COMIC CRUSADERS HOT LIST: THE 10 HOTTEST COMICS FOR SEPTEMBER 29th & 30th, 2026

WEPAAAAAA, CRUSADERS!

September is going out throwing HAYMAKERS. This is one of those weeks where your wallet walks into the comic shop confident and comes back outside looking like it just survived Secret Wars. We have a genuine historic Marvel milestone, X-Men fighting Xenomorphs, Pinhead dragging his chains back into comics, Jonathan Hickman dropping another piece of his giant 3W3M universe, Eric Powell bringing Hillbilly back, and Spawn quietly creeping toward another ridiculous milestone.

As always, this ain’t a pull-list dump. The Comic Crusaders HOT LIST is about the books generating the most interesting combination of reader attention, collector potential, fandom heat, key-issue possibilities, covers, creative teams and straight-up “YO, WHAT IS THAT?” energy.

Let’s get into this madness!

10. SPAWN #379

Image Comics
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Recommended Cover: Cover B by Kael Ngu

Do people even understand how absolutely BONKERS it is that Spawn is sitting at issue #379? Todd McFarlane’s universe just keeps moving while everybody else relaunches, renumbers, reboots, renames and eventually comes crawling back to legacy numbering. This week old enemies start hearing that Spawn is back in the city, except our boy isn’t necessarily the hunter anymore. He’s the prey.

Matthew Rosenberg and Stephen Segovia have been keeping the mythology moving, but collectors should also remember the bigger picture here. Every issue pushes Spawn another step toward #400. Once that number starts appearing over the horizon, I expect people to start paying closer attention to this stretch of the run.

HOT LIST HEAT: Long-running Spawn collectors, strong cover game and the march toward #400.

9. HILLBILLY: THE TREASON OF TWELVE-TOE MAGGIE #1

Dark Horse Comics
Writer/Artist: Eric Powell
Recommended Cover: Cover B by Becky Cloonan

ERIC POWELL IS BACK ON HILLBILLY. That sentence alone gets this book through the damn door. Rondel returns years after the Great Witch War and somehow ends up magically bound to his former captor, Twelve-Toe Maggie. Powell’s strange Appalachian folklore universe has always felt like somebody mixed old ghost stories, fantasy comics and something your grandmother warned you not to investigate in the woods after midnight.

This is a new three-issue story and, importantly, Dark Horse is positioning it as a jumping-on point. That makes #1 attractive beyond existing Hillbilly readers. And then they put Becky Cloonan on the variant. C’mon now.

HOT LIST HEAT: Eric Powell return, new #1, accessible jumping-on point and a gorgeous Cloonan alternative for cover hunters.

8. ADVENTURE TIME HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1

Oni Press
Writer: Jeremy Melloul
Artist: Adam Seats
Recommended Cover: Cover C by Violet Tobacco

Finn and Jake plus Halloween? Take my candy money. This is being billed as Adventure Time’s FIRST-EVER Halloween special, which immediately gives it a little historical hook within the franchise. Finn and Jake accept a dungeon quest without reading the fine print and start transforming into the monsters inside.

The Adventure Time comic audience has remained surprisingly durable, and Oni understands exactly how to package these books for both readers and collectors. There are four covers, including an Adam Seats 1:10 incentive, but that Violet Tobacco Cover C is the one I’m watching because it looks like something Adventure Time fans could gravitate toward long after Halloween decorations get shoved back into the closet.

HOT LIST HEAT: First Adventure Time Halloween special, evergreen fandom and multiple collectible covers.

7. THREE WORLDS / THREE MOONS: SHIFT #1

Dark Horse Comics
Writers: Jonathan Hickman & Nick Spencer
Artist: Mike Del Mundo
Recommended Cover: Mike Del Mundo Cover A

HICKMAN. SPENCER. DEL MUNDO. Yeah, you got my attention. This one-shot brings material from Jonathan Hickman’s massive Three Worlds / Three Moons universe into comic shops, and this is exactly the type of book that can slip underneath the radar because it isn’t Spider-Man punching somebody on the cover.

Hickman has built a readership that follows ideas as much as characters. When he starts laying bricks for a universe, people pay attention because you never know which apparently small piece eventually becomes important. Mike Del Mundo handling the art and cover makes the package even nastier.

HOT LIST HEAT: Hickman factor, expanding universe, unusual format and Mike Del Mundo artwork.

6. GEIGER #25

Image Comics / Ghost Machine
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Recommended Cover: Cover F by Gary Frank & Brad Anderson, Witchblade Team-Up Variant

Twenty-five issues. That matters when you’re talking about a creator-owned universe that Ghost Machine is actively trying to turn into something much bigger. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank hitting #25 with Geiger feels less like a random anniversary and more like proof that this world has legs.

There is also a surprisingly deep cover program this week, including Bryan Hitch, Tony Daniel, a McFarlane Toys action-figure variant and a Gary Frank Witchblade team-up cover. THAT last one is where my collector eyeballs went.

