Welcome back to a new edition of the Best Comic Books of the month for 2024. September was another packed month of great comic books to close out the 2024 summer. It certainly made deciding on the best comic books for the month even harder as there were so many to choose from. But finally after much deliberation I was able to put together what I found to be the best comic books for the month of September from my pull list. Find out what they were below.
ABSOLUTE POWER #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Every issue of Absolute Power has felt bigger than the one that came before it and that’s exactly the feeling the third chapter captures. The ways things continue to escalate has made everything Amanda Waller has executed in taking over the world feel like the endgame to she has been building towards for the last few years from the shadows. This made the way our heroes have united and countered what Waller has done to be an even more rewarding experience. That rewarding experience is best exemplified by how Nightwing and Mister Terrific were able save Jon Kent and defeat Brainiac Queen all with one plan. This along with everything else that happens in Absolute Power #3 builds the maximum hype going into the conclusion of the latest DC Universe event.
AIN’T NO GRAVE #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Jorge Corona
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Ain’t No Grave #5 is a finale that is brimming with so much style. Jorge Corona does such an excellent job framing everything that goes down between Ryder and Death to pop of the pages. All that comes down to the design of the world. There is so much packed into the background to make Ryder and Death as the focus standout even more. This all creates a setting so that Skottie Young’s dialogue has the maximum impact on the reader. That impact made the end result that Young and Corona reach with this finale to be as memorable as it turned out to be the entire journey this series took us on. That is a journey that won’t make it surprising to see Ain’t No Grave as a contender for comic book of the year.
THE BOY WONDER #5
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Juni Ba
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Through The Boy Wonder #5 Juni Ba was able to capture what makes the Batman Family so compelling. That is ultimately the importance of the members being a family. The impact of having a family around you, from the good to bad times, is so important. That is especially the case for Damian Wayne, someone who in their young life has been put through so many trials. How Damian has been able to grow through his connections with not just the Batman Family but also as an Al Ghul speaks to who he is. Everyone was important to shape him into the superhero he has become as Robin. How this comes into play with how he, Bruce, Talia, and Ra’s resolve their final battle added to the fairy tale aesthetic that made The Boy Wonder such a refreshing reading experience.
THE HORIZON EXPERIMENT: THE MANCHURIAN #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote
Artist: Terry Dodson
Inker: Rachel Dodson
Letterer: Jeff Powell
The Manchurian set the tone for what we can come to expect from The Horizon Experiment as an anthology series. Pornsak Pichetshote, Terry Dodson, and Rachel Dodson create their own full realized version of James Bond who has a Chinese background. Right away Terry and Rachel Dodson capture the aesthetic of what readers would want from a James Bond-esque story. Pichetshote takes that to tell a great personal story that gets you emotionally connected with the lead character. By the end of The Manchurian one-shot you are left hoping this isn’t the last time we get to visit this world. Creating that feeling out of the gate also makes you as the reader to look forward to what worlds will be introduced in future one-shots in The Horizon Experiment anthology series.
IMMORTAL THOR #15
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Jan Bazaldua
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer: Joe Sabino
Throughout his run on Immortal Thor thus far Al Ewing has put an emphasis on the God of Thunder’s relationship with his brother, Loki. They’ve bee through all sorts of trials together due to the Elder Gods presence. That all came to a head in Immortal Thor #15 as Thor had with Loki. After overcoming the darkness that infected Zeus, we saw Thor grew to no longer be able to put up with how Loki was pushing his buttons. Ewing and Jan Bazaldua did such a great job at putting over the breaking point Thor reached with Loki at this point. Add in how it appears that Enchantress is mixing the pot with her own motives there are now a lot of intriguing questions that will drive Immortal Thor to even more fun, unknown places.
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/USAGI YOJIMBO
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Ryan Parrott
Artist: Shawn Daley
Colorist: James Fenner
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Reading the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo one-shot felt like experiencing a Saturday morning cartoon. This comic book that Ryan Parrott, Shawn Daley, and James Fenner was just pure fun from beginning to end. Both franchises were maximized with their chemistry once brought together for this crossover. Having the story take place in Usagi Yojimbo’s world created an environment where the creative could explore the Power Rangers as heroes and Yojimbo as ronin protector. With how fully realized this story was you can’t help but want to read even more crossover stories with these two franchises in the future.
SCARLETT #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Marco Ferrari
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Scarlett #4 exemplifies how a penultimate chapter should set up the finale of a story to be as successful as possible. Kelly Thompson and Marco Ferrari chemistry as a creative team really shined through every page of this comic book. Ferrari delivers excellent choreography that puts over how badass Storm Shadow, Jinx, and Scarlett all are. Putting over their fighting and espionage skills created even more interest in how Thompson was characterizing their dynamic throughout the mission they were on. It ultimately leaves the story in a spot that could end in many different ways. How the results factor into the upcoming G.I. JOE ongoing series makes the finale of Scarlett even more highly anticipated.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #2
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 continued the individual exploration of where each member of the Hamato Clan are at after they go their separate ways. In the previous issue with Raphael we saw that we are in a world where the Ninja Turtles are able to “normally” interact with the public. But whereas Raphael had it rough being in prison we see that Michelangelo is enjoying fame being an actor in Japan. Through this set-up Jason Aaron and Rafael Albuquerque are able to balance out how Mikey is both enjoying his new famous lifestyle while still feeling isolated. The balance between these two aspects of Mikey’s new life made the sudden turn when he got attack hit harder. Making the attack hit on a personal level with how Mikey bursts out in anger over certain visuals creates even more questions to the greater direction for the TMNT that Aaron and company are creating.
TRANSFORMERS #12
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jorge Corona
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Transformers #12 is a masterclass in storytelling. Daniel Warren Johnson and Jorge Corona bring every piece of development in the Energon Universe’s Transformers up to this point to craft the most emotionally compelling finale to a comic book story I’ve read in a while. The reactions that are shown made the action throughout this comic book have an even greater sense of importance. That importance made the decisions made by Optimus Prime and others carry even greater weight. It is a weight that makes you question the present and future of every character in this series. The final seven pages of Transformers #12 are moments that all left me with my jaw on the floor. Just pure excellence in storytelling.
ZATANNA: BRING DOWN THE HOUSE #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Zatanna: Bring Down The House #4 is a comic book that shines with how much imagination it has. Mariko Tamaki full trust in Javier Rodriguez ability to tap into the unlimited potential of the magic world shows throughout this comic book. Rodriguez ability to create a beautiful comic book is breathtaking. For her part, Tamaki does a great job at showing the natural chemistry Zatanna and John Constantine have with one another. How their relationship chemistry progresses Zatanna’s journey spoke to the complexity of her journey. It all comes together to set the stage for Zatanna’s final test in this story to be just as special as this entire series has been thus far.
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