Buying comics can be an expensive hobby. A lot of fans simply can’t afford everything they’re interested in, due to rising prices and the over-saturation of the market with superhero titles.
That’s why we’re here. Every week, the Multiversity staff is asked “What would you buy this week if you couldn’t go over $20?” and shares their reasons why, in order to help others who might have similar tastes make their own decisions in buying comics on a budget. Be sure to leave your own picks in the comments!
Leo’s Picks:
Extremity #5 ($3.99) – Daniel Warren Johnson is currently killing it on “Extremity”, making the most of his chance to do his own thing on a monthly comic book. Each issue has been better than the last, with Thea’s story of loss and revenge and identity only getting deeper and more complex with each issue. That’s not even to mention all the awesome sci-fi settings and awesome tech he’s getting to draw every issue. Just buy “Extremity”, y’all.
Rock Candy Mountain #4 ($3.99) – Leave it to Kyle Starks to take a story about hobos and make it much more than a story about hobos. There’s hobos, hobo fighting, G-Men, the Literal Devil, and so much more going on here. That’s all with the humor and wit that Starks constantly injects into his work.
Rick & Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It #1 ($3.99) – I love Rick & Morty so much. While we all wait for the next season to premiere at the end of the month, we may as well read comics based on the show.
Total: $11.97
Ramon’s Picks:
Kim And Kim Love Is A Battlefield #1 ($3.99) — Volume two of this Eisner-nominated book starts here, and I just want to say that I’m proud that two Mexicans (and from my town!) are working on this book: Eva Cabrera and Claudia Aguirre. Si eres paisano (o latino) y te gusta su trabajo, mándales un tweet, estoy seguro que van a apreciar las palabras de apoyo.
Rick & Morty Pocket Like You Stole It #1 ($3.99) — The series is hilarious and addictive, the game is hilarious and addictive, the comic is hilarious and addictive, that tells me that the comic about the game will be equally hilarious and addictive.
Bloodshot’s Day Off (One-Shot, $3.99) — Bloodshot was born right on the extreme era: violence for the sake of violence. Then Lemire gave live and voice to the character: a different perspective. Now we have Rahal writing the exact opposite of violence, this should be a fun and interesting read.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #7 ($4.99) — We had to wait an entire year between issues, usually that’s a bad sign. Will it be worth the wait? I’m confident it will.
Total: $16.96. Also, if you are a Trade Waiter the collection of “He-Man/Thundercats” ($16.99) is out this week, and it’s an interesting read.
Kent’s Picks
Kim & Kim: Love Is A Battlefield #1 ($3.99) – I missed out on the first course of Magdalene Vissagio’s tale of two Kims, but I”ll be damned if I sleep on the second. Vissagio’s energy is always palpable and infectious. “Quantum Teens are Go” welded punk rock and science with all the impact of licking a car battery – without leaving a sour taste or chemical burns in your mouth. This latest hit of bounty hunter badassery is just more evidence piling up as proof that Black Mask is the strongest publisher of 2017.
Deathstroke #21 ($3.99) – Christopher Priest’s alchemy continues. “Deathstroke” is still the best… And now, Priest has conjured up the Dark Titans. It’s hard to have imagined this turn 20 issues ago, but here we are.
Ash vs. Army of Darkness #1 ($3.99) – Evil Dead comics are something I’ve largely steered clear of – just never felt the need to see things expanded past Raimi’s original vision – but I picked up the #0 issue for a quarter and loved every penny spent. Chad Bowers and Chris Sims nailed Ash’s bravado and asshole charm. Definitely worth it to check out the start of the series proper.
Continued belowExtremity #5 ($3.99) – Daniel Warren Johnson’s sci-fi dissection of violence begetting violence begetting violence has such a worn and weathered quality that you can almost feel grits of sand in your teeth, smell the stale sweat in the air, and taste the tinge of blood in your mouth. And yet for all the weariness there’s a sense of hope. “Extremity” continues to be the class of Image’s line.
Total$15.96 – Solid week, with a little to spare. Good timing too, because “Dept. H” Vol. 2 After the Flood HC ($19.99) drops on Wednesday. I’m not big on trade-waiting. But when Dark Horse collects a slab of Matt Kindt comic, it’s a worthy exercise in delayed gratification.
Matt Lune’s Picks:
Unholy Grail #1 ($3.99) – The legend of King Arthur is a rich fictional vein but a book with a slant towards horror is something I’m eager to see explored. Who better to bring that story to the page than Cullen Bunn, a creator with a lot of great horror books under his belt (two this week in fact.) When the solicit mentions Lovecraft too then this is definitely shaping up to be a great series.
Unsound #2 ($3.99) – There was a lot to take in with the first issue, and there wasn’t so much of a plot as a general, intensely creepy vibe. I’m always a massive fan of Cullen Bunn’s horror work (see above,) so I’m down for where this is going, plus asylum’s are never not scary places.
Ash Vs Army of Darkness #1 ($3.99) – The zero issue of this series picked up right where the Army of Darkness movie left off and took the characters in a fun direction. Throw in the fact that the writing team have always made great books and I’m looking forward to where this book goes.
Kim and Kim Love is a Battlefield #1 ($3.99) – The first volume of this Black Mask series was ace and it’s so satisfying to know it’s back for round two. Mags Visaggio and Eva Cabrera bring the next chapter for the fighting Kims!
Bloodshot’s Day Off #1 ($3.99) – These Valiant one-shots are awesome, and for me a shining example of everything the publisher is doing right. They’ve always pushed their line forward but have a keen, inclusive eye on the past. There’s no need to read the books that inspired these single anniversary issues, but by paying a little bit of service towards the previous generation of their superhero universe they maintain a certain reverence that has to be admired.
Total: $19.95
Matthew’s Picks:
Jupiter’s Legacy Volume 2 #5 ($4.99) – I would be hesitant to not recommend an opportunity to see new Frank Quitely art, even if it is on a Mark Millar book.
Snotgirl #6 ($2.99) – O’Malley and Hung’s truly quirky venture together returns, for what I assume is more peculiarities. I didn’t come around to this book initially, but I’m curious where it’s going.
Wicked + The Divine #29 ($3.99) – And once again, we return to this.
Nick Fury #4 ($3.99) – I’ve been blown away by the art in this book. ACO has been doing some incredible stuff with the book, and it makes for a very engaging read.
Rock Candy Mountain #4 ($3.99) – Kyle Starks is one of my favorite modern storytellers. This book is a pretty solid indication why.
Total: $19.95
Mark’s Picks:
“The Visitor: How and Why He Stayed” #5 ($3.99) — This miniseries grew into something really special. What started out as a story that seemed primed to explore some of the big mythology questions of the Hellboy Universe, instead settled into something smaller, more intimate, and sincere. Paul Grist seems to have a knack for finding visual motifs to externalise the interior life of his characters—something that’s become even clearer now that the story is complete.
“Giant Days” #28 ($3.99) — This series is always a highlight of the month.
Total: $7.98. Small week for singles, but all the books I’m buying blow the $20 budget…
Ken’s Picks:
Monstress vol. 2 ($16.99): This book shot out like a cannon to become one of the best Image books coming out right now, so when another trade is out, you pay attention. Liu and Takara have built such a fascinating world and it is only expanding. Get on this book.
Total: $16.99
