While some folks celebrate their second printing of a new comic book, you might be surprised to find that the celebration can sort-of feel like a doctor telling you the operation was a success, but, well, your grin might be a little crooked forever. After all, how does one truly outshine a first impression? That’s indeed the question bouncing around in the bubble letters of the comicverse as fresh printings land onto the scene for Phoenix, Hello Darkness, Department Of Truth, Somna, and Kill All Immortals.

Phoenix Rising

In Phoenix #1, Stephanie Phillips and Alessandro Miracolo managed to make a triumphant sail up the bestseller list, impressing even the hard-to-get Bleeding Cool critics. The victory lap is trailed by a Joe Quesada cover that has, let’s say, a bit of a backstory. To quote Quesada himself, “This Phoenix cover was originally just a quaint pencil commission I did in 2016. Fast forward to recently, when Marvel’s EIC called asking to use it as a cover. My answer? Sure, as long as I get to add some ink and gray tones. Then Morry Hollowell waved his magic coloring wand and brought it to life.” A classic tale of humble beginnings meeting an unexpected encore, wouldn’t you agree?

Immortalizing the Scene

Dark Horse Comics’ Kill All Immortals #1, a cosmic child of Zack Kaplan and Fico Ossiois, didn’t just sell out at the distributor level—it went straight for the encore. Instead of the typical second printing, this one gets the fancy label of a “continuation printing.” Sounds like a clever way to say, “Oops, we ran out. Hold on. Making more!” The fresh copy should leap into fans’ hands by mid-August.

Declassifying Secrets

Over at Image Comics, The Department of Truth #23 by James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds decided to pull a dramatic U-turn. After dropping a cliffhanger on readers, our boys at Department of Truth realized they have an adversary who’s about to spill the beans. Their solution? Beat them to the punch and spill it first. It’s a high-stakes race back to Dallas, 1963 where the seeds of this conspiracy were sown. Hold tight for this second printing available on the 14th of August.

Darkness Before the Dawn

Then, Hello Darkness #1 decided to race its own shadow. The second printing was announced even before the first round rolled out into stores. Who says you need to release an album before announcing a world tour? This preemptive reprint could be courtesy of a new Something is Killing the Children storyline.

The Beast of Second Printing

Not ones to be left behind, Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay’s Somna is getting a do-over for its collected hardcover edition. The folks at DSTLRY were thrilled with the fan response, with co-founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher adding, “Interest in SOMNA has exceeded all expectations. We’re working hard to get the second printing on shelves, stat.” A notable difference between the first and second printings? Spot the color change of the dots on the spine.

So, there you have it – a roundup of the comics taking a second shot at leaving their ink-mark on your hearts. Be it a continuation printing or leaping ahead of their own shadow, these titles prove that comics, like a good punchline, only get better the second time around.