HOT LIST HEAT: Anniversary issue, Ghost Machine growth, major cover artists and Witchblade crossover-cover appeal.

5. AMAZING VENOM #1

Marvel Comics
Recommended Cover: Erik Larsen Homage Variant

Wait. AMAZING Venom? Marvel knew exactly what it was doing with that title. This five-issue series arrives with Stefano Caselli on the main cover and a whole stack of variants including Matteo Lolli foil, Ito, Luke Ross, Ryan Browne, Stephen Segovia and an Erik Larsen homage.

Venom collectors are a different species, fam. Symbiote books can generate attention far outside the normal readership when the concept or cover hits correctly, and attaching the word AMAZING to Venom practically invites Spider-Man comparisons before you even crack the book.

HOT LIST HEAT: Venom collector base, #1 issue, five-part format and strong variant program.

4. HELLRAISER: RESURRECTIONS – THE RETURN OF THE PRIEST #1

BOOM! Studios
Writer: Sarah Gailey
Artist: Alessio Avallone
Recommended Cover: Main cover / Hell Priest cover

THE BOX HAS OPENED AGAIN. Pinhead is back in comics. More importantly, this isn’t being positioned as some random licensed one-shot that disappears into the long boxes. Resurrections begins a sequence of five one-shots designed to set up a NEW Hellraiser ongoing series.

Horror comics have been eating GOOD, and recognizable horror IP has become its own collector lane. A genuine new starting point for Hellraiser comics makes this one of my favorite sleeper pickups of the entire week.

HOT LIST HEAT: Pinhead returns, first chapter toward a new ongoing series, horror collector crossover and major franchise recognition.

3. WONDER WOMAN: WONDER WAR – THE MATRIARCH SPECIAL #1

DC Comics

DC earns its chair at the table with a Wonder Woman special tied directly into the Wonder War action. Event-connected specials can be tricky collector territory, but Wonder Woman’s readership, the Matriarch focus and the one-shot format make this the DC book I’m watching hardest on this week’s shelf.

HOT LIST HEAT: Wonder Woman fandom, event connection and one-shot accessibility.

2. ALIEN VS. X-MEN #1

Marvel Comics
Recommended Cover: John Romita Jr. Foil Variant

Fam. XENOMORPHS. VERSUS. X-MEN. Sometimes comics do not require a TED Talk. Ryan Stegman leads the main cover while Marvel loaded this thing with variants from John Romita Jr., Alan Quah, Pablo Villalobos, Bjorn Barends, Ivan Shavrin and others.

Alien has already proven it can live comfortably inside Marvel’s publishing ecosystem. X-Men remains one of Marvel’s biggest franchises. Combining the two gives Marvel something capable of reaching superhero readers, horror fans, Alien collectors and people who simply want to see whether Wolverine getting facehugged is the worst idea in mutant history.

Actually… can a facehugger survive Wolverine? YO. Now I need answers.

HOT LIST HEAT: Massive franchise crossover, #1 issue, X-Men fandom, Alien collectors and tremendous cover potential.

1. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1000

Marvel Comics
Recommended Cover: Steve Ditko Black & White 1:50 Variant
Alternate Pick: Alex Ross Variant

ONE. THOUSAND. ISSUES. Forget speculation for a second. Forget variants. Forget aftermarket nonsense. Amazing Spider-Man reaching #1000 is comic-book HISTORY.

Marvel went absolutely nuclear on the celebration. Joe Kelly and Pepe Larraz headline an issue that introduces Ravage while creators from across Spider-Man history return for the milestone. There are Romita covers, Bagley, Campbell, Ross, McGuinness, Larsen, Ramos, Gleason, Ditko imagery and enough variants to wallpaper Peter Parker’s apartment.

And some of those covers were already disappearing from retailer inventories before release day. For collectors, choosing the right cover is going to become half the sport. I’m watching the Steve Ditko 1:50 because Ditko imagery attached to issue #1000 feels historically appropriate, while Alex Ross gives you the kind of timeless Spider-Man cover that could still look gorgeous twenty years from now.

If you collect Spider-Man history, how the hell do you NOT own Amazing Spider-Man #1000?

HOT LIST HEAT: Historic #1000 milestone, new villain Ravage, enormous creator roster, retailer sellouts on select variants and one of the biggest Spider-Man releases of the decade.

But don’t mistake #1 for me telling you to mortgage the crib and buy every incentive cover Marvel printed. Collect what YOU like. Speculation is part of the fun, not a retirement strategy.

This week’s shelf is loaded with books that deserve attention for completely different reasons. Alien vs. X-Men has crossover insanity. Hellraiser could represent the beginning of another serious run for the franchise. Shift has Hickman’s fingerprints all over another giant universe. Hillbilly brings Eric Powell back to one of his strangest creations. Adventure Time gives collectors a genuine franchise first.

That’s a HEALTHY week for comics. Buy what you read. Collect what you love. And if something becomes valuable later? WEPAAAAA! That’s gravy.

THE CRUSADE NEVER ENDS!