Best new comics May 8: The Boy Wonder #1, X-Men: Forever #3, Ain’t No Grave #1, & more

The new comics for May 8, 2024, begin with a return to Robin’s younger days and a brand-new Avengers team led by Captain America.

If you’ve come out of 2024’s Free Comic Book Day festivities and are hungry for more great comics, you’re in luck. The second week of May’s releases is jam-packed as Marvel’s Blood Hunt continues and the X-Men’s Krakoa Era races to a finish.

May 8 best new comics & where to buy them

Contents:

• The Avengers #14
• Wolverine #49
• The Boy Wonder #1
• X-Men: Forever #3
• Doctor Strange #15
• Ain’t No Grave #1

These are the best new comics for the week of May 8, 2024. You can find your local comic shop at Comic Shop Locator or purchase digital copies via the storefronts linked below.

The Avengers #14

By Jed MacKay, Carlos Fabian Villa, Federico BLee, Cory Petit, Joshua Cassara, & Guru-eFX

What it’s about: NEW TEAM LINEUP DEBUTS! With the current Avengers tied up and under siege during BLOOD HUNT, Captain Marvel calls for aid — and who better to assemble a new team of Avengers than Steve Rogers? Captain America gathers the forces of Quicksilver, Hawkeye, Hercules and Hazmat to take on the hordes of vampires attacking all over the world. And when they encounter an organized army of vampires in uniform led by a surprise villain, it gets personal!

What we think: It’s the ‘90s fan in me speaking, but I love a good old-fashioned scab Avengers team, where heroes who don’t normally get a shot in the limelight join up for a story. And this line-up –consisting of Captain America, Hazmat, Kate Bishop, Quicksilver and Hercules – might genuinely be one of my favorites in a long while. The fact that it’s tying into the shocking Blood Hunt is just the icing on the cake.

Wolverine #49

By Victor LaValle, Benjamin Percy, Geoff Shaw, Alex Sinclair, Cory Petti, Leinil Francis Yu, & Romulo Fajardo Jr. 

	What it’s about: Armor up for the penultimate part of ‘Sabretooth War!’ Wolverine is powerless — but not defenseless. Forge made Logan one last invention, and with the lives of the X-Men and all mutants on the line, it’s time to unleash the ultimate weapon! COLLECTORS’ NOTE: Featuring the full debut of the Adamantium Armor!
	What we think: OK, the solicit might be a bit of a fib since the Adamantium Armor was introduced in last month’s Wolverine #48, but we’ll finally see it in action this week. We’re a mere TWO WEEKS away from the end of Sabretooth War, which may mean two issues packed to the brim with violence and mayhem.

The Boy Wonder #1

By Juni Ba, Chirs O’Halloran, & Aditya Bidikar

What it’s about: ACCLAIMED CREATOR JUNI BA WRITES AND DRAWS A DC BLACK LABEL EPIC STARRING DAMIAN WAYNE! The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins — to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon’s Head himself, his grandfather Ra’s al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City. As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his “brothers” Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin… and Damian doesn’t care to be merely anything. But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham’s dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers — and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means! Visionary writer/artist Juni Ba makes his mark on the timeless story of Batman and Robin, synthesizing the characters’ complex history into an accessible and heartrending fairy tale!

What we think: I’m thrilled that the Damian of the main DC Universe is finally being allowed to grow up, getting an older appearance in the current Batman & Robin and the upcoming Absolute Power crossover. Still, a nice throwback to early Damian Wayne and his relationship with his adoptive brothers sounds like it has a lot of potential to be a surprisingly touching tale. Black Label continues to be the place to go for DC’s most engaging stories, and I expect Boy Wonder to be no different.

X-Men: Forever #3

By Kieron Gillen, Luca Maresca, & Mark Brooks

	What it’s about: Now… War in Krakoa! A hunt in the White Hot Room! And a heartwarming family reunion (by which we mean “possibly involving setting fire to someone’s heart with a flamethrower”). Spinning out from RISE OF THE POWERS OF X and IMMORTAL X-MEN comes a must-read for the conclusion of the Krakoan Age!
	What we think: Mystique and Destiny’s wedding is imminent, but before the wedding special, there has to be a fight. Comic book weddings operate on the same rules as pro wrestling, it’s just a fact. We’ve been hooked on the ongoing saga of Destiny and Mystique since their relationship was revamped in X-Men Origins: Blue. Hopefully, the couple will find some kind of peace in this story.

