The year 2012 has seen a lot of new comic book series hit the stands. November 7th, the first New Comic Book Day of the month continues that trend and goes beyond it. Eight different publishers combined to release a total of 13 new comic titles. The genres these books cover run the gamut. I’m going to highlight these books along with their respective creators. If you’re looking to add another title to your monthly pull, hopefully this list will shine some light on a series you might not otherwise be aware of.

I’ll start with the kings of the supernatural, Dark Horse Comics, which produced three of the 13 books listed here. The first title that caught my eye while browsing the new releases is 47 Ronin, which re-tells the classic Japanese tale of loyalty and revenge. This series is being written by Dark Horse’s founder Mike Richardson and drawn by Stan Sakai of Usagi Yojimbo fame. I have been a longtime fan of Japanese culture and history and have previously read a novel based on this story. I’ll be ordering this series and look forward to this company’s rendition. Dark Horse has been home to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer franchise for several years and one of the many titles in its library is the spin-off Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Willow Wonderland. This series, brought to us by writer Jeff Parker and artists Brian Ching and Jason Gorder, follows Willow as she branches out on her own following the recent changes to her status quo. The third debut from Dark Horse, Colder, written by Paul Tobin and drawn by Juan Ferryra is one I will be ordering as well. The cover alone makes it worth checking out.

From the “big two,” Marvel Comics and DC Comics, come three new titles for the superhero genre. Two more relaunches, Deadpool and Iron Man, hit the shelves as part of Marvel NOW! While these are new series, the characters are well established. The “merc with a mouth” comes to us from the pens of Gerry Duggan & Brian Posehn and the art of Tony Moore & Val Staples. The team behind shell-head consists of scribe Keiron Gillen and artist Greg Land. Over at DC, they’ve released another title under their controversial “Before Watchmen” umbrella entitled Before Watchmen: Moloch. Writer J. Michael Straczynski and penciller Eduardo Risso have teamed up for this book.

Image Comics has been doing great things for the comic book industry in 2012 and looks to keep that going throughout the rest of the year. The indie publisher rolled out two new books, Perhapanauts: Danger Down Under and Storm Dogs. The first is written by Todd DeZago and penciled by Craig Rousseau. David Hine and Doug Braithwaite wrote and drew the latter series, respectively, which is described as a science fiction crime thriller.

Boom Studios has had a busy 2012 as well, having released several series throughout the year. November sees the release of Freelancers from the minds of writer Ian Brill and artist Josh Covey. Their origins beginning in a kung fu orphanage, these two females leads make their way in Los Angeles as bounty hunters. Hellraise: Road Below written by Brandon Seifert and drawn by Ibraim Roberson follows the tale of Kristy Cotton on her path to becoming Pinhead.

Valiant Comics re-introduces Shadowman to the modern world. Guiding this character are writer Justin Jordan and artist Patrick Zircher. Zenescope Entertainment continues its Fly saga with the second volume of the series scripted by Raven Gregory, drawn by Robert Gill and colored by Mike Stefan. Rounding out the November debuts is Indie Comics Horror from Aazurn Publishing. Rob Anderson will be handling this title.

Many comic book series were launched in 2012, but this specific day was big. This is a perfect time for readers to add some new reading material with a fresh start. There’s no worrying about finding the right jumping on point. Join us in the forums to discuss these new series.