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Do you feel it? Sure, it’s still getting close to 100 degrees here in the Midwest as I write this, but Autumn is coming. Giant pumpkin pies are lining the shelves at Costco. Pumpkin spice coffee is heading to my house and every coffee shop on every block. Summer is about to loosen her sweltering grip once again, shifting us from beach reads to cozy, indoor reads.
How better to cozy up with some words than when they’re accompanied by brilliant artwork? Okay, sure. I read comics year-round just like I do poetry and prose. But I rarely take comics to the beach or pool. Get water on my comics? No, thanks. Fall is a different story. There’s something invigorating about the turning of the leaves and sweater weather that makes me want to put a giant stack of comics next to me and just burrow in.
All that means that as we look to September, the end of summer and beginning of fall, we need some new comics to add to that giant stack. There are some superheroic #1s here, trade paperbacks, manga, and some other odds and ends of comicdom to launch us into the next season. Here are eight slick new comics and graphic novels for September 2024.
Botchan by Sōseki Natsume, Kaori Okura
Botchan is actually one of the most popular Japanese novels of all time, originally published in 1906. It’s now finally seeing a manga adaptation. It tells the story of Botchan, the son of a middle class family determined to prove himself. He gets a job as a math teacher and has to deal with all sorts of shady people, sticking to his own integrity to survive.
Crave by Maria Llovet
Crave has been one of my favorite little series for a while, and now it’s coming out in trade paperback. CRAVE is an app that promises to make all your heart’s desires come true. Of course, students are just using it for hookups. When David starts using it to woo Alexandria, they wind up sucked into a mystery of who created this app and why.
DC’s I Know What You Did Last Crisis by Dan DiDio, Rex Ogle, Rachel Pinnelas, M.L. Sanapo, Adam Graphite, and others
Anyone who’s read much DC Comics knows they love a good crisis. It’s become a bit of a running gag at this point, so I love that they’re leaning into it here. This 80-page issue features a slew of small stories set in previous crises, starring all sorts of characters getting up to shenanigans during the most daunting of times.
Minor Arcana #1 by Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire is a superstar who hasn’t done a solo project since Sweet Tooth over a decade ago. Now, he’s coming back and making his BOOM! Studios debut in the process. Theresa returns home to help her ailing mother, who is the small town’s “fraud” psychic. Except when Theresa arrives, she starts to see that there may be some real magic at work. Now, the town needs her help to survive.
Plastic Man No More #1 by Christopher Cantwell, Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar
Eel O’Brien has been a superhero for a while now. Ever since he got his plastic powers, in fact. Before that, though, he was a crook. When an accident with the Justice League starts to diminish his powers and possibly his life, he realizes he may only have so much time to make amends for his previous life. He can’t put it off any longer. Talk about a different kind of Plastic Man story!
A Smart and Courageous Child by Miki Yamamoto
This harrowing manga has been out for a little while in Japan, and this is its English debut that you don’t want to miss. Sara and Kouta have high hopes for their unborn child, like all parents. When Sara learns of the failed assassination of Malala Yousafzai, she begins to spiral. If such a bright, young woman could be so threatened, what hope does her child have? As Sara’s worries mount, it threatens her relationship with Kouta and everyone. How can they find their way back?
Spirits of Vengeance #1 by Sabir Pirzada, Sean Damien Hill
Spirits? Plural? You betcha. From Johnny Blaze to Robbie Reyes and many others, there have been several dynamic Spirits of Vengeance. Now, someone new has come on the scene, baring enormous fangs and a penchant for brutality. He also has a deep connection to two classic spirits. Who will survive?
Star Wars #50 by Charles Soule, Madibek Musabekov
It’s an amazing feat for any comic to run for 50 issues, and this landmark issue is getting quite the treatment because it’s the finale of the series. Luke Skywalker has important lessons to teach Ben Solo about the nature of the Force, and this issue will recount many adventures from the Rebel days to illustrate the point. How will they wrap up 50 issues of storytelling and launch the next phase of Star Wars comics?
Those eight should get your fall comics reading started nicely, though they’re just the tip of the iceberg. You can find a full list of new releases in the New Release Index, carefully curated by your favorite Book Riot editors, organized by genre and release date.
