED PELLUCIDAR

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