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Comics Should Be Cheap (11/20/19)

By | November 19th, 2019
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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!

Nick’s Picks:

“Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey”, volume 3 ($13.99) – One of my favorite current manga, a memoir about Higashimura’s unusual journey from manga fan in high school to being the popular mangaka she is today. Equal parts funny, nostalgic, frustrating, and touching, Higashimura keeps things focused on her rocky relationship with creating art and the people she met (and sometimes let down) along the way. This one of my favorite comic book memoirs I’ve read.

“Dial H for Hero” #9 ($3.99) – Quinones is a powerhouse artist with his spot-on homages and innovation with the page, and Humphries has been the perfect collaborator for giving him great material to work with. The last two issues were more experimental than the first six, so I’m excited to get back to the main story here!

Total: $17.98.

Erik’s Picks:

“Batman” #83 ($3.99) – The inevitable showdown with Bane occurred a bit earlier in the storyline than I expected, so I want to see how the next three issues round out King’s time on “Batman.” Who knew that Flashpoint Batman would be the main foil of this story?

“The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage” #1 ($6.99) – Another week, another Jeff Lemire book. This time, Lemire takes on one of my favorite DC characters with his previous collaborator Denys Cowan. I loved this pair when they worked on the “Green Arrow” side stories (‘Zero Year’ and ‘Secret Origins’) and it’ll be a lot of fun seeing Cowan return to the Question.

“Olympia” #1 ($3.99) I’m looking forward to reading Pires’s promise of a hopeful adventure paired with Kirby aesthetics and Spielberg-like storytelling. It’s a double-sized first issue, to boot!

Total: $14.97

Kate’s Picks:

“Archie and Friends Travel” #1 ($2.99) – Maybe it’s because I just got back from a work trip to Spain, but I’m itching to get a few more stamps in my passport, even if I have to do it virtually with the Riverdale crew.

“Tank Girl” #8 ($3.99) – Will Superhero Tank Girl save her friendship with Barney and Melbourne from a meteor? That’s a lot to pack in 24 or so pages. But however Martin and Parson do it, it will be fun.

“Hazel and Cha Cha Save Christmas” #1 ($4.99) – The breakout stars of “Umbrella Academy” get their own one-shot and it’s going to be a very bloody Christmas.

“Olympia” #1 ($3.99) – This story is not only a love letter to comics and superheroes and all of us who wanted those superheroes to leap off the page, but to the love of father and son, with the Pires clan working together before Tony passed away from cancer. This is a book full of heart in so many ways.

Total: $15.96

Jason’s Picks:

”The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage” #1 ($6.99)‒ Hefty price. But as a fan of the Dennis O’Neil’s run on “The Question”, I feel it necessary to check this out!

”Deadpool” #1 ($4.99)‒ “Deadpool” is very hit or miss for me. It doesn’t help that the new ongoing goes for $4.99. For a new series’ first issue to be so expensive, it seems like it won’t draw in more people.

”Olympia” #1 ($3.99)‒ I don’t know much about this title. But I do love the cover!

”Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen” #5 ($3.99)‒ Jimmy Olsen’s adventure has been fun for the last four issues. So I expect nothing less in its fifth!

Total:$19.96. Wow! I could buy a gumball with those four cents! Hundreds of years ago, maybe.

Continued below

Kevin’s Picks:

“Excalibur” #2 ($3.99) – All of the Dawn of X books have breezed through their first issues, and in my opinion “Excalibur” is the best of the launch titles. Tini Howard and Marcus To are doing great work marrying magic and the X-Men in a series that, of these first few issues, takes advantage of the status quo and Krakoa the best of the bunch. I’m so excited for more.

“Deadpool” #1 ($4.99) – Kelly Thompson is having a week between this and “Captain Marvel” launching its evil Carol arc. I love Chris Bachelo art, so you can bet I’ll be picking up this first issue. I’m curious if this run will continue the pattern of Deadpool being very removed from the life of the X-Men. Could Wade wind up on Krakoa?

“Justice League” #36 ($3.99) – Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and the all-star art talent of Jorge Jimenez, Howard Porter, and others continue tearing down the DC Multiverse as we build to a bigger Crisis-like event. Francis Manapul is back on art duties this issue (as well as the last) and it’s great to see him on interiors. I’ll take the little we can get!

“Gwenpool Strikes Back #4 ($3.99) – Finally, Leah Williams and David Baldeon are telling a hilarious and clever metastory and you should all be checking it out!

Total: $16.96

Mark’s Pick:

“At the Mountains of Madness, ” the Second Volume ($19.99)— Gou Tanabe’s adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s novella takes its time to generating atmosphere and the environment, so much so that it had to be split into two volumes, both around 300 pages. The book is at its best when it’s silent and overwhelming, brought to life solely with Tanabe’s art and sense of pacing, with characters simply observing things and reacting. If you pick this up, it’s really for Tanabe’s take on the Antarctic wild.

Total: $19.99. I’m just going with the one this week.


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