While we are not the official voice of your decision, we want to help guide you in the right direction for comics releasing October 7, 2026.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special #1

Writer: Patrick Horvath, Jared Cullum, Che Grayson, James Tynion IV, Tony Fleecs
Artist: Patrick Horvath, Jared Cullum, Tyler Boss, Dave Wachter, Matt Emmons
Publisher: IDW Publishing / IDW Dark

Patrick Horvath joins forces with James Tynion IV, Tony Fleecs, Dave Wachter, Che Grayson, Jared Cullum, Tyler Boss, and more for an original one-shot set in the world of Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees!

Years have passed since Samantha Strong left Woodbrook, but her legend has only grown. Now that the cat is out of the bag, more and more horrific murders have been tied back to her. Some are her doing… others mere folklore… but all absolutely gripping stories featuring everyone’s favorite cuddly serial killer. Gather around the campfire on Halloween night with some of the best creators working today and listen as the citizens of Woodbrook spill the beans on Samantha Strong’s most terrifying deeds.

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special somehow adds to the fact that this overall series is one of the greatest comics to be created in recent years, if not ever. Patrick Horvath’s unique concept is expanded upon by some of comics top-tier creators bridging the gap between story arcs in a nearly-perfect Halloween Special. Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special is a must-read comic, one of 2026’s best single issues. – CLICK HERE to read the entire review

Star Trek: Holo-ween II #1

Writer: Alex Segura
Artist: Bailie Rosenlund
Publisher: IDW Publishing

A Halloween mystery unfolds on Deep Space 9!

On the eve of a high-stakes diplomatic summit, Deep Space 9 is thrown into chaos by a sudden communications blackout and a string of deeply unsettling incidents. With senior leadership called away, Worf, Dax, Odo, and Bashir must hold the station together as tensions rise among visiting dignitaries.

Then, a distressed starship arrives with explosive claims — and one member of the DS9 crew stands accused of murder. As suspicion spreads and paranoia takes hold, a creeping sense of dread settles over the Promenade. And somewhere inside the station’s holosuites, something has gone terrifyingly wrong…

Star Trek: Holo-ween II is a wonderfully creepy trip to Deep Space 9 that delivers just the right about of Star Trek thrills this Halloween season. Writer Alex Segura and illustrator Bailie Rosenlund craft a story that weaves a terrifying locked-station mystery into the Star Trek universe in a way that seems fitting. Star Trek: Holo-ween II is the perfect miniseries to read this Halloween, with each issue dropping weekly October 7-28, 2026. – CLICK HERE to read the entire review

Midnight #1’s (we know, it’s cheating)

AN ALL-NEW, ALL-DISTURBING UNIVERSE BEGINS HERE!

Midnight X-Men #1

Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Matteo Della Fonte
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The clock strikes midnight, and it’s the dark dawn of a new era. The shadows of New York City are stalked by vampires and the mutant empyres. The sword of Damocles hangs over the peace between these two species and the factions within them. An outright war is brewing and the unturned will be caught in the crossfire.

Blockbuster comic book writer Jonathan Hickman returns to the X-Men with a hunger for blood as this new world of terror reimagines the heroes of the Marvel Universe!

Midnight Fantastic Four #1

Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Kev Walker
Publisher: Marvel Comics

First steps into darkness! An obsessive scientist delves into the secrets of the universe perhaps best left unknown to humankind, leaving himself and three others warped in strange and horrifying ways.What horrible secrets lie in the new dimensions they have discovered? And can humanity survive the discovery?

From the twisted minds of Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, Punisher) and Kev Walker (Infernal Hulk, Doctor Strange) comes a tale of existential dread and secrets best kept…

Midnight Spider-Man #1

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: ScieTronc
Publisher: Marvel Comics

A young Peter Parker is transformed into a hideous spider hybrid by the ruthless Oscorp Corporation in their pursuit for eternal life. When Oscorp begins to use the secrets unlocked by his mutation to create more human-animal hybrids, Peter embraces his grotesque new form to stop them.

If Destruction Be Our Lot Vol. 1 TP

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Elijah Rosenberg
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Publisher: Image Comics

When humans disappears and robots flourish, one robot dares to go beyond the walls to find the humans who might still be alive in the sci-fi adventure of the year, where WALL-E meets Fallout.

