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 (January 7th, 2026). Each week, we’ll focus on at least one of each 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 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!
Highlight of the week (Ongoing Comic, Marvel):
Venom #253: “UNFRIENDLY COMPETITION? MASQUE MAKES HER MOVE! Madame Masque wants Venom out of her way — one way or the other. And somehow, she’s found out who’s under the goo. With all the power of A.I.M. in her golden glove, she’s turning the screws on the world’s strangest roommates… but will the goosome twosome squish under the pressure? Or is Madame Masque waking up the monster within?”
I personally love that they’re doing something with Mary Jane Watson – if you’re not going to have her be Peter Parker’s significant other, then this is the type of “shake-up” the character needed.
Highlight of the Week (Ongoing Comic, DC):
Batman #5: “A night out with Bruce Wayne goes off the rails immediately for Dr. Annika Zeller — it seems her experimental Crown of Storms has her marked for death. And if they survive the legendary 000 Gang, they’ll still have to confront the sinister assassin known as Lady Death Man!”
Matt Fraction’s relaunched “Batman” ongoing title remains a highlight of the “main” DC Universe in 2026. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see a “Lady Death Man”?!?
New Issue #1:
The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #1: “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!”
Now THIS is something I never thought I’d see – A “Nightmare Before Christmas” ongoing comic series?!? I know Disney has been working with Dynamite Comics for the last few years, but it’s one thing for a “Darkwing Duck” or a “Hercules” comic, but diving into Tim Burton’s masterpiece is an unexpected twist.
Stand-alone Story:
50th Anniversary Treasury Edition – Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man Facsimile Edition #1: “THE MAN OF TOMORROW AND THE WISECRACKING WEB-SLINGER TAKE ON LEX LUTHOR AND DOC OCK! Lex Luthor. Doctor Octopus. Two diabolical geniuses have joined forces to blackmail the world — and exact revenge upon their two most hated foes! With the Man of Steel and the amazing wall-crawler manipulated into battling one another, can the heroes break free and unite in time to turn the tide on their archenemies?”
This year will see the release of all new “Superman/Spider-Man” crossover events (continuing the “Batman/Deadpool” lovefest that we got last year), so yeah, it makes a ton of sense for DC to release a reprint of the original time that Superman and Spider-Man met each other! There’s a lot to love with many of these “facsimile” releases (which contain all of the original advertisements) so this is a welcome revisit to an important milestone in DC/Marvel history!
Digital Back Issue of the Week:
Superman: Birthright #1 (2003, available on DC Infinite): “Everyone knows Jor-El sent his infant son to Earth to avoid death on Krypton, but now take a closer look at Jor-El’s emotional struggles with the decision. Plus, Kal-El’s early days on an alien world and the discoveries that set him on the path to becoming a legend!”
We’re going to be highlighting random back issues in Marvel Unlimited and DC Infinite, and I figured you can’t go wrong with the Mark Waid/Lienil Francis Yu version of Superman’s origin from 2003! Is this the best version of Superman’s origin? That’s debatable, but it’s certainly Mark Waid at his finest!
So what are you reading this week?!?
