New comics land Wednesday, October 7 — and for one day, Marvel's entire line gets replaced by something darker. Three simultaneous "Midnight Universe" #1s reboot the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man as cosmic horror, James Harren takes his own swing at DC's Demon, and the Bad Seeds crossover keeps spreading through Gotham. Here's what's worth watching.
This Week's Highlights
Midnight X-Men #1 (Marvel)
Jonathan Hickman returns to the X-Men for the lead title of Marvel's "Midnight Universe" launch — a same-day, three-book event reimagining the Marvel Universe as a horror line. Matteo Della Fonte draws the first strike in a vampire-vs-mutant war breaking out across New York City.
Midnight Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel)
Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker send Reed Richards down a body-horror rabbit hole in the second "Midnight Universe" debut — an obsessive scientist's reach into the universe's secrets leaves him, and his family, permanently changed.
Midnight Spider-Man #1 (Marvel)
Phillip Kennedy Johnson closes out the "Midnight Universe" launch trio with an Oscorp-born reinvention of Spider-Man — the same creative gamble driving all three debuts, now aimed at Marvel's biggest icon.
Demon #1 (DC Comics)
James Harren writes and draws this "Next Level" relaunch of Jason Blood and Etrigan, as a darkness the world can't see unleashes beasts from Hell. One of the week's most-flagged new #1s across collector sites, with a stacked variant lineup from Daniel Warren Johnson, Michael Walsh, and Hayden Sherman.
Jonah Hex and the Shadow of Death #1 (of 6) (DC Comics)
Master-of-horror Michael Walsh writes and draws a new Jonah Hex mini set at the quiet, brutal end of the Wild West. Trade press and collector sites alike flagged the Brian Bolland variant covers as an early speculation target.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero / Tomb Raider #1 (of 5) (Image Comics)
Kyle Higgins sends Lara Croft and an elite G.I. Joe battalion crashing into Cobra Island for the first-ever team-up between the two franchises. Chris Mooneyham's incentive covers have drawn steady buzz since the series was announced.
Runners-Up to Watch
A handful of additional releases drawing solid attention this week:
Avengelyne #1 (Image Comics)
Rob Liefeld relaunches his '90s "Avenging Angel" with a fresh #1 — a priest losing his faith and a celestial warrior crossing paths, with a film adaptation already in development.
Batman #14 (DC Comics)
Matt Fraction and Matteo Scalera turn up the heat on "Bad Seeds" with the coldest villain in Gotham. The Jim Lee Clayface movie tie-in variant and Dustin Nguyen's Kingdom Come 30th-anniversary card stock cover are both drawing extra attention this week.
Absolute Superman #24 (DC Comics)
"Get Brainiac" continues as Jason Aaron and Juan Ferreyra suit up Absolute Steel for the hunt — a flagship title in DC's high-buzz Absolute Universe line.
Batgirl #24 (DC Comics)
Tate Brombal and Takeshi Miyazawa send Batgirl racing across a Gotham transformed by the "Bad Seeds" superbloom. Kyuyong Eom's spot-foil variant has been singled out by collector press as one of the week's best covers.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 (Oni Press)
Corinna Bechko and Kano launch a new ongoing just in time for Halloween — the local teenage witch's first new series in years, backed by one of the week's deepest variant lineups.
Pop Kill: Big Candy #1 (of 4) (Mad Cave Studios)
The Cola Wars are over — the Sugar Wars are about to begin. Jimmy Palmiotti and Dave Johnson pick up eight months after Pop Kill's chaos with a deep cardstock variant lineup, including Brian Stelfreeze's black-bag edition.
Also worth a mention: Something Is Killing the Children #50 hits its milestone issue this week, but it isn't in our catalog yet — check back soon.
Browse by Publisher
Every new release this week, filtered live by publisher — always current, no giant scroll required:
- Image Comics — 17 releases
- DC Comics — 13 releases
- Dynamite — 13 releases
- Dark Horse — 9 releases
- Titan Comics — 6 releases
- IDW Publishing — 5 releases
- Massive Publishing — 5 releases
- Marvel — 3 releases
- BOOM! — 2 releases
- Everything else — Mad Cave Studios, Oni Press, Ignition Press, TwoMorrows Publishing, Prana Publishers, BAD IDEA, ABLAZE, Rebellion Publishing, and more
Sources
- Key Collector Comics — New Comics This Week
- Comics Heating Up — Comic Picks of the Week for Delivery 10/7/26
- Comics Beat — Marvel October 2026 Solicitations: The Clock Strikes Midnight
- Comics Beat — DC Comics October 2026 Solicitations
- ThePopverse — Midnight X-Men Release Schedule
- ICv2 — Rob Liefeld to Launch New Avengelyne Series
- Comic Watch — Chris Mooneyham's G.I. Joe / Tomb Raider Variant Covers
- Dark Horse — Paul Chadwick's Concrete Is Back
- Bleeding Cool — Dark Horse Comics October 2026 Full Solicits