Humanity is extinct and all that remains are the robots who once helped us. The robots that once helped us are happier now, doing their work without human interference. But not Abraham Lincoln. Abe is haunted by the thought that there must be something more out there — that somewhere, human beings might still exist. After nearly getting killed, he’s determined to wander the Earth until he finds them… or gets recycled trying. Join him on an epic quest to learn who lives beyond the walls, why no one ever comes back, and what it means to be truly alive.

Artist Andy MacDonald (Wonder Woman, Doctor Strange), and writers Mark Elijah Rosenberg (Approaching The Unknown, Year Million) and Matthew Rosenberg (We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us, 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank) bring you an ongoing story about finding purpose, holding onto hope, and really lonely robots.

Writing duo Matthew Rosenberg & Mark Elijah Rosenberg and artist Andy MacDonald find humanity in a cold and robotic future where humans are seemingly long gone in If Destruction Be Our Lot. A science-fiction adventure where a lonely robot Abraham Lincoln searches for a new purpose in a post-apocalyptic world that is fighting back. With unanswered questions abound, this first volume is a must-read, but makes you want so much more…in a good way. – CLICK HERE to read the entire review

The post FEATURED 4: Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Halloween Special #1, Star Trek: Holo-ween II #1, and October 7 Comics appeared first on Capes and Tights.

It’s 1977 and in the town of Oneira, New York, a blizzard is gathering force…

Harmon Pond, editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, is struggling to keep afloat amid mounting debt and vanishing ad revenue. So when the creditor who’s been secretly funding him vanishes without a trace, Harmon thinks it’s his lucky break. Meanwhile, his eldest daughter, Teresa—the paper’s ambitious intern—sees a story that could make her name.

But for Harmon’s devout Italian American wife, Pauline, the disappearance stirs up memories of a childhood she has tried hard to put behind her, and secrets she would prefer to keep buried.

With the parents tangled in their own concerns and Teresa relentlessly searching for answers, no one notices that middle-child Fran has developed a habit of sneaking out at night, and Lonnie, the youngest, is taking dangerous risks of his own.

As the manhunt intensifies, and the snowstorm builds into one of the worst in history, the Pond family must find a way to accept the truth, and each other, before they lose themselves forever.

Like most families, Record Lows feature a dysfunctional one. We all think that we have things put together and are making it, until we aren’t and things go sideways. However, most of us don’t have it go the way Harmon Pond’s does in Green’s novel. This is what made it special. Seemingly ordinary people with seemingly ordinary problems…key word…seemingly.

While it might be possible for a story such as this to be set anytime, including present day, setting this story in the 1970s felt almost necessary. A fitting choice as it made the story hit a bit harder. This is in addition to the cold feeling the story has, only exacerbated by the fact a blizzard is brewing which adds a bit of tension and unsettling nature to the book.

Record Lows takes a but of stamina to read, as it takes to midway through the story for things really to start to explode. Having the willingness to be patient and wait turned into something truly worthwhile. The first portion of Record Lows is there to serve as a place for us to get to know these characters, developing them into those that we care for and can connect with even further. Seriously, the second half does not let up.

Green makes you look at your own life and how well we think we know those around us each and every day. We may not be fully understand those around you or even see them as we maybe should. Not just secrets, but who they are as people. It always makes a story have a bit more impact, even one with dark humor such as this, when it makes you look inward. The moments of levity are well timed and blend into the gripping story with ease.

Author CJ Green kicks things off right with his this debut novel, Record Lows. An easy-to-read story that pulls you in with great prose, well timed dark humor, and a dysfunctional family you can’t help but cheer for in the end. Record Lows grabbed me with its cover, but kept be around with wonderful storytelling.

Record Lows hits bookstores everywhere on January 5, 2027 from Cardinal Publishing. The audiobook, narrated by Rob Shapiro, is available via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Record Lows from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

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Who is the Last Ronin? After decades away, a lone surviving Turtle returns to New York City with one mission: To avenge his family by killing the leader of the Foot Clan, Oroku Hiroto. But nothing about the city―battle-ravaged and ruled over by Hiroto with an iron fist―feels like home, and nothing about Ronin’s mission goes to plan.

With the help of old friends and new allies emerging in unexpected places, can Ronin finally get justice for those he lost? What terrible events destroyed his family in the first place?

