IDW PUBLISHING SUMMER BLOCKBUSTERS SLATE FEATURES NINJA TURTLES, HELLO KITTY, SONIC, GODZILLA, HORROR, CRIME, AND MUCH MORE ⋆ First Comics News

LOS ANGELES, CA (April 24, 2026) – From gripping original stories to celebrating fan-favorite franchises, IDW Publishing is gearing up for a summer full of comic book blockbuster launches featuring TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, HELLO KITTY, GODZILLA, SONIC, and more.

Listed in order of release, here’s a look at all of the major launches and milestone issues arriving this July and August from IDW.

Eisner Award nominee Joey Esposito (The Pedestrian, Batman: Urban Legends) and rising-star artist Valeria Burzo (Castle Full of Blackbirds, EC Comics) deliver a scathing and thrilling true crime serial killer saga with KILLER INFLUENCES.

KILLER INFLUENCES follows Melvin, a serial killer who is aspiring to be one of the most infamous to ever do it, a true American nightmare. His problem? He’s so efficient and methodical that he doesn’t have a brand. No one has connected his crimes—except for Kylie, an aspiring true crime influencer who is flailing at a small-town newspaper. When she comes across Melvin’s crimes and reaches out to him…she figures out how she’s going to become a star. She will give Melvin the identity he needs to be the iconic serial killer he wants to be, while she follows his exploits on her channel and becomes famous. Kylie and Melvin make a pact that will make their dreams come true and destroy their lives in the process.

On sale 7/1, pre-orders due 5/25. Read an early review by Capes & Tights here.

Sonic, Tails, and Amy are stopping by Angel Island on a sunny day to visit Knuckles when a meteor streaks from the sky and crash-lands below them. While investigating the crash, they find that mysterious lush greenery has instantly sprouted up around the crater, at the cost of the surrounding plants. But they aren’t the only ones who noticed the meteor’s fiery descent, and Dr. Eggman’s intentions for its mysterious power are far from noble…

It’s a race against time (and an evil doctor) in this long-anticipated return to the world of Classic Sonic, just in time for its 35th anniversary!

On sale 7/8, pre-orders due 6/1.

The recently resurrected Dracula, one of the world’s greatest monsters and most infamous vampires, is hell-bent on redemption. The mission he takes to make that redemption possible? Teaming up with British Allied forces during World War II. They’ll air-drop him onto a Nazi train containing a horde of soldiers, augmented villains, and a vampire plague that, if released, will create a new generation of vampire terrors. Dracula will have to battle his way through the train, confronting his past sins and facing off against the wicked Hazel and Ivy, who are calling the shots for the Nazis… and who have a vested interest in Dracula’s failures.

The action horror book of the year is here, from critically acclaimed writer Kenny Porter (Superboy: Man of Tomorrow, DC Mech) and rising star artist Tyrell Cannon (Fantastic Four Fanfare).

On sale 7/8, pre-orders due 6/1. Feast your eyes on gory new art at Fangoria.

It’s the height of World War II, and Betty is a Nazi collaborator! Or so we’re led to believe. As Allied planes mysteriously explode in midair across Europe, rumors of a Nazi superweapon compel the U.S. to send its fastest asset undercover: the Rocketeer! With Betty posing as a defecting American actress in a German motion picture, Cliff Secord, a.k.a. the Rocketeer, accompanies as her brother and manager. And since neither has experience in deep-cover work, the Allies send a handler to support them — a debonair MI6 agent who assumes the role of Betty’s co-star.

The Rocketeer will need to maintain his cover, destroy a superweapon no Allied agent has actually seen, and keep Betty away from the handsome British secret agent with a penchant for beautiful women. It’s a lot for a reckless stunt pilot to handle!

Gabriel Hardman (Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia) and rising star artist Dean Kotz (The Savage Sword of Conan, Black Hammer: Visions) team up to tell the most dangerous Rocketeer story yet!

On sale 7/8, pre-orders due 6/1.

The training mission you didn’t see!

Michelangelo only has a short time to get young Casey Marie Jones prepared for battle against Oroku Hiroto. How can the Last Ronin distill a lifetime’s worth of training and knowledge into one day? Read the epic tale of action and legacy too big to fit into the pages of the original book, written and drawn by the original Last Ronin team!

On sale 7/15, pre-orders due 6/8

It’s a crossover of massive proportions!

