Spec Watch: September 21, 2026 — 13 Priority, 43 Confirmed

Three potential firsts lead the week. Speed Racer's Frankenstein's Dragster one-shot confirms a brand new racer. Star Wars: The Fall Of Kylo Ren #3 introduces an assassin droid the solicit calls the most dangerous dark side creation Kylo has faced yet. Spawn 77 #2 carries the Prince of Cats chatter. Also up top: X-Men: Outback #5 brings Mojo back with the Murder Video Channel, and Marvel is reprinting the first appearance of the Marvel Zombies as a facsimile of Ultimate Fantastic Four #21.

FOC closes Monday, so these are the calls to weigh before the window shuts. 13 priority books on the week, 43 confirmed, 60 with some kind of intel attached. The steepest incentive is a shared tier at 1:100, held by Predator Vs. Punisher #1 and Transformers #37. Dynamite is carrying the most incentive covers at 14. Below is a curated slice, not the full list.

Speed Racer Tales From The Road Frankensteins Dragster (Mad Cave, $6.99, Chris Robinson/Guillermo Sanna). Confirmed potential first of a brand new racer in this quarterly one-shot. The feature story pits Speed Racer and Racer X against a scavenger that feeds on wrecked cars, with backups from Brandon Thomas and Zoe Tunnell featuring Trixie Turnwell. Hot Spec and Confirmed on the new-racer debut.

Star Wars: The Fall Of Kylo Ren #3 (Marvel). The solicit introduces an assassin droid that keeps coming back stronger, tied to a forbidden dark side artifact and the Knights of Ren, and that droid is the potential first here. Kylo takes brutal control of the Knights while a new threat attacks his flagship. There is a 1:25 standard cover by Dave Dorman on this one. High Priority.

Spawn 77 #2 (rumor-based) (Image, $6.99, Todd McFarlane, Mark Spears/Mark Spears). The potential first here is a character called Prince of Cats, alongside the introduction of the 1977 Spawn into modern continuity. Not a confirmed solicit anchor, so treat it as speculation. The book itself teases a shocking twist heading into the finale. High Priority on the week.

X-Men: Outback #5 (Marvel, $4.99, Steve Orlando). Mojo is back and the confirmed debut here is the Murder Video Channel, his new ratings smash built on the world believing the X-Men are dead. The twist in the solicit: Cliffhanger, Mojo's new murder-video star, is Longshot's ex. Confirmed and Hot Spec.

Predator Vs. Punisher #1 (Marvel). First-ever crossover between the two franchises, with a Predator hunting Frank Castle across New York while Kingpin, Jigsaw, Silvermane and the Owl fill out the villain lineup. This book shares the week's steepest incentive at 1:100, a virgin cover by Alex Maleev, alongside a pair of 1:25 standards. Confirmed event.

Alien Vs. X-Men #2 (Marvel, $5.99, Kieron Gillen). Cable returns with a handpicked team from the future, and the solicit introduces a new Alien Queen as a potential first. There is also a Claremont flashback thread running with Kitty Pryde against the Xenomorphs for the fate of the Phoenix. Confirmed on the Cable return, Watch tier.

Iron Man: Racing Towards Doom #1 (Marvel, $4.99, Ethan Sacks). Confirmed first comic appearances of F1 drivers Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in a crossover with the Williams team, with Doctor Doom waiting at the finish line. Also starring Black Widow and Sam Wilson's Captain America. The real-driver debuts are the angle, High Priority on the week.

Detective #1 (Bad Idea, $5.99, David Lapham, Maria Lapham/David Lapham). Neo-noir sci-fi from the Stray Bullets team: homicide detective Valencia Vallez wakes up with a revolver in her hand, a dead body beside her, and no memory of how she got there. Two-issue run. Incentive covers run to a 1:50 metal by Lee Elias and a 1:20 black and white by Lapham.

Firefly #2 (Dynamite, $4.99, Mark Russell/Lorenzo Re). Mal has to fence stolen goods through an old acquaintance and, no surprise, it goes sideways. The incentive lineup is deep: eight ratio covers running up to a 1:40 Paris Alleyne virgin, plus the 1:10 Meghan Hetrick foil. Watch tier.

Gargoyles (2026) #3 (Dynamite, $4.99, Greg Weisman/Gerardo Gambone). The driver here is confirmed news of an animated revival with the original creators returning, which is feeding attention on the comic. This issue has Queen Mab invading dreams worldwide and pulling in the Scarecrow. Incentive covers include a 1:15 Frank Paur virgin and 1:10 options. Watch tier.

Amazing Spider-Man: Halloween Special #1 (Marvel, $4.99, Justina Ireland). Solicit confirms a new costume for Spider-Man as Hallows' Eve attempts her biggest heist against the entire 616. The costume debut is the hook, and Marvel notes hidden Spidey secrets in the issue. Confirmed on the new-costume angle.

Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 Facsimile Edition (Marvel, $4.99, Mark Millar). This facsimile reprints the 2003 issue with the first appearance of the Marvel Zombies, by Millar and Land. It is a reprint, not a first; the 2003 original is the key. At $4.99 it is a way to own the issue in its original form. Confirmed by the publisher solicit.

Avengers: Armageddon #5 (rumor-based) (Marvel). The angle is a potential first full appearance of David Colton as the new Miracleman, following his final-page reveal in issue #4. Marvel confirmed the reveal; a first full appearance in #5 is not confirmed, so it stays speculation. The issue sets up Zdarsky and Checchetto's Avengers #1, and there is a 1:25 Mark Bagley standard cover. Watch tier.

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The complete FOC list for September 21, 2026 is live now at FOC Intelligence, free to access with registration, no subscription required. Spec summaries, first appearance tracking, creator intel, and early access are available through our Insider tier, details and tier comparison at the link.