Back in October 2020, Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, the Escorza Brothers, Ben Bishop, and Luis Antonio Delgado gave us the beginning of what would be one of not only the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles best story arcs, but a top story arc in comic history. The creative team brought the turtles to a dark and mysterious place where loss and revenge take center stage. It was followed by a few other series, but nothing ever could hold a candle to what took place of five issues in the first volume. That is until now.

I can’t image Burnham took on this tough task of novelizing the incredible original series, but with his extensive background with the turtles my guess he knew he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Taking what was set in motion by Eastman, Larid, and Waltz just laying it out on the typewriter wouldn’t have done the story justice, instead Burnham takes the story and add just enough to expand on the tale while also giving the story the time and attention it needed.

It can be a lot easier for us readers to go from prose novel to graphic novel adaptation as an artist now gives us a glimpse at what the characters in the novel appear to be. Doing the opposite gives us a chance to already know what they appear like and allows us to immerse ourselves back in the story. Typically the prose novel lacks the illustrations that makes a comic so great, however, with The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel we at least we get original black-and-white illustrations from the Escorza Brothers to help merge these formats together.

The Last Ronin is a dark, bleak, and emotional tale that stands apart from most of the TMNT line over the years. This is all felt once again in the pages of The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel. Somehow Burnham gives me a similar feeling to reading the original series all over again, but this time with a bit more.

Let’s take it a step further, not only was this story wonderful in prose format, but the audiobook narration by Robb Moreira takes it to another level. Not only to we get expanded stories, but now we get to be fully immersed in the world of The Last Ronin, what a time to be alive. This story is one that I believe everyone should read, so Burnham’s adaptation just opens up more avenues to experience such a tale.

The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel takes an outstanding story and expands it in just the right places. Erik Burnham brings his years of TMNT knowledge and takes The Last Ronin to new wonderful places, this time into prose format.

The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel is available at bookstores everywhere from Abrams. The audiobook, narrated by Moreira, is available via Libro.fm on October 6, 2026.

NOTE: We received an advance copy of The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

The post The Last Ronin: A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Novel – Just as Powerful in Prose appeared first on Capes and Tights.

This week on the Capes and Tights Podcast, Justin Soderberg welcomes author Kiersten White to the program to discuss Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife, and more!

Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning, and critically acclaimed author of dozens of books for readers of all ages, including The House of Quiet, the And I Darken trilogy, the Sinister Summer series, the Camelot Rising trilogy, Star Wars: Padawan, Hide, Mister Magic, Lucy Undying, The Fox and the Devil, and Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel.

Her books have been published in over twenty territories, been Indie, Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today, and Sunday Times bestsellers, and her novel The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein was an NPR best book of the year pick. Other accolades include the Utah Book Award, the San Diego Book Award, a Rainbow List Top Ten pick, a YALSA Teen Top Ten pick, an Evergreen Book Award, a Florida Teen Reads winner, and spots on many other regional and national lists.

White’s latest novel, Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife, which she co-authored with James Tynion IV, hits bookstores everywhere on October 13, 2026. The first-ever prose novel based in Tynion’s Slaughterverse.

#301: Kiersten White – Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife

The post #301: Kiersten White – Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife appeared first on Capes and Tights.

A massive, sticky pile of severed human limbs suddenly appears in the parking lot of a vacant department store in a desolate small town. A set of footprints is found trailing away in the snow, as if a single pair of bare feet had wandered off the pile. If this wasn’t puzzling enough, the cops soon find that no one seems to be missing the limbs. Some of the fingerprints on the severed arms belong to living people with all their appendages intact, others match no one on file, and the rest of the limbs somehow have no prints at all.

This sounds like a case for local weirdos John, David, and Amy, partly because the cops don’t want the headache and partly because David’s own arm is in the pile, despite an identical copy of it still being attached to his body. When a mysterious man then shows up at David’s home claiming to be in pursuit of an entity he calls “the Penetrator,” it seems clear the trio is in for a long weekend.

In addition to stopping whatever this nonsense is, the gang will also have to quell the panicked headlines that threaten to ensue, which could prompt the feds to try to just wipe the whole town off the map (again). As such, the first thing you need to know is that, contrary to whatever ugly rumors you may have heard, there are no giant crabs in this novel.

