Welcome to the New Number Ones!
Each week we bring you the list of new series and special editions coming this week. We are highlighting what you need to put in your cart at the comic shop or digital marketplace.
We have an alphabetical list with cover art and the official solicitation text from the publishers of some of the cool new comics that are coming out this month. Check below for our PCS NOTES to find out what we just have to tell you about the new comics in question.
As the calendar has turned to October, the “Spooky Season” is in full effect. This month has a lot of Halloween themed content. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more. Also, you will notice that the number of one-shots and graphic novels getting highlighted on this list is getting more abundant. I don’t think that is a bad thing.
We have books on the list from: DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Mad Cave Studios, Vault Comics, Image Comics, IDW Entertainment, Fantagraphic Books, Drawn and Quarterly, and Boom! Studios.
One thing to remember, we continue to measure the “comic week” as Wednesday. #NCBD is Wednesday.
We will bring you reviews of these debut issues as they come out, and don’t forget to use the comments section to let us know what you think of this list.
New Series
New One-Shots and Special Editions
New Series This Week
Abbott: 1979 #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Sami Kivelä
Cover Art by Taj Francis
On the eve of the 1980s and the Reagan Administration, Detroit is burdened with an oppressive darkness-both political and supernatural.
Dejected and tough tabloid reporter Elena Abbott, who previously defeated the occult forces responsible for her husband’s death, must dig herself out from rock bottom if she’s going to save Detroit from the Umbra, one last time…
As the trilogy’s final chapter by Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed and artist Sami Kivelä opens, Elena will have to contend with the dark cloud hanging over Detroit… and over her personally.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: We are excited to see this next chapter to Elena Abbott’s story on our solicitation list.
Alice Cooper #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Rodney Barnes
Art by Edu Menna
Cover Art by Stuart Sayger
Legendary rock acts are finding themselves attacked by demonic forces. The police investigate, but there’s little to nothing they can do to stop the problem.
At the same time, Alice Cooper has a new album out and is in the midst of a promotional tour. It’s great to see all his fans again, but there’s a disturbing trend happening in every city – more and more of his audience appear to be undead! Complicating matters, when he goes to bed at night he ventures into the Nightmare Place. When he awakens, he’s in another city standing before a throng of fans, where he meets the Archangel Gabriel.
Gabriel tells him there’s a great music club called Burning Meat where the souls of legendary musicians hang out, watching the headliner – Lucifer – play his own personal style of rock music to the raucous applause of the demons in attendance. Now, Lucifer wants to take the show to Earth and the only thing stopping him is… Alice freakin’ Cooper!
Composed and arranged by writer RODNEY BARNES and artist EDU MENNA, this power anthem of an issue has its amps turned up to 11 with a trio of amazing covers from JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER (Rodney Barnes’s collaborator on Killadelphia), the incredible STUART SAYGER, and master of horror ANDREW MANGUM – all capped off with a classic photo cover of the man himself: Alice Cooper!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This looks fun.
The Devil That Wears My Face #1
Mad Cave Studios
Written by David Pepose
Art by Alex Cormack
Cover Art by Cormack
The year is 1740, and the Vatican is in turmoil. Grappling with a profound crisis of faith, outcast exorcist Father Franco Vieri is dispatched on a mission of grave importance — to rescue a Spanish nobleman from the clutches of the sadistic demon known as Legion. But when the exorcism goes tragically wrong, Vieri finds himself trapped in a stranger’s body… and learns what horrors lie ahead when the Devil wears his face. Equal parts Face/Off and The Exorcist, Ringo Award-winning writer David Pepose and Bram Stoker Award-nominated artist Alex Cormack conjure a harrowing tale of terror, action, and body-swap intrigue that will leave comic readers at the edge of their seats.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This book has a cool premise and a great creative team. We are looking forward to it.
G.O.D.S. #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Valerio Schiti & Marte Gracia
Cover Art by Mateus Manhanini
JONATHAN HICKMAN RE-INVENTS THE COSMOLOGY OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE-POWERS-THAT-BE MEET THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS?