Doctor Strange #15

By Jed MacKay & Pasqual Ferry

	What it’s about: Picking up immediately after the shocking events of BLOOD HUNT #1, Strange and Clea must help the heroes of Earth fight back against the vampire army! But is it already too late for our Sorcerer Supreme?
	What we think: Blood Hunt #1 is a hell of a doozy, with Doctor Strange planning to end the vampire invasion before it starts when he’s seemingly being killed by Blade. So how is he still factoring into Blood Hunt for a four-issue tie-in? Answers will be here, and they’ll almost certainly involve fangs.

Ain’t No Grave #1

By Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-François Beaulieu, & Nate Piekos.

What it’s about: Eisner Award-winning writer SKOTTIE YOUNG and Eisner Award-nominated artist JORGE CORONA, the team behind the hit series MIDDLEWEST and THE ME YOU LOVE IN THE DARK, are back together with an all-new miniseries, AIN’T NO GRAVE! This Unforgiven-style journey is an original macabre Western/fantasy tale for mature readers, told through a Guillermo Del Toro-esque lens. Ryder put her violent past behind her when she fell in love and became a mother. But that was before she learned it was all going to be taken away. Now she’ll have to pick up her guns once again and ride to kill the one who’s behind the threat. Which just happens to be Death. The genre-bending adventure begins in this DOUBLE-LENGTH FIRST ISSUE, with **forty pages of story and no ads! **

What we think: I grew up on westerns, and I love a good macabre western. Add in the killer creative team of Young and Corona and you’ve got all the makings of a sleeper hit. Image has had a lot of luck with unusual tales like this, and Ain’t No Grave has the potential to be its next sleeper hit.

May 1 best new comics & where to buy them

Contents:

• Blood Hunt #1
• The Flash (2024) Annual #1
• X-Men #34
• Nightwing (2024) Annual #1
• Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #1
• Space Ghost #1

Blood Hunt #1

By Jed McKay, Pepe Larraz, and Marte Gracia

What it’s about: THE BLOODIEST MARVEL EVENT EVER! The skies have gone dark, the sun hiding its face from the carnage to come. The children of the night, the vampires, have risen from the dark and hidden places of the world as one to drown the Marvel Universe in blood. Earth’s final night has fallen — can even the heroes of this doomed world stem the tide of blood that is to come? Join the AVENGERS, BLADE, BLOODLINE, SPIDER-MAN, HUNTER’S MOON, TIGRA, DOCTOR STRANGE and CLEA as the dance of death begins in BLOOD HUNT #1!

What we think: I’m not going to lie, I initially rolled my eyes at Blood Hunt. Vampires and Marvel heroes have been clashing for my entire life, and while there are some great stories (I remain particularly fond of Curse of the Mutants), it’s not a pairing I ever think that fondly of. Those fears may have been unfounded, though; the early buzz for Blood Hunt is remarkable, and the event looks like it may truly be massive in scale. Could Blood Hunt be the event Marvel needs to cement the summer?

The Flash (2024) Annual #1

By Si Spurrier Tom Derenick, Scott Koblish, George Kambadais, Amancay Nahuelpan, Lee Loughridge, Matt Herms, Marissa Louise, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Mike Deodato Jr., and Jão Canola

What it’s about: THE FLASH FAMILY NEEDS HELP—FROM BARRY ALLEN! With Wally West M.I.A., Central City needs help dealing with all the bizarre new threats that have arisen, so thankfully, Wallace West, Avery Ho, and Circuit Breaker are here to help. But can they count on Barry Allen, who is having a crisis of his own?

What we think: Things are incredibly dire in this run of The Flash. Wally’s stuck in Limbo, Barry’s suffering a full-on mental break thanks to the Rogues, and Linda’s barely keeping herself, let alone her family, together. It’s dour, yeah, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not on the edge of my seat wondering how this all plays out. The Annual is poised to play a big role in the current Flash arc, so don’t skip this one.

X-Men #34

By Gerry Duggan, Joshua Cassara, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Marte Gracia

What it’s about: THE END IS NIGH! The Krakoan Age is nearly at an end… and what might be the final battle of the heroes of Krakoa! One last stop before the fall and rise come to their conclusion… and everything changes!