I first came across Pargin and his unique style of writing with I’m Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom which I thought was weird, out-of-box writing (pun-intended), and fresh as hell. Now after reading the John Dies at the End series, including There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel, Block Box of Doom is actually pretty tame when it comes to Pargin’s writing.

Pargin has this keen ability to craft a story that is darkly humorous, while also raising some serious and poignant questions, all while doing so in the most unique and weird way possible. The book seems like the end of the world, but with some of the humor splattered in makes it feel somehow not that big of a deal…until it is.

There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel starts off like a paranormal procedural crime drama, one that happens to have a log of body parts (take that however you want until you read the book) only to progress to the point where you’d never expect them to go. What happens across this book is fast-paced and weird ride that those familiar with the series will understand, but those newcomers are in for a time they will not forget.

Something that makes this wild reads from Pargin even more entertaining is the audiobook narration by Ari Fliakos. The narrator immersed me in this ingenuously bizarre tale with easy. The timing of the jokes landed with more impact as they rolled off the tongue of Fliakos and only elevated the story itself in the end. Physical reading is amazing, but sometimes an audiobook does what it sets out to do.

There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs is as bizarre as it sounds, but also timely and incredible. Jason Pargin continues his John Dies at the End series with another weird, wild, and darkly humorous adventure that is for those long time fans and those who have never cracked open one of Pargin’s books. Seriously, what the hell did I just read?

There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: A Novel of Giant Crabs hits bookstores everywhere on November 3, 2026 from St. Martin’s Griffin. The audiobook, narrated Fliakos, is available via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

The post There Are No Giant Crabs in This Novel: Another Ingenuously Bizarre Ride from Jason Pargin appeared first on Capes and Tights.

Kiersten White is the #1 New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning, and critically acclaimed author of dozens of books for readers of all ages, including The House of Quiet, the And I Darken trilogy, the Sinister Summer series, the Camelot Rising trilogy, Star Wars: Padawan, Hide, Mister Magic, Lucy Undying, The Fox and the Devil, and Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel.

Her books have been published in over twenty territories, been Indie, Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today, and Sunday Times bestsellers, and her novel The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein was an NPR best book of the year pick. Other accolades include the Utah Book Award, the San Diego Book Award, a Rainbow List Top Ten pick, a YALSA Teen Top Ten pick, an Evergreen Book Award, a Florida Teen Reads winner, and spots on many other regional and national lists.

White’s latest novel, Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife, which she co-authored with James Tynion IV, hits bookstores everywhere on October 13, 2026. The first-ever prose novel based in Tynion’s Slaughterverse.

The Fox and the Devil

Anneke has a complicated relationship with her father, Abraham Van Helsing—doctor, scientist, and madman devoted to the study of vampires—until the night she comes home to find him murdered, with a surreally beautiful woman looming over his body. A woman who leaves no trace behind, other than the dreams and nightmares that now plague Anneke every night.

Spurred by her desire for vengeance and armed with the latest forensic and investigatory techniques, Anneke puts together a team of detectives to catch this mysterious serial killer. Because her father isn’t the only inexplicable dead body. There’s a trail of victims across Europe, and Anneke is certain they’re all connected.

But during the years spent relentlessly hunting the killer, Anneke keeps crucial evidence to herself: infuriatingly coy letters, addressed only to her, occasionally soaked in blood, and always signed Diavola.

The closer Anneke gets to her devil, though, the less sense the world makes. Maybe her father wasn’t a madman after all. Diavola might be something much worse than a serial killer . . . and much harder to destroy. Yet as Anneke unearths more of Diavola’s tragic past, she suspects there’s still a heart somewhere in that undead body.

A heart that beats for Anneke alone.

Lucy Undying

Her name was written in the pages of someone else’s story: Lucy Westenra was one of Dracula’s first victims.

But her death was only the beginning. Lucy rose from the grave a vampire and has spent her immortal life trying to escape from Dracula’s clutches—and trying to discover who she really is and what she truly wants.

Her undead life takes an unexpected turn in twenty-first-century London, when she meets another woman, Iris, who is also yearning to break free from her past. Iris’s family has built a health empire based on a sinister secret, and they’ll do anything to stay in power.

Lucy has long believed she would never love again. Yet she finds herself compelled by the charming Iris while Iris is equally mesmerized by the confident and glamorous Lucy. But their intense connection and blossoming love is threatened by outside forces. Iris’s mother won’t let go of her without a fight, and Lucy’s past still has fangs: Dracula is on the prowl once more.

