Kitty stories for kiddies (of all ages), a fantastic journey to a dark and weird world, and a creature of the earth haunting the swamps – Wednesday is New Comics Day! Each week, The Comics Observer picks three brand new releases worth checking out that should be suitable for someone who has never read comics before.

If you like what you see here, click the links to see previews and learn more about them. Then head to your local comic book store, or check out online retailers like Things From Another World and Amazon. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook.

Miss Annie: Freedom! by La Galle & Balthazar

Miss Annie Book 1: Freedom!
Written by Frank Le Gall
Illustrated by Flore Balthazar
Published by Graphic Universe / Lerner Publishing Group
Ages 7 and up / Grade 3 and up
Genre: Humor
48 pages
$6.95

Miss Annie is a kitten with ambitions and a large dose of curiosity! The big, wide world beyond the window calls! Outdoors there are trees to climb, birds to chase, and other cats. Even though she’s only a few months old, Miss Annie thinks she’s big enough for adventure right now. If only she can convince her human family that she can take care of herself — or can she?

Born in Rouen in France, award-winning writer Frank Le Gall published his first works at the age of sixteen. Since then Le Gall has continued writing graphic novel adventures, occasionally taking a break for animation and short stories.

Born in 1981 in La Louvière, Belgium, Flore Balthazar decided at the age of nine that she would become a cartoonist, after reading Hergé’s Tintin and other comics at the local library across the street from her house. She soon realized that her art would not look exactly like Tintin, and developed her own self-taught style. She eventually went on to study at the Binche and the Etterbeek Academies of Fine Arts (both in Belgium), also studying Slavic languages and literature at the university in Brussels. She quickly realized that the best way to become a cartoonist is simply to keep drawing. She now lives in Orléans, France. Miss Annie is her first graphic novel series.

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories by H.P. Lovecraft & Jason Thompson

The Dream-Quest Of Unknown Kadath & Other Stories
Written by H.P. Lovecraft
Adapted and illustrated by Jason Bradley Thompson
Published by Mock Man Press
Funded by Kickstarter
Genre: Fantasy/Horror
184 pages
$24.95

Three times Randolph Carter dreamed of the marvelous city…and three times he was snatched away while still he paused on the high terrace above it.

In search of a lost city and a forgotten memory, Randolph Carter enters the dreamlands, the vast world of wonder and horror where one night can span a million years. From the jungles of Kled to the surface of the moon, through perilous encounters with bat-winged nightgaunts and man-eating ghouls, Carter’s quest takes him ever closer to the secret of the marvelous sunset city… and the terror of Nyarlathotep and Azathoth, the monstrous Other Gods who stand in his way.

This limited edition oversize 184-page hardcover includes a full comic adaptation of the novel by H.P. Lovecraft, as well as the related stories “The White Ship,” “Celephais” and “The Strange High House in the Mist.” It also features a map of the dream world, as well as an art gallery section with concept sketches and additional drawings.

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book One by Alan Moore & Stephen Bissette

Saga of the Swamp Thing Book One
Written by Alan Moore
Illustrated by Stephen R. Bissette and John Totleben
Published by Vertigo / DC Comics
Genre: Horror
208 pages
$19.99

Before Watchmen, Alan Moore made his debut in the U.S. comic book industry with the revitalization of the horror comic book The Swamp Thing. His deconstruction of the classic monster stretched the creative boundaries of the medium and became one of the most spectacular series in comic book history.

With modern-day issues explored against a backdrop of horror, Swamp Thing‘s stories became commentaries on environmental, political and social issues, unflinching in their relevance. Saga of the Swamp Thing Book One collects issues #20-27 of this seminal series including the never-before-reprinted Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, where Moore takes over as writer and concludes the previous storyline.

Book One begins with the story “The Anatomy Lesson,” a haunting origin story that reshapes Swamp Thing mythology with terrifying revelations that begin a journey of discovery and adventure that will take him across the stars and beyond.