The Weekly Pull: Beast Boy, Cloak and Dagger, Godzilla, and More

It is nearly a new comic book day once again. New releases are on the way and will hit comic book stores and digital comics platforms. Every week in The Weekly Pull, ComicBook.com‘s team highlights some of the releases we’re most excited about that will be arriving in stores. Those releases might be from the big two or a smaller publisher. They might be new monthly issues, an original graphic novel, or a collected edition. It can involve superheroes or come from any other genre. Whatever it may be that has us excited, if it goes on sale this week, then we’re going to let you know all about it.

This week truly encompasses the best that comics have to offer — the debut of multiple highly-anticipated new series like Hellblazer: Rise and Fall and We Only Find Them When They’re Dead, omnibuses collecting classic titles like Green Arrow and Cloak and Dagger, and new graphic novels that readers of all ages will love.

What comics are you most excited about this week? Let us know which new releases you’re most excited about reading in the comments, and feel free to leave some of your suggestions as well. Check back tomorrow for our weekly review roundup and again next week for a new installment of The Weekly Pull.

Betty and Veronica: The Bond of Friendship

Written by Jamie Lee Rotante
Art by Brittney Williams
Published by Archie Comics

If you were a fan of the 2018 Betty & Veronica series written by Jamie Lee Rotante then the new graphic novel Betty and Veronica: The Bond of Friendship is an absolute do not miss. While geared towards a young adult audience, the book explores the importance of female friendship, even through the uncertainty of growing up and the life changes the future promises. Rotante has previously done incredible work in that vein, offering a rare authenticity and the same is true here as well. Also? Brittney Williams’ art is charming and fun. This is definitely a book with wide appeal and it should be high on your to-read list this week. — Nicole Drum

Be Gay, Do Comics

Edited by The Nib
Published by IDW Publishing

If you’re looking for something a little different this week, I highly recommend Be Gay, Do Comics. An anthology from The Nib, the graphic novel features queer history as presented through personal true stories, memoir, and outright satire that takes readers from the American Revolution all the way to the present day, highlight the fight for equality, representation and offering a beautiful human look at the queer experience through a number of lenses. Diverse and expressive, the book is both a history lesson and a celebration — one worth checking out. — Nicole Drum

Cloak and Dagger Omnibus Vol. 1

Written by Bill Mantlo & More
Art by Ed Hannigan & More
Published by Marvel Comics

Even if the direct market is still looking to iron itself out after the coronavirus cluster delays, luckily there are plenty of collected editions for you to return to you may have missed the first time around — including the epic introductory story of Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen. Sure, the Freeform series is long gone by this point and the futures in live-action look grim, but Mantlo and company have crafted some killer street-level tales for the earliest days of Cloak and Dagger that are well worth a read. Despite first hitting shelves nearly 40 years ago, the earliest C&D stories are as timely as ever. — Adam Barnhardt

DCeased: Dead Planet #3

Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Trevor Hairsine, Gigi Baldassini
Published by DC Comics

The hunt for the second garden ended in absolutely brutal fashion, taking several favorites off the board and presenting a whole new series of mysteries, and it’s time to get some answers. Hopefully DCeased: Dead Planet #3 will have a few, because things went from hopeful to desperate incredibly quick. Dead Planet hasn’t been shy about the gut punches, but for some reason, we can’t help but come back for more. — Matthew Aguilar

Green Arrow by Mike Grell Omnibus

Created by Mike Grell
Published by DC Comics


Mike Grell has been helping tell Green Arrow and Black Canary stories since the 70s, when he started illustrating the characters’ Action Comics backups and parts of Dennis O’Neil’s iconic Green Lantern/Green Arrow run. That being said, his stint on Green Arrow in the 90s might be his most memorable – and polarizing – work with the characters. This omnibus collects the first fifty issues of Grell’s run, as well as the iconic Longbow Hunters miniseries. Even though this run contains some controversial portrayals of Oliver and Dinah, it is one of those stretches of comics that deserves to be experienced, and has a lot worth celebrating and appreciating. — Jenna Anderson

