There are a ton of comics coming out this month that deserve to be read. For example, X-Men: DNX is officially beginning after the Chairman (Hank McCoy) hurt Magneto so badly that there’s a chance he won’t survive. DC Comics’ The Flash continues to be a must-read thanks to Ryan North.

There’s also Jason Aaron’s Bug Wars: The Coming of the Wardoom. Sleepy Hollow: The Witches of the Western Wood No. 5 by writer Delilah S. Dawson. Mad Cave Studios’ The Dirt Beneath the Devil No. 2 had a brilliant first issue that shouldn’t be forgotten. So, with all of these choices, what should fans be reading?

Amazing Spider-Man No. 1000 (Marvel Comics)

Amazing Spider-Man No. 35 ends with Peter getting a call from Cormac “Mac” Crane that Aunt May had a stroke. This isn’t the first time that May has been in a situation that’s put her in the hospital, but this feels different. Not only is she older, but this is the 1000th issue. If something was going to happen to Peter’s aunt, it would happen here.

“Spider-Man faces his greatest fear and his most frightening new villain in decades…RAVAGE!” -Marvel

Another thing to look out for is the new villain entering Spider-Man. Their name is Ravage, and Marvel says they’ll play a role in what happens to May.

Absolute Batman No. 24 (DC Comics)

Barbara Gordon isn’t Batgirl. In the Absolute Universe, Barbara Gordon is the Bat, and she’s making her official debut in Absolute Batman No. 24. It isn’t just her appearance that’s a big deal. Bruce is spiraling and needs someone to pull him back from the darkness.

The Bat joining the family is similar to when Jason Todd died, and Tim Drake stepped in to become Robin. Except Barbara is an adult. She also has a direct connection to Jim Gordon, whose death was the beginning of Bruce Wayne’s trek into madness and conspiracy thanks to Scarecrow. Plus, because she’s not close to him as Bruce Wayne, she may be able to reach him in ways that Harvey, Martha, and the others can’t.

Kingdom Of Zod (DC Comics)

Issues: Supergirl No. 17, Action Comics No. 1102, Superman Unlimited No. 17, Superman No. 42, and Superman: Kingdom of Zod Special No. 1

Dru-Zod may be the villain, but his return to Earth in the Superman crossover, “Kingdom of Zod,” has been as impressive as it has been destructive. With the help of his Eradicator (the Eradicatrix), they’ve taken on the majority of the Super Family and beaten them. That’s not all. There’s Green Kryptonite infecting people worldwide who aren’t Kryptonian.

To make matters worse (yes, that’s possible), Dru-Zod’s wife killed her husband for being weak in her eyes. Now she’s in Booster Gold’s time machine and going to the past to attempt to save Krypton. If that happens, there will be chaos and possibly erase Earth-0.

Any Given Smile No. 1 (IDW Publishing)

Following up on Hannah Rose May’s Smile: For The Camera is Eisner Award Nominee Stephanie Williams, who is bringing her talent to the Smile universe. CBR reports Williams saying, “It is really scary because (the Smile Entity) wants everyone to smile. So if you happen to find a host that will be on a big stage, what does that look like?”

Smile and the sequel have been among the most creative horror movies in recent memory. That allure didn’t change in the IDW Dark comic books. In fact, it may be a little better. Without the need for CGI, Any Given Smile can go as far as their imagination takes them.

Batman: Bad Seeds (DC Comics)

Batman: Bad Seeds began with Poison Ivy giving control of Gotham over to the Parliament of Trees. Of course, this leads to the city being overrun by plant life and killing citizens, but Ivy doesn’t care. It will keep her safe. What she doesn’t realize is that if the growth continues, the Flora will take over the world.

Readers know that the Bat Family will save the day. What makes this a must-read crossover is how they do it. Oracle’s in jail, Tim Drake isn’t Robin (for now), and Nightwing is still a mess. That’s on top of this being Verity Pennyworth’s first big mission. All of this will come into play and hopefully make the team stronger.

While there are a lot of titles within this crossover, here are the ones that may be the most important:

Batman No. 13, Batgirl No. 23, Batwoman No. 7, Detective Comics No. 1113, Nightwing No. 142, Poison Ivy No. 48

Mister Nemo No. 3 (Mad Cave Studios)

Mad Cave Studios’ Mister Nemo is an updated version of the classic story “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and it didn’t miss the point of the original tale. Nemo is fighting back to make sure that the oppressed are freed from their tyrannical leaders.

The first two issues have been full of action and have flawlessly introduced the people who will work with Nemo. The best part is that they’re just getting started. Issue No. 3 should bring in more new characters and add to the backstory on why the hero (Nemo) decided to take on this crusade.

Redcoat No. 20 (Image Comics)

Simon Pure (who always mentions he’s far from it) wife and kids returned and accepted his past and were ready to move on. They were happy and knew that, above all else, they were loved. Sadly, that was short-lived as Simon was betrayed by the actual Benedict Arnold. Benedict murdered Simon’s family and left them bloody on the floor in his house. His excuse? “It’s just who I am.”

Image Comics says, “…we’ll learn first-hand if an immortal can truly die!” More than that, this will likely be the issue where Simon Pure gives up on love and loses his faith in humanity. This ending will truly be a new beginning for Simon Pure.

Mortal Thor No. 801 (Marvel Comics)

After 14 issues of Mortal Thor, Sigurd Jarlson will start his journey to find Thor. Naturally, the Enchantress (the current All-Mother of Asgard) will do all she can to prevent the return of the Odinson. While she is currently all-powerful, Sigurd has proven more resourceful than any mortal.

Al Ewing’s Thor titles have been elite since the first issue, and there appears to be no stopping that momentum. Readers should expect to see beings from Asgardian lore, tricks from Loki, and tons of creative things from the brilliant mind of Al Ewing. This is the beginning of the return of Thor. You don’t want to miss this.

​​​​​Exquisite Corpses: Fox Mask Killer No. 1 (Image Comics)

​​​​​​​The Fox Mask Killer was one of the best assassins and intriguing characters in Exquisite Corpses. Part of her appeal was that no one knew her backstory. The only mystery that was revealed was that something tragic happened to her daughter, and it involves contestants and killers from ​​​​​Exquisite Corpses, Lady Carolina and her twin sister. That will be revealed in this upcoming mini-series, and it begins this month.

Writer Che Grayson (Absolute Catwoman) will make this one of the best mini-series of 2026. Readers are going to see why the Fox Mask Killer was the best assassin in the world and what caused her need for revenge.

Geiger No. 25 (Image Comics)

Last, but certainly not least, is the 25th issue of Geiger. A series that’s been full of pain for the lead character (Tariq Geiger), his companions, and the readers. In this monumental issue, Tariq will face President Griffin, and probably to the death. Sadly, everyone should expect something bad to happen to Geiger or his two-headed wolf, Barney, or Nate the Nuclear Knight.

After this series ends, the Redcoat/Geiger crossover (“Radioactive Revolution!”) will begin. At some point, the two will fight and then eventually get along (those are the rules in stories like this). However, the best part of this won’t be the fight. It will be watching Simon Pure annoy Tariq Geiger. Hopefully, this will lead to learning the secret of how and why the atomic bombs were dropped.