Junk Punch, TMNT #300, The Phantom Vs The Red Dragons, and Dick Tracy
From Mad Cave Studios and IDW Publishing
Here is the latest comics news and previews, including:
An off-beat new series from Mad Cave Studios.
A special anniversary of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The return of The Phantom.
And a new story arc for Dick Tracy.
A Bizarre New Compulsion. One Reluctant Hero. Justice With a Very Specific Target.
With a name to catch the eye, Junk Punch looks to be a zany new series from Mad Cave Studios.
It’s one woman's quest to solve a bizarre series of thefts, such as kisses stolen from willing and waiting lips!
Mad Cave Studios proudly announces JUNK PUNCH, an all-new series that explores a world where sudden compulsions begin affecting people in bizarre and uncontrollable ways.
This offbeat new series reunites the creative duo behind the Mad Cave hit String—Eisner Award-winning writer Paul Tobin (Plants vs. Zombies) features a main story and backup story, with main story art by Carlos Javier Olivares (Boum!), colors by Francesca Vivaldi (Ripperland), and lettering by Taylor Esposito (Red Hood), bringing the strange world of Junk Punch to life with playful humor and dynamic visual storytelling.
Each issue also includes a fun, standalone backup story with art, colors, and letters by Colleen Coover (Small Favors, Bandette), kicking off a rotating lineup of guest artists including Lin Visel (Island), Christine Larsen (ORCS! The Comic Series), and Dani Strips (Catwoman). These additional stories expand the strange world of Junk Punch, introducing new characters and misadventures across its growing gallery of oddballs.
Junk Punch #1 features a variant cover by Marguerite Sauvage and retailer incentive by Mirka Andolfo.
In a near-future world, peculiar new compulsions have arisen to afflict individuals in bizarre ways, such as a need to paint all pigeons pink or the unfortunate craving to tell the truth on dating apps. One such individual is Clara Castanelle, aka Junk Punch, who "suffers" an addiction to punching people square in their junk!
Reflecting on the creative spark behind the series, writer Paul Tobin shared:
“I suppose Junk Punch is a chaotic mix of editorial cartoons, English comics, Italian ero-fumetti, the things that got whispered to me by whatever it was in that old well, and my own brand of brain-sauce. What I hope readers get out of it is the same thing I got out of writing it: an opportunity to stumble off the well-tread path of sanity and begin forging new paths.”
Artist Colleen Coover added, “I was there when Paul came up with the title Junk Punch as a joke at a social gathering. Moments later, I saw ‘the look of inspiration’ cross over his face, and I knew the title would grow into a story. When Carlos' art started to come in, I knew the story had become a masterpiece.”
“Junk Punch is a real opportunity to experience something that will touch your heart,” said Javier Olivares. “It’s a beautiful madness, full of small details and, as Paul says, a collision of genres and eras. With wild twists and constant surprises, the story centers on Clara, a protagonist whose strange brilliance pulls an equally strange cast of characters into her orbit. For me, working on this series with Paul feels like a true before and after.”
With its wildly inventive premise and unpredictable sense of humor, Junk Punch will appeal to readers who enjoy comics where absurdity, mystery, and heart collide.
Junk Punch #1 drops in shops June 3, 2026 (FOC May 11). Preorder today from your local comic shop or from Mad Cave directly.
TMNT #300 Features Frank Miller’s First-Ever Ninja Turtles Cover
A special edition and a special cover from IDW Publishing on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #300.
More than 40 years ago, the brilliant duo of Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). While it was Eastman and Laird’s imagination that brought the Heroes in a Half-Shell to life and turned them into a pop culture phenomenon, they cited two comic icons as inspiration for their incredible creation: Jack Kirby and Frank Miller. And now, more than four decades after that original spark of innovation, Miller has drawn a TMNT cover for the first-time ever to celebrate a massive milestone: TMNT #300!
"As a lifelong Turtles fan, it's awesome to be able to celebrate the landmark 300th issue of TMNT and we're going all-out to celebrate,” commented Ryan Balkam, IDW’s Director of Sales. “From a blind bag with an amazing artist lineup to Frank Miller's first-ever TMNT drawing and a never-before-seen piece by Kevin and Peter, TMNT #300 will be the ultimate reading and collecting experience for TMNT fans this year. The whole team here at IDW, along with our partners at Paramount, have put our passion for this property on full display. TMNT #300 is a book made by fans for fans new and old.”
