We are fast approaching the end of the year, as well as the end of the month, and as such the newest round of monthly comic books fast approach. This time around it’s what’s been revealed in the November 2023 solicitations, in which Marvel and DC have announced some fascinating new series as well as continuations of many existing, ongoing delights.
Let’s take a look at the most exciting superheroic offerings from both new and old series alike, and if anything covered in prior months makes a reappearance on this list!
10. Outsiders #1
Possibly one of the most surprising announcements to come out of SDCC 2023, DC debuted their newest take on the fan-favourite series The Outsiders. Only this time, instead of being staffed with longtime members like Black Lightning, Katana, Halo or even recent staple The Signal, the lineup is completely different.
In fact, this incarnation of The Outsiders eschews all previous members, and even the concept of superheroes altogether! Kate Kane and Luke Fox, previously Batwoman and Batwing respectively, are trading in the secret identities and the crimefighting to become super-archaeologists instead. This new run will follow the pair (plus mysterious new member the “Third Man”) as they uncover a mystery at the very heart of the DC universe itself.
Many have pointed out how closely the premise of this title aligns with Wildstorm series Planetary, and if it’s truly attempting to be a spiritual sequel then Outsiders has huge shoes to fill.
This series, originally solicited as a 12-issue limited series but now billed as ongoing, has the potential to be one of the most interesting new series to come out of the November 2023 solicitations, depending on how just weird and wonderful Lanzing, Kelly and Carey get with this adventure.
9. Venom #27
Following up on the tease at the tail end of Torunn Grønbekk’s Venom #23 & #26, Black Widow has officially entered the fray – and she comes with her own symbiote to boot!
As Marvel’s current symbiote saga continues to broaden, and the players continue to stack up, each new issue promises new avenues of mystery and intrigue, building upon the cross-temporal adventure that Eddie finds himself on as well as Dylan’s quest to build a symbiote army.
Furthermore, after a slightly rocky first foray into the Venom narrative, Grønbekk’s Venom #26 demonstrated a much tighter grasp on character and structure that left me exceptionally invested in its follow-up. While I can take or leave the current villains of the month that Dylan, Toxin and “The Widow” find themselves pitted against, their complicated and uneasy team dynamics are proving more interesting with each coming month.
This half of the narrative is getting the much needed attention that it deserves now, with Grønbekk’s eye for world-building and introspective character work complimenting Ewing’s similar preoccupations within the Eddie portions of the series. Couple that with Julius Ohta’s growing portfolio of incredibly expressive character work and body horror on the symbiote titles, and Venom continues to reign as one of the most consistently interesting titles Marvel is publishing.
8. Speed Force #1
Something fans of the Flash have been asking for, for years, has been a second title. Batman has Detective Comics, Superman has Action Comics. Wonder Woman has even, albeit intermittently, had Sensation Comics. Plus, at the height of the character’s popularity around 2011-2014, Green Lantern had five concurrent series going. So, where’s Flash’s ancillary book?
Well, in October fans will be receiving Jay Garrick: The Flash, from Jeremy Adams and Diego Olortegui, which naturally centres on the original Flash. But if that wasn’t enough, DC are really putting their faith in the Flash family by greenlighting not two but three titles – rounding out the slate with Speed Force #1. Written by DC newcomer Jarrett Williams and pitch-perfect Flash artist Daniele Di Nicuolo, this series will focus instead on Wallace ‘Ace’ West and Avery Ho, some of the younger members of the family as they investigate strange things happening within the titular realm of energy known as the Speed Force.
Something that has been true of all this year’s solicits, not just the November 2023 solicitations, is that DC seem truly interested in broadening their slate of titles and investing in fan favourite characters.
Giving often underserved characters like Kid Flash and Avery Ho’s Flash a title all of their own, and pairing them with an artist so perfect at conveying motion, mirth and merriment as Di Nicuolo is a dream come true for Flash fans
7. Detective Comics #1076 (& #1077… & #1078)
Since July of last year, Ram V (along with a cavalcade of the industry’s best artists) has been gracing readers with a sprawling gothic opera in the pages of Detective Comics. In it, Batman finds himself feeling the decades, questioning his place in the city and the heart of the city itself. Meanwhile, a new (or is it old?) family of great influence arrives upon the stones on the Gotham docks. The Orghams – an austere unit draped as much in mystery as they are in power. Naturally, they have designs upon the city, and those design have recently come to a head.