Lucy Westenra has been a tragically murdered teen, a lonesome adventurer, and a fearsome hunter, but happiness has always eluded her. Can she find the strength to destroy Dracula once and for all, or will her heart once again be her undoing?

Mister Magic

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.

After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?

Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship…

Hide

The challenge: Spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don’t get caught.

The prize: enough money to change everything.

Even though everyone is desperate to win—to seize a dream future or escape a haunting past—Mack is sure she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she’s an expert at that.

It’s the reason she’s alive and her family isn’t.

But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes that this competition is even more sinister than she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.

Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide but nowhere to run.

Come out, come out, wherever you are.

Paranormalcy

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through supernatural glamours.

She’s also about to find out that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Paranormalcy is part of a trilogy, check out the other books as well.

And I Darken

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

And I Darken is part of a trilogy, check out the rest of the series!

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Elizabeth Lavenza hasn’t had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her “caregiver,” and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything—except a friend.

Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable—and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.

But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth’s survival depends on managing Victor’s dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness.

The Guinevere Deception

Princess Guinevere has come to Camelot to wed a stranger: the charismatic King Arthur. With magic clawing at the kingdom’s borders, the great wizard Merlin conjured a solution–send in Guinevere to be Arthur’s wife . . . and his protector from those who want to see the young king’s idyllic city fail. The catch? Guinevere’s real name–and her true identity–is a secret. She is a changeling, a girl who has given up everything to protect Camelot.

To keep Arthur safe, Guinevere must navigate a court in which the old–including Arthur’s own family–demand things continue as they have been, and the new–those drawn by the dream of Camelot–fight for a better way to live. And always, in the green hearts of forests and the black depths of lakes, magic lies in wait to reclaim the land.

Deadly jousts, duplicitous knights, and forbidden romances are nothing compared to the greatest threat of all: the girl with the long black hair, riding on horseback through the dark woods toward Arthur. Because when your whole existence is a lie, how can you trust even yourself?

The Guinevere Deception is part of a trilogy, check out the other books!

Slayer

Into every generation a Slayer is born…

Nina and her twin sister, Artemis, are far from normal. It’s hard to be when you grow up at the Watcher’s Academy, which is a bit different from your average boarding school. Here teens are trained as guides for Slayers—girls gifted with supernatural strength to fight the forces of darkness. But while Nina’s mother is a prominent member of the Watcher’s Council, Nina has never embraced the violent Watcher lifestyle. Instead she follows her instincts to heal, carving out a place for herself as the school medic.

Until the day Nina’s life changes forever.

Thanks to Buffy, the famous (and infamous) Slayer that Nina’s father died protecting, Nina is not only the newest Chosen One—she’s the last Slayer, ever. Period.

As Nina hones her skills with her Watcher-in-training, Leo, there’s plenty to keep her occupied: a monster fighting ring, a demon who eats happiness, a shadowy figure that keeps popping up in Nina’s dreams…

But it’s not until bodies start turning up that Nina’s new powers will truly be tested—because someone she loves might be next.

One thing is clear: Being Chosen is easy. Making choices is hard.

Slayer has a sequel you should also check out!

Star Wars: Padawan

Obi-Wan Kenobi has not been apprenticed long to Qui-Gon Jinn, and he is chafing at Qui-Gon’s training style: all meditation, no action. Obi-Wan yearns to prove himself on a mission, but when he and Qui-Gon are finally set to leave on an assignment, Qui-Gon is nowhere to be found. Angered by his master’s abandonment, Obi-Wan sets out on the mission alone, determined to prove himself.

On a mysterious planet he encounters a pack of feral, Force-wielding teens who seem to be the planet’s only inhabitants. As he experiences wild freedom with them and wonders if this isn’t the life he was meant for, Obi-Wan can’t escape the nagging sense that something is wrong with the Force there. Growing attachments, startling revelations, and a looming threat to both the planet and his new friends will bring Obi-Wan face-to-face with his worst fear: that maybe he was never supposed to be a Jedi at all. Can he connect with the living Force in time to save himself and everyone around him?

The House of Quiet

To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It’s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with—their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they’re healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can’t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what’s lurking beneath . . . you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.

