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!
Brian’s Picks:
The Flash 2021 Annual ($5.99) – The Jeremy Adams-penned run of “The Flash” has been so much fun, and this issue brings the first arc to a close with a retcon of, perhaps, the most reviled event in recent DC History. It is well worth checking out.
Infinite Frontier #2 ($4.99) – Joshua Williamson’s big DC event is full of intrigue, familiar but often underused characters, and some really solid artwork. All superhero comics should move at this pace.
The Joker #5 ($5.99) – This is purely a nostalgia trip, but holy shit it is a good one. Francesco Francavilla returns to the Gordon family for the first time since ‘The Black Mirror’ to tell an early Jim Gordon (Sr) story. This goes down like an egg cream with an old friend.
Total: $16.97 – It is gross that there are only three books on my list, and we’re near the max. However, all three of these issues are oversized, and so it’s a little better. But still, c’mon DC.
Mark’s Picks:
Mouse Guard: The Owlhen Caregiver & Other Stories ($4.99) – Do I need to explain this one? It’s a new “Mouse Guard” from David Petersen. These don’t come along very often, so when they do, you appreciate them. This is the way.
The Ghoul Next Door ($10.99) – I love Cullen Bunn books and I’ve been wanting him to do more with Cat Farris ever since the “Li’l Sixth Gun” backup stories. I’ve enjoyed Farris’s work for a while, but she totally won me over with “My Boyfriend Is a Bear”—such a fun book—and so when she and Bunn teamed up for a spooky comic for kids, I immediately pre-ordered. I’ve since read a digital preview and it’s great, and I’m happy to say a second book is already in the works.
Black Hammer: Visions #6 ($3.99) – OK, this was a difficult one to add to my list—not because it’s not great, because it is totally great—but because this week my shortlist was insanely long and culling down to under $20 was tough, and so putting two Cullen Bunn titles on my list seemed pretty indulgent. But this issue is so much fun. I was grinning like an idiot when I finished it. Malachi Ward and Matt Sheean are on art and they’re fantastic—I was already pretty excited to see them do an issue of “Black Hammer: Visions” because I loved Ward’s “Colonel Weird: Cosmagog” #4 variant cover. They’ll also be doing a four-issue stint on “Black Hammer: Reborn” later this year. Anyway, my point is, this made the $20 list in a very competitive week. It’s absolutely worth picking up.
Total: $19.97. Oh my god. This was an effort. I suffered to get this under twenty. It caused me pain.
Christopher’s Picks:
Beyond the Breach #1 ($4.99) – As the one revisiting Stranger Things for the Summer TV Binge, I’m naturally intrigued by Ed Brisson and Damian Couceiro’s Spielbergian sounding AfterShock series, which follows a woman who becomes the guardian of a young boy after California is plunged into another dimension. Brisson sounds like he’s picking up the director’s early preoccupation with motherhood, and I’m certainly looking forward to seeing all the monsters Couceiro has designed.
Aliens: Aftermath #1 ($4.99) – Speaking of classic creature features where motherhood is a major theme, Marvel are marking the 35th anniversary of Aliens with this one-shot by Benjamin Percy and Dave Wachter, which follows a group of journalists exploring the ruins of Hadley’s Hope (surprise) 35 years later. What’s more terrifying than an Alien? A radioactive one apparently.
Continued belowThe Secret Land #2 ($3.99) – The first issue of Christofer Emgard and Tomas Aira’s post-war espionage/horror romance was poignant and creepy, like if A Matter of Life and Death had been about Nazi occultism. I look forward to seeing how it continues to unfold.
Savage Hearts #1 ($3.99) – Aubrey Sitterson (and Jed Dougherty) doing a fantasy romance comic? This I gotta see.
Total: $17.96
Johnny’s Picks:
Excalibur #22 ($3.99) – Last week I hit you with a super strong cavalcade of comic goodness, but this week – I could sweet-talk my way through a few books I’m mildly entertained by, or I could just talk about the one (the only one) I’ll be paying close attention to – “Excalibur”! Writer Tini Howard has carried such a strong voice throughout the Hickman era, and where her ideas seem to flourish are with the Otherworld, and specifically with the champion of the Otherworld, Betsy Braddock, aka “Captain Britain” (not to mention Marcus To does the fantastical imagery really well). Looks like she’s finally reunited with her team again this issue, and it will be interesting to see how they both have changed in the interim. Plus, it looks like we get appearances from some fun Otherworld characters introduced in ‘X of Swords,’ like Sheriff Whitechapel. I’m stoked!
Total: $3.99. . . “Excalibur” has lowkey been my favorite X-book all along. There, I finally admitted it to myself!
Kate’s Picks:
A Man Among Ye #5 ($3.99): Avast, ye mateys, your favorite lady pirates are back!
Skybound X #2 ($4.99): Your weekly reminder to get on this series as they come out since it won’t be collected in trade.
Stitch and the Samurai Vol 2. ($10.99): I am not a big Disney person, but Stitch is always one of my favorite characters, and I love to see what mischief he’s up to in feudal Japan.
Total: $19.97
