Comic Crusaders Hot List: The 10 Hottest Comics For October 6th & 7th, 2026

WEPAAAAAAAA! THE CRUSADE IS BACK ON THE RACKS!

New Comic Book Day came to NYCC week looking for smoke. We got milestone books, vampires, monsters, a resurrected ’90s bad girl, Lara Croft invading Cobra Island, Godzilla walking into freaking Oz and one of the biggest modern indie horror books hitting issue #50. This is exactly the kind of week where collectors can get distracted by shiny variants and miss the book everybody is talking about two days later.

So you already know how Comic Crusaders does this. This ain’t ten books pulled out of a catalog. We’re looking at reader heat, collector interest, fandom, creative teams, variants, first issues, milestones, potential surprises and books people are actually going to give a damn about.

Here we go, fam.

10. AVENGELYNE #1

Image Comics

Writer: Rob Liefeld
Artist: Daniel Mainé
Cover A: Daniel Mainé
On Sale: October 7, 2026

The ’90s refuse to die, and I’m perfectly fine with that. Rob Liefeld brings Avengelyne back with Daniel Mainé for a fresh beginning while Warner Bros. already has a movie adaptation in development. Image is even supporting the launch with a special midnight-release Liefeld variant, which tells you they’re putting some muscle behind this comeback.

WHY IT’S HOT: Legacy character, new #1, Liefeld collectors, multiple covers and outside-media potential. That’s enough ingredients to make collectors pay attention.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Rob Liefeld Midnight Release Variant. If we’re talking about the collectible story surrounding this launch, that’s the one I’d chase.

9. MIDNIGHT: FANTASTIC FOUR #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Kev Walker
Cover A: Kev Walker
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Marvel isn’t dipping a toe into horror. They’re throwing the whole damn family into the darkness. Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker twist the Fantastic Four concept toward cosmic and body horror as scientific obsession opens doors that probably should’ve stayed locked.

This is also one-third of Marvel’s simultaneous Midnight Universe launch, and all three debut books hit shelves this week. That’s a collector event whether the line ultimately explodes or crashes.

WHY IT’S HOT: New universe, #1 issue, Fantastic Four, horror reinterpretation and an easy jumping-on point.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Kev Walker Cover A. First issue of a new continuity? Give me the primary cover that establishes the visual identity.

8. GODZILLA’S MONSTERPIECE THEATRE PRESENTS: THE KAIJU OF OZ #1

IDW Publishing

Writer: Mike Costa
Artist: Ryan Browne
Cover A: Tom Scioli
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Fam, it’s Godzilla in Oz.

Sometimes comics don’t need a TED Talk.

Mike Costa and Ryan Browne send the King of the Monsters into the Wonderful Land of Oz, while the issue also wraps Tom Scioli’s Godzilla vs. Robin Hood material. Godzilla collectors have been eating good, but Monsterpiece Theatre understands something beautiful about comics: sometimes the wild-ass idea IS the selling point.

WHY IT’S HOT: Godzilla’s collector base is enormous, the concept is completely bananas, it’s self-contained enough to attract casual buyers and the covers are tailor-made for monster collectors.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Tom Scioli Cover A.

7. THE DEMON #1

DC Comics

Writer/Artist: James Harren
Cover A: James Harren
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Now we’re talking. James Harren gets unleashed on Etrigan. That’s already enough to get my attention. Jason Blood is back dealing with a world infested by unseen hellish creatures, and DC gave this launch a serious cover lineup.

This is exactly the type of character who can go overlooked beside Batman and Superman until somebody drops a killer run and suddenly everybody is hunting issue #1.

WHY IT’S HOT: Fresh #1, cult DC character, James Harren handling writing AND art, excellent variant artists and perfect October timing.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Daniel Warren Johnson variant.

6. BATMAN #14

DC Comics

Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Matteo Scalera
Cover A: Matteo Scalera
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Batman doesn’t automatically get into the Hot List just because he’s Batman. The book has to earn the spot. This one does.

Matt Fraction’s run keeps moving while Matteo Scalera handles the visuals, with Poison Ivy’s bloom threatening Gotham and Verity Pennyworth defending Wayne Manor. Then look at the damn cover bench: Dan Mora, Dustin Nguyen, Ryan Sook, David Aja, Jim Lee and more. That’s collector warfare.

WHY IT’S HOT: Batman’s current run remains a destination title, Fraction has reader attention, and DC loaded this issue with enough cover talent to wreck a collector’s wallet.

RECOMMENDED COVER: David Aja 1:25.