Hiding from the Dark: A Star Wars Horror Novel

Pursued by Imperial forces, a young girl named Bia must flee her home planet of Coruscant and find her mother. All the time, she is hunted by a figure in black, a presence more horrifying than she has ever encountered before. Can Bia escape—and what does she have that the Empire wants so badly?

Something is Killing the Children: Hope is a Knife

As a Black Mask, Erica Slaughter has a very straightforward job: find the monster, kill the monster, then do it all again. But when she arrives in Badwater, Idaho, nothing is simple. She can’t determine whether the horrific killer of a twelve-year-old was a bear, a person, or something much worse. Complicating matters is the charismatic doomsday preacher who is quickly leading the small town to the verge of hysteria. If Erica wants to save the surviving children, she has to figure out which kid’s fears might have summoned a monster—and fast. Erica must get to the truth before the Order and the town come to the same conclusion: to stop the monster, you have to kill the girl.

Hope Is a Knife is a chilling, original tale in SIKTC lore, where monsters are real and only the hunters of the Order of St. George are equipped to challenge them. Whether or not you’ve already devoured the Eisner Award–winning comics, this standalone vision of supernatural horror is a thrill ride of the highest order.

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Tapeesa is newly out of high school and working in a fish processing plant in the Inupiat village, Chukchi, where she’s lived her whole life. Maybe that’s why people tend to assume she isn’t that bright―or maybe her mama is right and she does have bad blood. Either way, she knows the legend, and she knows the history. Her Ahna told her that the hungry creature―the kushtuka―appears to us in the form of someone we love. It will try to get us to follow it. Follow it where? Those who have gone no longer have throats to tell us.

The Kobuk River Valley of remote Alaska draws greedy white men time and time again. But whenever they come, death comes too. This time the white men are here for the long term, to create an open pit, a rare earths mine just north of the village. When her sister Esther goes missing, Tapeesa will do anything to get her back. Seeking justice, Tapeesa must track down the kidnapper in the darkening Arctic. What awaits beyond the warmth of her village is more horrible than she could imagine and closer to her than she knows.

I was introduced to Indigenous horror by none other than New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones, who happens to be one of the best at it. However, Stephen…you have a challenger. Zeller’s It Looks Like You in the Dark was everything I love about folk horror, plus the struggle of Native Alaskans in everyday life. What these novels do is beyond frighten, but open your eyes to a culture I knew little about and was stuck between wanting to know more, while also fearing the sense of dread being built up by Zeller’s excellent writing.

Encroachment and exploitation by white men into Indigenous towns is sadly an age-old tale, one that is all-too-real and is terrifying on its own. Zeller takes this history and adds supernatural horror to add to the fear on the pages. One hand the locals want to take the financial gain from this newcomer, but on the other know that horrible consequences that come along with it, and that is not to mention the supernatural consequences. Health issues and death from this new venture is only the beginning.

Zeller introduces us to a group of people that live everyday just to survive, characters that each have their own personalities but as a group have another. All of our families are dysfunctional, some more than others, so it was easy to find a way to connect with our main characters. The author also brings to life The Kobuk River Valley, which in itself becomes a character on its own.

It Looks Like You in the Dark is a slow-burning supernatural horror that lets the anger simmer while the terror grows. Mathilda Zeller’s authentic voice builds tension from the first page and allows you to immerse yourself in The Kobuk River Valley. Zeller’s horror debut lays a foundation as one of the best Indigenous horror writers today.

It Looks Like You in the Dark hits bookstores everywhere on October 13, 2026 from Tor Nightfire. The audiobook, narrated by Zorga Qaunaq, is available via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of It Looks Like You in the Dark from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

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Eli Lamp is a broken man. An ex-detective, ex-addict, and long-grieving father whose daughter, Hannah, disappeared a decade before, Eli decimated his old life investigating her abduction and is now indebted to the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, as an enforcer. He lives in a rundown trailer at the edge of the woods, where he keeps Hannah’s room in pristine condition and tries to make it through one day at a time.

But when the son of the Crooked Wheel’s boss is found viciously murdered in a crime scene that doesn’t seem to add up, Eli receives a new order: Find out who the killer is and your debt to the Crooked Wheel is clear forever. You’re free. This pursuit brings him into the orbit of Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see her before she went missing. Soon, Eli and Avery are entwined in a hunt for answers that spans decades, stretches the realm of possibility, and brings churning to the surface a conspiracy linking not only these current tragedies but the buried sorrows of Eli’s past.

