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!
Mark’s picks:
“Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows” #3 ($3.99)— Max Fiumara’s art on this series is fantastic. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it many more times, he is perfect for period pieces. He celebrates the hairstyles and clothing of an era, and taps into the way those eras portrayed certain character types. Which makes him a perfect collaborator for Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s Black Hammer Universe since jumping from era to era is an essential part of its stories. So it is my hope that when this “Doctor Star” miniseries is done, Fiumara will find another project in this world to play around with. Four issues is not nearly enough.
“Giant Days” #38 ($3.99)— Julia Madrigal hops aboard “Giant Days” as a guest artist for this issue, which is a real rarity. We had Lissa Treiman for this initial six-issue miniseries run, then Max Sarin on art ever since (except for the holiday specials). Considering a big part of why I love this series is in the body language of its characters, I hope I can avoid mentally comparing everything to Sarin’s work. I’ve seen a few snippets of Madrigal’s panels on Instagram. It looks good.
“Koshchei the Deathless” #5 ($3.99)— I keep saying this miniseries is fantastic. It still is. Mignola, Stenbeck, and Stewart make one hell of a team.
Total: $11.97. A small but good week.
Matt Lune’s Picks:
Avengers #1 ($4.99) – This week sees the start of the future of the BIg Two laid out on the page, and here Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness begin Marvel’s new direction with what should always be its flagship book, “Avengers.” With interest in the franchise arguably never higher thanks to Infinity War, this book has a lot of expectations to live up to.
DC Nation #1 ($0.25) – For only 25 cents you can read three short stories that lay the groundwork for what’s to come for DC Comics. Not only that, it’s showcasing some of the best talent working for the company right now, including a Superman story drawn by Jose Luis Gacia Lopez. Twice in two months, we’re really being spoiled.
Coda #1 ($3.99) – When it comes to writer Si Spurrier, never expect anything straight-forward. This looks to be a subversion on the high-fantasy genre, which should be a lot of fun. In an over-saturated genre it will be good to see something different.
Death or Glory #1 ($3.99) – A cross-country American road-trip heist from Rick Remender and French artist Bengal, here’s hoping this double-sized debut issue of “Death or Glory” is as good as it sounds.
You Are Deadpool #1 ($3.99) – Thanks to “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” we now know what superhero comics are like when mashed up with Choose Your Own adventure books, and now Deadpool is getting in on the action. More than that, this series looks to turn the comic itself into a game, where you use dice and keep score and everything.
Total: $17.21
Kevin’s Picks:
“Nightwing” #44 ($2.99) – You’ll be seeing this today, but I talked to Ben Percy about his forthcoming run on this book at C2E2, and between Babs popping up, all the technocratic privatized business politics, and him calling artist Chris Mooneyham the “second coming of David Mazzucchelli” why would you not be picking this up?
“Avengers” #1 ($4.99) – It’s the beginning of the Fresh Start and the end of Marvel Legacy (even though this is a direct follow-up to “Legacy” #1). I am really excited about Aaron and McGuinness’ run on this book. I think it’s going to be big and bombastic, and I’m optimistic this is a return to classic Marvel storytelling people have been clamoring for. I don’t say it often (even though I host a podcast with a similar name) but Make Mine Marvel!
Continued below“Rogue & Gambit” #5 ($3.99) – This book was great and I’ll be sad to wave goodbye to it after five issues.
“Spider-Man” #240 ($3.99) – Man I guess I’m on a Marvel kick this week. Penultimate Bendis. So long Miles, where will you show up next?
“Harbinger Wars 2 Prelude” #1 – Valiant’s biggest event ever kicks off this week as well, and despite it losing some of its structural uniqueness, I have faith (and Faith shows up) that this one is going to be a doozy and good things are coming!
“DC Nation” #0 ($0.25) – A lot of places might be giving this out for free, but if you need to drop a quarter you should. The biggest of DC”s upcoming summer lineup are here and I’m really excited for “No Justice” to be here next week!
Total: $20.20 (or $19.95 if your shop eats the quarter)
Greg Lincoln’s Picks:
Coda #1 ($3.99) -“Spire” by Simon Spurrier with Jeff Stokely a couple years back clinched that I would check out anything Spurrier writes and he seldom disappoints. The preview pages for “Coda” Illustrated by Mathias Bergara colored by Michael Doig look a-freaking-mazing and in those few pages you get a real sense of scale. The first issue of this magical post apocalyptic Mad Max like adventure across the “Weird Wasteland” is 40 pages long with backmatter for no extra price. Good adult fantasy companion to the YA friendly “Scales & Scoundrels” I’ll mention later.
