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!
Kevin’s Picks:
“War of the Realms” ($5.99) – Jason Aaron’s Thor saga begins its march to the finish line this week with “War of the Realms.” Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson, the art team from my favorite part of the run, are here to close out the show. This comic is going to be sleek, elegant, and gorgeous. The world is ending but you bet your ass it’s gonna be beautiful.
“Justice League” #21 ($3.99) – Speaking of beautiful comics, Jorge Jiménez and Alejandro Sanchez just can do no wrong. Part 3 of ‘The Sixth Dimension’ hits shelves this week and somehow Scott Snyder continues to manage to raise the stakes? We’re 20+ issues in how should that be possible?
“Marvel Team-Up” #1 ($3.99) – Eve Ewing launches her second ongoing book at Marvel this week with the revival of “Marvel Team-Up” which will bring Kamala Khan and Peter Parker together for crazy shenanigans. Ewing’s “Ironheart” has been a delight and I’m excited to see what her and artist Joey Vasquez have concocted together.
“Female Furies” #3 ($3.99) – Finally, we have the third installment of “Female Furies,” Cecil Castellucci and Adriana Melo’s recasting of the Fourth World narrative from the perspective of the women in the story. The first two issues of this book have just been amazing and heartbreaking and I can’t wait to read more. I also got to interview Castellucci at C2E2 which you’ll be able to read later today!
Total: $17.96
Kyle’s Picks:
“Bronze Age Boogie” #1 ($3.99) – It has Alberto Ponticelli art which is about all I need to pick it up but blend it with “apes, monsters, Kung Fu, sword-and-sorcery, and cosmic adventure” and now you are singing a whole different tune. A sweet sensual tune that says “Buy me Kyle!.”
“Amber Blake” #1 ($3.99) – Maybe a theme this week but it has Butch Guice art so I am probably picking it up. Oh, its Guice drawing a story featuring what looks like a spy, action and guns. Now you are singing a whole different…..
“Major X” #1 ($3.99) – Is this Deju Vu? It has Rob Liefeld art so you know I am trying it. Wait, What?! its a book featuring Cable, probably Deadpool, a new character with an X on their helmet, swords and guns. Now you are singing….((head explodes)).
“The Immortal Hulk” #16 ($3.99) – Still the best Marvel book for my money right now.
“Blood Realm: Shadowed Kingdom” #1 ($1.50) Robert Geronimo told a kick ass metal fantasy story with the first volume of Blood Realm. This is the first issue of his three issue series follow up and it looks just as sick.
Total: $17.46
Mark’s Picks:
“Paper Girls” #27 ($3.99)— “Paper Girls” has been consistently great since it started, and with only four issues left, it’s not like I’m going to stop now.
“Black Hammer ’45” #2 ($3.99)— This is the first “Black Hammer” title that isn’t scripted by Jeff Lemire, yet Ray Fawkes and Matt Kindt immediately tap into essence of what makes the Black Hammer Universe so great. It’s in the 2015 storyline, seventy years on from the events of April 10, 1945, in the regret Hammer Hawthorne still feels. It taps into something like “Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows,” which in my opinion, has been the best of the spinoffs so far.
“Giant Days” #49 ($3.99)— Whoa, I can’t believe we’re nearly at fifty issues. And suddenly I’m feeling the end looming. I mean, Esther’s doing her final dissertation and it’s Easter, so there’s only one more semester to go. . . I’m gonna go curl up into a ball somewhere.
Continued belowTotal: $11.97.
Vince’s Picks:
“The Nib – Family Issue” #1 ($14.95) – “The Nib” is a quarterly anthology book that appears to be packed with some of my favorite cartoonists (Matt Bors, Matt Lubchansky) and contemporary political writers (Barbara Ehrenreich). That makes sense, since its origins obviously lie at this wonderful website which I frequently visit: https://thenib.com/ – Even if you don’t pick up the anthology this week, you should kick around the site to see if it’s something that’s on your wavelength.
“Deathstroke” #42 ($3.99) – Christopher Priest and frequent “Deathstroke” collaborator Carlo Pagulayan put together a second issue of “The Terminus Agenda” crossover that somehow perfectly blends “Teen Titans” irreverent sense of adventure with Slade Wilson’s asshole assassin persona. I marvel at the way Priest manages to wring time-tested comic book plot twists out of these characters, while making them feel like something you’re reading for the first time. If you enjoy it when writers play around with tropes, the last page of the issue will make you grin.
Total: $18.94
Kate’s Picks:
“Giant Days” #49 ($3.99) – Springtime means it’s time for thesis/dissertation writing. Will Esther succeed, or will the distractions of home get in the way?
“War of the Realms” #1 ($5.99) – It’s time for Marvel’s big crossover event for the spring to kick off. I’m not a fan of large events like these since their interconnectedness often requires you to follow along via multiple series (thus flying in the face of the mission of this column), but I have to give it the old college try.
“Major X” #1 ($4.99) – Who is Major X? What is his mission? Has Rob Liefeld finally learned how to draw feet? There’s only one way to find out.
Total: $14.97
Nick’s Pick:
“Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America” ($24.99) – I’m not proud to admit that, on the subject of weed, I’ve been ignorant and misled in the past. So to counter that, I’m excited to dive into this history to learn why and how I’ve been led to believe the things I believed. It’s Box Brown, so I expect nothing less than a thoroughly researched, intellectually stimulating, emotionally affecting, one-of-a-kind read.
Total: $24.99.