And though none of them dare say the word witch, at least not out loud, something lurks in the woods, bent-backed and black-eyed, clawed and vengeful, looming ever closer…

There are times I enjoy a story that just is there to frighten you, but most of the time these tales are the ones that sink their claws into me and won’t let go. Rosson not only writes a story that is unsettling and unnerving, but one that deals with real-life horrors such as drug addiction and the aftermath of a missing child. These real-world struggles are what makes this story resonate beyond the witchy aspects and will be the reason it ends up on people’s year-end lists.

About halfway through I couldn’t help but get the vibes I felt while reading Rosson’s books such as Fever House and A Devil by Name. Which, in my opinion is one of the best feelings to have. The Fever House duology is one of my favorites over the years and to recreate at least some of the feelings I got from reading those books, while also adding to it, is fantastic.

As with Rosson’s other works, Crone is filled with characters of the morally questionable nature. Characters that might work outside the law, even those who once were part of the law, as well as those who are not dealing with the grief as well as one would’ve hoped. Even with totally different lives, I couldn’t help but feel attached to these characters and wishing for a positive ending, but I knew before that could even be a thought, these characters were about to go through some shit.

Crone is more proof that Keith Rosson has cornered the crime-horror genre as a modern voice of horror. Crone is a tension-filled, grief-stricken, spooky horror that is nearly perfect from start to finish. Rosson is an auto-read, Crone doesn’t change that.

Crone hit bookstores everywhere on September 22, 2026 from Random House. The audiobook, narrated by Pete Cross, is available via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Crone from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

The post Crone: A Dark and Unnerving Crime-Horror appeared first on Capes and Tights.

At 3:02 a.m. in Savannah’s historic district, a hideous, shuffling figure crosses the town square under the eye of a bank security camera. The next morning, FBI agent Ella Penrose is summoned to a nearby house where a man lies dead and partially devoured. Her partner reminds her that zombies aren’t real, but as head of the Paranormal Crimes Unit, tasked with cases that seemingly defy scientific explanation, Ella knows to keep her mind as open as the victim’s chest cavity.

With the security footage already leaked online and racking up views, the pressure to explain the inexplicable is mounting. But each new piece of evidence only deepens the mystery: beetles found on the victim belonging to a species long-thought extinct, the decaying arm recovered near the victim’s home from an entirely different body, and a scrap of fabric at the murder scene linking back to the Civil War. As the contradictions pile up, Ella is forced to confront the possibility that the case may lie beyond the limits of conventional investigation.

Zombie lore stretches back centuries, but in an age of deepfakes and drug-induced psychosis, separating myth from reality has never been more difficult. If something real is hiding beneath the noise, Ella will uncover it. She came to the FBI for justice. She stayed for cases like this…

As a fan of CSI, Bones, True Detective, Mindhunter, The X-Files, and even The Walking Dead, how could I not immediately read this story by Berman? Again, then add to the mix that the person behind the story has worked on television shows like CSI and Bones. Zombies? Paranormal? FBI? Crime scenes? Like seriously. No brainer. Okay, I think you get it.

But in all seriousness, when you dive into a book, even an author debut’s novel, you tend to have a bit more faith in how this story will turn out when they have credentials like Berman’s. It’s just common sense, and boy was I correct. Dead Matters is a slow burning procedural crime story that deals with the paranormal or does it? The mystery is in front of us, but what can we believe or what should we believe, even if you see it with your own eyes.

Now, over the first few pages I started having the feeling that Berman was telling a newer version of one of the best television shows to deal with the paranormal, The X-Files. This wouldn’t be awful, in my opinion, but was also hoping for something a bit different and fresh. Then, in the actual story, Ella Penrose mentions The X-Files and how the Paranormal Crimes Unit was created after unexplained things were happening in the vein of the show. This is when I knew Berman was taking the Mulder and Scully of it all and crafting a new story, that almost pays homage to what has come before it.

The paranormal investigations are only a part of Dead Matters is truly about. Ella deals with a lot of emotional baggage and family drama that she has to overcome and attend to while also searching for something that most people won’t and likely shouldn’t believe. Berman brings depth to these characters while trying to solve the mystery that isn’t easy to explain.

