There’s something about the routine of our days that gives meaning to life: worrying about kids, wondering about your big break, trying to date and worrying about how to flirt, shopping for clothes, and having someone you care about. These are things that many of us deal with. But when those things are taken away, we’re thrown into something unknown.

In 1999, Gabriel and his friends saved the world using the chatroom, W0RLDTR33. Their battle was fought against a secret section of the Internet called the Undernet which was trying to infect everything, sealing it for good... or so they thought. Now, someone named PH34R seems to have found the Undernet and is unleashing it once again, but this time with all of the new technology of the 21st century.

Mexican-American (and questioning) teenager Javi and his friends want to host a party the weekend his parents are out of town. This party will be different, though, as it’s their chance to propel themselves to popularity. Javi just has to convince his sister and avoid the party getting too rowdy. But just as things are starting to look up, everything takes a turn for the absolute worst in the first issue of It’s Only Teenage Wasteland.

James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera created a terrifying, yet fascinating, new world full of monsters in their series, Something Is Killing the Children. One of the most alluring aspects of the series was the ever-growing mysteries and background of its protagonist, Erica Slaughter, and the place she came from. Enter House of Slaughter, a series that introduces us to the inner workings of the House of Slaughter and the secret order that turned Erica into the badass killing machine she is today.

Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel’s high-octane series returns as Val, Emory, Bailey (Piper), and the Sundog convoy ride through the Dark PM and continue their mission to bring back the light to a world that’s literally gone dark. And although our heroes are on a new path to save the world, old and new enemies alike will prove too much for some to handle.

Nocterra #6 picks up right where the previous issue left off. The Sundog Convoy of Val, Em, and Piper have reached what they thought was hope, but dark forces are always sulking in the background. Trust is betrayed, the monsters are in, and all seems lost in an epic and encouraging end to a fantastic first arc!

The finale to Rick Remender and Jerome Opeña’s celebrated series, Seven to Eternity, is finally here. Adam’s quest for redemption and salvation from the Mud King comes to a conclusion, and it’s one fit for a king.

The story of the tiny clockwork knight without a name or a heart has returned, and with it comes new dangers, struggles, and tests for this beloved hero. Canto III #1: Lionhearted by David M. Booher and Drew Zucker continues the story of rebellion and searching for a better future as Canto, having found his people their freedom, begins to prepare for battle against the Shrouded Man.

The fifth issue of Nocterra by Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel sees Val and her crew arriving at a mysterious sanctuary where they can finally rest. And after such a taxing and heartbreaking journey, it’s a rest well earned; however, not everything is ever as it seems in this penultimate chapter of the series’ first arc.

Hope is a common theme throughout the comic book medium. It allows us to accept when a deus ex machina happens and offers to let us believe that the good guys can always come out on top. Some stories try to stick to a realistic approach, showing a bleaker image of the world, but it’s the ones about hope that can stick with us.