Welcome back to a new edition of the Best Comic Books of the month for 2024. October we saw a jam packed month that kicked off the final quarter of the year on a strong note. The month saw a lot of major comic book releases that set the course for many different universes across the industry. The quality being so high certainly made it even tougher to decide what comic books would make up the ten best comic books for the month. After much deliberation I was able to put together what I found to be the best comic books for the month of October from my pull list. Find out what they were below.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Colorist: Frank Martin
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
The first word that came to mind when finishing Absolute Batman #1 was “refreshing.” This comic book immediately set the tone for the entire Absolute Universe is going to be a whole new experience. Through all the changes made to many familiar characters the core concepts of Batman world’s are still there. Whether that is from his relationship with his parents and friends to his road to becoming Batman, Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta find cool new ways to present Bruce Wayne. The dynamics this version of Bruce Wayne has with his parents and friends creates an even greater connection with the Absolute Universe’s Gotham City. By the end there is a sense of excitement in seeing how the main DC Universe and Absolute Universe Batman titles will end up having a friendly competion with each other for the #1 spot in the franchise hierarchy.
Click here to read full review.
ABSOLUTE POWER #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Absolute Power #4 concluded what is arguably the best comic book event we’ve had in the last five years. The four-chapter story made it so there was no time to waste. Every page and panel of this finale was maximized to make sure the ending delivered all its promises. The biggest promise that was not just met but exceeded was how Mark Waid and Dan Mora utilize so many DC Universe heroes. Seeing how different combination of heroes such as Batman and Blue Beetle to Green Lantern and the Flash Family to Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter worked together added to how while Nightwing was the leader it was a true team effort. That team effort drove home how Amanda Waller forged herself into the endgame boss that you were happy to see defeated and getting a punishment that is her personal nightmare scenario. The ending masterfully wrapped up this event and laid the foundation for the future of the DCU with DC All In.
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ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Absolute Wonder Woman #1 is a complete reinvention of Diana Prince and her world that is a grand home run. Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman accomplish this by focusing on Diana’s origin story. Specifically, the change in Diana being the last of the Amazon, a word that is made into a curse word in the Absolute Universe, and raised by Circe was such a compelling narrative. The way this origin was framed with multiple double page spreads did an excellent job showing how Circe and Diana forged a strong, loving mother-daughter relationship. Most importantly it established how in the present-day Wonder Woman is a warrior mage. Her fighting style is completely unique with the fight against an army of demons being a strong showcase of that. This has all the makings of being a special comic book series.
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NIGHTWING #118
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo
Inker: Caio Filipe
Colorists: Adriano Lucas and Bruno Redondo
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Nightwing #118 marked the end of an incredible era for Dick Grayson. It cannot be said enough how amazing Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, and the rest of their collaborators during this period was. They elevated the character to the level where all fans knew Nightwing could reach and surpass. This finale exemplified everything that made this creative run great was how the belief people have in Dick Grayson, not just his Nightwing persona, and trust Dick Grayson has in others that is the characters greatest strength. That shined here with how Nightwing ultimately took down Heartless and saved Bludhaven. That all made the final page we had in this issue, beautifully drawn by Redondo, a fantastic reminder to be thankful for the creative run we got on Nightwing these last few years.
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PHOENIX #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Alessandro Miracolo
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: Cory Petit
With her returning to wielding God-level powers as the Phoenix again it is easy to lose sight that Jean Grey is still a regular person at heart. She is driven to protect those she loves and the world around her, which has now expanded to the entire Marvel Universe. Being reminded of Jean’s humanity through a compelling conversation with Carol Danvers. Both dressed in their Phoenix and Captain Marvel gear added to the weight of the conversation. This in turn gave greater weight to the Galactic Council meeting about how Jean Grey is viewed by the cosmic rulers. That led in well into the second half of the issue with a Phoenix vs Gor the God Butcher. How that entire battle played out seamlessly integrate several other cosmic related storylines from other Marvel titles, such as the Thor titles.
SCARLET WITCH #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Lorenzo Tammetta
Colorist: Frank William
Letterer: Travis Lanham
No title has mastered the one-shot style storytelling like Steve Orlando and Lorenzo Tammetta’s Scarlet Witch series. Scarlet Witch #5 is an excellent example of how to utilize a one-shot style story to further develop Wanda Maximoff and her world. Having Scarlet Witch and Daredevil team-up showed how Wanda interacts with different Marvel heroes. Their different powers and skills made great use of the underground environment their team-up took them in. Both were able to shine with Scarlet Witch obviously taking the lead as the story still leaned into the magic side of Marvel. The ending with the way Agatha appeared was nicely timed with the greater fan interest in that character and her relationship with Wanda.
STORM #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Murewa Ayodele
Artist: Lucas Werneck
Colorist: Alex Guimaraes and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo
Letterer: Travis Lanham
From beginning to end Storm #1 showcased why Ororo Munroe is one of Marvel’s most compelling heroes. Doing things such as Storm using her powers to rescue as many people suffering from a natural disaster as possible is as powerful as any speech she made. This goes back to the simplest way to put over a superhero by showing them saving people is best way to create momentum. In the process it established Storm as a solo hero. Doing so in such a grounded way made Storm’s big speech hit harder, especially with the larger ramifications from what it resulted in for Storm personally and the larger teased cosmic elements for this series.
Click here to read full review.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Cliff Chang
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 continued the spotlight on the individual members of the Splinter Clan with examining where Leonardo is at. Leo ending up in a wandering samurai scenario is fitting for his character. Ending up somewhere in India and stopping a gang of poachers fit in well to the spirit of the wandering samurai story. It established that in his situation Leo will not hesitate to her up. That quickly transitions into showcasing the badass Leonardo as he effortlessly took down an army of Foot ninja who tried to surround them. The quickness of this was made even more effective by the fact that we saw in the previous two issues Raphael and Michelangelo struggle against similar numbers. It all built further hype to see the four brothers reunite, which we got a tease of at the end, and how their respective status quo will impact what is going on with Karai and the Foot Clan.
UNCANNY X-MEN #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: David Marquez
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Uncanny X-Men #4 is a great example of how to use a setting to tell a story. With the swamp setting Uncanny X-Men are in there are all the elements to present a darker story. That is what we get as Gail Simone and David Marquez utilize the forest swamp setting the new villain in Sarah Gaunt, also known as The Hag, as someone straight of a horror movie. The way she left Wolverine a bloody mess and Rogue throughout their fight elevated her backstory to be even more compelling. Establish such a big threat made the moment the Uncanny X-Men team assemble together be a special moment. Ending it this issue with a badass Wolverine visual was the cherry on top of this great comic book.
ZATANNA: BRING DOWN THE HOUSE #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Zatanna: Bring Down The House #5 is as wild and crazy as it is imaginative in how it brings an extremely satisfying culmination of Zatanna’s journey. Not enough can be said about how stunningly beautiful Javiar Rodriguez artwork is. Everything that happens pops off the screen because of how Rodriguez designed every page. This added to how Mariko Tamaki crafted the story to fully explore Zatanna as a person and her mastery over magic. It not only put over Zatanna as a lead hero but also a reminder of the unlimited potential of the DC Universe’s magical realm. This is no doubt one of the best comic books published this year.
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