In addition to the jaw-dropping covers, the special landmark comic will be a key issue for the future of IDW’s TMNT Universe. The epic storyline ‘The City That Never Dies’ kicks off in TMNT #300 with Eisner Award-winning writer Gene Luen Yang and blockbuster artist Freddie E. Williams II. Splinter and Tang Shen, the mother of the Turtles, have magically come back to life… but they aren’t the only ones who returned from the land of the dead! Plus: fans will be treated to a can’t-miss back-up story from co-creator Kevin Eastman, fan-favorite writer Tom Waltz and a roster of classic TMNT artists that celebrates the many eras of the Heroes in a Half-Shell as the time-traveler Renet explores timelines full of familiar faces.
TMNT #300 releases in comic shops July 22 and will feature stunning covers by Eastman & Laird, Miller, Williams II, J. Scott Campbell, Michael Dooney, Ito, Juan Ferreyra, Stan Sakai, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Mateus Santolouco. Fans will have until June 1st to guarantee their copies by pre-ordering at comic shops.
The Ghost Who Walks Faces His Deadliest Adversaries Yet
It’s great to see the return of The Phantom in this new adventure from Mad Cave Studios! Check out The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons.
Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with King Features Syndicate, is proud to announce another thrilling installment in Ray Fawkes’ action-packed adventure, THE PHANTOM VS. THE RED DRAGONS—an oversized 40-page one-shot that moves headfirst into a brutal clash on the high seas!Serving as a soft follow-up to The Phantom #1-5 and the previous one-shot The Phantom vs. the Sky Band, the new issue can be read as a stand-alone story while continuing the revenge plot set in motion in the earlier chapters.This oversized issue features interior art by Lynne Yoshii (Incredible Hulk), colors by JUANCHO! (Endless Night), and lettering by Taylor Esposito (The Shape of Elvira). The release also includes Cover A by Alessio Zonno and a variant Cover B by Freddie Williams II with Andrew Dalhouse.
THE PHANTOM MUST DIE!
But how do you kill a Ghost? The Red Dragons are gonna try – and anyone who gets in the way is just collateral damage! When someone in The Phantom’s familiar cowl starts sinking the Dragons’ pirate operations, Princess Sin goes on the warpath. The South China Sea belongs to the Red Dragons – and they’re not afraid of one man in a mask. Not yet.
“Long-time readers of The Phantom will know the name of the notorious Red Dragon Pirates, and it’s my pleasure to bring them back and introduce them to new readers, too,” said Ray Fawkes. “These bloody-minded troublemakers are exactly the kind of villains The Phantom swore to defend against, and they’re giving him more trouble than usual in this action-packed story!”
Lynne Yoshii added, “It's been an honor to add my art to such a legendary character like The Phantom! It's the kind of project that reminds you why you fell in love with comics in the first place.”
Through The Phantom ongoing series, Mad Cave has expanded the legacy of Lee Falk’s iconic hero, introducing new adventures that blend classic pulp storytelling with modern comics sensibilities to a new generation of readers.
The Phantom vs. The Red Dragons One-Shot soars into comic shops June 17, 2026, with Final Order Cut-off on May 25.
It’s all been building to this…
With a new arc that pays off previously planted plot threads, Dick Tracy #16 from Mad Cave Studios kicks off soon!
Mad Cave Studios kicks off a pivotal new story arc with DICK TRACY #16 that will turn the screws tighter than ever, pushing the iconic detective into a battle that cuts deeper than any other case he’s faced before!
From acclaimed series writers Alex Segura and Michael Moreci, joined by artist Geraldo Borges (Green Lantern Corps), colorist Mark Englert (Capes), and letterer Patrick Brosseau, with a variant cover by Mahmud Asrar (X-Men, Conan), this next chapter marks a true turning point in the series, one where long-buried threads resurface, alliances shift, and the one thing Tracy has always relied on may no longer hold.
THE STREETS OF THE CITY RUN RED!
As Dick Tracy struggles to get back on his feet after the cataclysmic conclusion of #15, forces beyond his control conspire and align to destroy him - and everything he holds dear!
It's all been building to this - as the acclaimed and best-selling DICK TRACY series continues to up the ante for fans! Can the City - and Tracy - survive a brutal gang war? We find out here can only mean one thing: violence is on the horizon...who will survive it?
For the writing team, this arc marks the payoff of everything they’ve been building—raising the stakes and closing in on Tracy from every angle.
“It's all been building to this,” said Alex Segura. “Michael and I have been planting seeds and plot threads since the first Dick Tracy issue, and many, if not all, will pay off in this arc, as someone pulls every lever to destroy the one thing that Dick Tracy can't live without—his reputation.”
Michael Moreci added, “This is a huge, game-changing arc for the Dick Tracy story, and those who have been with us since the beginning are going to be very, very satisfied with where the story lands.”
This new arc delivers a payoff-driven crime saga layered with moral tension and the kind of slow burn that defines the best detective fiction. A true classic noir with a modern edge will find plenty to sink into!
Dick Tracy #16 hits the streets (and comic shops) on April 8, 2026.
