When it comes to new comic books, October might just be the biggest month of 2024. DC alone looks to dominate the sales charts this month, as they're wrapping up the Absolute Power crossover and kicking off a new line-wide initiative called DC All In. That includes the launch of the Absolute Universe, essentially DC's long-awaited answer to Marvel Ultimate Universe.
Elsewhere this month, Marvel is launching major new titles like Iron Man and Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising, while Geoff Johns' Ghost Machine imprint expands with the debut of Hyde Street and Skybound gives G.I. Joe fans the massive A Real American Hero compendium they've been craving. Read on to see all the biggest new comic book releases of October 2024, and be sure to let us know what you'll be reading in the comments below.
DC All In #1
- Creative Team: Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Daniel Sampere, Wes Craig & Dan Mora
- Publisher: DC
- Release Date: Oct. 2
- Get it at Amazon
October is really starting off with a bang on the DC front. Not only does October 2 mark the release of the fourth and final chapter of Absolute Power, it's also the day DC drops DC All In #1. This oversized, standalone issue chronicles the latest confrontation between the reformed Justice League and a powered-up Darkseid. That clash will set the stage for a brand new status quo for the DC Universe. This issue is a foundation on which every DC title - new and continuing - will build going forward. That means plenty of accessible new comics, as well as easy jumping-on points for existing comics. Not only that, this issue is also where we get our first taste of the new Absolute Universe. Speaking of...
The Absolute Universe
- Creative Team: Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta, Kelly Thompson & Hayden Sherman
- Publisher: DC
- Release Date: Oct. 2 (Absolute Batman #1), Oct. 23 (Absolute Wonder Woman #1)
Marvel's Ultimate Universe, in both its incarnations, is built around updating and streamlining iconic heroes for a contemporary audience, without the need to worry about decades of existing continuity. That's essentially what DC is doing with the Absolute Universe. These new ongoing comics feature DC mainstays like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, but they've been completely reimagined for a new universe.
DC is kicking things off in October with the first two of the five books announced so far. In Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's Absolute Batman, we'll meet a musclebound Bruce Wayne who's a civil engineer rather than a billionaire playboy. In Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman's Absolute Wonder Woman, we'll see a version of Diana who grew up in Hades without the loving sisterhood of Themyscira. These heroes lack the advantages of their regular DCU counterparts, but they're still fighting the good fight.
Hyde Street #1
- Creative Team: Geoff Johns & Ivan Reis
- Publisher: Image/Ghost Machine
- Release Date: Oct. 2
- Get it at Amazon
Geoff Johns and his collaborators launched the ambitious Ghost Machine imprint earlier this year, and the line continues to expand. The latest Ghost Machine book is particularly exciting for two reasons. One, it sees Johns branching out into horror rather than the sci-fi and superhero approach of books like Geoiger and Rook: Exodus. Two, it reunites him with Blackest Night artist Ivan Reis. Hyde Street is a horror anthology where all the characters and stories are linked by a common mystery - what is the true nature of the titular street?
Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku - Insurgency Rising #1-3
- Creative Team: Alex Segura, Leonard Kirk & Stefano Raffaelle
- Publisher: Marvel
- Release Date: Oct. 2, Oct. 16 & Oct. 30
- Get it at Amazon
Marvel recently wrapped up the monthly Star Wars and Darth Vader comics, ending their lengthy exploration of the period in between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Now they're moving ahead to the era of the New Republic. But rather than immediately kick off a new slate of ongoing books, they're focusing on fleshing out The Battle of Jakku - the cataclysmic final conflict between the victorious Rebel Alliance and the dying Empire. That story is being told in a trilogy of limited series that will be published biweekly over the next several months.
Wonder Woman #14
- Creative Team: Tom King & Daniel Sampere
- Publisher: DC
- Release Date: Oct. 16
- Get it at Amazon
While plenty of DC books are getting new creative teams and new directions in October, they aren't fixing what isn't broken on Wonder Woman. Tom King and Daniel Sampere kick off a new storyline with issue #14, one that promises to address the biggest mystery of the series. Issue #14 showcases the birth of baby Trinity, which means we may finally learn the identity of her father. Whatever happens, this is an easy jumping-on point for what has easily been one of DC's best comics over the past year, so don't miss it.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Compendium One TPB
- Creative Team: Larry Hama & Various Artists
- Publisher: Image/Skybound
- Release Date: Oct. 22
- Get it at Amazon
Skybound rebooted the Transformers and G.I. Joe universes when they acquired the rights to the two franchises last year, and the results have so far been fantastic. But there's also a wealth of existing material that needs reprinting. Thankfully, Image is prioritizing Larry Hama's seminal G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero series. This Compendium paperback crams in no fewer than 50 issues for a measly $65. It's hard to argue with that kind of value.
Alien: Romulus #1
- Creative Team: Zac Thompson & Daniel Picciotto
- Publisher: Marvel
- Release Date: Oct. 23
- Get it at Amazon
Just in time for the digital release of the Alien: Romulus movie, Marvel is releasing a companion comic. This book serves as a prequel to the film, revealing what exactly happened on the space station Renaissance before Rain, Andy, and the gang showed up. Expect some major questions to be answered as we see Weyland-Yutani's best and brightest intercept a Xenomorph and discover firsthand how dangerous these creatures can be. best of all, the comic was developed with input from Romulus director Fede Alvarez and screenwriter Rodo Sayagues.
Detective Comics #1090
- Creative Team: Tom Taylor & Mikel Janin
- Publisher: DC
- Release Date: Oct. 23
- Get it at Amazon
The bad news is that Tom Taylor has ended his long and critically acclaimed run on Nightwing. The good news is that Taylor is making the jump to a different branch of the Batman family tree, and he's bringing a talented Bat-veteran with him. Detective Comics #1090 marks the start of Taylor and artist Mikel Janin's run on the series. Even as the Dark Knight grapples with a new threat in the present, he'll unravel a mystery that ties back to the deaths of his parents. If you've been looking for a good starting point for a monthly Batman comic, it's hard to do much better than this.
Iron Man #1
- Creative Team: Spencer Ackerman & Julius Ohta
- Publisher: Marvel
- Release Date: Oct. 23
- Get it at Amazon
With the X-Men franchise shifting in a new direction lately, Iron Man is back to being a free agent, and that means its time for another relaunch. But this isn't a return to basics for Tony Stark by any means. The new series opens with a storyline called "The Stark-Roxxon War," as AIM and Roxxon join forces to take down the beleaguered Stark Unlimited. But they haven't counted on facing an Iron Man who's fed up with playing nice. What happens when Tony Stark stops acting like a hero and fights to win? What happens when Iron Man wields a giant sword? And what kind of Iron Man comic do you get when you hire a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist as the writer? These are all questions we're excited to see answered.
Power Rangers: Across the Morphin Grid #1
- Creative Team: Various
- Publisher: BOOM! Studios
- Release Date: Oct. 30
- Get it at Amazon
Recently, BOOM! Studios turned heads with the release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return, a limited series written by original Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson. Across the Morphin Grid is basically a concentrated dose of that, featuring seven stories each written by a different Power Rangers actor. The lineup includes original Blue Ranger David Yost and Black Ranger Walter Jones. Consider this a fun way of tiding over readers until the upcoming launch of Power Rangers Prime in November.
For more from the world of comics, check out our breakdown of the most terrifying Juji Ito manga and see an exclusive preview of MrBallen Presents: Strange, Dark & Mysterious.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