Starting in November (or technically one day before) Detective Comics goes twice a month, as the run takes a five-issue intermission with “Batman: Outlaw”. The series shifts gears from moody and poetic to mean and gunslinging as Batman is possessed, imagining what might be his final hours as a tale straight out of a Western.
Ram V and company keep finding new ways to peel away at what makes Gotham, and its caped crusader, so enrapturing and this arc looks to follow suit. Playing with genre like this is just par for the course when it comes to the loving construction that has gone into this run.
6. Titans: Beast World: Waller Rising #1
Given that the main Titans: Beast World event itself hasn’t made it on to this list, the presence of one of its tie-ins might seem peculiar. And yet, the premise of this one-shot sounds so tailor-made for me that I can’t go the whole list without mentioning it.
“The Kingdom, a mystical and metaphysical realm, sits at the nexus of the Parliaments. A formidable new adversary, Dr. Hate, emerges with intentions to corrupt both the Kingdom and the Parliament of the Red in the pursuit of chaos. Batwing, Vixen, Val-Zod Superman, and Black Manta are thrust together in a desperate fight for survival.”
Full November 2023 DC Comics solicitation, AIPT
The news that Chuck Brown, writer of the criminally underrated Black Manta series from the Infinite Frontier era, would be tackling characters like David Zavimbe, Nubia and Vixen on a quest to defend the Red, the Green and all the other Parliaments (see Swamp Thing and Animal Man for more) is like music to my ears. Expect a character driven tale that strikes at the core of what drives each of these people to heroism (or villainy), all while delivering on the promise of a universe-spanning event.
What’s more, this seems to be picking up on various threads established over the last year: the introduction of Deadeye in Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution, the coronation of Nubia as queen of the Amazons and even Val Zod’s reintroduction to continuity through the Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent. Having a meaningful entry to an event, both in terms of character and continuity, is incredibly exciting.
5. G.O.D.S. #2
The release of G.O.D.S. #1 was cloaked in much debate. Some were excited for a new Hickman joint, equally as thrilled to learn that Valerio Schiti would be joining him. Others were offended at the $9.99 price tag. Others still were just confused on what it was.
However, now that the mystically-minded bird has landed, and readers (myself included) have had a chance to taste what the series is actually setting out to do, things are much clearer.
G.O.D.S. is like if Hickman and Schiti were given the keys to Marvel mystic and Marvel cosmic, and told they had free reign to go create what today’s version of Sandman would look like, only at a different company.
Debates around price aside (yes, it’s crazy that a single issue could cost $10; but also, it’s 3 issues worth of story for the price of two, so no, it’s not that outrageous after all) G.O.D.S. is what comics needs more of. Bold, stylistic new series, focused on telling original and innovative stories from top-tier creators. It’s exciting and fresh, and uses the decades of continuity behind it to do something new rather than be shackled to the expectations of the past.
Do yourself a favour: pre-order G.O.D.S. #2.
4. The Flash #3
Rounding out the fourth spot of our most anticipated superhero titles in the November 2023 solicitations is none other than the hotly received new run on The Flash, from Si Spurrier and Mike Deodato Jr. It’s a title that, for reasons beyond me, I’ve neglected to highlight on the September or October top 10 lists, and thus it’s inclusion here is as much about the hype for this month’s issue as it is the releases prior.
For those unaware, Spurrier and Deodato have taken over the ongoing title from Jeremy Adams, whose prior run focused very much on the family aspect of character. It served to reinstate Wally West as the fastest man alive and to give him a series of joy-filled adventures that solidified his position as the premier speedster.
Never one to ignore what’s come before, but also never one to pass by the opportunity to innovate, Spurrier’s initial plot seems to be taking the scarlet baton and running it more in the direction of cosmic horror than action romp.
Following on from his encounter with a suped-up Mirror Master, as seen in The Flash #800, Wally must deal with all-new villains, as well as another upgraded antagonist in the form of The Folding Man.
