Welcome to “This Week in Comics”! Looking for a new comic book to pick up this week? Here’s your guide to what’s coming out at your local comic shop (or available for digital purchase) this week (May 13th, 2026). Each week, we’ll focus on any of the following: The latest issue of an ongoing series that’s worth highlighting, a new issue #1 (a great starting point!) for an ongoing comic or mini-series, a stand alone (one-shot) comic, and sometimes even a comic available in the digital backlog available on Marvel Unlimited, DC Infinite or Comixology Unlimited!
Highlights of the Week (Ongoing Comic, Image Comics):
TRANSFORMERS #32: “ELITA 1’S AUTOBOT TEAM REVEALED! Elita returns to Cybertron with a surprising new Autobot team – and their first mission is to defeat the Decepticons led by Shockwave. Can an unexpected weapon turn the tide in their favor?”
Are you coming off of the high of watching Season 4 of “Invincible”, and want to know what else writer Robert Kirkman has touched? How about his current run on “Transformers”? The “Energon” universe of Image Comics is still some of the best comics out there on the stands these days, so maybe check this out?
Highlights of the Week (Ongoing Comic, Dark Horse Comics):
HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #5: “THE POWER SWORD, a weapon able to access the power and wisdom of Grayskull, was forged by the most powerful sorcerer in the Universe — HE-RO. It was ordained that the sword would be given to a great champion to protect the Realm in times of need.
But He-Ro grew concerned that all the power and knowledge in the universe might be too much for one man. So, he created another blade — one which could be used only if a champion became a tyrant. But an accident corrupted the alternate blade, transforming it into something evil, tainting its metal violet. He-Ro had unintentionally created THE SWORD OF FLAWS. Realizing the horror of his creation, He-Ro left Grayskull and spent years of his life crossing Eternia to find a place to hide the sword. And there, the Sword of Flaws remained safely hidden. Until now…
After the great battle at Heaven Piercer, the Sword of Flaws has fallen into Skeletor’s hands. And with this mystic power, Skeletor is a greater threat than ever before. Can He-Man and the Heroic Warriors stop him before he becomes MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE?”
It’s official – He-Man’s back in an ongoing comic! This started off as a mini-series but got bumped up to an ongoing series late last year. Just in time for the new movie coming out this Summer! The comic perfectly captures the heroics of the classic cartoon characgter, and this issue marks a great “jump on board” point! It’s worth a look!
New Issue #1 (Mini-Series):
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY #1: “BRAND NEW BRAND NEW DAY! Spider-Man discovers one of the most valuable items the Kingpin, A.K.A. Wilson Fisk, possesses — THE LEXICON. This directory of the Kingpin’s criminal enterprise could destroy the criminal landscape of New York City and that’s Spider-Man’s goal when he takes it. But Fisk isn’t the only person who wants the Lexicon… Mr. Negative would love his competitor’s secret information, but so would Frank Castle himself, the Punisher. Taking the Lexicon sure seemed like a good idea to make the city safer, but it’s painted the biggest target ever on Spider-Man’s back!”
Marvel’s building up the hype for their upcoming new Spider-Man movie (which also has “Brand New Day” in the title – see what they’re doing?!?). The “Brand New Day” era from 2008 to 2010 is one of the most controversial in the comics, but for those that read it, it provided a great “weekly adventure” diving in to revamped Spider-Man setting (with new characters and villains). This new “Spectacular Brand New Day” mini-series is just an extra adventure set during those years, but it’s written by the impeccable Dan Slott (arguably the best Spider-Man writer of the last 20 years). it’s fun, it’s a stand alone story (not tied to modern Spider-Man), and should make for a great time!
BARBARA GORDON: BREAKOUT #1: “LEAPING FROM THE PAGES OF MAY’S BATMAN #9 INTO THE NEXT LEVEL! Framed. Outlawed. Hunted. The extralegal activities of Gotham’s vigilantes have never been more dangerous. After Barbara Gordon is arrested for aiding the Bat-Family, she is shipped off to Supermax, GCPD Commissioner Vandal Savage’s pet-project prison for all who oppose him. She will find herself alone, surrounded by dangerous criminals and equally dangerous guards, in a place where nothing is what it seems. The true danger is just beginning…
Eisner Award-winning writer Mariko Tamaki and fan-favorite artist Amancay Nahuelpan reunite to deliver a twisty, unexpected Bat-book for DC Next Level.”