The Blue Blur’s battle with Dr. Eggman is upended by the arrival of two enormous monsters emerging from a humongous fissure in reality. The magnificent Mothra and the menacing Mechagodzilla carry their vicious battle into Sonic’s world, and its fate now hangs in the balance! Is Sonic, with the help of his loyal friends Amy and Tails, fast enough to halt the city’s frantic destruction? And why is Eggman so happy about this whole big mess?

Wait, is that Eggman now? How can he take over a solici—

From the files of me, Dr. Eggman! That petulant blue pipsqueak is making my existence absolute torture again—interrupting my crucial research on the beasts from the dimensional fissure! I simply MUST unlock the secrets of these giant monsters and use them to create something… eggtastic.

On sale 7/15, pre-orders due 6/8. Check out fun new preview pages at GamesSpot.

Revenge is a dish best served on time delay. From Gerry Duggan (Deadpool, X-Men: Fall of the House of X) and Scott Buoncristiano (The Dark Room) comes the next Red Shirts bloodbath…

On the Federation’s farthest frontier, red shirts don’t just die—they’re used.

When conscripted security grunt Harry Deubert finds contraband hidden inside a fallen comrade’s body, he uncovers Section Null—a secret Starfleet directorate turning disposable red shirts into assets in a sprawling criminal conspiracy. Teaming with Lyna Taval, an Andorian officer with her own covert agenda, Deubert digs too deep…and becomes a target.

Someone inside Starfleet Security is selling out the Federation. And once Deubert and Taval learn what red shirts are really for, there’s no going back.

On sale 7/22, pre-orders due 6/15.

Mutating the comics industry since their first issue debut in 1984, we are proud to shellebrate 300 issues of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mainline series.

It all began with four brothers and their master, alone against the world. A lot has changed, but the bond of Clan Hamato is, if anything, stronger than ever. They will need that strength to fight what is coming. A threat unlike anything they have ever faced before threatens to destroy the worlds of the living and the dead alike.

Forty-one years and 300 issues have led to this, one of the biggest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories yet. ‘The City That Never Dies’ begins here with Gene Luen Yang and Freddie E. Williams II.

Also in this issue: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman and superstar scribe Tom Waltz take timestress Renet through a tour of TMNT past with classic Turtles artists Ben Bates, Eric Talbot, Chris Allan, Frank Fosco, Jim Lawon, and Dan Duncan! Plus, stunning pinups from IDW Turtles icon Sophie Campbell and featuring the first-ever Frank Miller Ninja Turtles cover!

On sale 7/22, pre-orders due 6/1.

A terrifying look at Godzilla’s first attack!

Tokyo, 1954. As the country begins to look toward its postwar future, two scientists start an experiment in the Pacific Ocean. It is meant to change everything…and it will. Come now, reader, and bear witness to the incredible horror of the King of the Monsters. There are no heroes. There are no survivors. There is only the wrath of Godzilla.

This standalone four-issue miniseries serves as a prequel to the Kai-Sei Era while also being perfect for fans of Godzilla: Minus One, Shin Godzilla, and Godzilla (1954). Written by rising star authors Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan (Marvel Zombies, Kill Your Darlings) and illustrated by one of the best horror artists of all time, Tristan Jones (Event Horizon, Aliens), this comic experience puts you on the ground during the kaiju’s first attack. And as readers will soon discover, they’ve never seen a Godzilla attack quite like this one before…

On sale 7/29, pre-orders due 6/15.

She’s here! Hello, world—it’s Hello Kitty! Welcome one and all to Hello Kitty and her friends’ first major swing into the comic book world.

Everything is going well in Hello Kitty’s life: Her friends are happy, her radio show is popular, and she even has the perfect gift to give! But all of that comes to a screeching halt when My Melody bursts in to reveal that her bow has gone missing!

Suddenly, the iconic symbols of our favorite characters all start disappearing, and it’s up to Hello Kitty to solve the case! But that’s not all—as friends start to suspect each other, our super detective must solve the mystery and keep everyone together! It’s a mess only Hello Kitty can solve!

Join comic legend and multiple Eisner Award–winning author Mariko Tamaki (This One Summer, Detective Comics) and rising artist Cody Lemieux for the groundbreaking comics launch of the world’s sweetheart!

Cover A comes polybagged with one of three exclusive collectible sticker sheets, unseal the surprise and start the chase to track down all three and complete the full set!

On sale 8/12, pre-orders due 6/29. Check out adorable interior art at Screen Rant.

Contact a comic shop near you to pre-order and guarantee your copies of these upcoming issues.

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