NYCC Ends Sunday. Comic Shops Start Over Wednesday.

That's the beautiful—and occasionally exhausting—thing about comics.

New York Comic Con can dominate the entire weekend.

Announcements.

Exclusives.

Signings.

Panels.

Thousands of people walking around the Javits Center carrying bags they absolutely did not intend to fill.

Then Wednesday arrives.

And there are new comics again.

So while everyone else is recovering from NYCC, we're already looking at October 14.

Here are the books currently sitting highest on our radar.

Absolute Catwoman #4

This is probably the first one ATL readers are going to ask us about.

Scott Snyder and Che Grayson continue Selina Kyle's Absolute story with Bengal on art as Selina and the Calicos make a final play for the Yarn while Cassandra Cain and the League of Shadows close in.[1]

Absolute Catwoman has been an interesting test for the larger Absolute Universe.

Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman were obvious.

Catwoman is where DC starts proving that the concept can sustain characters beyond the central Trinity.

We're watching closely.

Absolute Green Arrow #6

Green Arrow has been another fascinating expansion.

Issue #6 continues the limited series as the Absolute version of Oliver Queen develops outside the traditional assumptions attached to Green Arrow.[1]

The important question for every Absolute book remains the same:

Does this version need to exist?

When the answer is yes, the line works.

We want #6 to leave us wanting more.

Teen Titans #2

Don't sleep on this.

Kyle Higgins and Daniele Di Nicuolo continue DC's new Teen Titans series with a setup we genuinely like:

The next generation has rejected Nightwing as mentor.

They've chosen Red Hood instead.[1]

That is an objectively terrible decision.

Which makes it a potentially great comic.

Jason Todd trying to mentor impulsive young heroes sounds like the superhero equivalent of asking the guy who got kicked out of driver's ed to teach teenagers how to drive.

We're in.

Batman: Bad Seeds Keeps Growing

DC's Bad Seeds event continues October 14 across Gotham.

The event has leaned into the idea of Gotham itself becoming the threat rather than simply giving Batman another villain to punch.

That's why we're watching the tie-ins.

Gotham Central #2 puts its characters aboard the last operational subway out of Gotham, creating exactly the kind of pressure-cooker setup that can make an event tie-in better than expected.[1]

Tie-ins work when they show us corners of an event the main title can't.

That's what we want here.

Doom Patrol

The new Doom Patrol direction continues with Darcy Van Poelgeest and Niko Henrichon digging into the team's past and future through one very strange alien encounter.[1]

Doom Patrol should be weird.

Not cute-weird.

Not “look how quirky we are” weird.

Actually weird.

The kind where you're three pages in and wondering whether you accidentally skipped an issue.

That's Doom Patrol.

We're hoping this series keeps leaning into it.

The Facsimile Problem

October 14 also gives us another reminder of how heavily publishers are leaning on facsimile editions.

We're not against them.

Actually, we love the right facsimile.

It lets somebody experience a famous comic in something close to its original presentation without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars.

But publishers need to be selective.

A facsimile should feel like an opportunity.

Not filler.

The October slate includes classic material returning in facsimile form, giving readers another chance to decide whether nostalgia deserves a place in the Wednesday stack.[1]

Our rule?

If you've always wanted to read the issue, grab it.

If you're buying it solely because somebody told you every facsimile becomes valuable?

Slow down.

What Could Change After NYCC?

Here's the interesting part about writing this before the convention ends:

NYCC may change our list.

DC has multiple announcement panels scheduled throughout the weekend.[2]

Marvel has publishing announcements coming.

Image, Skybound and other publishers are using NYCC to reveal future projects.

By Sunday evening, we may be talking about books that weren't even publicly announced when this article was written.

That's why convention weeks are fun.

The Wednesday release calendar tells us what's next.

The convention tells us what's after that.

ATL's Early Pick

Right now?

Absolute Catwoman #4 is probably the book we're most curious to read October 14.

Not because it's automatically the “biggest.”

Because every new branch of the Absolute Universe is still answering the same question:

How far can DC take this?

Absolute Batman proved the concept could explode.

The secondary characters determine whether it becomes a true universe.

That's where things get interesting.

So enjoy NYCC.

Buy the exclusives.

Meet the creators.

Stand in lines.

Complain about your feet.

Promise yourself you're never carrying that many comics through Manhattan again.

Then get some sleep.

Because Wednesday?

We do it all over again.

Sources & Credits

[1] DC Comics — October 2026 solicitations. Official release dates, creative teams and story information for Absolute Catwoman #4, Absolute Green Arrow #6, Teen Titans #2, Doom Patrol and Batman: Bad Seeds titles scheduled for October 14.

[2] DC Comics — NYCC 2026 Programming. Official panel schedule and announcements planned throughout New York Comic Con weekend.