It’s certainly an unexpected direction for our favorite Batgirl. We always expected Bruce Wayne or Tim Drake to end up in prison, but Barbara Gordon?!? It’s setting up the events of this year’s big Batman story, but beyond that, it should be fun when viewed through the lens of a “Gotham prison” tale.
HIDDEN SPRINGS #1: “While on a retirement community field trip, a group of aging ex-Hollywood stars encounter a baby kaiju on the run from military agents. Bonding quickly with the creature, the cantankerous cadre of former celebrities have to somehow get the kaiju to safety—before it causes the end of the world!”
Well, Hollywood “old folks home” meets “Baby Giant Monster” wasn’t on my bingo card for a story I’d see this year. On the other hand, sounds fascinating! We can’t get enough of Kaiju stories (and see below for more)!
DESTINATION KILL #1: “THE FUTURE IS A RIOT! In the footsteps of JUDGE DREDD, V FOR VENDETTA, and TANK GIRL, the first great milestone in 22nd-century science fiction is here! Written, illustrated, and hand-lettered by British comics virtuoso Joe Palmer (Time Before Time), DESTINATION KILL is powered by the thrum of a million gigawatts of nonstop visual firepower… as rendered by one of the most incendiary visual storytellers in comics today.
The year is 2125, and the all-powerful corporation Overcon uses its robot workers to pour our drinks and dispense our meds, all while rebuilding London’s Central City into a hyper-modern megalopolis bolted together in its own image. But as Overcon prepares to celebrate the first year of its Paradise Loop—a superfast transatlantic train that connects the Central City to New York in under 60 minutes—an unwieldy army of displaced human workers floods the streets with weapons, plotting an attack at the anniversary gala. Enter: Gina Serene, a stressed-out, pill-popping police detective in desperate need of a vacation and her ex-partner turned P.I., Lance Wingman—who are now the only thing standing between Overcon’s skyscraper-sized fist and the worker uprising that threatens to bring Britain’s capital crashing down around them.”
Anything that’s a loving tribute to Judge Dredd and V for Vendetta is worth a look. The plot description oozes British Dytopian awesomeness! Image Comics could have another cult classic with this one!
Stand-Alone Stories:
GODZILLA VS. AMERICA: TEXAS #1: “Everything is bigger in Texas.
Godzilla couldn’t settle for one city in the Lone Star State, so it’s going to trample over all of them. Hopefully those cowboys have a saddle big enough for the King of the Monsters… or else things are about to get ugly.
Join Godzilla and a cast of comic book creators from this great state on a whirlwind tour of Texas! Featuring four 10-page stories by comic book legends like Matt Frank (Mothra, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth) and more!”
The “Godzilla vs. America” one shots are fun little self contained stories, and c’mon – “Godzilla in Texas” is just too absurd, we HAVE to check this out. Godzilla doesn’t need to meet up with Marvel and DC heroes, he can just tour America and it’d still be interesting, when done by writers who understand the appeal (which IDW has pulled off for years now).
Digital Back Issue of the Week:
UNCANNY X-MEN #251: “Wolverine is being savagely tortured by the anti-mutant extremists known as The Reavers. In his semi-conscious state, Wolverine begins to hallucinate about the past and future for mutantkind.”
Anyone else getting pumped up for the return of “X-Men ’97” this year? Why not revisit the era the helped launch the X-Men into the pop culture phenomenon they are today? Uncanny X-Men from 250 to 275 is the Chris Claremont/Jim Lee/Marc Silvestri era that was when X-Men really started heating up, building to the era of the original “X-Men” cartoon from the 90’s. And that cover to Issue #251, it’s just a classic. Check this out if you’re looking for some classic X-Men to enjoy!
So what are you reading this week?!?