Shade The Changing Woman #3 ($3.99) -Though still sad that this new volume of “Shade” is only six issues long, but I’m more then happy that we’re getting a little more of Cecil Castellucci, Marley Zarcone and Kelly Fitzpatrick’s storytelling through Young Animal. This new story has been a lot more meta-physical then the first one and even more soul searching. Loma’s attempts to find her place in this new, changed, world are a bit disconcerting but when the people around us move on we can end up feeling lost and left behind much like Loma.
Death or Glory #1 ($3.99) -Rick Remender puts so much crazy over the top action in his scripts it’s often easy to forget he just as much heart and emotion in them too. I have hopes that ”Death or Glory” will pack some deep emotional punches like “Tokyo Ghost” as well as top notch action. Bengal doesn’t do that many comics in the US so it’s a treat that he will be creating the gonzo action visual in this cross country caper story.
Scales & Scoundrels #9 ($3.99)– I love that fantasy comics are a thing again and that there is a book out there like Scales & Scoundrels that is not targeted only at adults. Sebastian Girner and Galaad’s myth filled world and complex conflicted characters don’t need the weight of adult grimdark storytelling to creat a compelling gorgeously illustrated book. It’s great to have a book I can enjoy and recommend for younger readers as well as open minded adults.
Zodiac Starforce: Cries of the Fire Prince #4 ($3.99) -Paulina Ganucheau, co-creator and artist of Zodiac Starforce, is one of my favorite comics artists these days along with Sophie Campbell, Eva Cabrera, and Tess Fowler. Zodiac Starforce by her and writer Kevin Panetta and colored by Sarah Stern is an excellent example of the storytelling we get from the genre cross-pollination between Japan and the US comics industries.
DC Nation #0 ($.25) -It’s pretty much a given I’m picking this up, it’s a quarter, how can I not.
Total: $20.20
Justin Beeson’s Picks:
Avengers #1 ($4.99) – I’ve been waiting for this series since “Marvel Legacy” #1. (Which was in September of last year?!) I can’t wait to see what Aaron does with the prehistoric Avengers.
Doctor Star and the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows #3 ($3.99) – I’m all-in for everything coming out of the world of “Black Hammer.” I’m not even that familiar with James Robinson’s “Starman” run, but this series is at the top of my read pile whenever it comes out.
Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #5 ($3.99) – This series has been radically different than Mark Russell’s previous Hanna Barbara revamp, “The Flintstones,” but no less compelling. Juxtaposing serious social issues with anthropomorphic animals not wearing any pants makes for a very interesting storytelling device.
Continued belowKoshchei the Deathless #5 ($3.99) – This story could be straight out of a book of mythology and I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. It’s almost Gaiman-esque.
Total: $16.96. Marvel just loves squeezing those extra dollars out of us. I have a feeling this one will be worth it though.
Vince’s Picks:
All Summer Long GN ($12.99) – I adore Hope Larson’s work. She did a killer graphic novel adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time” and her very recent run on “Batgirl” is as good as, and sometimes even better than, the ‘Batgirl of Burnside’ status quo change that blew things up a few years ago. But I’m excited to see her get back to an original work, doing the art and everything. The easy pitch is to tell you that it’s a coming-of-age story about a particularly transformative summer for a young girl, but the real selling point is the unique voice that Hope Larson brings to it.
DC Nation #0 ($0.25) – You can’t argue with $0.25 (five bees, we used to say) for a comic like this, but I’m happy to tell you that two of the entries in this comic are really freakin’ good! And if you like what Tom King’s been doing on “Batman” I guess you’ll like that one too.
Avengers #1 ($4.99) – Here we go, another new start for Marvel Comics and what that amounts to is Vince buying a bunch more comics and hoping they’re good this time. Jason Aaron hasn’t done a Marvel Comics I haven’t enjoyed in several years, so this one’s a pretty good bet. And with Ed Mc Guinness starting out on art, that’s about as “eventy” a leg-up this book can get.
Total: $18.23
Kate’s Picks:
The One #4 ($4.99) – I started reading this series with the re-release last year and at the time, for whatever reason, I wasn’t impressed. After looking at our preview of the issue, I’m willing to try it again, reminding myself to both look at it as a product of its time and to find the parallels with the current geopolitical era in equal measure.
Avengers #1 ($4.99) – Say what you will about the potential confusion with Marvel’s “fresh start” and renumbering, it’s a great time to try out new series.
You are Deadpool ($3.99) – I’m a product of the era when “Choose Your Own Adventure” books were very popular, and I love to see that they’re back in some respect. And with Deadpool’s smart-aleck nature, this will be a whole lot of fun.
Giant Days #38 ($3.99) – I sense we’re reaching the endgame with this series as Daisy, Susan, and Esther are in their last year of university, so I want to soak up as much of it as I can.
Total: $17.96
