The Pull List — June 24, 2026: Marvel's Midnight Universe Gets One Launch Day & the Ultimate Universe Says Goodbye
📅 This Day in Comic History
- 1979 — Stan Lynde saddles up again. Cartoonist Stan Lynde, already famous for the Western strip Rick O'Shay, launched his new frontier strip Latigo on Sunday, June 24, 1979, following Cole "Two Trails" Cantrell across the old West (per Wikipedia).
- And a milestone in the making today: June 24, 2026 closes the book on Marvel's Ultimate line with the oversized Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 — more on that below.
Love a good Western or a clean run of key issues? Browse the back-issue boxes and current pre-orders below.
☕ Today's Big Story — Marvel's Midnight Universe Gets One Shared Launch Day
Marvel has set a single, shared release date for its new horror-flavored corner of the publishing slate. According to Marvel and AIPT, the three Midnight Universe titles will all arrive on October 7, 2026 — and they will be the only fresh Marvel books shipping that day. The lineup pairs Midnight X-Men (Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte), Midnight Fantastic Four (Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker), and Midnight Spider-Man (Phillip Kennedy Johnson and ScieTronc), each set in a shared, scarier continuity that sits apart from the main Marvel Universe. According to CBR, the books were once spread across August, September, and October before Marvel consolidated them into a single drop. Pre-orders for Midnight X-Men #1 are open with us now.
🗞️ Industry Buzz — News & Reveals
Firefly flies back to comics through Dynamite.
- According to Comic Book Club, Dynamite is reviving the Firefly license, with a new Firefly #1 slated for September 2, 2026.
- The debut is reported to ship with premium mystery blind-bag covers for collectors.
The Ultimate Universe takes its bow — for now.
- According to AIPT, today's Ultimate Universe: Finale #1 is a 64-page, $7.99 oversized special closing out the line.
- The special gathers writers Deniz Camp, Chris Condon, Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hill, and Peach Momoko, and ends by promising the line will return down the road.
Absolute Batman keeps rewriting the sales charts.
- According to CBR, Absolute Batman #20 has moved past the 500,000-copy mark.
- According to Comic Book Club, the Absolute line dominated May's graphic-novel chart, with DC claiming 14 of the top 20 slots.
Gail Simone's She-Spawn is an Image heavyweight.
- According to Image Comics, the Jessica Priest-led miniseries from Gail Simone and Ig Guara has been among the publisher's most-ordered recent debuts.
- The five-issue story is set to wrap with She-Spawn #5 in early September.
First look: Midnight Fantastic Four art surfaces.
- According to Bleeding Cool, new interior and cover art from Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker leans hard into gothic horror — think shadowed, monstrous takes on Marvel's First Family rather than their usual bright-blue adventure tone.
📰 Also This Morning
Saying goodbye to Ultimate Spidey.
- Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto's acclaimed Ultimate Spider-Man run reached its conclusion, and we still have copies of the final issue in stock.
- It's a natural companion read alongside today's Ultimate Universe: Finale #1.
Grab Ultimate Spider-Man #24 →
John Byrne returns to the X-Men.
- A legend revisits the franchise he helped define: X-Men: Elsewhen Hardcover Vol. 1 lands in-store today, June 24.
- It's an oversized collector's hardcover and a strong shelf piece for longtime mutant fans.
Reserve X-Men: Elsewhen Vol. 1 →
Riding the Absolute wave.
- With Absolute Batman dominating the charts, the Absolute corner of DC is a great jumping-on point for new collectors.
- Explore Absolute and Batman titles in our DC section.
🔥 New First Issues to Watch
🔥 Midnight X-Men #1 — Jonathan Hickman steps back into mutant storytelling with artist Matteo Della Fonte for a horror-tinged reinvention. As the flagship of a brand-new line launching all at once, it carries real first-issue collectibility. If you liked the big-swing energy of House of X, you will love this.
Swamp Thing 1989 #1 (of 4) — DC finally publishes a long-shelved chapter of its most storied horror title, with Rick Veitch returning to the muck. For longtime readers, this is a genuine curiosity piece. If you like the Alan Moore era of Swamp Thing, you will love this.
📚 In Print & Collections
- X-Men: Elsewhen HC Vol. 1 | collects John Byrne's new Uncanny-inspired project | Oversized Hardcover | in-store June 24, 2026 | Reserve here.
- Firefly (Dynamite, 2026) | new ongoing relaunch of the Serenity crew | single issues begin September 2026 | Available at your local shop.
🗣️ Rumor Mill
The following is unconfirmed and should be treated as rumor until officially announced.
- RM-001 (June 24, 2026): Serial-killer villain Victor Zsasz is reportedly being lined up for an upcoming Batman storyline. Source: Bleeding Cool.
- 🔥 RM-002 (June 24, 2026): Marvel is rumored to have reworked a cover for the milestone Amazing Spider-Man #1000. Source: Bleeding Cool.
P.S.
On consolidating Marvel's three Midnight launches into one day: "I was very excited when Marvel told me the revamped plans for the Midnight launch because when I read both Ben and Phillip's first scripts—and even more than that when the art started rolling in—I knew that this line was going to be something special." — Jonathan Hickman, via AIPT, June 2026.
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