What we think: The X-Men are finally more or less reunited, but at a grim cost. Xavier has betrayed mutants and the dream, which is leading to the cracks that are sure to be the foundation for July’s relaunches. It kind of sucks that a lot of plot points – like key survivors or Jean’s return as the Phoenix – have been spoiled by the building hype for the From the Ashes reboot, but one huge question still hangs over readers: What will be the final fate of Xavier and Krakoa?

Nightwing (2024) Annual #1

By Travis Moore, Ivan Plascencia, Alex Guimarães, Tamra Bonvillain

What it’s about: DISCOVER THE SECRET ORIGIN OF THE PIRATE QUEEN! The secret origins of Bea Bennett! During Nightwing’s recent pirate adventure, we learned that Bea Bennett, Dick/Ric’s ex-girlfriend, is a pirate queen whose father, the Quartermaster, left her an entire pirate society! But what about her life before she became a pirate? Before she met Ric Grayson? Just what, and more importantly, who led her to where she is today. A backstory like no other with tales of betrayal, love, and independence.

What we think: Bea was easily one of the biggest dropped balls from the Ric Grayson era of Nightwing. While fans were almost universally against Ric himself, I think many enjoyed Bea and were shocked to see her just brushed aside. The current run fortunately fixed that, though it did take the additional step of making her…a pirate queen? Bea’s origin is finally explained in this one, and who doesn’t love a good pirate story?

Deadpool & Wolverine: WWIII #1

By Joe Kelly, Adam Kubert, Frank Martin

What it’s about: WADE WILSON AND LOGAN AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH — AND EACH OTHER’S THROATS! The most intensely mismatched team-up in comics and pop culture — the best there is and the merc with the mouth — undergoes a radical change as we kick off a three-part, globe-spanning saga for the ages! The mysterious DELTA believes in change. Change is good.  But as he sets his sights on DEADPOOL, and WOLVERINE is caught up in the plot, is the third time really the charm, or the curse? Get ready for WWIII to erupt on the scene with the wildest duo in comics from legends Joe Kelly (DEADPOOL, UNCANNY X-MEN) and Adam Kubert (WOLVERINE, UNCANNY X-MEN)!

What we think: Just in time for Deadpool and Wolverine’s marketing hype, we get a new crossover between the two in comics. It’s a good thing, too, considering they’ve had way less interaction in comic pages than you would expect. If you’re new to these characters and want to understand how they interact before the movie or just love a good old-fashioned, ’90s-style hyper-violent brouhaha, this is the book for you.

Space Ghost #1

By David Pepose, Jonathan Lau, Taylor Esposito, Francesco Mattina

What it’s about: Greed and corruption flourish in the darkness between stars. With the territories of the Galactic Federation spread far and wide across the vastness of space, pirates and hijackers ransack the distant colonies with cruel disregard for the innocent scientists living within them. Yet there is a cosmic vigilante who metes out justice throughout the galaxy, bringing vengeance to those prey upon the defenseless. Some say he is a policeman who has abandoned the strictures of the law. Others say he is a phantom, the sole survivor of a war-torn planet. And those who have survived his wrath claim he is more a force of nature, able to bend the very elements of Creation to decimate his enemies. They call him the SPACE GHOST – and his adventures begin here! Award-winning writer DAVID PEPOSE (Punisher) and superstar artist JONATHAN LAU (Vampirella Strikes) kick off this action-packed series with a surprise attack on Space Colony Omicron – home of the brilliant scientist Dr. Jerrod Keplar and his young children, Jan and Jace, as well as their pet monkey, Blip. With the colony’s defenses overwhelmed, all seems lost – but these ruthless pirates didn’t count on the wild card that is Space Ghost!

What we think: I’m honestly in awe of this, the second gritty Space Ghost reboot in my lifetime. Longtime fans will likely remember the 2005 reboot of the character, which was critically acclaimed for the way it took a camp ‘60s cartoon character and made them a fleshed-out, modern hero.  The truth is, Space Ghost has a ton of potential as a cosmic powerhouse, and the right creative team will find themselves more or less with a blank slate. Pepose’s work on Punisher has proven his chops with redefining a legacy character, and Lau’s work on Dynamite’s Green Hornet and 007 series has been incredible. I am, against all odds, really looking forward to this Space Ghost reboot.

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