What’s particularly exciting about this new direction – outside of Spurrier’s claims that this is to The Flash what Ewing’s Immortal Hulk was to the green giant – is the sheer imaginative force that seems to be behind it. The series retains many of the touchpoints that fans have resonated with recently, like an increased spotlight on the Flash Family (with characters like Max Mercury continuing to see page time), while also pushing the title to new places creatively. Every page in #800’s lead-in story was brimming with ideas, energy and character. The series’ visual identity is unlike anything it’s had in a long time, and it’s playing with some heady sci-fi concepts that couldn’t feel more at home than in a book like this.
Make sure to check out the first two issues, and then get your pre-orders in. Like King and Sampere’s Wonder Woman, all signs indicate that these books will be the ones people are talking about years from now as the runs that changed the game on your favourite members of the Justice League.
And if nothing else, this run has scored some of the most mind-bendingly beautiful variant covers I have seen in a long time.
3. Dark X-Men #4
This spiritual successor to Hellions, an equally fun yet twisted dive into mutantdom’s worst and darkest, is off to a flying start. Dark X-Men #1 delivered a solid entry into this new corner of the x-universe, and each months solicits seem to indicate that the chaos is only just beginning.
What’s more, and the reason I’ve highlighted the series in the November 2023 solicitations, is it promises to bring a certain wall-crawler sharply into focus. That’s right, Ben Reilly A.K.A. Chasm will be stepping fully into proceedings this issue!
Teased in the pages of the first issue, Ben Reilly has been hanging out in Madelyne Pryor’s Limbo Embassy, and he’s not exactly happy about it. Given the strong work Steve Foxe has done on this and the X-Men Annual thus far, my hopes for a strong (and much needed) exploration of Chasm’s mental state are high.
Additionally, more time with characters like Carmen, Gambit and Havok is always cause for celebration, especially when they’re navigating the gothic nightmares of Jonas Scharf’s pen.
Dark X-Men continues to be a series that I wish wasn’t limited to 5 issues in length, and I don’t think there’s a much bigger compliment in comics than wishing something got to exist for longer.
2. Wonder Woman #3
Tom King and Daniel Sampere and making a Wonder Woman series for the ages. This is a title that, two issue in, carves out such a clear and singular vision for the clay-born hero, taking all the disparate interpretations and versions of the character and distilling it into something elemental. Something essential.
As the November 2023 solicitations confirm, Wonder Woman #3 continues Diana’s rebellion against the U.S. government in the wake of the Amazon ban. Where last issue explored the tension at the core of Diana’s identity as a warrior princess and ambassador for peace – making the words “no thank you” far more powerful than one would ever expect them to be – this issue promises to examine another key tenet of the character, her veneration of the truth.
Sovereign’s Lasso of Lies is brought into focus, and so too is Trinity, Diana’s future daughter. Like all of King and Sampere’s work, this series carries with it a confidence and depth that few comics tend to reach, let alone sustain for an entire run. This is the Wonder Woman series – don’t miss it.
1. Ultimate Universe #1
With NYCC 2023 in the rear-view, our view of what’s to come in the new Ultimate Universe is a whole lot clearer. So, with the news of Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther and Ultimate X-Men on the horizon, how could Hickman and Caselli’s foundational Ultimate Universe #1 not take the top spot in this month’s list.
While I confess to being left feeling a little confused as to what exactly Hickman’s plans were coming out of Ultimate Invasion, I also know well enough to trust the man’s impeccable sense of vision. The beginnings of this new universe are laid out, with some interesting twists on classic concepts, and plenty of amalgamated ideas to keep readers guessing. What’s more, as of Ultimate Invasion #4, we also know there’s something of Maker-shaped ticking time bomb that this new Ultimate universe will eventually have to face.
All of that set up, and the promise of top-tier creative teams with the licence to do some really exciting things (remember what I said in the section on G.O.D.S.?) has my excitement has brewing. And Ultimate Universe #1 is where all the forward momentum begins.
If, like me, you weren’t around for the conception of the original Ultimate Universe, then the idea of being able to jump in at the start of something with this much potential in the mainstream comics space is so very exciting. Join me, won’t you, as we see what this bold new universe has to offer?