The infinite détente between THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS and THE-POWERS-THAT-BE nears an end. Old acquaintances are reunited during a Babylon Event. The Lion of Wolves throws the worst parties. Don’t look under the table. There’s a John Wilkes Booth penny on the ground. This ENORMOUS EXTRA-SIZED first issue features DOCTOR STRANGE, who, while not boring at all, is easily the most boring person in the book.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This is a big thing in the Marvel Universe, and when Hickman took on the mutants, it was excellent. Here is hoping his work in the cosmos of the Marvel Universe is as exciting.
The Midnight Show #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt & Bill Crabtree
Cover Art by Hurtt
From the creators of The Sixth Gun and Manor Black comes this new supernatural horror series about monsters of the silver screen coming to life and wreaking havoc on a small town. Basil Saxon is a legend among horror fans. Over fifty years ago, he vanished during a freak accident on the set of the film that would have been his masterpiece. The cursed film-God of Monsters-was never completed and has never been seen. But when a film festival shows footage from the long-lost movie, classic horror monsters manifest to wreak havoc and terror on the unsuspecting populace. A ragtag group of misfits must band together to stop the most famous creatures of all time and send them back to the realm of celluloid nightmares.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: New horror stories from Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt are a must read. Also check out the Pop Culture SquadCast Live with Cullen Bunn from this summer for more about what he is up to.
Ranger Academy #1
Boom! Studios
Written by Maria Ingrand Mora
Art by Jo Mi-Gyeong
Cover Art by Miguel Mercado
If you had a chance to join the Power Rangers, would you do it?
13-year-old Sage lives on an isolated lunar colony with her adoptive father, but her days on the farm will change forever when she comes across a wreckage with wounded passengers… people from an academy training to be something called… POWER RANGERS!
Fresh off their Free Comic Book Day preview, acclaimed YA author Maria Ingrande Mora and superstar artist Jo Mi-Gyeong introduce a bold new expansion of the Power Rangers Universe!
For the first time, discover the amazing school where Rangers are trained, and find out for yourself which Ranger color you would join!
Would you test your might as a Red Ranger, never surrender as a Black Ranger, inspire those around you as a Pink Ranger, show no fear as a Yellow Ranger, or prove that you’re the smartest kid on the team as a Blue Ranger? Enroll today!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: Fans of Power Rangers will not want to miss this.
Star Trek: Holo-Ween #1
IDW Publishing
Written by Christopher Sequeira
Art by Joe Eisma
Cover Art by Francesco Francavilla
Acclaimed writer Chris Sequeira and Eisner-nominated artist Joe Eisma are bringing horror to the holodeck in a new four-issue miniseries! After enduring an anxiety-ridden passage through a solar storm, Captain Picard and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise take to celebrating Halloween to reset the mood. But while the Earth holiday involves sweet treats and other festivities, they soon learn that fear is in season when crew members begin to go missing one by one.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This is a fast paced mini-series that is coming at you weekly. We are excited to check out this spooky trekkie goodness.
Star Wars: The High Republic – Shadows of Starlight #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Ibraim Roberson & Protobunker Studio
Cover Art by Phil Noto
WHO LIVED? WHO DIED? ANSWERS TO THE GREATEST CATASTROPHE OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE JEDI! Little has been revealed about the year following the fall of STARLIGHT BEACON and the ultimate triumph of THE NIHIL…until now! THE JEDI COUNCIL, reeling from its losses, has recalled its JEDI KNIGHTS from across the galaxy and instituted the emergency measures. MASTER YODA has a plan to save the Order and the galaxy, but he must touch the dark side to achieve it…and the consequences will be grave indeed.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This look like an interesting story.
Transformers #1
Image Comics / Skybound
Written by Daniel Warren Johnson
Art by Johnson & Mike Spicer
Cover Art by Johnson & Spicer
THE ALL NEW TRANSFORMERS ERA STARTS HERE!
Superstar creator DANIEL WARREN JOHNSON, alongside ENERGON UNIVERSE showrunner ROBERT KIRKMAN, reimagines Hasbro’s robots in disguise for a brand-new generation.
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies-the Decepticons.
As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
Discover THE TRANSFORMERS like you’ve never seen them before!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: I have three words for you: Autobots, Roll Out!
