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Comics Should Be Cheap (7/22/20)

By | July 21st, 2020
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!

Kate’s Picks:

Wicked Things #3 ($3.99) – There’s something about John Allison’s stories that make me find comfort in their whimsy and slight touches of retro nostalgia. So let’s see just what jam Lottie Grote finds herself in – – and if she can get out.

Yasmeen #1 ($3.99) – The more representation we can have in comics, the better – – and this story also looks to shed light on the very personal effects of war on children.

Warcorns: Combat Unicorns for Hire One-Shot ($3.99) – This looks like GI Joe got put in a blender with My Little Pony and here are the results. With the state of our world, I sure could go for something silly and ludicrous to forget about life for a while.

Hollow #1 ($3.99) – I do miss Fox’s Sleepy Hollow, which brought 18th century Ichabod Crane to present-day Sleepy Hollow. So I’m keen for another retelling of the classic story.

Total: $15.96

Christopher’s Pick:

“Vlad Dracul” #1 ($6.99) – There are a fair few comics about Vlad the Impaler, but they almost always go high concept and turn into an origin story for the Bram Stoker character he inspired. Andrea Mutti and Matteo Strukul’s Scout miniseries seems like a straight, historical take on Romania’s favorite son for once, and that, along with Mutti’s beautiful art, is why it may be worth a read.

“Yasmeen” #1 ($3.99) – Another Scout Comics listing to have unexpectedly caught my interest, writer Saif A. Ahmed and artist Fabiana Mascolo’s series tells the story of a Yazidi girl who moves to the States after years in ISIS captivity. This could be exceptionally good, or really embarrassing — but there’s only way to find out.

“FCBD 2020 Horizon Zero Dawn” – Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn is a beautiful video game about environmental devastation and renewal (with robot dinosaurs!), and one of the properties that inspired our We Want Comics column — that’s why it’s my Free Comic Book Summer pick this week.

Total: $9.99

Mark’s Pick:

“Blacksad: The Collected Stories” ($29.99) – My main thinking behind picking this up is how ludicrously cheap it is for what you’re getting: all five volumes of “Blacksad,” the short stories ‘Spit at the Sky’ and ‘Like Cats and Dogs,’and a bunch of special features. As far as I can tell, it’s an English edition of 2018’s “Blacksad” (edición integral), but in paperback and printed at a smaller size. For now, this is pretty much the only way to get everything in English. If you haven’t seen the comic before, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou has a fascinating breakdown on the strengths of its visual storytelling.

At the same time, I’m buying this fully aware that I’ll likely replace it in future, and I’m OK with that precisely because this is so cheap. For $29.99, I’m more than OK with the art being presented on 8.4 x 10.9 inch pages, even though it really should be printed at at least 9.5 x 12.6 inches. Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido’s “Blacksad” is a must-read series, but I don’t think the English editions have ever been presented in a format that fully does the art justice (though, to be fair, they’ve come close). There are still at least two more volumes to come, and given Dark Horse’s track record with library editions, I think it’s fair to say they’re more than up to the task of creating oversized volumes absolutely packed with special features.

So, while I think “Blacksad” could be made available in a more befitting format, this is still an excellent book.

Continued below

Total: $29.99. I’ll be picking up a lot more than I’ve listed here. There are so many great books coming out this week.

Jason’s Picks:

Tartarus #4 ($3.99) – “Tartarus” has since become my favorite comic of 2020 and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. Each element of the creator’s crafts come perfectly together to make a comic that everyone needs to check out.

Total: $3.99.


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