With another month in the books it is time to talk about the best comic books released in October 2026. This was a month packed with a lot events and crossovers going down from every comic book publisher. In the middle of all the big things going on we had a lot of outstanding comic books released. With that in mind I’ve put together a list of the ten best comic books released in October 2026.
10) G.I. JOE #27
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joshua Williamson; Artist: Tom Reilly; Colorist: Lee Loughridge; Letterer: Rus Wooton
G.I. Joe #27 keeps the momentum of the “Night Force” moving at a quick pace. Even if this middle chapter does not have the action the previous ones did it did a lot with the conversations we do get. Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly frame all these conversations characters have in a way that they feel like action sequences. There are too many strong personalities involved in this story that conversations can’t go any other way.
All of this helps to further elevate Baroness’ importance to the story. She is the center of the entire conflict of the story. Even if she isn’t a big physical presence in this issue you are never not aware of her being the driving force. That leads to a lot of intriguing developments for various characters that help to further show how Baroness is the breakout character of this series.
9) NIGHTWING #143
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Dan Watters; Artist: David Lapham; Colorist: Francesco Segala; Letterer: Wes Abbott
Nightwing #143 is one of the better examples of the potential that the Batman: Bad Seeds provided the franchise. There is a constant sense of the danger all of Gotham City is in because of the Green taking over. That is done in the simplest way possible by showing how the people living in Gotham City are forced to respond. That response makes how Nightwing and Robin step-up to what they do best, protect and save people, feel even more important with the situation at hand.
In the process of this, Batman: Bad Seeds happens at the worst time possible for Nightwing. While he is able to do his superhero thing recent events are taking its toll on Nightwing. That toll comes from the mental and physical exhaustion Nightwing is feeling. While he gets through Batman: Bad Seeds this crossover further pushed him to the point he is going to almost break. It will be up to him to get a handle of how he is going about things or else he will break. And maybe he needs to in order to get to where he was before the events in his life over the last year.
8) LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joshua Williamson; Artist: Hayden Sherman; Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain; Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Legion of Super-Heroes #2 follows up the fantastic debut of this series with another chapter that immediately immerses you in the world. There is a methodical nature to the way Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman. Things are never slow or fast. They move the story around Brainiac One of Five, Lightning Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, and others in a way that gives the story a natural pace.
The outstanding pacing of Legion of Super-Heroes #2 helps you to further connection with these characters and world. The world aspect in particular is phenomenally brought to life by Sherman and Tamra Bonvillain’s artwork. There are many moments where I found myself starring at pages and panels because of how amazing the artwork was. The sense of wonder about how this version of the DC Universe does so much to make the story feel larger than life. That includes the threat presented by The Persuaders being a big deal because of the immersion this story has created.
7) MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson; Artist: Scietronc; Colorist: Neeraj Menon; Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Scietronc showcase the power of the Marvel Midnight Universe with Midnight Spider-Man #1. They take the classic Spider-Man’s origin story and twist it with their own horror take. From the beginning it is made clear with what happens to Peter Parker’s cat during his childhood that you aren’t just reading another Spider-Man story. Even if the presence of Uncle Ben in the Aunt May role does nothing to help with the unease you constantly feel.
Immediately creating a sense of unease benefits all the ways horror aspects of this title even before we get to the things that are scary. And while he is the star it does feel like Peter Parker is the passenger of this story. That all is due to the nature of how he transforms into Spider-Man. Which creates a scary sense of danger for what will go down as this series continues.
6) ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #25
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson; Artist: Hayden Sherman; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: Becca Carey
While Absolute Wonder Woman #25 is the middle chapter of the “Heretic” story arc it does find ways to provide payoffs to make it feel like a milestone issue. The big one is the clash between Absolute Wonder Woman and Cheetah. From the lead-up to the actual fight to the aftermath it all works to show how far Diana of the Wild Isle is willing to go to save her friend Barbara Minerva. The unique design for Absolute Cheetah that horrifically fuses the Cheetah and Barbara’s human side did a lot to add an intensity to the conflict.
All of this while Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman continue to find ways to create the Absolute Universe version how Greek mythology is integrated with DC’s superhero world. It makes things even more intriguing as we see how the Darkseid crafted the Absolute Universe in his own vision impacts every character. That includes a major change for a key Wonder Woman character that throws a big wrench in everything. Whether that is a good or bad thing is left to be seen.
5) MIDNIGHT X-MEN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman; Artist: Matteo Della Fonte; Colorist: Arthur Hesli; Letterer: Cory Petit
Jonathan Hickman showcases his world building ability is second to none with how he kicks things off with Midnight X-Men #1. For the Marvel Midnight Universe he does this by taking different iconic parts of the X-Men and alters it while maintaining the core that makes the franchise iconic. Creating this sense of familiarity helps get the reader to buy into all the ways this universe is different. You feel immersed because of your X-Men knowledge that you pay attention even more to where characters are.