From every sign I can see, including the way this book progresses, the Paranormal Crimes Unit will continue and with plenty of places and ways to go. Dead Matters is definitely a great start to the series and hope to read more from the PCU, but also Berman.

Dead Matters is an intriguing paranormal mystery and thrilling procedural crime story. Josh Berman takes his long history of crafting stories for television shows such as CSI and brings it to the pages of this forensic thriller. Dead Matters is a smart and eerie paranormal crime thriller that left me eager for the next case for the FBI’s Paranormal Crime Unit.

Dead Matters hits bookstores everywhere on January 12, 2027 from Podium Publishing.

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Dead Matters from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

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While we are not the official voice of your decision, we want to help guide you in the right direction for comics releasing September 30, 2026.

The Amazing Venom #1

Writer: Jordan Morris
Artist: Luke Ross, Julius Ohta
Publisher: Marvel

When last we left the red-and-blue be-symbioted Fred Myers — formerly BOOMERANG, now COMEBACK — he was trying to keep his life uncomplicated. The last thing he wanted was to get caught up in the symbiote nonsense of Hela and Knull’s war over Earth… but the best laid plans of saps and symbiotes often go awry. Now, in the fallout, Fred and his symbiote, Passenger, find themselves on a mission way, way, WAY more complicated than your average Venorang can handle!

Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie #1

Writer: Eric Powell
Artist: Eric Powell
Publisher: Dark Horse

There are many tales of Rondel the wandering Hillbilly, this is but one. Some years after the great witch war, Rondel, in order to save an old friend, finds himself in an uncomfortable situation—in the service of his former captor, Twelve-Toe Maggie. Will he break the magical tie that binds him to the twelve-toed witch or will the wielder of the Devil’s Cleaver be at her service forever?

The Lawrence Brothers: Detective Agency HC

Writer: The Lawrence Brothers, Berkowitz Brothers, Brian Yuran
Artist: Sean Von Gorman, Dario Formisani
Publisher: Z2 Comics

This is a project that has been 15 years in the making!

The Lawrence Brothers (Joey, Matt and Andrew) have toyed around with their own take on the Hardy Boys by creating a detective agency with a Hollywood twist This darkly funny graphic novel reimagines them as reluctant heroes battling a conspiracy that’s warping the very fabric of fame Set against the surreal backdrop of a corrupted Hollywood, The Lawrence Brothers: Detective Agency is a satirical fever dream about identity, memory, and the absurdity of pop culture.

Think Scooby Doo meets Barry meets Bojack Horseman, except instead of searching for criminals they are searching for lost child stars with cameos from some of your favorite actors from the 90s!

The Lawrence Brothers: Detective Agency is not a story I had on my bingo card for 2026, but damn am I glad I read it. The Lawrence Brothers, Berkowitz Brothers, Brian Yuran, Sean Von Gorman, and Dario Formisan deliver an absurd, funny, dark, and enjoyable story that was part nostalgic and part mystery with The Lawrence Brothers: Detective Agency. Now, what mystery is next for Joey, Matthew, and Andrew to solve. – CLICK HERE to read the entire review

Batman: Detective Comics by Ram V Omnibus HC

Writer: Ram V
Artist: Various
Publisher: X

Ram V’s Batman magnum opus in collected in one massive omnibus volume!

For years, Batman has instilled fear into criminals by posing as a demonic creature of the night. But as the Dark Knight begins to question his own mortality—and as seemingly real demons start appearing in Gotham—he must also ask himself if there has in fact been an actual dark entity living in him all along.

From Eisner Award-winning author Ram V, along with Simon Spurrier, Dan Watters, Rafael Albuquerque, Hayden Sherman, Stefano Raffaele, and many others, comes a dark opera told in three acts pitting Batman against some of his most terrifying foes, the mysterious Orgham family, and his own inner nature.

This all-in-one volume collects the entire Gotham Nocturne storyline with the interconnecting backup tales from Detective Comics #1062-1089 and Detective Comics 2022 Annual #1, plus bonus stories from Batman Secret Files #1, DC’s Crimes of Passion #1, and Strange Love Adventures #1.

This edition also includes a new introduction by Ram V, afterwords by Simon Spurrier and Dan Watters, and a gallery of behind-the-scenes artwork.

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