Eternals 1 2021 Featured Columns 

Comics Should Be Cheap (1/6/21)

By | January 5th, 2021
Posted in Columns | % Comments

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!

Vince’s Picks:

Future State: Wonder Woman #1 ($3.99) – This is the one. If I had to pick just one “Future State” book from the event’s opening week of titles, it would be this one. It’s the one book so far that feels truly different from the rest of the slate, like it’s operating on some different wavelength beyond cape comics. Joelle Jones’ art is incredible (she gets to show off her iconic brand of “Helheim” era bloodletting), as per usual, and the writing is crisp, funny, and to the point. This comic is a wonderful combination of easy-to-digest for new readers, yet bursting with at least the illusion of creative freedom you’d want to see from an auteur creator like Jones at a corporate comics publisher like DC.

Future State: Swamp Thing #1 ($3.99) – This is the other “Future State” title that’s particularly good. Ram V is weaving a warm and surprising tale and Mike Perkins really stepped up to deliver some of his best worst yet. His amorphous planet-people are the proper level of creepy, and there are some detailed anatomy pages that make for really impressive graphic design work. As a bonus, “Swamp Thing” appears to be operating in relative isolation compared to the other titles this week, so if you’re not reading “Future State” you can still check this out.

Usagi Yojimbo #16 ($3.99) – Brand new year, I’m back to my same old ways.

Getting It Together #4 ($3.99) – What a lovely little world Sina Grace and Omar Spahi have crafted here.

Total: $15.96

Mark’s Picks:

The Last Witch #1 ($4.99) – I’m a total mark for this sort of thing—coming of age YA fantasy stories filled with magic. That and V.V. Glass’s art looks amazing. It was originally announced as a pair of graphic novels, but since then has gone to the monthly format instead. I’m a bit disappointed about that, but not too much. These issues are larger than usual, packing 30 story pages, which should hopefully give the story room to breathe. This just looks like a lot of fun.

After the Rain ($22.99) – Adapted from Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road” by writer John Jennings and artist David Brame. I’m not familiar with the team behind the adaption, nor have I read the original short story, but I’ve previously enjoyed Okorafor’s “LaGuardia” so this is definitely worth at least a look.

Total: $27.98.

Chris’s Picks:

Avatar: The Next Shadow #1 ($3.99) – Haha, Avatar, the second highest-grossing film of all time, and no one can remember anything about it right? It’s tough when the public isn’t being saturated in Pandora the way they have been with the MCU, Westeros or Star Wars: in any case, I’m looking forward to Dark Horse finally continuing the story of James Cameron’s beautiful, bioluminescent anti-imperialist fantasy.

Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons #3 ($3.99) – This is a fun, beautifully illustrated series – very curious to know if it’s hinting at anything bigger though.

Eternals #1 ($4.99) – Speaking of big, it doesn’t get much bigger than Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribic reestablishing the Eternals in the Marvel Universe. It’s good to see Gillen back in the main MU, and as with all “Eternals” projects, it’s going to be fascinating to see if it becomes a long-term success at integrating Jack Kirby’s overpowered heroes into the wider universe.

King in Black: Return of the Valkyries #1 ($3.99) – The few issues we got of Jason Aaron and Torunn Gronbekk on “Valkyrie” were an ominous piece of magic, and it’s great they’re going to use the otherwise generic ‘King in Black’ to continue what they presumably had planned — Nina Vakeueva is also an excellent artist, and it’s great to see her on higher-profile books like this.

Continued below

Total: $16.96

Johnny’s Picks:

Future State Swamp Thing #1 (of 2) ($3.99) – I really enjoy most everything I’ve read from writer Ram V., and veteran artist Mike Perkins has a bibliography that is full of bonafide quality runs, so their teaming up for this book is quite exciting. I don’t know anything about Future State, but I dug the hell out of V.’s run on “Justice League Dark” (a run that included Swamp Thing), so count me in for this one.

Eternals #1 ($4.99) – I have mixed feelings on many of Gillen’s books, most of the time I enjoy the ideas more than the execution (but I REALLY, REALLY love his ideas!). And I never jived with the Eternals in the way that I did with most other Kirby books, either (but I REALLY, REALLY love it when Kirby gets weird!). With that being said, I’m ride or die for Esad Ribic, and I find it hard to resist new #1’s, and once again Gillen has hooked me with his pitch about the attrition of endless wars, and the “real” figures that bleed into our mythologies. Pretty sure that, despite my reservations, this book will quickly be added to my pull list at my friendly LCS.

Total: $8.98

Kate’s Picks:

Star Wars The High Republic #1 ($3.99) – I was a pretty hardcore fan of Star Wars: The Old Republic, so I’m keen to flash forward a couple of hundred years to see some peace and prosperity. This is also another multi-platform event, though with slightly less ambitions (and platforms) than Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious.

Ninja Nuns: Bad Habits Die Hard #1 ($4.99) – This sounds straight out of my elementary school fever dreams of what the likes of Sister Agnita, Sister Clarence, and Sister Diane did when they were done teaching for the day at St. James.

Total: $8.98.


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Multiversity Staff

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