5. BENEATH THE TREES WHERE NOBODY SEES: HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

IDW Dark

Creators: Patrick Horvath, James Tynion IV, Tony Fleecs, Che Grayson, Dave Wachter, Jared Cullum, Tyler Boss, Matt Emmons and more
Cover A: Patrick Horvath
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Do NOT sleep on the cute animals murdering people.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees built itself a serious following, and this Halloween anthology brings Samantha Strong’s legend back through stories from a loaded lineup of creators.

WHY IT’S HOT: Cult indie property, Halloween timing, stacked creators and a character/concept with genuine crossover appeal.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Francesco Francavilla IDW Goes Dark Variant.

4. MIDNIGHT: SPIDER-MAN #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: SCIETRONC
Cover A: Steve Beach
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Spider-Man enters Marvel’s new Midnight Universe, and you know exactly what’s going to happen whenever the words Spider-Man and #1 share a cover. People are buying it.

I’m more interested in whether this universe gives us versions of Spidey characters that actually stick. New universes become collector playgrounds when they start producing characters and designs that migrate beyond the original books.

WHY IT’S HOT: Spider-Man #1, new universe, horror angle, variant madness and plenty of room for new character interpretations.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Peach Momoko Midnight Special Virgin 1:50.

3. G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO / TOMB RAIDER #1

Skybound / Image Comics

Writer: Kyle Higgins
Artist: Elena Casagrande
Colorist: Alex Guimarães
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
On Sale: October 7, 2026

Knowing is half the battle. Apparently raiding tombs is the other half.

Lara Croft meets the G.I. Joe crew for the first time, with Kyle Higgins and Elena Casagrande sending Lara to Cobra Island alongside Shipwreck and the Joes while Destro and Baroness hunt the same artifact.

WHY IT’S HOT: This is literally the first G.I. Joe/Tomb Raider crossover. Sometimes the collectible hook doesn’t need detective work.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Chris Mooneyham 1:25 Vintage Joe Variant.

2. MIDNIGHT: X-MEN #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Matteo Della Fonte
Cover A: Dike Ruan
On Sale: October 7, 2026

HICKMAN. X-MEN. AGAIN.

Yeah, you knew this was landing high. Marvel’s new Midnight reality throws mutants into a New York stalked by vampires, with mutant and vampire factions sliding toward war. More importantly for readers, Jonathan Hickman is returning to the X-Men playground in an entirely new continuity.

Of the three Midnight launches, this is the one I’m watching hardest from the story side. Hickman gets a fresh board, no baggage and permission to rearrange the pieces. That’s dangerous.

WHY IT’S HOT: Hickman’s X-Men return, brand-new continuity, #1 issue, horror X-Men and a big variant program.

RECOMMENDED COVER: Dike Ruan Cover A.

1. SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #50

BOOM! Studios

Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Werther Dell’Edera
Cover A: Werther Dell’Edera
On Sale: October 7, 2026

There was no way I was putting anything else at #1.

FIFTY ISSUES.

For a creator-owned horror comic in today’s market, that’s not just another number on the cover. Something Is Killing the Children has become one of the defining independent comics of its era, and issue #50 brings Erica Slaughter back into the present-day storyline following the Tribulation saga.

BOOM! is treating this like the event it is. Regular covers, a blind bag, Jenny Frison, Eric Zawadzki, Chloe Brailsford, J. Scott Campbell, Yanick Paquette and then the monster sitting at the end of the incentive ladder: Peach Momoko 1:500.

WHY IT’S HOT: Milestone #50, Erica Slaughter’s return to the present storyline, major creator-owned franchise, massive collector ecosystem and one of the week’s strongest genuine readerships.

RECOMMENDED COVER: For sane money, Jenny Frison Cover B. For the high-end collector hunt, the Peach Momoko 1:500. And if you enjoy gambling with your comic budget like a lunatic, there’s the blind bag.

This week is NASTY. Marvel is trying to establish an entire horror reality in one shot. DC is handing Etrigan to James Harren. Lara Croft is storming Cobra Island. Samantha Strong is back just in time for Halloween. Avengelyne is climbing out of the ’90s. Godzilla somehow found the Yellow Brick Road. And while everybody is fighting over shiny #1s, Something Is Killing the Children quietly walks into the shop carrying a big-ass #50 on the cover. That’s comics, baby.

My three strongest plays this week: Something Is Killing the Children #50 for the milestone and established fanbase, Midnight: X-Men #1 for Hickman returning to mutant territory in a brand-new continuity, and G.I. Joe / Tomb Raider #1 because genuine first-ever franchise meetings don’t happen every Wednesday.

The Crusade Never Ends!