Vampirella: Dead Flowers #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Sara Frazetta & Bob Freeman
Art by Alberto Locatelli
Cover Art by Lucio Parrillo
When her age-old nemesis finally gives up the ghost, Vampirella is lured to his rural gothic estate of Rookhaven to hear the reading of his last will and testament. There, she meets the manor staff – the prurient assistant, the wild-eyed groundskeeper and his pensive young daughter, and the sinister and enigmatic Mr. Frey. Expecting a trap, Vampirella and her young companion are not disappointed – but they also get more than they bargained for in this thrilling adventure!
Written by SARA FRAZETTA and BOB FREEMAN and illustrated by ALBERTO LOCATELLI, this brand-new miniseries is steeped in gothic horror, complete with a sinister mansion, a mist-enshrouded graveyard, and a bevy of witches, ghosts, werewolves, and ancient satanic magicks. And all of it is enclosed in an amazing assortment of covers from some of comics’ greatest artists, including LUCIO PARRILLO, COLLETTE TURNER, ERGUN GUNDUZ, series artist ALBERTO LOCATELLI, and Frazetta Girls’ very own SARA FRAZETTA!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: I am interested in this to see the story play out.
New One-Shots and Specials
Clementine: Book Two TP
Image Comics / Skybound
Written by Tillie Walden
Art by Walden
Cover Art by Walden
Original Graphic Novel
Clementine and her new friends are rescued by an island community led by enigmatic doctor Miss Morro. But just as Clementine’s scars are finally beginning to heal, she discovers dark secrets that threaten to tear her new life apart.
Can Miss Morro be trusted? What about the rest of the islanders? And just how far will Clementine go to protect the ones she loves?
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: The second foray into this character is a welcome edition to our read pile.
DC’s Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun #1
DC Comics
Written by John Arcudi, Alex Galer, Hans Rodionoff, Greg Burnham, Adam F. Goldber, Ellen Trimitri, Soman Chainani, Christopher Sean, & Laneya
Art by Tyler Crook, Javier Rodriguez, Shawn McManus, Dexter Soy, Pablo M. Collar, & Danny Earls
Cover Art by Alvaro Martinez Bueno
One-Shot Special
SKIN-CRAWLING STORIES OF THE DC GHOUL-IVERSE! Superman imprisoned by an unfriendly ghost! Man-Bat versus a werewolf! Mary Marvel and Dr. Psycho crashing a Halloween frat party! Plus: the Question faces horrific crimes of fashion; Robotman wrestles a ghostly glitch; Crush helps Lobo find the perfect costume; and Nightwing and Red Hood spend a frightful night in Blüdhaven, co-written by Christopher Sean, the voice of Nightwing from the Gotham Knights video game! The chills will last longer than your candy corn!
Release Date: October 3, 2023
PCS NOTES: Did we mention it is October? DC delivers their spooky anthology this week.
Eerie Archives Vol. 1 TP
Dark Horse Comics
Written by Various
Art by Various
Cover Art by Frank Frazetta
Collected Edition
Now available in an affordable paperback format, Eerie Archives Volume 1 features some of the most acclaimed works of horror, murder, and the macabre in the history of graphic fiction. Eerie, like its killer kin Creepy, features work from many of the grandmasters of comics storytelling, including Frank Frazetta, Al Williamson, Gray Morrow, Alex Toth, Steve Ditko, and others and stories by the legendary Archie Goodwin. Features the ultra-rare Eerie #1, for which only two hundred “ashcan” copies were originally printed!
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: There have been a few collected archival comics hitting the market lately and you do not want to miss this one. With appropriate seasonal timing, the early Eerie issues will tingle your spine in all the right ways.
Monica HC
Fantagraphic Books
Written by Daniel Clowes
Art by Clowes
Cover Art by Clowes
Original Graphic Novel
Monica is a series of interconnected narratives that collectively tell the life story — actually, stories — of its title character. Clowes calls upon a lifetime of inspiration to create the most complex and personal graphic novel of his distinguished career. Rich with visual detail, an impeccable ear for language and dialogue, and thrilling twists, Monica is a multilayered masterpiece in comics form that alludes to many of the genres that have defined the medium — war, romance, horror, crime, the supernatural, etc. — but in a mysterious, uncategorizable, and quintessentially Clowesian way that rewards multiple readings.
