New comic books are back in the pipeline to comic shops, after the pandemic halted distribution back in March. Here's the A-list:
"Dark Nights: Death Metal" No. 1 (of 6, June 16, $4.99): A little while back, the former "Batman" team of writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo created the miniseries "Dark Nights: Metal," which established a negative, evil multiverse that mirrored the one we know. The Dark Multiverse, ruled be a demon named Barbatos, is where all the stories with bad endings take place. As a result, it's populated by Jokerized Batmen, fascist Supermen, and bajillions of Earths that look like our worst nightmares. In the six-issue "Death Metal," the Dark Multiverse takes over our own.
"Empyre: Avengers" No. 0 (Marvel, June 24, $4.99): This book launches Marvel's 2020 summer event, a war with Earth and its superheroes on one side, and the Kree and the Skrulls on the other. There are going to be a lot of books in the coming books with "Empyre" in the title, so readers may not want all of them, or may wait for trade paperbacks that will do the sorting for them. But this is the first, to be followed on July 8 with "Empyre: Fantastic Four" No. 0.
"Morbius the Living Vampire Omnibus" Vol. 1 (Marvel, June 24, $100): This monster is a bit pricey, but the collection contains the first few years of Michael Morbius, from "Amazing Spider-Man" to "Giant-Size Werewolf" to "Savage She-Hulk." That will be useful for cocktail party conversation when the Sony movie comes out, whenever it does.
"Paul Is Dead" (Image, June 3, $16.99): Readers who are old enough may remember the 1968 rumor that Paul McCartney was dead, and that a look-alike had taken his place. It's all nonsense, of course, but Paolo Baron and Ernesto Carbonetti write this graphic novel as if it was true. It should be fun, if for no other reason than to revisit Abbey Road studios in the swinging '60s. I plan to have a shot every time I read the word "groovy."
"Stargirl by Geoff Johns" Vol. 1 (DC, May 19, $34.99): You may want to know about Courtney Whitmore, aka Stargirl, as she's now debuted on DC Universe and The CW. This trade paperback collects her first 18 or so stories, written by her creator, Geoff Johns. And, honestly, they're really quite charming.
"Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed" (DC, June 2, $16.99): This YA original GN takes place on Princess Diana's 16th birthday, where she is swept away by a storm with some refugees, becoming a refugee herself. That's a heckuva way to first experience Man's World! "Tempest" is blessed with an all-star creative team, writer Laurie Halse Anderson ("Speak") and artist Leila del Duca ("Shutter").
"You Brought Me the Ocean" (DC, June 9, $16.99): Two famed LGBTQ+ creators, Alex Sanchez of "Rainbow Boys" and Julie Maroh of "Blue is the Warmest Color," craft a YA graphic novel with superheroes. It stars the black, gay Aqualad from the "Young Justice" animated series, in what is described as a "coming-out romance."