New comics land Wednesday, September 23 — a Barbara Gordon reveal that's got the whole direct market talking, a franchise relaunch for Star Trek's 60th anniversary, and a Muppets/Marvel crossover nobody expected but everybody wants. Here's what's worth watching.
This Week's Highlights
Absolute Batman #24 (DC)
Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta pull off the week's biggest reveal: Barbara Gordon steps into the Absolute suit as "The Bat," setting up a battle of self between Batman and Batman. It topped League of Comic Geeks' most-anticipated list for the week and drew wall-to-wall coverage from Bleeding Cool and AIPT alike.
Infernal Hulk vs. Wolverine #1 (Marvel)
Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Jonas Scharf open the road to Hulk War as the X-Men track down mutants corrupted by the Infernal Hulk — one of the week's most-previewed new #1 launches.
Muppets Take The Marvel Universe #1 (Marvel)
Chip Zdarsky teams the Muppet Show gang with Spider-Man and Black Panther for a 50th-anniversary crossover event — a high-profile one-shot that showed up on nearly every outlet's must-buy list this week.
Star Trek #1 (IDW)
Christopher Cantwell (Star Trek: Defiant, Red Shirts) relaunches the flagship series for the franchise's 60th anniversary with a new crew led by Seven of Nine — one of the biggest launches of the week across the comics press.
Star Trek (2026) #1 Cover A (Menheere)
Shop NowGambit Gone #1 (Marvel)
Steve Orlando spins a dual-narrative saga directly out of X-Men of Apocalypse: Omega, sending two versions of Remy LeBeau down very different paths — a direct follow-up fans have been anticipating since the "Omega" conclusion.
Absolute Flash #19 (DC)
Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles bring the Absolute Atom into full view as Wally West faces down twin horrors overrunning Central City — flagged by Comics Heating Up's spoiler coverage as one of the week's key first appearances.
Runners-Up to Watch
A handful of additional releases drawing solid attention this week:
Crimes Against Nature #1 (Image)
Eliot Rahal and Mattia Monaco launch a Hollywood noir series built on one irresistible hook: a man and his ape, on the run for murder.
Crimes Against Nature #1 Cvr A Mattia Monaco
Shop NowHellraiser: Resurrections – Hell's Council #1 (BOOM!)
Butterball was believed dead — that was just the beginning. A new era of ecstasy and agony opens for the Hellraiser line, continuing straight off the Resurrections storyline's momentum.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2 (Marvel)
Bryan Hill introduces Revenant, a new villain tied to Jeff Morales's past who wants revenge against the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent — a "Sins of the Father" chapter that got readers talking.
Absolute Wonder Woman #24 (DC)
Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman push "Heretic" into high gear as Diana refuses to give up her search for a missing friend, even as the losses keep mounting.
Marvel Mangaverse: Ghostlocke #1 (Marvel)
Alyssa Wong and Michael YG reunite for an explosive manga-style tale of vengeance pitting Ghost Rider against Carnage, marking 25 years of Mangaverse.
Smile: Any Given Smile #1 (IDW)
Stephanie Williams opens a new horror thriller set against a January 1995 championship football game in St. Augustine, Florida — the main horror #1 debut of the week.
Smile: Any Given Smile #1 Cover A (Witter)
Shop NowAlso drawing buzz this week: Ghost of a Ghost #1 (Dark Horse) — it wasn't in our catalog at press time, so ask your local shop to order it in.
Browse by Publisher
Every new release this week, filtered live by publisher — always current, no giant scroll required:
- Yen Press — 47 releases
- Image Comics — 37 releases
- PS Artbooks — 32 releases
- Massive Publishing — 15 releases
- Marvel — 15 releases
- DC Comics — 15 releases
- Dynamite — 13 releases
- Mad Cave Studios — 11 releases
- Ignition Press — 7 releases
- Titan Comics — 7 releases
- Papercutz — 6 releases
- Dark Horse — 4 releases
- IDW Publishing — 4 releases
- BOOM! — 3 releases
- Everything else — Oni Press, Scholastic, Vault Comics, UDON Entertainment, Fantagraphics, Rebellion Publishing, Rocketship Entertainment, Viz Media, Abrams, Clover Press, ABLAZE, DSTLRY, Tokyopop, Z2, CSN Press, AWA Studios, HarperCollins & more
Sources
- Key Collector Comics — Trending 20
- Key Collector Comics — New Comics This Week
- Comics Heating Up — Comic Picks of the Week for Delivery 9/23/26
- Comics Heating Up — Spoilers: Absolute Flash #19
- Comics Heating Up — Spoilers: Absolute Wonder Woman #24
- Comics Heating Up — Spoilers: Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2
- Bleeding Cool — Barbara Gordon Is the Absolute Bat
- Bleeding Cool — Top 50 Anticipated Comics This Wednesday
- AIPT — Absolute Batman #24 Review
- Comics Beat — Top Comics to Buy for September 23, 2026
- Comic Book Club — New Comics This Week, September 23, 2026
- Marvel.com — September 23, 2026 New Marvel Comics & Collections
- Horror Geek Life — New Horror Comics, Sept 23, 2026