All of that helps create even greater intrigue around the dynamic between the regular humans, mutant, vampires, and Empyres. Having four different sides to the conflict show that even as we get into the horror elements there is a deeper political intrigue behind everything. This helps make the conflict feel even more personal as we see how complicated the relationships between different X-Men and humans are. By the end you aren’t sure what side to be on but ready to be locked in for the rollercoaster ride.
4) UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN LIVES #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson; Artist: Mattia De Iulis; Letterer: Becca Carey
The Bride of Frankenstein Lives #1 is another big win for the partnership between Skybound Entertainment, Image Comics, and Universal. Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis do a great job of giving their own take on The Bride’s origin and character in general without deviating from what makes her such an iconic part of the Universe Monsters Universe.
This is all established early on as Thompson and Iulis take us on a journey of understanding what is going on in The Bride’s head. From the inner monologue to facial expressions, you as the reader always feel aware of how The Bride is feeling at each moment. Which gets to the point of this first issue really driving home the sense of loss and lack of control The Bride has over her life because of what she was turned into. Even when it seems she may have found an answer things go in a way you think this answer will drive further questions about The Bride to be asked.
3) POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writers: Kenny Porter and Joey Esposito; Artist: Federico Sorressa; Colorist: Raul Angulo; Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Kenny Porter, Joey Esposito, and Federico Sorressa flex the massive potential of this series with Power Rangers Unlimited #4. After kicking things off with sci-fi and heist stories we get a Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic story. And like previous issues, Power Rangers Unlimited #4 emphasizes the importance of the of the mainline Trini Kwan’s mission. This is done by showing us one altered event during the Power Rangers Lightspeed era creates a new, dangerous universe.
The new universe shown in Power Rangers Unlimited #4 gave way for the opportunity to see some big Zord vs Zord action. It was a nice change of pace as the previous issues had the Power Rangers just using their fighting abilities and weapons to take down threats. Having to throw every Zord in their disposal to take on a seemingly invincible rogue Zord was fun to see.
All that action was enough to make this a fun issue. What takes this issue to another level is the revelation of the new villain Trini and the other Power Rangers are fighting is the newly introduced Black Turbo Ranger. Having an evil Power Ranger story is a classic direction that will never not be hype. And that is certainly the case with Black Turbo Ranger’s presence.
2) TRANSFORMERS #37
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Robert Kirkman; Artist: Jason Howard; Colorist: Mike Spicer; Letterer: Rus Wooton
Transformers #37 continued Elita Prime’s journey as she is still getting her feet under her as the Autobots leader. Though the nature of the war between the Autobots and Decepticons has made it so she has no time to learn on the job. We see the toll that takes on Elita Prime as we see her go through full hero mode throughout this issue.
This portrayal of Elita Prime is handled well by Robert Kirkman and Jason Howard. It would have been easy to paint Elita Prime as a jerk who didn’t believe in the rest of her Autobots comrades. That is absolutely not the case as Elita Prime went about things the way she can because she values all the Autobots she has fought alongside so highly she felt she needed to do this. It leads to Elita Prime learning a major lesson as it is thanks to her comrades that the Autobots get a major victory. This lesson learned couldn’t come at a better time with what Soundwave accomplishes in the shadows deep within Cybertron.
1) ABSOLUTE BATMAN #25
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Scott Snyder; Artist: Nick Dragotta; Colorist: Frank Martin; Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Absolute Batman #25 delivers a strong end to whatever act that Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, and the rest of the team are on for this series. There is a very theatric feel to how things go in this issue. That started with Waylon Jones, Edward Nygma, Harvey Dent, and Oswald Cobblepot confronting Bruce. With that we learn that Absolute Joker has gotten to Bruce’s childhood friends and closest allies up to this point.
This opening scene said all that needed to be said to show how far Absolute Joker reach truly extends. It further highlights how hope in the Absolute Universe represents defiance and rebellion for the underdogs that have everything going against them. That defines where Bruce finds himself by the end of Absolute Batman #25.
Adding to the sense of drama in this issue was the big battle we’ve all wanted to see with Absolute Batman vs Joker. Absolute Joker’s transformation is horrifying as he towers over Batman, who in his own right is built like a tank. Seeing how that fight goes, while Batman survives thanks to a timely save from The Bat, this was all a reminder of the where things are in the Absolute Universe for Batman. Then we get to the final page that cemented Absolute Batman #25 as an absolutely stunning comic book.
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