Welcome to 2022, nerds! In all the excitement that a new year can bring, what I am perhaps most excited about is all the new comics coming out this year! Here are 10 #1 issues coming out in 2022 that you should be on the lookout for!
Immortal X-Men – Kieron Gillen and Lucas Werneck
If you are as big of an X-Men fan as I am, then the upcoming Destiny of X era has you ready to throw wads of cash at the front door of your local comic shop. For those who have just been casually keeping up with the X-gene Kardashians, Gillen and Werneck’s Immortal X-Men is all about Krakoa’s mysterious Quiet Council, formed by the mutant leaders, sure to be the political drama of the century. Spinning out of Johnathan Hickman’s Inferno, secrets have been spilled, and casts have been shaken. There is no “the future.” It is all unknown. It’s a new era for the X-Men! Pick it up safely in stores or digitally on March 30th!
Elektra: Black, White & Blood
Marvel’s Black, White & Blood title gains a legendary addition this year: Elektra Natchios! Assassin extraordinaire. This 4 issue anthology series follows Elektra on a whirlwind of deadly shenanigans. The description of the book is simple:
“Fact • Noun • Fakt – Definition of Fact”
1 a: Something that has actual existence.
b: An actual occurrence.
c: ELEKTRA NATCHIOS IS THE BEST ASSASSIN IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE!
Out now from Marvel Comics!
Rockstar and Softboy – Sina Grace
Rockstar and Softboy is a one-shot from Image Comics telling the tale of two titular best friends and their lives in Hollyweird. When Rockstar attempts to lift Softboy’s spirits, things go awry, and secrets are revealed. Secrets between two people who thought they shared everything! Sina Grace, the author of the well-received Iceman solo series, which explores the X-Man’s homosexuality after his coming out in 2015, comes back to Image Comics to both write the story and illustrate it beautifully. Check it out on February 23rd!
Batman: The Knight – Chip Zdarsky and Carmine Di Giandomenico
In this definitive new series, we dive deep into the history of this iconic hero. Batman’s origin is hailed mythologically, but what’s the real story? The nitty-gritty? Superstar writer Zdarsky, known for his work on Daredevil, seems to be coming at Batman’s origin from the detective angle and if his work on Daredevil is any indication, readers and critics alike are sure to love this book. Chip Zdarsky begs the question: “How did the Dark Knight…begin?” Start looking for answers today!
Ben Reilly: Spider-Man – J. M. DeMatteis and David Baldeón
Returning to the era where Ben Reilly was “the one, true Spider-Man,” J.M. DeMatteis, legendary Spider-Man writer, alongside artist David Baldeón, tells a tale of murder and mystery in New York. Ben isn’t sure how the bodies piling up are connected; are the answers leading Ben to the Ravencroft Institute? This is a unique concept for the web-slinging wall-crawler, and it is sure to be a blast! Who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Find out when Ben Reilly: Spider-Man hits the shelves on January 19th!
Sabretooth – Victor Lavalle and Leonard Kirk
Picking up on a plot from 2019’s soft reboot House of X and Powers of X from writer Johnathan Hickman, Victor Lavalle tells us the story of SABRETOOTH, previously condemned to eternal stasis in the Pit. The Quiet Council thought it was best that a monster who had no intention of making a change for the betterment of his people be locked away. What secrets lie below Krakoa? What is Sabretooth planning? Tear through the first issue on February 2nd!
Pantha – Jeannine Acheson/Thomas Sniegoski and Igor Lima
In the second volume of this Dynamite Entertainment original story, Pantha was an Egyptian queen who ruled cruelly. She angered a goddess, and as her punishment, she was cursed to transform into a raging beast. But now, something is killing the gods, and it’s up to her to protect the pantheon! If she does well, she may be on her way to earning redemption, but everything comes with a price! I am not familiar with this story, nor this writing team, but this premise alone has me excited for the book! I will definitely be checking out other works by this creative team. You can rip into this new story now!
Monkey Meat – Juni Ba
In this new anthology from Image Comics, Juni Ba tells the story of the Monkey Meat Company and how they made their fortune from selling canned meat. Using their profits to fund experimentation, they turned an island into a “hyper-capitalist hellscape.” It will be interesting to see how these themes carry over to 4 different stories from the same author and see his range and versatility. Read along as you follow the lives of the island’s people in a prescient satire on climate change and late-stage capitalism. Issue 1 is out now!
X-Men Red – Al Ewing and Stefani Caselli
And last, but certainly not least, on our list is X-Men Red. Spinning out of Al Ewing’s S.W.O.R.D X-Men Red picks up the story of Storm, Magneto, Sunspot, and others defending the newly terraformed red planet ARAKKO (formerly known as Mars). There is mystery and danger afoot; uncertainty is in the air. What’s in store for the mutant’s latest omega-sized expansion? With ORCHIS lurking and a confederation of intergalactic empires to deal with, how will Storm, the Regent of Arakko, and the Voice of Sol secure mutantkind’s footing on this cosmic stage? Find out when this highly anticipated addition to the Destiny of X era drops on April 6th!
That’s the end of the line, pals! We hope you had a wonderful new year, and we hope you pick up these comics! Keep reading, true believers.