As new comic day quickly approaches it can be sometimes difficult to decide which of the new comics hitting the shelves at your local comic shop to grab. Do not worry, we are here to help. This week we preview four titles that standout from the crowd including Absolute Batman: Ark M Special #1, Slasher Royale #1, and more!
While we are not the official voice of your decision, we want to help guide you in the right direction for comics releasing January 7, 2026.
Absolute Batman: Ark M Special #1
Writer: Scott Snyder, Frank Tieri
Artist: Josh Hixson
Publisher: DC Comics
INTO ARK-M! The origins of the enigmatic Ark M are explored! What terrible secrets lie within its walls, and just who is assigned to protect it from discovery?!
Slasher Royale #1
Writer: Joseph Oliveira
Artist: Dominic Racho
Publisher: Afterlight Comics
In 1995, a young boy named Charlie Bowers witnessed the death of his father by a notorious serial killer known as The Cable Man. Years later the Cable Man was captured and sentenced to life in a remote high-security prison. The visions of Charlie’s father’s death haunt him on a daily basis and he thinks of nothing but avenging his death. Now, we follow a much older Charlie as a rookie prison guard in an attempt to get closer to his father’s killer.
The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #1
Writer: Torunn Grønbekk
Artist: Edu Menna
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
BOYS AND GIRLS OF EVERY AGE — TIME FOR SOMETHING NEW AND STRANGE! Dynamite’s first-ever ongoing comic book series set in the world of the beloved film Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is coming this January!
Written by acclaimed author Torunn Grønbekk (Red Sonja, Catwoman, Thor) and illustrated by the supernaturally talented Edu Menna, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town returns to the enchanted lands of Halloween Town and Christmas Town for an all-new tale of adventure that will have readers in stitches!
It all begins with the unveiling of Dr. Finkelstein’s newest creation, specially designed to be the scariest creature ever to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve. But something has gone awry in the process, and the final result is more cute and cuddly than fearsome and menacing. The disappointed scientist hands the newcomer over to Sally for safekeeping, who dubs it Shiver for its freezing breath.
Meanwhile, the Mayor has tasked Lock, Shock, and Barrel with teaching the residents of Christmas Town how to trick-or-treat, as the two realms have embarked on a new campaign to share their holiday traditions. With Christmas Town celebrating Halloween for the first time ever, the trio are taking their assignment seriously — perhaps a bit too seriously! In an effort to make their pranks extra lifelike and terrifying, they decide to “borrow” some ingredients from Dr. Finkelstein’s lab — and end up with much more than they bargained for in the form of the deceptively adorable Shiver!
When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee TP
Writer: Gus Moreno
Artist: Jakub Rebelka
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Father Barrera is a disgraced priest, haunted by his part in the tragic death of a child. As penance, he is exiled to the remote South American island town of Puerto Cristina to apprentice under the enigmatic Father Stygian, controversial exorcist.
Exorcists are normally trained in the Vatican, but Stygian has his own way of handling demons… methods that predate even the Church. As Barrera seeks to unlock the mysteries of Stygian’s strange practices, he uncovers an island rife with evil and supernatural phenomena.
What do these possessions mean, and how are they connected to a mysterious hospital patient, one who’s been in a coma for nearly half a century without aging a single day?
Rising star author Gus Moreno, whose debut novel This Thing Between Us was awarded a “Best Book of 2021” recognition by NPR, joins forces with visionary artist Jakub Rebelka (Cyberpunk) for a mesmerizing and thrilling descent into Hell itself.