Godzilla: The Half-Century War

Created by James Stokoe
Published by IDW Publishing

This is a reissue of a collection that has been available for almost a full decade, but if you have not read The Half-Century War yet, then now is the time to discover one of the great comics masterpieces of the 2010s. If you already possess some interest in kaiju films, then there’s an obvious appeal. The Half-Century War explores every facet of the genre centered on this titanic lizard from the small scale of a single attack to truly apocalyptic scenarios as it progresses across each new decade. Yet comics fans with no propensity for gigantic monster stories will still find a lot to love in these pages. Stokoe’s stylish pages deliver some of the most stunning action in modern comics with an abundance of devotedly detailed background elements. The story is a saga of obsession and hope, channeled through one of the medium’s best living cartoonists. All of this is to simply say, it’s not too late to find Godzilla: The Half-Century War for the first time. — Chase Magnett

Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1

Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Darick Robertson
Published by DC Comics

Tom Taylor is the best writer working at DC Comics today; Snyder, King, Bendis, and Johns can eat their respective hearts out. His work on ideas that simply should not work, like Injustice: Gods Among Us, makes it clear that his grasp on the voices and strengths of DC’s icons is unmatched. That talent has been utilized to wring hope and joy from dour concepts, but now he is tackling one of the grimiest anti-heroes the publisher has ever produced. It’s a fascinating new challenge for the writer and when you pair it with one of the best pencilers operating in comics today, that quickly becomes must-read comics. Hellblazer: Rise and Fall #1 arrives in a moment when John Constantine’s stories are the best they’ve been since the magician was jammed into the New 52. It inspires the thought that this excellent creative team is arriving at exactly the right moment to deliver another brilliant tale of London’s favorite con man turned sorcerer when his cynical presence is as appropriate as it has ever been. — Chase Magnett

Inkblot #1

Writing and art by Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Published by Image Comics

Emma Kubert, of the venerable Kubert comics family, and Rusty Gladd team up for Inkblot, a new comic book series that sees a sheltered princess embarking on a multidimensional journey pursuing her magic cat. While it isn’t a journey she expected to take, it may be the chance to put her mark on the world for which she’s been waiting. Based on the previews, Kubert and Gladd look to have created a free-wheeling, fairytale-style story offering plenty of adventure. — Jamie Lovett

Sea of Stars #6

Written by Jason Aaron and Dennis Hallum
Art by Stephen Green and Rico Renzi
Published by Image Comics

At long last, Sea of Stars returns after an extended hiatus. The second arc of the series is finally here, giving fans a unique cosmic tale that’s somewhere between a John Hughes tale and a space opera of epic proportions. Equal parts funny and heartwarming, Sea of Stars provides a story full of love and heartbreak and it’s absolutely more than worthy of a spot on your pull list. — Adam Barnhardt

Sex Criminals: Sexual Gary Special

Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Rachael Stott
 and Chip Zdarsky
Published by Image Comics

It’s not an exaggeration to say that I have been looking forward to Sexual Criminals: Sexual Gary Special for years. Originally starting as a bizarre background gag, Sexual Gary has grown into a bonafide fan-favorite, and this long-awaited one-shot will finally peel back the curtain about all of his weird glory. With Rachael Stott on the issue’s art, this is sure to be a legendary installment of Sex Criminals — one that is the perfect buffer between last month’s heartwrenching “finale”, and the upcoming final issue. — Jenna Anderson

Teen Titans: Beast Boy

Written by Kami Garcia
Art by Gabriel Picolo
Published by DC Comics

Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo are back for a new entry in their Teen Titans series, and this time it’s Beast Boy in the spotlight. Teen Titans Raven gave fans a relatable and modern take on the mystical powerhouse, and the duo is doing the same thing for Gar, weaving in the things fans love most about the character while also expanding his backstory and personality in delightful ways. Picolo’s love of the character comes through too, and odds are you’ll find yourself a fan too if you give it a chance. — Matthew Aguilar

We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #1

Written by Al Ewing
Art by Simone Di Meo
Published by BOOM! Studios

Al Ewing is now one of the biggest names working at Marvel Comics thanks to the incredible success of The Immortal Hulk, and having his name on the Avengers and Fantastic Four crossover event Empyre. Now he and artist Simone Di Meo are launching a new sci-fi series at BOOM! Studios. We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is a story about spaceship crews picking over dead gods’ corpses for profit. I can’t say I’m entirely sure where the creative team is going with this idea, but Ewing is one of those writers who are good enough that I’ll give anything he’s attached to a shot, and you should too, especially when he’s teamed with an artist as talented as Di Meo. — Jamie Lovett