New Comics and Graphic Novels Out in December 2023

Let’s kick things off with a super sweet slice-of-life manga with queer rep! I Married My Female Friend begins the story of Kurumi and Ruriko. Five years ago, they made a deal with each other to get married if they were still single. Which means it’s time for their wedding! At first, they treat each other like roommates as they learn how to live together and share a home. But soon enough, it becomes clear that those feelings they have for each other can lead to something more between them.

Next comes another new self-contained manga about romance and friendship. The Secret of Friendship tells the story of BFFs Eiko and Moe. Despite their different personalities, these two have an incredible bond. Moe also has plenty of suitors. But none of them have been able to meet her condition: whoever becomes Moe’s boyfriend must value Eiko the most. That is, until Tsuchida shows up. What will become of their friendship? You’ll have to read it to find out!

A couple of months ago, Glitch Vol. 1 was published, and thankfully, the second volume of this manga is hitting the shelves this month! The cool thing about it is that you can absolutely read this one first since it follows a different cast of characters than volume one. Either way, Glitch is set in a town in which ghostly appearances and “glitches” occur on a daily basis. Glitch Vol. 2 specifically follows Kaname Ito and Kei Kinjou-Dias. The former has made contact with one of these strange “glitches” — while the latter is convinced that the answers to the town’s mysteries lie in the forest. 

Sixty years after their first appearance, the original X-Men team is back with Original X-Men #1! The story follows our beloved heroes, Cyclops, Jean Grey (AKA Marvel Girl), Beast, Iceman, and Angel. There’s another multiverse adventure waiting for them. Time travel shenanigans will ensue, and one of these beloved heroes will be left stranded in the world as we know it. Great for new and old fans alike, this comic promises to kick off an epic adventure for the X-Men.

This month also brings with it the final volume of the Vampire Slayer comics! Putting together issues #13-#16, these comics give Buffy the Vampire Slayer a whole new story. The overall arc of this series begins with a powerless Buffy — and the mantle of The Slayer now in the hands of Willow. You can call this the Willowverse, if you will. As the story progresses forward, we see both of them deal with their powers (or lack thereof) and still try to fight the zany monsters in little old Sunnydale.

Next comes the Monomyth graphic novel! This fantasy story is set in a world in which magic is all but extinct. The last wizard actually cast a spell that could help restore magic by summoning the descendants of ancient, powerful bloodlines. They’re all brought to a crumbling magic school, where they find unnamable horrors and must face their own darkest corners if they want to survive.

Okay this is one of the strangest comics I’ve ever heard of, but the crossover also sounds kind of amazing? In December, we’ll finally get to continue the story of Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica, thanks to volume two! These comics imagine a world in which Betty and Veronica meet Red Sonja and Vampirella. In volume one, we get to see the latter visit Riverdale and see Betty and Veronica in action, solving all kinds of mysteries. In this volume, though, Betty and Veronica are whisked away from Riverdale all the way to Vampirella’s home planet. What could go wrong?

Last but not least, this Doctor Who comic is part of a multimedia event for the show’s 60th anniversary. So, while it will be connected to other stories (that aren’t necessarily book-shaped), you could also read it as a standalone! A Doctor in The House? tells the story of Doom, a lonely assassin from the 51st Century who only has a day left to live. Her only chance of survival? To use her vortex manipulator to hunt down The Doctor across time and space.