Five years in the making, Monica marks the apex of creativity from one of the defining voices of the graphic novel boom over the past quarter-century. A new book from Clowes is always a huge event in comics and literary circles; Monica will be the biggest literary event of 2023.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This is a no-brainer. Get it. Read it.
My Picture Diary HC
Drawn and Quarterly
Written by Fujiwara Maki
Art by Maki
Cover Art by Maki
Original Graphic Novel
The wife of Japan’s most lauded manga-ka documents a year in their lives with her own artistry.
In 1981, Fujiwara Maki began a picture diary about daily life with her son and husband, the legendary manga author Tsuge Yoshiharu. Publishing was not her original intention. “I wanted to record our family’s daily life while our son, Shosuke, was small. But as 8mm cameras were too expensive and we were poor, I decided on the picture diary format instead. I figured Shosuke would enjoy reading it when he got older.”
Drawn in a simple, personable style, and covering the same years fictionalized in Tsuge’s final masterpiece The Man Without Talent, Fujiwara’s journal focuses on the joys of daily life amidst the stresses of childrearing, housekeeping, and managing a depressed husband. A touching and inspiring testimony of one Japanese woman’s resilience, My Picture Diary is also an important glimpse of the enigma that is Tsuge. Fujiwara’s diary is unsparing. It provides a stark picture of the gender divide in their household: Tsuge sleeps until noon and does practically nothing. He never compliments her cooking, and dictates how money is spent. Not once is he shown drawing. And yet Fujiwara remains surprisingly empathetic toward her mercurial husband.
Translated by Ryan Holmberg, this edition sheds light on Fujiwara’s life, her own career in art, writing, and underground theater, and her extensive influence upon her husband’s celebrated manga.
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: This is really interesting, and I am excited to check it out!
Parasocial HC
Image Comics
Written by Alex de Campi
Art by Erica Henderson
Cover Art by Henderson
Original Graphic Novel
In the middle of the pandemic, a fading genre-TV actor, fresh from his long-running series’ cancellation, collides with an obsessive fan at a Texas convention. When she lures him to her home, he’ll have to put on the greatest performance of his life simply to survive until morning. Unless, of course, he’s the real monster…
Release Date: October 4, 2023
PCS NOTES: Great concept and creative team.
Superman: The Harvests of Youth GN TP
DC Comics
Written by Sina Grace
Art by Grace
Cover Art by Grace
Original Graphic Novel
Clark Kent’s idyllic teen life is wrenched away when the death of a classmate rocks Smallville. As he and his friends grieve, the challenges they face become darker, more complex, and deeply insidious. For the first time in his life, Clark must grapple with life’s biggest questions, and confront his own mortality (or lack thereof) in order to become the hero his beloved town needs. Acclaimed GLAAD Media Award-nominated writer and artist Sina Grace tells the deeply moving and quintessential story of teenage Clark Kent and the town that must overcome grief and hate to restore hope.
Release Date: October 3, 2023
PCS NOTES: DC has been doing excellent work in the YA space and giving Sina Grace this space to explore seems like a good move.
Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 1 TP
DC Comics
Written by Sarah Dealy
Art by Rachel Koo & Syro
Cover Art by Vasco Georgiev
Collected Edition
On her 21st birthday, Zatanna Zatara is attacked and bested by a mysterious sorceress. Before the final blow is dealt, her father, Giovanni, casts a spell of his own, warping the magic of his attacker and sending Zatanna out of the frying pan and into ye olde garbage bin. Zatanna arrives in Whitechapel, London, in the year 1888. She soon discovers a serial killer plaguing the streets of the city—Jack the Ripper. Unable to return home and certain that the supernatural killer has answers, Zatanna sets out in pursuit of the Ripper alongside the denizens of Whitechapel and one John Constantine.
Collecting the first 11 episodes of Webtoon’s smash-hit series, optimized for a brand-new reading experience in print.
Release Date: October 3, 2023
PCS NOTES: Collecting the Webtoon collaborations, seems like an easy win for comic fans and DC.
